The Second Stage Turbine Blade - Coheed & Cambria

This is a very fun disc. I've been reading about these guys from time to time in guitar magazines. So I picked this one up. I totally get the comparison to Geddy Lee on the vocals. I think this guy has more of an edge to his voice but the Geddy-vibe is definitely there. There isn't a whole lot of blazing lead guitar on this disc but the guitar work is solid. The tunes are good modern rockers. The best way to describe the sound is: clean. I don't mean the guitar tones are clean, but the rather the production. Not a lot of effects. Every part is very clear and natural sounding. It doesn't sound like someone spent months shaping the sound in ProTools. IOW, it sounds like a BAND.

The song writing is very good. Straight ahead with a few interesting twists now and again to keep it interesting.

The Hippie rating is 8 out of 10.

Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Ok, I really dug the B.R.M.C release. Howl, on the other hand, pretty much blows. The songs are boring. No energy. I'm just glad I got free shipping.

This gets a gift of 3 out of 10 stars.

A Bigger Bang - The Rolling Stones

This is definitely their best release in a long time. Probably their best in 20 years. They touch on a bit of a lot of styles that they've dabbled in throughout their career. There's some straight up riff rock, country blues, and even a Motown inspired foot tapper. Good stuff.

This is a solid 8 out of 10 stars.

Two guitars came today

So the UPS guy dropped off two guitars today.

The first is my old Jackson KV2T. I foolishly traded it away. That dude sold it or traded it. The person that got it was kind enough to contact me about getting it back. We worked out a deal for my Ibanez Universe and some cash. I am thrilled to get this guitar back. It looks great, sounds great, and plays great. Kick ass! My wife politely reminded me that she told me not to let it go - once again she was right.

The other is an Epiphone Zakk Wylde Bullseye model - the white/black one (as opposed to the camo version). This guitar looks fantastic. It sounds ok but I already have plans to replace the EMG HZ pickups - I'm thinking it will be a Gibson Iommi signature in the bridge and a Dimarzio Al Dimeola signature in the neck. The guitar has really nasty strings , needs a fret dress, and generally needs a setup. The neck feels good and it's light which is nice for a Les Paul. This could turn out to being a very cool guitar.