This Month in Music (January)

[Dr. Octopus]

Welcome to January's "This Month In Music". http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/avran/smilies/party.gif Here Toon Zone members discuss music news, recent albums purchases, concerts, and more. To view a list of albums to be released this month, see Billboard's list of new releases (http://www.billboard.com/bb/releases/index.jsp).

[RD!]

I bought Ted Leo's The Tyranny of Distance. I've gone through their work backwards starting with Shake the Sheets which I really enjoyed, Hearts of Oak which I liked even more but wow. Tyranny of Distance just blew me away.

The other albums have a bit more venom in them, a little crunchier--not that these are bad things, the bitter "I'm a Ghost" and "Ballad of the Sin Eaters" are still some of my favorite songs. Everything on this album is just so much smoother. The vocals are sublime.

Worst cover art I've ever owned though, but who cares.

[NachoHat]

I like Tyranny's cover art...

Tyranny may or may not be my favorite Ted Leo/Rx album. It's actually a toss-up between that and Shake for me. Hearts is excellent, but I always liked it just a tad bit less than the other two.

For some reason, I thought the new Flaming Lips album was coming out this month. I was wrong. Thus, I can't really think of anything coming out this month I'm looking forward to. I'm sure something cool will pop up, though.

However, I will be going to see Of Montreal on the 20th. That should be a good time.

[SirLemming]

I was thinking of starting "This Year In Music" thread for 2006 (we had something similar last year), but then I realized that a lot of what I'm looking forward to is coming out this month anyway. (Someone else can start that type of thread if they wish.)

P.O.D. start things off with Testify. I personally thought their self-titled album in 2003 was really good. Not as stand-alone good as some of their other albums, but it showed progression. One review I read of Testify said that it sort of goes back on that and is basically like Satellite. I hope that's wrong. I'd hate to see them cave in to the "hardcore" fans who define not "selling out" as remaking their old albums over and over again.


But what I'm far more -- and with less reservations -- looking forward to this month is:



MUTE MATH. The self-titled debut album, on sale exclusively at their tour which begins this month.
I can't express in words how long I've been waiting for this album. It's the biggest release in the history of the Earthsuit family. Earthsuit had their two demo EPs, one sole official album (10 songs), and their independently released farewell CD (5 new songs and 11 bonus tracks). Macrosick has their demo EP. And Mute Math has their 6-song Reset EP, which was released in September 2004 and has left me anxiously waiting for more. Now it's finally arriving, with a whopping 16 new songs. I am so psyched.

Preliminary expectations for the tracklist are as follows in this obviously incomplete list:


Typical
Chaos
Noticed
Knife
You Are Mine
Stare at the Sun
Photograph
Break the Same
Fight
Without It
StalloutI may not actually get to one of these shows until February... but we'll see. It's always somewhat in the realm of possibility that I'll get the album before then somehow...

Their MySpace page, linked below, has some wicked live videos, plus songs including a new studio track.


http://mutemath.com/mm-468x60-ART.gif (http://www.myspace.com/mutemath)

[Syaoran Li]

P.O.D. start things off with Testify. I personally thought their self-titled album in 2003 was really good. Not as stand-alone good as some of their other albums, but it showed progression. One review I read of Testify said that it sort of goes back on that and is basically like Satellite. I hope that's wrong. I'd hate to see them cave in to the "hardcore" fans who define not "selling out" as remaking their old albums over and over again.

I thought that the self-titled album really sucked except for a couple songs. Listening to the new EP, it'll sound a lot like Satellite, except with some flat-out reggae added to it. That'll be awesome.

[SirLemming]

I thought that the self-titled album really sucked except for a couple songs. Yeah, a lot of people did. I'll never really understand why.

[sdp]

I never did like POD, not even their pre-element of southtown
they do have a few catchy songs, i'd happily trade my POD cds for a greatest hits.

I was thinking of starting "This Year In Music" thread for 2006 (we had something similar last year), but then I realized that a lot of what I'm looking forward to is coming out this month anyway. (Someone else can start that type of thread if they wish.) you should go ahead and do it, there are plenty of bands new albums that we can discuss.

[Snapdad]

I recently purchased John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. It is my first jazz album and it has already become a favorite of mine.

[RD!]

Hello 2005 holdover.

Tullycraft's Disenchanted Heart's Unite! is pretty damn awesome.

[Mugen]

http://okayplayer.com/events/NYC_WinterClassic.html

Damn shame there's no way I'm making this.


As for this month....eh, it's alright I think. Need to take another look at my list. I know Rhymefest's Blue Collar will drop later in the month, so that's something.

