Mike Montrey - A Perfect Reality


Tracklist:
1. World Full Of Dreams
2. take me down mississippi
3. Embrace the Darkness
4. A Space Inside My Head
5. Dance Studio (On My Own)
6. Newport, Molasses
7. All of This and More
8. Care for Me Tomorrow
9. Tin Can
10. Montana's Eyes
11. Mr. Last Night




Mike Montrey is an excellent guitarist and a very interesting musician in many aspects. With "A Perfect Reality" he shows himself in a way that is unmistakably impressive. With raspy vocals that remind us of blues-rock's greats and well-crafted songs, both musically and lyrically, this musician is someone to keep an eye on.

World Full Of Dreams
The song starts in a haze of distortion, but then the music kicks in and with excellent guitar playing and musicians that support the song very well, the song gets underway. The raspy, (blues)rock-like vocals give this song a lot of character and kick off this album in a very impressive fashion.

Take Me Down Mississippi
On Take Me Down Mississippi, Mike Montrey introduces some folk and country influences in the instrumentals. The song flows very well and Mike's appropriate vocals give this song a very honest and inspiring feel.

Embrace The Darkness
Embrace The Darkness is a very interesting song that constantly pushes forward and Mike's energy-driven, passionate vocals really lift this song up into greatness.

A Space Inside My Head
The catchy Space Inside My Head is one of the best songs on this album. The song has the Bob Dylan/Bruce Springsteen approach on the one side, but on the other hand it also reminds of Buffalo Springfield and the likes. With a very modern spin, Mike Montrey makes this song stand out and the dynamics of the song play out really well, without losing it's catchy appeal.

Dance Studio (On My Own)
On Dance Studio, Mike Montrey shows a more contemporary sound, though the influences from other eras and genres are never far away. I can't say it's the best song on the album, but the alternative, groovy sound works pretty nicely in this song.

Newport, Molasses
At times this song gets slightly chaotic, which in isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can hear some British Folk-influences in the guitar and vocals (Nick Drake, etc.) which pleases me greatly, as the great Nick Drake is one of my musical heroes. But at times this song loses me. I do like the slightly experimental nature of the song, but it doesn't keep me focused on the song, which is too bad.

All Of This And More
This country/rock & roll song could be an instant classic. There's no doubt in my mind that this is one of the best tracks on the album. The danceable rockabilly beat and energetic (yet subtly composed) drums keep this song on cruise control, while the vocals and well-chosen instruments create a wonderful and exciting atmosphere in which this song comes to full bloom.

Care For Me Tomorrow
Care For Me Tomorrow has some Lynyrd Skynyrd/Led Zeppelin-influenced guitar work (kinda like 3 Doors Down can do that during live shows) and this, in combination with the tight drumming, provides the basis for this song (though I must admit that the strings are an interesting touch). The song in itself is quite good, but at times Mike Montrey makes it become slightly too chaotic. Sometimes, instead of accentuating things, the music 'enlarges' too much, which takes away from the actual song.

Tin Can
Tin Can is an uptempo song with country/bluegrass influences and the hasty, passionate vocals are very well done. Although it's not really the same style I find a comparison with the late Johnny Cash appropriate. Cash (I've Been Everywhere for example) was one of the only people who could pull off to keep this kind of uptempo singing going without losing clarity and precision, or take away from the song itself. Mike Montrey shows the same quality here.

Montana's Eyes
With an acoustic intro to Montana's Eyes, this bluesy track is off to an interesting start. And the song stays interesting, and is one of the best on the album, to be exact. Lyrically it's not the most astonishing of Montrey's arrangements but musically this is a sophisticated song, of a kind you rarely see surfacing these days.

Mr. Last Night
Mike Montrey finishes the record with a classic rock & roll song that should be liked by anyone who's into music. The fun, energy, passion, and talent is just everywhere, and it is not a bad thing that Mike Montrey saved the best for last. If you weren't convinced yet, this track should pull you in and win you over.

"A Perfect Reality" is another record by an artist who is obviously influenced by many things, not the least by some of the classic bands. It's easy to compare Mike Montrey with currently popular acts like Rocco DeLuca and Keaton Simons, and in some aspects these comparisons are fair, but in some aspects they're not. Mike Montrey very much has his own sound but like these other acts he can bridge the gap between the old sound and the new sound. "A Perfect Reality" is an album that is only the first step for this talented spirit.

