Label: Loud and Proud

Tracks: 10

Rating: 4

Sammy Hagar’s Cosmic Universal Fashion was released near the end of last year to follow a long career of both solo and collaborative work by the singer, songwriter, musician, and star. Hagar has enjoyed fame and musical popularity since his affiliation with the band Montrose in 1973-74, as well as his years of work with the hit rock band Van Halen in the 1980s.

Sammy Hagar is, in fact, one of the shaping elements in American rock music and has had a clear impact on modern rock and pop music playing on the radio today. Bands like Buckcherry have a clear Sammy Hagar-esque quality to them that has both helped the band to form as a unit and helped audiences to quickly identify with the new music.

As a solo artist, Hagar has not undergone any major changes in his musical style over the past few decades, and it is for this reason that Cosmic Universal Fashion has no real appeal to new musical audiences that are expecting newer twists on established classic styles like Hagar?s.

Instead of catering to the evolved needs of new generations of music listeners, Hagar seems to have remained static in both his music and performance, as well as his decades-old audience that has also not evolved much at all since the Montrose and Van Halen days.

This record has a very classic 1980s rock and roll vibe to it. Sammy Hagar stays true to himself in that what he puts the most effort into is his own personality and characterization. Without his soliloquies, excited chatter, and shouts out to the crowd, this album would be, unfortunately, little more than an ordinary, outdated collection of music with one fun exception: the cover of the Beastie Boys? ?Fight for your Right to Party.?

The disappointment in this album is the fact that, despite the 2008 release date, it may as well have been recorded in the mid-?80s. It seems all too clear that at this point in his career, after so much success as a solo artist and with other musicians, Sammy Hagar is really only interested in having fun doing what he’s been doing the whole time?churning out old-school popular rock music and hanging out with his devoted fans.

For Hagar fans, following his work since the ?70s or ?80s, Cosmic Universal Fashion should be one more reason to listen to Sammy do what he does best. For those music fans who aren’t too familiar with the great Sammy Hagar, however, chances are very low that they will find a new favourite musician with this record.

Label: Interscope/Doghouse

Tracks: 12

Rating: 4

The All-American Rejects have remained in our peripheral vision since appearing on the big-time music scene in 2002 with their self-titled album, and managed to heighten their influence on radio DJs and listeners with 2005’s Move Along.

The hit single of the same name brought in a much wider audience for the band, although critics and audiences alike had a little trouble understanding just what the All-American Rejects were trying to sound like.

It sounds like a snooty remark, but the truth is that when a largely unknown band pops onto the scene with a single that sounds a bit like energetic pop music but also a lot like slow rock, it can be confusing come record-store decision time. Trust that your favourite of the two sounds will prevail, or pass over it because of a fear that the other genre will have just a tad too much influence on the record?

?Move Along? was a decent match for the rest of the record, but it did have a pop aspect that the rest didn’t quite match up to. Remember Smash Mouth’s ?Walkin? on the Sun,? as opposed to all the other songs on Fush Yu Mang? Exactly.

In a very similar move, The All-American Rejects released the first single ?Gives You Hell? from When the World Comes Down, a song that has a decidedly different groove than the other songs on the record. The unfortunate thing for listeners is that this single is actually the best song on the album, with few others coming close to this level of quality.

What is it that sets ?Gives You Hell? apart from the rest of the album (aside from ?Breakin??)? The energy of the recording. These two songs are fun, likeable, and energetic, something that, despite genre, most music listeners are looking for to some degree. The rest of When the World Comes Down is slow and, sorry to say, mediocre. There is nothing to hook a listener or to snag a new fan, despite the great potential of the band.

The All-American Rejects should maybe focus on the songs and singles that have studded their career and dissect why these songs have done so well. It is never my intention to encourage the production of more formulaic pop songs, but in this case I believe that the worst of the pop genre can be easily avoided by a band that has the ability to write songs with worthwhile lyrics and enjoyable music. All in all, this record and the band itself aren’t living up to their virtually unlimited potential.