Huh, I thought Jin would be there performing as well.

[Chrono1995]

I got First Impressions of Earth the day it came out and it's...okay. "You Only Live Once", "Juicebox", "Razorblade", and "Electricityscape" are all fine songs in their own right, but it's mostly the sound of a band trying to expand without the slightest clue of how to do it. At least, those are my first thoughts.

Then again, it's kind of hard to listen to it with intent when DJ Muggs vs. GZA's Grandmasters keeps stealing all of my attention.

[Baltofan]

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is nominated to a Grammy:

http://www.mambazo.com/2006_grammy_nomination.html

[Damien]

So I saw Aereosmith with Lenny Kravitz in Orlando last Thursday. Yes, it was fantastic. Kravitz's set felt like the main event, and Aerosmith pulled out alot of lesser-known classics. Third time I've seen them, and it's amazing every time.

[Samhaine]

Minus the Bear has recently been added to my heavy rotation. While their newer album, Menos el Oso, isn't quite as technical as some of their earlier releases, it still just begs to be listened to. Or I just get addicted to bad music. Your call.

[SirLemming]

Mute Math put up an E-card for their new album, featuring two songs: they continue to make "Chaos" available for download, and now they've got the brand new release of the final mix of "Noticed".
http://www.mutemath.com/tour-ecard/
There's also a Vedera song and some info there... I honestly don't care but I guess I should mention it. :sweat:

Additionally, a site (decoymusic.com) recently posted a tracklist for the album. There is much debate as to whether or not it's legitimate, since there's no official word on it and since it only has 12 tracks rather than 16 tracks. Some have theorized that there are four instrumentals in addition to the 12 listed songs. It should be noted that band members have spoken of both 12 and 16 tracks, and 16 was the more recent number. So basically, we can all be very certain that there will be either 12 or 16 songs on this album. It's a nice amount in either case, and at least one of the songs is over six minutes in length, and many of the others appear to clock in at around five.

1. Collapse
2. Typical
3. After We Have Left Our Homes
4. Chaos
5. Noticed
6. Without It
7. Polite
8. Stare At The Sun
9. Obsolete
10. Break The Same
11. You Are Mine
12. Picture
13. Stall Out

Track 11 is most likely supposed to be "Photograph" (another reason people are doubting this tracklist -- though the title may have simply changed). Tracks 2, 6, and 8 are previously unheard of.

EDIT: This discussion is all futile -- Darren King posted a blog on MySpace that updates the listing to the final, definitive 13 tracks.

[Baltofan]

There is update in the news about the Moldovan rock'n'roll/folk band called Zdob Si Zdub (Red Hot Chilli Peppers like) on their page.
You can also download some MP3, and watch their videos:

http://www.zdob-si-zdub.com/news.phtml?vers=eng&action=&id=&period=

[Marklar]

Oh man, tickets for The International Ska Circus go on sale today and I'm really temptedto buy some, even though I don't know how I'd get there or where I'd stay. It goes down March 11th in Las Vegas (during spring break weekend, which is both good and bad) and so far, the confirmed acts are The Skatalites (Woo!), Reel Big Fish (bleh...), The Toasters (woo...), Fishbone (WOO!), Voodoo Glowskulls (meh), La Banda Skalavera (?), Westbound Train (Woo!), Suburban Legends (meh), The Debonaires (Woo!), DJ Chuck Wren (?) and The Aggrolites are rumored to be playing as well. Fishbone and The Skatalites are almost enough to entice me to go, especially because Fishbone rarely ventures outside of California and even though The Skatalites only have a few original members left, it would be cool to see such a legendary band. We'll see what happens...

Not a lot out this month that interests me. I've heard the new Strokes album and didn't really like it, so I'll pass on that, but I might pick up the new stuff coming out from Randy and Some Girls. This month I'll be going to see The Suicide Machines and maybe Cake, mostly because they'll be playing in a new venue in town, so that should be interesting if nothing else.

[SirLemming]

While unsuccessfully trying to just play one simple music video on Launch.com, I discovered that Switchfoot just released a live-ish music video for "We Are One Tonight", which is by far the worst song on Nothing Is Sound. Oh well.

[Syaoran Li]

The new P.O.D. album is amazing.

More to come later.

[SirLemming]

I'm not sure how recent this is, but fans of Beastie Boys should be aware that BeastieBoys.com (http://www.beastieboys.com) has downloadable acapella MP3s that you can use for remixing. Skimming the list, it seems like they have everything from To the 5 Boroughs and then some others.

