No, i’m not dead. I haven’t updated in sooo long because real life has begun. College has ended – i’m working a real job… I’m still buying music, just don’t really have the time for this blog anymore. I have begun writing my own music and I encourage you to check it out!
Posted in Uncategorized
A couple days ago i went back to record time. I decided i didn’t really like the Trenches album i had picked up so i sold it back to them at a loss. I told the guy that i had bought it brand new from them and litteraly played it once. He was cool about, i lost money, but he gave me 5$ for it which is better than they usually give ya. So armed with those $5 and a little bit more cash i browsed and found a couple worthwhile albums.
“mmhmm” – Relient K
I’ve been looking for this one for awhile. I got into this album sophomore year of high school. It really reminds me of a girl i used to date. They were her favorite band and i got her the album for her birthday, then i burned a copy of it off of her. I really ended up liking it, it was a little more mature sounding than Relient K’s previous releases, and after giving it a couple spins it really grew on me. The album has alot of catchy songs that get stuck in your head — lot of great songs to sing along to. It’s a must-have for any one who really likes christian pop-punk!
Genre: Pop-Punk
Christian or Secular?: Christian
Track-listing:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
1. Shift the Blame
2. 15
3. Talk of the Weather
4. Photographic Memory
5. Death Penalty
6. Problem Solving
7. Easy
8. Papertrail
9. Fix Another
10. Stay Out of the Sun
11. Upside Down Pictures
12. The Fence
Price Paid: $6
Good start to the New year!
Stay tuned for more updates!
Posted in Music Blogs
Tagged number one gun, Record Time, Relient K, surrogate, Tooth and Nail Records, trenches
Here’s a few more album i got during the tail end of 2008 that i am just now getting on here… I know, i know… i have no excuse…
“Save me from Myself” – Brian “Head” Welch
I heard about this guy awhile back and downloaded some free tracks from his myspace. They were ok, but I didn’t really get into them. A few years later now, he’s come out with an entire album, and I have to say it’s better than his earlier stuff. Now, you may not know who this guy is, but you have probably heard of his former band: Korn. Yes, that Korn. He was there guitarist and he accepted Christ and left the band. His band-mates were really cool about it. From the lyrical content of his music I can tell that he has really taken his faith serious and matured greatly. It’s really encouraging to see. The album, though not the best I’ve ever heard, is not bad at all. It still reflects that eerie quality that Korn was famous for, but the album features a great addition: HOPE. Not a bad venture from mister Head. Not bad at all.
Genre: Metal / Rap Rock / Industrial
Christian or Secular?: Christian
Track-listing:
1. L.O.V.E.
2. Flush
3. Loyalty
4. Re-Bel
5. Home
6. Save Me From Myself
7. Die Religion Die
8. Adonai
9. Money
10. Shake
11. Washed By Blood
Price Paid: $14.30
“Doubt becomes the new addiction” – Flee the Seen
I got this when I came home for thanksgiving weekend. I went in record time and found this in the clearance section. I listened to it in the store and decided to go for it. I really like it now that I’ve had a chance to listen to it for a while. I’m am usually skeptical of female fronted rock bands, but I have to say these guys (and girl 😉 ) are one of the best I’ve heard so far; and the best I’ve heard in their genre I think. It’s very scene hardcore / emo-core but not annoying. I like the album a lot. Lyrically they tackle some pretty good issues; the one that sticks out in my mind is the fact that our culture is so obsessed with the self, and so consumer focused. (Track: “Right before you Disappear”) Some pretty good writing lyrically as well, sighting the same song as an example, check out some of the lyrics:
“Prioritize the purchases
Fist clench the receipts that
Keep you accountable
That make your life make sense, to make cents
I have this so I am this”
I have to say, I picked a pretty good one for never having heard these guys before. Well worth it.
