My rant.

Every so often, a new way to listen to recorded music comes about. First it was vinyl, then it was cassettes, and on it goes. But recently, the way people have been getting music is by downloading it for free on the internet. For the most part this really bothers me, but i'm sort of on the fence when it comes to this issue. I'm going to present a couple of the different ways that I think about this issue.

First of all, writing and recording music is a very long and painful process, and you really put yourself into the music you are making. It's every serious musicians dream to be able to make a living off of their music, and when you steal it, you are essentially denying them that dream. Just think about what it would be like if spent days and days working on something, only to discover that someone else was giving away your hard work for free.

But on the other hand, some bands choose to give away their music for free. I can't think of any specific bands right now, but I do remember hearing that a well known band was going to be having their newest album available to download for free. This brings up another point in the argument.

Music is by far the highest paying of the fine arts. Everyone can name at least one famous modern musician who is filthy rich, but I'm willing to bet that the amount of famous painters, or dancers who we can easily name that are filthy rich is a lot less.

The other fact you have to consider is that a good percentage of the money that you would be spending on music is going to be going to a record label. A lot of people justify downloading free music by saying stuff like "the artist isn't going to be getting most of my money, so why should I give it to some greedy record label?" For a good portion of musicians, that is the case, but you have to factor in the smaller record labels that are more about music, and the fact that some musicians operate without a record label. In those cases, it is more like stealing from the artist than it is when there is a large corporation involved.

The other problem that I have is that I love music, and I am always looking for more, but I don't have the kind of money it takes to fully satisfy my appetite when it comes to music. Here are some of the solutions that I have for getting my fix.

The first is borrowing a CD from a friend. This way, the ratio of how many people that have downloaded an album is less than it would be if I got it online. This works a lot of the time, and I also get exposed to music that I wouldn't be listening to otherwise.

The Second is iTunes. Buying an album on iTunes does cost money, but it is a lot less than it would be buying an actual CD. Often a CD that would cost $20 at a retail store, will cost only $10 on iTunes, and then you can burn it onto a CD for use. This way is a lot cheaper, and I don't necessarily have to buy a full album to get one song.

Another option is the various online radio stations and playlist builders like Pandora.com or playlist.com. I like these because I am not actually downloading the music, but I can listen to it all I want.

My last resort is the library. When I need a fix of music, and I am short on cash, I will go to the library and grab anything that looks even moderately interesting. This has yielded some good results for me, introducing me to a lot of bands that I wouldn't normally listen to. The catch is that I always feel dirty after doing it, more like I stole something. But, like I said, this is my last resort.

I am however, proud to say that I have never downloaded any music online for free, and I don't ever plan on it. If you are someone who does illegally download music, I really think that you should at least consider stopping. That's all I have to say about that topic for now, but I really would like to hear what you think on the topic, so feel free to comment, whether it's positive or negative.

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While I have your attention, I would like to say that you need to tip the people that serve you food. That includes bus boys and deliverers. Their wage is calculated INCLUDING tips, so in other words, part of our pay is from the people we serve. We count on that part of our pay, so it really helps if you do tip. It doesn't even have to be that much, something is better than nothing. You'd be surprised at how many people don't tip, and it's always the rich people...

The Black Keys

This week I am going to salute a lesser-known but awesome band, The Black Keys. When you hear them, you are probably going to think that this is some obscure band from the late '60s. That's why I was so confused that their first album came out in 2002. That right there is the main reason I like them: the fact that they are a current band, but they sound like they could have been a band 40 years ago.

I have always been facinated by the blues, but I also love a nice heavy guitar. The successful combination of the two has been very hard for me to find, besides the obvious masters such as Jimi Hendrix. I was very exited when I first heard this stripped-down, hard-driving, blues-inspired modern music, and also that I wasn't the only person that didn't grow up in that era that really enjoys that kind of music.

Now, something else that you might notice on their songs is a sort of thin sound. That is because of two main reasons: first that they have no bass player, it's just the drummer and the guitarist. Second is the recording methods that they use. The reason that they sound so old is because they are using the recording techniques that were used 40 years ago, which is similar to what the White Stripes did on their album "Elephant."

