Knowhere

As I said on Twitter when I found out, "The King of Pop is dead! Long live the King!" Whether than is an oblique Elvis reference or not is for you to decide. But right now, it seems obligatory to honor Michael Jackson, and this is the best format I have to do that. Thriller is one of my favorite albums, and was on the mental list to showcase here when I decided on this feature.

Wanna Be Startin Somethin - Michael Jackson

Technically I have the Thriller25 version, but the first nine tracks are the important part, and that's what I'll focus on here. The ultimate crossover album, Thriller cemented Jackson's appeal on both the Pop and Rock charts. It opens with "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,'" a Jackson-penned pop piece that has a wonderful pulsing bassline, and is a great way to open the album as well as many concert performances. The song builds and builds within its funk beat to the instrumental break at ~3:50, and then churns to the African-sounding chant at the end.

Then it transitions into a disco-beat song, the Rod Temperton-written "Baby Be Mine," which has some excellent vocal work by Jackson. While I primarily think of him as a dancer, thanks to the videos from this album, he also has some amazing vocal chops here.

Following this is the first ballad on the album, "The Girl Is Mine," a duet with Paul McCartney. While not the first time they had recorded as a duo, it was surely the most successful, despite being a fairly by-the-numbers ballad. Reflecting on the recording, Jackson said:

"One of my favorite songs to record, of all my recordings as a solo artist, is probably "The Girl Is Mine", because working with Paul McCartney was pretty exciting and we just literally had fun. It was like lots of kibitzing and playing, and throwing stuff at each other, and making jokes. We actually recorded the track and the vocals pretty much live at the same time, and we do have footage of it, but it's never been shown."

The song ends with a spoken word section that feels like it was mildly over-rehearsed and less natural than the rest of the vocals.

The title track is easily my favorite Jackson song, even when divorced from the film. It has an amazing bassline that makes you instantly want to dance, and pairing that with the infectious chorus makes it an unbeatable combination. As bored as Jackson sounds on "The Girl Is Mine," he sounds fully engaged in this performance. The sound effects aren't even distracting, because they are so well crafted with the song.

I don't even have to say anything about the video, but here it is for your enjoyment:

Just an amazing film, and a preview of the next 25 years of music video choreography.

Beat It - Michael Jackson

On the album, this is followed by "Beat It," aWest Side Storysend-up and Jackson's major rock-crossover hit, in no doubt helped by Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo. This was important in many ways, and Greg Burk gives it a lot of credit: "Without the Van Halen precedent, there might have been no collaboration of Run-DMC and Aerosmith on the 1986 rap/rock version of "Walk This Way." This brought 'black' music back towards 'white' in a real way, not as separate music, but as intertwining. The lyrics also express Jackson's hatred of violence, arguing that the bigger man is not 'macho,' but to "stay alive," you just need to walk away, despite peer pressure.

Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

Already we are at "Billie Jean," the climax of the album. It's about a groupie claiming that the singer is the father of her child, and the singer denying it. It furthered Jackson's rise to the top, breaking him into MTV, as it was his first video to receive major airplay. It also was the song that Michael Jackson debuted "the Moonwalk" to here. Also notable is the prominence of Jackson's "hiccups" throughout the song. Perhaps my favorite part of the song is the drum beat, which is incredibly fresh and unique.

"Human Touch" is next, a buttery smooth album with fantastic vocals by Jackson. It was a pioneer (and perhaps the first) song in the "Adult R&B" genre, and listening to it over 25 years later shows just how much talent Jackson had compared to singers today. No Auto-Tune here.

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) - Michael Jackson

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," like Baby Be Mine, is a more disco-flavored song, and I especially like the interplay between the lead vocal, the backup vocal, and the synth part in the chorus, as they pass off the P.Y.T. part. "The Lady in My Life" is another "Human Touch" style ballad, smooth and polished.

Spanning at least three or four genres of music, Thriller is a massive achievement. There is something on this album for everyone, and it's all so very impressive. Definitely one of the Top Five Essential Albums of the last 30 years.

Where to buy:
[iTunes] <- the version I have, comes with videos! 
[Amazon mp3]

Album of the Week appears every Wednesday at Knowhere. Each week Ryan discusses an album in context of influence, artistic merit, and whatever else seems slightly relevant.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see Sam Mendes' new film, Away We Go, at the Ritz in Center City (easily my favorite movie theater around) and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Of course, I am a huge fan of movies that mix comedy and drama like Juno, High Fidelity, and Rushmore, and so this movie is no exception. I also think the film did a great job of making a truly laugh-out loud comedy with more heart than is fair to other movies.

