25 Deep Cuts from the Golden Age of Alternative Rock

Earlier this week I posted my list of the 100 Greatest Songs from the Golden Age of Alternative Rock. The mid nineties was a time when the music business was so prosperous that even minimal effort could result in a Gold record. I doubt anyone outside of the Deal family could name a second song by The Breeders yet Last Splash still went platinum. I contributed to many of those RIAA certifications (R.I.P. BMG 10 albums for a penny deals that they kept letting you quit and renew for a new batch of albums).

1. Anna Begins – Counting Crows: Not only one of my favorite deep cuts from the era, but one of my favorite songs ever in the history of the world. “Every time she sneezes I believe it is love” meant everything to me in my youth. Still does.

2. The World Has Turned and Left Me Here – Weezer: The Blue Album had the most songs of any album on my list as every song is great. This is my favorite of the rest, just another great teenage anthem.

3. Where Did You Sleep Last Night – Nirvana: Quite possibly the greatest performance ever to air on MTV Unplugged.

4. Warehouse – Dave Matthew Band: Record companies are usually good at releasing singles, but for some reasons the singles off of Dave Matthews Band albums are never my favorites. Ants Marching may be my fifth favorite song off their major label debut. The best is Warehouse which only get more epic when you hear it live. And thanks for the band’s penchant for releasing live albums, which will be easy to find because even though they always switch up set lists, there is always a good chance that this song will be represented.

5. Bad Habit – The Offspring: The ultimate road rage song. I probably listened to it way too much while learning to drive.

6. Immortality – Pearl Jam: No list is perfect and my own personal eyeballing of mine is there could have been a lot more Pearl Jam. It is probably after the success of the first album, they decided to step back from the spotlight not making music video or releasing proper singles leaving individual radio station to play their own favorites. Immortality is just the kind of mood I am in right now, but anything on those next two albums is worth checking out.

7. Let Me In – R.E.M.: Those first three R.E.M. albums from the nineties are worth checking out, this is probably the best track on their most fuzzed out album of the trio.

8. Happy Endings – Better than Ezra: I recently read an article where the lead singer suggested that they may have had Goo Goo Doll’s career had they been on a better record label and not one that went under. As a owner of all their albums sans their last I would have to agree as they made some of the best adult contemporary music of the past decade. You can hear them go down that root on songs like this.

9. Sad Songs and Waltzes – Cake: The band had a minor hit with their I Will Survive cover, another stand out on the same album was this Willie Nelson classic. The irony of course was during the alt-rock era, depressing songs were all the rage.

10. I'm the Ocean – Neil Young: The godfather of grunge hooked up with Pearl Jam and made an album which sounded exactly like you expected. This seven minute epic without a chorus is the highlight of the Mirror Ball album.

11. I Love You Mary Jane – Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill: When I first started working on my list I considered some more “alternative” rap song like Insane in the Brain. Instead I will include Cypress Hill’s awesomely weird collaboration with Sonic Youth for the Judgment Night Soundtrack where the two bonded over their love of the sticky icky. The song worked a lot better than their track with Pearl Jam.

12. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Smashing Pumpkins: In the of the alt-rock heyday, who would have expected the Smashing Pumpkins to start their double album with a sweet, well, melon collie, piano-based instrumental.

13. Sir Psycho Sexy – Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Peppers are weird to begin with, but this was easily their most bizarre track from Blood Sugar Sex Magic. The teenage version of myself loved the lady cop verse.

14. Slide Away – Oasis: That first album was brit-pop gold, this was definitely my favorite non-single.

15. The Wanderer – U2: Nirvana gets a lot of credit for the start of the alt-rock era, but with Achtung Baby, U2 was getting weird at the same time. They got even weirder on Zoorepa which ended with a country euro-trash song featuring Johnny Cash on vocals, a year before his carreer got resurrected with the American Recordings series.

16. Swing On This - Alice In Chains: Who would have guessed Alice in Chain would ever release a song that was actually danceable?

17. Pillar of Davidson – Live: There were plenty of epic songs on Throwing Copper, this song may have actually been the most epic.

18. Bogusflow – Beck: DGC Rarities vol. 1 was a must own by any alt-rock fan with plenty of rare gems. At the time, Beck was heading for one hit wonderdom and this drunken Bob Dylan type song was not going to help him out of that label but was awesome nonetheless. I am still waiting for vol. 2.

19. Mad Dog 20 / 20 – Teenage Fanclub: Fun fact: The first legal drink I ever bought was Mad Dog 20/20. I cannot confirm nor deny it is because of this song.

20. April 29, 1992 (Miami) – Sublime: Humorously the band actually got the date wrong in the actual lyrics song (April 26), legend has it that the take with the mistake was the best so they kept it.

21. Steven's Last Night In Town – Ben Folds Five: There were not many New Orleans inspired tracks during the alt rock era, but this one was really good.

22. Brother – Toad the Wet Sprocket: This was off their “rarities” album which was one of the few albums that was just as good as the “proper” albums in an artist discography.

23. Price to Pay – Blues Traveler: Just great storytelling in this song and of course plenty of harmonica.

24. Carrion – Fiona Apple: The big hits of this album were song of Fiona’s more angry songs; I also appreciate her more subtle songs like this one.

25. Nada – The Refreshments: In the introduction I mentioned how easy it was to get a Gold album, this is one of the few bands from the time that did not manage one and I am not sure why, I really enjoyed both of their albums. Maybe too southern and not enough alternative in their rock. And then too weird for the country crowd. Nada was a great way to end that first album.


Honorable Mentions

Shamrocks and Shenanigans (Butch Vig Mix) – House of Pain: Another rap song I considered for this list, but the Butch Vig version. Vig was fresh from producing Nevermind and a few years away from becoming a founding member of Garbage and gave an alt-rock bent to the song.

Iron Man – The Cardigans: I considered a couple songs by the band for this list but Lovefool was a bit too poppy and Been It just missed the cut (had I expanded the end date by a year, My Favorite Mistake would definitely made the list). But the album was much more weird and darker than you would expect from the group that brought you Lovefool, case in point this trippy cover of the Black Sabbath song.

