Zsammy Follow-Up

Be Let Down

I promised that given enough time, I would dissect this entire album. Here it goes. Song by song. I've also included direct links to each track. To download, right-click the link and Save As.

One Hundred Million Miles Beneath the Sun - An unusual start to a mostly acoustic album, this ballad has a great low-key vibe to it. I especially like the echo in his voice.

City, I Need You Now - I consider this masterpiece the unofficial beginning of the record. The keyboard that starts off the track is a nice indicator of what's to come. One downfall to this one though. The opening line "Wherever I go I think I might puke/ because it's never the same without you" seems a bit strange for this upbeat melody. Even with the odd mixture of vomit and keyboards, I still choose this track as the must listen of the entire album. On to my favorite line of the record: "And I feel like I might know you. I'd recognize that long, black hair almost anywhere."

Fluorescent Night - Starting out like an acoustic Strokes cover, Fluorescent Night has a nice feeling that seems to continue on a bit from the previous track. Great lyrics and meter in this one.

Big Space - The intro reminds me a lot of a Kings of Leon song that I just heard. Either Sex on Fire or Manhattan. Personally, I think track 4 should be a place for a ballad after 3 upbeat songs but since the layout of this album is slightly different, I will agree with where Sam took this one. The first 1:30 seems a bit like the ballad I suggested but after that, not so much. Excellent use of the snare drum.

Miles and Miles - With the arpeggiated intro, this has the feel of a well-strum, upbeat hippie song. I was partially right on that one. The well-strum and upbeat parts are spot on but the hippie guess is a stretch with the moving bass line.

Your Chest Is Not Moving - Again with the Kings of Leon intro. Either that or I've just been listening to their new album too much. Definitely sounds like a filler song but most top-notch albums have them, so why not this one?

The Shake - I love the intro to this song! Brings back memories of Conor Oberst and the 2nd disc of the Foo Fighters' In Your Honor. Simplistic yet elegant. The melody repeats throughout the song and it can get a bit repetitive but it's so great that I don't think I could get sick of it. There's a trend that becomes evident in this song. The majority of these songs were written about a lover. Typical topic but Sam did a great job of hiding his lyrical intentions.

You Were Good At This - Heavily focusing on the vocals rather than the music. Nice change of pace. Lyrics still a bit shallow but maybe that's just me being a critical musician. I like the echoing harmonies being played in the background.

W - At first, I thought this song would be about George W. Bush. Thankfully, I was wrong. The bass is a bit overwhelming at points but I really like the chord choices and calm nature of the lyrics.

Fall To Pieces - The vocals sound a little strange and I think that's due to the key that the song is in. Best part of this one has to be the way he sings "I wanna fall to pieces while everybody laughs." If you listen to it you'll know.

Spin Backwards - Vocals have a deep echo and at times can make it hard to understand the lyrics. Solid strumming and melody but at times can become a bit monotonous.

Be Let Down - With an intro taken straight out of the pages of Dylan, Sam finds the perfect way to end a great album. Great lyrics and a solid lead line bring this song and album to close.

Please keep in mind that this is my opinion and mine only. If you agree, great. If you choose not to, that's fine too. At some point I'm sure you realized that I got a bit lazy. I have a hard time focusing on one thing for extended periods of time. Or maybe it's just because it's 3 AM I must be lonely (kidding. Matchbox Twenty reference) But seriously, at this point, I could be making it all up and not even realizing what I'm doing. Bear with me here. This is definitely a great album and all but critiquing every song for a solid 50 minutes can be a bit tiresome.

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Guns N' Roses Update

Chinese Democracy

Release Date: TBD
Label: Geffen

It seems as if the wheels are turning. Albeit rather slowly, but turning regardless. Axl Rose (right) has become the only person in the world that can drag out an album for over a decade and still (most likely) sell millions of copies.

Granted, people get tired of his BS and even Dr. Pepper has apparently mocked GN'R by offering a free can of their soda to everyone in America (excluding former guitarists Slash and Buckethead) if the album is released within the 2008 calender year.

"It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love," Dr Pepper director of marketing Jaxie Alt says. "So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection -- for something more than the average album. We know once it's released, people will refer to it as 'Dr Pepper for the ears' because it will be such a refreshing blend of rich, bold sounds - an instant classic."

This was back in March and still, no sign of an album yet.

Recently, however, it is reported that GN'R is negotiating with retailers, most notably Walmart (Hey look, no hyphen!) and Best Buy, to release Chinese Democracy as an exclusive to a particular store. Irving Azoff's Front Line Management is now representing the band and Azoff has pulled this kind of crap in the past. He released the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden through Walmart in 2007 and I specifically remember losing a little respect for the legendary group when I heard the news.

Recently it has been confirmed that AC/DC's next album, Black Ice, will be released (October 20, 2008) through Walmart as well. I just don't get it. Best Buy maybe. But Walmart? Really? I understand that it's the biggest retailer in the world. Yeah, I get it. Walmart makes money. But does it make that much money? Does it make so much money that you can't release your album to everyone including Walmart? Enough ranting, back to the story.

As a side note, AC/DC's first single, "Rock 'N' Roll Train," will be released on August 28 so be prepared for that one.

I'll admit that I was excited to hear any piece of news about Chinese Democracy but this next bit is definitely the most promising.

I've checked my sources multiple times and it has been confirmed that Rock Band 2 will feature "Shackler's Revenge," a song straight from the upcoming album. This news alone has implications that the long-awaited Chinese Democracy should be released within the year. I sure hope so, I could use a Dr. Pepper.

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RSS Breakdown

What is RSS?

RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a way to deliver regularly changing web content. It's basically syndication. Remember how Family Guy started on Fox and now it can be seen on TBS? That's syndication. The new episodes are still airing on Fox (I think) and once those air, all of the other channels can use it, too. In television, there is a substantial delay. With RSS, however, there is virtually no delay.


What do I need?

Internet. That's all you need to view RSS feeds. Now, if you want to view all of them at the same time, you might want to look into RSS readers. These programs (or sites) compile each of your subscribed feeds and make it easier to navigate, read, and even respond to them.


How do I add feeds?

It's simple. Click the button. If you'll look to the right of these words, you'll see a section labeled SUBSCRIBE. Simply click the button of the service you use (or plan to use) and then subscribe. Good luck and I hope to see you again. Subscribers get a free download!

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