The Consumer’s Corner

It’s taken a very long time, but I’m finally the proud owner of a (used) iPhone; 1st generation edition. My friend received the 3G as a Christmas present, and turned the older model over to me. I quickly pWned it, and have been loving it ever sense.

The theme of this site is value oriented products, and by their nature, iPhones are not exactly ‘bargains.’ They’re very much at the upper-end of the cellphone spectrum. But they’re also one of the most quickly adopted pieces of consumer electronic that has ever been released. So, just guessing, a few of my readers own one, and at least one of you regularly checks this site with it (according to my stat service). So, I used to ‘App Store’ to hunt for freebies that you can use, and are worth your time.

Undoubtedly, many of you have came across Pandora, a site that builds custom radio stations for you based on your likes, and dislikes, of various types of music. It’s a lot like StumbleUpon in a sense, it learns what you enjoy, and gives you more of it; all while exposing you to things you’d have never found otherwise.

Pandora’s iPhone App is really amazing; I played with it for three hours last night while battling insomnia. Beautiful in it’s simplicity, it is a breeze to use, the audio sounds great, and it takes the monotony out of your own music collection. That’s really all there is to say; controls are super simple; there’s only a thumbs up/down, skip, pause/play, and bookmarks. Everything is responsive and snappy.

I suggest all iPhone users give this a try, it can’t hurt. One of the easiest ‘Recommends’ I’ve ever been able to put forth.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

3 Doors Down is one of the best bands to grace the stage in the mainstream rock arena the past decade, dropping great album after great album. If you have never heard of their music (doubtful if you ever turn on a radio or TV), it would be described as Southern-ish pop rock; very appealing to a broad group of listeners.

Their new disc, a self titled effort, picks up where their other CDs have left off. 3 Doors Down is not a band that tries to reinvent the wheel everytime they hit the studio; they have a formula that works well, and they stick to it. I applaud them for that; it can be difficult for fans to hear their favorite acts competely change sounds in between releases.

That last paragraph doesn’t mean I think they’re stale, or they’re releasing the same album over and over again. The song writing on ‘3 Doors Down’ is top notch, and that’s what really separates the men from the boys in rock now days. While listening to this disc, and discussing it with friends, we all agreed that 3 Doors Down lyrical content has always been underestimated. That’s a shame, because that, in my opinion, is what makes them so special.

The whole CD is easy to listen to; I allowed it to loop for about 8 play throughs yesterday. My favorite tracks occur early on the disc; ‘Train,’ ‘Citizen/Soldier,’ and the lead single, ‘It’s Not My Time.’ Those were the songs that spoke to me the loudest, but I’m sure everyone that listens will find their own favorites.

Overall, this was a very polished release, and is something I’ll be listening to for quite awhile. Recommended if rock music is your ‘thing,’ and I’d still give it a try if it isn’t. Miley wont be around forever; now’s as good as time as any to start expanding your horizons. Available tomorrow (or this evening if you can catch your store of choice stocking).

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

I like for the Consumer’s Corner to be a place to read up about the latest and greatest products on the market place, and offer advice here and there on ways to stretch your dollar. Also, I exposing my readers to some things that they otherwise might find out about. That can be a dangerous proposition for me, I have to dig through a lot of coal to find  just a few diamonds.

This album, ‘Oracular Spectacular’ by the band ‘MGMT’ (formally known as ‘The Management’) is one of those diamonds. This is certainly a case of ‘don’t judge a book (err, CD?) by it’s cover.’ Had I actually seen the cover before hearing some of the music, I’d have passed it right by without a second thought.

Their music, self described, is ‘psychedelic pop.’ Very heavy on electrical ‘instruments,’ not something that I’m usually all that fond of, but it works well on this disc. To my ears, I hear a lot of influences from 70’s rock, to modern electronica. It all blends together very nicely, offer a surreal listening experience.

Lyrically MGMT is very poetic, and I enjoyed that. Anything thing that speaks to me, rather than at me, is golden. All ten tracks had me looking back over my own life, looking towards the future, and inspecting myself. Job well done.

