John Mayer: Battle Studies

I didn't think that when I created this blog that I would be blasting a critical review this early. I'm a positive guy at heart. But John Mayer's latest release, Battle Studies, needs to be torn down and beaten with a stick.

A little bit of back story here. I stumbled over John Mayer when I was in my freshman year at college in 2001, before the release of Room for Squares. Some buddy had sent me one of his demos, raving about it. I was primarily acoustic tracks that were built with intricacy, grace, and life. I was immediately drawn to the style and joined the John Mayer street team. This allowed me early access to Room for Squares as well as other unreleased material. Room for Squares, although it now was filled out with a full band, was still filled with the same elements that attracted me to Mayer's music in the first place. From there, Mayer's next releases, Heavier Things and Continuum, fell short for me. This was attributed to 1) the lack of life and joy i enjoyed in the first release and 2) Mayer's stumbles in the tabloid media.

This all changed when he released Try, his first Trio release. While the album completely escaped his normal pop genre by moving into the rock/blues realm, it had a re-energized sound. This great sound also made it's way into Where The Light Is, a amazing three way attack (solo acoustic, trio, band) recorded live in Los Angeles.

Alright, time to get back on track with the impending shit storm. Battle Studies is the worse release yet, missing the whole train. The mix is opposite of my taste. The first thing I notice that makes me want to snap this CD in half is the presence of the large, dry, gated, over produced snare throughout the whole recording. This snare sound is usually reserved for older jazz recordings and sounds completely out here. Secondly, the lyrics could not be more canned. It's like they were written by a tween that just got out of a Twilight screening and is feeling like writing down some of those "mushy" feelings.

In summation, the only tune that is even decent is the a cover or "Crossroads". This album sucks. Lets hope Mayer get the message.

De Koninck: Golden Blond

Blond Belgian Style Ale
Brewed by Brouwerij De Koninck
Antwerp, Belgium
ALC/VOL 8%

This beer looked attractive on the shelf. A 750ml bottle with a nice tin champagne-like neck wrapping and a very modern looking corking system. And because I've been in an "ale mood", I gave it a try.

Immediately after opening, I could tell this wasn't a typical ale. It had a very dry and earthy aroma to it. It poured well, looking like a smokey ale with a little soapiness in the head.

The taste however, surprised me most. This did not taste at all like a traditional ale. It's like my palette kept waiting for the hops to arrive, but they never did. It had a very dense and musky tone that kept through to the aftertaste. It was very much like a Grolsch pilsner, to which my drinking friend (Brad) also commented.

By no means a bad beer. It was a one timer for me for two reasons. First, I've never been one for that "older" taste of bitter ales. And second, I can spend the same money and buy a 12 pack of Golsch for the same effect.

The Crusaders: Southern Comfort

This is one of those groups that make you feel ashamed when you discover them. It makes you think "I should have been listening to this long ago!" It's frustrating.

I stumbled over The Crusaders while doing a little surfing on last.fm. I have to be honest, I've always been a big supporter and fan of Pandora. It was the first one out of the box, so it was the first i became accustomed to. However, because I've always been a huge Xbox 360 user, when last.fm came to the Xbox dashboard, I thought I would give it a shot. I was surprised to find that it was slightly easier to navigate and included more social networking features and picture slideshows while you listened to music.

The Crusaders came up on my "Tower of Power Radio" station. I don't remember what song came up, but I remember taking a liking to it right away. I immediately downloaded as many albums i could find. After a solid listen through many of the more available recordings, I came across a high end LP rip of the album "Southern Comfort". The moment it started, I could tell I was going to like this album. The drums had a great tight knit sound that reminded me of early Al Green work. The bass was very punctual and separated in the mix, but I still enjoyed it (I've always been a fan of over-pronounced bass). My favorite track on the album was certainly "The Well's Gone Dry". The Bass kicks it off with a nice syncopation with a three beat rhythm superimposed over a four beat rhythm.

The best part of the song for me is that if the instrument tracks were isolated so you could hear each one separately, it would probably make no sense. However, together the parts come together in a perfect musical synergy.

Brewery Ommegang: Berre De Mars

Belgian-Style Ale
Re-fermented with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis
Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY
Batch #3, November 2008
ALC/VOL - 6.5%

Picked up this beer today. I've been trying to branch out more. I used to live by good brown ales. I've always liked a beer with a lot of character. Something tasty that i didn't have to defend. However, in recent months, i've tried to expand a little. This beer, along with many others, have certainly surprised me.

On first glance, i was skeptical because i could see a small film of debris that had settled at the bottom of the bottle. I'm not usually a fan of unfiltered beers, but I had higher hopes for this brand. It is re-fermented with a rare yeast, Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, which apparently adds some tartness and extra zing to the batch.

After popping the cork top and pouring myself a tall pint, to which a nice head formed, I could already tell that I was in for a treat. The fresh crisp bouquet of the beer being poured jumped up into my nose without even me having to lean down. It didn't smell that complex; simple and pure; a hint of sweet citrus and tartness.

While many beers for me taste differently throughout the full pint, this one stayed true from first sip till last. It truly did have a little extra zing that you don't find in most brews. The crispness almost felt stale, but in a good way. As if the beer had matured right to the point where fermentation was literally happening as i drank it. I struggled to understand the cool bite of the beer in my mouth, even after the beer had cleared my palette, especially since unfiltered beers in the past have left me unsatisfied.

This ones a keeper for me.

The New Mastersounds: Ten Years On

Just had to share this with the world. This CD opens so well. The driving force of B3-like bass riffs and quick "chicken-pickin" guitar work makes the opening track, "San Frantico", work for me. The next track, "Soulshine", also earns my respect as quality track as the musicians continually play off a dichotomy of long melodic smooth lines and shorter staccato periods with syncopation and anticipation.

Yes, there are a few tracks on this disc that will be quickly forgotten by some. "OOOM" the 10th track on the record that features sax wonder Skerik is one of these. While I have always greatly appreciated and marveled at Skerik's work (Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade, Garage a Trois, etc.), this track falls short of his talents. Simply put, it drones on for too long. It's boring. And don't get me wrong, it's not the slower tempo that gets me. Track eight, "The Road to Fuji Rock", is a lighter tune than most, but still has a sense of path and phrasing.

Tunes & Brews Launch!

Calling all audiophiles/micro brew enthusiasts! Looking for people in the Baltimore, MD area to join Maryland's only music listening and beer tasting society. My name is Matthew Duda and ever since i can remember/been allowed, i've been interested in high end audio and high end microbrews. What better way to enjoy both than with others who enjoy the same. If you are interested, please email me at matthewtduda@yahoo.com. There are a couple of rules.

• Only "liberal audiophiles" may join. This means if you discriminate against a certain music group, speaker manufacturer or producer, this club is not for you. All tastes are welcome.
• All beers consumed must be non traditional and delicious. No mainstream beers allowed.
• No meeting rhythm has been set yet, but as interest builds, a meeting schedule will most likely be monthly.

I'm excited to see if there are others out there with a similar passion for high end music listening and high end beer drinking. Only time will tell.