Back on October 2nd I posted about some of the new CD purchases that I had recently made. I only did the first four that I bought and neglected to review the other five because they were too new and I hadn't really formed an opinion about them yet. Well Saturday I went out and bought four more new CD's so I guess I'll go ahead and review the other five now:

A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step: All things considered this one is a pretty decent buy. The album as a whole is better than their first with each song being enjoyable on about the same level. Less filler on this album than there seemed to be on the first one (Mer de Noms). However the downside it that there are less stand out songs. Songs from the first album like Judith, Hollow, and Orestes were unique and there was something about them that made you want to listen to them a thousand times. The tracks on this album don't have that flare. The album also seems to go nowhere really. It stays musically within the realm of the borders it sets for itself. I'd say 3 out of 5 for this one.

Fuel - Natural Selection: Much like the Perfect Circle album, this one is a strong album without any real stand out songs on it. I have a feeling that I'll listen to this one a bit more often than the above mentioned album due to it's easy pop listen-ability. I like every song on the entire album, and that in itself is saying a lot. Not to say that there is anything particularly amazing on here though. A good natural progression from their last album, Something Like Human, "Natural Selection" has some good pop ballads as well as some heavier tunes. A couple of the songs that I enjoy the most sound almost like 80's hard rock throwbacks in their style simply with updated production techniques and new guitar sounds. Again, I'll give this one a 3 out of 5.

Dave Matthews - Some Devil: I'm still confused on whether or not to like this album. It's certainly not a "bad" record, but I would be lying if I called it great either. It's definitely Dave alright, but without "the band" it seems to me that it doesn't have that "I can't get enough of this song/record" appeal. I guess that could be a good thing though. The mood for most of the record is mellow and dark and even on the happier songs he doesn't really reach anything more than bittersweet. The song writing reminds me a bit of the famed "Lillywhite Sessions" but without the rest of the guys. The whole Trey Anistasio on guitar thing throws me too. He would be more well suited as a guest on a DMB record where as here Tim Renyolds style fits the mood of the album more and could have taken care of most of the guitar parts (he does appear on most of the tracks already but usually as a background or rhythm guitarist). I do like a few of the songs on here quite a bit (Some Devil, Trouble, Stay or Leave) and the acoustic cut of Gravedigger alone makes the disc worth buying. The string arrangements on the album are also a plus. I guess this one too gets a 3 of 5 for now.

Dishwalla - Live...Greetings from the Flow State: Being a hardcore Dishwalla fan has it's ups and downs. Downside: Serious music buff's (like myself) laugh at you for calling Dishwalla ("you know, that Counting Blue Cars / Thoughts on God song band) one of the best pop rock bands ever. Upsides: you get to hear a ton of great music that the mainstream will probably never hear (due to shady politics in the music industry and being labeled a one hit wonder), you get to see a great band perform live and up close in intimate venues, and you get to spread the joy to some of your more musically open minded friends. I've seen the Dish' live four times now and every show has been a good one. This album is better than any of those four shows. A collection of songs from their first three albums from several different shows in California, and it's almost like a greatest hits record. The recording quality is up to par for a current live album, although I've heard better. But the music is tight and sounds just like the studio albums when they want it to. Other times they shoot off on some tangents and do some cool guitar solos (guitar sound reminds me of Jimmy Page's at points) and jam out a bit. You can tell they've played Counting Blue Cars a million times cause it's a perfect live rendition. Angels or Devils (which I have available for download, and posted about back in early October) is one of the most beautiful live renditions of a song ever. I'll be bold and give this one a 4 out of 5.

Rufus Wainwright - Want One: This one was the shocker in this group of purchases. I downloaded his second album (Poses) last fall from Kazza, due to the critical acclaim it had received, and thought a couple of the songs on there were awesome. I expected something similar from this album. It's totally different. Much less of a pop rock sound than the last album. It is almost Beatle-esque in a way. Superior orchestrations, great arrangements, lots of rich layering, and excellent backing vocals in some songs. It seems to be constructed almost like the soundtrack to a Broadway musical (not surprising considering he is openly homosexual). Except that is isn't cheesy or campy. The songcraft is top notch and lyrically Rufus reaches a plateau that few have touched in recent years. Some songs are epic, grandiose, majestic, and bombastic (such as Go or Go Ahead). Others are quiet, simple, and neat, barley unfolding before they are over with. I agree with Rolling Stone on this one. A solid 4 of 5 for Rufus.

Hopefully that will tide everyone over for now. I'll try to get a few more of my favorite tracks available for download from those albums as well as the previous four. Once I get a feeling for the new four that I just bought I'll post about them as well. Give me a few weeks though.

- these thoughts flowed through Jeff's fingers @ 10:50 AM