New US President Barack Obama was sworn in Tuesday, January 20, in front of thousands of onlookers and billions of television viewers worldwide.

And much to the disappointment of long-shot bettors in the United Kingdom and other countries (including the US, where online betting has been a federal offence since 2006), Obama did not mention the word ?banana,? say the phrase ?change has come,? or shock the world by uttering a curse word.

Why would anyone make such a ludicrous bet on the president’s inaugural speech? It turns out that bookies in the UK, such as Paddy Power, have been collecting bets on the details of the US presidential race since before Obama was even declared the leader of the Democratic Party, and alongside regular bets like ?who will win the presidential election?? strange banana-related bets have also appeared.

So, let us for once skip the usual antics surrounding the entire Democratic campaign, and take a look at the kinds of things that people in Britain wanted to spend their money on during the US election process.

Aside from the ?banana? bet, which was given odds of 1,000 to 1 according to Yahoo News, people were willing to place bets on whether Obama would again mention the puppy he’d promised his family during his acceptance speech, such as what breed it might be.

Bettors were even willing to dole out some of their cash for the 1,000 to 1 odds that the inaugural speech would actually include the name of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Odds were reported to be measly on the gambling website Betsson for the most likely of phrases to be heard in Tuesday’s speech, such as 1.01 to 1 for ?the United States? and 1.03 for ?change.?

As it turned out, nobody cashed out for ?banana,? but the real surprise was the fact that so-called easy bets like ?the United States? and even ?change? didn’t pay off.

So what did bettors actually benefit from during the history-making inaugural speech? After Paddy Power paid off early for Obama’s win in the election, the best bet to have made was on the opening line of the speech: ?As I stand here today.? That opener paid off at 12 to 1.

If you feel like you’ve missed out on the fun, don’t worry! You’re still able to place bets on whether or not one of Obama’s daughters will win the presidency further down the line, and what major event or legislation is bound to be the first to occur during the new administration.

Label: Island

Tracks: 13

Rating: 3

Fallout Boy, initially grouped into the same genre as virtually every one-hit wonder, so-called pop-punk band, has done a great job of staying afloat these past few years and making a name for themselves that extends past the original label.

With poppy, tentatively thrashy songs making waves in North America and overseas, Fallout Boy nurtured a growing population of fans that grew to absolutely love their cutting-edge, energetic pop sound. Critics, given the short duration of many similar sounding bands over the years, understandably took an unfavourable approach when it came to Fallout Boy and their first few records.

Fortunately for the band and anyone who took a shine to songs like ?Dance, Dance? and ?A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More Touch Me,? early albums were very well received and Fallout Boy seemed destined have a tangible impact on modern music. Unfortunately, when it comes to Folie à Deux, not only has the sound of the music changed, but the impact of the band most probably has as well.

If you are inclined anywhere near the edgier pop genre of music, you will most certainly have heard the popular singles from Fallout Boy over the past several years. Whether or not you approved of the band, a few spins by the DJ should have given you a solid impression of what they were all about, or at least what they seemed to be about: energy, edgy emotional lyrics, and creating music that was actually somewhat unique given the state of current pop music.

Now, when you take this image of Fallout Boy and try to superimpose it on the band that created Folie à Deux, you are probably going to be a bit confused at the very least. If you listen well, you can hear the same elements of the band’s music coming out of the speakers, but the production and emphasis is, well, just not the same.

I am actually pretty upset to report that I have found no tracks on this album to put on my MP3 player and pass around to friends. The introductions, instrumentals, and dramatic musical speed changes all seem too experimental and with little success. I come away from the new record feeling like I’ve just been listening to a mediocre ?80s memories radio station?one that focuses on the little-known, pre-techno bands that have long since faded into the background of current popular music.

It makes me sad, but perhaps the change was inevitable for a band that has spent nearly its entire public career trying to prove its worth and distinction. Alas, the Fallout Boy I once knew and thoroughly enjoyed seems to have disappeared.

