Dave Matthews

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

I plunked down the $10.98 at the original Newbury Comics to pick up the solo release from Dave Matthews. It is probably the best money I have spent on a new CD, and I'm the person who usually waits and grabs the used copies of CDs.

 

"So Damn Lucky", "Gravedigger" (both versions), and "Stay or Leave" are worth the price of the CD alone. But for $10.98, I also managed to get the Special Edition with a 5-song live Tim Reynolds and Dave Matthews set. The highlight of that disc is definitely "Jimi Thing"; it is more powerful when two guitars alone are used.

 

Let me also say that this release is NOTHING like Dave Matthews Band releases; there is a different sound to it. I would say that Some Devil sounds, if anything, like Under the Table and Dreaming, except with an electric guitar instead of the acoustic. A violin only appears in a full-orchaestra section, and the percussion is more of a driving force, unlike Carter Beauford's "artistic percussion" use.

 

All in all, I would call this the BEST release of 2003. If you don't like Dave Matthews Band, you will like this; if you like Dave, c'mon, you know you already bought it.

 

Star rating by Rolling Stone: ***

Wildbomb scale: 9.5/10

 

The best disc of the year, and also the most sophisticated. I am a John Mayer fan, but I will say this: he seems to be a more mainstream version of "Crash" to "BFTCS" Dave. This is converying dark emotion without it being depressing; instead, it enlightens. Enjoy.

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

You know, I thought that with the string of deaths lately that this was another obit. Glad I'm wrong.

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

^

God, that would suck. Period.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I usually like Dave Matthews but I hate people who worship the guy as the be-all end-all of music. These same people often like Radiohead as well. But maybe I'll give this album a shot.

[Kinetic 0]

Do a lot of yuppies and frat boys really like Radiohead?

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

I only like a couple of Radiohead songs, namely the rarely-played-live "Creep"

 

Dave, although a great musician, is not all that. But I feel like he always gets the shaft from critics, especially in retrospective articles. They re-rank DMB albums because of the shittiness that was Everyday.

 

This is a solo effort, however. No Stefan, Boyd, Carter, or Leroi. I feel like that this is Dave returning more to the basic sounds that the stint with Lillywhite provided, while also continuing the complexity that Busted Stuff added to the music. It is a mix that both DMB fans and non-DMB listeners will enjoy.

 

As stated above, I think that if you like Gravedigger on the radio, you will like the rest of the CD in its entirety. Some Devil is, IMHO, the best album released this year. And, I believe that you will still receive the extra live CD for some time now. And priced at $10.98-$12.98 (Thank God for Newbury Comics sales and Best Buy), it just seems like too good of a purchase.

[Guest Doyo]

I plunked down the $10.98 at the original Newbury Comics to pick up the solo release from Dave Matthews. It is probably

 

You mean the Newbury Comics that they ran out of their apartment?

 

I liked "Busted Stuff" a lot, but I don't know how well I would get into Dave without

the full band, especially Carter's drums.

 

I like Dave and stuff like David Gray, but I can't get into John Mayer at all. He sounds

like a watered down Matthews wannabe.

[Mik 0]

I have looked down upon Dave in the past because of his crazy fans, but I love the album. I love Dodo, Some Devil, Grey Blue Eyes and Stay or Leave.

 

Great CD.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Carter Beauford and Tim Reynolds need to start a band not involving Dave Matthews.

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

You mean the Newbury Comics that they ran out of their apartment? 

 

I liked "Busted Stuff" a lot, but I don't know how well I would get into Dave without

the full band, especially Carter's drums.

 

I like Dave and stuff like David Gray, but I can't get into John Mayer at all. He sounds

like a watered down Matthews wannabe.

Actually, I mean the Store #1, as it is known, on Newbury Street in Boston. I woulda gone over to Harvard Square, but the Red Line broke down the other night. Fucking MBTA.

 

Carter Beauford and Tim Reynolds need to start a band not involving Dave Matthews.

 

I think that Tim and Carter may have worked a little together on Boyd's album, although I am not sure of it.

 

But, to further this: why do you think that Dave Matthews' releases (whether they be this solo album or something from DMB) are always significantly rated lower than, say, a John Mayer or some nu-metal release? And, if you don't listen to Dave (as I assume that Agent of Oblivion doesn't), why?

[rising up out of the back seat-nuh 0]

Hmmm. I saw Dave Matthews doing a free solo show in Virgin Records, London one day when I was bunking off a University trip, and I was blown away. He was charismatic, a good guitarist and he had a cool voice. I bought Someday, and I thought it sucked the cock. Ever since I've been wary of the guy.

 

I might d/l a song or two to see what it sounds like though...

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Wait a minute..Did you just imply that I like John Mayer and Nu metal?

 

Essentially, you're asking me why I don't like Dave Matthews, right? It's his voice. He has the most awkward warbling voice I've ever heard in my life, and it drives me up the wall. I think he has a talented band, but the guy is the absolute pits in terms of a vocalist. Especially with a style like that, where the singing is the make or break point.

 

I've actually heard a LOT of DMB in recent years, mainly due to people I was surrounded by. I've heard all the studio albums, Live at Luther College, and a few other live bootlegs and assorted live releases. The only thing from the band in the entire catalogue that I can say I truly enjoy is "Stream."

 

There's a lot worse stuff out there than DMB, like Saliva, but he's somewhere in the lowest caste of vocalists for me.

[Skywarp! 0]

I usually don't like Dave, but I find this album to be decent, from what I've heard.