I Want My Music Television: 6/3/14

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.

Problem – Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea


When I first saw Ariana Grande, I thought it was a Rebecca Black situation. Not that she was horrible, The Way was pleasurable in a guilty kind of way, but the video looked like mommy and daddy put their 401K into it while Ariana had a creepy dead behind the eyes stare to her and just looked uncomfortable the whole time. It turned out Grande is a real thing, and apparently a kiddie television star despite looking like she had never been in front of a camera for The Way. With her next hit Problem instantly going to number one, she is apparently turning out to be the next big thing. Yeah the new song is also moderately catchy (though I could have done without the rap, sure the Fancy video is kinda of awesome but can we please keep Iggy Azalea from becoming a thing please) still her visuals are uncomfortable. For the music video, she broke out the same awkward middle school talent show routine that was met with a resounding, “Huh?!?” from Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan at whatever award show that was. I know the modern pop star has to front and center in everything they do, but Ariana should really consider pulling a Pearl Jam and just stop making music videos for a while, or at the very least do what George Michael did and just fill your video with supermodels.


Talk (Expletive Deleted), Get Shot – Body Count


People have been throwing dirt on rock as a genre for a while now (myself included) but The Black Keys and Jack White have been putting out great music (even if they will not admit it about the other act) and racking up awards, just last week Coldplay had the biggest album debut of the year. So rock may be on life support, but it still has a pulse. Now heavy metal, that genre has been dead for a while now. Seriously, when was the last time you heard a good heavy metal song? There is probably why you rarely see any act from the past decade or two on That Metal Show. So when Ice-T debuted the new Body Count song on his Final Level Podcast (which comes highly recommended from me), I figured that I would listen to about thirty seconds and then fast forward to Ice talking Dungeons and Dragons again. Except the song actually turned out to be legitimately good. And I not just saying that because I fear the title may come to fruition if I did not like it. And the music video is just as entertaining as a more violet version of the plotline of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. (Fun fact: the I got the (Expletive Deleted) idea from this movie).


Simplethings – Miguel


There comes a time in every singer’s career when it is time to roll around on the beach with an absurdly attractive model in black and white. Everyone can thank Chris Isaak for that. So why is Miguel ending the music video right where should be starting. Is he saving that for his own personal collection?


Bridges - Broods


It seems like every month this year I am posting a new video for Bridges. The last one was the “international version” and this is apparently the “American version.” And much like Lorde’s Royals which the US version has 500% more Lorde, the US version of Bridges actually features Broods frolicking in what looks to be a clothing advertisement geared at teenage girls. Sadly that is how you sell new artists stateside.

The 100 Greatest Songs From the Golden Age of Alternative Rock

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

2. Sabotage - Beastie Boys

3. Would? - Alice in Chains

4. Creep - Radiohead

5. Loser - Beck

6. Undone - The Sweater Song - Weezer

7. Closer - Nine Inch Nails

8. Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers

9. What I Got - Sublime

10. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows

11. Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots

12. Come Out and Play - Offspring

13. No Rain - Blind Melon

14. What's the Frequency, Kenneth? - R.E.M.

15. Santa Monica - Everclear

16. Bullet With Butterfly Wings - The Smashing Pumpkins

17. Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve

18. Run-Around - Blues Traveler

19. Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz

20. Killing In the Name - Rage Against the Machine

21. I Alone - Live

22. Alive - Pearl Jam

23. Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage

24. Bound for the Floor - Local H

25. Peaches - The Presidents of the United States of America

26. Low - Cracker

27. Mysterious Ways - U2

28. Hey Man, Nice Shot - Filter

29. Liar - Rollins Band

30. All Mixed Up - 311

31. Song for the Dumped - Ben Folds Five

32. Pepper - Butthole Surfers

33. Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand - Primitive Radio Gods

34. Not an Addict - K's Choice

35. Criminal - Fiona Apple

36. Drive - R.E.M.

37. Here and Now - Letters to Cleo

38. Popular - Nada Surf

39. Shine - Collective Soul

40. Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet

41. Bad Reputation - Freedy Johnston

42. Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana

43. Where It's At - Beck

44. The Distance - Cake

45. Cumbersome - Seven Mary Three

46. Self Esteem - Offspring

47. Supersonic - Oasis

48. Possum Kingdom - Toadies

49. Banditos - Refreshments

50. Good - Better Than Ezra

51. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

52. Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band

53. Live Forever - Oasis

54. Walk - Pantera

55. Rooster - Alice in Chains

56. Mockingbirds - Grant Lee Buffalo

57. Sleep to Dream - Fiona Apple

58. Spoonman - Soundgarden

59. Round Here - Counting Crows

60. 1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins

61. Spin the Bottle - Juliana Hatfield Three

62. Fall Down - Toad the Wet Sprocket

63. Possession - Sarah McLachlan

64. Fallín' - Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul

65. Desperately Wanting - Better Than Ezra

66. Santeria - Sublime

67. Bulls On Parade - Rage Against the Machine

68. Hitchhiker Joe - Rugburns

69. Longview - Green Day

70. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead

71. Cannonball - Breeders

72. Everlong - Foo Fighters

73. El Scorcho - Weezer

74. What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band

75. Ruby Soho - Rancid

76. Everything Falls Apart - Dog's Eye View

77. Say It Ain't So - Weezer

78. Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger

79. Push - Moist

80. My Name Is Mud - Primus

81. Battle of Who Could Care Less - Ben Folds Five

82. The Impression That I Get - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

83. Lump - The Presidents of the United States of America

84. Connected - Stereo MC's

85. Naked Eye - Luscious Jackson

86. Lithium - Nirvana

87. Date Rape - Sublime

88. Connection - Elastica

89. Buddy X - Neneh Cherry

90. The Freshmen - The Verve Pipe

91. Einstein On the Beach (For an Eggman) - Counting Crows

92. Buddy Holly - Weezer

93. I Got Id - Pearl Jam

94. Super Bon Bon - Soul Coughing

95. #1 Crush - Garbage

96. All Apologies - Nirvana

97. Big Me - Foo Fighters

98. I Will Survive - Cake

99. Until It Sleeps - Metallica

100. Fell On Black Days - Soundgarden


For the purpose of this list, the Golden Age of Alternative Rock started with the release of Smells Like Teen Spirit and ended when Limp Bizcuit released their first album.

