Musing

The Decemberists' The King is Dead Editor's Note: This is the 3rd in a quasi-weekly series of reviews marking my favorite ten albums of 2011. New reviews go up every weekend through the end of the year. Colin warned us that this album was going to be something different. He wasn't kidding. This acoustically-driven bit of folksy Americana is the second half of the one-two punch that started with "The Hazards of Love." If you're looking for epic songs about being swallowed by a whale, you're going to be disappointed in this album. And at first, that's where I was. Usually I go to The Decemberists when I'm in the mood for something different, but this entire album is pretty radio-friendly. SiriusXM Radio won't stop playing tracks from it. The only problem with whale-proportioned tales is their size. Listening to "Picaresque" is almost exhausting (even though I mean that in a good way). But "The King is Dead" is...

Adele's 21 Editor's Note: This is the 2nd in a quasi-weekly series of reviews marking my favorite ten albums of 2011. New reviews go up every weekend through the end of the year. Letting my wife play the radio one night while we were out driving, I had to make an uncomfortable admission - whoever this girl singing about "rolling in the deep" was, she had some glorious pipes. I stored it in the back of my head until we saw her on television performing "Turning Tables" while we were in Rome. Another good song? One or two good songs can be luck. Three good songs on the same album is my minimum requirement to investigate a new artist. "Someone Like You" is a little sappy-sweet (or bitter-saccharine) for me, but I couldn't deny the talent. I got both of her albums this fall and gave them both a few listens. And while I still have a slight preference for 19, 21 is still a great album by an artist with serious talent. It sags a little in...

Red Hot Chili Peppers' I'm With You Editor's Note: This is the 1st in a quasi-weekly series of reviews marking my favorite ten albums of 2011. New reviews go up every weekend through the end of the year. It can't be easy to lose John Frusciante. Hardcore fans of RHCP went into a collective apoplectic shock when Frusciante announced in 2009 that he was splitting amicably with the rest of the band.  The Three Pillars of the Peppers were down to two.  Regardless of where you would rank John amongst those three, it's pretty evident that he's not on this album.  What can we say about the new guy?  Well...he does play a guitar.  But few guys can drop a solo like John. That's not to say this is a bad album.  It's making the top ten, isn't it?  I wouldn't cut any of the songs in the tracklisting off of the album, which is more than I can say for some albums that will actually be ranked higher in the next few weeks.  The disappointment comes, unf...