Just Jinjer returns for more ...

It's no secret that Just Jinjer (formerly Just Jinger) is one of my favorite bands. So for me to say that the new Just Jinjer EP "Can I Have More" is worth a listen should probably be taken with a grain of salt. But you owe it to yourself to give it a listen.

The only thing wrong with this new Just Jinjer EP is that there are only 3 songs on it. Guys, Jinjers, please, CAN I HAVE MORE?!?!?!?!?!

I've been following Just Jinjer ever since I picked up a copy of their debut album on a trip to South Africa over ten years ago. And I've been lucky enough to have the chance to see them several times in both the US and in the UK. Definitely one of my favorite bands to see live ...

And I have to say, I really like the way the band has evolved over the years. I still like a lot of the old material, but I'm more a fan of the modern alternative vibe that has emerged over recent years. The independent album that they released in 2004, the "Bootleg Album", after their relocation to the US, should have made them big stars. It didn't, but it introduced some new JJ classics, including "Million Things", "Safer" and "Speak Your Mind". This album is still available on iTunes under the old spelling, "Just Jinger", so check it out.

I'm hoping that we'll see a reworked version of "Safer" on the new album, as I really dig the reworked version that was playing in the Just Jinjer Myspace player last year. Alas, "Safer" is gone, but you can still listen to some other JJ tunes there ...

The new EP, which should be a prelude to a full length album later this year, is Just Jinjer's first international release, their debut album for Curb Records.

The EP highlights the new single "Can I Have More", and it's a great introduction to the band. They've got a way with melodic hooks and choruses that draw you in ... and the next thing you know, you've got this song going though your head later in the day.

The EP also includes "Home" ... a great song, but it's really not that new to me ... I think this is the 5th version of this song that I've purchased to date (it first appeared on the only new song on their South Africa Greatest Hits album, then it was on a "Collectors 2003" album sold through their web site and at shows, then it was on "Bootleg Album", and another version on "Just Jinjer").

The third song on the EP is "Time of Your Life", which is one of my top 5 favorites overall from the band. It's a great summer tune ... more power pop than alternative ... but who cares how you categorize it ... it makes me smile. This song appeared on their last independent release, and it's been slightly remixed. I expect the full album is going to include a lot more remixed/reworked songs from the previous independent efforts, which is fine by me as I want a copy of the new mix of "Safer"!!!

I'd really encourage you to support Just Jinjer and buy the EP "Can I Have More" on iTunes.

But if you need some convincing, you can download the full track of the "Can I Have More" single at http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/downloads/downloads.asp?id=973.

Also, check out the Just Jinjer Electronic Press Kit at http://followjustjinjer.blogspot.com/2009/02/just-jinjer-epk.html.

And for something a bit different, JJ's lead singer Ard Matthews is also working on a solo project to support some charitable efforts. It's definitely worth taking a closer look at ... you can download "Fight For Zimbabwe", and listen to a few other tracks off an upcoming solo ablum at http://www.reverbnation.com/ardmatthews. And consider donating to Mylife at http://www.mylife.org.za/.

New Music Round-up + Revisiting the House of Heroes

There have been some decent new releases over the past few weeks.  I've particularly been listening to the new Marianas Trench album Masterpiece Theatre, as well as the Shirock album that I mentioned recently.

Marianas Trench's previous album was pretty good, but they've taken it up several notches with Masterpiece Theatre.  If you haven't heard it yet, check out the single Cross My Heart at their MySpace page.   This album isn't about singles though, it's a solid album filled with great vocal harmonies, tight arrangements, fantastic hooks and melodies.  If you only listen to the 30 second samples, the vocal harmonies might through you off and you might write it off as pop ... but you really need to listen to the whole thing to see how it fits together.  I love this album.

In fact, remember the days when you used to listen to a CD or album from start to finish?  This is the first album in awhile that I've thought was that solid.

I was pleasantly surprised that this album was available on eMusic.

