So Much Music, So Little Time.

When I have spare moments, I often cruise over to metacritic or amazon.com and read critics’ and commoners’ album reviews. One thing that always blows me away is the immediacy with which people can crank out album reviews. “I just bought this album 3 hours ago, and it has been in my stereo NON-STOP! Five stars!!!” Whenever I pick up a new album, it takes me a long time to process it. Of course, I usually gather together preliminary thoughts, but they are more like mental notes about what I thought about the album when I first got it. Time, and many listens, is the only real test to figure out how an album stands over time.

So, I recently picked up the latest from 30 Seconds to Mars since a friend swore I’d like it. I can tell you my initial impression is good, and like one reviewer on Amazon said (something along these lines) “scientists have discovered a new form of entertainer – the actor turned musician who doesn’t suck.” That’s Jared Leto, and he can actually wail. I found some YouTube live performances that were impressive. The music is a bit “overdone” for me at this point, but it’s growing on me.

In the meantime I’d like to recommend Hum – “You’d Prefer and Astronaut” to appease you. If you like Radiohead – “Pablo Honey” you will love it. Casual, dream-like lyrics, hard guitars – it’s a bit mesmerizing, but in a good way.

I plan to pick up the new And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead on the way home. If you don’t already own their “Source Tags and Codes,” buy it – now.