Christmas is here folks, and I find myself with a little extra time on my hands, so, without further ado (adiu?...adoo?), here's the Sneaky Cheetah's Best of 2004 Music Post!
WARNING: I can only review albums I've purchased or was given, so in 2004 that comes to 19. Not exactly a sweeping sample of the music industry, but more then most people buy!
2004 was the year of The Greatest Hits Album. Or, as they shall be known forever more as, GRITS (GReatest hITS....get it?!?). All my favorite bands of the 90's are now over 10 years old and their contracts are running out, so out come the GRITS! I picked up GRITS from Pearl Jam, Live, 311, Everclear and Hootie & the Blowfish. But I'm most proud of my Def Leppard Best Of, released only in England and Japan, which I managed to get my meaty paws on. I've still gotta pick up GRITS from Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Korn, Creed and Sheryl Crow. These shall not be graded (unless you beg me to) because then I would be judging an artists whole body of work, not just this years.
So.....on to the NEW ALBUMS OF 2004!!!! or...the top ten non-grits albums of 2004 that I bought (I only got 10!)
10. Scissor Sisters - C- - Really only one great song (Take Your Mama Out) and an ...interesting cover of Comfortably Numb. The rest is gay dance/rock poo.
9. LIT - C - Uninspired work here from one of my favorites. As much as I want to, I just can't get into it. Nothing memorable, no hit singles, these songs would be waaaay in the back end of their previous two albums. NOTE: Allmusic.com rates this album at 4.5 stars (Lit's best) and 1999's A Place in the Sun and 2001's Atomic at 2 and 3 stars, respectively. Whose sausage are they smoking?!?!?
8. Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin - C+ - Doesn't sound as fresh as her debut album. She's working with new producers and they're not clicking to strongly. It's repetitive and boring at times. Does have a few hits on it (Don't Tell Me, My Happy Ending, Nobody's Home), hence the "+".
7. Velvet Revolver - Contraband - B- - When most of Guns 'N' Roses (Slash, Duff and Matt) decided to get Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland as their singer in this band (along with some other dude on rhythm guitar, (couldn't they convince Izzy?)), I shit. I kid you not, I literally took a shit. Then I listened and it made me want to shit again. Nothing here is as good as any G 'N' R or STP, but Fall to Pieces comes really close. other highlights are Slither and Set me Free. It rocks alright, but you won't remember anything else here.
6. Jimmy Eat World - Futures - B- - See my full review here.
5. U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - B+ - See my full review here.
4. Collective Soul - Youth - A- - See my full review here.
3. Breaking Benjamin - We Are Not Alone - A - Hands down the best band to emerge in the last few years. They broke in a big way with 2002's Saturate, probably that year's best album (in the humble opinion of the SC!). We Are Not Alone picks up right where they left off. This album rocks hard. They combine great riffs with heavy energy, but their strength is in the chorus. Songwriter, Singer and Guitarist Ben Burnly writes incredible choruses. They are Huge! and Memorable! and he sings them with a kinda funny enunciation, which makes them even catchier! So Cold is their best song to date. Other highlights are Firefly and Forget It (both co-written with Billy Corgan, another Sneaky Cheetah Fave!) and Follow. But the album is great from start to finish.
2. Green Day - American Idiot - A+ - See my full review here.
1. Cheetah Sneaks - This is Where We Get Off - A+ - Ok. So call me bias. I still think this is the greatest music put out this year. From the driving rock of Girl Next Door to the alt-country of For You. The majestic riffage of Illumination to the unclassifiable fun of Honeydew. Plus a cover of Suspicious Minds!?!? C'mon! This album will knock your socks off. Ask anyone who's heard it. I listen to it more then anything else I own. If you want a copy, just ask ol' Uncle Cheetah. He'll hook you up. Maybe one day I'll write the story of this album, but that day shall not be today. (Look how long this post is already!)
Well, there it is folks. Let me know what you think and if you have any other good albums. Or GRITS! Stay tuned for the best films of '04, coming soon to a Sneaky Cheetah blog near you!
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Let it Snow! Let it Sn...DAMN IT"S COLD!!!!
