Mastodon - Crack the Skye

Early Mastodon albums gave listeners the sense that this band would do great things. Crack The Skye is the album where Mastodon trade potential for results. Mastodon has always been an ambitious band, but this album shows that they may also be the most important band in modern American Heavy Metal.  Uniquely weird and intelligent there is a cohesiveness and depth found on this album that is lacking in modern metal.  The songs don’t just build on top of each other as the album plays; they also build upon the bands previous albums as well. Don’t believe me, place Crack the Skye on shuffle with other Mastodon albums and hear for yourself. What these guys have done is amazing and ambitious.

This album, like its predecessor Blood Mountain, is more tuneful and less about showing off guitar riffs. The drums are much more subtle than in the past, and the guitarists seem to have developed a better sense of how to wrap there frantic fretwork around Brann Dailors polyrhythmic ode to Genesis style instead of letting it take the lead.   The band has been drifting away from deep growl vocals over the last couple of albums, and that continues to be the case here. While the growl has not disappeared altogether, when it is used it works brilliantly, adding to the album’s emotional depth. The lighter vocals do not appear to be as processed as they were on Blood Mountain, instead Troy or Brent (not sure which) has developed a more classic rock style, similar in sound and range to Chris Cornell or Ozzy Osbourne, but maintaining a uniqueness that fits the albums mesmerizing tones.

This may very well be the best metal album since Vulgar Display of Power. I am very picky when it comes to metal, and the thing I love about Mastodon is that they go against the flow of modern metal, and they take there influences from multiple genres. They aren’t trying to be the most extreme brutal band out there; they just seem focused on making good music. Very few bands keep their day jobs after their first world tour, I think the fact these guys are still installing roofs in there downtime speaks volumes about the handiwork they put in their music. 

an open letter to the us auto industry

Dear GM and Ford,

Remember when you cut back your American workforce, and lowered salaries domestically so that you could make more profits? Remember all those profits you were making as you sent jobs overseas because they had cheaper labor? All the while your executives were making more and more money. Well it looks like it finally bit you in the ass. Sucks to be you, maybe if you gave some Americans jobs they would be able to buy your fucking cars. Maybe if you gave to shits about the enviroment the people left that can afford cars would buy yours and not Kias, Prius and SmartCars.

Just saying dudes You fucked yourselves

R.I.P CD World and Meridian Room

Yesterday was a sad day as both Meridian Room and CD World closed there doors for the last time.

 

The first time I made a purchase from CD World, they didn't even own a shop. My mother and I were at the intersection of Park and Greenville on the way home from a doctor’s appointment and there was a dude standing in the street with a Mariah Carey CD in one hand and I believe a Butthole Surfers album in the other. We purchased both, Mariah for my sister, and the Butthole Surfers/Sepultura/Ministry or whatever it was <> for me.

When I worked in the Ticketmaster call center in the late 90's I would get off work everyday and walk over to CD World and spend hours just looking through the CDs and stuff, most of my paycheck went to that store and I never regretted it. People can talk about CD Source all they want, but the environment has never been the same, and the people working there seem to only have a superficial knowledge of music. I guess from now on when I am shopping for music that we don't carry at my work I will have to make a visit to Good Records.

Meridian also holds a special place in my heart, from  watching Jason make a fool of himself there on numerous occasions, our annual Thanksgiving trips there with Adrienne,  the girls I met there and subsequently dated, delicious food, naked men dancing and singing on bars, it was almost always fun. I am sad it is closing, but I have to take some of the blame, due to the DART construction and inadequate parking I had stopped going there, evidently so had everyone else. Hopefully someone will reopen it and keep the same vibe that Meridian had, or maybe even improve on it. However knowing this city they will put in a Potbellies or a Chili’s and totally ruin Expo Park.

I forgot the time that Me and a certain lady were making out in the kitchen after close, and she heard the busboy coming with the dishes so she shoved me in the employee bathroom and told me she would be right back. 5 minutes later the bathroom door opens up and the busboy almost had a heart attack when he saw me standing in there, in the dark.

fun times indeed

Save the House Where Superman was Born

For years I have heard of people, customers usually sometimes a blogger, talk about how when they went on a trip to Cleveland they decided to stop and look at the house where Jerry Siegel created Superman. It is not a historical site, or a museum, but the couple who live there from all accounts are happy to let strangers stop by and look at the place, and sit in the room where 2 men created something that, whether you want to admit it or not, gave so many of us something to aspire to as children. Some of us never stopped using it as inspiration. I know it is cool to hate Superman, he isn't dark or gritty and he does the right thing, but no matter what comic book characters you looked up to as a child, this is an important historical place worth preserving.

I know if I ever find myself anywhere near Cleveland I would like to stop by and visit this house, and it sure would be nice to say "I helped Save this Place"

I spent entirely to much money on comics and cds today

I bought the new Sigur Ros, not sure why though since I have had no desire to listen to it. Still I am sure there will be a boring day where it will come in handy.
I also dropped a good $60 bucks at the LCS today, and got that nifty 3-D Grant Morrison Superman book.
However the highlight of my day was finally reading Suburban Glamour which was a much better book set of books than I expected. Due to my love of Phonogram, I had rather high hopes, but it met and shattered those hopes. Screw Brian Bendis, this is hopw kids talk today.

Watching the Democratic National Convention With Gunter

Things Gunter said During Hilary Clinton's Speech

"Repeal the 13th amendment"

"Look at that bulbous nose"

"Boo Women"


"Bill Clinton looks like he crawled in a Bottle of Scotch for the last 8 years"

"Boo First Lady! I hate you Dolly Madison."

"When did this become our values? We had Slaves a 100 years ago!"

"yay pirates"

"if there is anything Womens basketball has taught us it is that women are not equal to men."

Upon Hillary Clinton mentioning that today was the 78th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment "Damn You 78 years ago"

"I thought she was going to say God Save The Queen. how Awesome would that have been?"

"What is she defending me from? She said defending the working class. FROM What, pirates? Ninjas?"

"Are They praying? Who are they praying to Hindu 8 arm flowey things"

" She's laughing, don't hide, I saw you Mrs Biden. Don't laugh at god"

"Disco Inferno, are you fucking kidding me"

"Jews on the democratic side, you cant go wrong with that. Smoking Jews too."

Upon realizing that Governor Bill Richardson has the worst facial hair ever
"Who the fuck told this guy that it would be a good idea to grow that facial hair
I cant wait for the day he grows the full mustache and gets a sombrero"

"Alright I'd hit it with Hillary Clinton, I mean Chelsea Clinton, well I'd hit it with Hillary too. Can you imagine the roast beef down there, I bet its more like pressed ham"

while the news anchor pundit types rambled after the speech

"i think that it would be fun if the denver nuggets came out and played during this"

"could you picture that, some player comes out and dunks and the avalanches goalie pulls out the hockey net"

When Brokaw asked what was going to be done with seniors like him as they reach retirement
"Labor camps Brokaw."
"Reeducation camps, they worked for Stalin"

great american cuban

I just ate Great American Heroes attempt at a Cuban.
it was a delicious sammich
unfortunately it was not a Cuban.
it didn't have pulled pork,peppers or olives.
still it was delicious.