Upcoming Releases! August 2009

Just to keep you all in the loop, here's a list of what we'll be watching come "new music Tuesday" August 11th, 2009. Also, a few highlights from later in the month/year to write down on your calendars.

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11 AUG 2009

Behemoth - Evangelion

Cobra Starship - Hot Mess

The Roots - How I Got Over

Thrice - Beggars (iTunes only)

18 AUG 2009

Cascada - Evacuate the Dancefloor

Mute Math - Armistice

Lil Wayne - Rebirth

25 AUG 2009

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Colbie Caillat - Breakthrough

Imogen Heap - Ellipse

Matisyahu - Light

Willie Nelson - American Classic

31 AUG 2009

Jay Z - The Blueprint 3

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Stay tuned. This list will update regularly as readers write in to remind us of albums that we surely forgot to add. Speaking of which... if you know something that's awesome and needs to be on the list so that everyone else can enjoy it just as much as you do, drop us a line so we can update the list!

-D

COBRA STARSHIP's "Hot Mess" is Infectious

Album Deets:

"Hot Mess" available on 11 AUG 2009.

1. Nice Guys Finish Last

2. Pete Wentz is the Only Reason We're Famous

3. Good Girls Go Bad (ft. Leighton Meester)

4. Fold Your Hands Child

5. You're Not In On the Joke

6. Hot Mess

7. Living in the Sky With Diamonds

8. Wet Hot American Summer

9. The Scene is Dead; Long Live the Scene

10. Move Like You Gonna Die Soon

11. The World Will Never Do

12. I May Be Rude But I'm the Truth

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Cobra Starship is well known for catchy songs and humorous lyrics, and Hot Mess certainly continues the trend. The third effort from CS seems at first to be much of the same from Gabe and Co. but upon closer inspection there are some real gems that stand out for various reasons among the other less noteworthy tracks.

The album begins with "Nice Guys Finish Last" which serves as a reminder of what CS is all about... confident sexual posturing with the opposite gender. The musical composition itself is very toe-tappingly catchy and the rhythm definitely gets inside your mind for the day, so be forewarned. Thus begins the venomous infection of Cobra Starship's real genius. These songs will stick with you, and each one with do it for a different reason. Whether it's the sing-along choruses, the high energy beats, or even the sometimes poignant lyrics amidst comedic hyper-masculinity, you will definitely remember Hot Mess.

Songs to pay attention to are: "Good Girls Go Bad," "Fold Your Hands Child," "The World Will Never Do," and the album finisher "I May Be Rude But I'm the Truth" in which CS offers no apology for their antics, no matter what the critics (professional and amateur) may have to say about them.

Final Verdict (0-5.0):

4.25

There are definite highlights and Hot Mess is almost certainly the best Cobra Starship album to date, but there is always room for improvement here.

Judge For Yourself:

You can hear the title track "Hot Mess" right now! Click below.

Hot Mess Stream!

-D

New THRICE Album "Beggars"

Album Deets:

"Beggars" Available on iTunes August 11th, 2009

1. All the Word is Mad

2. The Weight

3. Circles

4. Doublespeak

5. In Exile

6. At the Last

7. Wood & Wire

8. Talking Through Glass

9. The Great Exchange

10. Beggars

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So, the new Thrice album is about to release to the masses for consumption, and already there are varied opinions of it (and the band for that matter). This is the band's first studio album release following the success of the Alchemy Index concept albums, so obviously, speculation must abound.

"Has the band mellowed out?"

"Have they lost their edge?"

"Will they sound like they used to on [insert older album here]?"

Admittedly, I asked myself these same questions, and many more, when I began listening to the album. Being honest, I was a late arrival on the Thrice bandwagon, only becoming a fan after the release of The Artist in the Ambulance so perhaps some of the bands early "intensity" is lost on me, but I was a HUGE fan of The Alchemy Index, so I had high hopes for Beggars.

Immediately apparent is Dustin Kensrue's obvious lyrical passion. "All the World is Mad" definitely sets the tone properly for the whole album, and while it may lack some of the post-hardcore intensity that gathered Thrice some early fans, surely the more matured fans who have grown parallel with Thrice will appreciate the song. In fact, that may be the theme for this album as a whole. If you find that you have followed Thrice from the early days and digested all of their albums equally, Beggars becomes a testimony to the "adult" Thrice that is to come for the next few years at least. Those seeds that were planted with Alchemy have blossomed into vibrant, strong-rooted saplings that will certainly continue to grow.

Highlights are definitely "Doublespeak," "At the Last," "Talking Through Glass," and "Wood and Wire" which all evoke a conglomeration of the elements from Alchemy, almost as if Beggars was intended to be the fifth element in the theme that fuses all four together in one complete composition. Still, Earth rings most true here, so if you enjoyed that effort, definitely check out Beggars. But fear not friends, because Thrice is still Thrice, and this is a great album.

Final Verdict (0 - 5.0):

4.0

A solid album, perhaps not their best, but definitely their most mature.

Judge For Yourself:

As of this posting, the album is streaming on the official Thrice Myspace page: www.myspace.com/thrice

-D