Like Ma Bell I Got the Ill Communication

It seems like every other week this year there has been another twentieth anniversary retrospective of a landmark album (compared to this year where so far, unless The Black Keys album ages well, there really has not been one yet). The most recent much ballyhooed anniversary was for Ill Communication. With Check Your Head, these were the two “weird albums” from the Beastie Boys that fit in very well with the early nineties explosion of hip-hop and alternative rock. After Ill Communication, which is this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame, the trio went back to mostly straight hip-hop for their (presumably) last three lyrical based albums.

Even though the Beastie Boys started out as a punk band and there was plenty of live instrumentations on Check Your Head, no one was expecting Sabotage as the first single off the album. The song managed to rock harder than most songs it shared time with on alt-rock radio stations. Ad Rock just let go of all his anger in three short minutes while the highlight of the song was the MCA bass breakdown which was the highlight of any of their live shows (their performance remains one of the greatest in VMA history). The song sat right in the middle of the album with similar, short, punk songs Tough Guy and Heart Attack Man at the beginning and end o the album.

Of course you cannot talk Sabotage without mentioning the awesome Spike Jones. Lampooning seventies cop shows, the Beastie Boys were game to put on silly wigs and mustaches while sliding across car hoods and tackle each other into pools. I sure there were many people twenty years ago hoping that a real Sabotage television show would air right after Beavis and Butt-Head.


Though in the middle of their live music phase, there are still plenty of great songs on Ill Communication that was closer to the hip-hop end of their musical spectrum. The best is the Q-Tip assisted (one of only two guest verses in the Beastie catalogue, Nas being the other) Get it Together where Tip effortlessly plays off the boys in an old school pass the mic type song. The album also features the rare flute-infused rap track, not just on the album opener Sure Shot but a flute sample also naturally showed up on Flute Loop. Root Down split the difference, a heavy funky bassline with some tight lyrics over them.

After Ill Communication the Beastie Boys stuck to their hip-hop roots with their next three lyrics based albums with the instrumental The Mix-Up, which was more funk based than the punk sounds of Ill Communication. Unfortunately with the death of MCA, this is probably all we will get to hear from the Beastie Boys unless they clean out the vaults. But with albums like Ill Communication, their legacy is more than set as one of the greats of any genre.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/31/14

Quote of the Week: Marriage is a racket. (Pete Campbell, Mad Men)

Song of the Week: Sugar, Sugar - The Archies (Orphan Black)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Six Seasons and a Movie… Maybe: In its second season, a monumental event happened that of course Community was going to reference: The Cape premiered. Of course Abe was obsessed and declared there would be six seasons and a movie. Unfortunately The Cape barely made it past six episodes before becoming canceled but the “six seasons and a movie” became a rallying cry for the fans for the low rated fans that barely got renewed for a third. It eventually got a fourth, but show creator was booted creating a zombie season. And then not only did it miraculously enough get renewed for a fifth, Harmon was actually brought back. Except the show still felt like a zombie show, Chevy Chase was out; Donald Glover was quick to follow. But hey, they were one season away from their goal and if NBC renewed them the three previous low rated seasons, they would bring the show back for a sixth? Nope, Community got the ax earlier this month.

But we live in a time were beloved television show never really die. Cougar Town was quickly picked up by TBS. Even long dead shows like Arrested Development got another Netflix enhanced season while Veronica Mars Kickstarted a movie seven years after their demise. It looks like Community may actually get that sixth season and who knows; maybe even a movie because they are currently in negotiations to resurrect the show via Hulu. This would be interesting because unlike competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime who are going for award winning cable like programming, all of Hulu’s original programming so far looks like actual webseries with one major sponsor who gets shoehorned into plots forcibly. But then again, how Subway subsidized the last couple seasons of Community, Hulu may actually be a good fit. Plus, who says no to more Alison Brie? Although I kind of hope this not come to fruition so Brie can move on to bigger and better things.

Preview Picture of the Week:

“You’re the One I Want” Melissa and Joey, Wednesday at 8:00 on ABC Family

Mad Men: Stupid split seasons. As I watched Bert Cooper dance his way off the show (this is the second time Don has envisioned a dance sequence, at least last time it was under the influence of some butt drug; what was he taking this time?) I came to the realization that this could have very well been a good place for the series finale. Don has his job back and solidified. Peggy can get a client on her own. Rodger is learning to become a leader without Bert. Joan gets her money. Ted gets to come back to New York. But we still have eight episodes left coming sometime next year where the McCann partnership will undoubtedly go bad. Ugg.
You can download Mad Men on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: Did we see our first werewolves, or were those just regular wolves? I also do wonder if Dr. Frankenstien will comply with his monster’s request for a mate. I find it interesting the monster seems to let the doctor choose even though he had some longing looks at the actress in the play. Granted the chick with consumption could need some resurrecting in the near future.

Crisis: I was beginning to wonder if any of the parents would call the kidnappers bluff and not do his bidding. If any of them would it would be someone who could start World War III between the USA and China. Except she did unleash the cyber attack and it was not until after the fact she stopped it. C’mon, after that point might as well save your child. But I do not understand why the president gave up the secret agent. If I were the president, I would call the Chinese leader and say, “give us the location of your rouge agent or we will take the cyber attack as a sanctioned attack on American sovereignty by the Chinese government and respond quickly and swiftly.”

I was surprised that Gibson actually went through with killing the kid though. He said he had to send a message to the most important parent yet. The president would make the most sense considering he is the most powerful man in the free world. But I am going to guess that it will actually be the parent of the nerdy boy who parent’s I do not even remember being hinted at. Watch him turn out to be the CIA director’s son.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Crisis on iTunes.

The Challenge: Free Agents: Oh Nany, you are better than that. Okay, that is probably not true. But how of all weeks they decide not to have an aftershow, I would be this week? Who would not have stuck around to see Johnny Mosley awkwardly interview Nany, Cohutta, and Johnny?
You can download The Challenge: Free Agents on iTunes.