Had our first snow of the year here. It only snowed for about half an hour and the hurricane force winds didn't leave anything on the ground for more than an hour, but it was snow. I drove through it to work, listening to Live's greatest hits and it was magical! The next morning I awoke at 4:20 am to go to work and discovered it was 9 freakin' degrees! NINE! But that monsoon-like wind gave us a wind-chill of -10!!!! That's cold as balls! I haven't experienced snow/cold since my honeymoon in Denver in 2001. I like it though. It's a new experience. And a positive one.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Music Review - JIMMY EAT WORLD - Futures
When Jimmy Eat World burst onto the popular music scene, I was instantly attracted to their sound. It was 2001, and the "emo" wave was beginning to get some big hits. Weezer had just returned from a long hiatus with The Green Album, and melodic punk/pop was making a comeback. Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American (the name Bleed American was rightfully removed 2 months after the albums release after the events of September 11th, and now the album is simply known as "Jimmy Eat World") ruled the radio in the fall of 2001 with the "on every radio station" "the Middle", "Bleed American", "A Praise Chorus", and the incredible bombastic "Sweetness." But really, every song on the album is a hit. The first 7 songs are all strong and could have been singles.
This is what they had to live up to with the release of Futures. The elements that ruled their last album are still here, but they don't exactly ring out as strong. The songs are melodic, driving rhythms, big choruses, but besides the opening track "Futures" and the first single "Pain," nothing stands out. The really memorable riffs are absent (except on Futures which contains the best guitar riff Jimmy Eat World has ever written!). The lyrics are not as catchy. It's definantly a step back, but to be fair, they couldn't top Bleed American. It's a good enough album, but it doesn't break any new ground
The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: B-
This is what they had to live up to with the release of Futures. The elements that ruled their last album are still here, but they don't exactly ring out as strong. The songs are melodic, driving rhythms, big choruses, but besides the opening track "Futures" and the first single "Pain," nothing stands out. The really memorable riffs are absent (except on Futures which contains the best guitar riff Jimmy Eat World has ever written!). The lyrics are not as catchy. It's definantly a step back, but to be fair, they couldn't top Bleed American. It's a good enough album, but it doesn't break any new ground
The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: B-
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Music Review - U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Ok, It's time for everyone around the world to admit U2 to the greatest bands of all-time club. They are now worthy to be mentioned alongside the other greats, as equals. Who else has sustained a 24 year career, and are still putting out #1 records and are criticlly beloved. The Stones still record new albums, but they are generally regarded as garbage. As are the latest from Aerosmith, KISS, Van Halen, Bon Jovi and Metallica (and I'm probably the only guy who loves Def Leppards newer albums!). U2 can undisputedly claim the title as "Greatest Band in All the Land!"
Bono, The Edge, and "the other two guys in U2" (also known as Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.) decided to leave the electronic pop of their 90's albums with 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind, which ended up being way too Adult Contemporary. So the Edge lobbied to bring back his great rock, delay-soaked riffs (a la` 1991's Achtung Baby). The results are immediate and stunning. The first single which has already taken over radio stations and commercils, "Vertigo," is the best U2 rocker since "Until the End of the World." I was so pumped that the rest of the album would rock like this! Unfortunantly, it doesn't. Nearly all of the other songs start with a slow delayed guitar riff. Some build into psuedo-rock songs, some delve more into 70's style R&B, but not many are instantly memorble. Bono's voice is much stronger then it's been in years, and the Edge plays thinks that other guitarist would never dream of, but it's all standard U2. But hey, Standard U2 is not something we've heard since the early 90's. The memorable songs here are track 3 "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" and what I think should be the next single, track 5 "City of Blinding Lights."
There are really good songs here, but not great songs. This album is not destined to join The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby as a U2 masterpiece. But it's right under it with War , Rattle & Hum, and All That You Can't Leave Behind. It took me a few listen's to really "get" this album, but now that I have, it's a standard in my car for those long rides to work.
The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: B+
Bono, The Edge, and "the other two guys in U2" (also known as Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.) decided to leave the electronic pop of their 90's albums with 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind, which ended up being way too Adult Contemporary. So the Edge lobbied to bring back his great rock, delay-soaked riffs (a la` 1991's Achtung Baby). The results are immediate and stunning. The first single which has already taken over radio stations and commercils, "Vertigo," is the best U2 rocker since "Until the End of the World." I was so pumped that the rest of the album would rock like this! Unfortunantly, it doesn't. Nearly all of the other songs start with a slow delayed guitar riff. Some build into psuedo-rock songs, some delve more into 70's style R&B, but not many are instantly memorble. Bono's voice is much stronger then it's been in years, and the Edge plays thinks that other guitarist would never dream of, but it's all standard U2. But hey, Standard U2 is not something we've heard since the early 90's. The memorable songs here are track 3 "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" and what I think should be the next single, track 5 "City of Blinding Lights."
