It's Been One Week - #002

The Starting Line - Direction


Opening Track: Direction [3.75mb]

This is another band that i have liked since the first record that have just put out their third full length. But I wasn't to excited for this record. However, i was pleasantly surprised. I like this much better than their last effort. While there were some songs that i do enjoy, i was never really able to get into "Based On A True Story". Maybe i was swayed by some popular opinion on the internet or maybe i loved "Say It Like You Mean it" too much. But as Kenny Vasoli sings on the new record "If S-I-L-Y-M-I is all you want/Then I'm not sure how much in common we've got"

While this is a bold claim to all the old fans, there is a deep focus through out the lyrics about Vasoli's musical self. He seems to be reflecting a lot that. Which gets a little old after a while when you are looking into it. To me, it comes of as slightly egocentric but i know it is just him refecting on the last six years of his life. However, these lyrical bumps are paired with great music, so all can be forgiven as long as i don't pay attention too closely in certain parts.

Stars - Do You Trust Your Friends?


Opening Track: Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (Final Fanasy) [4.64mb]


I really like stars. I'm really pissed that no stores around me have the new record in stock.

That being said, i can move on to the album i am supposed to be talking about. "Do You Trust Your Friends?" is a special type of album. The members of Stars handed over the songs off their album "Set Yourself On Fire" to a bunch of their musician friends and had them do some remixes on the tracks. If you don't like stars already, there is no real need to get this album and this should in no way be the first one you buy. I don't know, i find the whole thing interesting. Having a whole album of redone songs is a really neat concept, but when you listen to all 14 tracks ("What I Am Trying To Say" was broken up into two separate songs) in a row, it doesn't work as well as the original. But in moderation, they can shine like they were meant to. So when they come up on my shuffle, i don't think i'll be switching to the next track...unless two magically show up back to back.

Jaymay at Rockwood

Show Recommendation: Jaymay. October 4th. 7pm
Rockwood Music Hall. Free (plus one drink min & tip jar)



i saw jaymay back in december of last year at a kevin devine show & enjoyed her quite a bit. so like all acts i hear and enjoy, i added her to my myspace. but i really didn't think too much about her for a long while. a couple of times when i have seen kevin recently he has mentioned her, but to my knowledge she was residing in england.

however, after reading about her playing a show tonight in amNY and then seeing a bulletin about a canceled show, i checked her myspace...thankfully i saw that she is playing one of my favorite venues. there are many top notch venues in the lower east side, but for me rockwood shines bright. it is just an amazing tiny little hole in the wall establishment with what i like to call a fishbowl type layout (the entire club is viewable from the outside so those who passby can see all the happening)

i'm pretty sure that i'll be there. there are two other shows that are going on that night (brandi carlile & missy higgins) but with the lack of cover charge i don't think i can pass this one up.

YouTubeWed -- #001

(i wanted to make it YouTubeTuesdays, but tuesdays are when new releases come out and that might be too much on one day. then i was thinking about thursdays, but i don't like how that YouTubeThursdays sounds. So wednesday won because i needed a day.)

Brandi Carlile - The Story (live on conan)


I love this song for many reasons but the main one is when her voice sounds horse and crackly. And apparently when it happens live, i love it even more. It isn't perfect but i think that adds to the song. She has an amazing voice so she could have worked it to sound flawless. However, the rawness of those moments adds another dimension to the song and the feelings behind it. The record this comes off of is great as well, it upstaged her first record by miles.

She is playing two dates in new york on the VH1's 'You Oughta Know' tour with A Fine Frenzy on Oct 3rd & 4th at Irving Plaza. I'm not going to either, which i know i am going to be sad about on Oct 5th.

In The Bedroom After The War

The new album by Stars comes out today!!



I haven't heard the whole thing yet (only little bits on my birthday at matchless) but what i did hear sounded amazing. i can't wait to pick it up and see them on October 18th at Town Hall (hopefully with Brian Bonz in tow).