The premise is interesting, but it's the characters that are the heart of the film. John Krasinski (aka Jim from The Office) and Maya Rudolph are superb. Liking their characters is key to the whole movie, and they deliverable one of the more lovable movie couples in a long time. I didn't sit there wanting to be Burt or be with Verona, as I often do watching these kinds of movies, rather, I totally bought them as a couple that should absolutely be together. And it's not that there's any sort of true-love/destiny thing going on here, they are just two people who completely love each other and care for each other deeply.

I had always been a fan of Krasinski, who always shines as The Office's everyman, but Maya Rudolph is an absolute gem in this. Now I feel like I'd watch something just because she's in it. However, not everyone agrees with me:

But Away We Go isn’t a gentle road movie amiably spoofing the strange ways of American families, but something darker, a nightmare journey into the twisted soul of American banality. Or something like that.
. . .
Away We Go is one of those movies, like Alexander Payne’s About Schmidt, that takes the boorishness of conventional Americans as a given and valorizes nonconformity for its own sake. While it contains moments of genuine sweetness and human comedy, the overall effect is of an attack upon those of us who work for a living and haven’t the means to indulge our romantic imagination.

I actually don't even see this as a valid criticism. If anything, Burt and Verona are the only sane characters in the film. Not only that, but all these people who are seen as "banal" by the critic above are really the outlandish type. 

Burt's parents (the hilariously paired Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels) are insanely selfish, as after the young couple moves nearby for their child's sake, they decide to move to Antwerp for two years. And rather than just leave the house to the couple (who have a carboard window) they decide to rent it to someone they've never met. Then to Phoenix, where they meet Maya's former boss, now an alcoholic mom whom mocks her kids (Allison Janney) and her apocalyptically cynical husband (Jim Gaffigan). It's clear to me that these aren't supposed to represent typical Americans, as these wackjobs even admit they've "had trouble fitting into the social scene" in their new town. Both Burt and Maya and the population at-large are revolted by these sad people who have nothing better to do than go to the dog track and complain how terrible their marriage is. 

Then we meet Burt's "cousin" Ellen (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who now goes by "LN" a post-feminist uber-hippie who hates strollers ("Why would I want to PUSH by child away?" she shrieks) and shares a bed with her whole family. Due to her inheritance, her husband is basically a slacker. Truly these are not "conventional Americans," and the elitism here would certainly run both ways. These scenes are some of the funniest in the movie. 

And Burt and Verona certainly do not look down on their Montreal friends and their brood, nor do they judge Burt's brother harshly. Rather, what the couple sees on their trip is a collage of American families. Obviously some families are dysfunctional to the point of scary situations, while other families have other issues to deal with, be it the absence of a parent or an unorthodox lifestyle.

It's Tom Garrnett's (Chris Messina) soliloquy over pancakes that really drives home one of the core message of this movie. A family is what you make it. You can plant it wherever you like and it can take on any number of configurations, but what holds it together, what makes it work through obstacles great and small is love. And not the romantic kind of love, but storge, the love that pushes a parent or a spouse or a child to be something beyond themselves. This ties into the other lesson Burt and Verona learn on their trip: you are never without roots. 

We've had a lot of rain so far this month, and in a flash of inspiration, I made a mix to "celebrate" that. Like a lot of my mixes, it opens with a seemingly random song (usually from a film). Here are the results:

1. Singin' In the Rain - Gene Kelly

2. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations

4. Rain - The Beatles

5. Another Rainy Day In New York City - Chicago

6. Rainy Day - Coldplay

7. Fool In The Rain - Led Zeppelin

8. I Can't Stand The Rain - Commitments

9. Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival

10. So. Central Rain - R.E.M.

11. Dry the Rain - The Beta Band

12. Naked In The Rain - Red Hot Chili Peppers

13. California Rain - Silvertide

14. Summer Rain - U2

15. Fistful Of Rain - Warren Zevon

16. Who Loves the Sun? - The Velvet Underground

17. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - B.J. Thomas

18. 3:00 AM - Matchbox Twenty

19. Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage

20. Purple Rain - Prince & The Revolution

I had to cut a bunch of songs, including "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor, "Box of Rain" by the Greatful Dead, "Early Morning Rain" by Ian & Sylvia, "Red Rain" by The White Stripes, and two Hendrix tracks from Electric Ladyland.

It's actually a pretty good mix, eclectic and mellow. Feel free to enjoy!