Free Download of the Week: Jungle – Jamie N Commons and X Ambassadors (iTunes)

New Album Release of the Week: Platinum - Miranda Lambert

New DVD Release of the Week: Pretty Little Liars: Season 4

Video of the Week: So they got Nicolas Cage to star in the Left Behind movie. Makes sense. I know the books were a hit, but do we really need another rapture movie after This is the End? I do not see anyone doing a better version than that.


Next Week Pick of the Week: The 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Tonight at 8:00 on HBO: Sure the actual ceremony took place last month and you could watch most of the clips on YouTube, but those were mostly crappy cellphone video, if you want to see high quality video of Lorde singing Nirvana, Carrie Underwood singing Linda Ronstadt, nobody singing Kiss, and the E Street Band taking forty minutes to accept their induction, tune in tonight.

Around the Tubes: 5/30/14

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Chasing Life, Jayhawks, Affluenza, Funniest Wins, Queer as Folk, The L Word, 7 Deadly Sins, and Sons of Anarchy.

- ABC Family is thrilled to announce an early sneak peek of the newest original series, Chasing Life, before it makes its network premiere on Tuesday, June, 10 at 9:00 following Pretty Little Liars. Chasing Life will be available to viewers two weeks early via its authenticated WATCH ABC Family service now until Monday, June 9. The premiere of Chasing Life can also be seen on all participating TV providers’ On Demand Services starting Tuesday, June 3 and on the Chasing Life Facebook page starting on Sunday, June 8. Please share the below information with your readers and be sure to tune-in to the series premiere of Chasing Life!

- Hailed as pioneers of the alt-country/Americana sound, the Jayhawks emerged from Minneapolis' mid-'80s scene with a soaring combination of folksy harmonies and power-pop melodies. The band's status as a major influence, as well as that of being one of the best bands of its generation, are richly deserved. The July 1st release of expanded versions of 1997's Sound of Lies, 2000's Smile and 2003's Rainy Day Music complete the band's remastering of its entire back catalog. All three American Recordings/UME releases contain bonus tracks, new liner notes and expanded booklets. The albums also chronicle the band's evolution into crunchier rock, purer pop and a sort of twangy, psychedelic vibe before coming full-circle with a spare country-rock sound. Sound of Lies, Smile and Rainy Day Music will also be released August 5th as deluxe, 2 LP vinyl editions to ensure maximum fidelity. The deluxe vinyl reissues will be remastered on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl and also include the bonus tracks.

- These teens have it all -- hot summer hookups, wild parties and family money. Until they don't. On behalf of FilmBuff we're excited to share the just released trailer for the new film Affluenza! This films stars hot up-and-comers Nicola Peltz (Transformers: Age of Extinction, "Bates Motel"), Grant Gustin ("Glee," CW's "The Flash"), Gregg Sulkin (MTV's "Faking It," "Pretty Little Liars") & Ben Rosenfield ("Boardwalk Empire") and veteran actors Steve Guttenberg & Samantha Mathis. Watch the trailer on EW.com.

- TBS has unveiled the 10 talented comedians slated to compete against one another in Funniest Wins, a new series that's all about the laughs. Set to premiere Friday, June 20, at 10:00, Funniest Wins comes to TBS from comedy heavyweight and WhatTheFunny.com founder Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie, A Haunted House, The Wayans Bros.) andEyeworks USA. In the series, Wayans, along with some of his comic friends and family, will put the comics through the ringer to find the funniest multi-talented comedian working today.

- Showtime is bringing back its groundbreaking series Queer as Folk and The L Word in June in honor of gay pride month. All seasons will air on Showtime® Showcase from June through November. From June 2nd through June 30th, back-to-back episodes of both critically-acclaimed series will be offered Monday through Friday at 8:00. Then, starting on July 3rd, back-to-back episodes will air every Thursday night through November 13th. Subscribers can also catch up on the full five seasons of Queer as Folk and the six seasons of THE L WORD on Showtime on Demand® and the network's authenticated service Showtime anytime® starting this summer. These iconic series were hailed for tackling important issues and shattering stereotypes, and were both honored by the GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. Viewers can expect more from THE L WORD executive producer and creator Ilene Chaiken in the form of a documentary which will premiere on Showtime this summer.

- Showtime will take an in-depth look at the weird and darkly comic world of sin in the documentary series 7 Deadly Sins, premiering Thursday, August 7th at 11:00. Executive produced and hosted by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), the stylized series will explore each of the seven deadly sins – gluttony, sloth, envy, pride, wrath, greed and lust -- one per episode and told through Spurlock’s unique and extreme lens.

- Marilyn Manson has been cast in FX’s hit show Sons of Anarchy as “Ron Tully,” a white supremacist prison shot-caller who Jax uses to expand his power base.

Feed Your iPod LXXXIII: Banditos

The music industry printed money back in the nineties when a song on MTV would guarantee at least a gold record. It did not even have to be on heavy rotation, all it need was to be made fun of by Beavis and Butt-head. Seriously, Rob Zombie owns his whole career to the duo. It did even matter how weird you were. I lived through a time when Ween was actually a thing (again, with some help to Beavis and Butt-head). Even though how easy it was to break band back then, there were some act that never broke as big as they should have. One of those bands was The Refreshments who put out to very good albums in the mid-nineties headlined by the song Banditos, a catchy alt-southern rock song. In a time where most of the big hits were self loathing, The Refreshments dreamed of going on a robbing spree because, the world is full of stupid people.” There was also a funny music video that accompanied by there is currently only a low quality version currently on YouTube (seriously, it is 2014, how is every music video ever produced not have an official YouTube video yet?). Though I do not recall the band ever getting the Beavis and Butt-head treatment, If you only known one song by the band it is probably from Mike Judge’s other show as the wrote King of the Hill Theme. Their lack of hits may have been because no one wanted the alternative rock of the time mixing with country music or maybe it was bad timing as the band predated the alt-country boon that came a couple years later with bands like Old 97's and Whiskeytown. But if you did miss The Refreshments the first time around, give them a try as they would fit better in the current folk rock boon. Except these guys had a sense of humor.

