State of Man - Swallow Your Fears

ALBUM REVIEW

It's been a while since I've reviewed any music. There have been a few albums that I've listened to that I really need to get on here at blab about soon.

I couldn't keep putting this one off, because the CD was a gift. Not only is it signed, it's good. There's a southern rocker belle(that may sound like an improbable combination, but it's true) that is so connected with music it makes me terribly jealous. Lara's her name, and these fellas are her friends.

State of Man is getting a lot of good press, and from the four songs on the maxi-single I have, it's for a good reason. They're definitely radio-friendly, but not in some bereft way. These gents have latched on to a key element that it seems a lot of the marketing excuses for bands out there have skipped - how to craft a hook!

By the time you've heard any of these songs twice, you feel like you know them. They're well crafted, without being over-produced in any way. I don't even know what they are "categorized" as, but they're rock to me. There's a nice soulful touch to the vocals, and I think that you can hear the southeastern touch, without it ever being a bad thing. I think that lead singer, John Stringer, has an amazing ability to enunciate very clearly, and yet still infuse emotion into his voice. The guitars come over in a nice wave, and with moments of crunchiness that I'm very partial to. The rhythm section allows the tracks to remain simple, but also can pull along the driving force that's needed.

The single itself, Swallow Your Fears, comes sweeping in with a sparse arrangement and a nice wall of guitar sound. The real star here, for me, is the vocals, and when you get to the harmony in the chorus, it's instantly likeable. The lyrics are actually very positive too, and I hope it does very well. I'd much rather hear/see this on MTV than most of the stuff on there.

Echoing guitars strum "Be Still(My Heart)" into life. Once again, the lyrics are solid(I actually really like sentiment in the bridge), but the really choice thing is the way the chorus kicks in with the guitars sweeping up to meet it. I can see every crowd singing along to this song after the first verse. I've heard that State Of Man is great live, and with songs this accessible, I'm not surprised. This is anthemic, and could easily be a single itself.

"Bound In Chains" sounds the most southern to me - with it's piano and slower tempo. Maybe it's just me, but this song sounds laid back like a rainy day. The most soulful vocals come through on this one, and I really like it.

"Symmetry" wraps things up, and is probably the heaviest track. This has things cranked up, with the drums and the guitars to the fore. There's even an honest to goodness guitar solo on this song, and yet it still manages to have this infinitely catchy hook. Almost reminds me of Living Colour on this one, and if you know me, that's a pretty big compliment.

I think that if this is a taste of what they're capable of, then the full album is definitely worth snagging. Who couldn't use a few more rock songs in a row they can actually enjoy?

Rating = *** out of 5 stars

Done To Soon

I know that I mentioned in my last post that I'd be getting some more on here soon. It's with a heavy heart that I put this one together.

My grandfather passed away earlier today.

He wasn't supposed to last as long as this, because he had already had a heart attack before, and had a pacemaker too. He had a variety of things against him, like diabetes(that I know he cheated about), sleep apnea, and probably other things I wasn't even aware of.

For some reason, the fact that he had lasted a lot longer than diagnosed made me have a feeling like he'd be around forever.

My father was there with his father when it happened, and my family seems to be doing well with things so far. The problem with my family is we tend to suppress, and I hope we can get through this in a more healthy fashion.

My grandfather was of the old school, and he was always wonderful to me. He was supremely generous, and always showed his love for me. I have many happy childhood memories with him. Many more memories of how he supported me while I was growing up, and even now that I'm older. I will miss him very much.

I am very glad that I was able to write him a long letter recently that recalled memories of us together, and let him know the ways I love and care about him. There is always a tendency to feel guilty about not spending more time, or telling someone you loved them enough. The truth is you can never tell them that enough, but I feel better knowing I told him fully, and it touched him.

I did reflect today on the dichotomy, and the fact that my wife was at a baby shower. Life does travel forward, and death is only a part of it. A very small part. I know I may not get over this for a while, but I do know that I would prefer to celebrate the rest of his life, instead of focusing on the end of it.

At the risk of sounding morbid, hug someone in your family today, and tell them you love them...

Big Foot

You would think that as busy as I have been, when I finally got around to getting something else up here it would be something substantial.

Although I do have a lot that I want to get up here, and plan to try my best to maybe very much, it turns out that my news is something superficial.

I've been toying with the idea for a while, and decided yesterday to celebrate Labor Day by cutting 12 inches of hair off of my head. Believe it or not, this still leaves me with shoulder length locks, and although it's taking some getting used to feeling my ponytail brush across the back of my neck when I turn my head, I think it looks good, and is a nice change.

I haven't given up my long-hair credibility. I haven't gone the tragic way of the mullet.

I kinda like the feel of it so far. I'm not much of a judge of the look of it, because when I check out the mirror, it's all bad news, but I've gotten compliments already, so here's hoping...