Also on eMusic is the new album from the best modern day blues guitarist, Joe Bonamassa.  In my opinion, his new album The Ballad of John Henry is not quite the masterpiece of his previous studio album Sloe Gin.  But we're talking about Joe Bonamassa, so even if its not quite as good, it's still destined to be my favorite blues albums of the year.   If you're not familiar with Joe, a good place to start is last year's live album as an introduction.  The selection of songs at Joe Bonamassa's MySpace page is also a great introduction, as is the multimedia page at Joe Bonamassa's web site.

I'd also encourage you to go see Joe Bonamassa play live ... even if you're not into the blues (or just haven't realized it yet).  Joe is one of the most talented guitarists alive today in any musical genre.

Switching gears to active rock, the new Crash EP from Decyfer Down shows some real promise.  I was a bit puzzled when I saw this EP show up as a new release, because I bought a copy of it about 6 months ago.  Turns out that the lead singer left the band, and TJ Harris, previously of Fighting Instinct is the new voice of Decyfer Down.   (You don't know off of the Fighting Instinct album is still in regular rotation on my iPod.)  I like it.  To be honest, both versions of Crash are good ... slight differences are noticeable ... I feel more emotion in Caleb's vocals, but I think TJ's got a better vocal range, so it's a wash between the two.  But I'm really digging Fading on the new EP, and I'm looking forward to the full album release in May.  You can find a free download link for the original version of Crash, and more Decyfer Down links at http://www.cmspin.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=5185&z=26.

Wow ... musically this is a pretty eclectic collection.  Three very different styles from three very different artists.  Should we keep going?

I've got a few other artists and downloads worth mentioning, but I'll save them for another posting.

Before I sign off this time, however, we need to revisit the House of Heroes.  The House of Heroes has been around for a few years.  I guess I'd call them alternative rock.  In their early albums, they'd have one or two outstanding tracks (Mercedes Baby and Friday Night being two of my favorites from their older material), but I'd have trouble getting into the rest of the album.

Last fall, House of Heroes released The End is Not The End, and I have to say that it is one of my favorites from 2008.  It's a diverse album ... some of it rocks, some of it is mellow, some of it is experimental, and some of it comes close (but thankfully not too close) to trying to bring back disco.  All in all, a great album that hasn't gotten the attention that it deserves ... I know when it first came out, I was a bit skeptical because I thought the band's earlier efforts were uneven.

I'd encourage everyone to explore the free downloads available from House of Heroes, and when you discover how much you like them, buy a copy of The End is Not The End.

If, Lose Control and In the Valley of the Dying Sun off The End is Not The End are available as a free download on Amazon at:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U7WVW2/ref=sr_1_album_10?ie=UTF8&child=B001U81VLI&qid=1236061997&sr=1-10

Sooner or Later, By Your Side and In the Valley of the Dying Sun off The End is Not The End are available at http://www.freehoh.com.

You can also find In The Valley of The Dying Sun as a free download at http://www.gotee.com/artistsinfo.php?id=2, and while you're there, download a copy of Friday Night from their previous album.

New Music: Fallbrooke and The Yelling

There's really nothing in common between these two bands...I just happened to stumble across free downloads from both bands within a couple of hours of each other.

Fallbrooke is a pop rock band from Miami.  Their single "Losin' It" has a dance/club beat to it, while still qualifying as rock and roll, with a slight emo pitch to the vocals.  It's not exactly my taste, but it's light, poppy and fun.  I'll keep it around for a few more weeks before I pass final judgment on it.  Check out the free download at http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/downloads/downloads.asp?id=935 ... and listen to more tunes at http://www.myspace.com/fallbrooke.

The Yelling is a little bit different ... there probably aren't too many people like me who are listening to The Yelling and Fallbrooke in the same playlist.  They remind me of Wolfmother, but with more of a funky, but hard, blues rock groove.  I downloaded "Fire and a Microphone" for free from http://beatcrave.com/2009-02-09/mp3-download-the-yelling/ ... a great track.  I'll probably be looking to buy a copy of the rest of their EP this weekend ... in the meantime, I'm heading over to listen to the EP at http://www.myspace.com/theyelling ...

Cheesy Free MP3 Downloads of the Week

Ok ... don't flame me for calling these cheesy ... I actually mean it with respect.  Well sort of.  Like the fans of the Green Bay Packers boldly embrace their inner cheese head, today we're boldly embracing our love for the cheesy rock and roll of the 1980's.