Banditos - The Refreshments

I Want My Music Television: 5/28/14

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.

Sing – Ed Sheeran


I liked Ed Sheeran’s first album as much as every other sensitive dude of the nineties. Sure the faux rapping got a little silly. Following that sensitive singer-songwriter esthetic with a dance track over a Doobie Brothers type acoustic guitar produced by Pharrell may be the most head scratching turn since U2 launched their Pop album with Discotheque. But hey, puppets in your music video make everything more palatable.


Let Me Down Gently – La Roux


I sometime wonder why artists that you obviously know will be one hit wonders do not just drop their mic and walk off like the dude from the New Radicals. I was pretty content putting La Roux on my list of The 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 00's despite their one song only being a couple months old at the time. It seemed like the duo did drop the mic and walk away considering it has been five years since they released Bulletproof. Oddly enough for their follow-up to the dance song, they went with a melancholy track. It is catchy, but I do not think I will need to update that One Hit Wonder list just yet.


Double Bubble Trouble – M.I.A.


I do not get it, what exactly is M.I.A. trying to say mixing 3-D modeled firearms with twerking and crappy EDM infused reggae?


Pittbull Terrier – Die Antwoord


Speaking of controversial music video, the weird South African rap duo Die Antwoord apparently does not like Pitbull like pretty much everyone else in the world. But at this point, isn’t taking down Pitbull, who at this point is just the Hispanic Vanilla Ice, a little too easy?

I Haven't Been Gorged, Drowned, Plucked, and Roasted, Not Yet

Sequels get a bad rap but there are plenty of good sequels out there. Good prequels on the other hand are far and few in between. Patton Oswalt has a great bit on prequels equating them to being shown a picture of Jon Voight’s man region for those who think Angelina Jolie is attractive. Yet prequels, the ultimate where do we go next when we have run out of ideas solution, are still getting made. Just last year there were television shows that served as prequels to two horror icons. Surprisingly one of them did not suck. The other featured Norman Bates listening to Taylor Swift.

The other show, Hannibal probably should not have worked. In fact the previous prequel, Hannibal Rising focusing on a teenage Hannibal in Lithuania, was a commercial and critical flop. I know I had no desire to see yet another show about a serial killer especially since I have not seen any of the movies or read the books. Plus could such a story as gruesome murders and cannibalism be told on network television? Apparently yes as NBC somehow clawed its way back to the top of the ratings charts mixing the biggest draws (Sunday Night Football, The Voice) with low rated critical darling (Hannibal, Parenthood) and the show that is both (The Blacklist).

NBC gets plenty of credit for renewing Hannibal not once but twice. So for those that do not start watching shows fearing they will be canceled, it is time to catch up. Season one is currently streaming on Amazon Instant Video which is free for Prime members and season two will probably be available with enough time to catch up before season three premieres sometime in 2015. Although I never understood not watching a show because it may be canceled. I would rather a quality show that may end after thirteen to twenty-two episodes then one that will go on for around a hundred with diminishing returns. Just image how much more fondly we would remember Lost if it got canceled after one season. But anyway.

As I stated above, I had no interest in seeing a Hannibal Lecter prequel, but I still tuned into the series premiere for one reason: Bryan Fuller. This is the guy who gave us three of the greatest television shows of this millennium: Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, and Pushing Daisies. Sure those three shows ran for a total of five seasons (and a movie!) but again, would it not have been better if Homeland only lasted a season or two? Those three shows all had their whimsy even if they dealt with death and sanity. Hannibal is completely without whimsy and is set in a very real world yet Fuller’s warped eye still seeps through with the death tableaus that are the focal point of each season one episode.

Plus this Hannibal, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) subtlety chews the scenes just as much as he eats on the show. Which is quite a lot, foodies will surely enjoy the show. Well once they get over the fact that much of the meat he prepares comes from rude people. Then there is Hugh Dancy (Ella Enchanted) who seems to go through a major mental breakdown each and every episode to the point you fear for the actor’s sanity for the number of times his character goes down the preverbal rabbit hole as Hannibal toys with him.

If you are not caught up on Hannibal, this is where you should stop reading because I am about to spoil the second season; but before you go, let me just say the second season finale was one of the finest and shocking hours of television I have seen in a while.

Okay, last spoiler warning. Turn away now if you do not want to know what happened this season.

I have never seen a movie featuring Hannibal Lecter or even read the books, but I still have an idea where the show is going since he is one of the most famous antagonists in pop culture history. So it was not that shocking when Will ended up in a mental hospital for the criminally insane. Nor I was when he was eventually release considering his role in the overarching narrative of the story. But this season’s finale that was a completely different story.

Though I know that Will Graham is the one that eventually catches Hannibal, the show did a very good job making me wonder if Will was on Hannibal’s side or on Jack’s. Even at the end of the season I still question Will loyalty (but after the events of the finale, it seems clear where Will falls). Of course for weeks we have known what was about to go down. In the season premiere we saw Jack enter Hannibal’s kitchen and met with one of his knives before ending out in the wine cellar with a shard of glass in his neck.

So for weeks we had to wonder who would come to Jack’s rescue. We got that answer last week when the promo monkeys showed us Alana showing up to the Lecter estate gun in hand. Of course Hannibal took the bullets out a long time ago. Which leads us to the first big shock of the episode: Holy Abigail Hobbs sighting! I do remember giving thought to the possibility that Hannibal did not kill her, just cut her ear off and force it down Will’s throat. But that theory faded a long time ago. But I did kept looking for the missing ear which was covered by hair until her final scene where she clearly was missing it.

So Alana goes out the window just in time for Will to show up (by taxi?). Well this has to be where Will finally captures Hannibal, catching up to the books. Nope. Hannibal guts Will then, while he is helpless, slashes Abigail’s neck with Will unable to stop him much like he did Jacob Hobbes. Then, as Bryan Fuller says in an interview, Hannibal drops the mic and leaves. Jack is lifeless in the wine cellar. Will is bleeding out his abdomen while trying to stop Abigail bleeding out her neck in the kitchen. And Alana, barely still conscience, is outside in the rain, laying in glass form a two story drop. I guess it is easy to predict that the main players will eventually pull through while Will is going to be haunted with Abigail’s death.