Label: Vagrant Records

Tracks: 12

Rating: 6

Life is Not a Waiting Room is the fourth album released by New Jersey’s Senses Fail; their third with Vagrant Records and also their third to have charted on international music charts. This record has charted at number one on the US indie charts and is something that the band members had been very much looking forward to recording after working to create and produce tighter, harder songs for their growing audience.

The outcome is a well-formed record with some excellent guitar work, solid vocals, and an altogether enjoyable sound that should fare extremely well in the pop charts.

Although an album or a band that has mass appeal to the pop charts and radio audiences can often burn out, the good thing for Senses Fail is that they have survived three previous album releases and only expanded their number of listeners.

There are certainly no technical issues with Senses Fail that show through on Life is Not a Waiting Room; in fact, exactly the opposite is apparent. The guitar harmonies on ?Family Tradition? deserve high commendation from all the band’s peers, and this single track could be one of the greatest the band has ever written.

The intensity, passion, and creativity embodied in ?Family Tradition? are not fully echoed in the remainder of the record, however, and it is for this reason that I must award a sub-par score of six out of 10.

While every other song on the album is composed with intelligence and musical flare, the problem is that the music does not stand out in any real way amongst similar bands like New Found Glory and Amber Pacific. Because of this failure to make a strong impression, I fear that the album will be well received but that the band will suffer in the long term.

There are certainly audiences for this type of pop-punk, post-modern rock in the world?millions of them?but without filling a certain niche, Senses Fail will have exactly the impression on audiences as their name suggests.

As the music industry stands at the moment, Senses Fail are part of a fading family of music that was born with Blink-182 and Good Charlotte. The major flaw in these types of bands these days is that they have managed to capture the basic pleasing sound of the genre, but failed to ignite a real, lasting spark in audiences.

Although spokespeople for the Obama administration cannot give details on the agenda or specify a date, they have announced that once Barrack Obama becomes president of the United States on January 20, his first international trip will be to Canada. The current president-elect has either not cemented his own reasons for the Canadian visit, or has decided that it is in the best interests of his administration to withhold the information until after his inauguration.

According to Yahoo News, one of the major issues that will likely be on Obama’s Canadian agenda is NAFTA. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has confirmed this likelihood, but also states that ?I don’t think his administration will question NAFTA in any fundamental way.? Harper himself has few reservations concerning the 14-year-old trade agreement that encompasses Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and admits that in his own mind, it would be best to leave most NAFTA rules in place.

In fact, Harper went so far as to cite the Depression in his steadfast support of NAFTA: ?One of the great dangers in a global recession is that people start erecting trade walls or tariff walls. That is one of the things that turned the stock market crash of 1929 into a depression.?

Obama’s Democratic administration can easily be said to have more liberal views on trade and foreign affairs than Harper’s Conservatives. However, citizens of North America will have to wait a little longer before learning the true nature of Obama’s intentions concerning the agreement. On our own piece of the continent, Canadians will just have to guess how the Prime Minister will react to what could well be a radical new US establishment.

In Foreign News: Fed up with religious propaganda, European atheists start to advertise

Comedienne Ariane Sherine has started a campaign via London’s ubiquitous red buses to combat what she feels is a depressive battering of tourists and Britons from religious propaganda. The campaign began after Sherine spotted several buses sporting an Internet address for people to go to who were worried about spending eternity in ?torment in hell.? The Christian advertisements were directed at believers whose indifference toward God was, in religious terms, destined to send them to hell to pay for their sins.

Sherine was supported by the British Humanist Association (BHA) as she gathered donations from people throughout London to place her own ads on the buses, ads that were meant to reassure and inspire viewers to think more positively about their time on earth.

Several heavyweight atheist organizations and individuals have been attracted to the campaign, which saw the phrase ?There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life? gracing buses throughout London. The appearance delighted many Britons and tourists, and Sherine hopes that, believer or non-believer, people will take this message as intended: lighthearted and comforting.

The phrase is soon to be put to use in Spain as well. According to Spanish transport authorities, atheist groups in Barcelona will be following Sherine’s example and pasting their own denial of God on two buses driving major routes through the city.