[Mugen]

Over at Jin's website, http://www.theemcee.com/home.htm (http://forums.toonzone.net/www.theemcee.com) there is a new freestyle song called "Mass Appeal 2006" and they are going to be releasing an album with Jin's freestyles and songs that were on mixtapes.

Oh and here are the Soundscan results from last week:

TWRank--Artist--Title--TWSales--%CHG--LWSales--RTDSales
1 BLIGE*MARY J. BREAKTHROUGH 118,022 -0 118,415 1,158,834
2 FOXX*JAMIE UNPREDICTABLE 103,484 -21 131,482 1,034,391
3 UNDERWOOD*CARRIE SOME HEARTS 76,959 -5 80,892 1,794,540
4 EMINEM CURTAIN CALL 76,180 -30 109,082 1,567,158
5 NOTORIOUS B.I.G. DUETS: THE FINAL CHAPTER 52,069 -29 73,617 714,500
6 CAREY*MARIAH EMANCIPATION OF MIMI 50,020 -33 74,171 5,092,797
7 NICKELBACK ALL THE RIGHT REASONS 47,522 -18 58,083 2,062,794
8 BROWN*CHRIS CHRIS BROWN 46,792 -10 52,099 775,110
9 BLACK EYED PEAS MONKEY BUSINESS 40,170 -36 62,502 3,139,923
10 CASH*JOHNNY LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH 39,745 -20 49,670 937,060
11 VARIOUS NOW 20 38,709 -26 52,029 2,150,505
12 CLARKSON*KELLY BREAKAWAY 38,287 -40 63,823 4,547,555
13 BLUNT*JAMES BACK TO BEDLAM 36,975 -13 42,685 384,830
14 FALL OUT BOY FROM UNDER THE CORK 36,315 -32 53,669 1,744,304
15 PUSSY CAT DOLLS PCD 35,368 -4 36,820 930,140
16 ADKINS*TRACE SONGS ABOUT ME 31,825 3 30,873 945,548
17 LIL' WAYNE CARTER II 31,604 -21 40,031 630,994
18 STROKES FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EARTH 31,188 -65 88,384 120,368
19 CHESNEY*KENNY ROAD & THE RADIO 29,170 -11 32,624 1,878,990
20 MADONNA CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR 28,367 -40 47,064 1,178,233
21 RASCAL FLATTS FEELS LIKE TODAY 28,238 -16 33,746 3,619,883
22 SYSTEM OF A DOWN HYPNOTIZE 27,051 -24 35,446 894,177
23 ENYA AMARANTINE 26,825 -25 35,835 898,712
24 KORN SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE 26,011 -26 35,020 591,838
25 DESTINY'S CHILD #1'S 25,412 -35 38,921 830,391
26 URBAN*KEITH BE HERE 24,877 -16 29,493 2,414,761
27 DADDY YANKEE BARRIO FINO ENDIRECTO 24,659 -27 33,853 296,624
28 SANTANA*JUELZ WHAT THE GAME'S BEEN MISSING 23,640 -11 26,507 447,786
29 WEST*KANYE LATE REGISTRATION 23,209 -40 38,756 2,475,545
30 LUDACRIS & DTP LUDACRIS PRESENTS DISTURBING T 22,554 -25 30,220 376,397
31 SUGARLAND TWICE THE SPEED OF 22,484 -18 27,349 1,611,760
32 NELLY SWEATSUIT 22,363 -5 23,567 336,908
33 YOUNG JEEZY LET'S GET IT 21,911 -15 25,713 1,361,915
34 VARIOUS ARTISTS MUSIC FRM & INSPRD BY GET RICH 21,595 -22 27,755 1,152,704
35 HILL*FAITH FIREFLIES 21,565 -28 30,077 1,583,298
36 GREEN DAY AMERICAN IDIOT 20,187 -44 35,827 5,219,937
37 GORILLAZ DEMON DAYS 19,752 -24 26,152 1,574,393
38 WALK THE LINE SOUNDTRACK 19,424 -16 23,150 350,049
39 COLE*KEYSHIA WAY IT IS 18,566 15 16,117 699,575
40 DISTURBED TEN THOUSAND FISTS 18,540 -17 22,277 885,342
41 HAMILTON*ANTHONY AIN'T NOBODY WORRYING 18,175 -17 21,854 251,754
42 CHAMILLIONAIRE SOUND OF REVENGE 17,889 -28 24,967 414,503
43 STEFANI*GWEN LOVE.ANGEL.MUSIC.BABY 17,631 -20 22,007 3,553,690
44 MATISYAHU LIVE AT STUBBS-AUSTIN TX 2/19/ 17,547 -18 21,287 265,362
