It's a Boy

We went this morning for the level two ultrasound and everything is looking good, the baby seems healthy and everything is good... oh yeah and we are having a boy. To be honest I would have been happy to have a girl, but this is awesome! The J Dog family name will live on for another generation. Then you have all the cool stuff I can do, play sports, teach him how to throw a knuckleball, spit, throw an elbow of the top ropes and all those other cool boy things.

Halloween will be a lot cooler. I'm now trying to find either a baby Wolverine outfit or how I can make my own Ash costume... chainsaw and all! The Wife is all happy as well, she now 100% feels like she is pregnant and is happy because we can go register at Baby's R Us and Target. I'm happy with that because I want to play with the scanner gun.

Ash-tastic

Musically I'm a little off of center, I'm not as diverse as friends like Gianluige or DJL, but my presets are not any of the local top 40 stations. With that said my favorite band is the Downpatrick, Ireland band Ash. Most of the people I know or 99 per cent of the US readers have never heard of Ash. They are one of those bands that when people hear them they generally like what they hear, but American radio won't play them. So I've given up on hopes that America will know the awesomeness of Ash.

Then I go to a Carolina Hurricanes game, and I started to think the PA guy stole my iPod. Then I was scared because I heard the opening riff of Burn Baby Burn. I squealed "That's Ash!" The guy I was with looked at me strange, but honestly I get that look a lot from him. I sing along and I am in a good mood even though the Canes choked the game away... TWICE!

Then today I'm wasting time away on the computer during the crapfest known as the NFC title game. I hear something from the TV, it looks like a NASCAR commercial with a song I know. It's World Domination off of the Free All Angels album.

Did I miss something? The band has been around for over 15 years and are now getting played in commercials? I don't know how to feel about this; I mean they finally are getting some recognition, but still it's a NASCAR commercial. Who knows, they still are my favorite band.

Album Review: Ash's Twilight of the Innocent

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I've been a fan of Ash ever since I saw them live at the CD101 fest a few years ago. They are a great Pop/Rock from Northern Ireland who has had a few hits everywhere but here in America. This is one of those mysteries that only Robert Stack will be able to figure out. Even though the new album, Twilight of the Innocents, came out in June I was unable to get my hands on a copy, come to find out there aer multiple iTunes based on what country you are in. So I could not buy it there because it's only on the UK iTunes. A few weeks ago I finally find a semi cheap ($16) price for an import and I ordered it.

Twilight is a slight departure from the traditional Ash sound, but in this case it is not a bad thing. The album has a lot of hard guitar riffs, but has what I call a more mature sound. Twilight has a very tight sound and a good beat all the way through. The last album, Meltdown, was a balls to the wall rock album which is how Ash plays live, but Twilight is a little more mellow and doesn't have as many tempo swings.

The first Track I Started a Fire is an up tempo song about losing someone and wanting them back. Tim Wheeler pours his soul out and his vocals off the top keep the song moving till everyone kicks in. The thing about is is that a lot of the songs are what most consider love songs, but for some reason they don't have that feel. It's the way Tim crafts the lyrics:

I want to know, I want to hold

the girl that can't be owned

let into your soul

deep inside your mystery

a vow of secrecy, never let you go

she can't be owned

Considering most love songs today that's pretty Shakespearean compared to the Pussy Cat Dolls.

Next is You Can't Have it All (the video up top), so what do you do after a love song about someone you can't have? How about a rejection, I would say this is the closest to any song off their last album, but has a more modern feel, I want to say a more Emo feel without all the bangs and suck. There's a very heavy bass line and a very precis matching drum beat that keeps the song moving. This is by far my favorite song on the album, I've hit the back button may a times.

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The second single off the album was Polaris a song about a relationship that is on the rocks and someone is afraid of dragging the other down and destroying them. For the first time on the album you hear piano and at first I looked around wondering where that came from. It works and as the chorus starts you get a string section. A very pretty song made more poignant by the video. It actually changes the song for me. It's no long about dragging someone down, but about loosing someone because of the world climate we are in.

Track number six, End of the World, is the midpoint of the album and the slowest tempo, but its a very pretty song. I am about the same age the three guys in Ash and End of the World rings very true with me. It's about felling felt behind by society, I am no long, IT and everything is geared towards the younger generations. Also talks about how we are destroying nature for advancement and how we need to keep something as is.

The 12th and final track is an epic song and title track. It uses a lot of piano, stings and electronic sound and for some reason I can not get the chorus out of my head

I'm still breathing, my heart still beating

I'm still breathing, my heart still beating

I'm still breathing, my heart still beating

It's almost like they wanted a rock opera feel and pulled it off. Very beautiful and a great way to end the album. A lot of times the last song on an album always seems tacked on and is just there. Ash actually used this song to close the album.

Even though I did not give a review on everyone the album is from front to back a great work of art. I've listened to it at least 15 times now and I am not sick of it yet. I the one thing I've struggled with it is the beginning of every song seems not to dictate how the song is going song 30 seconds later. I every once in a while I will want to hit skip on the CD player, but then I have to remind myself that I really like the song.

I could see about half of these songs getting air play here in the States, but I don't think it will happen. after five other albums and multiple movie tie-ins (Angus, Shaun of the Dead, and a Star Wars video game to a name a few) and still not a blip on the scene, then I don't think it will ever happen. It's a shame though, but at least I have a little something that most here do not know about.

Insomnia and Rocking Out

Since it is now Saturday by eight minutes I guess I can post again. I need to get ready for work in an hour and I've had Oh an hour and a half of sleep. A telemarketer called for Seth... again! (Who ever you are Seth I now hate you.) Of course I could not go back to sleep, so what have I been doing? Rocking out to my favorite group Ash and looking at their sight hoping to find a little happiness, like a sneak at their new album. I don't know what it is, but for sum reason when I get insomnia rocking out feels right and Ash Always feels right. I mean songs about Kung Fu, surfing, chicks, road trips,bad relationships, and general rocking out! Just look at the picture it's a Flying V guitar ON FIRE! If that doesn't scream rock, well then I don't want to know what rock is. After I'm done loading the MP3 full of Kick Ass I'm going to take a shower, chug a case of Monster energy drink and hope I can make it till 10AM. As Ash as my co-pilot I think I can do it.