Arguably a more devout nation than Britain in terms of Christianity, Spain has made a smaller start to the campaign but still managed to show its support and even its comedic qualities by jumping onboard. Still to come on the red London buses are BHA-supported quotations from leading historic individuals that lend themselves to the no-God theory.

Label: Universal Music Group Canada

Tracks: 10

Rating: 9

Tales from the City is a full-length album from Canadian group Mobile, a band that has put some stronger emotions into this record than their previous release. Having a family member deal with breast cancer brought out a few new musical innovations from not only guitarist Christian Brais but from all the other band members as well.

Established fans are impressed with this new release in comparison with past recordings, but that doesn’t change the fact that Tales from the City deserves recognition as one of the greatest progressive new wave records ever produced.

Since Mobile’s evolution caps off a mere two-record discography, it is fair to say that only good can come of the fuller, stronger hold on melody that has been produced this time around. In this 10-track second release, Mobile has encapsulated an entire length of musical composition that matches perfectly with the CD’s cover art.

Tales from the City features a dark city street that appears not only empty or abandoned but also gives the distinct impression of containing a million different stories of human life through the clear metaphor of a scattering of books. Dovetailing with this initial image and title, the 10 tracks on this record truly seem to precisely tell those stories suggested on the album cover.

The musicians have mastered their progressive genre with a few melodies that could pass for pieces of a Strokes or Killers song, but there is no mistaking the differences in this wholly uninterrupted album of dreamlike, pensive, and ever-so-mildly tensed music.

don’t let the term ?new wave? confuse you, however. Although Mobile’s recordings can easily be traced back to a parental ?80s new wave training, the band has done a splendid job of turning that ?progressive? corner and producing something that sounds entirely new but not uncomfortable to the musical palate.

I highly recommend this band to music appreciators of all genres because of its thought-provoking and emotive qualities. If you would like to hear a few samples from Tales from the City the band would probably like nothing better than to share their songs with you online?check out four tracks including the excellent first single, ?Killer.?

Although Mobile may initially sound like the kind of neutral background music that could be played at a social gathering or the beginning of a party, the truth is that these guys pack an awfully big punch into each little note played. I thoroughly enjoyed the record.

Label: Fiction Records

Tracks: 4

Rating: 9

Formed in Chiswick (London, England), this band formerly known as Fear of Flying has crossed the Atlantic with Death, a music-packed single EP that is sure to grip its listeners and either completely change their perspective on music or bring them back to a musical appreciation that feels long forgotten.

The band has released two other singles this year and intends to publish a full-length album entitled To Lose My Life with Fiction Records in 2009. Harry McVeigh, Charles Cave, and Jack Lawrence-Brown form White Lies, an incredible post-punk revival band that stimulates the senses and ushers in instant memories of early punk like the Ramones and the Pointed Sticks as well as ?80s new wave bands like Blondie.

There are three different interpretations of ?Death,? the single, plus an extra track called ?Black Song.? What makes this collection of songs so amazing is the use of one composition (?Death?) artistically produced three separate times with an original and two remixes.

To me, ?Black Song? was simply an extra, something entirely separate from the package of three and therefore completely unnecessary to the release. This track was not disappointing in itself, mind you; ?Black Song? is melodic, moving, and a credit to White Lies for its composition and recording. However, I feel very strongly that this EP would have had more artistic integrity if only the three versions of the actual single were included.

As for these three interpretations (?Death? versions one, two, and three), each stands alone as a facet of one piece of work; like a contemporary painter who uses one basic full image as his base and then compiles a set of related images that are deconstructions of the original, White Lies has brought dimension to the song.

Essentially, each recording is multipurpose; every track stands alone, works in conjunction with the others, and also represents a different interpretation of the direction this musical genre can take. I love it. ?Death? is the post-punk, new wave revival, absolutely brilliant recording. ?Death (Crystal Castles Remix)? is the embodiment of early punk and new wave music’s effect on musicians in the ?80s and ?90s who crafted techno, house, and made further changes to new wave.