The album is in (very well stocked) stores now, and you can find some samples and videos on the website linked below. I’ll be the first to admit, that while I immensely enjoyed it, ‘Oracular Spectacular’ will not be for everyone. You need to have an eclectic taste in music to appreciate it; if you never turn off the top-40 stations this is not for you. Otherwise, I give it a pretty solid recommendation.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Delightful little disc here; this is a really unique band. Nothing very ‘deep’ about it, in fact I commend you if you’re able to extract any message at all from most of the lyrics, but it’s very ‘fun.’ This is the kind of CD you’ll want playing in the background while you’re working, reading, or just chilling out.

The musical arrangement is extraordinary, I lost count of the individual instruments that I was able to pick out. The style itself is a mix of rock, ‘big band,’ with touches of other genres. Producing was top notch, neatly walking the line between ‘just right, and ‘too much.’ It was a real joy to listen to, things ‘popped’ just when they should have.

The vocals in ‘Pretty Odd’ are typical Panic!, very crisp, clear, and emotive. Brendon Urie’s voice is entrancing, and very complimentary to the band’s sound. That pretty well means he can do it all, I could see him fronting a swing band, punk group, or any thing he wanted. Excellent talent!

‘Nine In The Afternoon’ was a great choice as the lead single. It probably is the best song on the album, and offers a nice representation of what to expect from the other 14 tracks. Some tracks stray way away from the formula (‘Folkin’ Around’), but that doesn’t mean they’re bad, just different. In fact, I couldn’t find a bad track on ‘Pretty Odd,’ it was solid from start to finish.

I recommend it. Music is a very personal thing, so I’d still try before you buy, but I give it a big thumbs up for whatever it’s worth. I was so impressed that I’ll now be grabbing their previous disc, ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.’ Enjoy! Available now!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

panic at the disco, pretty odd, music

This young lady has an amazing voice, the kind that only comes around once every decade or so. The comparisons between her and Mariah Carey, as well as Whitney ‘Crack Head’ Houston are going to run rampant, but she sounds good enough that she deserves to be judged on her own talents.

The style of music threads the needle between pop, and R&B. It’s my opinion that the ‘pop’ sounded a bit forced, I’ll assume in an effort to reach a larger demographic of listeners. With a voice like Leona’s, the producer just needs to control him or herself, keep the fingers off of the sound board, and just let the girl sing. Everything you ‘added’ to the tracks did nothing but take the attention away from her, and that is a shame.

‘Bleeding Love’ is the lead single, and if it’s not all over your radio now, it will be shortly. It was an excellent choice to lead with, being that if you like it, you’ll probably be pleased with the rest of the tracks as well. Take that statement however you will; most of the songs do have a ring of familiarity to them, but if you enjoy that sound, it’s all money.

Do I recommend Leona Lewis ‘Spirit?’ I recommend that you listen to it. Leona will be a star, I’m almost certain of that point. There’s just too much talent there for it not to happen. I’m just not so sure that ‘Spirit’ is going to be the album that ‘makes’ her. I’d really like some feedback from people that have listened to this disc in it’s entirety!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

leona lewis, spirit, pop, r&b, music

Jack Johnson is a superb musical talent that many of you may not have heard of. I wont say that he’s not popular; his latest release has been sitting in the number one position for awhile. But he’s largely an unknown, I can not count how many times I’ve recommended his music to someone, only to have them answer me with ‘Who?’

Jack’s music is (generally) acoustic, soft, and melodic. Some would say that’s boring; but I compare his music to relaxing in the evening with a nice glass of wine. Even at his angriest, Jack Johnson’s music is incredibly calming. We could all use a little bit of that in our lives this day and age.

‘Sleep Through The Static’ is a solid album from start to finish. While not as ‘bright’ or ‘bubbly’ as some of his past efforts, this is a disc loaded with artistic merit. ‘All At Once,’ the leading track, reflects how over whelming this world can sometimes be, the following track (Sleep Through The Static) goes into what exactly it is that makes it so. Other themes are the expected; love and loss.

