Cubicle Tunes - Week of November 26, 2007

Finally, some newer releases worthy of note. The last couple of weeks have been pretty sparse.

1. Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire (2007)

I know that Angels & Airwaves should be everything I'm against, but they're not. In fact, I am an unjustifiably huge fan of this band. I hated Blink 182 and The Offspring, of which former members comprise half of A&A. I hate songs with a positive message. I hate jangly guitars. And yet, I listen. Highlights include "Lifeline" and "True Love".

2. Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills (2007)

Another iTunes chance-upon that paid off. Think The Cure's "The Head on the Door" recorded in 2007, and there you have it. I was all happy about the great lyric in "You Are Dreaming" where he sings "If you think that I'm still thinking of you, you're dreaming" until I listened further and determined it's more of a defiant denial than a declaration of independence. Farmer Ted said it best when he said "Do you know how many times a week I go without lunch because some bitch borrows my lunch money? Y'know, any halfway decent girl can rob me blind, because I'm too torqued up to say no." Yeah, something like that.

3. One Republic - Dreaming Out Loud (2007)

This one is actually on life support. I heard just enough the first time through to grant it clemency for another listen, but it's fading fast. I was drawn in by the Imogen Heap-esque intro to the opening track "Say Anything (All I Need)", but the rest fails to live up. At least the band's own version of "Apologize" is tolerable, unlike the Timbaland version. How do you seal the fate of a marginal-at-best pop song? Let a hip-hop artist remix it!

4. October Project - October Project (1993)

This album is simply ethereal. The synth-folk arrangements are lush and epic, and the vocals of Mary Gauthier are angelic. If this album was wine, it would be a pinot grigio - light, semi-sweet, and intoxicating.

5. 10,000 Maniacs - Our Time In Eden (1992)

The tracks "Eden" and "Jezebel" are two of the greatest pop songs I've heard. This album was their peak - a bold statement considering the greatness of 1987's "In My Tribe". I liked Natalie Merchant's solo work once she left the band, but I would have much prefered 3 more 10,000 Maniacs albums with her instead of the albums they made without her. They were a legitimately talented band, as chronicled on the MTV Unplugged live album from 1993.

I'm out-
KWass