Genre: Scene / Hardcore / Emo-core
Christian or Secular?: Christian
Track-listing:
1. Celebrate the Static
2. Wardrobe Full of Fiction
3. Do You Think Dallas Is Still in the Slammer
4. I’ll Be Back on Sunday
5. November 5th
6. Wire Tap Out
7. Broken Thoughts of Praise
8. Interlude
9. Right Before You Disappear
10. Start the End Again
11. 300 Voices at Liberty Hall
Price Paid: $2
“45 Days” – Demon Hunter
This is a new 2 DVD 1 CD box-set from one of my favorite metal bands; Demon Hunter. The first DVD is a film about Demon Hunter; it’s an artistic documentary about them touring and their fans and such. It’s really cool. The second DVD is a live concert and the CD is the original music from the film. A good set all in all, recommended for the serious Demon Hunter fan.
Genre: Metal
Christian or Secular?: Christian
CD Track-listing:
Price Paid: $28.99
“Dial M” – Starflyer 59
Jason Martin never dissapoints. Seriously, I know i’ve said it before but it’s true. His newest release, “Dial M,” has been well worth the wait since “My Island” which I got a couple years ago. There is not a single song on Dial M that is bad. Jason’s sound continues to evolve and it seems that everything he puts his hand to turns to gold. This album takes a somewhat new direction but still delivers a great sound. It’s a very hard to describe sound, but trust me, it’s good… If you’ve never given Starflyer 59 a listen before, this would not be a bad album to start with as long as you understand that no two sf59 albums are alike. Give it a try, seriously. You can get a taste of the sound over at his myspace. Then buy the album.
Genre: Indie Rock
Christian or Secular?: Christian
Track-listing:
Price Paid: $10 (I think, I can’t quite remember, I bought it new at Record Time thankgiving weekend.)
So their you have it, a few more of my final aquisitions of 2008, if i think of anymore i’ll be sure to post them…
Posted in Album Reviews, Music Blogs
Tagged brian "head" welch, brian welch, Demon Hunter, flee the seen, head, Jason Martin, Korn, Record Time, Starflyer 59
I had some freetime and a little cash so i decided to see if there was anything new at good ol’ Record Time. I found a few things that were pretty cool, and one i’m not quite sure about yet.
“Pedal to the Metal (Advance/Promo)” – Blessed By a Broken Heart
I found these guys on myspace in highschool and downloaded a few of their free tracks back then. Listened to a couple of them pretty regularly for a while but never really considered myself a real fan of the band. A few months ago i heard they were coming out with a new CD and i read a review of it. Then today i was browsing the metal section and i ran across this… I chuckled to myself as i picked up the CD. I decided to give it a listen and it actually wasn’t that bad. They are a band that really wishes it was still the 80’s, i mean, just look at the album cover. But even though it is some crazy new kind of hair metal, it rocks pretty hard with just a dash of the ridiculous. Not a bad find.
Tracklisting:
1. Intro (1:57)
2. She Wolf (4:49)
3. Show Me What You Got (4:07)
4. Move Your Body (3:29)
5. She’s Dangerous (3:50)
6. To Be Young (3:58)
7. Doing It (3:33)
8. Blood On Your Hands (4:41)
9. Don’t Stop (3:35)
10. Carry On (4:27)
11. Ride Into The Night (3:50)
Price Paid: $3
“The Blueprint Dives” – Extol
I have been looking for this album for a long time. This is one of the few true goth-metal type bands that i like,and really only the sound of this album really does it for me. In this album they began to incorporate more singing and it’s really beautiful. I was on my way out of the store today when i glanced at the metal rack and this was right in the front. I was pretty shocked and i laughed and grabbed it. The album is pretty masterfully done. Hard to put into words but it’s a really good Scandinavian metal album.
Tracklisting:
1. Gloriana
2. Soul Deprived
3. In Reversal
4. Pearl
5. From The Everyday Mountain Top
6. Another Adam’s Escape
7. The Things I Found
8. Lost In Dismay
9. Essence
10. Void
11. The Death Sedative
12. Riding For A Fall
Price Paid: $6
“The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole” – Trenches
Jimmy Ryan (ex Haste the Day) has a new project called Trenches. I got the album today to check it out… not sure how i feel about it yet. Once i give it some time i will update this blog with a review.
Price Paid: 13.99
Well that’s it for now, i am still working on getting you guys completely back up to speed. I’m getting there slowly. Well, probably won’t post again this year so, have a good new year! See ya in ’09!
