Thrice – ‘The Alchemy Index Vols 3&4: Air & Earth’
Vagrant Records
Released April 15, 2008

Oh my gosh. I loved the fire/water volumes of this little series that came out last year (especially the water cd, that one was tremendous), they really forged into some new territory as a band. If Thrice were a baseball player, they’d probably be a really really good utility guy, someone who could come in at any point in the game and play any position he was asked to and kick ass at it because he’s just that good. Come to think of it, I played a shit-ton of positions when I played the game, and I’m a 2 time all star, so I can easily liken this band to, well, me. Anywayzers, as good as those were though, these two cds are the ones that really take the cake and propel this band into the ever-elusive brandon wowzone. Thrice brings their a-game here, with a bunch of great acoustic & piano driven tunes that are as well written as they are easy on the ears. Dustin Kensrue is a swell little lyricist don’tcha know? Flat out, this stuff is the bomb. Songs like ‘Come All You Weary’, ‘Moving Mountains’, ‘The Lion and The Wolf’, ‘A Song For Milly Michaelson’, ‘Broken Lungs’..and well, you get the idea..are all fantastic. The only song I don’t really dig is ‘The Earth Isn’t Humming’ because it reminds me of that shitty Days Of The New band I was into like 10 years ago. Great, great record though. Check it out if you’re a smart person who likes good things.

Year End List Potential: 5/5

Wolftron – ‘Flesh & Fears’
Eyeball Records
Released May 6, 2008

Not to toot my own horn here, but I’ve gotta tell ya, I’m giving you some really, really solid stuff here with these first 2 cds today. First, a 5/5 review for new Thrice, now this. Wolftron is the solo project of the frontman for a band called Daphne Loves Derby, a band I’d never really listened to before I checked out this cd. Have no fear though all you DLD fans, because I did my reverse research and I was impressed with most of what I heard. So back to Wolftron, aside from having a really awesome (read: kinda lame) name, they’ve got some really nice music. Think of stuff a little bit in the vein of bands like Umbrellas, maybe some Codeseven (RIP) maybe some Copeland, maybe some Owen..you get the idea. It’s nice, lazy, peaceful, light, indie/emo-twinged music set to acoustic guitars with a singer who sports a great little voice. With the summer months coming up, IIII think this record may be a really cool addition to your collection if you choose to go that route. It’s great window down, sun setting music if you ask me. And ya kinda did since you’re reading this. SOOOO. I had never heard of this band before i downloaded it and I have to be honest, I was blown away. It’s not often I recommend a band to my friends a few songs into listening to a record, but with this one, I did. Amazing stuff. And wouldn’t ya know it, they’re about to get my third 5/5 rating in the history of this blog! YAY!! Pleeease give them a listen, I doubt you’ll find a reason to be disappointed.

Year End List Potential: 5/5

Peter Broderick – ‘Float’
Type Records
Released sometime in April 2008

If you’re like me, you can look at the cover of this cd and make some educated guesses about what the music contained inside sounds like. Let’s check out the clues here, shall we? Okay! So it’s just one dude, that’s pretty obvious. But what’s the musical style? There are a lot of shades of gray in the cover, so that gives me the impression that it’s gonna be kinda downer, mellow, stuff..I don’t get a singer/songwriter vibe from it though, so what could it be? Electronic? yeah maybe something ambient would work, but I dunno, I have something else in mind. I would personally peg this cd to be a really quiet sorta classical cd, maybe along the lines of a Max Richter or Johan Johannson or Arvo Part or something..and guess what? I would peg this correctly. Go me! Broderick is a 21 year old kid who makes or composes or whatever these really chill strings/piano arrangements with some guitars and stuff added in there too. This is some real movie score sounding stuff right here..it feels deep and believable and important. It’s beautiful background music for those times when you just want something peaceful to take a nap to. I sorta have the feeling this may be one of those cds that ends up in regular rotation in some of my ipod playlists and I’ll start to REALLY love it, but for now, I still think it’s wonderful.

Year End List Potential: 4.7/5

Various Artists – ‘Monsters of Rock:Platinum Edition’
Razor & Tie
Released July 24, 2007

Oh fuck yeah. I was on a hair metal kick last week and downloaded this bad boy. What a freakin gem this is. From Skid Row to Europe to Poison to Ratt to Warrant to Winger to Alice Cooper to The Scorpions..good God almighty does this thing bring the awesome. Sometimes a guy just wants to tease his hair and rock out with his cock out, and this cd would be a pretty good thing to listen to while doing so. I kinda wish this kinda rock would come back into style. Sighhhh. Ah well, at least they continuously release stuff like this to ease my cravings. And I’ve gotta say, I really wouldn’t mind that she’s only 17. I mean, if she’s hot enough and ready to go..why not?