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

Wait a minute..Did you just imply that I like John Mayer and Nu metal?

No, no I didn't. You and I had a mini-argument over my review of John Mayer/ Counting Crows at the Tweeter Center; I know that you despise John Mayer and Saliva.

 

I can understand why you find his voice annoying; I just find the entire ensemble to be greater than its' pieces.

 

DMB released 'Everyday', not 'Someday.' And yes, Everyday was just that bad. 'Under the Table and Dreaming,' along with 'Some Devil,' are far worthier purchases.

 

Nobody seems to have gone after the other question: why on Earth did John Mayer get 4 stars, and some of the shit-ass nu-metal bands (like Saliva) wind up with better mainstream record reviews than Dave? When, for all intents and purposes, John Mayer is a hipper Dave?

[nl5xsk1 0]

AoO, I hate to ask, but why'd you go to a school that necessitated you listening to so much Phish/Dave Matthews/etc. type music?

 

It sounds like you went to a hippy school.

[Mik 0]

Huh? You can to go any school in america and hear Dave Matthews. It's like a college dorm staple.

[Skywarp! 0]

I think Mayer writes the shit he writes just to get laid. It says a lot when all of your fans are girls.

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

I think Mayer writes the shit he writes just to get laid. It says a lot when all of your fans are girls.

I'm a guy, 19, college student, who likes John Mayer's "Heavier Things." It's a good disc, but it essentially follows in the footsteps of Dave Matthews. He uses a simplistic tone, but makes it somehow sound meaningful. Granted, AoO will probably disagree. But I don't mind telling people I listen to John Mayer.

 

Back to the topic at hand: Dave's music is a staple of college life. Every college dorm has at least one person who listens to DMB in one form or another.

 

But what constitutes a ***** CD? I feel like Some Devil comes close, but the "real" (read: published) reviews give it **1/4-***, while John Mayer grabs a **** rating? It's just confusing.

[justsoyouknow 0]

All in all, I would call this the BEST release of 2003...

The best disc of the year, and also the most sophisticated.

Disagreed. The best release of the year, in my book, is the new Iron Maiden CD, Dance of Death. However, I got a copy of the new Dave Matthews CD, and I was blown away. It was just an all-around perfect CD, and I was listening to it nonstop. Unfortunately, my car was broken into on Thursday and somebody stole my stereo and my book of 200 CDs, plus my sunglasses and my change tray...I mean, take the change, that's fine...but the whole tray? Assholes...Ah, back to the point. The title track off of "Some Devil" is great, as well as "Grave Digger". However, I agree with the warbling, broken-sounding voice. It gets to me after awhile.

 

In summation: buy Iron Maiden: Dance of Death. You'll be glad that you did, especially when you put on "Face in the Sand". Trust me.

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

Well, I downloaded "Face in the Sand"...and I think that Iron Maiden is my next CD purchase.

 

But I think that if anything relates to the star ratings handed out by magazines such as Rolling Stone...perhaps it is to encourage sales of specific artists? Think about it: Rolling Stone is NOT a subjective magazine; despite its liberal base, it is owned by AOL Time Warner. And amazingly, they now own a part of the Sony record label that John Mayer belongs to. Hmmmmm...and Dave Matthews is a part of rival BMG Columbia. Conspiracy? Maybe. But what are your thoughts?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Huh? You can to go any school in america and hear Dave Matthews. It's like a college dorm staple.

This statement is true. That fucking crap blares out of every simpering faux-sensitive fratboy's stereo when he's trying to get a piece from a drunk sure thing.

 

The guy is playing somewhere at any given moment on any college campus in the US.

 

My school did have a LOT of hippies. The metal and punk followings were decent enough down there, and there were more than enough random weird fuckers playing various electronic stuff.

By far though, the most prominent music was really irritating rap.

[Guest Wildbomb 4:20]

By far though, the most prominent music was really irritating rap.

 

Agreed. 50 Cent blares from the room next door, all day long. But apparently, I guess I'd be irritating AoO by countering with Dave Matthews, Counting Crows, and *maybe* some old Offspring.

 

But, I guess the point I am trying to make is: what constitutes a good CD? If a CD that doesn't fall in your specific favorite genre of music is supposedly good, is it automatically disqualified from being good? For example, I'm not much of a metal-head, but I listen to Metallica, Black Label Society, A Perfect Circle, and Tool. Again though, I guess the real question is: what makes a good CD a good CD?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

That question is a bear trap. I like looking at the individual parts of the band, and how it fits together. I like variation in sound and instrumentation, rhythms..lots of changes. It really depends though. I absolutely love Sunn, but they're essentially a solid gelatinous MASS of sound, with millions of tiny vibrations brought together into one big one. Not what I'd call too diverse.

 

What I consider to be good in metal doesn't really apply to other genres though. I mean, I'm not going to dislike a Willie Dixon album because it isn't heavy enough, for instance. I might be a bit more scrutinous if say, the next Nile album had a ballad or something on it.

 

With the quasi-folk rock sound that was being discussed above, I pretty much go by how good I think the musicianship is, and to see if they do anything interesting with a genre I don't care for. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is an incredible folk/jazz acoustic kinda band. Gotta love Victor Wooten, anyway.

 

Above anything else though, a good cd to me provokes an uncontrollable visceral reaction that is unmistakeable and enjoyable.

[Mole 0]

All I have to say is that Dave sucks, big time.

[cbacon 0]

The lyrics to his new song are awful. Something about gravedigging, then he spouts off a bunch of nursery rhymes? Bleh.