Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct. Blackened Recordings, 2016.

Yes! Finally, Metallica has put out the album fans have been waiting for. Death Magnetic was somewhat a return to form, but in my opinion this album stands heads and shoulders above that one. Metallica is, and always will be, my favorite band, but they've certainly been polarizing figures among fans since the Black Album came out in 1991. They strayed from their thrash roots on Load and Reload, and many fans went nuts. I actually really enjoyed both albums, especially Load. "Until It Sleeps," "Hero of the Day," and "Mama Said" are three of my favorite 'Tallica songs. That being said, you won't find any acoustic guitar on this album - it's nothing but fast, loud and straight-up metal. Apart from the first three singles, which are all very solid songs, my favorite tracks from the album are "Now That We're Dead," "Confusion," and "Here Comes Revenge." Honestly, though, there's not a song on here I don't like. This is one I will be spinning again and again. The drums sound so much better than the last two albums, although in typical post Cliff-Burton Metallica, the bass is hard to hear, except on "Spit Out The Bone," where Rob is given a chance to show what he can do. Metallica will never return to the days of Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets (perhaps my favorite album of all time), but that's okay. They have evolved as a band and done things that many people outright rejected (St. Anger and Lulu with Lou Reed in particular), but they've proven here that they can still bring it.

Reckless Kelly - Sunset Motel

Reckless Kelly - Sunset Motel. No Big Deal Records, 2016.

This is the latest addition to my collection, since my preorder of Metallica's new album won't arrive until tomorrow. Reckless Kelly has roots in my home state of Idaho - brothers Willy and Cody Braun began their singing career with their father in Muzzie Braun & The Boys, but are now based in Austin, Texas. It's hard to put a genre label on a band like Reckless Kelly - Americana, alt-country, Texas country, Red Dirt, it doesn't really matter. Whatever you might call it, it's just good, solid down-to-earth music. I suppose you could just label it country, but it certainly doesn't fit into what passes for country music these days. Reckless Kelly does a good job of producing a mix of fast-paced and slower, stripped down songs, and that formula doesn't change on this album.

This is by far the most elaborate packaging of any record I own. This is yet another reason I love vinyl - the packaging is a work of art in its own right. Sunset Motel features a picture of the band, a postcard, sketches, a motel key fob, and a road map. You just can't get that with other formats. 

AC/DC - Rock or Bust

It's been awhile since I've done anything with this blog. The itch to write about things I love, particularly music, has hit again. I have immersed myself over the last 4-5 years in collecting vinyl records. I've always loved records, but they were a dying format by the time I became old enough to really get into music. Most of my childhood experience comes from the albums my parents listened to. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate much of their music, but at the time it was just that - "their" music. It wasn't "my" music. I was 10 years old when the Seattle grunge scene exploded, and that became the soundtrack to my middle school and high school years, along with the metal and hard rock my older brother had so kindly exposed me to. As the years have passed, my musical tastes have changed somewhat and expanded to include many different genres and styles. My philosophy is if I like a song, I'll listen to it, regardless of genre. That being said, most music put out today does nothing for me. In all honesty, I rarely listen to new music unless it's by an artist or band I am already acquainted with. Occasionally I'll come across new acts, but they're rarely ones played on the radio. Anyways, back to records. Collecting records has allowed me to broaden my horizons and listen to artists I probably would have never picked up on CD or digitally. That is one of the things I love most about digging for vinyl - you never know what you might find in that thrift shop, or flea market, or garage sale. 

My goal with this is to go through my collection and share pieces of it. I probably won't post every record I own, at least not in order. I'll share new ones as I pick them up. I might just feel the need to pull a certain album off the shelf and spin it. I hope whoever, if anybody, that reads these will enjoy them and perhaps find some new music to listen to. First up - AC/DC - Rock or Bust. Columbia, 2014.

This is the latest album from the boys Down Under - and possibly the last with Brian Johnson. Due to hearing issues he has been replaced with...Axl Rose. I know, it kind of makes me gag too. I loved Guns N' Roses back in the day but Axl in AC/DC? Come on. So perhaps this album will go down as Brian's last stand. My favorite AC/DC will always be the stuff with Bon Scott, but they've put out some great albums with Brian Johnson as well. I wasn't sure how I would like Rock or Bust because I wasn't a huge fan of their last few albums before this one, but I absolutely love this album. The title track and "Play Ball" are your typical AC/DC rockers, simple yet so much fun. My favorite track from the album, however, is "Dogs of War." AC/DC is not really known for writing songs about war or anything remotely political, and "Dogs of War" is certainly no "Disposable Heroes" or "Symphony of Destruction," but it stands out to me because it is a different subject material from what they typically write about. As of yet I don't have any Bon Scott era albums on vinyl, so this one and a few others will have to do for now.  

Today in History

August 23, 1904. The automotive tire chain was patented by Harold D. Weed of New York. This has allowed us to do things like this:

It always amazes me to see old photos like this and see what old cars were capable of. Many of today's so-called 4wheel drive vehicles wouldn't be able to get half of the places these old cars made it. 

