Record Rewind 2.0

  I first connected with Rilo Kiley’s music after hearing “Portions for Foxes” on “Grey’s Anatomy.” It made me want to check out its parent album, the band’s third overall. Rilo Kiley released “More Adventurous” on Aug. 17, 2004 as their major label debut. Opener "It's a Hit" runs through all of frontwoman Jenny Lewis's frustrations with mainstream culture, including politics, writer's block and religion. As the song goes on and Lewis covers more topics, it evolves from a simple rock song to implement a horn section. It evokes a marching band when coupled with Jason Boesel’s drumming.  "Does He Love You?" details a years-long marital affair from the mistress's perspective, building up the stakes to crescendo in an orchestral coda. The aforementioned “Portions for Foxes" sees Lewis release all of pent-up emotions in a one night stand, but the standout here is lead guitarist Blake Sennett, whose playing gives the song its backbone. "Ripchord...

For any music fan, listening to the Killers’ debut is arguably a rite of passage. Rightfully so, as that debut album was “Hot Fuss,” released on June 7, 2004. The album opener, "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine", plays out like a police interrogation of a suspect in the titular character's murder set to a catchy riff. Lead single "Mr. Brightside" is a simple yet infectious song about infidelity. "Smile Like You Mean It" deals with the dreadful realization that time moves faster than you want it to. "Somebody Told Me" sounds like the perfect introductory song to a Killers novice thanks to the superb drum work from Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and dynamic vocals from Brandon Flowers. "All These Things That I've Done" brings in choir the Sweet Inspirations to help Flowers plead to God to help him through his pain. "Andy, You're a Star" features an old-fashioned sounding guitar riff that plays while Flowers questions his glorificat...

Avril Lavigne recently put out a new song with Simple Plan, which gives as good an excuse as any to discuss her sophomore album " Under My Skin," released on May 25, 2004. In contrast to her debut "Let Go," which saw her aided by professional pop songwriters like production trio The Matrix, Lavigne chose to primarily co-write with a fellow Canadian singer-songwriter, Chantal Kreviazuk. As such, the album delves deeper than "Let Go" did into Lavigne's personal experiences and maintains an edgier sound. The album opens with a bang(er) with "Take Me Away," where Lavigne seeks to escape her mind, filled with painful confusion. "Don't Tell Me" sees her refusing to give in to pressure, symbolized sonically by its slower tempo. One of the heaviest rockers on the album, "He Wasn't," details the nervousness that comes with moving on from someone. The album adopts a more serious tone from here, beginning with symphonic rock ...

  My first proper blog post was about a song that released on 9/11, so it's only fitting that I make one about a band that was founded partially because of 9/11. My Chemical Romance released their sophomore album "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" on June 8, 2004, as their major label debut under Reprise Records. The album opens with a tribute to Gerard and Mikey Way's grandmother, "Helena." In the song, Gerard addresses the anger and difficulty of moving on from losing a loved one. From there, the tempo of the album moves at a breakneck pace, with bangers like "To the End" and "I'm Not Okay" turning the speakers up to 11. In comparison to the band's debut, the production by Howard Benson allows even the heaviest songs to come out loud and clear. "The Ghost of You" takes a rock ballad approach to similar themes of loss to the album's opener, "Thank You for the Venom" is an unexpectedly danceable motivational ...