The Daily Vault – Page 36

24 Dec

Michael’s Top 5 of 2007

Michael R. SmithBest Of

5. Prince -- Planet EarthFor disc jockeys not to give this album a chance to be heard was a downright shame. The single “Guitar” is funky fun of the first order, while “The One U Wanna C” is the most easily accessible Prince pop song in years. Harkening back to the age of disco, “Chelsea Rodgers” is the one throw-down dance track that will make you get up on your feet and, in Prince’s words, “shake it like a Juicy Juice.” The mid-tempo “Lion Of Judah” starts out sounding a little like the classic “Purple Rain,” but unfortunately that’s where…

24 Dec

Jeff’s Best of 2007

Jeff ClutterbuckBest Of

2007 will most likely be remembered, at least in terms of music history, as the year that DRM began to crumble and vanish. The technology and policies of the record labels have been the biggest stories of all; luckily there was some good music along the way. Most Disappointing AlbumRadiohead -- In Rainbows God help me, I have tried to love Radiohead. I own the majority of their albums, and when In Rainbows was announced in a downloadable, choose your own price, form, I had to support the band regardless of what I felt about their music. In Rainbows had…

24 Dec

2007, You Had A Lot To Live Up To…

Sean McCarthyBest Of

Starting at 1967, rock music has had an amazing year when the year ends with ‘7.’ Look at the track record: 1967: The Beatles’ Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Velvet Underground’s Velvet Underground and Nico, Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced?, Pink Floyd’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn. 1977: The year punk broke -- The Clash’s self-titled, Talking Heads’ Talking Heads: 77, Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True, Telveision’s Marquee Moon, The Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. 1987: U2’s The Joshua Tree, Prince’s Sign ‘O’ The Times, Bruce Springsteen’s…

24 Dec

2007: BIG

dvadminBest Of

If I could spend my time with only two genres of music -- and wouldn't life be a drag if that were the case -- then I'd probably pick classic rock and alt/indie rock. In both cases, it was a big year. The Who issued an amazing bio-pic, McCartney moved to Starbucks, and Led Zeppelin reunited. Fountains Of Wayne, the Redwalls and Jimmy Eat World all issued new albums, and in at least one case, the results were amazing. 'Twas also a big year for CD/DVD sets (witness the Zep's Mothership, among others), and box sets, and, tellingly, independent releases.…

24 Dec

Darren’s Top 10 of 2007

Darren PaltrowitzBest Of

10. Hannah Montana -- Hannah Montana 2 / Meet Miley Cyrus Say what you will about teen pop-stars, but the songwriters behind the Disney tracks are geniuses. I like hooks and energy, and while there are some clunkers among the 20 tracks, there's no shortage of memorable choruses. 9. Superdrag -- 4 Track Rock!!! 1992-1995 + Complete "Bender" Sessions A 2-disc compilation of Superdrag demos prior to their first major label release. Sound quality varies from track to track, but the song quality cannot be denied. 8. Motion City Soundtrack -- Even If It Kills MeNot as fast as the…

08 Dec

Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman: The Daily Vault Interview

dvadminFeature

San Diegans Jonathan Foreman, his brother Tim and their friend Chad Butler started Switchfoot while Tim was still in high school and the other two were at UCSD. Their original format was the classic power trio with Jon on guitar and lead vocals, Tim on bass and background vocals, and Butler behind the drum kit. Older brother Jon was -- and is -- both a major Led Zeppelin fan and an avid surfer; Switchfoot is a surfing term.The band issued three albums as a trio: The Legend Of Chin (1997), New Way To Be Human (1999) and Learning To Breathe (2000), steadily…

03 Dec

KISS Loves You

Paul HansonFeature

I am a KISS fan but I'm embarrassed if you think that the KISS fans in the recently-out-on-DVD film KISS Loves You are anything close to normal. The people in this movie are freaks. And stupid. No, they're freakin' stupid. In this netherworld of over-the-top fandom, if you purchase and then plaster KISS patches on your jacket, you are given a higher status in the world. If you purchase KISS records and get tattoos with the band members' likeness on your body, that gets you points too. Somehow, these acts make these people superior fans of the band. This insane…

03 Dec

Maritime’s Dan Didier: The Daily Vault Interview

Darren PaltrowitzFeature

A collective made up of four Milwaukee locals, Maritime formed in 2003. In an age where bands take years between albums, Maritime stands out as a prolific quartet. Issuing three albums and an EP since formation, Maritime's latest is Heresy And The Hotel Choir, an album that has found its way into my Top 10 for the year. Even if the group’s members come from The Promise Ring (vocalist/guitarist Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier), Decibully (bassist Justin Klug), and The Benjamins (guitarist/keyboardist Dan Hinz), Maritime is standing on its own eight feet. The year 2007 saw the band…

18 Nov

Superdrag’s John Davis: The Daily Vault Interview

Darren PaltrowitzFeature

Superdrag formed in 1994 as a collective of four Knoxville, Tennessee rockers who simultaneously threw together pop, punk, and guitar noise. It wasn't long before major label interest followed and the group inked a deal with Elektra Records. Their first full-length, Regretfully Yours, followed in mid-1996 and earned plenty of acclaim via first single "Sucked Out." The original lineup led by vocalist and songwriter John Davis stayed intact through the band's follow-up full-length, Head Trip In Every Key. However, Head Trip -- produced by Jerry Finn shortly before his massive success with Blink-182 -- proved too artsy and well-constructed for…

13 Nov

Blackmore’s Night Shines Bright

David BowlingFeature

I have been a fan of Ritchie Blackmore for decades. I have followed him from Deep Purple to Rainbow, back to Deep Purple, and back to Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. The tickets to the concert were free so I headed up route 1 to see his latest incarnation, Blackmore’s Night. I had some knowledge of the musical direction of Blackmore’s Night via the Vault archive,s but I don’t think I have ever attended a concert where I was not familiar with one song in the catalog. That’s right -- there was no Deep Purple or Rainbow played that night.Blackmore’s Night can…