Sleeping At Last - Storyboards

I've been quite overdue for post here, considering the albums that have been released since my last entry...



There are very few artists today that captivate me the way that Sleeping at Last does, lyrically they are unparalleled. However, it is upon combining these bold lyrics with vocals that are just as daring, raw, and uncut that allows for a sound as emotional as found in Storyboards. I listened to this album on repeat for the duration of my day at work, trying to absorb the full effect. I found myself overwhelmed numerous times, and brought to the brink of tears each time "Naive" came back around. The simplicity of a piano, soft woodwinds and vocals pulled me in more than other tracks with a full orchestra accompanying the duo. Once again, the honest vocals of Ryan O'Neal have overwhelmed me with a sense of innocence and helplessness, it's as if he is revealing his darkest secrets to me, intentionally leaving himself absolutely vulnerable with the line; "God knows I've been naive, but I think it makes him proud of me."

Just as tracks like "Naive" encourage tears, the album balances itself when we reach "Clockwork" and the lighthearted flutes bouncing around lift us back up, creating a feeling of childhood innocence. The lyrics give us hope with lines like; "and somehow we smell the blossom, through the snow." There are no hidden agendas the lie in the lyrics, the melody of the track is an accurate portrayal of the message delivered - once again the authenticity of Sleeping at Last makes its presence known. If this album had a purpose, it was not to confuse, or require multiple listens to decipher the "hidden meaning" buried within ambiguous lyrics. However, the lyrics written are not simple or without thought. But the genius of each word lies not within the complications caused to listeners, but instead within the ability to summon the emotions we've all felt, but this time from an unlikely source.

Storyboards is a very complete album, finding a balance between sorrow and joy, but sticks to a common theme and sound. The completeness is also found by joining the duo with an orchestra, allowing for an array of sounds without overwhelming us with more than we can handle. Each track has a prescribed formula, to create a specific mood, and the versatility of Sleeping at Last has impressed me in this album more than ever before. Storyboards is an adventure, one I recommend everyone take at least once.

As I said before, the message delivered by these two is not muddled, and this virtue may also prove to be the thing that prevents wide reception from the masses. Being Christian, many bands will be limited from the start, but depending on their choice of lyrics, great popularity is not out of the question. Attaining popularity is clearly not the ambition of Sleeping at Last, and this should go without saying. Many people will never give this group a chance because their lyrics are openly Christian and the vocals are far from polished. But even if you find yourself on the other side of the fence with this album, there is still room for respect for these guys, respect for true passion. We rarely see musicians create songs and albums that they know has no chance of reaching a spot on the Billboard top 100. And while I've heard countless musicians say "it's about the music," only a handful of them have had a full understanding of what it means, and actually shown it. Storyboards is an example of an album created by musicians with passion for music, which has become a bit of a contradicting statement when applied to popular music.

(and uh, please forgive the random, criticism of pop music tangent at the end there)


9/10

The Mars Volta - 'Octahedron'

Releasing their 5th studio album, The Mars Volta is taking on their version of an "acoustic" record. Don't be fooled. While 'Octahedron' is much more accessible than prior albums, it still remains miles away from what we would expect an acoustic album to sound like..

This should not come as anything unexpected for followers of such a progressive group. However, after listening to the latest album from TMV for the first time, I was on the edge of my seat as I waited and waited for the first track to hit. After a long period of silence, I was surprised to hear the sound of an acoustic guitar accompanying Bixler-Zavala. Yet my surprise by the unusual opening track was overcome by the captivating aura of "Since We've Been Wrong." I may be partial to this track, due to my love for the entire genre of "post-rock" - which is based on the design of 'slowly building over several minutes, until a climax is reached near the five minute mark.' And it is within the first song that I noticed some 'post rock' influence. Once can't help but think of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to heaven' upon listening to the opening song as well - we hear an acoustic guitar climb up and down, electric guitars creating the melody in the background, soft and meaningful vocals dancing throughout the song, and finally a crescendo with the full array of instruments (minus a lengthy guitar solo).

