so. larry and i are beginning a once a week onslaught on the blogging world, and since the whole point of the Collective Sound stems from an appreciation and love for music, i’m going to begin this with just that. most of what i do, form here on out, will probably be talking about music, reviewing, discussing and sharing thoughts on new albums, movements and shifts within this beloved industry.

first, PJ Harvey. I’ll admit to being somewhat of a late bloomer when it cam to one Polly Jean. my first introduction came in 1995 with the album, “To Bring You My Love” and the single “Down By the Water,” which most people incorrectly remember as the little fish, little fish, swimming in the water song. vocally, she has always had an incredibly haunting voice and that was the initial hook for me. in regards to “Down By the Water,” it was that voice coupled by the apocalyptic sounding synth, overdriven bass line. upon hearing, i purchased “Bring You my Love” and the preceding albums, but then lost touch with her until the amazing “Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea” in 2000, which came with an unbelievable duet between her and one Thom Yorke.

the new album continues in this vein of defying genre and existing solely as it is. she belongs in a category amongst bands like radiohead who continue to make inspired music uninfluenced by the happening of popular radio trends. and they stay amazing. highly recommended. key tracks: “Black Hearted Love,” “Leaving California,” and the title track.

the other cd i picked up was the new one from one mr. bob dylan. dylan has worn many masks throughout his career; poet, voice of a generation, renegade, pioneer protest singer. he has had many phases; folk, his electric turn, blues, christian, rockabilly. his newest… i’m not sure how to categorize. as i mentioned above, there are a few artists throughout the history of music that tend to do whatever they want, ignoring the ebb and flow of the current scene. honestly, the first few tracks sound like tom waits, and i love me some tom waits. this album follows suit, continuing on a sound from 1997’s “Time out of Mind.”

dylan, at his best, is a whirlwind. he picks you up and makes you run a labyrinth of imagery, backed by a band sculpted throughout the years by the man himself. at his worst, he’s still the greatest storyteller of our time. this album captures both. while not his best work, still better than most else out there, and definitely worth a listen. key tracks: “Beyond Here lies Nothin,” “Life is Hard,” “Jolene.”

here is the first video off the new dylan album.

-tim

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm and is filed under Music Review, Music Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.