from the bin: "Before I Speak" by Kyle Riabko
While filling up my iPod with some of my favorites, I came across some old $1.99 albums. What better way to bring back From the Bin, even though I've technically only done one installment so far.Brief Intro: I bought "Before I Speak" because I was heavily into Ryan Cabrera for about five minutes. I thought I should venture out and find something else to obsess over that was very similar to Cabrera, and when I saw this album on sale, I decided to get it. Also what caught my eye about Kyle is that he is on the same label as John Mayer, so I thought I couldn't have gone wrong. Only the best for me.
Brief Bio: He sings... he now apparently acts! Well, more is here on the
official bio.Upon first listen...: I didn't like it. I kept skipping from song to song, hoping that I'd get my fix of some Ryan Cabrera-like stylings, but instead I turned it off. It went on my shelf of a thousand CDs.
Upon second listen...: I didn't give it the chance it deserved. I guess I was looking for some Ryan Cabrera in this guy a little too much, due to their similarities (guitar playing cute guys). Now as I listen to it almost two years later (yes... two years), it has somewhat of an edge on Ryan's first album. Kyle is less pop, but his album sort of builds a bridge between pop and ...jazz (contemporary jazz). There, I said it, even though some might not think so, but I think some of the arrangements have the elements, as well as elements of funk and the blues. It's very interesting, and considering how old he was at the time of the recording (barely out of high school)... dare I say, but it's very "way ahead of its time."
Songs to check out: "What Did I Get Myself Into" (I love this one because it's tinged with the blues), "Carry On"
Final thoughts: A lot of my final thoughts were stated in my "second listen," but now I feel super judgy for not giving Kyle Riabko the chance he deserved. I do like this album, and can't wait to see what he comes out with next.
Worth the $1.99?: Yes, upon a second, careful listen.
Buy it at:
Amazon.
More info:
mySpaceLabels: from the bin, music
from the bin: "Through Toledo" by Greg Laswell
On every visit to Amoeba, I manage to make it to the ever so lovely Clearance section, where they offer CDs from $1.99 to $1.00. With that kind of money, I could definitely buy half of a burrito, but instead I choose to buy obscure CDs that nobody wants anymore. Here is my latest choice.
Pondering the night away...Brief intro: You probably know who
Greg Laswell is, but you probably know his girlfriend,
Mandy Moore, even better. I found out about Greg through randomly perusing Wikipedia, that website everybody loves to love, and I read that she no longer dates Zach Braff (hybrid name: Mandach) or Andy Roddick (hybrid name: Mooroddick), but this singer-songwriter bloke from SoCal.
Brief bio: Okay, apparently he's not as obscure as I thought, as a couple of songs have made rounds on the CW drama scene, most notably on "Smallville" and "One Tree Hill," and I'm sure to some montage of fifty people crying. My bio is pretty much bland compared to his
self-written one, which I recommend you read since it's much, much better, and I'd rather not have to paraphrase the thing.
Upon first listen...: He actually has a really good voice. There are some great melodies, ready to engulf you at each minute. Forgive me for getting into "Paula Abdul mode" but in his voice you sense a quiet confidence, though the album is pretty melancholy in its sound and in theme (apparently, this is about the divorce is recently went through). His voice has a bit of a Sondre Lerche-kind of purr, which I say, is damn good. And while listening to "Through Toledo," I can definitely see why his song would be featured on the shows they've been featured on.
Songs to check out: "Amazed," "Do What I Can," the seemingly metal-ish "I'm Hit," "Your Melody"
Final Thoughts: I now feel buyer's remorse for this album, due to the fact that I bought a great album in the clearance section. It happens like this sometimes, but I figure I can redeem myself when I pick up his first album. I also predict that I may fall in love with this man if he chooses to release a live album, because those always get me with their stripped down goodness.
Worth the $1.99?: Most definitely, but worth a whole lot more.
Preview some of his songs:
Project PlaylistOr, if that link doesn't work, check:
MySpace (this is all because I can't host mp3's)
Labels: from the bin, music
