Dear Friends, I have finally ridden one last time unto the breach and am in my last quarter of school!!! And of course, in keeping with tradition, I’m avoiding homework! 😀
Without further ado…
I want to first acknowledge today is the U.N. International Day of Peace. While I’m sure we all have some reservations about the possibility of such a thing succeeding (and possibly some with the U.N. in general), I do believe we all must hope for at least a brief respite to allow thoughts of peace in. The more we allow ourselves to consider peace as an option, the more likely peace becomes an option.
Peace and Cool Art Work
On a lighter note, I cannot stop listening to Chris Cornell’s new album Higher Truth. I’ve been a fan since I first heard Soundgarden’s “Outshined” (and no, not just for his awesome shirtlessness. Though, hey, I was a teenager. And darn it, we should enjoy beauty when we can) and have been looking forward to this album for awhile now.
It does not disappoint. As Chris willingly admits, his voice has changed with age and I agree with his assessment – the range may not be quite the same but he is much more able to effectively communicate emotion. It was very apparent on 2011’s excellent Songbook and it continues here. He has managed to hit on a degree of emotional honesty that he seems very comfortable with at last and that strikes a powerful chord for me. As always, his lyrics manage a balance between dark, light, and a dark sense of humor that resonates deeply.
All in all, I give the album an 8 out of 10 on the MARS* scale. Two points for the occasional weak points particularly with some of the instrumentation choices and the occasional lapse into filler territory. But all in all, excellent effort and I look forward to seeing him on October 2nd at the Paramount!
A quick taster of the highlights:
The first single “Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart”
Murderer of Blue Skies (we’ve all felt this way, I think!)
Wrong Side (I do love a well done “story song” – well done on the build and the ambience!):
And something a little more cheery, at least in vibe:
And, speaking of the ‘90s, Garbage is releasing a remastered, suped-up version of their first album in multiple formats. I LOVED this record (who could resist “Milk”?!) and will be checking it out when it comes out on October 2nd! (Sadly they aren’t coming to Denver on tour–but this continues my curse of not being able to see them, so it figures. 😛 )
As always, enjoy your music responsibly. Buy it or stream it but make sure you feed the artists!
*Michelle’s Arbitrary Rating Scale