OK, so this is all for a good cause, but just who are the folks contributing songs?  Glad you asked: David Bowie, Coldplay, Beck (of course), Eddie Vedder, Sade, Lauryn Hill, Sting, Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks’ wife? What?), Alanis Morissette, Rufus Wainwright, Patti Smith, Paul Simon and Edie Brickell, Diana Krall, Seal and Dave Matthews Band to whet your appetite.  Most of these tracks are new recordings for this project, while there are a few live tracks and covers throughout.

These artists were picked by Burns or asked to take part in the project and based on the contributors; I just had to check this out.  Charity compilations such as this are very cool because it offers bands a chance to branch out and do something they might not get away with on a standard album.  Of course, if you are neurotic like me then you have to go and purchase these albums to have the tracks by these artists because you’re crazy.  At least I admit it.

With Mother’s Day coming soon, very soon, keep this in mind as a cool gift.  You’ll be helping a good cause and passing on some good tunes in the process.  If you’d like to learn more go to the website and read up.

We’ve talked about 4 Footer before, as I wrote a piece on their show at Holiday House last year. Once again, 4 Footer was playing with Bastards of Reality and man, what a fantastic bout of post-punk / heavy metal glory we were given! It was like being tied up in a burlap sack and beaten with a Dethklok “Thunderhorse” Explorer.

The highlight of the night for me, however, was being one of the few recipients of a 4 Footer demo CD. The nine-track EP featured some of my favorites like “Power Move”, “Dirty Old Man”, and “It’s Like Kablam!” The recording is nicely done and the mixing allows for one to easily hear all the subtle nuances of the instruments. Jack Denning’s vocals are clear and crisp, with no fancy effects like reverb getting in the way.

The only thing I could say about the CD that could be interpreted as a negative would be that it only had nine tracks on it, but hey, you can’t argue with free. I’m hoping that they get into the recording studio for another round real soon, though, as I want a good copy of “Epic Fail” to rock out to – it’s truly a brilliant song.

4 Footer is a full-on punch in the face with hard-hitting rock jams. A fun diversion from a rock scene that’s begun to take itself way too seriously.

Having seen Pearl Jam and then watched the movie, hearing the music brought me back to those concerts and many others I have attended.  You can hear the band finding a groove and working up the crowd, but you can also hear the crowd riding that groove and working up the band to push themselves on stage.  For example: the song “Betterman” was written by Eddie Vedder for his mother and it might be one of the saddest songs in their catalog.  Yet the live cut on this album from Madison Square Garden two years ago is daunting to listen to.  The entire crowd sings the song while Vedder gently plays the notes and the full band kicks in.  The intimacy that you feel when the crowd joins in brings all of the songs together.

The first CD contains many of the tracks that were used in the movie while the second CD has several demos and then live versions of the actual song.  One of my favorites is “Times of Trouble” which would later become “Footsteps”.  Each track brings you to a different period in the band’s life and you can feel that tension riding over the guitars, drums and vocals.

For me, I jumped into Pearl Jam full time around Binaural and also love No Code – which was the album that many folks were jumping out at.  From there it has been a tough relationship, and I find they are still a consistent group making albums not just for themselves but for the folks that take a week off work to follow them around on tour.  From Green River to Malfunkshun to Mother Love Bone to Mookie Blaylock to Pearl Jam, this is history, this is evolution baby.

R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now was the best way to say goodbye for such a long and storied career.

Glen Campbell – Ghost on the Canvas is another great farewell album filled with a little remorse and a lot of optimism for the future.

The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar proved to a breakout rock album from nowhere and the kind words of Dave Grohl didn’t hurt either.

CAKE – Showroom of Compassion showed the band’s passion for sticking to what they do best and also had them cutting loose a bit after such a long break.

Battles – Gloss Drop is great if you dig post/math/prog rock and want to be rocked without much vocal interplay.

Explosions in the Sky – Take Care Take Care Take Care is wonderful for atmospheric instrumental rock that isn’t as hard edged as Battles, Mogawi or The Fierce and The Dead.

TV on the Radio – 9 Types of Light gave us post rock/punk/funk all in one convenient package guaranteed to get you grooving or feeling introspective.

Stephen Malkmus – Mirror Traffic proved that even slackers have to get day jobs but can still wear slippers to the office.

Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost is fun and steeped in music history.  Listen close for an education or just to have fun.

Cage the Elephant – Thank You Happy Birthday was a step up for these Kentuckians and gave them some legs in the alt-rock world.

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light is my favorite album of the past year, Dave and the boys rock, why haven’t you picked it up yet?

Wild Flag – S/T girls don’t want to have fun, girls want to rock your face and make you beg for more.

Wilco – The Whole Love smart mature album from these elder statesmen of alternative country proving that the sweetest melodies can cover the heaviest subjects.

The Strokes – Angles was a punch of an album that might bring your faith back to guitar based rock and roll.

Honorable mentions: Death Cab for Cutie, Lykke Li, Radiohead, Steve Earle, Iron and Wine, Matt Stevens, Foster the People, Company of Thieves and The Fierce and The Dead.

Last March for my birthday, I decided to update myself with a new MP3 player.  Notice I didn’t say “an iThing” –  as a staunch Windows user, the only way I’ll endorse an Apple product is to win one or be given one as a gift.  My research led me to the Zune and I’m glad I made the choice.  Easy to use, colorful, handles HD radio, has a touch screen and is very small.  Within the past few weeks, I’ve taken a look back at all the other portable devices I’ve owned and how things have changed for me in the last 20 years.

