Butch Walker - Letters

My first taste of Butch was a few months ago. He opened for Ryan Adams at the Chicago Theater. I really enjoyed his music. I think I enjoyed him more live than I did on the album. When he was live, it was basically just him up there with a guitar and a piano, and I'm a sucker for music with pianos in it. It's not that I didn't enjoy the album, per se, I just like the acoustic stuff better. The album sounds like it could be the soundtrack for a Nicholas Sparks movie. I would say Mixtape was my favorite track on the album.

The Promise Ring - Nothing Feels Good

I was not familiar with this band, so I read the band overview on Spotify before I listened to the album. Emo band, yes! Indie rock, yes, yes! From Milwaukee, bonus! Overall thoughts of the album, Meh. I guess that I built it up to be more than it was going to be, but it just sounded like run of the mill mid to late 90's pop-punk. The only song I almost got into was A Broken Tenor. All of the rest, I could take it or leave it. Never really made me "feel" anything, never wanted to listen harder to really dig into the lyrics. Wasn't unpleasant though.

Frank Sinatra - September of My Years

I listened to this tonight while making and eating dinner. I actually think it is very good music to listen to while doing those two things. The album reminds me of being Up North and eating pizza on the beach, a tradition of ours on the day we get up there every July. Mr. Fontana always puts on his "Mob Hits" albums and we drink wine from a jug while eating cheap pub pizza (the only thing missing is a juke box....you know who you are). Not what the album would normally remind one of, but that's what it musters up for me. Besides that, it makes me want to dance, while wearing a fancy dress. It also makes me think of winter for some strange reason, and not because he mentions winter in multiple songs on the album. I can't really put my finger on it. So I guess it reminds me of the summer Up North, and then winter. While I did enjoy the album, I feel like the entire thing could all be just one long song, as they all sound very similar to each other.

Barenaked Ladies - Stunt

I listened to this Monday morning while I was working. I enjoyed it. I didn't have to struggle through any songs, and before I knew it, the album was over. Honestly, the only song I may have skipped over would have been the first song because I have heard it a bajillion times. Other than that, it was a good start to the week.

Taylor Swift - 1989

I'm not going to lie. I was dreading this one. Taylor Swift is one of two "singers" I won't allow to be played on the radio, I actually turn it to static in the car before listening to her. It also fell on a Sunday, and I am not a fan of Sundays in general, because Monday is always looming. To further my awesome set-up for this album, I decided to listen to it while putting together something I bought from IKEA. I didn't really think this one through. So I went to Spotify to start the album, and lo and behold, her music isn't on Spotify (never knew this because, of course, I never searched for her before). Not cool, Taylor. I had to get a list of the songs on the album, and look each one up on YouTube, or Vimeo, or Google, or wherever else I could find them. This only prolonged the torture. That being said, I was actually relieved it was this album, and not one of her others, because the two songs that have recently been playing on the radio aren't as bad as songs like "We are never, ever, ever, getting back together" or whatever that is titled. I must give it to her, she is rich, and she makes songs that are catchy, and poppy (apparently that is a word in my music reviews), and loved by the masses of tweens. I would probably give more credit to whomever is writing these songs for her and putting everything together, but they know what they are doing. I will say, though, that there were a couple songs I couldn't find anywhere of her singing, so I listened to people's cover songs that they posted instead, and those were probably the couple songs I "enjoyed" the most, enjoyed being a very loose term.

Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit

I wish we could post pictures, because I have the perfect picture for this one. It's me at the bar next door to The Metro, I'm probably about 23. It's actually one of my favorite pictures of me. This picture was taken shortly before seeing Alkaline Trio there. I'm happy this album was suggested, because it has been about 8 years since I have listened to it, and I immediately remembered pretty much every song. A couple of my favorite songs of theirs are on this album, Clavicle and Sorry About That. I stopped listening to them a few albums after this one, I feel like they got a little too "poppy". Great album, minus the songs Dan sings.....he needs to stick to back up vocals in my opinion.

Benny Goodman - 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert

I've never really listened to Jazz much, by choice. I do enjoy it when I hear it though. I played piano pretty much my whole life, so anything instrumental is usually fine by me. I'm not sure if it was just the particular album that I was listening to (On Spotify, oh how I love Spotify), but it sounded like it was playing on a record player. I liked that added touch. I also like music that takes me somewhere, and when I was listening to this, I could almost picture myself sitting in a parlor somewhere with a drink in my hand. I love to feel my music, and I could feel this. And not in the way I normally "feel" music, because usually for me it is all about the lyrics taking me places. Good instrumental can do it too.

Day 1

I'm ok if I never hear this album again. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was playing dice with my children, or if it was this album, or maybe the combination of both, but my anxiety was high and not even the calming effects of the Northwoods could keep me from wanting to flee the scene. I think the only two points that I found enjoyable were around 11 minutes in when it sounded a bit trancy and there were birds (everyone knows how much I love birds), and the last track that had a few words. I will, however, recommend this album to my friend Matt Hachigian. Something tells me he will like it.