Shins-Port of Morrow

Port of Morrow is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band The Shins. I found the album to be a bit of a letdown, I loved the single “Simple Song” and I had high hopes for the album, but none of the songs were as good as the single. This could be due to the fact that James Mercer (lead vocals and guitar) is the only original member of the band from when it was formed in 1996. The album itself is all over the place, it’s like the band could not decide what they wanted the album to sound like overall.  When listening to album there is only a few songs that really stick out, these include: “The Rifle’s Spiral”, “Simple Song”, “It’s Only Life” and “No Way Down.” This album gets a 3 out of 5, it’s something different but there are not a lot of strong songs on it.

The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond

The Hunger Games movie was a hit in theaters, earning $302.5 Million in its first three weeks. The soundtrack captures every essence of the movie with plenty of folk rock songs and songs that will have you thinking about scenes from the movie. The soundtrack features various artists including: Arcade Fire, Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars, Kid Cudi, Punch Brothers, The Decemberists, Glen Hansard, Marron 5, Miranda Lambert and many more. The best songs from the album including “Abraham’s Daughter” by Arcade Fire, “Safe & Sound” by Taylor Swift Featuring The Civil Wars, “One Engine” by The Decemberists, “Kingdom Come” by The Civil Wars, “Take the Heartland” by Glen Hansard and “Eyes Open” by Taylor Swift. There were two problems to the soundtrack though. The first problem was that the lullaby “Deep in the Meadow” was not sung by Jennifer Lawrence (the movie’s Katniss) it was sung by Sting. The other problem is that not a single song was featured in the movie. I recommend that fanatics of the movie purchase the album, people who weren’t too crazy about it buy certain songs that you like. This album is a 3.5 out of 5 due to the fact that none of the songs were featured in the movie and that some songs just sound too alike.

All American Rejects-Kid’s In the Street

“Kid’s In the Street” is the fourth studio album by American rock band, The All-American Rejects. The band’s last release was the album “When the World Comes Down” back in 2008. The new album is fantastic and provides a sound different from previous albums but similar enough so that you can still tell that it’s The All-American Rejects. There are so many stand out songs in the album including “Someday’s Gone,” “Beekeeper’s Daughter,””Heartbeat Slowing Down,” “Walk Over Me,” “Kid’s In the Street,” and “I for You.” The album has a good pace to it and every song sounds different, giving it a hint of variety. I recommend you buy the Deluxe Version so you can also have the demo versions of “Someday’s Gone,” “Bleed Into Your Mind,” “Do Me Right,” and “Kid’s In the Street.” The Deluxe Version also includes bonus track “Drown Next to Me.” This album is 4 out of 5, it’s full of fast beats, old and new All-American Reject listeners will love it.

Counting Crows – Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation)

Counting Crows sixth studio album is a cover album. The album features covers of various artists including: Bob Dylan, Coby Brown, Travis, The Faces, Kasey Anderson & The Honkies, Tender Mercies, Teenage Fanclub, Romany Rye, Fairport Convention, Pure Prairie League, Dawes, Gram Parsons, Sordid Humor and Big Star. Although I would rather have an original album with new songs from the twenty-one year old rock band, this album is pretty good. I was rocking my head to most of the songs and singing along with Adam Duritz’s amazing vocals. Standout songs in the album include “Untitled (Love Song)”, “Hospital”, “Start Again”, “Like Teenage Gravity”, “Coming Around”, “Ooh La La” and “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” The album is fun to listen to but diehard fans may be a little disappointed that there was not a single new song on the album, I know I was. This album gets a 4 out of 5.