Having said all that, most of the reviews I’ve read have said the same thing: Black Ice is good, but not great.  I agree.  The music is energetic and enjoyable to listen to.  Jed Gottlieb of the Boston Herald notes that the album, “errs on the side of blues, not metal, which is a good thing.”  I think this factor is exactly what I liked about the album – it was bluesy, but still hard and forceful.  In fact, I found the album was pleasant to listen to while working at my home office (I found the song, “Money Made,” with its lyrics “work, work/money made/you keep it up, you get it made,” particularly motivating).  

On the other hand, the album didn’t seem to offer anything new.  This isn’t entirely a bad thing – after all, their formula has pleased fans for over three decades (and I suspect it will continue to do so).  But in some ways, it seems like the band played it safe with this release.  Sure, you’ve got the awesome guitar riffs and gravelly voice of Brian Johnson – but there didn’t seem to be any big, break out hits on this album.  I didn’t hear any “Dirty Deeds” or “Highway to Hell” songs on this album. 

Lyrically, too, the album lacks a little bit.  As Jed Gottlieb’s review notes: “Where’s the wonderful/terrible crass poetry of ‘Givin’ the Dog a Bone,’ ‘Sink the Pink’ and ‘Big Balls’?  The best we get is ‘Big Jack’ – seemingly an ode to Brian Johnson’s, uh, johnson.” Again, I agree.  There’s no gutsy, in-your-face songs like “Big Balls” on this album.

All in all, I suspect fans will enjoy the album – but I don’t think it will go down as one of their greatest.  

P.S.  If you’re still looking for AC/DC tickets – check here – AC/DC Tickets.  

P.P.S.  In case you’re interested, AC/DC is having a youtube contest, where they’re asking fans to make their own version of the “Rock N Roll Train” video.  You just have to upload your video to youtube and give it a tag of “ACDCGiveItAllYouGot.”  The best cover of the song wins two signed guitars and five signed copies of the Black Ice album.  Here’s the video of Brian Johnson explaining the contest:

Wasn’t that great? By the way, if you’re looking for Coldplay tickets, visit my friends at CheapTicketsMonster.com.

Well I guess it’s already obvious that I LOVE the new Coldplay album – so if you thought you were going to read an article trashing “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends,” then you were wrong. I know the album has received mixed reviews and some people think they sound “too commercial” or “not enough like themselves” in this album – but I don’t care – the album is still awesome.

First, I think the multicultural influences of this album are great. Coldplay are pretty much global sensations at this point, so I like the fact that they’re appealing to a broader audience. They did this in several songs. For example, in their opening song, “Life In Technicolor,” they use a Persian santur, or a dulcimer (a percussion instrument with strings that one hammers with a small mallet). I liked the ‘flavor’ of this little instrument – it sounds almost “uplifting.”

With respect to the experimental nature of this album, I think it’s important that Coldplay tried something new. It’s vital for artists to stretch themselves – to step out of their comfort zones, to explore. I think that’s often the best way to improve artists’ craft. At very least, stepping out of their typical formula (as Coldplay did with this album) allows them to explore their craft and their capabilities – so kudos to Coldplay (or at least Coldplay’s producers) for doing that.

As for criticisms, a review in “Rolling Stone” stated that the “political messages are too vague to be heard” in this new album. The reviewer points to the fact that in the song “Lovers in Japan,” the lyrics, “soldiers you’ve got to soldier on/sometimes even the right is wrong” seem a little contradictory. The reviewer questions: “Are these peace anthems or encouragements to valiant warriors? Or can they be both?” Well, I do think they can be both peace anthems and encouragements – much in the same way that one might not support a war, but one may support and the troops who fight on his behalf. Having said that, however, I understand what the reviewer is saying – the political messages weren’t necessarily strong in this album. I don’t know if that’s what Coldplay was going for or not – but I don’t really care either, because the album shines in other ways.

