A Chronological History of my Music Library

Two weeks after my last release and three years since their last album "There Is Nothing Left To Lose", Foo Fighters released their fourth album "One By One" on October 22, 2002. Foo Fighters return to a four-piece on this album with the addition of new guitarist Chris Shiflett and he and Dave Grohl split the lead and rhythm guitarist duties. This is also Foo Fighters heaviest album so far as the band really tried to capture the energy of their live performances with some louder, more aggressive music.  Sounds good to me, let's check it out! The album kicks off with it's lead single "All My Life" and it's driven by a pretty simple rhythm guitar riff and Grohl sings a nice light verse overtop, until the rest of the band comes slamming in. There's some cool drums by Taylor Hawkins, some cool lead guitar by Shiflett and a nice louder verse sung by Grohl. The chorus is super catchy and pretty solid with some more cool guitars and it's no su...

Two weeks after my last release and over three years since their debut "Leitmotif", Dredg released their second album "El Cielo" on October 8, 2002. Dredg play perhaps a lighter version of the same style of alternative rock as their debut and like last album's several "Movement"s, this album has several "Brushstroke"s. The members were particularly inspired by Salvador Dali's painting "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate One Second Before Awakening" and this is a concept album about that painting! Let's check out the next chapter of Dredg! The album begins with "Brushstroke: dcbtfoabaaposba", which is an acronym for the long name of the Dali painting, and it's just under a minute for this intro track that has a bunch of psychedelic noises. It leads nicely into the the next song "Same Ol' Road" where Drew Roulette drives things with a cool bass riff and Dino Campanella plays a ...

It's a double release day! On the same day as my last release, a little over a year since "Recordings", and over two years since their last studio album "Lightbulb Sun", Porcupine Tree released their seventh album "In Absentia" on September 24, 2002. Longtime drummer Chris Maitland is no longer with the band and I thought he was a pretty solid drummer! Replacing him is new drummer Gavin Harrison and there's also a stylistic shift this album as Porcupine Tree move further away from their psychedelic past. There's still lots of progressive goodness but in addition to their usual rock style this is their first album where at times they move into progressive metal! Steven Wilson produced Opeth's "Blackwater Park" last year and this influenced him to lean a bit more metal, which I definitely approve of! Let's see what the new Porcupine Tree is all about! The album begins with "Blackest Eyes" and they roll nicely into pret...

On the same day as my last release a new artist briefly joins my library when Ryan Adams released his third album "Demolition" on September 24, 2002. But who is Ryan Adams? He is a country singer/guitarist from Jacksonville, North Carolina and while I'm definitely not a big fan of his, I do have one song by him in my library titled "Desire". It'a driven by a catchy acoustic guitar riff and some smooth singing by Adams. Eventually some mean harmonica joins the mix and I don't usually say this, but it really spices things up and sounds pretty good! This is definitely out of my usual comfort zone, but I think it's a well done song, even if it's a one hit wonder for me. 

A week after my last release a new band joins my library when Iron & Wine released their debut album "The Creek Drank The Cradle" on September 24, 2002. But who is Iron & Wine? Well right now, it's just one guy! Iron & Wine is the project of singer/songwriter Sam Beam, from Chapin, South Carolina, and this album is just Beam and his acoustic guitar for the most part! He recorded the whole album by himself in his bedroom and also produced it all himself! That's pretty impressive, let's check out what the solitary music of Iron & Wine is all about! The album begins with "Lion's Mane" and Beam plays a fast acoustic guitar riff that sounds pretty cool and he sings a light verse overtop in his quiet but smooth voice. He adds a second acoustic riff with a bit of twang that gives things a very folk-y feel, but the other fast riff sounds good the whole way through. Beam even adds some banjo for the final verse and while banjo isn't my fav...

Two weeks after my last release and two and a half years since "The Sickness", Disturbed released their second album "Believe" on September 17, 2002. This album is not as heavy as their debut, and while there are still elements of what make Disturbed a nu-metal powerhouse, it's a much more melodic and experimental album at times. Let's check it out! The album begins with it's lead single "Prayer" and it's got a fairly simple but decently heavy main riff. David Draiman sings a fast verse that is still very nu-metal but the chorus is fairly tame and things seem a little toned down compared to all the energy from their debut. I guess I can see why it was chosen as a single, it's not too heavy at all and is accessible for Disturbed, but this isn't exactly what I'm looking for and I find it to be a bit of a bland opener. Up next is another single titled "Liberate" and it's got a pretty fast and cool main riff and right ...