Anyway, quick check in while working at my other job. My Monster Miles Davis Trumpet in-ear monitors arrived today, and I just wanted to express a little excitement over them and the circumstances in which I acquired them.

After the Cyber Monday deals were dying out, I checked SlickDeals maybe … ten minutes before I planned to go to bed. There, they had the headphones, sold by Monster on eBay, as new items with possible missing/damaged packaging and possible missing/damaged accessories.

I had no money, but my fiancee’ did, but no matter how deep my obsession with headphones runs, I couldn’t wake her up just for the sake of asking her to get me some headphones. So I waited, she got paid the next morning, and she elected to buy them.

Now, I worried – a lot. I worried that they were going to arrive in awful condition, despite the fact that I’ve only ever had fantastic experiences with these kinds of items. That is to say, buying items in new condition with potential damages to the packaging and the like.

But they arrived here this morning, and the packaging is pristine. It had the wrap on it from the factory, or at least, I confirmed that after opening it up and realizing that everything in was untouched. I gave the packaging a once and then a twice-over and realized that it was totally spotless.

Quality of the headphones aside (they’re amazing, expect a full review soon), remember that these sales are GREAT opportunities to land some premium stuff at a non-premium price. Just remember … avoid floor units. For the love of God, avoid floor units. They’re usually bad. Way bad.

Hoping to post more soon ya’ll.

We’ll get back to your regularly scheduled programming not soon – but now!

No alphabetical this time, and no inspiring, in-depth look at an album or artist – for now let’s just talk about a song. Back when I was the Editor-in-Chief of PUREnoize Magazine, I had the opportunity to get an early listen to an album called The Unmistakable Man by River City Extension, an indie rock/folk act that I’d never heard of. I handed the review off to one of our staffers, but I did listen to the album plenty. I never did much research on the band themselves and was content to just enjoy the content.

While browsing some music site or other a couple months ago, I came across their new album, released this year, titled Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Your Anger. I acquired it and gave it a listen. I won’t say that it sounds drastically different from The Unmistakable Man, but these guys have clearly matured as artists. It’s a much more gritty and mature album, to put it simply.

One track in particular stands out, and I’m going to pass it along to ya’ll. If you happen to like it, I urge you to check out more, because these guys are awesome. I don’t know how exactly to describe this track – “Slander” – but it’s got a very nice … gritty sound. I’ve never been able to describe the kind of sound this song has … maybe you guys can help me. It’s a purpose-driven track even when I don’t particularly pay attention to the lyrics and … at this point, I’ve used three elipses and I should probably just post the song. So here it is – enjoy.

Listen – River City Extension’s “Slander”

Kicking off this list is an album that we’ve already taken a look at here at Out of Treble – Young Man In Americaby Anaïs Mitchell. Here’s a link to our review (a rather quick affair), where you can plainly see that we were pleased with the effort by one of the best folk artists out there. Expectations were exceedingly high with her 2009 release, Hadestown being among our favorites over the last five years.

That album was a concept album at it’s core – a re-imagining of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Mitchell being those two characters, with one of our favorites, Ani DiFranco pitching in occasionally as Persephone. Oh, and it’s all set in the era of the American depression, so there’s that.

It’s as awesome as it sounds. How does Young Man In America compare?

Young Man In America is a playful-sounding album, mostly due to Mitchell’s ridiculously high-pitched voice, but one that delivers an important message. That message is yours to discover, as it paints itself naturally and isn’t preachy by any means. Mitchell hearkens to many themes, and herself called it more of a collection of short stories than a concept album, and we couldn’t agree more.

Musically, you’ll feel like you’ve heard it all before, but Mitchell’s voice is unique and powerful, all while being subdued and, again, high-pitched. It’s a playful vibe with a serious message (though not necessarily a solemn one) and it works best as an album you sit and listen to with no distractions and just absorb everything all at once. Don’t put it on in the background or you’ll miss the subtle depth and do a disservice to dilatant storytelling.

It’s a voice that oozes affectation without any of it actually being present. The themes are dark and her lyrical content has never been at its match with the sound of her voice, and while that may scare off new listeners here and there, at least we know that her true fans are an attentive bunch.

