10.24.06 New Releases

My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade My Chemical Romance's first album had signs of greatness, like long sprawling songs about vampires that were passive aggressive and weaved in and out of time signatures. Their second album saw them abandon that style altogether and just embrace mainstream. My Chemical Romance returns with their third album. The Black Parade maybe the most glitsy death themed album ever. With utilization of horns and tinges of glam rock, it's like a party at a funeral home. It combines the pop sensibility of their second album with the utilization of time signature changes of their first. Although the themes of the album can seem a little heavy handed at times and too forced, the album is highly listenable. Rating: 6.9/10 MP3: My Chemical Romance "Mama" Bright Eyes: Noise Floor (Rarities 1998-2005) The face of Saddle Creek Records releases this compilation of unreleased material and rarities. The first track on the album is 3 minutes, the first two minutes are white noise, the last minute is Conor singing over white noise. Maybe that's the perfect way to open the album. Sometime songs are unreleased for good reason. But Bob Dylan could release basement tapes, so why can't Omaha's version of Dylan release his "Basement Tapes"? He could but while everyone at one point in time has compared Bright Eyes to Dylan no one has ever said he was Dylan. This album is definitely NOT "Basement Tapes" but it might be a must have for any huge Bright Eyes fans, I just must not be a huge fan. Rating: 3.1/10 MP3: Bright Eyes "I Will Be Greatful For This Day" Jibbs: Jibbs Featuring... Former championship boxer and St. Louis native Jibbs releases his debut album hot on the heel of his break out single "Chain Hang Low". The arch way of St Louis is considered the gateway to the South. That might be why Jibbs debut is tinged with both dirty South style as well as other influences. His style combines the wittiness seen in Jeezy's flow as well as some of the melodicness of fellow St. Louis rapper Nelly. Though at some points in time his beats sound too traditionally Southern, his flow often times makes up for the lack of originality in production. Sometime in the future when he gets a chance to work with Just Blaze or Kanye this kid is gonna be fire. Rating: 6.7/10 MP3: Jibbs "Chain Hang Low" Original Soundtrack: Nightmare Before Christmas (Special Edition) It halloween time and it's time for people to cash in. For a long time now Hot Topic has sold Nightmare Before Christmas gear to pubescent cutters. Now, they get pubescent cutters' favorite bands to cover songs from their favorite movie. Oh happy day. This special edition includes the original soundtrack as well as a bonus CD of the covers. This review is purely for the new CD. The original CD is good, Danny Elfman traditionally does awesome jobs on soundtracks and this was no different. However the appauling part of this is listening To Marilyn Manson and Panic! at the Disco cover Elfman's work. Even a respected artist like Fiona Apple seems to mail in her performance of "Sally's Song". On this CD it's harder to argue what's the worst song rather than the best. The most listenable song on the CD is Fallout Boy's cover of "What's This", just keep that in mind. Rating: 1/10 MP3: Fiona Apple "Sally's Song" John Legend: Once Again Part of the grammy family, Kanye West's protege John Legend puts out Once Again. I often think of John Legend as a crooner like Jamie Foxx, but the truth John Legend is much closer to being this generations Stevie Wonder. His music is funky and soulful. It doesn't have a whole lot of modern R&B influence, it's very Motown. However when he leans too much on his piano he sounds a little too much like a guy you would hear in a hotel lounge playing easy listening dinner music. He needs just a little most funk and he could be dynamite. Rating: 5.1/10 MP3: John Legend "Save Room" The Walkmen: Pussy Cats The Walkmen take on a song-by-song cover of Harry Nilsson's John Lennon-produced 1974 album of the same name. Musically the album varies from bare piano-vocal tracks to full band renditions. Songs like "Subterranian Homesick Blues" and "All My Life" keep an atmosphere of party-like pathos to the album not to mention the closing track of "Rock Around the Clock". Basically, if you own a dive bar buy this CD and play it constantly to keep the party hopping. Rating: 7.1/10 MP3: The Walkmen "Loop De Loop" Street Dogs: Fading American Dream Former Dropkick Murphys' lead singer, Mike McColgan, is back with his new bands third album. McColgan was always the sociopolitical lyricist. Fading American Dream is no different. It has working class punk written all over it. Although the classic McColgan album will always be the Murphys' Do or Die, you can see grasps of it in songs like "Not Without a Purpose" and "There Is Power in a Union". But without the overtones of being drunken an Irish, the album seems to lack the flair of Do or Die. Rating: 5.5/10 MP3: Street Dogs "There Is Power in a Union"