Oh, but that is not it, we did get a tease for season three with Hannibal taking a flight… with Dr. Du Maurier. Oooo, so what happened there? Earlier in the season, Hannibal arrived at Bedelia’s house in his clear murder lab coat just after she left town. The FBI later found her. I am guessing that she knew if the FBI could find her, so could Hannibal, so she told him of the FBI’s plan as a measure of self preservation. It will make for an interesting third season, the first ever for a Bryan Fuller show. Hopefully it does not turn out like the third season of Homeland.

Hannibal 2.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/25/14

Mad Men: After Pete missed her twice, I was beginning to fear that we not get to see Trudy this episode and after Community got canceled, I need my Alison Brie fix anyway I can get it. I even sit through her vodka ads. But anyway. Every since Bob Benson creepily touched Pete’s thigh, people questioned his sexuality and this week we got a definitive answer as to just how he swings, going as far as to ask Joan to be his beard. Poor Joan, actually thinks she can still find love as a single mother pushing forty. Her best, and probably only hope is her baby-daddy Roger who has the maturity level of his kid.
You can download Mad Men on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: I was beginning to think the second episode was going to enter into a sophomore episode slump after a fairly uneventful first half of the episode (consumption sex notwithstanding). But things really picked up in the second half. The séance scene was more disturbing than anything on The Walking Dead while the first Frankenstein Monster reintroducing itself to his father was just as creepy. Still the second episode felt more like an extension of the Pilot where we are introduced to two or three main characters. Now that we have met all the players, hopefully the show starts to pick up next week.

The Voice: I checked into the finale for a couple minutes and quickly realized that I wisely checked out somewhere between the first and second Battle Rounds. Somehow they found singers more boring and bland than last season’s final three in Christina and Jake. At least Josh won, though I not sure if he could have even sniffed the semi-finals in the first four seasons. This is usually where I make a long list of ways to fix the show, but I have only one right now: find better talent. I thought season four was pretty weak talent wise compared to the first three and the last two have gotten significantly worse talent wise. It is time to bring in more ringers. And good ones, not silly YouTube “superstars,” ones with actual talent and entertainment value.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

Survivor: Cagayan: Sometime I just have to scratch my head at how some people vote. After three jury members attacked Tony for lying after swearing on his badge, wife and kid, and even his death father’s grave, I actually though Woo had a chance of winning, yet all three of those players ended up voting for Tony. I do not mind lying and cheating to advance in the game, but who gives a million dollars to someone who reigns on the memory of their dead father? What’s worse is that Tony did not even gain anything from voting for Trish. Ugg, so after such a promising premise, Brains vs. Beauty vs. Brawn, this season ended up being in the bottom five of the series.

Undoubtedly there will be an all-star edition of the format in the near future (they are already recycling Blood vs. Water), so here is my suggestion for the cast. I did fill the Beauty tribe with all hot chicks because I do not think anyone wants to know my thoughts on the subject. Plus, let’s be honest, the idea of a “beauty” tribe is that the members use their looks to advance and guys just do not do that. Look at this past season, two of the male beauties looked like they could have very well been on the Brawn tribe.

Brains
Ciera Eastin (Blood vs. Water)
Kim Spradlin (One World)
Sophie Clarke (South Pacific)
Rob Cesternino (Amazon)
Stephen Fishbach (Tocantins)
Todd Herzog (China)

Beauty
Parviti Shallow (Cooke Island)
Andrea Boehlke (Redemption Island)
Morgan McLeod (Cagayan)
Natalie Tenerelli (Redemption Island)
Chelsea Meissner (One World)
Mikayla Wingle (Phillippines)

Brawn
Kat Edorsson (One World)
Cliff Robinson (Cagayan)
Jeff Kent (Philippines)
James Clement (Blood vs. Water)
Stephenie LaGrossa (Palau)
Abi-Maria Gomes (Philippines)

You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download Survivor: Cagayan on iTunes.

The Americans: With teaser at the end of the first season finale it seemed obvious that Paige would learn of her parents other lives sometime this season. And with Larrick hot on their trail, it seemed likely that he would kidnap and she would learn that way. Oops, got that totally wrong. It turns out it was the other kid who learned of his parents extracurricular activities. And then killed his parents. Alrighty, that was a bit rushed. But it did set up would could be a fascinating third season where Paige has to find out about her parents… right?
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

The Challenge: Free Agents: I have to grown whenever a new cast is announce and Johnny Bananas is once again a part of the season. And I have done a lot of growing because this is his tenth Challenge (he, along with C.T. and Anessa have tied Paula for the most appearance; and since I was on the Wikipeia page, I was flabbergasted to see Cara Maria just tied Sarah for most consecutive Challenges ever with seven, who keeps asking her back). So it says a lot that for the first time ever I was actually rooting for Bananas in an elimination round. That shows you juts how much of a douche Jordan is. And really there are very few things more entertaining than Jordan calling his shot against Bananas and then lose. And not just lose, but fail epically, falling of the wall. Good riddance Jordan, here is hoping you do not reach Johnny’s record.
You can download The Challenge: Free Agents on iTunes.

Hannibal: Well, frack, that is how you do a season finale. It may take me a couple days to fully compute what just happened.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Hannibal on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 5/24/14

Quote of the Week: The New York Athletic Club frowns upon people making advances in their steam room. (Roger Sterling, Mad Men)

Song of the Week: Twilight Zone – Golden Earring (The Americans)

Big News of the Week: Summertime: Monday is the unofficial start of Summer but unlike the fall season where ninety percent of seasons premiere within a two week period, new shows will dribble out from now until August. NBC is out of the gate first debuting new seasons every day next week day except Wednesday. Not that I plan on watching any of them. Here is what I do plan to watch over the next three months as I try to avoid the heat and allergens.