I'd be lying if I said I didn't understand why Transformers is showing at an abysmal 22% on Rotten Tomatoes right now. It isn't exactly a mainstream movie per se. It's more of an experience, especially in IMAX. It is an experiment in sensory overload. There is so much to take in on each frame that at times it borders on the incomprehensible. 

What I don't understand is the complaints about the plot. The overall story is actually pretty simple: The bad guys want to 'kill all humans' for their energy needs (humans are just in the way), while Optimus Prime and the good guys want humans to live. That's really all you need to know. The mistake people make is trying to make sense of the plot. Sure, it can be done, but enough happens in the movie were it would take another movie's worth of material to explain the logic behind the progression of events.

In fact, it reminds me of the storytelling I would use as a kid when playing with my action figures. The important story beats were there: bad guys want to do some bad stuff, good guys interfere, and my favorites always lived to fight another day. Sure there were details, and I had them all worked out, but even my other playmates didn't really know what the hell was going on (I apologize, especially to my brother, for all the times I uttered the phrase "You're playing wrong."). Like I said here, Transformers: Revenge usually e of the Fallen can only be properly understood by people who know what it's like to be a 12 year old boy with a nice box of action figures.

The film is visually stunning, and I actually found the action sequences easier to follow than the first movie, as I could tell the robots apart better. The sound is also superb, and overall, the IMAX experience was fantastic. The movie is an achievement in this department, so hats off to the ILM folks. 

I think the worst part of this movie was the comic relief. I found the characters created for this purpose annoying, and the humor was pretty base, even if it was funny. And too much of Shia's parents.  

Basically, it's this year's Speed Racer, and that may not be such a bad thing. 

Grade: B+ (The plus is for Megan Fox and the wardrobe department)

The Academy has announced they are doubling the number of Best Picture nominees:

“Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going to allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,” commented Ganis. “I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February.”

This is a reversal of their policy since 1944 of restricting the number of nominees to five. Generally, I think expanding the Best Picture field is a good thing, though I worry that an additional five films may be too many and I worry about diluting the honor of being nominated. 

Now, obviously I understand the motive behind this. Of the five nominees last year, I only saw one of these movies theatrically, and this is someone who saw 20 movies in theaters! This is clearly aimed at giving people like me a reason to watch the Oscars (all the way to the end? <gasp!>). People who were shocked and appalled that The Dark Knight and Wall-E were not nominated for Best Picture would be more likely to watch the Oscars if these films had been nominated. 

I am clearly not in agreement with the Academy in terms of the movies they nominate and give awards to, and this may give me more incentive to watch (a bigger incentive would be brining back Hugh Jackman as host). However, I fear that these "extra" films will not have much of a change at actually winning. My problem with the Academy is not necessarily the number of films they pick, but the circumstances that cause them to nominate the films they nominate. 

Actors are the largest single voting bloc by far with approximately 22%, which leads to character-driven dramas getting the most acclaim. Films seemingly about visual spectacle like Wall-E, or Across the Universe,  hardly get nominated because actors like films 'about' them, films where the acting is the spectacle (like Milk or Frost/Nixon). Its not like I dislike these movies as a rule, but it feels like the same kinds of films are always getting nominated. 

To make a long story short (too late), I think it's nice to see the Academy reacting at all to the public and I think they may have a real opportunity to shake things up with this. 

Some albums were just always a part of my musical diegesis, or I just decided to get them based on general critical acclaim or hearing a song from them. Others, I can recall exactly how I discovered them. Muse'sBlack Holes and Revelationsis one of those albums. It was this post by John Scalzi that had me completely entranced with this album. I mean, look at that cover! Amazing. (That's the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, by the way).

The album has a mix of overtones ranging from the political to the science-fictional, and also serves as a fantastic tour through the band's influences, like Queen, Bowie, and Depeche Mode. Simply put, they sound (to me) like Rush by way of Radiohead.

Take a Bow - Muse

The first song on the album, "Take a Bow," starts out with an electronic pulse overlaying a slowly rising bass, like a wave coming into shore, finally crashing at about 2:35 into the song. The song then resumes intensifying and building to a bombastic conclusion. Combined with the theme of the corruption of power, it made an excellent fit with the second trailer for theWatchmenmovie.

The second track, "Starlight," was a pretty big radio hit in the U.S. and with good reason. It's one of those songs that just gets stuck in your head, bouncing around for hours after you hear it. Made for radio, which is not always a bad thing. It also has a very New Wave feel to it, not unlike The Killers' most recent effort.

