I was on IM with a friend from LA a couple of days ago. He asked what I was listening to. So I thought I’d give a quick rundown on the albums loaded in my Nomad. I know everyone is all ga-ga over the iPod but I really like my Nomad IIc. It’s got 256MB of storage, giving me enough for about 6 albums in 96kbit WMA format. I actually like the fact that I don’t bring my whole music collection with me. It gives me a chance to proactively choose some music that I haven’t listened to in a while.
The Uninvited – Teenage Dance Party
While I’m on record as hating LA now, it was a great place to be twenty and single. I made friends with a bunch of bands that had great music, but never really made it big. This is one of those bands. They’re broken up now (and frankly, only two members of the original band were still with it at the end) but they wrote some of my favorite songs ever. Granted, they might have been my favorites because I heard them live about 100 times. This album is a series of rarities and versions of songs that never got released anywhere else. It ranges from silly (“Let’s Drive a Wooden Stake Thru the Evil Heart of Garth Brooks”) to serious (“Shed My Skin”) to eerily timely given the current state of the world (“Armageddon Blues”). Favorite Song: “Everybody Is A Whore”.
This is a friend by family band. My brother introduced me to these guys. Sorta Dave Mathews-ish, but better IMO. Like Dave, Pat Mcgee Band encourages their fans to tape and trade live shows, which is pretty cool. Shine is their latest and their first label album (Giant/Warner Bros.). Favorite Song: Minute.
I’m a sucker for horns, so I love ska. This album isn’t as good as their previous two, but it’s not bad. I haven’t listened to it in a while which is why it made in onto my Nomad. Favorite Song: Suckers.
Uncle Kracker – No Stranger To Shame
While I don’t like straight up rap, I do tend to like cross over stuff. Uncle Kracker got his start off Kid Rock’s fame, but then hit on his own with Follow Me. While the first track of Shame (and hidden last track) are rap crossover, the rest of the album is pretty bluesy, obviously trying to capture the sound of Follow Me. They have a good cover of Drift Away, but my Favorite Song: I Do (as I said, sucker for horns)
David Lee Roth – A Little Ain’t Enough
Overshadowed by the release of Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge the same year, this is a great, if underrated, album. With the exception of Right Now, every song on Knowledge is entirely forgettable. But I dig pretty much everything on A Little Ain’t Enough.. Need to check out his latest: Diamond Dave. Favorite Song: Hammerhead Shark.
I haven’t given this one enough listens yet. I liked Hybrid Theory and so far I like what I hear of Meteora. Favorite Song (so far): Somewhere I Belong.