Florence + The Machine - Lungs

Another Suggestion Box review kicks off my Thursday - with Shaqwanda's entry of Flo and the Machine. It's probably my second favorite machine based band name after Rage. There are many bands out there that are just impossible to classify. Standard genre's don't fit. That's why people just label bands indie rock or something of that nature - because it means nothing. Are these guys all rock based? Nope. They have a nice bit of mood music and Florence's voice is very soulful. She has a very bold and powerful tone that is fairly entrancing. It's a semi interesting story how the name came about. Florence used to jam with a childhood friend Isabella Summers. Back then, they referred to each other as Florence Robot and Isa Machine. So that was the name of their band at first. When she realized that name was too long and would drive her nuts, it went from Florence Robot/Isa Machine to just Florence and the Machine. Isabella left the band and came back - but Flo runs through a variety of session musicians for her shows. It will be hard to find an artist that receives so much praise as her right now. Everyone is on board with the type of music she's making. The last person who was so unanimously liked for her music that I can recall was Amy Winehouse. Too bad she couldn't keep it going. Hopefully similar doesn't happen to Flo. She's working on a second album, due out this year. This is very cool. It's got multiple feels and all of them go down smooth. Drink it in B Siders. Happy Thursday!

TRACK LISTING:
1. Dog Days Are Over
2. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
3. I'm Not Calling You a Liar
4. Howl
5. Kiss with a Fist
6. Girl with One Eye
7. Drumming Song
8. Between Two Lungs
9. Cosmic Love
10. My Boy Builds Coffins
11. Hurricane Drunk
12. Blinding
13. You've Got the Love

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Kiss With A Fist
2. Cosmic Love
3. Dog Days Are Over

FINAL RATING:
4 out of 5 stars

Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope

My second Hump Day post is another Suggestion from the Box. This time it's follower Ashley and her request for me to listen to this album - and most specifically Janet featuring Q Tip and 'Got Til It's Gone'. I'm 99% positive that I've heard this song in the past, but like I've stated before, I'm not exactly Janet's number one fan. I've always respected her music - mainly because she's so iconic, but it's just not something I personally groove to. But hey, anyone who can step out of the shadows of the King of Pop and make a huge splash in the industry - big props. In the grand scheme of Janet, this is her 6th studio album and it came out in 1997. The album is a modest 3x platinum for Janet. Just a note from listening to it a couple times - it's very up and down. There are songs - some of the beat-y and uptempo, then it's just some slow spoken word type things (rap music would call them "skits"). Janet calls them 'Interludes'. It's very odd. And I haven't heard the sound of connecting to the internet via dialup in years. If you wanted to hear it again, check out track 12. I had high speed internet in 1998, come on Janet. Get with the times. As a whole, I can see why the sales of this record dipped for her by comparison to earlier records. It doesn't really have that classic Janet dance jam. And the mood type tracks - frankly, aren't any good. They're not memorable and it's just vocal. Usually I'm more than okay with that, but Janet's voice isn't exactly angelic. In terms of just the song that Ashley asked about - it's a bit of a saving grace. There are literally three tracks on this album I might listen to, that being one. Q-Tip does a nice job on it, and it's a good twist on a classic track. Like the beat over the vocal, and it's a track you could hear on the radio today and it would sound current. That's always a plus. Anyways, I'd skip this. But you know my stance on the Jacksons.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Interlude: Twisted Elegance
2. Velvet Rope
3. You
4. Got 'Til It's Gone
5. Interlude: Speaker Phone
6. My Need
7. Interlude: Fasten Your Seatbelts
8. Go Deep
9. Free Xone
10. Interlude: Memory
11. Together Again
12. Interlude: Online
13. Empty
14. Interlude: Full
15. What About
16. Every Time
17. Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)
18. I Get Lonely
19. Rope Burn
20. Anything
21. Interlude: Sad
22. Special

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Got Til It's Gone
2. What About
3. Every Time