Where Coldplay succeeds, I think, is in the tone of this album. In a weird way, this album sounds like Coldplay “grew up.” In other words, the album sounds like a more sophisticated Coldplay. Coldplay’s previous albums were dreamy and whimsical – not that that’s necessarily a bad thing – but after awhile it gets redundant. A lot of Coldplay’s past songs make me think of an overly doting puppy dog boyfriend. Think of “Fix You” and “Don’t Panic” and “Shiver” – all of these songs are good, but they’re sugary and sappy and overly reassuring. By contrast, the songs on their new album are bold and signify a confidence that wasn’t evident before. I don’t know if it’s because Chris Martin uses his lower register a lot more (in the song “Yes,” for example) or if it’s just that the songs on the album are a little “heavier.” I think it’s probably both of these things – coupled with the lyrics of some of the new songs. One of my favorite songs on the album is “Lost!,” partly because I love the lyrics: “Just because I’m losing/doesn’t mean I’m lost/doesn’t mean I’ll stop.” These lyrics convey a determination and inner strength that I don’t think you always find in their lyrics. I thought it was a nice change. And although I don’t think the album is perfect, I definitely think it’s a move in the right direction for Coldplay. I give it a 9 out of 10.

Band members:

• Scott Jason – Piano and Keys
• Clayton Stroope – Vocals
• Drew Cribley – Guitars
• Bret Cohune – Bass
• Paul Niedermier – Drums/Percussion

Sounds a bit like: Maroon 5, Train, Our Lady Peace, Gavin DeGraw
Recommended for: People who like the aforementioned bands

I’ll start with the good.  Thriving Ivory’s album currently has over 90 reviews on i-tunes and the vast majority of them are five stars.  Not to mention, the band has received a lots of exposure on VH1 recently; I believe they’ve even broken into VH1′s top 20 Countdown. So, it’s obvious that people are liking them.  They sound a little like Maroon 5 and their lead singer, Clayton Stroope, has a quality to his voice that resembles Gavin DeGraw’s.  Couple all this with the fact that the bandmembers are easy on the eyes – appealing to a late teens/early twenties demographic – and you have a band that will likely do very well.

What I personally like about the Thriving Ivory, however, is that their songs are versatile and their lyrics are simple, yet emotional.  This is the type of music you can listen to while working, while with friends, while relaxing, etc.  The songs are melodic and catchy and the piano gives them a tender but strong sound.  Lyrically, despite a few cliches (“every day is the first day of the rest of your life”), the songs are dark and romantic; they talk about secret lives and runaways.  To their credit, I found it refreshing to listen to an alternative band whose lyrics aren’t too enigmatic (the Killers come to mind, for example).

On to the not-so-good.  First, I wouldn’t call the band “fresh” or “new.”  As I’ve already said, they’re a lot like other acts that are already out there (Maroon 5, Gavin DeGraw).  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (in fact they’ll probably do well, if only because they resemble popular acts).  However, if you’re looking for something that’s unlike anything out there right now, you won’t find it in Thriving Ivory.

Finally, my last little criticism.  I noticed when I was previewing the songs on i-tunes that I was, at first, a bit put-off by something.  I couldn’t put my finger on what was putting me off until I read Boise Weekly’s review of the same album.  As the reviewer put it:  “the album is razor precise and overproduced.”  In fact, this is a criticism I read on some i-tunes reviews – I found a few people who had been fans of Thriving Ivory when they had self-released these songs a few years ago (before signing with Wind-up Records).  Out of curiosity I  downloaded some of the older versions of the songs and I have to agree with others’ criticisms.  The older versions sound much more authentic and passionate.  As the Boise Weekly reviewer put it, the new versions sound almost too perfect:  “the songs sound like they followed the recipe for national radio play down to the teaspoon.”  In some ways, I think Wind-up Records may have done Thriving Ivory a disservice.  Lead singer Clayton Stroope’s vocals are beautiful and he’s got great range,  but on the new versions of the songs he comes across a little strained and even nasal.  I wouldn’t say that Wind-up ruined the record, but I personally prefer the raw sound they evoke in the original songs.

Overall, I enjoyed Thriving Ivory and I’d recommend them to anyone who likes the pop-alternative vibe.  However, because they sound a bit too formulaic, they get an 8 out of 10 on my scale.