thoughts.bjsintay.com

I listen to a ton of music, so when hot young groups (especially) put out second albums I take note. The sophomore release is bound to either make or break a band. Two recent selections (among many!) are the popular Augustana and Death Cab for Cutie releases which I purchased from Amazon.com’s MP3 store.

Augustana’s new release “Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt” features the same lovable melodies from the first album - minus the hit song (remember “Boston”?). In my opinion, the songs have all of the right ingredients for a great pop rock album. The problem is that they seem to just be that: ingredients. I found that the album lacked the big passionate moments from “Stars and Boulevards” that made the former release come together as a massive hit. The combo has a nice melding of deep hooks, raspy vocals, and expansive melodies, but I am left expecting a bit more. A few of the songs such as “Hey Now” and “Twenty Years” show some depth but are offset by extensive low moments that are repetitive and tired. This album only lasted a week or so in my regular lineup before I moved on. Maybe time will bring it back around.

Another highly anticipated album for 2008 is Death Cab for Cutie’s “Narrow Stairs”. Three years in the making, Death Cab’s progressive feel is clear. But much like Augustana, I feel that most of the songs on this album lack passion when compared to the first major label release “Plans”. This album definitely has some high moments such as the remarkable song “I Will Possess Your Heart”, a song that easily sticks. That is the kind of stuff that made “Plans” so good. Unfortunately, most of the soul stops there.

In my opinion, the rest of this album is forced and shallow. In a time where bands like Wilco are revolutionizing the soundscape for mellow, simple albums, “Narrow Stairs” seems to fall into a completely different league - the minors. On the flip side, I think this album will be a helpful progression for the group as they venture further from their semi-emo sounds. Still, the tracks are stale. If you’re not a huge Death Cab fan, save the bucks and buy the hit single instead of the full album.

I know I’m a bit late in reviewing Death Cab for Cutie’s 2005 debut (non-indie) album, but I’ve just recently discovered this great disk.  Plans is an excellent emo-ish rock album performed by a seasoned group of musicians.  My favorite tracks include “What Sarah Said,” “Summer Skin,” and “Soul Meets Body.”  I like many of the songs on this album because of their experimental nature.  The album is generally mellow and smooth, emitting an emotional overtone.  The production is crisp and clear.

I was directed to this album by recommendations by my music player based on my current library.  My conclusion?  The boot fits.  Get this album if you like mellow experimental music!

Until June released its first full-length album (self-titled) this past week after years of hard work to get their name out there.  Signed to Flicker Records in late summer of 2005, this band shows promise for a new generation of music from Flicker.  Their sound is somewhat subdued, mimicking the lighter rock that’s been emerging in recent years (Coldplay, Keane) especially from the UK.  Vocals are flawless and smooth, with excellent falsettos and harmonies.  They almost sound like Watashi Wa with smoother (and probably better) vocals.  I have enjoyed my initial listening experience with this album.  I would not call it a smashing hit, but it does earn a respectable 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.  Herdman of Flicker should be proud.

http://www.untiljune.com

I don’t normally read thrillers.  Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels have, however, become the exception.  One lazy afternoon while backpacking in the wilderness of Virginia I began reading Persuader.  The story read fast and action lurked around the turn of every page.  Child’s depth of research and character development kept me glued to the story.  Reacher is an ex-military cop with sharp instincts and encyclopedic knowledge of weapons.  His character is that of a drifter, a loner.  Child paints the man with good heart and eerie unpredictability.

Persuader takes Reacher deep under cover into a world of crime lords and dirty bosses.  His assignment is to get dangerously close to a powerful family with plenty of secrets.  Reacher must find a missing government agent all the while pursuing an elusive character that he had given two .22-caliber bullets to the head a decade before.  With twists and turns at every corner, this story kept me entertained right down to the last page.  It’s a must for all the men out there.

I have recently acquired a passion for subversion control (SVN) through my work with the SiteX project.  I gave another developer in the SiteX community a charge to figure out SVN for version control and collaborative development.  By the end of the weekend our development process had been taken to the next level.

My SVN client software of choice is TortoiseSVN.  This program installs in Windows and creates a new menu when you right click any file or folder.  You can create your own repository or connect to an existing external repository.  The repository is the place where your stuff is stored and accessed.  Files are “committed” to the repository along with a note.  This creates a revision.  You can “update” you files to download the latest revision.  When you’ve reached an acceptable stable “version” of your software, this can be “tagged” and stored in its current state for easy access later on.  TortoiseSVN also includes a decent diff tool which shows you the differences in two side-by-side files.  This is great for comparing a new file to an old revision or merging two new files together.  Access can be controlled to your SVN as well.  There are so many features and options it is impossible to describe them all here.

Currently, the SiteX project uses Sourgeforge.net for our SVN hosting since it is integrated with some nice project management tools all bundled via their website for free.

SVN is so popular that there are now server hosts that specialize in private, backed up SVN packages which include ticket management (like Bugzilla and Trac).  If I had an extra $30 laying around each month, this would definitely be a good investment.  Many include great features like cluster computing, RAID 5, and 10 minute backups.  I’ve even found one host that has a free account (no tracking or web-based SVN browsing included).

I personally am beginning to use SVN for more than just SiteX.  I’ve now expanded my personal repository to track revisions of documents and other web projects.  That way I always have a record of changes.  If you’ve never tried out SVN and you manage any sort of code that changes periodically, you simply MUST check it out!