After the seven minute opener, TMV returns to a style which is familiar to many of us in "Teflon," as they cut Pridgen loose in the first seconds of the track. "Cotopaxi" and "Desperate Graves" also stand out as familiar and comfortable tracks for those of us who love the fast/harder tracks that we've seen over the years. Throughout the album we see a back and forth or up and down sense of cohesion between the tracks. There are more ballads in Octahedron than we saw in The Bedlam in Goliath, creating a much more balanced album. I see their prior album (The Bedlam in Goliath) as a much more experimental piece, as Omar said in one interview the theme or inspiration of the album came from an "Ouija" board - which provided him with visions and visits from spirits in the following nights, providing him with lyrics and ideas for their new album. And I also see this album as an introduction to Thomas Pridgen, the bands newly acquired drummer for The Bedlam in Goliath - allowing him to impress us and leave us with a sense of amazement by his technical abilities. And after listening to the speed and quality of his drumming throughout the album, I was instantly impressed. As the band moves forward toward Octahedron, the group returns to create songs which are more vocally centered, yet we still hear the quality drumming in the back - just a more subdued and consistent version.

There will be listeners who will criticize the band for releasing an album with such an 'accessible' track as "Since We've Been Wrong," and there will also be lifetime fans who love it. Regardless your taste - the quality of the album cannot be denied. The one constant that The Mars Volta continues with in this album is that it is different and unlike anything else they've done. Different from the last album. Different for them in general. Even though Octahedron is shorter than prior releases, and may seem to have been put out very fast (which it was), don't let these factors force you to listen with biased ears - because this album, like every other, is amazing in its own way. One should not listen to anything created by The Mars Volta the same way you listen to anything else, and for that fact, hold them to the same standards. There is talent and creativity that exists within these guys that I have not seen anywhere else. Octahedron appears to be a step towards the style of prior albums, so if you're not a fan of this one, I'm thinking you won't need to wait long for the next album - which will most likely be nothing like this one.

8.5/10

Incubus - Monuments and Melodies

Over the last decade few bands had impacted me as much as Incubus, and when asked 'who's your favorite band?', they were one of the first few names out of my mouth. On June 16th, Incubus released they're first (and likely only) 'greatest hits' album. The two disc set is composed of 27 songs including; 12 B-Sides, an acoustic version of 'A Certain Shade of Green', a live version of 'Pardon Me', and a cover of 'Let's Go Crazy' (originally by Prince). After nearly 18 years of creating music, which included 6 full length albums, I had high expectations for this compilation album - mostly curious to see which tracks made the final cut! However, upon scrolling through the track list, I was very unimpressed...

Ask any 'true' Incubus fan (pre-Morning View followers), which album they believe is their best (not favorite), and I am confident that the consensus would be S.C.I.E.N.C.E. While I believe each album is different, making them difficult to compare, I think their best work lies in the afore mentioned album. Yet NONE of the songs from this album made the all-star lineup (besides the acoustic remake). The only albums with representatives on this CD are: Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of the Murder, & Light Grenades. Whereas; Enjoy Incubus, Fungus Amongus, & S.C.I.E.N.C.E. apparently failed to produce any songs worthy of recognition. I think the greatest tragedy of this album is the presence of the song 'Love Hurts,' and I may be alone on this, but this was probably the least impressive song Incubus has recorded, and seeing it on their greatest hits CD is mind-boggling.

