Since I'm very opinionated when it comes to music and what's good and what isn't, I thought I'd try my hand at writing reviews. This is the first one I've formally written so we'll see how it goes!
Mark Stoermer is the third member of The Killers to release a solo album that kept him busy during their hiatus. While Brandon Flowers went with The Killers' label Island to release Flamingo amid a swarm of (music) media flurry, Ronnie Vannucci Jr. released his album, Big Talk, on his own label, Little Oil (with help from Epitaph). Never one to make a big to-do of anything, Mark Stoermer, in true "The Quiet Killer" form, subtly told fans about his album via various social networking sites. He created a Tumblr page and regularly updated this and his Twitter account with info for fans, and finally, quietly released Another Life for free download earlier this week. After having listened to it once through (and a couple songs more than once), here's what I think.
I like it. It doesn't really wow me but I find it very nice and relaxing to listen to. It's dreamy and a bit dark and has echos of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and a general old-school country twang to it. Mark's voice is lovely as well; it's not particularly strong or loud but it's quite pleasant to listen to. Pretty good range as well. I do wonder how many of the instruments he played on these tracks. I assume he did most of it, and it's great hearing his skillful guitar playing (I love his bass playing but he is clearly a man of many talents). As far as songwriting goes, he's not a terribly strong writer, but overall not bad. And yes, to compare this to Big Talk and Flamingo in terms of Killers-ness (the only way I'll compare his album to theirs), I'd say this the most different from his band.
These are my favorite tracks:
You can download Another Life for free for a limited time by clicking here.
Coming soon: Florence and the Machine's Ceremonials and why it makes me go ASDFLJAEFIHASDFLKDFS
Mark Stoermer is the third member of The Killers to release a solo album that kept him busy during their hiatus. While Brandon Flowers went with The Killers' label Island to release Flamingo amid a swarm of (music) media flurry, Ronnie Vannucci Jr. released his album, Big Talk, on his own label, Little Oil (with help from Epitaph). Never one to make a big to-do of anything, Mark Stoermer, in true "The Quiet Killer" form, subtly told fans about his album via various social networking sites. He created a Tumblr page and regularly updated this and his Twitter account with info for fans, and finally, quietly released Another Life for free download earlier this week. After having listened to it once through (and a couple songs more than once), here's what I think.
I like it. It doesn't really wow me but I find it very nice and relaxing to listen to. It's dreamy and a bit dark and has echos of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and a general old-school country twang to it. Mark's voice is lovely as well; it's not particularly strong or loud but it's quite pleasant to listen to. Pretty good range as well. I do wonder how many of the instruments he played on these tracks. I assume he did most of it, and it's great hearing his skillful guitar playing (I love his bass playing but he is clearly a man of many talents). As far as songwriting goes, he's not a terribly strong writer, but overall not bad. And yes, to compare this to Big Talk and Flamingo in terms of Killers-ness (the only way I'll compare his album to theirs), I'd say this the most different from his band.
These are my favorite tracks:
- "The Way We Were Before": Quite different from the others on the album and probably the most Killers-y, given its more electronic nature. It's fun and cute and makes me think of spending a sunny, warm day at the beach, traveling, and just enjoying life. Plus, the Amalfi coast is one of my dream destinations.
- "There Is No Is": Ah, here we have Mark's famous philosophical side (he majored in philosophy before he left college to become a professional bamf). This song is beautiful and reminds me a lot of my favorite Beatle, George Harrison. I think there's a lot of depth to this song, both lyrically and musically.
You can download Another Life for free for a limited time by clicking here.
Coming soon: Florence and the Machine's Ceremonials and why it makes me go ASDFLJAEFIHASDFLKDFS
