Pazartesi 1 Eki 2007, 11:29

Hm.. need something to do before work. I overslept because I stayed up too late on the weekend, so I'm sore and feel pretty dead. No worries though… music can cure that. Music can cure anything.

So… in the past little while, I've picked up some new albums which I feel like commenting on. I never, ever buy an album I know I will not enjoy so.. I guess read on if you're looking for something to listen to, because there won't be many negative comments from me.

The first album, which actually came out last year was Absolutely by Sister Hazel. I guess I feel the need to mention this album because I think Sister Hazel is so vastly underrated. They have some fairly well known songs which I am sure many have heard before. Absolutely has one of these songs, Mandolin Moon. I was surprised to learn that they sang that song.
For those who aren't aware, Sister Hazel is sort of a southern rock group infused with a bit of Blues Traveler and perhaps Fastball. I wasn't very upset with Absolutely. Unfortunately, Mandolin Moon steals the show and is really the song of the album. It's all a good album, but it's just that Mandolin Moon is a step ahead of every other song on the album. Ah well.
It is another fine Sister Hazel album though, and that is good enough for me.

The next album I bought, which was a little more recent, was The Coast is Clear which is by In-Flight Safety. If you missed my last journal entry from the summer, I basically praised these guys and said that they have the potential to bury Coldplay - a group which they have a similar sound to. I know, a lot of people will moan and groan at the mention of Coldplay because it became cool to hate them overnight (bandwagoning is cool!), but In-Flight Safety is quite different from them. They have a similar vocalist, but he sounds more "in control" and mature than Chris Martin.
I love this album though. It has some great songs, especially the song the album is named after (Coast is Clear). I believe it is a free download on last.fm, so why not check that song out? I promise you, it's a nice tune.
Anyway, I am eagerly looking forward to what these guys do in the future. I think this was their first full length album with an EP which came a year or two before.

Next album was just a month ago, and it is a brand spankin' new one as well. Afterwords by Collective Soul. Man oh man, I was looking forward to this album when I first heard about it in the spring of 2006! I felt a little down when they released their first single, Hollywood, because it didn't capture their true sound and was vastly different from anything we've heard from them. I felt relieved when I bought the album though, because there are some great tunes on it. New Vibration, Bearing Witness, All That I Know, Persuasion of You.. all great songs. Good Morning After All is also really nice to listen to when you need a slower song.
I'd have to say that with time, I might like this album more than Youth because they've kind of revived their old sound that they lost when Ross Childress left the band. New Vibration is old school Collective Soul, and I'm loving that song more and more with each passing day.
Definitely a solid album, and I can't understand how any Collective Soul fan could possibly be disappointed with it.

The final album is Runnin' Wild by Airbourne, and thank god they came around. This is the type of rock I needed more of badly, since AC/DC is sort of stuck in limbo (they say they are making a new album, but I don't expect it any time soon). With the mention of AC/DC, you can probably imagine what kind of group this is. Yes, hard rock with raspy vocals. They're Australian as well, so wow.. AC/DC Junior!
Really though, these guys are amazing. They combine the old school hard rock sound of AC/DC and infuse it with the sound of modern rock. Runnin' Wild is an awesome song, as are Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast, and Stand Up For Rock n' Roll. You can tell that they were inspired by their countrymen rockers, and what a great inspiration they've chosen! If they are going to emulate AC/DC, then I expect immense success to follow for these guys.
Airbourne.. just awesome. Give them a go if you like AC/DC or hard rock.