Albums Listened To In June

Ahh finally, the crappy month of June is over. Has anyone had a good June? Most of the people I know agree that this month seriously sucked. Amid my numerous personal and family issues, there were homeless issues, a lack of internet, and idiots at work that just made me lack the energy needed to work on this project. But now I'm moved into my new place (complete with internet), summer school has started again, which will bring new issues but also more free time between classes, and I'm working with my boss to figure out what to do with the ass-holes. With any luck July will be the best month this summer (not a whole lot of competition), and will yield positive results for my music listening.
I am however, slightly impressed that with weeks of being away from my computer and music collection, I still managed a fairly decent list of music both in numbers and genres. I think what really helped out was that I listened to 18 albums within the first two days of June, it's really hard to go wrong there, even my weeks of crisis.

Ok well enough bitchin, it's on to the music:
The best new albums I heard this month had to be from the two groups Blind Dog and Robot Lords of Tokyo. Both of these are of the stoner metal persuasion, but both are a bit different. Blind Dog focuses more on lyrics and slow, grinding guitars, while Robot Lords of Tokyo are more hard rock oriented, with faster and louder songs. Now I am not sure about this at all, but I feel that Robot Lords of Tokyo had to have taken their name off of lyrics to my favorite band, Clutch's, song 10001110101. In the song, which seems to be nothing but random phrases pieced together, the lyrics I am referring to are "Ribonucleic acid freak out, the power of prayer. Long halls of science and all the lunatics committed there. Robot Lords of Tokyo, Smile taste kittens! Did you not know that the royal hunting grounds are always forbidden?" So, while I am not sure of this at all, it seems too much like a coincidence. The Clutch album that this song is on, Robot Hive/Exodus, came out in 2005, while Robot Lords of Tokyo's debut self-titled album came out in 2006. It's not much to go on, but I like it.
Also some honorable mentions: The Decemberists' discography, all great folk rock. Five Horse Johnson's The Mystery Spot, some more really good stoner metal, I'm working on finding some more from these guys. The discographies of other stoner metal bands, Hermano and sHEAVY, were also really good. I have really enjoyed stoner metal, and all the sub-sub-genres that are out there.

Ah much good that there was, there has to be some bad. Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown was a lame excuse for an album - as I suspected. I really liked their American Idiot album (but I was also still in High School) but this new attempt is just too bubblegum pop-ish for me to handle. Another disappointment, but this time a surprise one, was MC Chris' latest release Part Six Part One, it was only seven tracks (well it was an EP) but three of them are skits, and not very good ones at that. Normally MC Chris' skits aren't filed with comic genius but they can get me to crack a smile, not this time. The skits were more gross and demented then anything else. His new album, titled (you guessed it) Part Six, Part Two, comes out in the next couple of weeks, and I am in no hurry to rush out and get it.

Well there you have it, the good and bad from the past 30 days. The next month is another project month, a month where I set a goal for myself and do my best to meet it. The next month I am calling The Month of Dio, where I listen to the entire musical collection (not including live albums or EPs) of one of the greatest voices of heavy metal - Ronnie James Dio. This is a hefty undertaking, because he has over 20 albums to his credit, but I am going to do my best (at the time of this posting I am already three albums in). I'll see you all in 31 days, if not before.

1. 311 - Uplifter - Newly Listened!
2. Alabama Thunderpussy - Open Fire - Newly Listened!
3. Alestorm - Black Sails At Midnight - Newly Listened!
4. The Atomic Bitchwax - TAB 4 - Newly Listened!
5. Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five - Newly Listened!
6. Black Majesty - Tomorrowland - Newly Listened!
7. Black NASA - Black NASA - Newly Listened!
8. Blind Dog - Captain Dog Rides Again - Newly Listened!
9. Blind Dog - Last Adventures Of Captain Dog - Newly Listened!
10. Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot - Newly Listened!
11. Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West - Newly Listened!
12. Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West (Listened twice)
    
13. The Decemberists - Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series - Newly Listened!
14. The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts - Newly Listened!
15. The Decemberists - Her Majesty The Decemberists - Newly Listened!
16. The Decemberists - Picaresqueties (EP) - Newly Listened!
17. The Decemberists - 5 Songs (EP) - Newly Listened!
18. The Doors - The Doors - Newly Listened!
19. Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity
20. Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus - Newly Listened!
21. Fireball Ministry - The Second Great Awakening - Newly Listened!
22. Fireball Ministry - Their Rock Is Not Our Rock
    
23. Five Horse Johnson - The Mystery Spot - Newly Listened!
24. Flogging Molly - Alive Behind The Green Door - Newly Listened!
25. The Fucking Champs - Greatest Fucking Hits
    
26. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown - Newly Listened!
27. Heart - Dreamboat Annie
    
28. Hermano - Dare I Say... - Newly Listened!
29. Hermano - ...Into The Exam Room - Newly Listened!
30. Hermano - ...Only A Suggestion - Newly Listened!
31. Incubus - A Crow Left of The Murder
32. Incubus - Make Yourself - Newly Listened!
33. Incubus - Morning View - Newly Listened!
34. KoRn - Issues
    
35. Living Colour - Vivid - Newly Listened!
36. MC Chris - Part Six Part One (EP) - Newly Listened!
37. Monster Magnet - 4-Way Diablo - Newly Listened!
38. The Offspring - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace
    
39. Oysterhead - The Grand Pecking Order - Newly Listened!
40. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
41. Pink Floyd -A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
42. Pink Floyd -The Wall (2 Discs)
    
43. Pink Floyd -Wish You Were Here
44. Robot Lords of Tokyo - Robot Lords of Tokyo - Newly Listened!
45. Robot Lords of Tokyo - Whiskey, Blood & Napalm - Newly Listened!
46. Rush - Power Windows - Newly Listened!
47. Shadow Gallery - Tyranny - Newly Listened!
48. sHEAVY - Celestial Hi-Fi - Newly Listened!
49. sHEAVY - The Electric Sleep - Newly Listened!
50. sHEAVY - The Machine That Won The War - Newly Listened!
51. The Tossers - We'll Never Be Sober Again - Newly Listened!
52. Traveling Wilburys - Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 - Newly Listened!
53. Týr - By The Light Of The Northern Star - Newly Listened!