khabata's top albums
1. Alabama Thunderpussy - Open Fire (281) 2. The Atomic Bitchwax - 3 (260) 3. Clutch - Blast Tyrant (236) 4. Carcass - Swansong (204) 5. Elastica - Elastica (200) 6. Year Long Disaster - Year Long Disaster (199) 7. The Hellacopters - Head Off (197) 8. Arno - Jus De Box (174) 9. The Hellacopters - Cream Of The Crap! Volume 2 (173) 10. The Beatles - Revolver (166) 11. Black NASA - Deuce (162) 12. Screaming Trees - Dust (160) 13. Soulsavers - It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land (152) 14. Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield (144) 15. Corrosion of Conformity - Deliverance (143) 16. Various Artists - (A) Senile Animal (141) 17. Melvins - The Maggot (139) 18. The Obsessed - Lunar Womb (135) 19. Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies (134) 20. The Who - Who's Next (132) 21. Mark Lanegan - Field Songs (130) 22. Alice in Chains - Facelift (125) 23. The Beatles - Abbey Road (121) 24. Mark Lanegan - The Winding Sheet (119) 25. Mastodon - Blood Mountain (117)

Another quizy quiz
Favourite bands
This changes often. This is more a list of my current favorites along with some all-timers. (not really in order)
1. Sonic Youth
2. Joy Division
3. Black Flag
4. Neutral Milk Hotel
5. Santogold
6. of Montreal
7. The Velvet Underground
8. Elliott Smith
9. Ramones
10. Weezer

Favourite albums
Also in no particular order:
1. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
2. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
3. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
4. Sonic Youth - Goo
5. Ramones - Rocket to Russia
6. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
7. Elliott Smith - Either/Or
8. The Beatles - Abbey Road
9. Joy Division - Closer
10. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Greatest single ever made:
This question hurts my brain. If I had to pick the one song I believe to be most transcendent throughout the rock era, it would have to be something really epic. Hmmm. *Picks something totally epic* The Who - Baba O'Reilly

Favourite box sets
I don't own any box sets...

Favourite Greatest Hits:
The Cure - Greatest Hits
Buffalo Springfield - Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield

First CD bought:
Don't make fun. Spice Girls.

First Concert:
First official concert: Céline Dion when I was 6.
First festival show: Public Enemy in 2007.
First club show: Be Your Own Pet in '05.
Last show: The Cure this summer.

Favourite Concert:
Thurston Moore in Austin, TX this past March. Holy shit what fun!

Concert You Wish You'd Seen:
Radiohead this summer. Or The Beatles when they were super-hot in the late 60's. Or Butthole Surfers, because I hear their live shows were... um... life-changing. Or that legendary show My Bloody Valentine played in LA right before they broke up that rendered several people deaf (according to legend).

Best Use of Music In Film:
I love the score for Requiem for a Dream (written by Clint Mansell). My favorite soundtrack is probably Marie Antoinette, because it's all great 80's post-punk.

Best Use of Music In TV series:
I don't really watch TV for music.

Favourite music books:
Our Band Could Be Your Life: American Indie Underground 1981-1991 - Michael Azerrad
Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 - Simon Reynolds
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk - Legs McNeill and Gillian McCain

Favourite Songwriters:
John Lennon, Elliott Smith, Ian Curtis (a little depressing here...), Jeff Magnum (where the fuck is he?)

Favourite album covers:
Santogold - Santogold. She's puking sparkles. How awesome.

Least fav album covers to albums you like/love/don't mind
All The Smiths covers except Meat Is Murder. Like, come on. Get creative.

Favourite Music DVDs:
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones... I really don't watch many music DVDs.

Artist You Will Always Believe In:
"I don't believe in the Beatles. I believe in me." - John Lennon

Artist You Will Always Defend:
Public Enemy. Dude. I know Flavor Flav's made a fool of himself on national television, but that doesn't change the fact that they made some of my favorite hip hop records EVER.

Albums You Will Always Defend:
Bad Brains - I Against I
Some people don't like it because there's no reggae but I think it's delicious.

Singers Who Can Make Your Skin Crawl:
Good way or bad way? Good way: Elliott Smith. Bad way: Any emo "singer."

Artists I'm Supposed to like, but don't.
The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, U2, Death Cab for Cutie...

Song You Can't Stand by an Artist You Like:
The Clash - Know Your Rights.
Combat Rock is a half-assed record, at best.

Artist Who Broke Your Heart:
Neutral Milk Hotel. Why? Why must you go?

Band That Should Break Up:
Weezer shoulda quit after Pinkerton (which they kind of did...). And any band whose members risk breaking a hip every time they're on stage. And Nickelback. Because they suck.

Bands That Should Get Back Together:
The Smiths. 'Nuff said.
It won't happen though because according to Morrissey, "I'd rather eat my own testicles than reunite the Smiths. And that's saying a lot, since I'm a vegetarian." (That's a direct quote, by the way.)

Guilty Pleasure:
I'll just go with Madonna. Because sometimes I really like to listen to her.

Back to homework, then.