Sound City

This is one of those documentaries that I've been itching to see ever since I got wind of it. As I checked to see if anything new had become available on Amazon Prime Instant Video, I was excited to see this movie available for free streaming. I love watching music documentaries, and this one piqued my interest even more because it is directed by Dave Grohl. Dave is one of my favorite musicians, and I've watched his evolution from Nirvana drummer to Foo Fighters frontman over the years with admiration. He is incredibly talented as a musician and now the role of movie director can be added to his repertoire. The film shows the story of Sound City, a Southern California recording studio that has seen the recording of such monumental albums as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Damn the Torpedoes, Dio's Holy Diver, and Nirvana's Nevermind. Even as the rest of the music industry went digital, Sound City hung on to recording with tape and maintained the goal of capturing quality in music. So much of music today is digitally altered, and it can be hard to tell if a musician is actually talented or if a computer has made them sound good. The musicians featured in this documentary, who have all recorded at Sound City at one time or another, are those who are truly talented and view making music as an art. One of the best parts of the film is near the end, as it transitions from the Sound City story to showing the recording of a new album with some of the musicians that have recorded at the studio. Dave, Krist Novoselic (Nirvana), and Paul McCartney (who, looking at a list of albums recorded at Sound City, I'm not sure ever actually recorded there. But who cares, it's Paul McCartney) record a song for the new album. It's awesome seeing these two generations of musical icons come together and jam. If you love music, then check this film out.

More info can be found here: http://buy.soundcitymovie.com/

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, by John G. Turner, tells the story of a fascinating and complex man, one who was loved my many but reviled by many as well. Much like Richard Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Turner's work shows that Young was human, complete with faults and mistakes. It seems at times that many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (of which I myself am a member) view our prophets as almost mythical figures who were not capable of doing wrong. Of course, this is not the case. Brigham Young was a complex man who had his share of faults, along with the many good qualities he possessed. Turner (who is not Mormon) does a good job of addressing the many issues that arose as Young served as President of the church. As expected, he examines his handling of the Willie-Martin Handcart company tragedy as well as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He gives praise to Young for how he managed to move an entire church across the frontier and establish a new Zion in the Rocky Mountains. I enjoyed this book and felt that Turner examined Young's life as objectively as possible. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in church history, or in the history of the American West or American religion in general.

Back to New Mexico

It's funny how things work out sometimes. Three years ago I graduated from New Mexico State University with a Master of Arts in History. I took what I thought to be the more practical route and specialized in Public History. I did an internship at one museum and volunteered at another. I graduated with no job, and we moved back to Idaho to live with my parents. I interviewed at several museums and historic sites, but nothing materialized. I ended up going back to Target (for the third time in my life) and Marie went back to teaching at Head Start. It felt like we were going backwards. I soon realized my hopes of working in a museum were not going to come to fruition. I decided I needed to pursue another avenue. As an undergraduate I kicked around the idea of going to library school before eventually settling on public history. So, it wasn't a difficult decision to pursue another masters in library science, even though I really, and I mean really, didn't want to go back to school. I was so done with school, but I knew I had to do something. The University of Oklahoma has a very good library school, and they offer the program from the Tulsa campus. Marie's dad and stepmom happen to live in Tulsa and have a 1 bedroom house on their property. Small, but shelter nonetheless. So two years ago we headed to Oklahoma. I'm an Idaho boy. I don't do well in the Midwest. It's hot, it's flat, and I'm a wee bit scared of tornadoes. It was a struggle for me here, especially early on. As time has gone on, I've become a little more used to living here but I still miss the west. I graduated with my library degree and gained some great library experience through three different jobs (all part-time). However, that full time job that would launch my career still evaded me. I was getting interviews, and good ones at that. I even had an on-campus interview at Wichita State University for a very good job that I really thought I was going to get. Turns out they didn't hire any of the three candidates they brought on campus. Apparently they must be looking for a super librarian or something. No hard feelings. Ok, maybe just a little. Then, in June, things started to change. I had the very distinct possibility of being offered a full-time job in Tulsa at Phillips Theological Seminary, where I was working part time. In fact, they did offer me a full-time position. However, in the meantime, I had also been asked to come on campus at New Mexico State University (yes, my alma mater) for a second interview for a Digital Projects Librarian. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to hear back from NMSU. They called me within 3 days of my interview and offered me the job (this is in no way typical of academic library jobs). What's crazy is the position was posted in December. I didn't initially apply for it for various reasons. Marie kept urging me to apply for it, especially after it was reposted. So I did, around the end of April. They called me the first week of June, I did a phone interview a week later, and was in Las Cruces two weeks after that. Then the job offer came (and a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders). I'm still kind of in shock, just because it seemed like it was never going to happen. So back to Las Cruces we go. I'm so excited to be heading back to the mountains and deserts of the west. I can honestly say there isn't much about Oklahoma that I will miss other than Marie's family. The winters here were nice, and there are some cool places that we were able to visit, but I just don't belong in the Midwest. I'm excited (and a little nervous) to start my new position, and to finally start a career instead of just having a job.