The two songs on the list are "Your Touch" and "Just got to be." Now, I hate to group these two songs together, but I don't have enough to say about each one on it's own. They are both a basic riff-based blues tune, as most of their songs are. I really like these songs a lot, but it bugs me that there is no bottom end to the music (no bass player). I always think about what the bass line would sound like on these songs, and it would improve the songs so much.

The next song is "Have love will travel." The guitar is extremely heavy on the chorus, and I really love it. It seems to make up for the bass line a little more than the other songs do. I really hear a sort of Cream/Hendrix thing going on in this song, but with a little more soul.

"Strange Desire" is the next song I picked. I really like how the guitar sounds in the verse on this song. That echo sort of feel on the guitar is called "reverb" and normally when there's that much of it, it doesn't sound good, but it does on this song.

The next two songs "Strange Times" and "I got mine" will probably sound a lot better to you, and that is because they are both on their newest album where they actually let a producer come in and help them out. That is why there is a bass, and why it sounds tighter. I find it easier listening to these songs because they have a full range with the bass line. "Strange Times" is more of a departure from their normal sound than "I got mine" is. I think of "I got mine" as one of their older songs with a bass line, and that makes me feel better.

"Set you Free" is not off their new album, but it seems to hold up better without the bass than all the other ones. I really love the drums on this song, even thought they are very simple. I've said this before, but I really admire it when a drummer knows how much is just enough.

In short, I really like these guys as a band, but I wish they would have added a bass player sooner than their newest album.

Eagles of Death Metal

This week i'm going to spend some time defending a band that I like a lot, Eagles of Death Metal. Now, when ever I bring these guys up in conversation, people always bash them. I think the biggest problem is that people are misunderstanding what the purpose of this band is. Their main goal isn't to be the most technically proficient band, or too write heart-felt lyrics, it's to mess around and have fun. You have to come at this music that way or you probably won't get it. That being said, let the reviewing commence!

There isn't much to say about each specific song, so i'm going to generalize. When I hear these guys, I either start driving faster, or feel the strange urge to dance, which doesn't happen often with me. Now, their lyrics are pretty sexually vulgar a lot of the time, and I would never say more than half of the stuff that they are saying in the songs, but it's still fun to listen to for the most part. Some of their songs go over the line and I don't listen to them, but for the most part it's tolerable.

Eagles of Death Metal remind me of a modern version of ZZ Top. They really have a cartoony vibe when you listen to them, it really feels ridiculous. I always picture a loser trying to pick up chicks in a bar when I listen to them, I guess that's how I justify listening to some of their disgusting lyrics.

Now, in no way are they my favorite band, I just think that they get a bad rep, and they have some good songs. You should at least listen to a few of their songs before you make up your mind.

If you haven't already figured this out, most of the time I'll put the songs from a review on the side bar of the blog so you can listen while you read.

So, here is my list of songs to listen to by Eagles of Death Metal.

1. I want you so hard (Boy's Bad News)

2. Wannabe In LA

3. Secret Plans

4. Speaking in Tongues

5. Miss Alissa

6. I Only Want You

7. Cherry Cola

I hope you can at least enjoy these guys a little bit, but if you don't, i'd really like to hear your arguments, so please comment!

My latest trip to the Library

Every so often I will go to the local library and scour the music section for anything that looks even moderately interesting, and check it out. This way of getting music has given me a lot of exposure to bands that I wouldn't normally listen to. Even though I very strongly oppose illegally downloading music, I somehow justify this to myself. I feel dirty every time I do it, but I wouldn't be buying this music otherwise so I figure this isn't so bad.

The first album I put in was "Comfort Eagle" by CAKE. The best way I can describe it is odd. It's very different from what most would consider "normal." They make me think of a laid back version of Wezzer with trumpets. I also really enjoy some of the titles of their songs like "Meanwhile, Rick James..." or "Opera Singer." I really look forward to listening to it more.

The second CD I downloaded was "Hopes and Fears" by Keane. The name sounded familiar when I was looking at the CD so I grabbed it. My first impression was a really soft rock, very similar to Coldplay. I immediately recognized the track "Everybody's Changing" from a ton of movies and various other sources. The rest of the album is stuff that is very similar to that song, but not quite as powerful.

Next was "By the Way" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. My favorite track so far is "Can't Stop." I just love how extremely funky it is. There are a few songs that really intrigue me enough to learn them on the guitar, and this was one of them. I'm looking forward to listening to them more, mostly because it seems like everyone else but me listens to them and knows their songs.