Supermassive Black hole - Muse

"Supermassive Black Hole" is my second favorite track, and may eventually be a litmus test for Muse fans, as it was featured on the Twilightmovie soundtrack (I had no idea until a friend pointed this out to me a few weeks ago when I put it on a mix). Those who say they knew Muse pre-Twilight will certainly have a slightly different demographic tint to them, I'd imagine. Anyway, "Supermassive Black Hole" has a great R&B feel to it, kind of a Prince-meets-Franz Ferdinand thing going on.

The apocalyptic/conspiracy theory themes of "Take a Bow" resurface in "Map of the Problematique," which has a very prog feel to it, especially with the drum break halfway through the song. It's a pulsing, driving rock song heavily influenced by Depeche Mode. It's followed by "Soldier's Poem," which smartly breaks the momentum that build through the first four tracks (there is no way they could have kept it up). "Solider's Poem" is very political, and is told from the perspective of a solider fighting overseas (presumably Iraq or Afghanistan). A slow, short number, it really is a poem set to music with haunting vocals. The change in pace from the rest of the album really drives the point home.

"Invincible" is perhaps a strange follow-up to "Soldier's Poem," as it is a tale about revolutionary romance set to a militaristic drumbeat. It perfectly captures the feeling of fighting for something you believe in and doing so standing beside someone you are as in madly in love with as the cause you fight for. It's this bond of love that allows these two to fight in the face of the authority they defy. "Don't give up the fight/You'll be alright/'Cause there's no one like you in the universe." Also, the guitar solo kicks ass.

Continuing the theme of revolution is continued in "Assassin," although I definitely see the interpretation that it is about programmed Jason Bourne-like assassin's programmed by some shadowy government agency. "Warped and bewitched/Intend to erase/Whatever they say...Assassin is born." It also has one of the most metal-feeling sounds on the album, and the first minute of this song is exquisite.

Exo-Politics - Muse

"Exo-Poltics" posits the idea of a conspiratorial alien invasion, not unlike the end of Watchmen or the plot of Wag the Dog. "It's just our leaders in disguise." Also has my favorite bassline on the album, and possibly the best use of a theremin-like effect in pop music since "Good Vibrations." Nothing says aliens like a theremin.

"City of Delusion" opens with Spanish/Mexican style acoustic guitar and then later adds horn parts. It continues the theme of the one man revolutionary found earlier in the album, and really furthers the idea that this is the best supervillian soundtrack ever created. "Hoodoo" extends this Spanish influence, although the song itself is very soft and ballad-like.

Ahh, "Knights of Cydonia." This is easily one of my favorite songs of all time. It combines cowboys, surf rock, space opera, mariachi bands, progressive rock, and the Doctor Who theme for a song so epic mere words cannot describe it. There aren't a lot of lyrics, but the video for the song is great as well:

I cannot heap enough praise on this album. Easily one of the best albums of the decade. You should have it.

Where to buy:
[iTunes]
[Amazon mp3]

Album of the Week appears every Wednesday at Knowhere. Each week Ryan discusses an album in context of influence, artistic merit, and whatever else seems slightly relevant.

Last weekend, some friends and I made the pilgrimage to the Dogfish Head Brewery and took the excellent tour. Our tourguide (shoutout to John) was funny and most informative, and for an hour we had our own episode of Modern Marvels: Microbrew. The best part of course, was tasting the beer (for free!) We had the Festina Peche, the 90 Minute IPA, the Midas Touch, and the Palo Santo, all excellent.

What has since dawned on me is that brewing beer is an especially geeky pastime. Once you get beyond the macrobrewers (although I am sure they employ their share of geeks) and their ads of manliness during football, craft brewing is a very geeky way to spend one's time.

Basically, brewing is both an art and a science, like many other geeky activities: computer coding, any kind of Role Playing Game, etc. Microbrewers, especially like Dogfish Head, tend to be experimental about their brewing, and each fresh batch is almost an experiment while the formula is being perfected. One of my favorite Dogfish brews, Midas Touch, also has a very very geeky origin:

This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike.

They got the recipe from a residue in the tomb, which was analyzed and reverse engineered by a professor at UPenn. It's sweet and delicious, with a slight sense of history. Very good when studying or reading about the ancient world on a hot summer's eve.

