SHINEDOWN - US AND THEM

This was a CD my baby sister, Annie gave me a few years before she died.  She wanted me to listen to it because she thought I would like it.  I kept it around but never played it.  When she was gone, I listened to it non-stop for days.  Even now, when I listen to this record, I think of her and it breaks my heart.

Shinedown aren't a band I'd heard of prior to Annie's suggestion.  I see them around now on friends' Facebook feeds or sometimes people discuss them when we talk about music.  But for me, they were a virtual unknown.  They sorta fit a genre of music I dabbled in, but never fully embraced.

Shinedown wear their influences on their shirt sleeves the way some people wear their hearts.  They obviously came up in the 90's when Grunge was a huge movement.  I wouldn't lump them in that category though, because they sound more like bands that happened afterward.  It's in the way the lead singer arranges his vocals.  There are moments when I feel like I'm listening to The Smashing Pumpkins and at other times, Soundgarden.  The music is generally aggressive and more rock than anything.  They're definitely more of a straightforward rock outfit.

I usually put the disc in and let it play, but there is one song I will listen to over and over.  The last track on the album is called 'Some Day' and although it's not about my sister, it feels like it is.  For me, the song is about the distance between two people.  The space between life and death.  Not being able to see her, talk to her or listen to her.  I don't know how else to describe what's become such an internalized and personal song.  It's a tune that captures something inside of me and transforms into an essential part of how I view certain memories and feelings.  For me, it's a part of what remains of her around me.  In both my heart and mind, I feel her in the sound.  This music was her favorite.  

And you hear her in it.

My final words:  A GREAT ALBUM WITH DEEP PERSONAL MEANING.

SHINEDOWN - US AND THEM
01. The Dream
02. Heroes
03. Save Me
04. I Dare You
05. Yer Majesty
06. Beyond The Sun
07. Trade Yourself In
08. Lady So Divine
09. Shed Some Light
10. Begin Again
11. Atmosphere
12. Fake
13. Some Day

THE CRYSTAL METHOD - TWEEKEND

The Crystal Method are a Vegas band who went to LA to get famous.  They came out of that same electronic music movement that spawned The Chemical Brothers.  In fact, they are most often compared to The Chems.  I remember the days of Napster...  And Limewire...  People used to list TCM tracks as Chem tracks and vice versa.  Always somebody who wants people to think they've got something no one else has.  Or to trick people into listening to a different group.

I discovered TCM on the local Las Vegas Alternative Rock station.  Xtreme Radio actually played them back in the 90's right alongside Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Nirvana.

Over the years, I've purchased a lot of their material.  My opinion of them is a bit skewered.  Because they're so heavily compared to the Chems, I get caught up in comparing them as well...  Which, is stupid because they're actually very different bands.  I think the only thing they might actually share in common is the equipment they use and the fact they're both mostly electronic bands.

The Chems seem to be influenced by math and anthem stadium rock.  They're psychedelic.  TCM is another creature entirely.  With TCM, I hear the distant influence of house music floating in the background, but what really sets them apart is the fact this band is focused on the beat.  They're songs are written with rhythm in mind and the beat is often the biggest part of the song.  Everything else takes second place.  On the other hand, what sets them apart is the soul I hear when I listen to them.  They incorporate a lot of R&B/Soul sounds in their songs.  From vocalists to beats, you can hear it bubbling up.  Let's face it, they're funky.  And that's where their edge comes from.

The first song on "Tweekend" is 'PHD' and it's a groove if ever there was one.  I think this is a great opening track because it doesn't overload you, but it reeves the engine and gets you going for something more substantial like track #2, 'Wild, Sweet And Cool".  This is one of the funky numbers and they don't so much play the song on the album so much as blow it up in your face!  This is the game changer song.  It immediately flips you on your ear and sets up the rest of the disc.  'Roll It Up' keeps the beat rolling along.  This is another great tune and one you could imagine yourself blasting out the window of whatever vehicle you're driving.

'Murder' features former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman, Scott Weiland on lead vocals.  It's a decent track.  I feel like it sorta drops the bottom out of the momentum though.  Still, it's got a deep bass sound if you pump your speakers up.  The next track is probably the strongest on the disc.  'Name Of The Game' is the reason this disc gets a parental warning sticker so if you're listening to the disc with your kids, you might want to skip this one.  Even though the song is kicking and the best on the album.

'The Winner' is a track that starts off slow, but has a decent build and eventually gets the sound back on target.  I actually think this song would've been better if they'd put it right before 'Name Of The Game'.  You'd have the breakdown bit where everything seems to slow down.  This track would gradually bring the tempo back up and the punch of NOTG would've been much more exciting.  'Ready For Action' pounds in like a military maneuver from Call Of Duty.  It's just so dang funky once the beat solidifies.  'Ten Miles Back' tones everything down and actually starts off sounding like TCM are sampling sounds from old Casio Keyboards, but then their rich, textured beats jump up and you're deep in the track.  I love this one too.  The female vocalist is subdued and her levels are perfect for the track.  She's singing about something left behind and her vocals can sometimes sound distant.  At the pace this track moves, it's not hard to imagine you've left something behind.  It's followed by 'Over The Line' and this groove is one for chillin'.  You can listen to this number while relaxing and it will get your feet stomping without making you move your butt.  It's just a nice, calm groove.  Sometimes, these are the best kinds.

'Blowout' is up next and it starts off sounding like the opening theme to a science fiction series.  There's some drawn out keyboard notes playing over and over until Boom!!!!  The beat drops in and suddenly, you're off!  This is another one of those funky beats that make TCM so groovy.  It's a driving machine of a beat.  'Tough Guy' is the last track on the disc and as it starts you suspect it may also be the only ballad on the disc.  And you'd be partly correct.  The track is ambitious in that it's constructed of a series of movements rather than a straightforward beat or song structure.  And each one has its own tempo.  Still, it's probably my least favorite track on the disc even though I appreciate it the most.

"Tweekend" throws you a final curve in the form of a remix of 'Name Of The Game' as a hidden bonus cut.  That's always a treat and I like it when groups do stuff like that.  Bonus tracks are always awesome!

I quite like this disc and I like TCM so it's not a huge surprise.  I don't think they're doing anything unique or different in electronic beat music.  But they are the best at what they do.  They're out to make you dance, not challenge preconceptions and that being the case, I think they succeed famously.  My final words:  GOT NOTHING TO DO THIS WEEKEND?  TRY TWEEKEND!

THE CRYSTAL METHOD - TWEEKEND
01. PHD
02. Wild, Sweet And Cool
03. Roll It Up
04. Murder
05. Name Of The Game
06. The Winner
07. Ready For Action
08. Ten Miles Back
09. Over The Line
10. Blowout
11. Tough Guy
12. Name Of The Game (Remix)