Coldplay Comic Book Series: Mylo Xyloto
Though not unheard of, the collaboration between the music world and comic world is still rare. I am not any sort of comic book aficionado, but when Umbrella Academy (written by Gerard Way front man of My Chemical Romance and illustrated by the oh so talented Gabriel Ba), was released I was well aware and even requested copies for myself. Today when reading Rolling Stone I came across this announcement of another comic series from the minds of Coldplay and decided to share.
During Comic-Con this week you may catch some news about a six part comic series, being published by Matt Groening‘s Bongo Comics Group, about the character Mylo Xyloto. The band Coldplay along with Mark Osborne an academy-award winning director and writer created this character a few years back with the storyline that inspired their latest album by the same name:
“It is the story of Mylo Xyloto, a young Silencer on the front lines of a war against sound and color in the world of Silencia. Mylo discovers that the enemy he’s been trained to hate his whole life might not be the enemy after all. There will hopefully be many, many connections for people who have heard the album.”
If this is something you fancy and you happen to be wading in the pool of nerdy bodies that is comic con this week there will be a panel to celebrate the first issue’s release on July 13th.
Uno! Dos! and Tre! news
Green Day is really gearing up for their most ambitious project yet. As we reported last month they have already been releasing Teasers. Their trilogy of albums so named: Uno! Dos! & Tre! are set to be released between September and January. When asked what their motivation was they related their a-ha moment:
“The songs just kept coming, kept coming. I’d go, ‘Maybe a double album? No, that’s too much nowadays.’ Then more songs kept coming. And one day, I sprung it on the others: ‘Instead of Van Halen I, II and III, what if it’s Green Day I, II and III and we all have our faces on each cover?'”
They are not stopping with music though, they are also releasing two documentaries to go along with them. When asked what these docs were about Billy said:
“It’s not going to be the sitting down, head shot of me going, ‘We started out blah blah blah’,” Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told Billboard. “We wanted to get into lifestyles of rock & roll and playing rock & roll and letting the story kind of tell itself rather than create revisionist [history].”
Uno! is set to be released on September 25th of this year, but if that is not soon enough for you the first single “Oh Love” will be available on July 16th.
No Doubt (Gwen Stefani, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and Adrian Young,) is back. They have begun promotion for the new album Push and Shove by releasing a teaser for their new music video to accompany their first single: Settle Down.Muse – Survival
I heard this song on the radio yesterday and for some reason Shazaam was totally useless. Then I came across this link that provided me with the name and huge news for a favorite band of mine… MUSE. This song has been chosen to be the official song for the 2012 Olmpics in London. Muse has truely outdone themselves this time, this rock-opera-queen-esque sound is perfect for olympians and us mere mortals alike. Have a listen….
Album of the Week… Linkin Park loves listening to Skrillex
Linkin Park’s newest album Living Things has finally arrived.
The reviews I have seen so far have been pretty brutal, but after first listen it is exactly what I have come to expect from Linkin Park.They deliver their album with an easy flow that links each track together and Chester Bennington breaks up the heavy guitar rifts with his seemingly softer tenor that scream sings you through the song transitions.
One of my favorite albums of all time, Hybrid Theory, has been ranked as one of the best albums of the 00’s and has been awarded Diamond status. This band has a distinctive sound that has lifelong fans. I think that Linkin Park would really have to pull a miracle to surpass Hybrid Theory’s success, but I will keep listening just in case. Living Things is a bit heavier on the electronic feel than usual and for a workout album it is not bad. Loyal Linkin Park fans will not be disappointed with this bass-heavy album.
Fleetwood Mac Tribute Album
Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
Summer is a great time for new music, but what about your favorite classic hits? Best Coast, MGMT, Lykke Li, The New Pornographers and more have covered some of the best Fleetwood Mac songs as a tribute to an iconic band. Fleetwood Mac has been around since 1967 and continued to perform since give or take a couple years. This band has had its share of troubles and more than a few changes in its roster, but all that drama just made the music better. This album is not the first tribute that Fleetwood Mac has seen and most certainly it will not be the last. Even the new generation is getting into their music, perhaps in big part due to Glee‘s own tribute this past season. The most well known songs are from their Rumors album (1977) which stayed at the top of the charts for 31 weeks. The kills will have the honor of covering Dreams.