Much like building a computer from scratch, or home programming, homebrewing is an especially geeky way to express one's love of beer. A good friend of mine and his father homebrew on equipment not that far removed from what Dogfish Head started out as. They are basically running science experiments in the medium of beer, trying out different recipes to see how they turn out. Sometimes they turn out undercarbonated or something, but the only way to perfect it is with trying again. 

So the next time you go for a beer, indulge your inner geek and try something new!

By early 1966, Eric Clapton had already become known as England’s premier blues guitarist, despite having left the Yardbirds just prior to the recording of their first major hit. Looking to form a new blues band that would allow him and his cohorts—former Graham Bond Organization drummer Ginger Baker and singer/bassist Jack Bruce—to explore their potential beyond what their other bands (directed by other musicians) had allowed. In May of 1967, Cream was recording its second and definitive album, Disraeli Gears (the title of which comes from an almost-mondegreen from derailleur gears).

In Disraeli Gears, Cream does what it does best: a rich blend of American blues and English psychedelic rock. From the opening notes of “Strange Brew,” Clapton’s guitar announces this is the blues a tad distorted. I really like Jack Bruce’s bass line on this track, as it’s serviceable, but it really brings the whole sound together within the ‘power trio.’

The second track is perhaps Cream’s signature tune, “Sunshine of Your Love.” Written with help from friend-to-the-band poet Pete Brown, it is just top-notch. Probably the best example of Clapton’s “woman tone:”

The "woman tone" is the informal term used by guitarists to refer to Eric Clapton's distinctive mid- to late-1960s electric guitar sound, created using his Gibson SG solid body guitar (with humbucking pickups) and a Marshall tube (valve) amplifier. It is an overdriven, distorted sound that is articulate yet thick. It is characterized by being quite distorted (or even achieved with a fuzz) but muted, in contrast to the bright and twangy distortion that most guitarists were using at the time. Many players have tried to duplicate it, usually without success, in part because Clapton's playing technique had a lot to do with the tone, and also because it required heavily overdriven tube amps to achieve.

Listen to the song above, and you’ll be able to hear exactly what it means. Perhaps my favorite part of “Sunshine of Your Love,” however, is Ginger Baker’s drumming. By using toms almost exclusively and emphasizing the first and third beats of each measure rather than two and four on snare as is typical of most rock songs, Baker gives the song a unique foundation that makes it stand out. Also of note is that the song only made it because of a personal endorsement of Booker T (of Booker T and the McG’s) to the record company.

“World of Pain,” like the opening track on the album, was co-written by Felix Pappalardi,, one of the great rock arrangers/producers and bassist, vocalist, and founding member of Mountain. “Dance the Night Away” excellently typifies the lofty psychedelic guitar and lyrical themes present throughout rock at this time. Lyrically it uses images of castles, clouds, and oceans to convey a man’s feelings of wanting to get away from someone who broke his heart. “Blue Condition” rounds out Side One, being most notable for having Ginger Baker on lead vocals.

“Tales of Brave Ulysses” opens Side Two, and is my favorite Cream song. Combing images of the Odyssey with pictures of the Spanish Mediterranean coast, it paints a wonderful dreamscape. The guitar only reinforces the lyrics, and is also notable for being the first use of the wah-wah pedal by Clapton.

“Swlabr,” has a nice ripping guitar used as a call-and-answer to the main vocal line. A definite precursor to a little band called Led Zeppelin. “We’re Going Wrong” has fantastic drumming by Baker and a haunting vocal track which always prevented me from realizing it has less than 30 words in the lyrics. This is followed by “Outside Woman Blues,” a cover of a Blind Joe Reynolds track originally recorded in 1929. An interesting twist on a standard blues. “Take it Back” is the last true track on the album, and is a winding blues number that one could easily imagine being stretched to 20 minutes live as well as a call for peaceful resistnce. “Mother’s Lament” is a traditional…drinking song?...shanty?...something, that is mostly vocal harmonies and piano.

Overall, this is a fantastic album, the sum better than its parts. It's also a must have for fans of bands who ‘descended’ from Cream: Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers Band, Phish, and of course, Rush. This is truly one of the essentials.

And so, we come toLondon Calling, one of those rare albums that have basically universal acclaim and are considered to be in the pantheon of rock. In fact, that is probably the reason I bought it, determined to have all of the greats, if only to have them. Like everyone else with a radio, I had heard several Clash songs before this, and I’d like to say this album blew me away, but it really didn’t.