FINAL RATING:
2.25 out of 5 stars

Story Of The Year - Page Avenue

Getting back to real music the last couple of days has been really nice. I always enjoy picking out music I've never heard before out of the Suggestion Box. When it comes to new to me punk rock type music, Shaqwanda is no doubt my go-to expert. Today it's Story Of The Year. And as a quick side note, Shaqwanda requested this way back in September of this year. It's not that I was ignoring this posting, sometimes it just takes time to get to all of them. Or, they don't link samples - and that's one of my requirements. For example, Brand new doesn't link anything to Amazon. They are currently on my ban list. Sorry for the couple that asked for them. Anyways, I've been known to maybe not enjoy the punk genre as much as others in the past. These bands really have to do something different to impress me anymore. These guys started as 67 North (which I believe is a major highway in St. Louis where they are from) then they changed to Big Blue Monkey and now SOTY. I like Blue Monkey they best - but what do I know? These guys started around 2002 and have seen a little bit of oddness. They got into a big fight with the roadies for Godsmack - apparently got beat up pretty good. A couple of the members seem to go in and out for side projects too. I guess what's different about these guys, is they have a little metal element to them. Very similar sounding to a Hoobastank in my opinion. So in the grand scheme of things, it really isn't anything earth shattering in terms of sound. It's not something I'd actively turn off, but I also wouldn't be able to pick up that it's these guys if a random song came on the radio. Seems like they've made a few more album, so I'll have to check those out someday.

TRACK LISTING:
1. And the Hero Will Drown
2. Until the Day I Die
3. Anthem of Our Dying Day
4. In the Shadows
5. Dive Right In
6. Swallow the Knife
7. Burning Years
8. Page Avenue
9. Sidewalks
10. Divide and Conquer
11. Razorblades
12. Falling Down

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Dive Right In
2. Burning Years
3. And The Hero Will Drown

FINAL RATING:
2.5 out of 5 stars

David Banner & 9th Wonder - Death Of A Pop Star

New Music Tuesday rolls on with a little hip hop, maybe more specifically southern rap. David Banner has been known for very deep Mississippi tracks before. A couple of them were pretty catchy in the past, but he never really hit the big time. He dropped the track 'Play' back in 2005 - which is probably one of the dirtiest songs I've ever heard in my life. Banner has also been in a couple of movies and is also an activist. He has testified in front of Congress regarding African-American stereotypes. Kinda cool. Combine that with North Carolina based producer 9th Wonder, and maybe you have a smash hit? 9th Wonder got his big break when he released an unofficial remix of Nas's 'God's Son' record back in 2003. He called it 'God's Stepson' and it was released via internet outlets and not in stores. 9th Wonder has worked with just about everybody. He's put out whole collabo records with guys like Wale and Drake. He's going places. What I like about this is exactly what the title is trying to lead you toward. This album is geared toward real hip hop fans. It isn't poppy. They even talked about how they don't expect this to sell through the roof, because they want to get rid of that poppy trend. Banner has made a living catering to the dance or pop crowd, and it's good to just hear him flow with a reputable producer. This isn't by any means amazing though...and a little bit of a letdown to southern rap. It's got the beats and the hooks, but it doesn't come all together like other southern albums do. It's worth checking out, but maybe not worth buying.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Diamonds on My Pinky
2. No Denying (Channel 3)
3. Mas 4
4. Light, The
5. Slow Down
6. Be with You
7. Stutter
8. Silly
9. Something Is Wrong
10. Strange

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Be With You
2. Something Is Wrong
3. Diamonds On My Pinky

FINAL RATING:
3.25 out of 5 stars

Schiller - Breathless

Today is going to be a double dose of New Music Tuesday. I figured since I was doing Christmas music the last couple of weeks, it makes sense to highlight a couple of albums that came out while I was doing holiday stuff. That said, this one just dropped today. And I'll add, it's a pretty odd one. Turns out, after the new year not a lot of artists are dropping new music. And this band is based out of Germany. This is a side project of a gentleman named Christopher von Deylen, whom I guess is pretty big over there in Deutschland. Music Free Europe is a music channel in all of Europe that is also pretty big. And I guess they do a weekly segment just for this band called 'Schill-Out'. Pretty neat. What's interesting is, Schiller's US releases often take a year to come out after the German release. There is so much translating and re-recording it's almost as though they are running a brand new record. Kinda of a neat tidbit. Anyway, I've gone through this twice now - and although it's very different, it's pretty cool. It's not what you think of with typical German music in terms of really whacky 'non-US' focused music. It's probably a hybrid of mood/slow dance/pop music. I can't imagine anyone would listen to this album and be totally put off. It's got a little something for everybody. A couple tracks (for example 'I Will Follow You') are pretty upbeat and get your toes tapping. But then the very next track, 'Himmelblau' is pretty laid back with a slight dance beat behind some very low key keyboard synth. Oh, and then the next tracks has almost a spoken word feel. Very mixing and very neat. I HIGHLY recommend checking this out today.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Wilkommen
2. Tiefblau
3. Sunrise
4. Try
5. Polarstem
6. Playing With Madness
7. Unruhig Herz
8. Don't Go
9. Liedenschaft
10. Forever
11. Atemlos
11. Time For Dreams
12. Un Solo Minuto
12. Breathe
13. Let It Rise
13. Sommernacht
14. Sunday [Version 02]
15. La Mer
16. I Will Follow You
17. Himmelblau
18. Moments
19. Always You
20. Sehnsuch
21. Wehmut
22. Ile Aye
23. You
25. Herzchlag
26. Tired
27. Schulze
28. Porque Te Vas
29. Forever
30. Breathe
31. Time For Dreams
32. Sommernacht