Artist: Queensrÿche; Album: Take Cover
Artist: BulletBoys; Album: Bulletboys

I'm completely fired up about seeing Queensrÿche tonight and BulletBoys tomorrow afternoon at Houston's Rock The Bayou festival.
Coincidentally, both of these bands have recorded covers of For The Love Of Money by The O'Jays. You can view the original here:

Anyone remember that old school tune? I don't have that one in my collection, but I do have The Backstabbers and enjoy that one tremendously :)

Queensrÿche released Take Cover in 2007. It is quite an eclectic collection, featuring the band's take on songs by artists as varied as Buffalo Springfield, Black Sabbath, and The Police. Their version of For the Love of Money is not my favorite on the album, but I do appreciate their creative spin on it. Instead, I much prefer Red Rain, Bullet the Blue Sky (live), Heaven on Their Minds (from one of my favorite musicals: Jesus Christ Superstar!), and last but certainly not least, Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine, which they have performed live this year:

They actually performed it in Houston back in February, with a local contest winner helping out on vox! I hope they do it again tonight, and my fingers and toes are crossed that Geoff Tate will be in good voice, as he is one of my favorite singers of all time!

Next up is the version of For the Love of Money that I enjoy the most. BulletBoys have always been an incredibly underrated band, in my opinion. They fit perfectly into the sleaze rock category of the late '80s. Some of you might remember the classic Smooth Up In Ya that was played on MTV so much back in the day. But the band also did some fantastic bluesy numbers, such as this cover, as well as just some groovin', straight-ahead, badass rock tunes: Shoot the Preacher Down, Badlands and Hard as a Rock are a few of my good-time picks from their debut album. And of course, this song that makes me ridiculously happy as I attempt to wail along with Marq Torien: F#9. BulletBoys are recommended for fans of David Lee Roth, as Marq's vocals and strutting performance style are often compared to his. See for yourself:

Good stuff, right?!

rediscovering my 60s/70s playlist today. have: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Love, The Band, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Tim Buckley and others......

If you love music, you must watch this documentary about Ahmet Ertegun's life.

OK, maybe you are not directly aware of who Ahmet was. That may be acceptable, as this Turkish man is not necessarily such as a household name as the label he founded with his jazz enthusiast brother, Atlantic Records. By the way, Mr. Ertegun was also co-founder and Chairman of Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.... And before posting this, read that also founder of NY's soccer team Cosmos...

That Atlantic house houses, among several others, names such as:

Ruth Brown

The Clovers

LaVern Baker

Big Joe Turner - check

Solomon Burke

Ray CharlesMess Around

The Coasters

Ben E. King

Producer Phil Spector

Bobby Darin

Rufus & Carla

Otis Redding

Aretha Franklin

Eric Clapton

Led Zeppelin

Buffalo Springfield & Crosby, Stills & Nash

The Rolling Stones; mainly Sticky Fingers & Exile on Main Street

Chic

Bette Midler

Phil Collins

Foreigner

Kid Rock

Paolo Nutini

Chaka Khan

Steve Winwood

All of them purveyors of good, like Ahmet said,"Black American music or its white imitation thereof".

Mon 19 May – Richard Hawley

Derby’s music “scene” keeps getting better and better; lose a record shop (Reveal :( ), gain a great new band (You Animals), a new venue (The Royal), and then get Richard Hawley to play.

Supporting the Sheffield man is Pete Molinari, who explains that while he is a solo artist, he “usually has a full band” and it’s “strange to be playing a solo acoustic show”, but he soldiers on rather admirably.

The fact that Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” play over the PA immediatly before Molinari comes on is rather fitting; his style of country-ish strumming, as well as his unusually high voice, are reminiscent of that late 60s/early 70s Crosby Stills and Nash sound, his voice oftentimes recalling Neil Young.

While it goes along nicely, nothing particularly stands out in ol’ Pete’s set - the fact that one of his songs was recently featured on a Mojo magazine CD says it all. Not bad, but not brilliant either (although Señor Hawley would disagree; apparently he’s been listening to Molinari’s latest, A Virtual Landslide, in his car for the past to weeks - “I don’t drive, I just listen to music in it”).

After a stirling start, which is odd to say about a series of ballads (“Hotel Room”, “Born Under a Bad Sign”, “Lady Solitude”), the main act and troupe leave the stage for “a quick fag”, which allows the techies to sort out the rather-awful PA; it’s Hawley himself that notices, just as the band are about to launch into the joyous “Tonight The Streets Are Ours”.

Luckily, it doesn’t take too long for the technical difficulties to be sorted, and we’re back to “Tonight…”, the band playing well for the more up-tempo, often rockabilly songs (such as “Serious”, and the mid-to-low-tempo ballad (like the titular-track double whammy of “Coles Corner” and “Lady’s Bridge”).