Mondays
8:00 – Switched at Birth, ABC Family (June 16)
9:00 – Dallas, TNT (August 18)
10:00 – Under the Dome, CBS (June 30)

Tuesdays
8:00 – Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family (June 10)
9:00 – Royal Pains, USA (June 10)
10:00 – Perception, TNT (June 17)
10:00 – Tyrant, FX (June 24)

Wednesdays
9:00 – Legends, TNT (August 20)
10:00 – Wilfred, FXX (June 25)
10:00 – The Bridge, FX (July 9)
10:00 - Franklin and Bash, TNT (August 13)

Thursdays
8:00 – Defiance, Syfy (June 19)
9:00 – Dominion, Syfy (June 19)

Sundays
9:00 – The Last Ship, TNT (June 22)
9:00 – Ray Donovan, Showtime (July 13)
10:00 – Falling Skies, TNT (June 22)
10:00 – Masters of Sex, Showtime (July 13)
10:00 – The Strain, FX (July 13)


Preview Picture of the Week:

“Who Shaves the Barber?” Fargo, Tuesday at 10:00 on FX

Free Download of the Week: The Furthermost of Mike Doughty (Noisetrade)

New Album Release of the Week: A Letter Home - Neil Young

New DVD Release of the Week: The Bridge: Season 1

Video of the Week: Sure Christopher Nolan is best known for his The Dark Knight Trilogy, but he cut his teeth making high concept films like Memento. With the success of Batman, he is now able to do big budget, high concept movies like Inception. Little was known about his latest movie Interstellar except that it may or may not have to do with worm holes. The first teaser basically just featured Matthew McConaughey driving a beat up truck down a dirt road; not very spacey.

Now we have an official first trailer which is still pretty Earth bound considering the title but we do learn that the Earth is running out of food (despite the numerous corn field backdrops). And McConaughey is tasked to either find food outside the solar system or maybe somewhere to live. There are a couple blink and miss them cameos in the trailer from Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Jessica Chastain, and Anne Hathaway (at least I think that is her in the video's thumbnail). Knowing Nolan, this may be the most we learn about the film until it is released in November.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Mad Men, Sunday at 10:00 on AMC: Yes the new season of Man Men just premiered less than two months ago, but thanks to the penny pushers over at AMC who want to milk as much out of the show until it is over, the final season is being split in two with the final episodes not coming until 2015.

Around the Tubes: 5/23/14

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on The Wil Wheaton Project, Heroes of Cosplay, Wicked Tuna, Spartacus, Falling Skies, D-Day Sacrifice, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King-The Life Of Riley, Motor City Masters, and Deal with It.

- In one week, actor Wil Wheaton will join the Syfy channel for a weekly round-up on all things pop culture and sci-fi. Watch the trailer below, and make sure to mark your calendars for the Tuesday night premiere on May 27 the same day Heroes of Cosplay returns for it's second season.


- The heart-pounding Wicked Tuna season three finale premieres Sunday, June 8, at 9:00, followed immediately by the debut of National Geographic Channel’s first live talk show, Reel Talk Live, at 10:00 (tape delayed on the West Coast). Fan-favorite captains and crewmen join host Mike Salk (@TheMikeSalk; sports radio host and Boston area native) before a live audience to answer fan questions, reveal behind-the-scenes scoop and look ahead to the future of the successful Wicked Tuna franchise.

- Continuing to expand its roster of diverse domestic and international programming, Syfy today announced it is acquiring U.S. basic cable rights to all 39 episodes (three seasons and the six-part prequel) of the popular swords and sandal series Spartacus. Spartacus will make its basic cable premiere on Thursday, June 26 at 10:00, rounding out the channel’s potent primetime lineup of original series Defiance at 8:00 and Dominion at 9:00.

- As excitement builds for the fourth season of TNT's hit drama Falling Skies, the network is giving viewers the chance to binge-watch the entire third season on Memorial Day. TNT will present all ten episodes of season three in a 10-hour marathon slated to begin Monday, May 26, at 10 a.m.

- The day is June 6, 1944, and World War II has entered its fifth year of combat. Thousands of allied paratroopers storm the northern coast of France in what became the largest military invasion fleet in history, striking the unsuspecting German defenses by land, sea and air. In an epic battle stretching across five heavily guarded beaches, the allied troops are besieged by enemy fire, bracketed by artillery and facing almost certain death. Years of meticulous planning and countless casualties have come down to this historic moment. This is D-Day … and it’s only day one. In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the historic storming of the beaches at Normandy, National Geographic Channel (NGC) takes viewers to the front lines for a look at the most crucial moments of World War II in a dramatic special, D-Day Sacrifice, premiering Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at 9:00. D-Day Sacrifice also premieres globally on NGC beginning in June 2014, in 171 countries and 45 languages.

- On June 24, Capitol Records/UMe will release a special vinyl-only edition of Bonnie Raitt's classic Nick of Time in honor of the album's 25th anniversary. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's tenth album still stands as her signature work and as a turning point in her legendary career. It topped the Billboard 200 album chart, sold five million copies, and won three GRAMMY® Awards, including “Album of the Year.” Rolling Stone ranked NICK OF TIME as number 230 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."

- B.B. King-The Life Of Riley is a powerful, insightful and heart-warming feature documentary about legendary Blues man, B.B. King. The film is narrated by OSCAR® winning actor Morgan Freeman and features never-before-seen interviews with music icons Eric Clapton, Bono, Ringo Starr, Carlos Santana, Slash, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and longtime blues fan and supporter, Bruce Willis. The film will play in movie theatres across the United States, starting May 21st. Tickets for the theatrical screenings are on sale now, only at bbking.com.

- truTV has unveiled the slate of guest judges and competition themes for the first season of Motor City Masters, the search for America's next great car designer. Produced in collaboration with Chevrolet, the new competition series is set to feature such celebrity guest judges as actress and producer Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey,Clarissa Explains It All), actor Jesse Metcalfe (Dallas, Desperate Housewives), Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, baseball great David Justice and former NASCAR driver Robby Gordon. Also serving as guest judges will be celebrity dog trainer and bestselling author Tamar Geller, vice president of design, Mattel Hot Wheels Division, Felix Holst, model and surfer Malia Jones, this summer’s Transformers: Age of Extinction’s Master Mechanic and Fabricator, Specialty Cars Trevor Mann and GM vice president of global design Edward T. Welburn Jr.

