Q2 2009 New Music Review

Along with my new music reviews, I have reviews for albums that were released last year, but I discovered them this year. (You can find those towards the end of the list)

	This Town Needs Guns: Animals   Released: March 10, 2009   This review has been run into the ground, but If you like Foals, Minus the Bear, or just indie math rock you should give This Town Needs Guns a try. After hearing “Chinchilla” I immediately thought to myself, “This is what Foals would sound like if they had an emo-influenced singer.” That’s what I’ve always wanted. It’s awesome, 5 stars. It’s only $5.99 on iTunes and that price is well worth it for the exclusive bonus tracks alone. (My blog post with “Panda” music video) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Favorite Songs: Pig – Chinchilla – If I Sit Still, Maybe I’ll Get Out of Here (Bonus Track)
	Closure In Moscow: First Temple   Released: May 5, 2009   Every time my friend Ricky and I listen to this CD, he always says, “This sounds just like Mars Volta.” I can never tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing coming from him. I don’t really like Mars Volta, so I don’t know. Just listen to it. The instrumentals and vocals are psychedelic and funky which is different from what I normally listen to. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Kissing Cousins – Sweet#hart – A Night At The Spleen
	Poison The Well: I/III, II/III, & III/III   Released: May 19, 2009   You Come Before You is one of my favorite albums, but I have been disappointed by everything that has come after it. These EPs are OK at best. The songs drag and lack the energy of old PTW. I will probably never listen to them. ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
	Emery: In Shallow Seas We Sail   Released: June 2, 2009   Finally a band has recovered gracefully after releasing a pretty bad album (In my opinion). I did not like I’m Only A Man at all, but this new CD returns to the sound I associate with Emery. Their sound has developed over the years, and after playing around with different styles, I think they got it right with this one. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Cutthroat Collapse – Churches and Serial Killers – The Poor and the Prevalent
	Dance Gavin Dance: Happiness   Released: June 9, 2009   It has been less than a year since their last album came out, which made me very skeptical. It took me a few listens before I could really understand how good this CD actually is. Its tone is different from their older stuff, but a lot of things that make the band great are still present. This album has moments of new-school hardcore, dance party jams, and plenty of heart-felt lyrics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Tree Village – Don’t Tell Dave – Happiness
	Passion Pit: Manners   Released: June 9, 2009   This was highly anticipated by me and my friends. We all love the EP, especially “Sleepyhead”. my friend Rian. He and I both like the EP, especially “Sleepyhead”. The full-length album is cool. It’s a good mix of relaxed and indie-pop electronica. I love my 3 favorite songs, but after a few listens, I can’t tell if I get sick of it or just tired of it. For whatever reason, I love the cover art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Little Secret – The Reeling – Sleepyhead
	Alexisonfire: Old Crows / Young Cardinals   Released: June 23, 2009   This is the hardest review I’ve had to write so far. I would give any of Alexisonfire’s previous albums 5 stars without even having to think about it. They are some of my favorites. This one, I’m not so sure. The first thing any fan will notice is George’s voice is very different. Instead of his trademark scream, he goes with a more gravely and smokey growl. I can get used to this, but even the signature guitars seem lacking on this album. I enjoy the fun and high energy music they used to make. The soft songs don’t remind me of ‘Rough Hands’ or ‘Happiness by the Kilowatt’. They sound more like a B-side from the newest City and Colour CD. It took me a while to get into ‘Crisis’ so maybe I can eventually get into this CD as well. As of now, I find myself only mildly enjoying a few songs. I am hoping I just need to listen a little longer for these songs to really grab my attention. What incentive does this album give me to listen when I could listen to Watch Out or Crisis? ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Favorite Songs: Old Crows – Born and Raised – Young Cardinals
	Ivoryline: There Came A Lion   Released: February 5, 2008   My first impression of these guys was that they sound a lot like Acceptance and Anberlin mashed together. They have a refreshing yet familiar pop-punk/pop-rock style with lyrics filled with sincerity and self-reflection. They work very hard to make the music they want to make. I was looking for something to replace my need for Acceptance after their break up. This is what I was looking for. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Favorite Songs: Bravery – Be Still and Breathe – Days End
	Hyper Crush: The Arcade   Released: May 1, 2008   When I first heard ‘The Arcade’ I definitely played it out. I listened to it over and over. It filled my hip-hop/electronica/dance void for a while. (You may remember my blog post) There are a few really fun songs on this CD, but it fizzles out fast. Holly is hot. ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Favorite Songs: The Arcade – Robo Tech – Sex & Drugs
	The Crosstown Rivalry: Pull Down The Sky   Released: July 10, 2008   This band sounds like a poppier New Found Glory. It’s fun and they have a few breakdowns. That’s all. ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Favorite Songs: You Wish You Were Here – Who I Am And What I’ve Done (To Keep You Listening) – Everything Down
	A Day To Remember: Old Record   Released: October 28, 2008   Old Record is A Day To Remember’s first CD And Their Name Was Treason remastered. I like it because it sounds a lot like the music I used to listen to back in the early 2000′s. It’s their familiar pop-mosh sound with very emotional lyrics that they strayed away from in their newer albums. “You Had Me @ Hello” is a slow song that really hits you hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Your Way With Words Is Through Silence! – You Had Me @ Hello – If Looks Could Kill…