The selected tracks are predictable to say the least, with 'Are You In?' as the lone exception. The only real appeal of the album lies on the second disc, which is where you will find the B-Side tracks which hadn't been released to the public (at least not officially). As I listened through the unfamiliar tracks, I found myself enjoying what I was hearing, the tracks were, in face, quite 'melodic' as the title of the album indicates. Brandon Boyd's vocals continued to impress me as they have remained a constant throughout the bands career. However, with such intoxicating harmonies, it is easy to allow the real substance of the lyrics pass through us, without actually hearing the words. It seems that upon discovering the success of such tracks as 'love hurts' and 'diamonds and coal' the guys realized at some point that by making the lyrics easily accessible - more people will listen! Both of these songs are as complex as anything you'll hear on the radio, and while these rarities prove to be aesthetically pleasing, they pick up where Light Grenades left off by offering little to no substance.

The title of the album is creative, and works well with the layout of the tracks. And I cannot argue that the tracks on the first disc aren't 'monuments', however what each of these songs signify as an achievement by the band, is up for debate. While statistically we may see each song reach a higher spot on the Billboard chart, we also witness another step away from the music that once drew us in initially. I now see why tracks from S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and Fungus Amongus had been left off - they do not fit into the theme of accessibility that the others provide. I am a big fan of both Morning View and Make Yourself, so do not think I am bashing these albums - I simply see the track selection as a simple math equation where someone decided: proven success (simplest/most recognizable songs) + something new but not alienating (B-Sides) + a pretty package (Monuments and Melodies) = highest revenues. And it's sad that Incubus has allowed they're music to transform into this. It's difficult to believe the same group is responsible for Monuments and Melodies as well as Fungus Amongus.

It's been difficult to watch one of my favorite bands steadily decline and drift away from the edgy, experimental, rebellious band I once admired so dearly. However, there is still an intrinsic value that Incubus possesses - Brandon's vocals cannot be denied, Jose's drumming (while not apparent in recent albums) is effortless and captivating, and Kilmore's style has the ability to set the band apart from any rival among their genre. If only these traits were left untamed instead of being subdued by the desire for fame. One can only imagine what this compilation album would contain had the boys from Calabasas taken the road less traveled.

6/10

Preliminary List of Albums

As previously mentioned, I have compiled a preliminary list of my all time favorite albums. I'm working on narrowing it down, and possibly using one not listed. I'm trying to take as many factors into account as I determine which albums are my 'favorite', and not just ones I believe are the 'best of all time', and I need to make sure to separate the two.

Anyway, here's the list (in no specific order):

1. Radiohead - Kid A

2. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief

3. Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance

4. Sparta - Wiretap Scars

5. Dear & the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves

6. Lydia - Illuminate

7. Incubus - Morning View

8. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf

9. French Kicks - Swimming

10. Explosions in the Sky - The World is not a Cold Dark Place

11. Russian Circles - Station

12. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine

13. Copeland - Beneath the Medicine Tree

14. Paulson - All at Once

15. Coldplay - Parachutes

16. Kaddisfly - Set Sail the Prairie

17. Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice

18. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

19. Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

20. Wintersleep - Untitled

It was difficult enough coming up with this list, I don't know how I'm going to cut it in half....

Welcome...

Hello to the world wide web and those of you who happen to stumble across this web page.

As a modest individual, sharing my thoughts/ideas/opinions is a new venture. While I have always enjoyed writing and putting my thoughts down on paper, I have never considered myself worthy of public viewing - not due to a fear of criticism, merely afraid of appearing pretentious. However, I seek constant improvement as a person and enjoy discussions on a myriad of topics. So this blog is my attempt to generate conversation and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

I will spare you all the monotonous details of my daily life and entries titled 'what I did this weekend..' Instead the posts to follow will be amateur attempts at new album/concert reviews, the occasional opinion on life and significant events, and all other things music-related.

So thank you for viewing and remember that I enjoy discussions, so comments are encouraged!


On a different note, I am currently working on compiling a list of my Top 10 Albums & Songs of all time. Thus far the list includes bands such as; Radiohead, Dear & the Headlights, Pink Floyd, Russian Circles, and 16 other bands as I have created a 'preliminary list', which will be cleaned up and narrowed down. This will be a difficult task, but one I am already enjoying.

Stay tuned for updates...