Here is a copy of the tracklist so you can get hyped up for the album’s August 14th release:
- “Albatross” – Lee Ranaldo Band Featuring J Mascis
- “Landslide” – Antony
- “Before The Beginning” – Trixie Whitley
- “Oh Well” – Billy Gibbons & Co.
- “Rhiannon” – Best Coast
- “Think About Me” – The New Pornographers
- “Angel” – Marianne Faithfull
- “Silver Springs” – Lykke Li
- “Gold Dust Woman” – Karen Elson
- “Storms” – Matt Sweeney And Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
- “Straight Back” – Washed Out
- “That’s All For Everyone” – Tame Impala
- “Sisters Of The Moon” – Craig Wedren with St. Vincent
- “Dreams” – The Kills
- “Gypsy” – Gardens & Villa
- “Tusk” – The Crystal Ark
- “Future Games” – MGMT
Green Day’s Official Trailer For ¡Uno!
It seems that everything now-a-days has a trailer, or a teaser for a trailer…
Movies, video games, music videos, books, and albums.
Most of us grew up with Green Day as one of our go to punk bands and it is always good news when they come out with a new album let alone a trilogy of albums.
“We are at the most prolific and creative time in our lives… This is the best music we’ve ever written, and the songs just keep coming. Instead of making one album, we are making a three album trilogy. Every song has the power and energy that represents Green Day on all emotional levels. We just can’t help ourselves … We are going epic as f—!”
Green Day is no stranger to staying on top of trends and so here is their trailer for their new albums: ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, & ¡Tre!
The first of these albums,¡Uno!, is set to drop on September 25, 2012. Keep your ear out.
It’s the Album of the Week!
Album of the Week:
B.o.B. – Strange Clouds
This album is a sophomore success for B.o.B. for the most part it has been receiving positive reviews and I agree. I really enjoy his dynamic style and he sets himself apart by being flexible and making songs that fit specific moods. Some reviews I have read say that Strange Clouds has a lack of album cohesion, but as I just said, B.o.B. has this style that can express varying moments and I totally dig it.
He is able to hold his own against hip-hop hard-hitters like: T.I., Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and Lil’ Wayne. Collaborations are nothing new in “Hip-Pop” music, but it is rare for a new artist to stand out when they have a veteran on their track. This star power is a bit elevated from his debut album which featured Hayley Williams from Paramore and international radio favorite Bruno Mars.
B.o.B. has moments where I get a bit of a Kanye West vibe especially on his track Ray Bands. He has confidence that borders on Kanye-sized ego, but the difference is that Bobby Ray is keeping this in check.
So all in all, this man has a way with his lyrics and keeps you bobbing your head to each track. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys this hybrid genre. I will be keeping this album in my car because it is perfect driving music (which means no more back-to-back Gotye! Can you say played-out?)
B.o.B.: “I’m really excited about this one. You’re always excited about every project. But I really feel like I’m in my groove with this one. I’m more aware of myself as an instrument, as a sound. It’s more intentful.”
My favorite tracks: Ray Bands, So Good, and Out of my Mind.
Album of the week – Time Travel edition… Early 2000s
So this week the new albums were less than amazing so i decided to go back into my vault and pick out three albums that are worth checking out:
The Strokes – I think we can all agree with Rolling Stone when they say that Is This It? was one of the top albums of the 2000s. This album dropped in the U.S. in October of 2001 and after that you could actually see a change. The music began swaying to that addictive Indie Rock sound and even the fashion began to change. Dudes especially, started saying Good-bye sagging pants… Hello skinny jeans! It is rare when you can have such a significant shift from the success of one album. The music speaks for itself, you have upbeat melodies paired with Julian Casablancas‘ raspy voice and stellar lyrics. This is an album which will be on repeat for days and keep you entertained. My Top 3 Fav tracks: Last Nite, SOMA, and Someday.