Audi TTS Commercial

I found this commercial for the TTS on Audi’s site. It’s cool. On a side note, I recently found out that I’m not too good at blogging.

Uncharted 2 E3 2009 Gameplay Demo & Trailer

The original Uncharted for PlayStation3 is hands-down one of my top 5 video games I have ever played. The story, the characters, the graphics, the sound, the music, and the gameplay are all amazing and everything I look for in a game. The experience is like playing a through movie because of it’s amazing visuals and cinematic style. You really care for the characters and it has the best voice acting ever in a video game.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves comes out this fall, and I don’t know if I have ever been so amped to play a game. I love the first game and this sequel looks to blow it out of the water. It looks like the developers at Naughty Dog have been working non-stop for the past couple years to make this the best game they could possibly make. The first time I saw the E3 2009 gameplay demo, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The game looks incredible. The attention to detail and cinematic elements that are seamless with the gameplay literally made my jaw drop. I will definitely be pre-ordering this game the moment it is available.

Check out the E3 2009 trailer:

Check out the E3 2009 gameplay demo:

Passion Pit – The Reeling

I got the new album by Passion Pit last night. It is called “Manners” and it is pretty awesome. I have been listening to it all day. The video for “The Reeling” is just as awesome. There is so much i want to say about this video, but I’ll let it do the talking.

ReloadEvery: A Firefox Add-on

If you’re a Mac user like me and your company uses an Exchange server, you are probably stuck using Outlook Web Access to check your Email. If this is the case, you probably hate having to manually refresh your browser to check for new messages. I just installed the ReloadEvery Add-on for Firefox and checking my Email is so much easier. Just open a page, right-click, and set up ReloadEvery to refresh your page however often you’d like. I have mine set on 5 minutes so I never miss another important message again.

Download/Install: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/115

Early Morning Highway Blues

While stuck in traffic on 95 this morning, I was crawling next to a vehicle with a sticker on its fuel cap of a stick figure being fornicated by a gas pump. At first I just shrugged it off as another lewd endorsement, but I then I realized that this dejected motorist was driving a huge, 14 miles per gallon, V8 GMC Yukon. As might be expected, the rear hatch was plastered in American flags and bald eagle decals. I didn’t know whether to find this ironic, hypocritical, pathetic, or typical. All I know is it added to my frustration as I crept along the highway doing 6 mph.

Dear, American Eagle

I enjoy your aviator-style sunglasses. Do me a favor and make the hinges a little stronger so they last longer than a year. I have resorted to a pair used for a Halloween costume last year. I guess that’s what I get for $17.

Your pal,
Brian

Click here for a pic of said sunglasses, and me dressed as Randy Savage.

“Daily” Sketch 005

This one was completed in a couple episodes of The Simpsons Season 7. Sideshow Bob’s Last Gleaming. One of the best episodes.

“Daily” Sketch 004

I’m posting more than I thought I would. I drew this after watching the latest LOST, which was AWESOME!!!

“Daily” Sketch 003

I drew this while watching Get Smart. It was actually really good, unlike this sketch.