But I fell on black days... How would I know that this could be my fate...

Today I would like to talk about the tale of two musical acts. While I may be a bit premature in one judgement I feel compelled to talk about it now, so oh well.

Let me start with the bad news that I'm certain about...

Chris Cornell, what has happened to you over the last few years? We used to be so close and now I feel as though I hardly know you. In fact, I can barely even look at you. From the designer jean endorsements and "Billie Jean" cover to the tour with Linkin Park and your new album produced by Timbaland, where did we go wrong? Was it something I said? Did I piss you off somehow? If the guy that once melted my face with songs like "Hands All Over", "Loud Love", and "Slaves & Bulldozers" is now truly happy paying Timbaland a million bucks per track to produce so he can sing over loops and drum machines, then so be it. But if you think for one second that you are going to gain more fans than you are going to lose by heading in this direction you are way off the mark. I'm all about re-invention and not rehashing out the same stuff over and over again (i.e. Audioslave), but seriously...



And now to the good news!

Metallica, it's good to have you back. Granted I'm only basing this on two songs so far, but after years of empty promises it seems as though you have actually come through this time around. "The Day That Never Comes" sounds like it could have been on "...And Justice For All" and "Cyanide" seems to at least deliver the goods live, even though I have yet to hear the studio version. In a year where R.E.M. put out the comeback album of the century, it appears as though you won't be going quietly either. I am of course reserving the right to take all of this back once I hear the whole album.

So there you have it. In less than a day I have heard new music from two of my all-time favorite artists and it has left me with the mixed emotions above. One is now dead to me while the other seems reborn. I suppose it could have been worse if they both sucked horribly, but why couldn't they have both blown me away?

Now playing: "Bye" by Elliott Smith from the album "Figure 8"