?Death (Haunts Remix)? is the final track and shows how these earlier musical genres were also taken to inspire modern rock, dance, and ultimately pop music. As far as I am concerned, the original recording is superior, even a musical triumph. The set of three, however, is a work of art worthy of a museum?if only such interpretations of music were so easy to display. If you only listen to one EP the rest of this year, please make it ?Death.?

Label: Geffen

Tracks: 13

Rating: 9

?we’re all okay until the day we’re not? (from ?Audience of One?).

Simple, succinct, and although just as clever and thoughtful as any Rise Against lyric ever written, this is a somewhat melancholy, retrospective album theme for the band.

Appeal to Reason is not the thrash-punk record that Rise Against fans know?you won’t find songs like ?Nervous Breakdown? or ?To Them These Streets Belong? on Appeal to Reason; instead what you will find is a penetrating, baser feel to the songs, much more akin to ?Swing Life Away? but also much fiercer.

In listening to this album, I’ve come to feel that this band, so much the inspirational, activist group of men, has become angry at the lack of mobilization throughout the populace, especially within the ranks of their fan base. Or maybe That’s just my own guilty conscience emerging. Sometimes these things are impossible to tell.

Although the music on this CD isn’t so piercing and hard-core when it comes to the writing and performance, what you will find is a fundamental punk core that keeps the flow natural and alive while the band members produce songs that are, as always, incredibly moving and meaningful.

?Savior? gets to the root of the constant Rise Against theme, albeit in a softer and more individually tragic way: “I don’t hate you boy, I just want to save you while there’s still something left to save.”

If any band, punk or otherwise, knows how to convey the hardships of keeping your morality and presence in this world (especially since the departure of Good Riddance) it is Rise Against, and regardless of tone differences between Appeal to Reason and other records like The Unraveling or Revolutions Per Minute, the message is still clear: get up, get out, and do something to make the world better.

To me, the star song on this album is ?Re-Education (Through Labor).? It’s one of the edgier tracks: harder, seamless, and the best bet for the makings of a great mosh pit. Of course, It’s the lyrics that really pull me in and get me hooked:

“What we are is the sum of 1000 lies. What we know is almost nothing at all. What we are, well we are ?til the day we die, or ?til we don’t have the strength to go on” (from ?The Strength to Go On?).

The band is, per usual, doing a massive tour to support the new record and is currently on the Canadian leg, so get out there and see them live!

Since the release of The Great Awake last year on Fat Wreck Chords, the band has seen a sharp rise in its audience and people have not only been grasping for CDs and posters, but for the chance to see the band live in action.

Until a punk band reaches the heights of fame such as that of NOFX, No Use for a Name, or even The Misfits, it can be pretty tough for many of us to catch a live show anywhere in Canada, since the failsafe stops are always Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

This month, however, The Flatliners are making a decent round of their home province of Ontario, with four stops throughout the province between the 20th and the 30th.

The venues will be the London Music Hall on the 20th, Brantford’s Club NV on the 21st, Milton’s St. Paul United on the 22nd, and finally The Red Rooster in Burlington on the last day of the month.

For anyone lucky enough to have tickets for any of these shows, you are in for a double treat because not only are The Flatliners gonna give it all they’ve got, but they’ve paired up with fellow Ontario band the Ceremonial Snips for the tour.

The Ceremonial Snips, a.k.a. The Snips, hail from Wellington, Ontario, and will add the perfect tone to the show; both The Snips and The Flatliners play a clean, polished, and energetic mix of punk rock and ska that will have the crowd on their feet every second of the show.

All four concerts are unmissable for the punk/ska enthusiast, and whichever night you choose to turn up for the show is bound to be an unforgettable, fantastic time.

If you are still unfamiliar with the music of The Flatliners or The Ceremonial Snips, you can check them out on MySpace (The Flatliners, The Ceremonial Snips); The Snips? site shares their new video, ?Gazebo of Love.?

If you’ve grabbed your tickets already and planned ahead for the event, all of Ontario and Canada has good reason to be extremely jealous of you right now! The concert listings also include guests Rocket Reducers and Time Tide, and are open to over-19 year olds as there will be booze flowing freely throughout the events.