Are any of these any good?

[danny316]

Saw a pile of CDs the other day and was wondering if any of them were any good. Here's a list of the names I recognized:

polarboy
luna halo - shimmer
lads - marvel
out of the grey
nouveaux - ...and this is how i feel   

I'll probably be by that store again tomorrow. Let me know if I should pick any of these up (either for myself or someone else here).

[Aaron]

Yes

Luna Halo
Out Of The Grey
Nouveaux

Maybe

Polarboy

NO

Lads

[murlough23]

polarboy

Which album? Their first, Back to Nowhereis decent alternative rock with some folk influence here and there. It's got kind of a roughness around the edges that made me genuinely surprised to see some of its songs become Christian radio hits (most notably "I'll Try" and the excellent "In My Shoes", which talks about dating a non-Christian). Their second, 4008, is much more obviously influenced by folk and country, even a teeny bit of soul here and there. It's uneven, but it's got a number of great songs.

luna halo - shimmer

This is a truly excellent pop/rock album, very obviously influenced by Radiohead, but that influence combined with an uncanny knack for writing hooky melodies isn't a bad thing. I think its back half is actually better than its front half. Some CCM cliches here and there, but nothing too egregious.

out of the grey

Any album of theirs is good, though I think their self-titled is one of the best pure pop albums ever made. Diamond Days is a bit more homogenous, but still has a number of great songs and some clever wordplay. (see inside) and 6.1 are worthwhile later albums that show them trying to approach their pop hooks from a different angle (more organic on (see inside), and more of a mish-mash of styles on 6.1). The Shape of Grace and Gravity are lesser albums, but each still has a few classics and they're all worth getting if they're cheap, which I'd imagine they would be because I think all their albums are out of print now, so you probably saw these used or in a clearance bin?

nouveaux - ...and this is how i feel

Yes. This is an excellent, sublimely crafted acoustic rock album. It's definitely more suited for the romantic at heart, but it does its thing genuinely, without a lot of shmaltz. Even if the classic want-to-find-a-love song "Maybe Tomorrow" isn't up your alley, you really should hear "If Only...", which is one of the most gorgeous and intricate worship songs I've ever heard.

I'd Pub some songs, but all these CD's are at home and I'll be out all day, and getting up early tomorrow to go hiking, so you'll have to either take my word for it or wait. Sorry.

[danny316]

These are $2.50 a pop at a local thrift store.

The Out of the Grey disc was Diamond Days. I decided to pass on it for now. They actually had both Polarboy albums the first time I was there, but I only saw Back to Nowhere this last time. I purchased Luna Halo's "Shimmer" and Nouveaux' "...and this is how i feel". I'll offer 'em up for $5 each here if I don't like 'em (shipping...packaging, etc. That price goes for all the ones I'm about to mention too, if anyone's interested in them).

Here are the ones I saw this week that caught my eye. I had a chance to write down names!

Lloyd - Thoughts from a Driveway
.rod laver - In A Perfect World
Ginny Owens - Something More
Ginny Owens - Without Condition
Edison Glass - A Burn Or A Shiver
Common Children - Delicate Fade
Tragedy Ann - Lesser

...are any of those worth picking up, for myself or for someone else here?

[Aaron]

These are $2.50 a pop at a local thrift store.

The Out of the Grey disc was Diamond Days. I decided to pass on it for now. They actually had both Polarboy albums the first time I was there, but I only saw Back to Nowhere this last time. I purchased Luna Halo's "Shimmer" and Nouveaux' "...and this is how i feel". I'll offer 'em up for $5 each here if I don't like 'em (shipping...packaging, etc. That price goes for all the ones I'm about to mention too, if anyone's interested in them).

Here are the ones I saw this week that caught my eye. I had a chance to write down names!

Lloyd - Thoughts from a Driveway
.rod laver - In A Perfect World
Ginny Owens - Something More
Ginny Owens - Without Condition
Edison Glass - A Burn Or A Shiver
Common Children - Delicate Fade
Tragedy Ann - Lesser

...are any of those worth picking up, for myself or for someone else here?

Yes to all except for Lloyd.  I don't know anything about them.  Edison Glass is a great cd! Great new band

[murlough23]

Lloyd - Thoughts from a Driveway

I think it's consistent, though not mind-blowing. Definitely worth $2.50, though - just ignore "Mary Tyler Moore". "Mr. Warner", a song which addresses Marilyn Manson is amusing. I'll upload 2 of my favorite tracks from it.

.rod laver - In A Perfect World

FIne if you like rap/rock, I guess. The little I hear from them didn't impress me. Apparently I used to go to the same church in Glendale, CA that they did.

Ginny Owens - Something More

Could be a decent buy. I never really got into Ginny Owens, but there are a few deserved classics on this one.

Ginny Owens - Without Condition

No. I bought this in the $2 bargain bin and it didn't justify its price.

Common Children - Delicate Fade

Haven't heard it beyond a song or two, but anything involving Marc Byrd is bound to suck.

Tragedy Ann - Lesser

Everything I ever heard from Tragedy Ann bored me.

[Aaron]

murlough, just because glassbyrd sucked doesn't mean CC sucked. CC was a pretty good band.  Marc Byrd started the decline when him and his wife started making cds together

[murlough23]

murlough, just because glassbyrd sucked doesn't mean CC sucked. CC was a pretty good band.  Marc Byrd started the decline when him and his wife started making cds together

Wanna Pub some CC songs that might change my mind? The few that I heard had that watered-down electric guitar sound that absolutely ruined Christine Glass as a solo artist (before the days of GlassByrd). That album was for the birds. Ha! I kill me.

[plvarona]

I own two CDs from the latest list.  Here are my thoughts on them:

Edison Glass:  I would strongly recommend picking this one up.  These guys are one of my favorite new artists of this year, and there is not a single track on this CD that I dislike.

Ginny Owens (Something More): Out of the two Ginny Owens CDs I own, this is the one I like better.  She experimented with her sound quite a bit on Something More, and IMO there were more hits than misses on the CD.  This was also before her lyrics really started going into the tank.

I also haven't heard all of Lloyd's CD, but the few songs I have heard from it I liked.  Nothing too Earth-shattering, but still fairly solid pop-rock songs.  If it were me, I'd probably take a $2.50 chance on it.

[danny316]

I ended up deciding to pass on all these.

Luna Halo seems like a winner. A few of the songs blend together a bit, but I think I'll hold on to it long enough to let those grow on me.

...I want to get rid of Nouveaux. Does anyone here want it?

[Brenden]

I ended up deciding to pass on all these.

Luna Halo seems like a winner. A few of the songs blend together a bit, but I think I'll hold on to it long enough to let those grow on me.

...I want to get rid of Nouveaux. Does anyone here want it?

I'll take it.