Listen: Anais Mitchell – Shepherd

Competition-wise, Mitchell had a lot through the first half of 2012 when it comes to this list. The Alabama Shakes put out a great album titled Boys & Girls, while Andrew Bird and Ani DiFranco stunned with Break It Yourself and ¿Which Side Are You On? (our review), respectively. All are certainly worth your time, with an honorable-honorable mention to A N Y  K I N D’s Any Kind.

I can’t say that I remember my first epic musical experience. Maybe I was 4 and I heard my dad beating on his car dashboard to a Rush song. Maybe it was a song from some movie I watched when I was kid. Maybe it was when I was 10 and my older brother was listening to Puff Daddy (yes, that was his name back then) on MTV… actually no, it wasn’t then.

I just remember jamming to MxPx and picking up a bass guitar because I didn’t want to be like my older brother who played guitar. Then I started a little middle school pop-punk band where our number 1 “hit” was a song called “Hawaii’s not Punk” I wasn’t the creative mensch of the group, I was mainly the organizer. I took the great ideas and directed them, much like the great producers can hone an artist’s talents. As I discovered more music, I wanted to incorporate it all into the songs.

Later on I was in a screamo band. After all, I was an angsty teen who listened to The Used and Senses Fail. The only band that stayed with me from that era was Thrice, and that is because they evolved as well. In my older years (mid-20′s) I finally evolved into a folk/indie/alternative loving acoustic solo act. And my music taste has followed. But with my age has come an appreciation for all types of music. I’m a big fan of unique instrumentation and a clever mix of styles. I’d classify my taste as sub-mainstream. You’d be able to find the albums I like on Target shelves, but they won’t be playing much on the radio.

Music is my driving force. I love rhetoric like anyone else, but I always find myself remembering great melodies and harmonies or even humming instrumentals. I’m the guy at work with the headphones on all the time. I love discovering new sounds and rediscovering old ones. I’m here not to be a music “critic” but more of a music lover who wants to share his opinion. I look forward to contributing.

Another thing I’ll be doing here is posting when there’s a really good deal on headphones or amps/DACs. Most recently, MP4Nation has had the Brainwavz M4 In-Ear Monitors on sale for more than 50 percent off. Unfortunately, that deal has now ended – but that doesn’t eliminate them at or around the MSRP, of course. Promise I’ll be on time for the next deal. A few months ago, the Brainwavz Beta went on sale for $13 and I recommended it to many friends and picked up a new pair myself. They’re basically unbeatable at that price, so what of the M4?

The M4 are in a different league entirely. The Beta are probably the best neutral or balanced earbuds you can get at their price, but they lack oomph throughout – and that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a lack of bass, it means there’s a lack of general punchiness. The M4 remedy that very well from the get-go. But these are not bass-head earbuds and they are not marketed as such. Do keep in mind that the term “basshead” is actually a negative – it doesn’t imply somebody that enjoys bass, it implies somebody that foolishly enjoys their skull rattling.

I’m not that. So let’s get to it.

Build Quality, Packaging And What Have You
The packaging is typical Brainwavs fair – a black box with a window that displays the IEM. As far as accessories go, there’s the three pairs of single flange eartips in small, medium and large and a pair of Comply S400 foam tips in black, which are my personal favorite.

I’m not a fan of Comply as a company, but that’s more due to practices and not product. The foam tips are excellent and I’d bet a majority of the people who actually experiment with changing the tips will find them to be to their liking. There is also a shirt clip and a hard case which is the perfect size if you wrap your earbuds up correctly.

As far as quality of the build is concerned, it’s definitely in-line with the $70 price tag. The housing is aluminum all the way through and it definitely feels sturdy to use. There’s a vent at the back of the housing that’s very noticeable, but I personally think it works well with the styling.  The only issue that I’ve come up with is the cable.

In that, there’s a ton of noise from it. If you don’t know what that means, put earbuds in and rattle the cable around. If you hear a deafening sound, that’s the noise I’m talking about. While the braided cable covered in rubber looks awesome and feels sturdy, don’t expect to leave these in passively without music playing or anything like that while you’re moving.

Comfort
I’m generally a big fan of all Brainwavz products in regards to comfort. Their full-size offerings are very comfortable and the Betas sit perfectly in my ear canal.