Johnson fans may notice a more electrical influence, but not to the point that it taints Jack’s ’sound.’ I cannot tell you if those additions were for the better or the worse, that’s up to the individual, but they don’t sound out of place. For those that aren’t fans, or haven’t even heard of him, I wont lie. Jack Johnson isn’t for everyone. It takes a refined taste to appreciate his style of music. Regardless, I recommend ‘Sleep Through The Static,’ at least as a ‘try before you buy.’ Amazon has the album, and sample tracks for you to take advantage of. Enjoy!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

jack johnson, sleep through the static, music

Fireflight is an incredibly talented Christian rock band, and their newest album ‘Unbreakable’ is headed to the store shelves near you within the next couple weeks (you can pre-order now from their website) . Fireflight is what I had hoped Paramore would be, but their disc ‘Riot’ cannot hold a candle to ‘Unbreakable.’

Besides some very notable exceptions, rock groups fronted by females have not exactly been a very dominate force in the music industry, even less so when you limit the scope to bands in the Christian genre. I certainly don’t mean for that to be taken as a sexist comment, it’s just statistical fact. Fireflight is one of the few bands that could turn out to be a dominating force in the Christian rock music industry, and the release of ‘Unbreakable’ is just going to solidify their position in my mind. They’re that good.

The title track, ‘Unbreakable,’ has been on Christian radio for a few weeks now, and seems to be getting some pretty positive responses. XM sure likes them. The track is just a simple Christian power anthem, but it is immensely enjoyable. The band just rocks, the writing / lyrics are great, and it’s not over or under produced. Fireflight and / or their management team made a great decision by selecting it as the lead single.

‘You Gave Me A Promise’ is another great one on a CD that has no bad ones. It is very melodic; this is one that has been stuck in my head for the past few days and shows no signs of coming ‘unstuck.’ I’ve been heard whistling it, humming it, but never (ever!) singing it. I live with people, good people; people that don’t deserve to be subjected to hearing me ’sing.’

If you held me down and made me point out a negative with ‘Unbreakable,’ it’d be that all of the songs have a very similar sound. If you like ‘Unbreakable’ (the song), you’ll probably like the rest of the album as well. If not, you may want to skip on ‘Unbreakable’ (the disc). As far as my recommendation goes, Fireflight gets it in spades. Great band, great sound, great message. Buy it!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Related Articles:
Pillar – For The Love Of The Game

12 Stones – Anthem For The Underdog

fireflight, unbreakable, Christian music, Christian rock, music

Sara Bareilles is going to be 2008’s version of ‘Norah Jones.’ She has that pop / jazz sound combination that has become so popular the past few years, and is a true pleasure to listen to. I’ll go right ahead and get this out of the way early and give her debut album, ‘Little Voice,’ a very hearty recommendation.

Vocally, Sara’s voice reminds me of what Fergie would sound like, should Fergie ever decide to mature and take her music seriously. Bareilles’ voice is very soulful, almost dream like on some tracks. Sultry and sexy on others. I’m in love.

If I had to compare her to other artists (simply for the sake of reference), I’d say Sara Bareilles’ ’sound’ is somewhere between the previously Norah Jones, and Maroon 5. Little more Maroon, there are quite a bit of electric influences, but I think she’d sound just as (or possibly more) amazing on top of an acoustic set. On top of everything, the tracks on ‘Little Voice’ are very smooth and refined. Beautiful collection of songs that should be able to be enjoyed across generational lines.

My favorite tracks include the debut single ‘Love Song.’ I saw this song performed live on TV about a month ago, and knew it would be big. I still think that; it’s been popping up on the radio stations in my region. ‘Love Song’ will make Sara Bareilles a star.

Others like ‘Love On The Rocks,’ and ‘Many The Miles’ will keep her a star into her sophomore effort. Can’t really name off a track I didn’t like, or I would. ‘Little Voice’ is just deep from ‘cover to cover.’ I’ll make a wager now that this album receives multiple Grammy nominations in 2009, and Sara will probably have some little golden record players to decorate her mantle with. This should be immediately purchased!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

sara bareilles, little voice, music, jazz, pop

Yep, another music review for you. I’ve been emotionally attached to my iPod lately (it’s sad, really), so I figured I could at least make good use of that time. Multi tasking; a skill all great consumers possess!

