Thursday, February 20, 2003 :::

Best moments in entertainment this year, thus far:

By far, the best song this year has been "Foreign Language" by Anberlin. In my opinion, it's the very definition of rock and roll. If anyone ever asked me to describe it, I'd just say that it was "rockin'". Unfortunately, the only version of the song that I've found on Kazaa is the demo, which isn't nearly as good as the version found on the Tooth and Nail sampler cd that comes with Further Seems Forever's new album. If you have a decent connection to the 'net and wanna' hear it, I'll send it to ya. So good...

The award for all-around goodness within a song goes to Evanescence. It starts around the 2:05 mark in "Imaginary" and goes 'till about 2:36. Thirty seconds of greatness.

The best new band of the year would be Evanescence, but they've been around for a while already - they're just now releasing their first major label debut is all - but then, it's terribly unlikely that any band that formed this year is going to come out with something amazing for us to hear, so...yay Evanescence. This band is going to take the world by storm.

Shittiest music news of the year (so far): Finger Eleven is off the bill for Ozzfest. Damn it all, I'm NEVER going to see my favorite (?) band in concert.

Best movie thus far: not even worth saying, because X2 and The Matrix movies are still to come. What a GREAT YEAR for the entertainment industry!


Enough of that for now, i guess... - so here are my thoughts on Daredevil. It wasn't anything terribly special, but I enjoyed myself. Colin Farell did a great job portraying Bullseye, who was probably my favorite character in the movie. There was far too much "showcasing" of music, though... - unless a movie intends to be a musical, there should never be full non-diagetic songs. I'll probably wind up buying it when it comes out on dvd. X-Men was definitely better, but I thought that DD beat out Spiderman. Less corn, less digital-graphic-mess, more mature... - or maybe i just need to watch Spiderman again. DD was darker...less Hollywood...and I like that. I suppose that nothing will ever top the original Batman...but I felt that Daredevil was a step in the right direction. X2 looks DAMN promising, though...but there's so much shit going on that it may wind up feeling schizophrenic. We'll see...

This coming Tuesday is the release date for the debut record from Mae, entitled "Destination: Beautiful". If you're a fan of Jimmy Eat World or any band similar to them, I HIGHLY recommend you purchase this album. Download "Sun" and "Embers and Envelopes," see what you think, and if you dig it, look for it on Tuesday.

Alright, stop reading and go outside.

::: posted by AJBrotz at 5:42 PM

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Tuesday, February 18, 2003 :::

"I met a man locked away for things he hadn't done.
Innocence on a ball and chain, he'll never feel the sun
Again on his face or roses in his hands,
But when he smiled at me, I could understand:

"If you're free, you'll never see the walls.
If your head is clear, you'll never free fall.
If you're right, you'll never fear the wrong.
If your head is high, you'll never fear at all."

-an excerpt from "Exploder" by Audioslave

::: posted by AJBrotz at 3:21 AM

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Wednesday, February 12, 2003 :::

So...everyone and their mother was sold out of Further Seems Forever's new album today (yesterday, technically), except for two places that I never buy records from - FYE and Borders. Best Buy had the cd for 6muthafuckin'99, but apparently, it sold like hotcakes...anyway, i had to resort to paying 10.99 at Borders. Still not a bad price, but i could have saved $4. It's a decent cd... - two tracks are definitely awesome, but they were tracks that i had already heard, and the rest of the cd seems...okay. The new singer is good enough, but he's no Chris Carrabba. But on to the real point of this post...
Packaged with the Further album is a sampler cd, consisting of 10 tracks from various bands that are signed to Tooth and Nail. In all honesty, after listening to the first 5 tracks, i was compelled to purchase 5 cds. This is good MUSIC! It's as if i forgot what music really was... - no screaming, huge melody, great vocals, tasteful guitars...it's just...nice. Nice is the word. I'll recommend one track for now: "Foreign Language" by Anberlin. Fun stuff...complete with "doo doo doo's" and all. Lemme know what you think - i really think you'll dig it, anne. I'll comment on more bands as i get to know them. ciao...

::: posted by AJBrotz at 3:23 AM

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Thursday, February 06, 2003 :::

Daredevil is almost here...but until then, I will have the remants of Chicago to hold me over. I shall see the acclaimed musical this weekend...

"It's time for some Headlines!"

TOP 3 ALBUMS OF 2002 (in loose, often-changing order):
Finch: What it is to Burn
The Used
Blindside: Silence
These CDs spent the most time in my CD player last year, and still can't seem to stay out of it. Great music, heartfelt lyrics, superb recording qualities - in my eyes, these 3 albums were enough to make 2002 an exceptional year for music. Awesome musical journeys, from their beginnings all the way through to their ends.
Interesting (and encouraging) fact: these three records were the major label debuts for each band.

TOP 3 SONGS OF 2002:
Evanescence: Bring Me to Life
Mad at Gravity: In Vain
Vanessa Carlton: Sway
What can I say...these songs have made my list of all-time favorite songs. If you haven't already, DOWNLOAD THEM.
Interesting fact: none of the above artists released records that made my top 3. However, M@G was a runner up, and Evanescence will surely become a favorite of 2003 once it is released (on March 4th).

BEST SURPRISE OF 2002:
Audioslave
I really wasn't expecting much from this band, and I'm happy to say that they totally caught me off-guard. When listening to this album, it is as if Chris Cornell and the boys of Rage had been together for years prior to making this recording. Nothing feels forced - it's all very natural-sounding, and GOOD. We'll just have to see if they can stay together long enough to make another album...

WORST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2002:
Dredg: El Cielo
Now this one...this one really vexed me. I had HUGE expectations for this album after hearing amazing reviews, enormous hype, and only one song... - I even lit candles in my room when I spun the disc for the first time. It's not that it's a bad album, by any means... - far from it, in fact...but...I dunno. The recording quality is less than impressive, the band is not nearly tight enough to satisfy me...but I guess the band's main downfall is the vocalist. There's just something annoying about it...something that doesn't fit the music. Something...well...something dead. Listen to a few tracks and you'll probably catch my drift. Definitely not a bad record - it just doesn't come close to classification as one of my favorites. Disappointment.

TOP 3 MOVIES OF 2002:
The Ring
Minority Report
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Yeah, go ahead, bitch at me, but I'm putting The Ring at the top of the list. As most of you know, this movie completely scared THE SHIT right on out of my asshole. I had serious issues with freaking myself out after seeing the movie for 3 nights in a row, and occasionally, I still have some trouble sleeping - whenever Samara sneaks into my head. NO OTHER MOVIE has ever had this strong of an effect on me. Maybe it was just the night I saw it...maybe I was in the perfect mood for a horror flick...but all I can say is I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL. The movie comes out on dvd March 4th - I suggest you all pick it up. It'll be great for stormy nights when you're with your significant other. Just make sure you make a copy. As for the other two movies - you've all heard more than enough about them from everyone and their mother.

BEST SHOW OF 2002:
South Park
I think this show has become a bit underrated, and it's a shame, because honestly, it's just as funny as it ever was.

That's enough for now...BEST MOMENT is yet to come, but that one deserves some serious consideration.

::: posted by AJBrotz at 9:11 PM

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Tuesday, February 04, 2003 :::

Quickies:

Prayers to all who were affected by the Columbia tragedy.

I miss the island so much it hurts...

The Recruit is a decent flick - definitely worth seeing.

Panzer Dragoon Orta is an amazing game. Absolutely gorgeous visuals.

Download "Field of Innocence" and "Even in Death" by Evanescence.

Watch out for the transdimensional warp.

::: posted by AJBrotz at 1:54 AM

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