Posted in Music Blogs
Tagged blessed by a broken heart, extol, Haste the Day, jimmy ryan, Record Time, trenches
So as you loyal readers know, I’ve had a very busy semester. 18 credits is quite a load. That doesn’t leave much time for things like work, or updating blogs. That resulting in a few things; it reduced the rate at which i could acquire new music due to lack of funds, and it prevented me from keeping this sight updated well. I did buy a good number of CD’s over this semester, but by now i might not remember in exactly what order i got them, so i will just review them as i think of them and get you guys back up to speed. I will review a few today and a few more at later dates until i get you guys caught up.
“Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat” – The Juliana Theory
I was in Record Time around a month or two ago during one of my brief trips back home this semester and i stumbled across this album on the clearance rack. I had never heard a song off this album and the only previous experience i had with the Juliana Theory was their album “Love” which, as i wrote before, grew on me over time. I thought i would give it a listen before buying it and after hearing only the first track i decided it’d be worth it. Now I’ve had considerable time to listen to this album and i have to say it is amazing! I really like “Love” but frankly, this album is a cut above their previous work. The subject matter is a bit darker, fittingly it follows the album “Love” with subject matter of things that are post-love like regret, break-ups etc. The music is just a bit more abrasive to fit with the slightly jaded lyrics but it really pulls you in! So many of the songs are so catchy you just can’t help singing along with them, especially “Leave like a Ghost (Drive Away)” which is my favorite track on the album. All in all, this is a solid release that leaves you hungry for more!
Tracklisting:
01. This Is A Lovesong For The Loveless
02. We Make The Road By Walking
03. Shotgun Serenade
04. Leave Like A Ghost (Drive Away)
05. My Heart Is A Soldier
06. I Love You To Death ( Drive Safe)
07. This Valentine Ain’t No Saint
08. 10,000 Questions
09. The Final Song
10. French Kiss Off
Price Paid: $3
“Dreamer” – Haste the Day
Haste the Day has always been one of those bands that i’ve really tried to like. For the longest time i had all of their albums downloaded and i got into one or two of their old songs (like “Long Way Down” in which they sing a lot). When i heard they were coming out with a new album i went to their myspace site and checked out the new track and i was impressed. As far as my metal tastes go, i have really moved away from the constant screaming type of stuff. I still like the energy and intensity of a good scream, but too much just seems to bore me… i need something i can sing along with, i think it’s because i am a singer myself. That being said, i my honest opinion, “They’re Only Chasing Safety” is the best Underoath album to date, and now Dreamer, the best Haste the Day album. Their new singer has brought melody into the mix of killer drums and guitar riffs reminiscent of As I Lay Dying. When i am in the mood to headbang, Dreamer is where i turn at the moment. The entire album is really well composed, though maybe a bit short. If you like heavy music, but still enjoy something to sing along with, i suggest giving this a try!
Tracklisting:
Price Paid: $13.99
Well, that’s enough for now. Stay tuned for more updates!
Posted in Album Reviews, Music Blogs
Tagged Haste the Day, Record Time, The Julianna Theory, Underoath
Not to make excuses but I’ve been really busy this semester… in fact it’s been the busiest one of my college career to date. That being said, i still should have been able to update this thing once or twice in the last few months… man I’m a slacker! OK, well, on to the good news… during the past few months i got somewhere around ten albums… i am going to start updating this blog again with reviews and such soon so look for those. I’ll even do one now real quick to keep you guys interested… hopefully i can remember how much i paid for all those albums… OK, here goes… I’m back baby!
“The Sleeping House” – Cool Hand Luke
So a few months ago i was surfing the firestream.net forums and i saw a post about Cool Hand Luke. I just about flipped out when i saw that it was talking about a brand new CHL album! As far as anyone knew, CHL was dead for good and then all of a sudden they come out with a new album. Even cooler was that it was made available before it’s actual street release date… all you had to do was order it off the Lujo Records website. I did it as soon as i could spare the cash and i got the album about mid October. Oh man! Not only is CHL back, but they are back in force! This is such a solid album! Every song displays their mastery of songwriting combining floating piano melodies with biting bass-lines and guitar riffs that pull it all together into a sea of audial revelry. Lyrically this band is almost unmatched. They are not ashamed of Jesus Christ and the subject matter is deep and penetrating. The way some people write songs you can really tell that they have a grasp on the scriptures. CHL’s sleeping house offers messages that aren’t the cookie-cutter of the Christian pop scene, but something of real substance! I hope that this revival is not short lived and that we are graced with at least one more record from this great collection of christian men.
