Albums You Need

I've been on an album downloading kick recently, and it got me thinking about how awesome it is to come across new albums that you can just listen to all the way through and thoroughly enjoy every track. So here are some random albums I highly recommend for anyone in need of some tunes to jam out to. Yeah, some are live albums and that doesn't really count, but whatever, shut up.

• Consolers of the Lonely- The Raconteurs. *This is probably the best album to come out in the past year. It will blow you away.
• In Rainbows- Radiohead. *Just continuing their tradition of producing one amazing album after another.
• AC/DC Live- AC/DC. *It will melt your face.
  
• Everyday Demons & Never Too Late EP- The Answer. *Again, get a face-bucket.
• Ben Folds Live- Ben Folds. *Great live performer and awesome set list.
• Live at House of Blues, New Orleans- Better Than Ezra. *Simply awesome.
• Where the Songs Come From- Chuck E. Costa. *Masterful singer/songwriter.
• Across a Wire: Live in NYC- Counting Crows. *Way different from studio versions.
• Drunken Lullabies- Flogging Molly. *Fun music to drink and pretend to be Irish to.
• Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace- Foo Fighters. *Every album they make is incredible.
• Feed the Animals- Girl Talk. *It'll make you wish you were more badass.. and a better dancer.
• Jaydiohead- Minty Fresh Productions. *Sick mash-up of Jay-Z & Radiohead.
• How the West was Won- Led Zeppelin. *It's a journey. Best band ever.
• Lucero- Lucero. *Bluesy southern rock. Great for if your girl just stole your car and left you.
• And Then You Were a Crow- The Parlor Mob. *Awesome rock band out of central NJ.
• The Pick of Destiny- Tenacious D. *Surprisingly well-done rock album. Also hilarious.
• Third Eye Blind- Third Eye Blind. *I don't care what anyone says, this album still holds its own. Spent countless hours rocking out to this in 7th grade.
• Pinkerton- Weezer. *Woooo.

Any one of these albums can definitely be played from start to finish without disappointment, so if you're looking for something good and you haven't heard of something on this list, give it a try. If you don't like it, then you're a communist and I hate you. 

Rock on.

Live Music

I've always said that live music is one of my favorite things ever, but it's always nice to be reminded of it through a great show. Now I don't get out to nearly as many shows as I would like to, partially due to currently living in the NJ suburbs instead of NYC where I would like to be, but I've been trying to make more of an effort recently and it has certainly been paying off. Two weeks ago I went to see The Parlor Mob play at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. The Parlor Mob are a really good rock band, who have gained a decent amount of more-than-just-local attention recently. They played well, but one of the opening acts really stole the show in my opinion--Scott Liss and the Sixty Six. They had really good energy on stage and their set was very tight. I really enjoyed their original blend of folk, rock, and psychadelic sounds; they definitely pull it off. I talked to Scott after the show briefly and he gave me a CD. He's a good dude and I wish the band lots of luck. I will definitely be checking them out again next time they have a local show, and if anyone ever reads this and happens to be in an area where they play, I suggest you do the same.

What really inspired this post though, happened this past Friday at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC. The internet start-up I co-founded last year, Kicknote.com, hosted a battle of the bands in the city this past summer (which was a bit of a disaster, but that's another story), and one of our favorite acts from the contest, Cloud 9, was having a CD release party, which they were cool enough to invite us to. I knew it was going to be a good show, and I was not disappointed. These guys are one of my favorite live acts ever. They have so much energy and have such a good time on stage that it really gets the crowd going and everybody just ends up having a great time rocking out to some awesome music. The guy I'm most familiar with in the band is one of the two lead vocalists, Mike Tangney. He's a really good guy and is truly passionate about his music--and it shows. Their new album is available on iTunes, and is excellent, but if you really want to be blown away, I highly suggests grabbing some friends and getting to a live Cloud 9 show.

Hopefully I'll be able to move to NYC soon and find new awesome local bands to write about...

The Five Most Badass Cars Ever Made

Let me start off by saying that yes, I realize that there are many more modern cars that can outperform the ones listed below, but these cars have something that very few modern cars have--character and balls. The rarity of these monsters further emphasizes their awesomeness. If you pull into a parking lot in a '69 GTO nowadays, you are pretty much guaranteed that you will not see a duplicate car in the vicinity. You're also guaranteed that most panties in that vicinity will be melted by the sexy badassity radiating from your rolling steel beast. Aw

 yea. Here's to when American cars were actually stylish. Check em:

1969 Pontiac GTO Judge

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454

1969 Dodge Charger R/T

1969 Mustang Boss 429

1967 Shelby GT 500