Happy to report that the M4 is more of the same. The small tips fit just fine with solid isolation, and the comply tips also fit very well. Don’t shove the whole thing in there, but insert them naturally at an angle and sit the tips inside the ear canal. I haven’t had any problem with looseness or anything of that nature.

Sound Quality
The M4 do a great job of sounding like everything Brainwavs has come out with thus far, but much better (with the exception of the top of the line B2). As noted, there’s a full bass sound with these earbuds that many will enjoy, but it’s not exaggerated and is actually set a ways back. The lows all-around have a strong presence without being overbearing. Hip-hop will sound appropriately strong.

When it comes to the treble (HEY THAT’S US) and the highs in general, they can be a little too bright and over-produced. I get a definite harshness on some of the more intricate cymbal work, but it doesn’t seem prominent and consistent throughout my testing.

That being said, I also notice it a lot on the more shrill snare hits. One prominent example is “Stan” by Eminem – the snare hit is actually somewhat unbearable in that song – but that’s also something experienced to a lesser degree with other headphones. The highs perform admirably on other genres with a very neutral sound in that regard. Folk and indie music in general sounded very front-and-cetnter – the brightness lessened due to the lack of punch which generally dominated hip-hop.

What these IEMs are doing is masquerading as having a neutral signature while still appealing to the bass crowd. It’s not a neutral signature – it’s actually somewhat v-shaped, but it has a very wide soundstage for an IEM, especially in this price bracket.

In short, the sound is very wide and out there – the M4 were probably built to satisfy many hip-hop fans and instead they’ve managed to make a great all-around IEM that doesn’t offend them outright. I can’t recommend the sound enough at the $70 price point and you’d be hard-pressed to find something better at it.

Sounds Great: Hip-hop, folk, anything that is “active”
Sounds Bad: Extensively cymbal-driven music like freeform jazz and obnoxiously slow tracks

Notable Tracks Used In Review: Kendrick Lamar – “HiiiPOWER”, Eminem – “Stan”, Aloe Blacc – “I Need A Dollar”, mc chris – “mc chris is dead”, Larry and His Flask – “Ebb and Flow”, Feist – “Graveyard”, White Rabbits – “Hold It To The Fire”, Thrice – “Promises”, Regina Spektor – “All The Rowboats”

Verdict
I love the purchase when I got ‘em on sale for $28, but they’re back up to $60-plus at the moment. That being said, I consider them well-worth it and rank them among my favorite in-ear monitors, being surpassed only by buds in the $150-plus range.

They’re less-fun than the Ultimate Ears TripleFi but have more bass than the Brainwavz B2 – their flagship. I found myself outwardly bored when listening to slow jazz but was very happy with their presentation of folk and hip-hop music.

Will they rock your skull? No, and they probably won’t blow your mind, either. That being said, if someone took mine away from me today and said I had to buy a new pair at $60, I’d first try and bludgeon them with knees and elbows to get mine back. Failing that, I’d buy ‘em at retail again in a heartbeat.

Image comes from a picture from Head-Fi user keanex.

Avant-garde is an oft-abused term that’s narrowly defined, but still easily applied correctly in some cases. For instance, no, Serj Tankian of System of a Down doesn’t make avant-garde music, nor does he engage in “art rock.” Friends don’t let friends make up superfluous genre names and mis-use other ones. Seriously.

Anyway, I bring up avant-garde because the band I’m going to be talking about falls firmly into the avant-garde category – Diablo Swing Orchestra. They’re actually avant-garde rock, but are quite experimental in their nature. I don’t know how I discovered this band at all years ago, but it was honestly probably the name. I heard the name and immediately had to check them out. I was not disappointed.

It’s a band unlike any other in my music library. Closest comparisons would have to be bands like unexpect, Stolen Babies and Pin-Up Went Down, but given the nature of the genre, your experience may differ entirely. That being said, if you like something ultimately complex, hard-hitting and just a little bit (a lot) out there, then you need to check out Diablo Swing Orchestra.

Their latest release, Pandora’s Piñata is a captivating listen that I’m only halfway through. But as evidenced by my long absence, I don’t have nearly as much time as I’d like to have lately (but do keep an eye out for some new contributors on the horizon) to write, but I did want to get this quick post up. Below, I’m embedding track two from the latest album. It’s called “Guerilla Laments,” and I think it’s my favorite one. If you’re turned off by the vocal style – it does change pretty rapidly from time to time, so maybe check out another song, but for now, this is the one I’m going with.