‘Pillar’ is a Christian alt/rock band that has been making us God fearing folk rock out for quite awhile, and they’re very well respected within the ‘community’ of Christian rock artists. They’re one of the bigger acts in the game, getting their material played every Christian rock radio station I’ve ever tuned in to, and they’ve set the bar pretty high for all of the other hard rocking Jesus freaks in the business.

Me? Personally, I’ve never been a that big of a fan. Their style is a little on the hard side, and a little rough around the edges for my personal tastes. But my tastes are just that; mine. Your results may vary.

Despite them not being my absolute favorite band of all time, I have found myself enjoying a lot of their singles over the years. It just seems like Pillar was never able to load up a whole album with songs that I liked. ‘For The Love Of The Game’ has broken that trend, because I really did enjoy it from ‘front to back.’ It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely good enough that I’ll load it up a few more times.

‘Reckless Youth’ was one of my two favorite tracks. I enjoy studying prophecy, and any other young person that shares my interest will no doubt get the meaning of this song. I’m not here to be preachy, so I’ll just leave it at that, but this song’s message was a powerful one for young Believers.

‘Smiling Down’ was really mellow, a bit of a shift for Pillar. If you have lost anyone special in your life lately, it can be kind if tear jerking. Jesus was actually mentioned in this song, breaking the pattern of the last few ‘Christian’ albums I’ve spun that made no mention of any sort of deity.

The other eight tracks kind of ran together, but they were all ‘okay.’ On the whole I enjoyed my experience with the disc, and I feel fairly comfortable recommending it to other Christians who enjoy a sharper edge to their music. Available soon!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Related Articles:

12 Stones – Anthem For The Underdog

Fireflight – Unbreakable

pillar, for the love of the game, christian rock, rock, christian music, music

Musically, 12 Stone’s ‘Anthem For The Underdog’ is a really good modern rock album. 12 Stones was able to work through their sophomore jinx (‘Potter’s Field’) and came back in a big way with a very refined piece in work in ‘Anthem For The Underdog.’ The band has a much more mature sound; gone is a lot of the needless screaming that has tarnished a lot of their previous work. Not saying that 12 Stones has ‘gone soft,’ but it’s just a lot cleaner sound.

From a purely religious perspective (they’re a Christian band), they left me somewhat disappointed. I ripped Paramore’s ‘Riot’ for it (on another site), and I’ll say the same thing to 12 Stones; you should announce your allegiances in your music, and don’t try to straddle the fence. If you’re going to go that route, don’t allow yourself to be marketed as a Christian band. The messages in the music are very vague; as a Christian, knowing I’m listening to a self-declared Christian band, I could pick out them out. But this album could have easily been dedicated to any ‘god’ or religious movement. The words ‘God,’ ‘Jesus,’ or ‘Christ’ aren’t used in any of the lyrics. 10 tracks, no deity. That’s very disappointing to me.

‘It Was You’ was easily the best track available on the disc in my not so humble opinion. I find it no coincidence that it is also the track that had the most overt spiritual overtones. The ballad’s message gives a moving and motivational perspective on the feelings that a new believer will typically feel. The vocals are very strong, the band plays powerfully but not to the point of being over powering, and the message was great. Excellent track.

‘Adrenaline’ was probably my least favorite. Nothing really ‘wrong’ with it, just wasn’t my style. It’s a track that probably would have been better off being saved exclusively for live performances, but it’s now a ’single.’ I guess that’s why I’m a blogger and not a record exec. There’s no real ‘message’ or ’story,’ it’s just a ‘get pumped up’ track. You might like it, and good for you if you do, but it’s going to be skipped frequently by me.

The remainder of the tracks on the disc seem to have an overall theme of over coming bad relationships, and then relying further upon God to help get us through our problems and issues. Everything is quite good; I don’t ever give corny ’star’ ratings in my reviews, but I do use them as a personal reference when forming my initial impressions. Only one track was below a ‘three’, out of the ‘five’ that I use. That’s pretty good, because I’m really picky. Final word, this is a great album for Christians who miss their secular rock, but don’t have any intentions of going back to the ‘dark side.’ ‘Anthem For The Underdog’ is not worship material, but there are some good messages, and they sound better all the time as a band. Mildly recommended.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

12 stones, anthem for the underdog, christian music, christian rock, music, rock

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