- TBS has extended the second season of Deal With It, adding 10 episodes to the hidden-camera competition series, which returns this fall. The series from executive producer Howie Mandel and hosted by Theo Von (Primetime in No Time, Last Comic Standing, The Half Hours) currently airing Wednesdays at 10:30, puts a unique spin on friendly dares by giving them the ultimate twist.

Previewing The World Wars

Monday, people across the country will be firing up their grill in memory of the great men and women who gave their life for their country. Many of those lives were lost during the two great wars that were waged in-between 1914 and 1945. All told, over 100 million people across the globe died in combat during those thirty years coming out to about 230 deaths per hour. On Monday, History will premiere a three part special The World Wars to air on consecutive days next week.

The first part opens in a trench in Germany of all places where one of its soldiers is struggling to put on a gas mask over his bushy mustache. Of course when the soldiers shaves his upper lip down, it becomes clear why they started here. The World Wars follows all the big players from the time, men like Roosevelt, Hitler, Patton, Mussolini, Churchill, Tojo, DeGaulle and MacArthur, many who were mere foot soldiers in the First World War, their rise to power in between and their major roles in the Second.

The first installment takes us through the First World War all the way up to the Treaty of Versailles. The second episode opens up in 1929 and deals mostly with “peace time” and does a really good job explaining the failures of Treaty of Versailles and how it lead to the start of the Second World War. The third installment starts with Pearl Harbor in December of 1949. Throughout the three installments we witness the introduction of many new military innovations created for the wars like Guns on motor vehicles, trench warfare, tanks, mustard gas, and of course the atomic bomb.

The World Wars does not uncover any new information or even any new footage, but the six hours may be the most comprehensive special on the subjects to ever air on television. The special does feature new interviews with politicians and military men of today like John McCain, Sir John Major, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Stanley McCrystal, Leon Panetta, Joe Liebermann, and numerous historians and biographers. The whole series is narrated by The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner.

The World Wars airs Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 9:00 on History.

You Breathing to the Choir That Prayer's the Drug Game

Having a day job apparently has upped the productivity of The Roots. Since becoming Jimmy Fallon’s house band five years ago, the group has released six albums which includes duet albums with John Legend, Betty Wright, and last year’s Wise Up Ghost with Elvis Costello (and people that the Lou Reed / Metallica pairing was odd). More surprising than the output is that spending their days with the annoyingly chipper Fallon has gotten increasingly moody.

The Roots never were a party group, always focusing on the underbelly of hip-hop but 2010’s How I Got Over saw them collaborate with indie artists like Dirty Projectors, Joanna Newsom and repurposed the Monsters of Folk song Dear God. That was followed by undun, a concept album about the life of an urban youth told in reverse chronological. Now the band is back with ...and then you shoot your cousin and with a tite like that, you can guess no one will ever pick one of these songs in a lip sync battle with Fallon anytime soon.

The new album is another concept album, but much looser than the last but still touching on recurring themes like urban plight and thoughts on God with a soundtrack more foreboding than the previous album. After a Nina Simone song plays, the album starts up with a haunting choir on Never setting mood very well for what is to come. That is followed by When the People Cheer which sounds like old school The Roots. Black Rock hit like classic nineties rap, taking back the genre from the hip-pop that has littered the radio over the past decade.

Understand follows Dear God to church, this time with gospel type organs that shakes the pew and features the chorus, “People ask for God, 'till the day he comes. See God’s face; turn around and run. God sees the face of a man. Shaking his head, says ‘he'll never understand’” As moody as the album gets, it does end with the hopeful Tomorrow which even open up with some whistling which you can also find yourself smiling during. The song is a satisfying ending to maybe the tightest album the band has produced yet.

Song to Download - Understand

...and then you shoot your cousin gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Though I Try My Heart Stays Still, it Never Moves

In the post Beyoncé world, I have become fascinated with album rollouts. Sure there are only a small handful of artists that could also pull off a surprise album (Kid Cudi, the only recognizable artist who has tried since turned out to not be one). Coldplay is probably one of them. Much like Beyoncé they were the biggest act in their respective genre about a decade ago but each successive album was selling less and less while younger act stole their crowns.

But that did not happen. Instead they released they released Midnight with nothing more than a weird video at midnight in Ulan Bator, Mongolia of all places. After being considered the pop version of Radiohead, Midnight sounded like actual Radiohead if they were fronted by Bon Iver. Was this a new direction for the band? Nope. A week later the band released Magic, a more traditionally sounding pop song even if it sounded like the least Coldplay single they had ever released with a bouncing bass and Chris Martin not singing in his traditional falsetto voice.

With the release of Magic came a traditional album rollout, the album Ghost Stories would be released two months later. In the meanwhile the typical promotional campaign would happen, talk show appearances, NBC special, Target ads. Then came a non-traditional, and probably inadvertent bit of promotion for the album: Chris Martin announced a “conscious uncoupling” from his wife Gwyneth Paltrow.

Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon was once asked why rock stars date supermodels to which he replied, because they can. The only problem is dating the most beautiful women sometime makes for bad music especially in the hands of singer-songwriters. John Mayer worst album Battle Studies was the concept album about dating and then breaking up with Jennifer Aniston. So it is hard to listen to Ghost Stories without looking through the prism of the conscious uncoupling. It is the most evident on the opening track Always in My Head. It seems pretty clear with this and the subsequent songs, that the conscious uncoupling may not have been his idea and there will be no spiteful breakup songs here. The song is even followed up my Magic with its chorus, “I don’t want anybody else but you.”

Those songs also set a musical mood that is much more moody and airy compared to their grand stadium anthems of the past. Magic is not the only song where Martin opts not to go in his signature falsetto which leads to more honest song. And the drum machine sound from that sound also permeates the whole album. The only song that sounds out of place is A Sky Full of Stars. The song, produced by Avicii, sounds it would have been a better fit on their more dance leaning album Mylo Xyloto. But then again it may sound way too much like that album’s Every Teardrop I a Waterfall to the point you have to wonder if A Sky Full of Stars is just the Avicii remix of Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.

Song to Download – Magic

Ghost Stories gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.