Kill Hannah – For Never & Ever is a surprisingly great album. I had heard Kennedy on the radio a few times and thought it would be just another blip on the radar kind of band. A friend of mine insisted that I was wrong, burned me a copy purchased a copy legally, and presented me with it. I was automatically hooked. This band has a way with lyrics that makes you dig deep into the most primal emotions and run with it. Kill Hannah’s Lead Vocalist / Songwriter / Guitarist / Piano man Mat Devine is an amazing frontman. I had the pleasure of catching Kill Hannah while they were opening for Mindless Self Indulgence and I was blown away by their intensity as well as his utter androgeny. ( Nerdy Sidenote: He recently was tapped for the Broadway show Spiderman: Turn off the Dark as Grim Hunter. However, the mounting issues led to a Hiatus and then his role was cut along with the rest of the Geek Chorus.) All in all this is a fun listen. My Top 3 Fav tracks: 10 More Minutes with You, Kennedy, and Boys & Girls
Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American also known as their self-titled album. This album came out in July of 2001, the record label was afraid that the name would be misconstrued (Bleed, American!) after 09/11/2001 so they changed it and the track name to re-release. Despite this small controversy the album sold very well and became the album this band is known for. They even had a successful re-release in 2008 and a ten year celebration tour (which of course i attended singing each word with the equally smitten masses) The lyrics in this album are extremely thoughful and can be applied to any emotional high, personal crisis or pensive moment. My top 3 Fav Tracks: Praise Chorus, If you don’t, don’t and Hear you Me ( the current name of my iPod).
Hope you enjoy these picks and i will keep an ear out for the next album of the week! Don’t be surprised if next week has a bit of disco in it. Mourning yet another music legend this week, Donna Summer. She died of cancer today at the age of 63. So sad, I spent many Saturday nights listening to disco night on 98.1 and Last Dance wrapped it up each time.
Million Dollar Demos coming your way
I have in my possesion two of the unreleased demos from 2002 One by One Foo Fighters’ album! Ok, so yes, you could go online and find these gems yourself; but why bother when you could just join us here at Call Yourself a Nerd?
These are what drummer Taylor Hawkins referred to as the Million Dollar Demos because that is how much money the band dropped on the first draft of their wildly successful One by One album. Why were there two drafts you ask? Well, Taylor was recovering after a bad drug overdose. The band had just finished a long tour and were kind of burnt out, Ghrol was lending his talent to other bands to avoid the band’s creative blocks… in summation: Band drama + personal drama = The almost demise of the Foo Fighters! They dealt with their stuff, regrouped, because they are too awesome to split up and recorded in Dave Ghrol‘s garage to create the version you all, no doubt, have at home.
Before we get to the clips, I have listened to them many many times already and feel justified in saying that the Foo Fighters are one of the best rock bands of our time. They did release these two songs; these are the rough cuts. I appreciate the fact that they wanted to put their best work out there and not just something that would sell. Too many artists get lazy or perhaps frustrated and put out tracks that just fall flat. That is not the case with the Foo Fighters. They always deliver amazing tracks that hold onto that iconic sound while still evolving.
Enjoy! and scroll down for a tangent afterwards….
Tangent… I believe a band is only great if they hit on multiple levels. 1. Sound, 2. Lyrics, 3. Live shows, and 4. ego. You only have to watch this group live once to see that they hit on each and every one of those levels. At their shows it is not about the flashy costume changes, it is about the music and the fans. I went to see them play a huge arena show a few years ago and we were in the pit against the railings about midway in the crowd. They had a catwalk and lowered a second stage from the ceiling so that the people in the back of the arena could have a front row view. They used their stage in a way where even 5’3” Natalia could see everything. They were even gracious to their opening acts, thanking them and expressing how much they enjoyed touring with them. This time it was Weezer who opened for them and since it was the last date on the tour Dave decided to pay male strippers dressed as rock meds to dance behind as they played. I think the massive amounts of cat calls and laughter alerted Rivers to what was going on and it was pretty priceless. So yes, 1. nailed it everytime. 2. everlong… enough said. 3. Best views, great sounds, long sets, guaranteed encore. 4. T-shirts and Jeans, no hollywood crap, c’mon the frontman plays drums for up and coming bands because he loves music. (See: Them crooked Vultures, Queens of the Stoneage etc.), gracious, no frills!
Call Yourself A Nerd 