Tracklisting:
1. Fast Asleep
2. Cast Your Bread
3. Failing in Love
4. Buy the Truth
5. The Mirror
6. Eye of the Storm
7. The City Prevails
8. Spirit Sing
9. Wonder Tour
10. The House
11. The Incomprehensible Sleep
12. Wide Awake
Price Paid: $10 + tax
Happy to be back folks, hopefully i’ll have some more reviews for you soon! (some of those links are a joke, so don’t be offended 😉 )
Posted in Album Reviews, Music Blogs
Tagged Cool Hand Luke, firestream.net, lujo records
So it’s been quite awhile since I’ve gotten any new music. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that i make very little money right now working only 10 hrs a week and going to school full time. The second reason is that their are not really any good places to get music in this town. I went home this weekend so i took the chance and stopped in at Record Time, one of my favorite record stores back home. I found so many good things and am amazed at the haul from this weekend.
“Gold (Re-release)” – Starflyer 59
After picking up “Silver” earlier this summer i decided i wanted more of the early stuff by SF59. Gold is their second album and it has a similar sound to Silver, really good, heavy-yet-ethereal shoegazer. 🙂 Haven’t absorbed it quite yet but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve heard thus far.
Track-listing:
1. A House Wife Love Song
2. Duel Overhead Cam
3. When You Feel Miserable
4. You’re Mean
5. Stop Wasting Your Whole Life
6. Messed Up Over You
7. When You Feel The Mess
8. Somewhere When Your Heart Glowed
9. Indiana
10. Do You Ever Feel This Way
11. One Shot Juanita
12. Next Time Around
13. Goodbyes Are Sad
14. When No One Calls
15. The Starflyer 2000 Reprise
16. Le Vainqueur
Price Paid: $8
“Psychology” – Discover America
I got into DA my senior year of high school i believe. It’s a really cool album. Everything on the album is done by one guy and he does it well. It’s kind of an indie-folk sound; mellow but not boring. He is very ingenuitive and he uses alot of different effects to keep it interesting (including a kazoo 😉 ) I recommend it. This one was on the hunt0list and i was surprised to find it in the clearance section of record time. This is one of those albums i never expected to find in a store. I always thought i’d have to end up ordering of the interenet, but i was pleasantly surprised to find it friday and at such a great price!
Track-listing:
Price Paid: $3
“Floating World” – Anathallo
This is another album i thought i would never find in the store. I got into this album my freshman year of college. I had a couple Anathallo albums on my computer for a very long time before that and i never really got into them but never deleted them for some reason. Then somehow i heard about this album and i decided to download it. I can’t remember if i got into it right away or if it took me a little while but now i enjoy the album very much. I have to be in the right mood for it though, anathallo is a little…. different. This is a very eclectic indie-rock/pop album… They sing half the CD in japanese for no readily apparent reason and use everything from trumpets to hand-claps on this album. Very good, very different listen. Somewhat mellow but picks up in some spots. I think there is even a story to the album, but i haven’t read the insert yet. Found this one at Record Time new so it was a little more pricey but since i hadn’t bought any new music the whole month of september i thought i might as well…
Track-listing:
Price Paid: $12.99
“I’m Only a Man” – Emery
Funny Story. So for the longest time Emery has been a part of my music library. I had all their previous albums plus some rare tracks and for the longest time i really, really tried to like them. For some reason, i just didn’t. Over the summer i heard some tracks from Emery’s newest album, I’m Only a Man, and once again, i tried to like them. I ruckus’d this album and liked a couple of tracks but not enough to buy the album. About my second trip to Record Time this summer i saw a copy of this album, used, on sale for $6. Ever trip to Record Time since i would look at it and pass it up. Just recently i started watching TVUlive again and Emery’s music video for “The Party Song” came up a few times… Well it got stuck in my head and the next thing i new i was singing it in the shower. So i came to like the song. Well, on friday i saw this album at Record Time, but they had moved it to the clearance rack. I saw it there and now that the price was lowered i thought “what the heck” and bought it. I’ve listened to it and couple times since then and i don’t know what happened but i really like this album now… i’ll probably never get into Emery’s old stuff, but i have to admit this album is pretty killer!