I stumbled across two free downloads this week, that I just had to share.

First up is Steadlur's new single Bumpin'.  This song so badly wants t

o bring back the 80's.  I don't think I can really describe it, you need to listen to it, which you can do at http://www.myspace.com/steadlur.  And hey, if you dig it, this is your lucky day, because it's available for a free download at http://www.shockhound.com/albums/217373 ... you've got to register an e-mail address with the web site, but hey that's what free e-mail accounts are for.

There's also an older version of Bumpin' floating around the internets at http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/STEADLUR--BUMPIN-MP3-FOR-DOWNLOAD-UP-NOW-18820.aspx, but you owe it to yourself to download the version at ShockHound.

Judging by the progress between the December 2007 download version and the January 2009 downl

aod version, you can see that Steadlur did try to age and mature their cheese.  But it's still a very young cheese.  It's not going to win any critical acclaim, if you know what I mean.

If you prefer your cheese to be a bit more mature ... and aged to perfection ... then you need to know that Justin Hawkins, former lead singer of The Darkness is back in a new band Hot Leg.

I don't know what to make of Hot Leg yet.  It's got big guitar riffs and it's got those mind blowing vocal excursions, remniscent of The Darkness.  All in all, I'm wanting to hear more.  The album, Red Light Fever, doesn't seem to be available for sale in the US yet ...

Check out the new tunes at http://www.myspace.com/hotleg ...

And there's also a non-album track "Take Take Take" available as a free download here ...

While we're on the subject of cheese ... let's do a flashback.  For me it's a flashback to the 1970's when I was a kid who looked forward to hearing the Dr. Demento radio program every week.  Dr. Demento played a crazy mix of comedy and parodies ... definitely a breath of fresh air for broadcast radio.  One of my favorites was an old 1940's comedy/novelty song that he played called Shaving Cream.  It's a simple double-entendre song from a by gone era ... yeah, in the broad definition, I think it qualifies as cheesy as well.  It was cheesy in 1940, and I'm not sure it's matured all that well ... but thanks to the digital era, it is still preserved.  So for a bonus cheesy download, you can download a rip of Benny Bell's Shaving Cream from the Internet Archive site at http://www.archive.org/download/BennyBell/BennyBell-ShavingCreamdouble-entendrepartyrecord.mp3 .  I assume that it must be out of copyright, which is interesting ... there's a whole archive of rips from 78 RPM records at http://www.archive.org/details/78rpm.

Flashback: Free Downloads from the Scream

We call it "music night". Friends get together and take turns playing some of their favorite tunes ... new ... and old.

One of the dark secrets buried in my playlists is "The Scream". "The Scream" was a funky hard rock band that released one album "Let It Scream" in 1991. And it's one album that I still listen to quite frequently. "Tell Me Why" and "Man in the Moon" are on my running playlist, ensuring that I usually hear them once every couple of weeks while I'm out running.

I remember originally buying "Let It Scream" without ever having heard it ... based solely upon the album cover. That's the way we used to do it back then ... and I found a lot of great music that way ... the debut album from King's X is another one that I bought the same way.

Looking at it now, I'm not sure what it was about the cover that made me want to buy the album ... but I'm glad I did.
"Let It Scream" has long been out of print ... the record company that put out the album went out of business a couple of years later. I guess there weren't enough people like me buying albums without hearing any of the songs first.

But, I've often been curious about what happened to "The Scream". Lead singer John Corabi left "The Scream" to join Motley Crue for one ill-fated album that convinced the rest of the band that they really needed Vince Neil after all.

What I didn't know until recently, however ... was that "The Scream" recruited another lead singer after Corabi left, and recorded another album that was never released. They then had the braindead idea of changing their name to "DC-10" and recorded yet another album.

The band members are kind enough to make it all, including the brilliant "Let It Scream" album, available for free download at:

http://www.racerxband.com/scream.htm

The first album, "Let It Scream", is definitely the pick of the litter. But I do dig "Miss Thang" and "Another Rock" off the second album and "Blinded" off the DC-10 album.