A Review of Bullet For My Valentine's Temper Temper

Temper Temper, the 2013 release from metalcore/hard rock band Bullet For My Valentine, is the perfect example of what happens when a previously innovative band proceeds to sell out.

What’s wrong with that? What exactly is "selling out"?

I don’t have a perfect definition, but from what I understand, after seeing bands who have avoided it and bands who have succumbed to it, selling out is what happens when a band creates "mainstream" (I hate to use that term, but it’s most accurate) music for the sake of popularity, selling albums, selling tickets, or all of the above. Creativity is lost in exchange for new fans. Staleness, simplicity, and "catchiness" are thrown out there in an attempt to catch the attention of the majority of listeners who will skip a song if it doesn't appeal to them the first time. The end result is subpar music.

Peter Tosh: The Steppin' Razor

Continuing in a Freegalistic vein, this time I take a look at one of the giants of classic (roots) reggae, Peter Tosh.

Chris Isaak: In Love Again

I still remember the first time I heard Chris Isaak, way back in 1990. I was working in the back room at

Main and the radio was turned on at low volume. I heard this haunting melody, this voice, and wondered, "Wow, what is that?" It was "Wicked Game", a song I'm sure most of you have heard. The video is also pretty famous (or infamous; I always like to say every American male of a certain age is familiar with the video!) I remember going to Zip's to pick up the cd that Wicked Game was on (Heart Shaped World), but they didn't have it. They did have the album that was released previous to Heart Shaped World, the self-titled Chris Isaak (1986). There are some great tracks on that one, including "Blue Hotel", "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love" (awesome video), "Lover's Game", and "Lie To Me". In some ways I think this album has held up better over the years than Heart Shaped World.

Here's my "I met Chris Isaak" story. "Wicked Game" was quickly becoming a huge single...

Pharrell's GIRL: A Recap of 2013

Pharrell's new album, GIRL, is nothing but a highly polished recap of the great year he had in 2013. And why not? The longtime musician and producer (of acts like the Neptunes and N.E.R.D.) was constantly in the spotlight with a string of smash hits and television appearances. Pharrell spent the better part of the year dominating the radio waves with the two biggest songs of the summer, Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." He continued his airwave domination the fall with his contribution to Despicable Me 2, the top-tapping hit, "Happy." This sugary sleeper hit is on constant radio rotation to this day. After listening to GIRL twice through, my simple review of the album: if you loved (or can still tolerate) the above songs, GIRL deserves your weekly Freegal downloads and a spot on your playlist. But if the thought of blurred lines and lucky robots makes you nauseous, stay far, far away from this one. Read below for some critiques of the individual tracks!