Throughout, as you’ve probably seen in quotes dotted throughout this post (it’s easier to steal jokes than come up with your own; ask Dane Cook), Richard Hawley is a funny man; he keeps a cheeky, and rude (well, to the over-50s) demeanour in his between-song banter, several times answering to wolf-whistles and cat calls with “Thanks mum.” As my mum, who has also seen Mr Hawley live (yes, my mum likes him…she likes The Killers and Black Kids too, so lay off), this is probably to show he’s still as Sheffield “blokey-bloke”, which his tender, lover-lorn songs might not suggest.

Unfortunatley, as the band start possibly my favourite Hawley original, the three chocolate muffins, four jam doughnuts and bottle of knock-off orange Tango I had consumed earlier in the day finally decided to pounce, so I was relegated to the outside of the Darwin Suite, an offshoot of the “proper” Assembly Rooms just across the way, slumped on a chair for the majority of “Just Like the Rain” (my aformentioned fave), “Tonight”, “Oh My Love”, and set-closer “I’m Looking for Someone” which, therefore, I cannot comment on! Makes my job easier, anyway.

I was back in action for the encore, anyway, which saw the 50s-throwback (in the best possible way) himself take on both Ricky Nelson’s “Lonesome Town” and Hank Williams‘ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, both to sterling effect - although that might have been the sugar talking.

Jefferson Airplane - Comin' Back to Me

I saw you...

I bought Surrealistic Pillow recently, and having previously been accustomed to Airplane's druggy rock songs, I was quite surprised to hear a song such as this. Folky, calm, with a relaxed pace - and it has flute on it! The dreamy imaginative lyrics remind me of a sunny cloudless day a few days back, on which I looked upon the shores of the Baltic Sea while smoking a cigar. Then I came across a thought - why are the people of today so busy and in a constant hurry?


Buffalo Springfield - Expecting to Fly

I think this is my favorite Neil Young song. The melodies and the string arrangement just carry you away. Calm, peaceful, light as a feather.

Might be a good song for the broken-hearted, at least the lyrics are fairly easy to relate to.


Nick Drake - Clothes of Sand

Mister Nicholas Rodney Drake's whole catalog could be considered hauntingly beautiful, but this one might the most haunting of them all. Just the voice and the guitar, the sparse guitar patterns conjure a mood of sadness and solitude, as if on the sands of a remote beach watching the sun set surely but in a tranquil way.

Clothes of Sand was one of the last songs that Nick Drake recorded, a key tune to an album that never was to be completed.


Björk - Unison

The climax of the greatest Björk album - Vespertine. This is the release that dismantles the tension that the previous 11 songs on the album had built up. Aggressively peaceful with gorgeous choirs. The song sounds a bit surrealistic in its own way and it has occasionally silly lyrics and an oriental-sounding melody at the end.


Leonard Cohen - Suzanne

Definitely classic, Suzanne is an evergreen covered by god knows how many artists. Yet only Leonard Cohen himself has managed to capture the spirit of this song, at least from what I have heard. The slight reverb in the vocals creates an almost otherwordly quality, as does the backing vocals and the acoustic guitar and the sneaking string instruments. Like gentle falling snow.


Slowdive - Alison

Great lyrics, funny images. Waves of shoegazing sounds wash over you. Relax... 'listen close and don't be stoned'. Do it, it's worth it. The perfect after-party song, since the song's mood is so warm and kind of fuzzy. It's the positive feeling that makes Alison beautiful. It's the sounds that make it haunting.


Tim Buckley - Morning Glory

The perfect song to listen to early in the morning as the sun casts its first yellow rays on a slightly breezy summer day. Unfortunately I've yet to experience this myself as I haven't been awake early in the morning for about 1½ months. I like how Morning Glory is basically simple folk pop. Songs like this contain a lot of feeling in their haunting beauty.


King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon

Maritime musical orgasm. During their early years King Crimson made several hauntingly beautiful songs, such as Starless, Epitaph and Fallen Angel. For this list I chose the ugly duckling In the Wake of Poseidon which is often criticized for being a mere copy of Epitaph. I disagree, even though both of them are drenched in sweeping mellotron. In the Wake of Poseidon is more soulful, more atmospheric, and more beautiful - a true epic ballad! Take a swim in mythology, just don't take the song too seriously.


Yann Tiersen - Summer 78

A piece from the Goodbye Lenin OST. I haven't seen the movie, so I can't say how it suits the scene. But the song itself is a piece of crystalline beauty! A man and his piano, emotion and fragility. Even though the song is titled after a certain hot and sunny season, the song evokes images of autumn in my mind.

Well, this instrumental song didn't need any words, neither do I need any more words to describe this list of hauntingly beautiful songs. :)