New music

This has nothing to do with Waymarking, or Geocaching. I just recently picked up a few new albums. These include Weezer - Red Album, Portishead - Third, and Flobots - Fight with Tools.

Weezer's new album was just released on June 3. I actually had a pre-order for it on iTunes, but didn't get around to downloading it until this past weekend. On top of that I didn't burn it to a disc until Wednesday, and didn't get to listen to it until I was at work on Thursday. I had heard that it was somewhat of a departure from the heavy riff-laden records they released early in their career. This is true to a point. Many of the songs, like The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) are somewhat different, but they still find time to drop in a few more subtle riffs. Some of the songs are a little more pop-esque almost soft love ballads. This certainly isn't a bad thing. I have to admit that this is probably my favorite Weezer album to date. I like the experimental nature of it overall. It's a refreshing change to hear something different once in a while. Luckily, I guess Rivers decided to stop listening to the "little bitches" who kept demanding Weezer crank out songs like those from the Blue Album. Aside from The Greatest Man..., I would have to say that I've most listened to Heart Songs and Pork and Beans, which is the first single off of the album. The link will take you to the official video for Pork and Beans on YouTube.

Portishead's new album Third was announced on Oct, 2 2007, and released on April, 28 2008 after one short setback. For those who aren't familiar with Portishead, they've actually been around for a while. They originally formed in 1991 in their hometown of Bristol, England. They take their name from the nearby town of Portishead. Their first album, Dummy, was released in 1994, followed by a self-titled record in 1997. In 1998 a live album was also released featuring music from the first two albums. From then little was heard from Portishead until the announcement about Third and a subsequent tour. It's been a long wait! I just got this one the other evening as well. I've been meaning to pick it up since it was released. I had wanted a hard copy CD, but could never find it in stores. I finally settled for the iTunes version.

Third certainly doesn't disappoint, but it is a little different from Dummy and Portishead. Third is a little more dark than the first two albums. It also has a deeper more industrial sound to it. It does take some work to listen to, as it's very complex. One time through and one might only pick up on some of the instrumentation, another time through allows one to hear the more subtle undertones mixed in with much syncopation, heavy beats, and cacophony. Yet another time through and one can begin to appreciate Beth Gibbons' poetic, meaningful, puzzling, lyrics. The first single from the album was Machine Gun which was released on March 18.

Finally, Flobots. I've been aware of them for a couple of months now. The album Fight with Tools was originally released in 2007 and then re-released in May of 2008. I happened to catch their single from this album, Handlebars, when flipping through the channels on XM a while back. I forgot about it until a few nights ago when it came on a local FM station. I remembered the song and that I liked it, so I grabbed the album the next day.

Flobots are described as an "alternative rock/rap/hip-hop" group. They formed in Denver, Colorado in 2005, and have released two albums, including Fight with Tools. This album is very politically motivated on an extremely liberal, non-conformist, end of the spectrum. They seem to stop just short of inciting a dissident movement. It doesn't necessarily follow my personal beliefs, however there is a lot of great imagery, deep meaning, and political activism. Not to mention strong beats, quick rapping, combined with guitar, bass, trumpets, and even violins.

The only thing that I didn't like about this album is a phony "underground radio" sort of sound that gets thrown in once in a while. A couple of times there is static between tracks, and it fades in and out of a fake radio station, as though one would forget they're listening to a CD (or MP3, or whatever) and suspend belief to think they're listening to the radio. I understand the idea, but it doesn't add anything to the overall feel of the record. At least not for me.