Missing In Action

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat... I still love you. I have been remiss as remiss can be regarding posting an entry here, and I apologize to all, well, 4 of you that actually seem to read this. As you know -or don't- there's been some change in my life the last few weeks, and my mother was in town for 3 consecutive weekends as well. Free time has been at a premium. I've thought about popping in and saying hello to you, and then I get distracted, and... well, you get it.

I've come into the possession of a few new albums recently, so I thought I'd do some quick takes n said albums for your reading pleasure.

• Coldplay - "Mylo Xyloto" I kept hearing things being said that this album was a departure of sorts. Once I finally took my first listen, I thought the same thing. After a few more listens, this isn't so much a departure as it is just a "peppier" album at times, with a few really dance-y tracks. Are you a fan of the typical Coldplay sound structure? Are you a fan of how Chris Martin seems to have a thing for in-verse-repetition? Well, this album certainly won't disappoint you at all. I thought they'd have a tough time following up "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends," which was possibly their best album to date. MX isn't as good as Viva, but I think it's a lot better than I expected it to be... new-ish sound or not. Stronger tracks include "Hurts Like Heaven," "Charlie Brown," "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall," and "Princess of China (feat. Rhianna)."
  
  
• Bjork - "Biophilia" I want to like this album more than I do. One of the things I've always loved about Ms. Guðmundsdóttir is her seeming inability to stand still and not grow musically. You could wait for a new Bjork record and know you'd hear something new. I just don't hear that this time around. Now, it's fair to say that Bjork has been in the business for over 20 years between her solo career and her time in the Sugarcubes (not to mention bootleg recordings in Icelandic from when she was a child), so maybe her time to be completely "out there" and "new" is done. That said, this isn't a terrible album, I just expected it to grab me more. Stronger tracks include ""Crystalline," "Virus," and "Mutual Core."
  
  
• Radiohead - "TKOL RMX 1234567" Sure, I loves me some Radiohead, but one thing I'm not always a fan of remix albums. These tracks (save for one) are remixes from the album "The King Of Limbs," released earlier this year. The original album is 38 minutes, so I was a touch surprised to see a remix album at 1:45. 2 discs worth of material with several of the tracks having numerous remixes. It's about what one would expect. Some of the mixes are very fresh, very innovative, very what I wanted to hear on the Bjork album. Some of the tracks are just... just... well, they're on the album, we'll leave it there. I'd suggest certain tracks, but mixes seem to be a very personal thing, so I'd just check out what you can. Overall, a positive review, but I think one disc's worth would've been fine.
  
  
• Tom Waits - "Bad As Me" Look, it's tough for me to "recommend" any Tom Waits album, as he's just so out there, and his voice makes Bob Dylan's sound like he's a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But musically and lyrically, Waits is still at the top of his game. If you're into crazy symbolism and a guy who sounds like he just got done making love to a carton of Parliament Lights, Tom Waits is the guy for you. "Bad As Me" has many of the sounds we've heard in later Waits releases such as "Real Gone," and "Mule Variations." If you can only hear a couple of tracks, try "Chicago," "Get Lost," "Bad As Me," and "Satisfied."
  
  
• Erasure - "Tomorrow's World" I suppose there's a bit of a bias towards a band whose lead singer once hit on me when I was a wee lad (well, not "To Catch A Predator wee," but you know), so take all of this with a grain of salt. They're still making fun albums after all these years. There's sometimes when I want to listen to some deep stuff that makes me think, and sometimes I just want to bop my head. "Tomorrow's World" fits that bill beautifully. Enough of the Erasure sound that we've come to know and love to keep us interested, and some fun extras on the deluxe edition. Tracks of note: "When I Start To (Break It All Down)," "Be With You," "What Will I Say When You're Gone," "Just When I Thought It Was Ending."
  
  
• Haberdashery - "Tonight The Angels" Last entry had a little bias, this one has a ton of it. Local Chicago artist, and personal friend Stephen Pearlman is at it again with his 5th long-form release. Bias time: it's his best yet. He envokes so much of the artist we covered in the previous paragraph, but his lyricism is all his own. In this release, he's got messages to his daughter, songs about love, all sorts of things. Again, I'm totally biased, so all I can say is that you need to go to his site, www.haberdasheryinfo.com, and check out the new record. It's also available at CD Baby and iTunes. It's a great album, trust me, you'll love it. Best tracks include "Tonight The Angels," "Tonight Is Forever," "The Answer," and "You Save My Life." (Seriously, check it out).

Okay, I've given you enough to read and listen to in the next few days/weeks... you've got a lot of work to do. I'll hit you all again, soon.