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(08/28/03 4:00am)
Just one year ago, Chris Carrabba's plaintive ruminations on lost love helped catapult Dashboard Confessional from cult favorite to mainstream hit and turned Carrabba into the poster boy for a much-maligned, musical sub-genre called emo. On Dashboard Confessional's breakthrough album, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, Carrabba used sparse, acoustic instrumentation as a lilting background for diary-like lyrics. Now, however, emo has been replaced in popularity and as a category by what The New York Times recently dubbed "screamo" a more aggressive form of rock relying on--you guessed it--screaming to convey the same earnestness. Moreover, in general, there has been an ascendance in the popularity of more melodic punk rock. Finally, Vagrant Records, Dashboard Confessional's original label, is releasing the band's latest album in conjunction with Interscope Records. Perhaps it was the popularity of harder, faster punk rock, and the emo backlash, or merely the band's success and record label pressure that caused Carrabba to create a more dulcet, chorus-driven album. Nonetheless, Dashboard Confessional's latest offering, A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar is distinctly different from the band's past releases, featuring powerful instrumentation and melodic hooks but mostly weaker sentiments, leaving the listener entertained but not captivated.
(08/28/03 4:00am)
Since its inception, MTV's Video Music Awards has been the setting for surprising performances and appearances. However, for the past few years, these aspects of the show have been perhaps more memorable than the awards themselves. While you probably can't readily name the past four Video of the Year winners, you probably know about Britney's striptease performance in 2000, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's appearances in 2001 and 2002 and P.Diddy's high-flying performance last year. When this year's ceremony airs tonight, the show will most likely be the site of such requisite events, but we're told that there will also be some awards handed out.
(07/23/03 4:00am)
Jason Mraz is the new kid, and whenever he's on the block he's got that damn rooster and red hat with him. He's also probably summer pop as good as it's been in years. His new album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, showcases Mraz?s rhythmic vocal ability. What's more, his songs are earnest enough to put some substance in front of guitar licks you?ve already heard before. But the best part is that he seems quirky and self-deprecating enough to know that he's not some pop confection. He's on tour this summer with other artists, notably Liz Phair, playing relatively small venues. Compared to the acts going down at your nearest Verizon wireless amphitheater, Mraz is a pleasant change definitely worth checking out.
(02/06/03 5:00am)
While Billy Corgan's work-hard, work-hard mentality may have been the force that ultimately smashed the Smashing Pumpkins, his serious approach to music produced artful, profound, post-grunge rock that formed a sonic backdrop to the 1990s. Well, the 90s are definitely over, and as the rock world tries to recover from the onslaught of pop in a music scene where the lines are more blurred than before, Corgan's Zwan may be the Smashing Pumpkins for a new generation.
(01/16/03 5:00am)
The Exies, a modern rock quartet from L.A., have all the elements of a successful, radio-friendly rock act. And that's just the problem. Their mix of garage rock layered with slightly industrial, technologically spawned melodies is derivative of the sounds of Linkin Park, Saliva and their ilk, and it's earned them some rotation on MTV2. The beginning of the Exies' sophomore Inertia pulsates with the powerful, straightforward rock of the lead single, "My Goddess" and the danceably depressing "Can't Relate." By the middle of the album, though, the Exies' muted percussion and protracted vocals are just downright boring.
(11/14/02 5:00am)
For as much as people compare him to Jeff Buckley, Ours' lead singer Jimmy Gnecco's image is a much darker one. Halfway between Grace and Bauhaus, his lyrics on the newly released Precious exude a heightened sense of desperation, while his music still remains universally accessible. "Realize" epitomizes this contradiction with yearning, defeated lyrics that are tempered by a repetitive, poppy melody, making the chorus' declaration less tragic. The slower-tempo "Places" illuminates similarly universal and vague emotions, serving as a bittersweet background to moments of despair, as it expresses an innocent, yet palpable fear through the imagery in its chorus. Throughout the album, Gnecco sings about the futility of human actions against fate, perhaps most consistently illustrated by the album's first single "Leaves."
(10/24/02 4:00am)
As the dust begins to settle on the Strokes-led indie rock revolution, Loudermilk is at the forefront of a new alternative wave, breaking free from the Vines/Hives/Rival Schools amalgam with searing, Smashing-Pumpkins-esque vocals.