Also they have a dvd coming out today as well. i don't know the availability of that but if you see it in stores, you should buy it and tell me if you see me in it or for that matter Tina & Oscar (Reasons one two and three)

It's Been One Week - #001

(what i have decided is that one week after i get an album, i'm going to talk about it to the best of my ability. this will hopefully be informative, but more so encourage me to not slack in listening to the new albums that i buy)

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

Give It A Chance: The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1 [1.84mb]

I am very late on the NMH bandwagon and that makes me sad. Like many of their newest fans, I heard about them through some recent covers that were done (ex: Holland 1945 by Kevin Devine and various done by Jesse Lacey). I love covers because it tends to expose me to bands that i don't know too much about. I gave Elliot Smith a try a couple months ago (also due to massive coverage once again by Kevin). While i enjoyed the songs, couldn't get into in his voice. So when i loved the covers done by NMH i wasn't in too much of a hurry to buy the album. However, hearing it on a splendid trip to Philadelphia, Mangum's voice didn't turn me off. So two days later, i swung on over to best buy and made one of the best cd purchases of my life. It was what i listened to on the ride home and basically every other time i listened to music since then. I feel like this record created a defining moment in my musical history. Which is odd because, lyrically i don't really get the record (i had a feeling it was about the holocaust and i read things later that said the same). It isn't what i am used to when it comes to songs and i think the fact that i love it so much and can't relate to it, makes me happy. I can't explain it more than that...which isn't fair, because that doesn't really explain anything.

New Found Glory - From The Screen To Your Stereo Part II


Give It A Chance: Kiss Me (Sixpence None the Richer cover) [2.68mb]

Like I said - I like covers. And being a fan of covers, i really couldn't not enjoy this record. I don't have any of their albums after "Sticks and Stones" but i knew this was one that i had to pick up. The most noticeable aspect for me is Jordan Pundik's voice. I heard that on their last album "Coming Home," it wasn't the same nasally voice. And they were right, it isn't the same. Originally, when i heard that, i was slightly worried. I think that every band has some type of signature thing, or a shtick. His voice was theirs. When you heard Pundik sing, you knew it was him. But when i listened to his voice come in on the first track, it wasn't the same, but it was still good...really good actually. It isn't as detrimental as i thought it was going to be. So other than his voice, the songs are all executed really strongly. There are many guests that pop into the songs, but they don't sound out of place or distract you from the songs. My personal highlight in the cameo department was Lisa Loeb's presence on "Stay (I Missed You)." The first installment of "From The Screen..." was a really spectacular selection of songs and bringing a full arsenal this time around really made this one hard to not enjoy.

Motion City Soundtrack - Even If It Kills Me


Give It A Chance: Fell In Love Without You [2.43mb]

Alright, i'm not going to talk about cover songs here (even though i heard they did a live cover once of a Tegan and Sara song which is pretty neat). I am not sure how i feel about this album. The first record, i liked a lot. I remember an interview with Justin Pierre about the album and he mentioned how none of the songs were about relationships besides maybe one. The next record wasn't heavily romance heavy. However this one is seeping in songs about romance, failed or otherwise. That isn't a bad thing, just isn't what made me love this band. With songs like "The Conversation" and "Last Night", you wouldn't think that this band had anything to do with songs like "Capital H" and "Don't Call It A Comeback." Again, this isn't a bad thing at all, but it isn't exactly what i have come to expect from them. I guess that is what happens when you mature as a band and as people. That being said it is a good album, plus you can't write songs about being footloose in velcro shoes for the rest of your life. I have seen this band in front of 20 people on a community college field and also in front of a sold out crowd at Roseland...and as long as they still perform like they did then, i don't think they will have any problem convincing crowds to come and enjoy.

Welcome home!

Welcome to my blog, Jukebox Jester. It is what i hope will become a successful resource for musical thoughts and reviews. What you can plan to find here is my thoughts of albums i buy and shows that i go to. More often than not, there will be videos and/or pictures from the shows that i go to, because i like to archive the good times.

Also bi-monthly i plan to spotlight artists or cds that i think should be given notice.

Other special themes might pop up, but i don't have any idea what those things might be yet. When i think of some cool things, i'll start doing them.