Diablo Swing Orchestra – Guerilla Laments

Anyway, I started with Ben Marwood, and I believe I finished at The Alabama Shakes, a band that I think is pretty big these days, but I’m not going to focus on. Right near the end, I clicked over to Dr. Dog, a band I know and love, and from there ended up on an album titled Delta Spirit by, naturally, Delta Spirit. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m easily gripped by a great album cover (I do and always have judged books by their cover), and this one caught my attention. So I went ahead and gave it a listen.

Rather than write out a full review, I’m just going to say that the “customers also bought …” algorithm worked very well, here. It’s equal parts Dr. Dog with a little bit of fun. thrown in – a lot more poppy than the former and possibly a lot less accessible than the latter. It’s a strong album of simple instrumentation and smooth, echoing vocals with great lyrics. It’s a bit too slow for me at times, and the high points are few and far between, but it’s a great addition to the genre at this point. I’m not sure what to call it at this point, given that it’s kind of the genre that’s “blowing up” but it’s hard to define outside of your normal indie/pop/rock.

At any rate, it’s nothing groundbreaking, and they’re probably not the next big thing, but it’s worth a couple spins, so check ‘em out when you get a chance. Listen if you like Dr. Dog, Dawes, White Rabbits and bands of that ilk!

Listen: Delta Spirit – California

And by “it runs cold,” I mean “the rest of the stuff sucks.” I almost always ignore something that looks like it’s going to be anything of the sort, and always make sure to avoid any compilations in that vein as well. More than that though, I tend to avoid covers by unknown artists, ever since I decided to check out NOFX’s cover of “Vincent” by Don McLean. I wasn’t familiar with them at the time and it was possibly the worst thing I’ve ever listened to.

Anyway, when a buddy of mine posted this video on his Facebook, I didn’t think it was much of anything. I’m a pretty big fan of Dr. Dre, and I didn’t want somebody trying to cover his music and not doing it justice. But, for some reason, I clicked the seemingly high-quality video. It’s a video of Zach Heckendorf singing “Forgot About Dre” acoustically in the middle of Mile High Stadium, where the Denver Broncos play.

I don’t quite get why that venue, but I believe I brought it up because I saw that it was at the stadium. Don’t know. But I started listening and … wow, this guy has an amazing voice. His voice is low with that soft rasp that really sounds like …. sounds like an acoustic, white Dr. Dre. He definitely has the quality to his voice and I don’t know how else I should put it. He raps it all well (or sings fast, really) and doesn’t skip a beat. It’s pretty darn amazing.

Check out the video below .. I’m off to go locate his EP.

Picture via Zach Heckendorf’s MySpace page.

I’m a creature of structure, and I crave it exponentially. When I have responsibilities and direction, I’m happy. When I’m happy, I’ll get things done faster, and when I do that, I’ll be able to write more on here and with my sportswriting. I’ve also considered adding in some other contributors to the site, which I believe I’m going to run with at this point. In the coming days, I’ve got a few more reviews and things of that nature, but for now, I figured I’d just list some of my favorite songs of “now.”

These aren’t my top songs of all time or the best songs from these artists, but perhaps you’ll find something here as I list the tracks I listen to the most from said artists. More than anything, I wanted an excuse to get a post done while I’m so busy, and wanted to listen to these tracks. Deal with it! Enjoy and thanks for sticking around!

Lovedrug – She’s Disaster
Everything about this song is perfect, and it’s what good me hooked on Lovedrug. The raw, raspy voice and the mellow thump of the bass mix succinctly with the topic at hand.

KiD CuDi – 50 Ways To Make A Record
While CuDi is more known for his rapping and his beats, this is a fairly  short and simple track that, to me, is just perfect. This one is definitely my favorite CuDi track, which isn’t to undermine his skill when it comes to wrapping, but it’s just … a delightful listen.

Midlake – Roscoe
A hat tip to Tony Giannotti for introducing me to these guys – though he’ll tell you I never listen to his recommendations. It’s just a pleasant song, the meaning of which I’m still unsure of, but don’t really care to find out, either way. It sort of blends into itself, which is a good thing for me, with that underlying guitar riff that never quite changes. I want it to go on for hours.

