Friday New Releases – August 30th

We are at the end of August and are getting ready for some huge releases that will be coming in September and October.  This week has a ton of releases, but none I am eager to run out and get although one everyone is talking about (but me – well I am talking about it, but I don’t really care).  My choices are limited and highlighted in Blue.  Let me know what you are interested in hearing or if I missed anything as that is known to happen…frequently.  Have a great week.

  • 81MUYOosNDL._SS500_.jpg  Sons of Apollo – Live With the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony – (Inside Out Music).  Sons of Apollo are releasing a huge live album/DVD and I expect it will be awesome. How could it not with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, Mike Portnoy on Drums, Billy Sheehan on Bass, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal on guitar and Derek Sherinian on keyboards.  Their debut was spectacular and this will be nothing short of that.  This will get played a lot!!

  • 71HrT-cjr+L._SS500_  Tool – Fear Inoculum – (Tool Dissectional/Voyage): Here is the album everyone is talking about.  It has been 13 years since their last album and I am not sure if anyone thought they would do another album.  This is going to be huge in the world of music.  So why do I not care one bit.  I have never found them to be anything special so maybe I am missing something. I will listen to see if this finally grabs me, but I am not expecting much as I liked nothing prior.  Can someone please tell me why they are so liked…seriously, let me know.

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Friday New Releases – April 27th

 

Welcome to the last Friday of April and the new music releases.  There isn’t a ton, but there should be something for everyone.  My choices are highlighted in Blue.  Take a look through and let me know what you are interested in or what I might have missed.  Have a great weekend!!

  • 41BJkKihPEL._SS500  Sanctus Real – Changed – (Framework Records):  Sanctus Real are one of the few Christian bands I still follow.  They are consistently great and there are always some gems on each album. They are more pop than rock, but just as good as anything on the radio.  Now, here is the twist.  The lead singer of the band, Matt Hammitt, has left the band and so they have a new singer.  I am going to try this one out, but not sure how much I will dig it as it was Matt’s vocals that always drew me in.  He was also the principal songwriter.  We will see, but hopes aren’t high.

  • 61cGx3YOHDL._SY300_QL70_  Anthrax – Kings Among Scotland – (Megaforce Records):  A Live DVD and CD that was recorded last year.  It is Anthrax, of course it is going to get a spin or two.  Plus, the album is a shout out to Kiss’ Rock & Roll Over cover!  Not much else to say on this.

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My Sunday Song – “I’m Not Alright” by Sanctus Real

My Sunday Song #74 is “I’m Not Alright” by Sanctus Real.  This is the 2nd time Sanctus Real has made this list and it is another impactful song.  This song is off their 2006 release called ‘The Face of Love’.  It was a #1 song for them on the Christian charts and garnered them a Dove Award nomination for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.  Sadly, they didn’t win.

The song spoke to me in the fact that we aren’t all alright.  We are all broken in mind and spirit.  We are sinners.  The song is his confession that he is broken and that only through God, he is healed and he feels safe.  I can so relate to this song.  I think we all feel broken sometimes.  I know for me when I feel this way, I find that Christian music and God help me get through it.  Sanctus Real delivers songs that are meaningful and relatable.  They are going through the same thing I am going through and it has helped me so many times.

In an interview with 1cubed.com, the band talked about the recording of the song and how the song was originally titled “I’ll Be Fine”.  They felt they were lying to themselves and being fake.  They felt the need to be honest with themselves and everyone that you won’t always be fine.  It turned into this wonderful confession.

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My Sunday Song – “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real

For this episode of My Sunday Song, we are doing the song “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real.  Sanctus Real is a christian rock band out of Toledo, Ohio.  “Lead Me” is off the album ‘Pieces of the Real Heart’ which was released in 2010 on Sparrow Records.

There is an article from 2010 about the meaning behind the song at clashentertainment.com.  The song is about how the lead singer, Mark Hammitt, could be a better man to his family and children.  Mark states the following in the article:

“My wife and I aren’t shy about sharing that we’ve had some pretty major struggles,” admits Matt after his wife implored him to be a better spiritual leader in the family. “I think the challenge for me in the song, and hopefully for other men as well, is every time I hear it, every time I sing it, I ask myself, ‘what kind of man am I?’ Not yesterday, not tomorrow, what kind of man am I today? Have I invested in my family emotionally, spiritually the way that God has called me to reach out to them and to lead them.”

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#TBT -Favorite Albums of 2010

Since I did my favorites from 2009 last week, I thought I would continue that this week for Throwback Thursday. These are my favorite albums from 2010 (in no particular order)

 Paper Tongues – Paper Tongues:  What an impressive debut album.   They are from Charlotte, NC which I was unaware of until recently.  They haven’t put out a full length album since this one.  I need to see if they are still together and maybe playing around town. Some standout songs are “Trinity”, “Ride to California” and “Get Higher”.  Just great songs, great music and a positive message.  Rock needs more bands like this!!

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Favorite Christian Songs – Playlist

Over the last 10 years, the quality of Christian Music is a vast improvement over where it had been.  There are so many great bands and artists now that wear the Christian Music label.

Many of the songs could be and should be played on mainstream radio, but sadly will not.  There are so many different musical styles and Christian Music has them all pop, rock, metal, singer/songwriter, hip-hop, dance and indie.

As I get older, the Christian Music genre gets to be more important in my life and tends to hold more meaning for me.  I follow bands out of this genre just as passionately as I do any other type of music.  If I like it, I am going to listen to it…it doesn’t matter what style or message the music might be expressing.

Below are my favorite songs by Christian artists:

Sanctus Real – “Lead Me” – This song is so powerful and the lyrics are so moving.  I listen to it and I want to be a better man.

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