(10/24/02 4:00am)
With the renewed discussion about Internet file sharing, several artists in conjunction with the Recording Industry Association of America have released public service announcements requesting that music fans stop illegally downloading songs. Recess has obtained some outtakes from pop-princess Britney Spears and resident St. Lunatic Nelly's commercials. Here's what they said in the spots you won't see:
(09/26/02 4:00am)
30 Seconds to Mars' self-titled debut album is a disturbing, hour-long journey to a post-apocalyptic civilization led by none other than the most post-apocalyptic of all--Jared Leto. Never mind that the very idea of an actor fronting a band is laughable enough (Dogstar?), what is truly disdainful, yet wickedly amusing, about 30 Seconds to Mars is their heinous combination of industrial music and Rambaldian lyrics.
(09/12/02 4:00am)
Of all the responses undertaken by the music community to the events of Sept. 11, the most powerful act was not industry-driven. While executives scrambled to plan tribute albums and censor records deemed "inappropriate," individual radio programmers and listeners started spinning tracks that they felt would offer solace to a nation unnerved. As the songs continued to play, a soundtrack full of poignant reflections on tragedy and occasional glimmers of hope began to surface. Although it's impossible to pinpoint a definitive track list because people possess such divergent musical tastes, several songs still evoke chills across preference lines a year later.
(09/05/02 4:00am)
When Coldplay burst onto the music scene a couple years ago, they were seen as only the latest in a series of British bands heralded as the next Radiohead. Though the easily digestible mellow rock of Parachutes was well received by listeners and Grammy voters alike, many people, rightly, continued to lump them together with other British wannabe bands like Travis.
(09/05/02 4:00am)
The Pietasters?Cat?s Cradle: Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. $12
(07/31/02 4:00am)
For those craving a break from contrived network shlock, reality TV, at its best, may be a strong alternative. The genre has expanded its "put-people-on-an-island/in-a-house-and-film-them" philosophy to feature everything from game shows to real-life dramas.
(07/24/02 4:00am)
For those craving a break from contrived network shlock, reality TV, at its best, may be a strong alternative. The genre has expanded its 3put-people-on-an-island/in-a-house-and-film-them2 philosophy to feature everything from game shows to real-life dramas.
(06/13/02 4:00am)
Over the course of the past year, many female artists have attempted to distance themselves from the teen-pop pack with their songwriting ability. Avril Lavigne is among the first to use that ability to put a dent in pop stardom. Her introspective debut album, Let Go, features catchy, guitar-driven rock doled out in four-minute bursts of emotion. Lavigne tackles the ups and downs of relationships and the awkwardness of adolescence, with lyrics that are confessional and universally accessible.
(04/11/02 4:00am)
On their debut album Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone, The Walkmen demonstrate that they have created a sound that is both consonant with the music of fellow New York rockers The Strokes and also distinctly different. Although the guitar-laden hooks on "Revenge Wears No Wristwatch" and lead singer Hamilton Leithauser's scratchy vocals may sound like that other New York band, The Walkmen's richly textured, piano-driven melodies quickly dismiss such comparisons.
(03/07/02 5:00am)
Lyrically, Alanis Morissette's Under Rug Swept finds the singer-songwriter still sorting through the emotional debris of past relationships. However, this time around, she seems more emotionally hurt than angered by those situations and reveals this effect less explicitly, relying on the subtle nuances in her voice and lyrics, which are accompanied by appropriate, affecting music. For instance, on tracks like "Flinch" and "That Particular Time," Morissette exposes the torturous nature of previous relationships through haunting, simple guitar- and piano-driven melodies accompanied by vague confessional lyrics. Even on the album's first single, "Hands Clean," Morrisette's bitter anger has been tempered to affected sarcasm, allowing the track to feature a more poignant reaction than previous efforts displayed. Moreover, she has transferred the defiant energy, which once characterized "You Oughtta Know," to emboldened, positive tracks like the opening salvo, "21 Things I Want in a Lover," and the brilliantly crafted "A Man" on which she seizes control of those who have betrayed her, creating their apology and confession.
(11/02/01 5:00am)
With Morning View, Incubus is trying to recapture the success of its previous album, Make Yourself--success that earned them enough clout to retreat to a house in Malibu overlooking the ocean for the purpose of recording the follow-up effort. However, the band's seaside location seems to have had a mixed effect. Morning View's first single, "Wish You Were Here," finds them imbued with the peace and beauty of the ocean and beach both musically and lyrically. This song's sweeping melody also suggests that Incubus is moving in a more melodic direction, distancing itself from hard-rock peers such as Korn and Limp Bizkit.
