I often ignore live and “best of”  albums. Even from artists I love. What’s the point, right? I have all their music already – how many different versions do I need? But this week I decided to live on the edge a little bit and listened to both a live album and a “best of” album.

And ZOMG, I’m so happy I did!

Both Jason Mraz’s new live album and Snow Patrol’s compilation rocked my socks off. Yes, I said “rocked my socks off.” And, yes,  I already knew most of the music, but there was something new and exciting and different about hearing it all on a different album, in a different order, in a new way. I just want to hoard every CD/song/version they’ve got.

And then there was the new Dashboard Confessional album. A totally new album. It wasn’t live and it wasn’t a “best of”, but it somehow all sounded the same. In a good way, of course. Dashboard back again with the same great sound.  And you know what? It just might be the “best of “Dashboard. Read More »

The great thing about new music is that you never really know what you’re gonna get. Sorta like life. And a box of chocolates (thanks, Forrest!). Sometimes albums totally and completely surprise you. And sometimes they don’t at all. Sometimes surprises are good, and sometimes they’re a huge letdown. Sometimes all you want is your favorite band just the same as always, and sometimes a little change makes them all the better.

This week, I was incredibly surprised by one much-anticipated album in a perfectly awesome way. Another album held zero surprises for me, which I was thrilled about. And a third surprised me because, well, I just didn’t see what all the fuss was about.

But, as long as someone isn’t popping out from behind a wall to scare the crap out of me, all of these surprises – good and bad – are a-OK with me. Read More »

I am a HUGE fan of “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” (the book, not the movie) so when I found out that after 6 years, Audrey Niffenegger was releasing another novel, I knew I had to get my paws on it. Luckily, my anniversary with my boyfriend coincided beautifully with the release date, so, needless to say, I received it as a gift (good job, Tyler!).

Anyways, “Her Fearful Symmetry,” as you can imply from the title, focuses on pairs. In the novel, Elspeth Noblin has died from leukemia and left her flat in London and the majority of her belongings to her mirror-image twin nieces, Valentina and Julia, whom she has never met. They are the children of her twin sister, Edie, and right from the beginning you are made aware that they have not spoken to each other in 21 years. Niffenegger hints at the tension between the sisters and that it has something to do with Edie’s husband Jack, but doesn’t reveal the secret until much, much later.

Julia and Valentina are a bit lost living in the US with their parents; they continually enroll and then drop out of post-secondary institutions and have an extremely hard time being apart. They decide to move to London to live in their aunt Elspeth’s flat, but it comes with some conditions, including that they must live together in the flat for a year before they can sell it.

The twins move to London and soon meet the other characters in the novel, all of whom seem to function in pairs: Robert Fanshaw, Elspeth’s much younger lover and neighbor, Martin, who has severe OCD and his (literally) absent wife Marijke. Elspeth also continues to be a major player in the novel, only as a ghost. She is able to communicate with anyone in her flat and, eventually, Valentina starts to see Elspeth. Now, Valentina appears to have always struggled with her existence being tied to Julia; she wants to break free and finally do something on her own. She formulates a plan with Elspeth and Robert… and I think that’s all I’m going to say for plot….. Read More »

Does music ever just make you so inexplicably happy? Maybe you can’t even describe why you’re feeling so cheery when you hear a certain band or song, but you just feel like you’re floating on air. Only you didn’t have to inhale/snort anything to get there.

All the artists this week make me happy. Even when the songs are sad, I’m happy. And I think that’s a sign of a truly great artist; they can sing about the saddest things in love and still put a smile on my face. And sometimes you just need music to comfort you and make you feel good. Like during midterms after spending 6 straight hours at the library and you’re only a third of the way through your reading.

Yeah, that’s what this week is all about. Read More »

Wow, this week was a bit of a bummer. So much anticipation and a whole lot of disappointment. You’re probably thinking I deserve it. After all, I got my hopes all up about Mariah Carey and Selena Gomez, so what did I really deserve, right? But I’m still a bit let down because, yes, I was expecting a lot from Mariah. She’s had more #1 hits than any other artist in history and while I wouldn’t listen to her every day in my car, I did think I’d at least like it.

Turns out, you all might be best off just listening to Britney Spears’ new single, “Three,” this week. Or Zero 7. You may not know who they are, but they are great and they really restored my faith in music after that Mimi/Selena letdown. So, thanks, Zero 7! Read More »

I feel like I’m having a major flashback this week. Like Wayne and Garth are running by me in my bedroom waving their hands in the air screaming “Do do do do. Do do do do.” And then everything gets all jumbled and I’m ten years younger and wearing something completely ridiculous.

Only they didn’t and I’m not. Instead, two of my all-time favorite musicians from about 10 years ago are back with some new stuff and I’m obviously over-joyed. I mean, when was the last time you heard about Vertical Horizon or David Gray? It’s been a long time; thankfully I wasn’t holding my breath. Now we just need to see if ten years was enough. I know I changed for the better in that time – what about them? Read More »

This has been a crazy week.

Jay-Z came back! Scarlett Johansson came out with an album with Pete Yorn. (Hey, it’s gotta be better than The Hoff’s singing, right?) Oh, and Mason Jennings came out with something new..though everything he does is new to me.

The week is all very confusing; I feel like I’m going through a break up (with the Scarlett I used to know), getting back together again (with Jay-Z), and meeting someone new (Mason Jennings). That’s a lot of relationship changes to handle in one week! Read More »

None of the artists with new releases are new to me this week. I’ve loved them all in the past and now I’m coming back for more. Actually, they’re coming back to give me more and I’m taking it all with wide open arms. And I’m pretty psyched to hear some new stuff from some of my old favorites. It makes me feel at home and right where I belong. I’m so happy to have my old friends back again! Read More »

My sister is getting married and I’ve had weddings on the brain, so this week I’m dedicating this review to her and doin’ the something old, something new, and something blue routine. It doesn’t just apply to brides, you know. I didn’t borrow any of my music this week (I’m not good at giving back), so I had to leave that one out.

Anyways, obviously Whitney Houston is the something old. I’m not saying the woman is old (hell, she looks good for her age!), but she has been around the block a few times. These United States are my something new, and I couldn’t be more excited about that. And the Drive-By Truckers are my something blue, since I love them to death, but listening to their album made me feel a little bit blue.

And I guess all of that means I’ll one day be marrying music.
Considering the guys I’ve dated in the past, that is fine by me: Read More »

Sometimes I love a band so much, I just sit and wait for them to come out with something new. Well, I don’t literally sit and wait, but I do get really excited when I know a release date is near. And this week, my long and painful wait was over.

Well, for two of the three bands, at least.

Had I actually sat around and waited for Third Eye Blind to release a new album – yes, it took them six years – I would probably be dead by now. And even though it wasn’t an eternity, waiting for Mute Math felt like forever. I was thisclose to completely wearing out their original album. Now, I wasn’t exactly falling off my seat waiting for Cascada to release something new, but they did I listened and enjoyed it nonetheless.

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder and I’m pretty sure that can be said for this week’s new releases: Read More »