Track-listing:
Price Paid: $2
“Peirce the Empire With a Sound” – The Out-Circuit
It’s funny i found this one at record time because i just discovered these guys this past month. I was probably gonna order this album off the internet sometime soon but i found it used for cheaper. 🙂 This is a really cool album, i haven’t absorbed it all yet. It features ex-members of Frodus and Dustin Kensrue of Thrice lends his voice to a song. Solid album from what i’ve gleaned thus far. It is a hard sound to describe. I recommend just going to the Lujo Records website and snaging the free track “Across the Light” from there, it sums the album up pretty well and it’s a really good song!
Track-listing:
1 Come out Shooting
2. Passchendaele
3. Across the Light
4. The Contender
5. The Hexagon
6. The Fall of Las Vegas
7. We
8. Lost Pilot
9. New Wine
10, Scarlet
Price Paid: $6
So found all those and went to check out and got to talking with the owner of Record Time. We started talking about Anberlin’s new album that comes out tomorrow. I asked him if they had it in yet since sometimes stores like that get the album a few days in advance. He said they didn’t but then he did something i didn’t expect. He reached behind the counter and grabbed a limited edition Anberlin 7″ Vinyl that is supposed to come free with the purchase of the album! He looked at the CD’s i was buying, picked one up and said, “Free, with the purchase of any… Anathallo CD!” I laughed and thanked the guy. He pretty much made my day… until i got home.
When i got home there was a package waiting for me. It had a CD inside:
“Anti-Meridian” – Brave Saint Saturn
The third and final (supposedly) BSS album was waiting for me when i got home. I preordered it back in June but then the release date was pushed back. It came out September 15th but i haven’t been home to get it yet. Well, first off, the album is amazing. Reese Roper and the guys are geniouses. I highly recommend the album if you like the other BSS stuff or if you like Five Iron Frenzy. BSS is different than FIF though as it was Reese’s oulet for darker lyrics and subject matter… i think it’s really, really good stuff and definately worth checking out! Ok, so you want to know the best part about this weekend? Well, after checking out the album i pulled the receipt out of the package as well and was flabbergast to see a message written on the recipt in sharpie… it read:
“Jacob, You were the very FIRST person to order Anti-Meridian. NO ONE is cooler than you. -Reese”
Freakin’ Reese Roper of Five Iron Frenzy and Brave Saint Saturn wrote me a note! Sweet!
Track-listing:
Price Paid: $14 (back in June)
It was a really good weekend for music!
So i have finally started to like Underoath’s last release “Define the Great Line.” I’ve had it for a long time and considered it a disappointment… now i’m almost leaning towards getting the newest album they just released this month called “Lost in the Sound of Seperation.” Well, i found a nice way to listen to the entire album online so i can see if i want to. Check it out:
http://www.imeem.com/oathmeal/playlist/8TcasR2j/lost_in_the_sound_of_seperation_music_playlist/
Just go to imeem.com to find other music. 🙂
I’ll let you know when i come to a decision.
In spring i was really, really looking forward to, and sort of banking on my summer job being in one of two places. I was planing on working at either my uncle’s photography studio this summer or at a Christian video production company that i found out about last christmas break. i never got a reply from the second one so i then planned to work for my uncle, which i had done the previous summer and really enjoyed. Working for my Uncle also payed really well, and that was a bonus because the whole reason I came home this summer was to work myself out of debt so i could be free with my finances and be able to do ministry unhindered.