45 ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS MOVE ALONG 17,386 -18 21,219 710,771
46 BICE*BO REAL THING 17,374 -15 20,433 471,194
47 COLDPLAY X&Y 17,271 -20 21,673 2,654,224
48 BLEEDING THROUGH TRUTH 17,228 999 342 17,578
49 MCENTIRE*REBA REBA #1'S 16,790 -28 23,193 566,914
50 CURRINGTON*BILLY DOIN' SOMETHIN' RIGH 16,752 1 16,550 404,673
51 D4L DOWN FOR LIFE 16,593 -19 20,477 269,106
52 PAUL*SEAN TRINITY 16,487 -3 16,978 477,602
53 LAMBERT*MIRANDA KEROSENE 16,304 -0 16,359 493,056
54 SIMPSON*ASHLEE I AM ME 16,269 -33 24,307 776,294
55 MCBRIDE*MARTINA TIMELESS 15,979 -24 21,064 966,555
56 BROOKS & DUNN HILLBILLY DELUXE 15,938 7 14,873 546,079
57 FRANKLIN*KIRK HERO 15,717 -9 17,215 349,894
58 T-PAIN RAPPA TERNT SANGA 15,598 -7 16,744 168,736
59 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE PLANS 15,583 -13 17,952 506,662
60 BON JOVI HAVE A NICE DAY 15,194 -37 24,172 824,634
61 JOHNSON*JACK IN BETWEEN DREAMS 14,914 -19 18,352 1,791,324
62 DUFF*HILARY MOST WANTED COLLECTION 14,408 -29 20,219 1,159,825
63 BUBLE*MICHAEL IT'S TIME 14,210 -14 16,445 1,260,571
64 SHAKIRA ORAL FIXATION V2 13,754 -47 25,937 428,537
65 YING YANG TWINS U.S.A. STILL UNITED 13,706 -28 18,990 68,403
66 BENTLEY*DIERKS MODERN DAY DRIFTER 13,685 -18 16,746 776,355
67 LITTLE BIG TOWN ROAD TO HERE 13,453 -0 13,456 249,056
68 THREE 6 MAFIA MOST KNOWN UNKNOWN 13,314 -13 15,370 582,347
69 BIG & RICH COMIN' TO YOUR CITY 13,066 -33 19,381 695,603
70 AVENGED SEVENFOLD CITY OF EVIL 12,946 -25 17,339 426,380
71 PAISLEY*BRAD TIME WELL WASTED 12,727 -8 13,828 771,448
72 GUNS N'ROSES GREATEST HITS 12,307 -16 14,589 2,698,698
73 NARNIA-LION WITCH WA SOUNDTRACK 11,756 -33 17,641 153,771
74 PANIC! AT THE DISCO FEVER YOU CAN'T SWEAT OUT 11,400 -15 13,348 148,137
75 SANTANA ALL THAT I AM 11,277 -17 13,523 558,959
76 MAYER*JOHN TRIO JOHN MAYER TRIO LIVE 11,059 -23 14,447 209,546
77 NELSON*RICKY GREATEST HITS 11,049 -41 18,736 48,429
78 WEEZER MAKE BELIEVE 10,662 -19 13,117 1,019,569
79 KEYS*ALICIA UNPLUGGED 10,580 -24 13,958 687,672
80 OMAR*DON DA HIT MAN PRESENTS REGGAETON 10,492 -20 13,073 128,006
81 WOW HITS WOW HITS 2006 10,436 -12 11,915 221,304
82 COOK*DANE RETALIATION 10,117 -23 13,105 555,005
83 STEWART*ROD VOL. 4-GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK 9,967 -23 12,968 814,286
84 WILSON*GRETCHEN ALL JACKED UP 9,882 -27 13,493 970,763
85 CELTIC WOMAN CELTIC WOMAN 9,845 -11 11,080 452,966
86 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE 9,793 -29 13,739 1,327,634
87 WONDER*STEVIE TIME TO LOVE 9,716 -16 11,533 376,749
88 INXS SWITCH 9,686 -19 11,983 236,197
89 BLINK-182 GREATEST HITS 9,675 -35 14,972 352,356
90 MARLEY*DAMIAN WELCOME TO JAMROCK 9,648 -14 11,162 393,604
91 HIM DARK LIGHT 9,400 -13 10,746 246,737
92 VARIOUS OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART 9,386 44 6,514 61,193
93 GOSPEL SOUNDTRACK 9,367 -29 13,220 137,480
94 KILLERS HOT FUSS 9,307 -27 12,789 2,875,856
95 BUN-B TRILL 9,274 -23 11,971 395,995
96 MONTGOMERY GENTRY SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF (BEST 9,239 -14 10,760 234,686
