Review from My Innerspeaker....urp...

Against Me!- White Crosses
Still vehement rockers with a message, just with a little spit and polish this time. Luckily their new understanding of finding and sustaining a good melody and how to use a studio hasn't totally dulled their energy, though they come close to too radio friendly "alt" rock. Instead it has made songs like "Suffocation" probable live anthems. Think Alkaline Trio without the sardonic and morbid humor. Nice to hear the occasional acoustic guitar and piano and the nod to rock god who started rock with a message. Good ought era modern punk. (3.5)

Concrete Blonde- Bloodletting
The song "Joey" still sucks beyond belief but my initial disdain for receiving this CD wasn't long lived as I found myself liking most of the songs once I gave them a chance. Get rid of the dated 80s engineering- big drum, low keyed guitars- and some of these songs ("Bloodletting", "Caroline" and "Days and Days") have staying power. (2.5)

Joe Jackson- Look Sharp!
Labeled New Wave when it came out, now it just sounds like a well rounded, varied rock album of well written songs performed by damn good musicians. Definitely a time capsule recording with its stop-start rhythm guitar and stripped down engineering. You hear all the instruments and their complexities. There are 50s, punk, jazz, riff rock and reggae influences throughout. It's dated but in a good way like an ambassador to late 1970's rock. (4.0)

Peter Wolfe- Midnight Souvenirs
Not our Junior High and High School Peter Wolfe. Poignant, well constructed songs sans the wooba gooba's overdrive- except for "Overnight Lows" which is full of good shwackin'. Just another example of a veteran 60+ rocker showing up the youngsters. Few songs wander into almost pop-country hell but overall a pretty darn good release worth having on the ol' Zune. "I Don't Wanna Know" will be on my year end compilation. (3.5)

Tame Impala- Innerspeaker
I stumbled upon one song off this and it sounded so different from what I have been listening to I decided throw it out there. It's big beat, psychedelic a la "Strawberry Fields Forever" - but sung by George- rock. I actually feel like I had a dozen bong hits after listening to it. The music is layered. There are Pink Floyd freak outs, some nifty guitar riffs, big huge drums, airy melodies and drugged up vocals. I found myself really liking it, but I also on other listens, found myself completely annoyed. So this has to be filed in "Listen when in certain frames of mind". Still it gets a (3.0)

Peter Weller Ghits
This mix proved to me (my opinion hence is coming) that the Weller solo stuff is his strongest, followed by the Jam with the Style Council lagging waaaaaay behind. The latter having too much representation on this mix. Weller is another songwriter who doesn't get his due. His music never stays in one place and I think he'll be vibrant for years to come. Thanks Sandy for making me put Weller on my Zune, which I was sadly missing.

Topic
How has your musical interests changed over the years. Or have they? I consider myself to have a wide musical palette. My interests will sway from genre to genre but within genres my taste is pretty consistent. My country will never be the pop-country. My metal is heavy. My jazz is from 1949-1969 etc....

Is your desert island your desert island. That's it. Never Changes. Or, do you shift albums in and out based on what you're into at the time. Mine does fluctuate and it does depend on what I am into at the time or have gotten back into.

Are there albums that will remain on your desert island list forever- no matter what? And, what are they? I have a couple that I think will never get booted of the list- "Blood on the Tracks" and "Ragged Glory"