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Sunrise
2. Polarstern
3. Under My Skin

FINAL RATING:
3.75 out of 5 stars

Better Than Ezra - Deluxe

Rock style jam bands can be a ton of fun to listen to. I think many of us have gone around the horn on bands like BNL, Black Keys or other fun rock artists. Heck, even seeing Hootie and the Blowfish just go to town for a few minutes was a fun night. Better Than Ezra is in that type of category. I never really listened to a ton by them, but I do recall seeing them live once - and they were just fun to listen to while they jammed away. These guys formed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana back in the late 80's. They were busy doing some really local, small shows when tragedy struck in 1990. Their lead guitarist committed suicide and put the band in total shock. They hadn't seen any major radio play when they dropped this album back in 1992 on their own private label. The track 'Good' started gaining momentum around the US, so the major label 'Elektra' decided to pick them up. So this is technically their second release, after dropping 'Sunrise' on their own private label as well. This being the first studio recording, and going 1x platinum in the US. Not great sales for an album with pretty big singles, but that happens. I'm not going to go out on a limb and say this album is amazing or anything - but it's a pretty easy listen. While I don't find their music to have a ton of quality in terms of the other bands I mentioned above - they do have a certain air about them that makes them fun to put on for an hour. I'd probably see them live again too - if they're still touring. I'm completely unfamiliar with more recent stuff, so I'll check that out soon. Until then, put on an oldie.

TRACK LISTING:
1. In the Blood
2. Good
3. Southern Gurl
4. Killer Inside, The
5. Rosealia
6. Cry in the Sun
7. Teenager
8. 8
9. Summerhouse
10. Porcelain
11. Heaven
12. This Time of Year
13. Coyote

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. In The Blood
2. Good
3. Rosealia

FINAL RATING:
3 out of 5 stars

Brandon Boyd - Wild Trapeze

Holy cats. Looking through it this morning, it's been a LONG time since I rolled out some flat out music for you guys. The Christmas adventure was pretty fun though - and I really appreciate all the feedback you guys gave me! My eyes have been opened to some new holiday tunes - some of them I really enjoyed! But on to what my favorite thing in this world is, exploring new music. Follower haypeterman entered into the Suggestion Box this new artist named Brandon Boyd. I think I may have heard of thim before, but I'm not sure I heard any of his stuff. If you decide to listen to this today, you'll notice the vocal sounds eerily familiar. I was able to place it, but maybe some of you won't be able to. He's the lead singer of Incubus. This is his only solo record to date, and it came out fairly recently. Just in July of last year in fact. (wow, saying "last year" to refer to 2010 - that's going to take some getting used to) Mr. Boyd here has a pretty interesting background. He has written two books and has dabbled in creating some fine art. He's certainly got a lot going on. Incubus hasn't dropped anything in a couple years now, so he's probably working on something with them again too. We'll see. But in terms of this solo stuff - I think if you enjoy Incubus, you'll enjoy this. It's got a very similar feel to it. Nice laid back vocal with some reasonably crazy beats and arrangements. I enjoy it. I think he's got a very unique voice, and that's something that comes through even in the band setting. His lyrics are always a touch off the wall, and that's something else I like about this one. No stray from that. Take a listen, and welcome back in a sense. Hopefully 2011 is just as fun on the B Side as 2010 was!

TRACK LISTING:
1. Wild Trapeze, The
2. Here Comes Everyone
3. Dance While The Devil Sleeps
4. A Night Without Cars
5. Revenge of the Spectral Tiger
6. Courage and Control
7. Runaway Train
8. Last Night A Passenger
9. Mirror of Venus
10. All Ears Avow!

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Courage And Control
2. Last Night A Passenger
3. Runaway Train

FINAL RATING:
3.75 out of 5 stars