Megatunes Staff Picks

Eyvind Kang - Virginal Co-Ordinates

It’s no secret that I have an obsession with any and all works by super talent Mike Patton. I even have part of my CD rack devoted to just him and all his side projects and guest appearances. Because of this, I am trying to collect everything he has done and during my hunt I have come across some other amazing artists. Eyvind Kang is one of them. He is an absolute talent and genius on the Violin. The album Virginal Co-Ordinates is a haunting journey through an enchanted forest. Well, that is where I tend to go when I listen to it. Mike Patton Does a couple of vocal tracks but in a beautiful operatic type voice that underlines the flow of Eyvind’s violin.

I have allowed this album to put me to sleep every night now for the last two weeks and have even bought copies for friends because they just have to have this album and so do you. But I am not going to buy it for you. You are going to have to come down to Megatunes and pick it up. Hint: It’s in my staff picks!

Lower Class Brats - The New Seditionaries (TKO)

Leave it to the mighty Lower Class Brats to show everyone that while streetpunk is an endangered species it is certainly not dead.  Their new record shows the band at the top of their game and epitomizes the energy and swagger of many of the original punk bands while still remaining authentic.

“The New Seditionaries” shows that they are masters of their craft. This record is clearly a cut above any other punk record released this year, rising above the masses of generic punk rock and rightfully earning it’s place in any diehard’s collection.

John Mayer - Continuum (Columbia)

I caught an interview with John and so glad I picked up his CD.  He seemed so sincere and he is.  His songs are about Life, his and ours.  The world we live in and everything that is bad and good comes out in his words from his heart and soul.  If you need any inspiration in these times when you just wonder….why?

Listen to John, funny, well not really funny but ironic his name is John.  But lets hope this amazing writer will continue to grace this planet of ours for a long, long time.  He has so much to contribute at such a young age.  I only wish I can understand half of what he sings about. 

Pick it up you won’t be disappointed.

R.E.M. - And I Feel Fine: The Best Of The IRS Years (IRS)

Available as single CD, 2 CD Deluxe Version, and DVD

In my estimation, R.E.M. exists as 2 seperate entities... the major label years and the pre-1987 years. This package examines the pre-1987 R.E.M. or as some call it the "I.R.S." years. There has been a "best of" package out for some time now that covers this period but somehow I always felt they could of done a bit better covering this period.

Well the time has come and R.E.M. fans should rejoice as a better package I could not of complied myself. Covering everything from their independent "Hib-tone" singles right through to their last "I.R.S." statement "Document", This package comes remastered and complete with all the liner notes and pictures one could want. Although the single disc version is a fine package unto itself, the real gems here are the 2 cd deluxe version and the DVD. 

One might forget how massively influential the early R.E.M. was on the musical landscape of the time. Listening to this package you will see how this band paved the way for bands like Husker Du, The Replacements and about a hundred other bands to gain acceptance amoung the masses.

The bonus disc offers essential live recordings of this period and amazing out-takes of a band finding it's feet and a band clearly conflicted between remaining underground darlings and feeling gravity's pull into commercial stardom.

This period  (1982-1987) covers a band who spearheaded the true "alternative" music of the time as they effortless glide from the folk-rock  tinges of "So.Centrel Rain (I'm sorry)" to the full on rock blasts of "Can't get there from here".

Having said all this, the DVD is the most interesting offering as the footage ranges from the commerical videos of the time to obscure, never seen before footage. The interview footage is worth it alone as you can see a band who is clearly pushing away stardom while embracing it at the same time. Also included on the DVD are 2 complete episodes of the (at the time) ultra hip I.R.S. television show called "The Cutting Edge", having not seen this episodes since they first aired in the mid-80's, this was a much welcomed addition to the package.

Bob Dylan - Modern Times (Columbia)

On first listen I went "OK".  On 2nd listen I went "Good".  And by the end of my 3rd complete listen to Modern Times, it hit me !  I had to start it over again immediately !

It's been 5 years since the release of "Love And Theft" and it was worth the wait.  It's all so typically Bob in it uniqueness.

Dylan's band is essentially a Blues Band, and a great one !  I saw them kill the Saddledome about 12 months ago and there are 4 Blues songs on Modern Times, but done in a Dylanesque Blues style.  Just listen to Track 1 "Thunder On The Mountain", Track 3 "Rollin' And Tumblin'", Track 5 "Someday Baby" (my favourite Blues song of the year so far!), and Track 9 "The Levee's Gonna Break" which is another Dylan signature track.  So Good !

Did I mention that the closing track "Ain't Talkin'" will go down as a Bob Dylan classic ?

