New Feature Peeps! I thought it would be cool to do a weekly (or more, depending on how it works out) music column. I’d go though the new album and singles released on Tuesday and blog on a few that I like. I want to hear what you guys think–not only on the music I’m listening to, but the music YOU’VE been listening to lately. Feel free to post links to music and videos so we have an idea what you’re talking about. The only restriction–this will be an Idol free zone. Let’s go!
My picks this week reveals 1) That I’m an Old Fart and 2) That I love me some Brit Pop!
Break Up the Concrete, The Pretenders – If you are an old-school Pretenders fan like I am, you’re definitely going to want this new disc in your collection. Chrissie Hynde’s vocals are as sultry and fierce as ever, and her latest incarnation of the band features a cool mix of rootsy blues, rockabilly, Bo Diddly rhythms, and countrified rock. Lyrically, Chrissie continues to walk that familiar line between tough and tender in odes to love, loves lost, and her hometown of Akron, OH. My favorites: The uptempo rocker, “Boots of Chinese Plastic”, the Bo Diddly-influenced “Break Up The Concrete” and the moody “Almost Perfect”. Get the album: Amazon, MP3, 
Dig Out Your Soul, Oasis – I love me some Brit Pop, oh yes I do. That’s why I was looking forward to the band’s latest. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a disappointment. The best Oasis song’s are their big melodic anthems, like “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova”, which are Beatlesque without being wholly derivative. Dig Out Your Soul begins well enough. “The Turning” starts off sounding like a total rip-off of the Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows”, but when the rest of the instrumentation kicks in, I forget all about that. Also good-the dense, melodic single “The Shock of Lightening”. The first 4 songs are decent, but after that, the album devolves into a dull, derivative, pseudo-psychedelic mess. Download the first four songs, or check out earlier albums, What’s the Story Morning Glory and Be Here Now. Get the Album: Amazon, 
Recorded at Shea Stadium in late 1982 on the heels of their most successfully commercial album Combat Rock, this disc serves as further proof that the Clash were one of the best live bands of their era. One of my youthful regrets is that I never got around to seeing the Clash in concert. This album was their last hurrah, as the band would soon disinigrate, but the band is still all passion and high energy. The late Joe Strummer weaves political messages into his introductions in between performances of classic songs like “London’s Calling”, “Clampdown”, “Spanish Bombs” and “Career Opporunities”. As a side note, the band was opening that night for the Who. Definitely a wish-I-coulda-been-there scenario. Get the Album: Amazon, 
A couple of singles. Kill me now, but I like the Killer’s new super-synthy single “Human”. That Brandon Flowers. What a kook! Also, The Snow Patrol (“Chasing Cars”) just released a new single, “Take Back the City” ahead of their upcoming album A Hundred Million Suns.
Check out some videos, after the Jump…
Oasis – The Shock of Lightening
Oasis – Some Might Say – This is one of my favorites
The Pretenders – Boots of Chinese Plastic
The Clash – The Clampdown – From their classic album, London’s Calling – 1979