First there was the durable, almost bulletproof, Sony Walkman.  I had more fun taping songs off the radio and using my Walkman to listen to them than riding my bike.  I still own the mix tape a friend made me that had Nevermind on one side and a mix of Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins, Bush and Nine Inch Nails on the other.  Nothing could beat that Walkman.

That is, until I bought my Philips CD Player in the spring of 2000; it was the recommendation of an ex-girlfriend, and though the relationship lasted two weeks, that CD player proved its weight in gold.  I’ve dropped this thing on my feet, the floor, pavement, and it still plays.  It has lulled me to sleep and played every burned CD and album I’ve owned.  Dependable and built like a rock, this was the end all of portable devices.

Then I graduated college and thought that I would use some of my gift money to buy an MP3 player, a Dell DJ to be specific.  I’m glad I went with one that was discontinued a few months after I bought it.  Thirty gigs of space and with the aesthetic of a silver brick, this allowed me to do one thing: bring every album I owned everywhere.  The downside to this particular brand was that the software was not compatible across later versions of Windows and I couldn’t add more songs after a year because of it.  No matter, for six years it served me well and I didn’t see a need to upgrade.

Of course, when things look shiny and flashy you have to have one.  I find it funny that the Zune is the same specs as the Dell but weighs next to nothing; it’s smaller than my Droid phone.  Yet the possibilities are endless, with being able to create playlists and mix albums with like-minded songs  — and Microsoft discontinued it, so I’m on the right path.  This is the last music gadget I’ll ever need.

Until something else cooler comes along…

You may or may not be surprised to hear that the idea for Now! didn’t start in America. The first Now That’s What I Call Music! album was released in the UK and Ireland in 1983. South Africa was next to follow with a spinoff series. I’m actually surprised that it took the U.S. so long! Globally, the series has amassed over 100 million (and counting) album sales.

What kind of music will you find on these CDs? For the most part, you’ll find whatever new “music” is on the radio. The Now! albums are comprised of Billboard Hot 100 songs; the vast majority of the albums contain at least one song that rose to the top of the list. You can find anything from country to techno to rap, or plain pop, any genre that produces songs that can end up getting major radio-play. Though the full series name is “Now That’s What I Call Music!” I find that the abbreviated version “Now!” is more accurate. The songs truly are a snapshot of what was playing on the radio before the album was realized, but aren’t necessarily the songs anyone would be proud to show their grandchildren. Take, for example, Chingy featuring Ludacris and Snoop Dogg‘s “Holidae In” on Now! 15, or better yet, Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” on the original Now. Gems, wouldn’t you agree? It is somewhat embarrassing to admit that the Now! series identifies a unique subset of music from a mixture of genres: impulse music. It’s the “music” to which we inexplicably became (temporarily, in most cases) attached.

You’d think we’d know better by now, that we learned a little after laughing at the Now! 4 track list. Alas, that is not the case. In the U.S., Now! 40 and Deluxe Edition hit shelves in less than a month. UK Now! fans will be able to purchase Now! 80 on November 21. Now that’s what I call a lot of albums.

A simple three-piece from the City of Angels fronted by Mark Foster on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Cubbie Fink on bass and Mark Pontius on drums produces these infectious grooves.  If you had the same affinity for Yeasayer last year, chances are you’ll enjoy this album a little bit more.  Foster the People works very hard in crafting massive drum beats and smart synthesized hooks, wrapping it up in songs that make you want to move.  If you grew up on a steady diet of 80’s synthesizer pop, 90’s house music and easygoing lyrics, this album would be the final product.

There are comparisons that can be made to MGMT but I don’t find Foster the People to be as pretentious as MGMT comes off.  Where MGMT seems to take things more seriously than they should, Foster is relaxed in lyrical content and focused on driving beats into your head.

Aside from the summer’s biggest hit, “Pumped Up Kicks”, you should also consider checking out “Helena Beat”, “Houdini”, “Warrant”,”Call It What You Want”and”Waste”.  This album is short and begs to be played on repeat in your car or at a gathering of friends after a long work week.  If you didn’t pick this up over the summer, run out and grab it now to savor the heat before you have to resort to a winter jacket full time.

“Hey, wait! Weren’t you the one who wrote an article on Grooveshark, an online tool for listening to music, just a couple weeks ago?”

Guilty as charged. I often hesitate to buy CDs, especially when I’m just exploring new artists, because I don’t know if I’ll ever want to listen to the music again after making it through an album once. However, once I know that I’ll be listening to an album more than once, I think it’s only fair to pay credit where credit is due, and start spinning the real CD.

“But CDs are so expensive.” Well, compared to “free music,” it’s impossible to argue that CDs don’t cost the extra buck, they do. CDs are worth the extra buck. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean you have to spend $13+ on a newly released album. There are all sorts of discount prices available if you take a couple minutes to search for the best deals. If you don’t have time to find the absolute lowest cost on a CD, I’ve found that YourMusic.com has been a very reliable and cheap Web site for buying CDs.

YourMusic is a branch of BMG Music, which my family has been using for years. They constantly offer great deals on CDs. For example, currently, every CD on the Web site is selling for $6.99. That’s with free shipping and handling, no strings attached (unless you count the fact that you have to subscribe, but it’s a free subscription). They have thousands of CDs including the Black Eyed Peas latest album The E. N. D. (Energy Never Dies), Owl City’s Ocean Eyes, John Fogerty’s The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, and George Strait’s Twang. They carry just about every genre of music.

Like music? Get the real thing, and get it cheap at YourMusic.com.

Click here to view the embedded video.