Best Music of March
by turboman
Best Music of January Best Music of February March: Ah yes, health care reform has officially begun.. but was there a plethora of great music like there was in... oh lets say.. January ? In short, not really. That doesn't stop the Best Of The Month from yours truly. There's been a good amount of disapointment, and a bit of me losing faith with the websites I follow, but I have another short lis...
Best Music of February
March:
Ah yes, health care reform has officially begun.. but was there a plethora of great music like there was in... oh lets say.. January? In short, not really. That doesn't stop the Best Of The Month from yours truly. There's been a good amount of disapointment, and a bit of me losing faith with the websites I follow, but I have another short list for ya.Overall, nothing groundbreaking has came out this month, and in reality, I could have just made this list only two albums, instead of three, but my brain only functions in the Gold-Silver-Bronze idea when it comes to list, so I expanded a bit. Here's some stuff that I felt was just mediocre: Titus Andronicus, The Morning Benders, Dum Dum Girls. Any one of those three can be interchangeable with the #3 spot, so if you're curious enough, give those a try. If I seemed to have missed anything, please reply down below!
Without further adieu:
3. Broken Bells - S/T
I'm not going to lie when I say that you should skip on this pick. There are probably three or four other albums that could have just as easily been number three, but I'll give the nod to DJ Dangermouse(Gnarls Barkley) and James Mercer(The Shins). Overall, my real complaints on this album are similar to my complaints for The Shins in general, which is that I feel that the band lacks a certain amount of charisma to back up the hype surrounding the band. DJ Dangermouse produces another handful of decent backing beats, nothing revolutionary for him here. The album just feels soulless to me, and needs a pulse somewhere. I know that for one of the best albums of the month, this is a significantly negative review, so if there were a couple of positive nods, I would say that Dangermouse proves once again that he is one of the best producers, and a handful of tunes have great potential to be great(maybe a live show?).2. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Forget everything you know about the Gorillaz, this is not the same mainstream band that dominated MTV's airwaves years ago. I'm not discrediting their past at all, but Plastic Beach provides a new direction for the band, with a decidedly more modern indy vibe throughout the CD. Damon Albarn lazy singing style blends perfectly with the electro-pop rhythms found throughout the CD. The only main gripe I have is that 16 is a pretty bulky number this day when it comes to quantity of songs on a single album, and I can name a good handful of filler songs that should have been kicked off, and saved for a B-Side collection later down the road. When Plastic Beach hits its high notes, it works wonders, examples of this include Rhinestone Eyes, Superfast Jellyfish, Empire Ants, and Melancholy Hill. I came in wondering if we even need Gorillaz as a band anymore, and came out hoping that they get back in the studio as soon as possible to add to their catalogue.1. The White Stripes - Under Great White Northern Lights
As the biggest White Stripes fan I know of, I might be a tad bit biased towards this live album. As a fan, however, this CD is the complete package for me. If you buy the insanely overly priced box set, you get vinyls, dvds, posters, cds, art book, etc., but over at Best Buy they are offering a live CD/DVD documentary combo, that's the one I recommend. The CD itself offers a great mix of White Stripes live songs that mostly spans from Elephant to their latest CD, Icky Thump. All of these songs have amazingly great quality of recording, allowing you to truly hear the amount of noise that is generated between Jack and Meg. In terms of songs, The White Stripes have obviously perfected every song that they have done live, making an even denser version of Seven Nation Army, and completely changing Fell In Love With A Girl into a much bluesier and richer song.The DVD that comes with the CD is a documentary that covers their tour of Canada, from their one-note show to their tenth anniversary show. Nothing amazing comes from the DVD to outsiders, but to the fans, it's exactly what you want. One scene particularly from the DVD that is amazing is Jack playing a song after their tenth anniversary with Meg sitting beside him. After an intensely emotional night, and playing their longest show to date(2 hours 20 minutes), Jack plays "White Moon", an obviously personal song that never received too much attention, and during the song Meg begins to openly cry after an hour of her rarely talking or showing any emotion. Jack ends the song and there is just uncomfortable silence, and Jack then gives meg a hug and says something to her ear... it's a weird scene that's beautifully shot, reminding me of the end of Lost In Translation. Anyways, this is a great package overall, and it only makes me want more from Jack and Meg as soon as possible.