I am dubbing 2013 the year of the falsetto. For some reason, a lot of bands decided to over use this singing trick and I'm not sure why. Dead Letter Circus' album 'The Catalyst Fire' would have made it a lot higher on my list if it wasn't for this reason alone. The music is really good, it's almost like Karnivool light, and the singer is good when he is using his actual voice to sing. For me, falsetto is something that should be used very sparingly if at all but this singer does it in just about every song which gets to be much real fast. I suggest giving this album a listen, but in short bursts as to not get annoyed as quickly as I did.
The almighty Sabbath returns with their first full length studio album with Ozzy at the helm in a long time. When I first heard about this release, I was both excited and weary. When bands reunite and write new material after many years of not, usually one of three things happen: 1. they try something new in an attempt to sound current (and almost always fail), 2. they stick with what they know and come off sounding dated, or 3. they find a happy medium between the two, which is a rarity. Unfortunately, they not only stuck with what they knew, but basically just copied themselves and wrote songs that sound very similar to other Black Sabbath songs. For people who wanted the same ole Sabbath, they certainly got it! I would have liked a little spice thrown in their, but that's just me. I was also disappointed to find out that drummer Bill Ward was not part of this recording. Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave did a good job staying within the style that Bill had created, but it still isn't the same with out him. Give it a listen, it's not bad, just nothing new.
Means End is a new band to the (I hate using this term) Djent genre featuring two members who are veterans of this sound already, the ex-drummer of Uneven Structure and ex-vocalist of Vildhjarta. Even though the album does stick within the (here I go again) Djenty style, they do try to mix it up a bit by mixing in some classical elements, like in the song posted below, 'Nox Aurumque'. This song alone got them on my list and I hope as they grow as a band, their sound will as well and I look forward to hearing what's next from them.
Day number two's album is one of those ideas that sound great on paper but unfortunately the final product didn't completely deliver.The biggest issue I have with it is instead of having full bands play the songs on 11 of the 13 tracks, they had various singers and guitarists perform over tracks recorded by a mystery group of musicians (I couldn't find any info on who they were) who honestly didn't do that great of a job with most of the songs. The only tunes that I found some enjoyment in are 'Black and White' sung by Sevendust frontman Lajon Witherspoon and 'Billy Jean' featuring Corey Glover of Living Colour and completely becuase of their vocals. Guitarist Bumblefoot did some great work on 'Beat It', but unfortunately the horrible vocals made the song unlistenable for me. Why the hell am I featuring this album if I'm criticizing so much? Two reasons: I at least appreciate the idea of this album as doing metal versions of MJ songs is a good one, and track 11. This song is what redeemed the whole thing for me. The band Icarus Witch (who I knew nothing about before this and after some research on them afterwards, can't say I'm normally a fan of their power metal style) did their take on 'They Don't Care About Us'. This song really is a great version of the tune and solidified my thought that each full band should have done the songs rather than a studio band. Sevendust and Living Colour would have killed the tunes that their singers did! The last song of the album is a re-recorded version of 'Smooth Criminal' by Alien Ant Farm, which I have always enjoyed, so it at least closed out the album on a high note. Overall I would say preview all the tracks and download what you like rather than get the whole album, but you may find something on here you like.
I'm going to kick off my list with a double hitter from Serj Tankian! 2013 was a busy year for the System of a Down vocalist who released not one, but two albums that truly pushed boundaries for him.
The first of his releases this year was 'Orca', a 4 act symphony that was composed using "non-traditional approaches to classical music" according to Tankian. Doing a symphony wasn't a total stretch for him since he did a symphonic version of his solo album 'Elect The Dead', but to go 100% instrumental was a suprising move and I think he pulled it off well.
The second release, 'Jazz-Iz-Christ' is, according to Tankian himself, "a combination. There's some classic jazz, dance-y stuff, and progressive things. It's all over the place, but it's jazz instrument-wise. It's for a modern listener who appreciates jazz overtones." I think that about sums it up! Another great take on something I'm sure most didn't expect.
Both albums are solid releases. I haven't found myself going back to them often, but I truly respect the man for doing things his way and I hope he continues to explore other genres like he did with classical and jazz. Bring it on Serj!
Here we are again, at the end of another year that feels like it went by in a flash. Whether it was a good year for you or not, one thing we can't deny is that a lot of good music was released. Starting tomorrow, I will feature an album(s) a day that I feel are worth checking out. I know most people do a top 10 at most but I am always searching and listening for something new to listen to. With that being said, 31+ albums to mention is a lot and they can't all be pure gold, but they have at least a song or a reason for me adding them to my list. As we get closer to the end of the year, the ranking of each album will also grow, so hang in there! I hope you join me in my musical journey of 2013. Give feedback, listen to some tunes and have fun!
OK kiddies, it's time huddle up around your tube televisions, grab a big bowl of cereal, and watch Mr. T's cartoon! This animated series followed Mr. T as he coached a gymnastics team that just so happened to also solve mysteries on their down time. It premiered in 1983 and ran for 2 seasons. If you've got 20 minutes to kill, and I pity the fool who doesn't, give the first full episode a watch:
Of course, no cartoon franchise is complete without merchandise, and they certainly made use of the trendy toys of the 80's to slap Mr. T's toonified face. Naturally, there was a board game with an interesting plot:
"Mr. T's Gymnastics Team has to get to the airport before the clock runs out (and presumably the flight leaves). Each member of the team has three errands they have to complete - pick up their gym suit from the dry cleaners, say goodbye to the team mascot, stop by the police station to report a crime and so on. Along the way, players can land on spaces with red stars that inflict random punishments and rewards on them." source
Presto Magix got in the game by offering a 'working out' set that came with transfers that allowed you to color in the characters and various accessories which would then add them to the scene. I'm sure one session of playing with this was enough.
You weren't truly an eighties icon until kids could color you in, stick you in the oven and shrink you.
Every cool kid had a Lite Brite. You know, that thing with all the pegs your parents would yell at you about after stepping on them? Well, you could purchase a kit that had 12 pictures for you to use with your Lite Brite which included Mr. T's head and his mohawked dog Dozer.
The fun didn't stop there! You could get watches, bookmarks and beach towels to help show your love for animated Mr. T.
I hope you enjoyed this session of T Time. Now remember kids, stay in school!
