After a few listens, I am really digging the new Alter Bridge record. The first single, Rise Today, gave me a bad first impression.. quite bland. The rest of the album is rockin' though. Lead vocalist Myles Kennedy displays an impressive range, and guitarist Mark Tremonti shreds effectively. This is a departure from their first album, One Day Remains, which felt like a Creed afterthought blended with a bit of harder rock. With Myles Kennedy much more involved in the writing process on the new album, it seems Alter Bridge has established their own creative vision.

This new vision is evident in the title track, Blackbird, the strongest cut on the record. I will venture to call it epic. Clocking in at almost eight minutes, it feels about half that time.

Alter Bridge - Blackbird

Highlights

• Blackbird
• Ties That Bind
• Brand New Start
• Watch Over You

I just downloaded Radiohead's new album, In Rainbows, for 3.45 euros. That's about 5 bucks for 10 new songs from one of my favorite bands. And the kicker — it's all legit. Radiohead embarked on an experimental marketing strategy with their new record - let the fans download the album online, and choose their price. The tagline that is being associated with it is "How much is the music worth to you?" It's a pretty brilliant strategy for a band with as large a cult following as Radiohead.

I read one fellow's comment that he bought the album for 100 euros. I'm not quite as generous, but I think that 5 bucks isn't that bad, considering (I believe) that the band will see every penny of it. I wonder what the typical percentage is that artists get from Atlantic and the like via traditional $15 record sales.

Supposedly Oasis and Jamiroquai (also favorites of mine) will be following suit.

Click here to download In Rainbows from Radiohead's official site.

Homework has been all reading lately — mostly history. Since I can't come up with anything more interesting to say at the moment, I've devised a visual list of my favorite albums to trudge through my reading to. So, iTunes these titles (yes, iTunes is a verb now) and enjoy. (Hover over album for title)

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Now playing: The Flaming Lips - Mr. Ambulance Driver

Well hello there. Yes, we’re still alive. Sadly I haven’t made the time to write in awhile.. obviously. Anyhow, late last night I was doing some YouTubing for some live performances, and came up with a few things worthy of passing on. If you know my tastes, you won’t be surprised by any of these picks.

Edit: w00t! Got embedding working, thanks to a handy YouTube plugin for TinyMCE…

Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy - Hallelujah (cover of Jeff Buckley’s rendition)

Collective Soul’s Ed Roland - Reach

Ed Roland &� Joel Kosche - Under Heaven’s Skies