There are some melancholy songs on here that mean a lot to Bobby and he's spillin' it here, I mean spillin' his heart out, maybe because he's getting a bit older now, but good on him for it !  But I'm also grateful that Bob still cooks so hard too !

Bob's vocals are stellar throughout Modern Times.  I remember a few decades ago when I first realized how great a guitar player Bobby was.  A similar realization could happen to many people when they hear his vocals on this album.  With the amount of touring he's done, especially over the past several years, you might think he'd be physically tired but his vocals are strong and confident on each song.  With Bob it's all about tone, and he's even actually crooning on certain tunes.

Bob is so smart and sometimes very subtle and even funny.  His songs grow on ya.  I think once people gradually start to realize just how many great new Dylan songs are on this album, they'll be happy that they picked it up... at Megatunes  :-)

Allright !

Modern Times will be etched in to a lot of people's Top Lists for 2006.

Kalas - Kalas (Tee Pee)

Ladies and gentlemen raise your horned fists in the air. This album is chock full of heavy riffs and head banging melodies. Lemmy must be so utterly proud of High On Fire’s guitar player Matt Pike for stepping into the lime light and letting his voice be heard! That bay area sound never seems to fail nor weaken with time and Kalas' debut album just proves that metal is still strong and is more than willing to mess people up!

Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped (Geffen)

What the band should have called this album was "One of Scott's top ten albums of the year" because that is exactly what it is. Now I realize that some of you may be thinking: "Sonic Youth? We already know what they sound like, and haven't they been around for like a million years? How about giving us something new grandpa!" But wait... can I finish?  While it may be true that Sonic Youth are one of my all time favourite bands, and that I've had impure thoughts about Kim Gordon since I was fifteen, but this is a great album!

In terms of combining music and art, this is a band that has always done whatever they want, and even I am able to admit that on some of their albums the music is sacrificed for the sake of art. However, I can honestly say that while it is definitely a Sonic Youth album, "Rather Ripped" is also a rock 'n' roll album, and one that stands up to repeated listenings. If you don't believe me just cue up Reena, the first track. I promise, you'll be hooked. Oh yeah, one more thing... Don't call it a comeback, they've been here for years. Rockin their peers and puttin suckas in fear. Okay I'm finished.

Herbert - Scale (K7)

Herbert's Scale is a lush and lively sensory experience. A genius of discovering what beautiful, quirky sounds can come from the most everyday objects (723 different objects were sampled for Scale, alone). Herbert has once again released an incredibly engaging experimental album.

The sound on Scale ranges from being sensual and jazzy, to catchy and funk-inspired, all the while keeping a clean and infectious beat. Now, come on Calgary, you know you want to blare a song like The Movers And The Shakers out of your speakers, and just dance around like crazy!

Ladyhawk - Ladyhawk (JagJaguwar)

Ladyhawk kinda snuck up on me one day while I was walking to the store to get beer.  They came from behind and slapped me on the back of the ass and said "hey buddy, rock 'n roll doesn't revolve around Robert Pollard!"

At first I didn't believe them.  How could a band show up like that out of the blue and tell me what was up?

I grabbed a copy of their self-titled first album out of one of the guy's hands and boogied home as fast as I could and guess what?

Rock n' roll doesn't revolve around Robert Pollard.

Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - All The Roadrunning (Warner Bros.)

What can I say?  Emmylou and Mark Knopfler.  Incredible talent and soothing to the soul.  I melt with his voice and shiver with hers.  Makes me think back to Emmylou's White Shoes, and Mark's Golden Heart.

1.		Beachcombing - 4:14
2.		I Dug Up a Diamond - 3:38
3.		This Is Us - 4:39
4.		Red Staggerwing - 3:03
5.		Rollin' On - 4:14
6.		Love and Happiness - 4:22
7.		Right Now - 3:33
8.		Donkey Town - 5:42
9.		Belle Starr - 3:06
10.		Beyond My Wildest Dreams - 4:25
11.		All the Roadrunning - 4:49
12.		If This Is Goodbye - 4:44

Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYoYoYo (Big Dada)

This is a B-more Hollertronix release. Baltimore hip hop at it's finest. This is the kind of music that gets the booty shakin'. It is also the kind of album that you would hide from your parents. It's also the kind of record that you would wear short shorts to, blasting as loud as you can, while dirty talking to your significant other, jumping up and down on a couch after a few too many vodka tonics. You want to rip off all your clothes and shout, "I AM SUCH A SEX-BOMB" and run around the room, sweating all over the place. Oh yeah, it makes you want to dance, too.