Well, after being home for about three days my uncle told me that he wouldn’t be able to use me this summer. Disapointed, i began job hunting 5+ hours a day. A week later and i still hadn’t found a job and i was getting kind of discouraged. I got kinda mad about my situation and had a crappy attitude about it all. The next day i went into the Subway i worked at in high school and asked if they had any openings… they said no. Here’s where it gets interesting; The next day i get a call from my old manager asking if i can work (at subway); someone quit the day i came in and so I started the next day. Subway started me at $8.00 (more than i used to get paid) and because of the $5 footlong thing i was able to work 30+ hours a week starting out; i never worked that much when i worked there in high school. In spite of all this, my crappy attitude persisted. i did not think of Subway as a blessing, i didn’t really enjoy working there and was still mad that i wasn’t working at my uncle’s.
Then a few weeks go by… i consistantly work night shift (ugh, another thing i do not consider a blessing) and i work almost every night with the same girl. Let’s call her Sarah. We spent at least two hours a night alone at Subway… I, still not realizing my attitude was not the greatest, decide to try and be forward about my faith… i answer all the questions like “do you drink?” “are you a virgin?” truthfully and sight my faith in Jesus Christ as my reason (at least i did something right, lol). So after Sarah started seeing that i take my faith seriously, the questions started coming. She shares with me the fact that she has been around Christians her whole life and that she believes in God. she said she’d even tried to read the Bible before but never understood it… i asked her where she started and she said genesis and i related to her… i asked if she got bogged down in the genealogies and stuff and she said yeah; she always stopped reading at that point. i told her she should start in Matthew with the life of Jesus.
That night I went home and grabbed the Bible i had failed to give away when we were evangelizing during STP and gave it to her the next day with some pages marked; it had the romans road written in the front cover and i told her what it was and that she should read it if she wanted.
That night when i got home I realized what a crappy attitude i had had. Here i was unhappy with the job i had when God had placed me there all along to impact this person. I repented and prayed about it committed that now i would purposely use the rest of my time there to help Sarah.
Soon after that sarah’s boyfriend got arrested. He was practically her husband (the father of her two children) but they were not technically married. He was struggling with heroin addiction so going to jail was actually a good thing… anyway… There was a lot of turbulent things going on in Sarah’s life this summer and i was able to share things with her all summer… every once in awhile i would ask her if she was reading her Bible and keep her accountable and i am still doing it to this day.
Soon before i left we had i discussion about baptism and what it means to be born again. I am now confident to say that Sarah is a member of the kingdom of God! 🙂 i also gave her a Bible story book for her kids and she said she would read it to them! I am still in contact with her and am still trying to keep her accountable and encourage her…
Moral of the story… God can use us, in any situation… whether we are looking for it or not… and that every situation we are in is from God and has a purpose in his plan so we should not get a crappy attitude when things aren’t going our way because things are going God’s way and that is what’s important!
I was too wrapped up in myself… I’m just glad i realized it before i wasted my whole summer. I didn’t do much it was all God… i’m really happy for Sarah too… i hope she continues to grow… i just sent her a text message asking her if she is still reading her bible 🙂
Posted in My Life
Tagged Bible, christianity, Evangelism, God, God's Will, ministry, Salvation, Subway, summer
Hey,
If you read my blog on a regular basis and you want to help me promote, slap this html header on your website or myspace site. If you want, I can link to your site as well. Help my Blog get read, Link to me today! 🙂
P.S. Please let me know if you linked to me so i can check out your site! 🙂
Here is the code, copy and past it into your site HTML:
<p style=”margin-top:10px; margin-bottom:0; padding-bottom:0; text-align:center; line-height:0″><a href=”http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AdventuresOfAMusicHunter/~6/2″><img src=”http://feeds.feedburner.com/AdventuresOfAMusicHunter.2.gif” alt=”Adventures of a Music Hunter” style=”border:0″></a></p><p style=”margin-top:5px; padding-top:0; font-size:x-small; text-align:center”><a href=”http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/headlineanimator/install?id=2346659&w=2″ onclick=”window.open(this.href, ‘haHowto’, ‘width=520,height=600,toolbar=no,address=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars’); return false” target=”_blank”>↑ Grab this Headline Animator</a></p>
It Looks like this 🙂 :
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged adventures of a music hunter, christian music, christianity, HTML, Music Blogs, promote
Adventures of a Music Hunter 
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