Happy Fourth of July, everyone! America is 230 years old today and still kicking.
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June 26, 2006
CD Review: “Mad Season” by matchbox twenty
Posted by Sam James under Music, UncategorizedLeave a Comment
Genre: Mainstream Rock/Pop
Length: 11 Songs
Year: 2000
CC Rating: **** (out of five)
Matchbox Twenty can certainly claim a fair degree of dominance in the 90's rock scene. With the release of their first album, Yourself Or Someone Like You, the quintet from Orlando defined the energy and guitar work that became creedal in modern rock afterwards. The disc sold over ten million copies in the US alone, so expectations from fans for America's premiere mainstream rock group were high in 2000 when their second effort, Mad Season, emerged.
The disc gets off on the right foot with "Angry," using all the tools present to get a solid, catchy acoustic rock feel. Using plenty of instrumentation and electrics, matchbox twenty adds something to mainstream rock that had been regrettably absent through much of it's existence: melody.
The highlight though is lead vocalist Rob Thomas's emotive yet powerful singing and heartfelt lyrics. Even though Mad Season is dominated by themes of the loved and lost, Thomas sings out his blues with compelling energy and even optimism (reaching his most convicting moments in "Leave" and "Bent"). Thomas is so in command of his craft that even when the songs perhaps plateau in freshness, his words are rang out with irresistible force. You truly leave Mad Season with the impression that, however raw and broken, these words are straight from the author's heart.
Mad Season's plenteous melodies and smart guitar work will delight fans of the genre, but the overall mellow feel will likely bore hard rock enthusiasts. Still, "Mad Season" represents some of the best in mainstream rock, and it's a must listen for fans of this style.
June 24, 2006
That's what they're hoping for anyway. Well, who else ya gonna turn to when the Jedis and spider people are gone?
Far be it for Hollywood to produce good original stories that resonate with common people. Nah; leave that to the superhero movies.
June 24, 2006
Welcome to Culture Clash. My name is Samuel James, your humble Blogger devoted to all things culture. What's culture, you ask? It's whatever people like me and you are into, and what they're not. There's a professional term for it-sociology-but that's a terrible Blog word.
Here you'll read my (and hopefully others' as well) commentary on music, movies, pop culture, values, and other assorted goodies. I'll also give important news stories some time.
If you're interested in contributing to this blog (aka being a member/admin), simply email me:samjames365@yahoo.com. Otherwise, sit back, enjoy this site, comment freely (praise, disses, constructive and non-constructive criticism, insults, flattery, talking points all welcome) and experience our world's culture through bloggly eyes.
June 24, 2006
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