97 APPLE*FIONA EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE 9,209 -27 12,616 393,004
98 YOUNGBLOODZ EV'RYBODY KNOW ME 9,168 -30 13,040 138,611
99 EVANS*SARA REAL FINE PLACE 9,118 -14 10,570 476,124
100 KIDZ BOP KIDS KIDZ BOP 8 9,108 -9 10,008 451,943
101 STAIND CHAPTER V 9,073 -7 9,740 672,441
102 MORNINGWOOD MORNINGWOOD 8,888 999 51 8,940
103 WALL*PAUL PEOPLE'S CHAMP 8,792 -24 11,542 596,902
104 CROW*SHERYL WILDFLOWER 8,767 -21 11,080 670,474
105 FOGERTY*JOHN LONG ROAD HOME: ULTIMATE JOHN 8,596 -26 11,660 306,175
106 UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION SOUNDTRACK 8,350 999 57 8,407
107 THIRD DAY WHEREVER YOU ARE 8,307 -5 8,735 130,861
108 SYSTEM OF A DOWN MEZMERIZE 8,251 -21 10,484 1,664,715
109 STAPP*SCOTT GREAT DIVIDE 8,154 -32 12,055 334,817
110 GREEN DAY BULLET IN A BIBLE 8,123 -39 13,312 390,739
111 LOHAN*LINDSAY LITTLE MORE PERSONAL 8,061 -38 12,934 250,583
112 COHEED & CAMBRIA GOOD APOLLO,I'M BURNING STAR I 7,940 -5 8,362 280,376
113 ALDEAN*JASON JASON ALDEAN 7,916 -3 8,199 363,581
114 VARIOUS NOW 19 7,915 -29 11,152 1,990,783
115 DEPECHE MODE PLAYING THE ANGEL 7,811 -11 8,780 317,841
116 WHITE STRIPES GET BEHIND ME SATAN 7,770 -23 10,132 719,244
117 RAY J RAYDIATION 7,753 -13 8,877 231,507
117 KEITH*TOBY VOL. 2-GREATEST HITS 7,753 -15 9,094 2,956,932
119 DIAMOND*NEIL 12 SONGS 7,551 -26 10,136 399,998
120 FLOETRY FLO' OLOGY 7,417 -21 9,432 238,389
121 PITBULL MONEY IS STILL A MAJOR ISSUE 7,369 -26 9,977 167,618
122 NICHOLS*JOE III 7,348 -17 8,842 291,405
123 RBD REBELDE 7,314 -14 8,457 276,516
124 RBD NUESTRO AMOR 7,307 -27 10,035 167,970
125 THOMAS*ROB SOMETHING TO BE 7,294 -11 8,185 1,221,915
126 WILSON*GRETCHEN HERE FOR THE PARTY 7,270 -21 9,226 4,161,976
127 BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN 7,214 20 5,997 33,571
128 HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS SILENCE IN BLACK & WHITE 7,207 -24 9,435 727,741
129 50 CENT MASSACRE 7,149 -26 9,687 4,869,580
130 BIG BOI PRESENTS VOL. 2-GOT PURP 7,130 -13 8,182 123,050
131 HUSTLE & FLOW SOUNDTRACK 7,090 198 2,381 274,683
132 SHINEDOWN US & THEM 7,025 -22 8,998 244,219
133 MCCARTNEY*JESSE BEAUTIFUL SOUL 7,005 -22 8,962 1,248,961
134 BEDINGFIELD*NATASHA UNWRITTEN 6,862 -12 7,841 223,981
135 BOW WOW WANTED 6,825 -31 9,897 850,152
136 AUDIOSLAVE OUT OF EXILE 6,770 -22 8,671 984,422
137 BEASTIE BOYS SOLID GOLD HITS 6,734 -17 8,081 138,566
138 PHANTOM OF THE OPERA SOUNDTRACK 6,701 -8 7,297 923,062
139 BIG & RICH HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR 6,699 -26 8,992 2,651,883
140 STREISAND*BARBRA GUILTY PLEASURES 6,596 -16 7,883 443,383
141 JENNINGS*LYFE LYFE 268-192 6,510 -22 8,343 888,285
142 MONK/COLTRANE THELONIOUS MONK QUARTET WITH J 6,492 -18 7,890 173,727
143 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK 6,469 999 123 6,592
144 LIFEHOUSE LIFEHOUSE 6,418 -41 10,870 757,388
145 TWISTA DAY AFTER 6,353 -20 7,960 411,629
146 REGGAETON NINOS VOL. 1-REGGAETON NINOS 6,279 8 5,810 26,742
147 JUANES MI SANGRE 6,273 -16 7,480 510,127
148 KEITH*TOBY HONKYTONK UNIVERSITY 6,268 -13 7,209 1,460,298
