Playing Catch-Up While the Boss is on Vacation...

Jebediah Parish – 21st Century American:
At first I tried listening to it the car but the album bored me and I need something with a little more oomph to get me to and from work. I was all ready to pan it until I gave it a try while doing some stuff at home. I enjoyed it a little more then. Some tracks were top notch and others tended to be off-putting since he tends to whine a bit. Score: 2.5

Joe Ely – Live at Liberty Lunch:
It’s no secret that I don’t like bluesy rock and it was rough for me to even force a second listen. I can’t even really comment on the musicianship because nothing screamed out to me. It just seems like generic blues rock. Score: 1

Puscifer – V if For Vagina:
I wanted to like it and back Greg in his love for Maynard & Tool, but I will have to admit that I guess not everything Maynard Keenan touches turns to gold for me. Considering too that Tim Alexander from Primus played on this album too…man, it could have had such potential. It just didn’t work for me. It wasn’t as dense and challenging as Tool and it wasn’t as emotional and cathartic as A Perfect Circle. He tries to be experimental but falls short of greatness. There were a couple tracks that I did decide to keep on my I-pod so it wasn’t complete trash. Score: 2

Kate Nash – Made of Bricks:
The thing that scares me about this record is that MTV got me buy it. Yeah, MTV, you know…the station that doesn’t play music anymore. I was watching some “True Life” late night documentary thing when a bit of insomnia was kicking in and they were playing her tracks before commercials as a “featured artist.” I was immediately hooked by her cockney accent and quirky pop songs. I’ve always been a fan of singer/pianists like Tori Amos and the Dresden Dolls and Kate Nash is a great additional to that family. From what I have heard, the album was rushed out because of hype and label pressure but I think she pulled off a great album for something that was supposedly rushed. I can’t wait to see what she kind of album she makes when she has more time to write and construct her eccentric gems. Score: 4

Thin Lizzy:
I have always liked what I heard by Thin Lizzy and this G.H. was no exception. Some songs of course pulled me in more than others, but overall a great collection and I’m glad to finally have some more Thin Lizzy in my I-pod.

Topic:

Did Nirvana change music? No. But they helped it.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” came out when I was about 12 or 13, I think. At the time I had mostly been listening to hair bands and still the occasional new wave record. The first time I heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit” it immediately captured my attention. What was this new sound? You have to understand that as a young adolescent, I was only exposed to what was on MTV at the time. I didn’t have the resources (nor a license) to explore other music. So, Nirvana, for me, was huge and life-changing. I know plenty of people my age who feel the same. It might be a generational thing, but they opened the door for me to get into a whole other music scene. They awoke this passion in me that probably began my music obsession.

They brought something new to the forefront. Was it technically “new”…NO. But they brought it to the mainstream and that is important. They made every label scramble for the next “IT” grunge band and yet no one, to me, compared to the raw sound, angst and energy that Nirvana had. It was new for me as a youngster and therefore very important in my life.

Part 2 –

First song I remember liking…Wheel in the Sky by Journey. I’ve talked about this before, so I won’t go on any further.