Machinae Supremacy – Through The Looking Glass
Alice in Wonderland imagery will get me every single time, what can I say? Some of my absolute favorite metal, here.

Paul McCartney – Mr. Bellamy
I just love  the imagery this song paints through it’s lyrics. I’m talking literal, too – I’m picturing Paul McCartney up in a tree, stubborn as a mule, fighting with the authorities as they try and get him down. Now, it’s obvious the song has a deeper meaning and I really do respect that, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before a message gets in the way of my imagination!

Portugal. The Man – The Dead Dog
Portugal. The Man is a band I’ve been familiar with forever, but didn’t “really” get hooked on until seeing the video for “The Dead Dog.” It helps that I always wanted a pub called “The Dead Dog,” but ya know. One of my favorite bands now.

Placebo – Slackerbitch
This one’s not for the more … proper users, I suppose! It’s a very graphic song, but one of my favorite from Placebo. I just get pumped when I listen to it.

Radiohead – Polyethylene Parts 1 & 2
The absolute best Radiohead song that nobody ever mentions. Ever.  The only time I’ve ever seen somebody mention this track is when I was told about it by my friend Adam Wersky. It’s such a great song, with such great progression and climax. It’s actually my favorite of them.

Rishloo – Scissorlips
If you like progressive rock, you’ll love Rishloo. And then you’ll be sad to discover they just broke up.

His voice is rough and clean all at once, and that’s a statement you’ll understand once you hear it. It’s a clear and clear voice that rasps off with a whistle at the end, emphasizing ‘u’s and cracking through the ‘ue’ sounds. It’s got a wavering, meandering feel that at first seems out of place with the new musical direction, but it’s a great counter-balance to what is essentially a slightly edgier pop sound.

“Dinosaurs” has a great, great flow to it – one of the most easy-to-listen to tracks on the album, and a clear indicator of what you’re in store for. If you’re still on the fence between loving the lead singer and hating him, listen to this track to make your decision. “Anodyne” is a great track that clearly has roots in the band’s name “Lovedrug.” Instead of “drag”, however, they’re playing on actual drugs, with the line “I’ll be your drug,” among others. “We Were Owls” is a good gauge for the tone of the album – love, loss, hurt, and things of that nature.

Oh yes – that new musical direction? Gone are the dulcet, silky backgrounds in favor of a more fun sound that being embraced these days by Lovedrug’s target audience. Look to a band like fun. for a nudge in the right direction as to where this music is heading. In the end, it creates something that sounds functional, with each member of the band clearly getting better this time around at their chosen craft, but ultimately ends up less compelling than previous efforts.

Unfortunately, it’s the compelling nature of it all that brought us into this band, and it’s a shame to see a deeper sound on a more simplified plane as opposed to a more un-emphasized instrumentation, highlighted with the excellent vocals. The whole thing suffers from over-production, and in the end, the tracks sort of play into each other more often than naught. Even the vocals, when isolated, suffer from over-production, and do a lot to take away from Michael Shepard’s voice in the end, with multiple layering not working as well as a single track on its own.

That being said, it’s a more than pleasant experience, with highlights like the aforementioned “Dinosaurs” and “Permonition.” If you want an apt comparison in regards to a downward slope when it comes to “unleashing” Shepard and covering him up, listen to “She’s Disaster” from an EP in 2010 and then something like “Ladders” from Wild Blood. It’s a huge shift, and not a necessarily welcome one – doesn’t the track just sound loud and overpowering?

At any rate, perhaps you’re not as crazy about his voice as some are, and that might mean Wild Blood is Lovedrug’s best album to date, with strong alt rock overtones and a very sturdy pop base. It’s worth noting that the semi-shift in direction isn’t anything near selling out, just perhaps a poor decision in production – it’s something that is a “fan gripe” and something you should be able to get past. We most definitely did, over and over again. It’s a pleasant listen from start to finish and proves that Lovedrug is plenty alive. Also worth noting that many of the tracks appeared on EPs in slightly different form, so don’t expect everything to be bright and shiny new.

Listen – Lovedrug – We Were Owls

Image courtesy of obisaysno under CC Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0