149 WISIN Y YANDEL PA'L MUNDO 6,200 -31 9,022 145,146
150 NINE INCH NAILS WITH TEETH 6,189 -7 6,626 851,735
151 IL DIVO IL DIVO 6,138 -14 7,128 1,066,749
152 10 YEARS AUTUMN EFFECT 6,097 -12 6,951 153,821
153 BOTTI*CHRIS TO LOVE AGAIN 6,087 -20 7,602 236,291
154 RELIENT K MMHMM 6,077 -24 8,007 461,311
155 HEAP*IMOGEN SPEAK FOR YOURSELF 6,074 3 5,920 61,007
156 FOO FIGHTERS IN YOUR HONOR 6,073 -26 8,197 1,159,151
157 ALLAN*GARY TOUGH ALL OVER 6,028 -21 7,599 377,392
158 ADAMS*YOLANDA DAY BY DAY 6,005 0 5,994 233,911
159 RENT (2CD) SOUNDTRACK 5,975 -32 8,739 271,617
160 YOUNG*NEIL PRAIRIE WIND 5,955 -18 7,229 364,785
161 CASTING CROWNS LIFESONG 5,936 -17 7,140 184,438
162 FRANZ FERDINAND YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETT 5,850 -33 8,754 289,259
163 ALY & AJ INTO THE RUSH 5,834 -36 9,059 327,172
164 MORISSETTE*ALANIS COLLECTION 5,792 -19 7,145 127,413
165 NIRVANA SLIVER-BEST OF THE BOX 5,750 -24 7,569 181,013
166 LOS BUKIS/BRONCO LOS INICIOS DE NUEST 5,745 999 319 6,064
167 CAGLE*CHRIS ANYWHERE BUT HERE 5,717 -14 6,633 238,481
168 GOAPELE CHANGE IT ALL 5,664 -21 7,163 26,304
169 BABY EINSTEIN LULLABY CLASSICS 5,654 14 4,941 383,265
170 MCCARTNEY*PAUL CHAOS & CREATION IN THE BACK Y 5,648 -19 6,983 460,136
171 BRAXTON*TONI LIBRA 5,635 -26 7,598 365,860
172 TRICK TRICK PEOPLE VS. 5,512 -27 7,568 28,989
173 TRINA GLAMOREST LIFE 5,504 -30 7,848 337,817
174 SONGZ*TREY I GOTTA MAKE IT 5,472 -19 6,758 274,266
175 SHAKIRA FIJACION ORAL 5,457 -34 8,214 818,595
176 WILSON*CHARLIE CHARLIE LAST NAME WILSON 5,396 -14 6,297 290,837
177 VARIOUS I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 5,356 23 4,359 236,944
178 CAMP*JEREMY LIVE UNPLUGGED FRANKLIN TN 072 5,340 -7 5,764 43,966
179 RIHANNA MUSIC OF THE SUN 5,312 -29 7,477 368,081
180 VARIOUS CRUNK HITS 5,311 -22 6,827 117,106
181 CREED GREATEST HITS 5,274 -7 5,690 1,008,936
182 ROLLING STONES RARITIES 1971-03 5,262 -14 6,115 92,171
183 STEVENS*SUFJAN ILLINOIS 5,114 -13 5,890 116,848
184 GRAY*DAVID LIFE IN SLOW MOTION 5,109 -20 6,388 298,475
185 VARIOUS ARTISTS EL DRAFT 5,099 24 4,108 100,884
186 STRAIT*GEORGE 50 NUMBER ONES 5,079 -5 5,360 2,599,567
187 RENT SOUNDTRACK 5,048 -42 8,740 234,687
188 MATTHEWS*DAVE BAND WEEKEND ON THE ROCKS 5,018 -26 6,770 147,732
189 MCGRAW*TIM LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING 4,975 -18 6,045 3,638,245
190 SLIPKNOT 9.0: LIVE 4,967 -30 7,140 174,840
191 U2 HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOM 4,964 -22 6,398 2,996,196
192 SWITCHFOOT NOTHING IS SOUND 4,936 -25 6,604 306,997
193 SUBLIME GOLD 4,926 -23 6,433 69,322
194 GINUWINE BACK II DA BASICS 4,898 -25 6,533 199,739
195 PRETTY RICKY BLUE STARS 4,852 -19 5,996 723,127
195 VARIOUS INSPIRED BY CHRONICLES OF NARN 4,852 -25 6,473 78,904
197 TWAIN*SHANIA GREATEST HITS 4,839 -15 5,705 3,365,583
198 ROLLING STONES BIGGER BANG 4,828 -12 5,474 469,922
199 ISRAEL & NEW BREED ALIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA 4,827 -30 6,867 45,057
200 SEETHER KARMA & EFFECT 4,812 -15 5,688 539,518
TOTAL SALES 2,863,066 3,600,513 164,563,798

