First again, damn I'm good

Amos Lee – Mission Bell – 2.5

I saw Amos Lee open for Norah Jones. He might as well be a male Norah Jones. Unfortunately, after the first disk I lost interest. He’s a talented guy, but to me he has nothing that really stands out for me. He goes to the pile of things that my wife likes to listen to on a Sunday morning or by herself. In a word, “boring”.

Mt St Helen’s Vietnam Band – Where the messengers meet – 3.5

It seems like it’s dreamy music month. I’m not sure where the name of this band originated from, but it’s weird, a lot like the band’s music. I’m not known for liking weird music, but I did like this band.

Todd Rundgren – Something Anything – 2.5

What male artist is mistaken for a female artist more than any other (not including Neil Sedaka) , oh ya, Todd Rundgren. As much as I like the songs that got airplay, I can’t say as much for the songs that didn’t. Some songs were cool and one or two were strange, Saving Grace for instance. All in all Todd’s songs all sound alike. His piano/keyboard is unmistakable though and most people could pick out a Rundgren song easily. I’m not sure who’s idea it was to release a double album, but the good songs could have easily filled one disc and the other could have been release as the best of Todd’s B-Sides.

Riot – Fire Down Under - 3

For me not to know of a band is not a big surprise, but I didn’t recognize one single song by Riot. They sound like any of a hundred bands from that timeframe. I did some research and still didn’t recognize one band member. I liked the music and can’t believe that these guys weren’t huge (or maybe they were) in the late 80’s when Ratt was at their peak. I’ll stick with Ratt, but I will give them a 3 because guys with seal heads are cool.

Accordion – Greatest Hits

Coolest idea for a greatest hits collection since the greatest non-hits of Genesis. I had no idea that o many cool songs utilized the accordion. Even scarier is how anyone could possibly remember which songs they like have the accordion in them. I couldn’t even do a Google search to find a list. Nice job Monsta, you are either a musical genius or an idiot savant.

Wire – Red Barked Tree - 4

Pick of the month for me. Eerie and unique. Just different enough to be interesting. Hard to say what it was about this band that I liked, but it’s cd that I found myself looking forward to listening to the most.

According to the DYN website, this group has reviewed 264 discs. Out of those, exactly 1 has gotten at least 4 stars from all reviewers, and that was while the group was only 5 people. The question is whether or not there is/are a universally accepted disc(s) that we all would give at least 4 stars to. Come armed with a list of 5-10 discs that you believe would get at least 4 stars from every single member in the group. Obviously, it will have to be something you think everyone has heard, and you will have to know your fellow DYN'ers tastes (D'Arcy's presence means that no Dylan, Springsteen or Neil Young discs need apply, and I will veto anything Brian Wilson ever touched).

I might be the sole reason that no disk could get 4 stars as long as I’m in the group. My taste is clearly far superior to the rest of the group, otherwise great bands like Pygmy Love Circus and Faith No More would be at the top of the list. These are albums, which I call the gimme list, would never be submitted due to the fact that I’d be accused of Mongilloing, but they might actually get a 4 from everyone, including me.

Beatles – Sgt. Pepper

AC/DC - Back in Black

Stones – Exile on Main Street

Who – Who’s Next