The Chord. Oh the Chord!

Item:  Belkin Mini Dock for iPhone 4/4S and iPod touch.  Manufacturer:  Belkin.  MSRP: 29.99

First up anyone ordering this should please note that it will only work with the iPhone 4 or 4S. It doesn't ok with 5 because Apple decided to squeeze more blood out of their rabid followers and change the connector on the bottom slightly. But anyways, let's review the product.

It works really well. I hooked up my mom's iPhone 4 and even in the Otterbox it worked great. The stand is nice to facetime with as well.

My only real complaint is that the chord should've been longer. It wouldn't have killed them to make it a few inches longer, but they didn't. Oh well, still a good products so thumbs up.

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

Music To Your Ear Holes

Sometimes you need to take something in perspective to see how truly great it is.  Now with Linkin Park a completely different sounding band, many people have forgotten their original roots in rap and rock.  Now the album sounds like a lot of others.  But that's where perspective comes in.

What was on top of the charts in the year 2000?  BBMak.  Backstreet Boys.  N Sync.  Toni Braxton.  Jennifer Lopez.  Linkin Park's debut was a breath of fresh air.  And it still is honestly.  Yes a lot of the songs do sound the same.  But listen to tracks like One Step Closer and In The End.  Tell me that doesn't get you up and moving.

Great stuff.  Then and now.  A good addition to your collection.

Rating 4.7 out of 5.

Staind Zombie Their Way Back

Artist: Staind  Album:  V

Chapter V is not a big steaming pile of dog poo. There. I said it. And believe me after 4 Shades of Grey, it makes me extremely happy to say this. Just a few short years ago, I thought Staind was the greatest rock/heavy band known to man. Then they went pop on us. So when this new discc came out, I was worried. I'll admit it. I borrowed it from a friend before I decided to take the plunge and buy it. And happily it has been a good purchase.
On "14 Shades Of Grey", all the fire that made Staind = Staind, was gone. With the exception of "Price To Play" there was nothing with any zest at all. Now "V" has that in spades! From the hammering "Paper Jesus" to the in your face "Schizophrenic Conversations" this disc is a moving step in the right direction. The fire is partially back. Staind still do explore their new found pop sensibilities. For example "Falling" is enough rock to make you stand up and take notice. But still radio friendly.
So there you have it. Staind might never be the pure power house of rage and angst we so loved on "Tormented" or "Dysfunction". But you have to give kudos to Staind for every album being different. And cheers to them for finding their rock n roll voice again. Good cd. Worth buying.

PS:  I wrote this review before the last Staind album came out.  I'll admit I was wrong.  They did have some rage left!  But that review is for another time......

Rating 3.9 of 5

Indie Never Sounded So Good

Artist:  MGMT   Album: Oracular Spectacular


Take a base of alternative quirkiness. Add a slight techno beat. Then some high pitched vocals. Next mix with a dash of funk. And top it off with some power pop, and viola! You have MGMT. I cannot reccomend this album highly enough. This New York based indie rock band is set to hit the big time.
The cd starts off with a bang hiting hard with the great track "Time to Pretend." And this is could be argued for as the highlight of the disc. But if you stop there, you are selling yourself short. "Electric Feel" almost reminds of you of a 70s disco. And "Pieces of What" is a perfect merge of radio hooks and rock n roll. Also not to be overlooked would be "The Handshake" and "Kids."
Some people compare them to Muse, and you can see the influence there. But the more you listen you realize MGMT are striking out into a style all their own. Great, great cd. Do yourself a favor. Pick it up. You'll be glad you did....

Rating 4.3 of 5

All That Road Going

Book:  All That Road Going: A Novel  Author:  A. G. Mojtabai

I will admit it. I'm more of a straight up "popcorn" book reader. While I do enjoy the classics as well ( Jane Austen, Henry James, Walt Whitman, etc.), I in general love a good action book. Or a good horror novel. Something with a lot of excitement, but not really deep.
Now, this book is not like the books I have mentioned. But it has to be one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. Mojtabai does a splendid job of carefully crafting out character after character. And then fleshing them out completely. Each one is absorbing and interesting. This is accomplished as quite a character study.

What makes this even more impressive is the fact that some of the characters almost seem to cliched to be interesting. The 15 year old mother who gives her baby up for adoption. The old man fleeing from his now senile lover.  Really, any of these could be boring or trite. But they are not. Each one is flawed, but mesmerizing as well.

All in all, a decent read and worth picking up.

Rating 3.5 out of 5