"Alive 2007" by Daft Punk was the next album to enter my computer. Techno and dance are two more genres that I haven't delved into much yet, so I figure I would get a good start with Daft Punk. When I picked it up, I was hoping that it wasn't a live album, but it is and it doesn't seem to matter much. The only song I recognized on there was "One more time." It might take a little bit for me to appreciate dance music, but it could eventually happen.

Up next was "The very best of Buddy Guy" by Buddy Guy (that's a shocker). For those of you who don't know, Buddy Guy is a world renowned blues guitarist who I hear about all the time in guitar magazines and documentaries, but i've never actually listened to him. The reason the blues is so great is because anyone can play it and its a very pure form of music. The only thing that bugs me is the quality of the recordings, but that was unavoidable because of when they were recorded. You can really hear where a lot of classic rock guitarist got some of their style when listening to these early electric blues guitarists. It's harder for me to listen to the blues than it is to play it. Playing blues can be really fun, especially when it's improv, because it's all right on the spot and it's a very pure form of expression.

Quite honestly, I put in the album I got by James Blunt, heard the first few words, remembered that he is that guy that did the "you're beautiful" song and took the CD out. If I had bought it, I would have snapped it in half. Seriously.

That sums up my first recorded trip to the library.

Stuff You Should Hear - Part 2

This week I decided to do another installment of Stuff You Should Hear, making this part 2.

For the first song I am taking a different direction from what I normally listen to with "Time to Get Away" by LCD Soundsystem. In my opinion, LCD Soundsystem is the white guy equivalent of rap, Not at all saying that it is rap, it just sort of reminds me of it in a way. By all means, I shouldn't even know about LCD Soundsystem, I sort of found them by accident. I was at the library one day looking for some new music, and I came across this CD that judging by the album cover, look pretty interesting. On the way back home I popped it in and I wasn't too impressed. A few months later I started my pizza delivery job at Rocky Rococo's. I spend most of my work day driving around listening to music. I ran out pretty fast. One day out of desperation I put in this album, hoping that I was wrong with my first impressions, I was. This music is really fun to listen to and you can't help but dance a little to it. If you like this, check out some of their other songs like "North American Scum" (which you might recognize) or "Get Innocuous!"

For track two, I am going with "Evil" by Interpol. They are the band that I am listening to right now, so I would get used to hearing a bit of them for a while. The first time I heard this song was when I was watching the music video, which is very weird. You have to watch it for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNtGYdm2rOY

One of the things I like about Interpol is their odd lyrics. The words of most songs are very similar in their structure and I like that they have their own thing going on.

The next song is "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation. Unfortunatly, this song is on the Twilight soundtrack and I heard it because my Mom bought it. In my opinion, this song alone is better then the whole movie. I really think it's a very well done song. As you already know, I really like it when a band sounds different from the normal stuff that comes out, and this does that. One of the coolest parts is at the beginning of the song when starts out really soft and the first line in the song is "I seek you out, fillet you alive." It's humorous because you expect something like a love song, and it's really about killing. My absolute favorite part is the drum solo towards the end of the song. It really ties it all together. I try to forget that this song was on twilight every time I listen to it...

Number four is a really cool song by The Black Keys called "Aeroplane Blues." When you first hear this, it sounds like a recording from the 60's, but it was recorded 5 years ago. The coolest part is that the album it is on is called "Rubber Factory" because the band rented out the floor of a Rubber Factory to record the whole album themselves. Doing some self-produced stuff myself, I really admire when a band does it and it sounds as good as this does.

The next song is by Silversun Pickups and is called "Panic Switch." The main thing you have to get over when listening to these guys is that the lead singer is actually a guy. When you hear it, you'll understand why that is a little surprising. This song is really cool because it follows the classic grunge rule "loud, soft, loud, soft" meaning it isn't always loud or soft, it goes between the two, helping to giving the song depth.

For the last song, I am choosing "Shut Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol. I hadn't listened too much of these guys before I saw them live when they opened for U2 in Chicago. I really love the simple rhythm guitar part that is consistent through the whole song. It was really cool to hear everyone in Soldier Field singing along with the main line to the song "Shut your eyes and sing to me." It really feels like the song was designed for that purpose. The only thing that I would change is the very quick ending to the song. It feels like they copped out on that part to me. Other than that, great song.