Come Around Sundown (On I-75)

AD has this belief: Every road has a soundtrack. It changes & grows and is dependent, sometimes, on both the weather and the time of day. You'll often hear her say, "This song reminds me of 1-10, going through Mississippi & Louisiana" or "Definitely a good A1A song!" When first listening to the new Kings of Leon album it was no different.

Come Around Sundown has a highway & a time of day. Just like the hills & mountains that I-75 South carries you over, the album has peaks & valleys. Sundown isn't for sunny weekend trips in August & definitely not the calming music you need in icy January at 7 in the morning on your way to work. No. Come Around Sundown is June at 3 a.m., with patches of orange fog so thick you can't see the semi's break lights just in front of you. Basically, it's two parts a relaxing drive, hopeful of reaching a much better destination, and one part awakening. Granted, it's not the stuff AD has spent hours bouncing around in her room to (Most notably: Four Kicks from Aha Shake Heartbreak), but it'll keep you from dozing on that long drive southbound.

And this album is definitely most appropriate going south & heading "home." Whether it's home to Nashville, where the Kings hail from or, in AD's case, home to Florida. Come Around Sundown is constant propulsion toward somewhere warmer, more fun and better.

Of course, none of this seems to relate to what everyone really wants to know. AD knows what you really care about and it's not that she wishes this album had been out for her trip down to Bonnaroo. She knows you're curious of how it holds up to their previous albums Does it sound like their last album, that many of their fans described as "too commercial?" Or does it sound like their "old stuff?" Audiodaughter's Audiodad would look at you, blink & say, "No." (But he's really snarky & likes to yank people's chains.) Audiodaughter, though, says, "...No?" Come Around Sundown is a great album. It's different-And it's great. Does it sound like Only By Night? No. (All the bitter hipsters can breath again.) But it doesn't sound like Youth & Young Manhood, either. And, honestly, why should it? AD is not the same person as she was in 2003-Why should she expect the boys from Kings of Leon to be the same, either? But it's still a rockin' fun album. It's at least a few miles down the road, a little bit closer to where they started and a little bit closer to home.

Moral of the story: AD likes it. It's new, good & different. And, if you're heading south on I-75 to escape whatever plagues you up north: Take this with you, and pop it in...you know, around sundown. (Or around sun up...just so long as it's still dark.) That's all she's got for you.

Drums, Flowers, Shorty's & Oh My!

I've been slacking on my reviews lately. Here are a few that are much shorter than usual, but hopefully still helpful.

Coming Tuesday 9/14

The Drums-Self-Titled
I heard The Drums a few months ago when a friend from far away sent me a link to the video for "Let's Go Surfing." I've waited months for their album to be available here and I'm beyond stoked that it finally is. I cannot wait to share this with everyone. This album is full of tracks that will make you dance, sprinkled in between with songs that require nothing more than a beach towel and swishing feet. It's light, fun, and full of soft, pretty melodies that make it easily lovable by all. The worst part of this release is definitely the timing. For a 'summery' album-I can't believe they waited until mid-September for the release. Sending it out in the spring would have really boosted sales-The album is deserving of sunroofs back and windows down. With any luck though, the early Fall release will also give them time to pick up momentum before next summer's booking ends. These guys should hit the festival circuit big time!
Favorite Tracks: Skippin' Town, It Will All End In Tears, Forever & Ever Amen and (of course) Let's Go Surfing.

Brandon Flowers-Flamingo
I've been swooning since the epic opening track, "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas." I'm barely through my first listen, honestly, but I'm already excited to sell this the rest of the week. The second song, "Only The Young," has a bit of a Sting vibe to it (and I mean that in the best of ways). Slightly tribal sounding drums, bits of synth & Brandon's oh-so-pretty voice makes make it the most heart-starting song I've discovered in months. I could talk about each and every song on "Flamingo" with just as much giddy love as I have with these, but I'll spare you the drool-fest and leave you with this: Buy the damn album. Run out to your local record store & buy a copy for you and a copy for your best friend. Buy it, love it, share it.
Favorite Tracks: All of them. Honestly. But definitely check out 'Hard Enough' with backing vocals by the fabulous Jenny Lewis.

Everything else...

Trombone Shorty-Backatown
My knowledge of Jazz wavers somewhere between non-existent and minimal. I can name the jazz musicians I'm vaguely familiar with on one hand, and I'm not experts on any of them. The guys I work with are on a never-ending quest to broaden my horizons and it's always much appreciated. I'd heard about Trombone Shorty a few months ago when I was cutting reviews to post at work. I decided I'd check him out..eventually, and then abruptly forgot. A job switch this week led me straight to his CD, sitting on a co-worker's desk. I took it home, threw it into my computer and immediately began to dance. This isn't the unpredictable, cymbal tapping jazz of our fathers. It's got a funkier bass-line, a pop-like followable beat and a somethin'-somethin' that both new kids & old fogies can appreciate. I love this shit!
Favorite Tracks: Right to Complain, Neph, In the 6th

Other semi-new releases I love:

Jenny & Johnny-Great driving music!
Lissie-She's on her way to becoming my new Laura Marling. (Meaning my love for her grows with each listen.)
David Gray-Is he married? If he's not, will you tell him I'm available?
Mt. Desolation-They're debut album isn't out for another month, but from everything I've heard-I'm stoked! I'll see them in Michigan on Oct. 29th. If you're in the area-You should come out.