Nice to see Switchfoot and Sufjan Stevens rolling along. And I'm still sad that the Ying Yang Twins continue to sell.

[SirLemming]

The Mute Math Album Release Tour is beginning as we speak, which means people (who can get to Oklahoma) are buying the album for the first time. TRAILER (http://assets.mutemath.com/_blog/MMtourpromo.wmv)

[Mr. Pedro]

Once again while killing time in town, I scooped up Joy Division's Closer.

[Chrono1995]

I got both Buzzc*cks' (boy, that filter sure is SCREWY) Singles Going Steady and Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime and they both rock very, very hard.

[Damien]

Got a call last night to run down to the Sun Dome and meet my friends for WinterJam 2006, featuring New Song, ZoeGirl, Toby Mac, Krystal Meyers, Hawk Nelson, and the Newsboys. I was a little late, though, so I missed ZoeGirl, Meyers, and I think Nelson. Still cool, though. They also had a Sphere of Fear, those cages that they cram bikers into to ride all around. Only 10 bucks, and they put on a heck of a show, especially the Newsboys (who also did a song I recognized).

[SirLemming]

Only 10 bucks, and they put on a heck of a show, especially the Newsboys (who also did a song I recognized).
Ah, and from what I read on Newsboys.com, that was one of their first shows with their replacement guitarist.

Not sure what else I wanted to say, but I thought I'd point it out.

[SirLemming]

I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but hey, this is a big month for Mute Math. Here's an interesting article from Tuscon Weekly:

http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Music/Content?oid=oid:77485

The article is all about why they broke from Warner Bros. Records and their battle against Christian marketing. Very interesting stuff, and you gotta respect them for it. Of course, the article also calls them "mature emo" for some reason I'll NEVER understand, and I can only hope that as a result the article will not turn more people away from the band than it wins over.

Oh, they also have a new song up at http://www.purevolume.com/mutemath . It's called "Typical".

[Mr. Pedro]

Was able to pick up Jeff Buckley's Grace yesterday. Perhaps the "prettiest" album I've heard in quite some time.

[RD!]

I'm really enjoying this album, But Sleep Came Slowly, by Red Stars Theory. Apparently rightfuly so, members involved in Modest Mouse and Built To Spill. I need more music like theirs I think. The majority of my music I notice is compact pop songs.

I suppose I will just go overboard on them and My Morning Jacket and I don't know.

[NachoHat]

The new Plastic Constellations album, Crusades, is most fine.

As is Of Montreal's live show.

[Damien]

Picked up Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits. Pretty good stuff, although I wish the song he opened with at the concert was on there (not quite sure if it is or not, but I don't think so).
Anyway, currently hunting down the soundtrack to Velvet Goldmine.

[Syaoran Li]

Anyone who doesn't have P.O.D.'s latest, get it now. I command you.

Get the Limited Edition if at all possible.

[Mr. Pedro]

Having enojoyed Closer so much, I went and picked up Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures and Substance albums.

[Baltofan]

Load of pics of Jean Michel Jarre's concert In Gdansk, Poland can be seen here:

http://www.fotobank.pl/index58.html

[NachoHat]

Anyone who doesn't have P.O.D.'s latest, get it now. I command you.

Get the Limited Edition if at all possible.

No.

[SirLemming]

Everyone must watch The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tonight!! Mute Math makes their TV debut. This will be an epic event. ...even if it gets delayed by #*%)!^*%)#)%! golf. But still! Watch it! You will not be disappointed!!!

As if that wasn't fantastic news enough, their album is now available for the first time ever ONLINE at their store (http://www.zambooie.com/stores/index.tpl?st_id=145). If you can't get to their tour -- or if you're like me and you don't want to wait one or two weeks longer -- this is for you.

Anyone who doesn't have P.O.D.'s latest, get it now. I command you.