There are really good songs here, but not great songs. This album is not destined to join The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby as a U2 masterpiece. But it's right under it with War , Rattle & Hum, and All That You Can't Leave Behind. It took me a few listen's to really "get" this album, but now that I have, it's a standard in my car for those long rides to work.
The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: B+
Monday, December 06, 2004
DVD Review - HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
I'm not gonna bother going into the plot on this one. Either you love Harry Potter and have read all the books (as I have) or you just think it's an ok kids movie. Either way, a plot description from me would be pointless. If you haven't read it, I won't spoil any plot elements for you. I will tell you that this is by far the best of the 3 Potter films. This movie is incredible.
The first thing you'll notice is that the cast has hit a growth spurt. Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint (as Harry, Hermoine, and Ron) are all teenagers now, which makes them much more interesting on screen and much better actors. There's actual acting here, not just kids running through their lines. The script is also better this time around. Writer J.K. Rowling was really discovering her characters in the first two films, but in Prisoner, she hits her stride as a really great writer. There are plenty of plot twists and lots of little idiosychratic things that help round out the characters.
But the real success of this movie lies in director Alphonso Cuaron. I haven't seen anything else he's directed, but I'm now a fan. He's darkened the film without making it dreary. This movie is much more grounded in reality, without as much of the bright, obvious magical bombast of HP 1 & 2 (directed by Chris Columbus). Cuaron also uses solid film techniques such as wipes and fades to convey the passage of time. Each Harry Potter movie covers 1 school year, and a major complaint I had with the Columbus films was that he didn't make this clear. Cuaron uses a shot of the Whomping Willow in autumn, winter, and spring to show the change in seasons. He's really added a savvy artistic non-Hollywood aspect to Harry Potter, which is exactly what the series needed.
Another change is with the passing of Richard Harris, a new Dumbledore was needed. Michael Gambon stepped in and was perfect. He was different then Harris' interpretation, less intimidating and more human, and in my opinion better. Other great british actors are following Alan Rickman's (Professor Snape) lead and jumping on Harry Potter. We're also treated to the incredible Gary Oldman as the mysterious Sirrius Black, David Thewlis as the heroic Professor Lupin and Emma Thompson as the wacky Professor Trelawney.
I could go on forever about this movie, but I'm running out of time. This movie will be remembered fondly forever by the young generation of today, just as the Goonies and Back to the Future are by my generation. One of the best of the year, and should, in my opinion, get a best director nod for Cuaron.
The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: A+
The first thing you'll notice is that the cast has hit a growth spurt. Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint (as Harry, Hermoine, and Ron) are all teenagers now, which makes them much more interesting on screen and much better actors. There's actual acting here, not just kids running through their lines. The script is also better this time around. Writer J.K. Rowling was really discovering her characters in the first two films, but in Prisoner, she hits her stride as a really great writer. There are plenty of plot twists and lots of little idiosychratic things that help round out the characters.
But the real success of this movie lies in director Alphonso Cuaron. I haven't seen anything else he's directed, but I'm now a fan. He's darkened the film without making it dreary. This movie is much more grounded in reality, without as much of the bright, obvious magical bombast of HP 1 & 2 (directed by Chris Columbus). Cuaron also uses solid film techniques such as wipes and fades to convey the passage of time. Each Harry Potter movie covers 1 school year, and a major complaint I had with the Columbus films was that he didn't make this clear. Cuaron uses a shot of the Whomping Willow in autumn, winter, and spring to show the change in seasons. He's really added a savvy artistic non-Hollywood aspect to Harry Potter, which is exactly what the series needed.
Another change is with the passing of Richard Harris, a new Dumbledore was needed. Michael Gambon stepped in and was perfect. He was different then Harris' interpretation, less intimidating and more human, and in my opinion better. Other great british actors are following Alan Rickman's (Professor Snape) lead and jumping on Harry Potter. We're also treated to the incredible Gary Oldman as the mysterious Sirrius Black, David Thewlis as the heroic Professor Lupin and Emma Thompson as the wacky Professor Trelawney.
I could go on forever about this movie, but I'm running out of time. This movie will be remembered fondly forever by the young generation of today, just as the Goonies and Back to the Future are by my generation. One of the best of the year, and should, in my opinion, get a best director nod for Cuaron.
The Sneaky Cheetah's Grade: A+
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