I’m not saying this is a bad album, I just don’t particularly care for it. It’s a fabulous collection of songs, and the mastery with which Strummer & Co approach different styles is impressive, but I think it lacks the sheer ‘punk riot’ of a Never Mind the Bollocks or Dookie it would need to be an essential punk album. This is The Clash’s White Album, but it isn’t a punk manifesto.

London Calling - The Clash

The album starts out with the title track, which is one of the all-time great opening tracks. It sets a great apocalyptic mood, capturing the fears of 1979, nuclear accidents, social unrest, and economic hard times. It’s one of the greatest songs ever, haunting and brooding, and I could probably write a whole post about just this song.

Rudie Cant Fail - The Clash

Following that is “Brand New Cadillac,” a cover of a 1958 Vince Taylor song, and I really like the punk interpretation of the 12-bar blues in this song. From this, however, “Jimmy Jazz” just derails the album’s progression. Not because it’s slower (it’s not), but because I feel like the energy just gets sucked out. A better example of prominent horns on this album is “Rudie Can’t Fail,” which demonstrates exactly how one should blend punk with reggae and get ska.

Side Two opens with “Spanish Bombs,” which is a cool song only because listening to the Clash’s catalogue ex post facto it feels like a mash-up of “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” with the Spanish influence and the subject matter of “Rock the Casbah.” However, it is still very noteworthy as being the best song ever written about the Spanish Civil War.

Lost In The Supermarket - The Clash

“Lost in the Supermarket” is a great song, at face value a lighthearted romp about grocery shopping, but really a reactionary song to overcommercialization and consumerism. One of the great suburban alienation songs, right up there with “Sweet Suburbia” by The Skids and “Subdivisions” by Rush. “Clampdown” continues this theme, using Facist/Nazi imagery to explain the evils of capitalism, it also has a great backbeat. Paul Simonon’s only penned song on any Clash album, “Guns of Brixton,” closes out Side Two.

Side Three’s only standout for me is also the album’s shortest track “Koka Kola.” A great straight-up punk song, with some cool vocals in the middle break, it speeds by and before you know it it’s gone.

Suddenly on the second track on Side Four, the apocalypse is back, and the “Four Horsemen” are leading the charge! The rest of the album’s standouts are the final two tracks, “Revolution Rock” and “Train in Vain (Stand By Me).” The former track seems to be announcing the coming of ska (the aforementioned punk-reggae mash-up) as the “brand new beat.”

Train in Vain (Stand by Me) - The Clash

“Train in Vain (Stand By Me)” may be my favorite song on the entire album, originally an ‘accidentally hidden track,’ it was added to the album last-minute, after the covers had already been printed. A rollicking song with dubious meaning (is it a breakup? Is it a reaffirmation of love) it solidly closes the album.

Overall, still not one of my favorite albums, but listening to it for this post has certainly deepened my appreciation for it. This may be blasphemous, but I almost feel like I agree with the record company—that it could have been parsed down to a more solid single album instead of the double album that was released.

Where to buy:
[iTunes]
[Amazon mp3] 

Album of the Week appears every Wednesday at Knowhere. Each week Ryan discusses an album in context of influence, artistic merit, and whatever else seems slightly relevant.

Frankly, I am shocked, shocked that it took this long for this product to exist. I mean we’ve seen stuff like this, which I could never bring myself to drink, let alone be seen buying, but now with the Shat and Mr. T playing WoW, I guess it’s pretty mainstream, at least enough for PepsiCo. I stumbled upon this in Target over the weekend, and to make up for my lack of posts about how great JesusSoda (aka Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback) is, I thought I’d give a taste test.

Horde Red
First, I will say that I like Mountain Dew, but not Code Red, which is what I was expecting ‘Horde Red’ to taste like, since the bottle calls it “Dew with a blast of Citrus Cherry Flavor.” I’ve always found Code Red to be too sweet and syrupy, just tasting like Mountain Dew with more HFCS and Red 4o. Drinking this, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s definitely got that ‘red’ taste, but it’s light and crisp. It also doesn’t leave that syrupy feeling in my mouth the way Code Red does.

Alliance Blue
It’s been a while since I had ‘Voltage’ the blue Dew introduced last year, but I don’t think this tastes quite like it. It’s more like Pepsi Blue, which tasted like sugar and blue. It’s more syrupy than its Horde counterpart, and nowhere near as refreshing. Will not be buying this one again.

Overall:
Horde Red: Surprisingly Excellent
Alliance Blue: Don’t make me drink it again!

Recommended Doritos Pairing:
Horde Red: Cool Ranch
Alliance Blue: Collisions Zesty Taco/Chipotle Ranch