Get the Limited Edition if at all possible.
I played "Strength of My Life" on the radio tonight and I really liked it. Probably the first song I've heard from their new stuff (aside from the B-side "Why Wait") that really shows promise. I know I'll have to get around to it eventually. I've kind of reached a spending limit last month/this month, though.

[NachoHat]

I got Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" the other day. It's magnificent. I'm still not sure if I like it better than Summer Teeth, but they're both so absolutely fantastic, it doesn't really matter. Ol' Wilco's also playing in my state next month, which is kind of rare, considering I live in Mississippi. I'm psyched.

(Pssst, it's February. Whoever usually makes these threads should make a February one. Unless they already have and I didn't notice. Then I'm a fool.

[Syaoran Li]

I played "Strength of My Life" on the radio tonight and I really liked it. Probably the first song I've heard from their new stuff (aside from the B-side "Why Wait") that really shows promise. I know I'll have to get around to it eventually. I've kind of reached a spending limit last month/this month, though.
"Strength Of My Life" is really awesome, but it's not the best song on the album. I'm too busy rocking out to "Roots In Stereo".

Speaking of that, I got Matisyahu's "Live At Stubbs", which is almost too good.

[Marklar]

So it's February, but whatever, the January thread is still good...

First off, I've gotta bring down the hype surrounding Matisyahu a little bit. I'm not trying to single you out or anything Beau, as he's gotten a lot of attention recently even though his live album has been out for almost a year, but the dude isn't good enough to be garnering as much attention as he has been getting. Yeah, he's a Hasidic Jew who does vaguely dancehall-ish reggae and I understand that that's some of the appeal, but once you get past that, a lot of his songs are really dull and he doesn't have the same kind of delivery as some of the better dancehall deejays. I'll admit that some of his songs are pretty damn good, I particularly like "King Without a Crown" and "Exaltation", but I dunno, I just don't get what all the hype is about. If you want good non-Jamaican dancehall artists, try Dr. Ring-Ding or King Django, who happened to release a klezmer-reggae album called "Roots and Culture" which blows Matisyahu out of the water in my opinion.

Yep... going to see Westbound Train with the Toasters and Satori this month... should be a good show.

[Syaoran Li]

First off, I've gotta bring down the hype surrounding Matisyahu a little bit. I'm not trying to single you out or anything Beau, as he's gotten a lot of attention recently even though his live album has been out for almost a year, but the dude isn't good enough to be garnering as much attention as he has been getting. Yeah, he's a Hasidic Jew who does vaguely dancehall-ish reggae and I understand that that's some of the appeal, but once you get past that, a lot of his songs are really dull and he doesn't have the same kind of delivery as some of the better dancehall deejays. I'll admit that some of his songs are pretty damn good, I particularly like "King Without a Crown" and "Exaltation", but I dunno, I just don't get what all the hype is about. If you want good non-Jamaican dancehall artists, try Dr. Ring-Ding or King Django, who happened to release a klezmer-reggae album called "Roots and Culture" which blows Matisyahu out of the water in my opinion.

But other modern reggae artists talk about sex and weed, which isn't really my thing. Matis is an excellent alternative who delivers scripture-based lyrics all the time. That's why I like him; I don't know about anyone else.

Oh, and Matisyahu dancehall? No. Sean Paul is dancehall. Matis' music is reminiscent of Bob Marley's roots reggae.

[Marklar]

But other modern reggae artists talk about sex and weed, which isn't really my thing. Matis is an excellent alternative who delivers scripture-based lyrics all the time. That's why I like him; I don't know about anyone else.

Oh, and Matisyahu dancehall? No. Sean Paul is dancehall. Matis' music is reminiscent of Bob Marley's roots reggae.

If you like scripture based stuff, definitely check out King Django's Roots & Culture. (http://www.stubbornrecords.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=23783&cat=&page=1) It's a bit more varied than Matisyahu's stuff, as it has some reggae, some ska, some dub and some Jewish folk music in both Yiddish and English. It's pretty cool.

And I said Matisyahu was dancehall-ish, not straight up dancehall. He reminds me of Buju Banton, not that means anything to most people, but he has a primarily roots based style but occassionally throws in some speedier verses and delivers stuff in a dancehall influenced manner. Plus, most modern dancehall relies on synthesizers and drum machines and whatnot, and Matisyahu uses a live band (and a damn good one at that), so my dancehall comparison wasn't entirely accurate.

[Dr. Octopus]

So it's February, but whatever, the January thread is still good...

I apologize for getting February's thread up so late, but it's now up (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?p=2056103). :)