Top Ten: GaoSalad's Favorite Albums Ever (Part Two)

So last Sunday I dropped the bomb on you (baby) by telling you some of my rather shocking favorite albums of all time. Some of them I know aren't the greatest, but I just can't help myself. Pop music is an addiction -- but not all of these bad boys are of the pop variety. Prepare for the shock and awe of my Top Five(ish) albums EVER! Well for now. It will probably change next week. Or maybe I had a brain fart. Anyway, commence the listing!

05. The Sounds - Dying To Say This To You

See! I told you that it wouldn't be all pop! The Sounds are basically my generation's Blondie, only without the massive fame and street cred. Their lead singer, Maja, was featured in that Snakes On A Plane Song that Cobra Starship did before they turned to crap, and from there I stumbled upon this album. As a matter of fact, all of their albums are really well done. The first two, this being one of them, were more rock focused, while the last two have really mellowed out. The only reason I chose this album, as well as placed it so high on the list, is due to me knowing every word to every song on this CD. Yes, people, I have my nostalgia goggles on right now. Bite me.

Album Review - No Doubt "Push And Shove"

Oh, No Doubt. How you have guided me along from my early years. If I remember correctly, "Tragic Kingdom" was among the first CDs I ever bought, and I learned every word. That was back in the day when I got a new CD maybe every other month, so I had to play them over and over to make them last. Now-a-days I have such an influx in music that I'm lucky to learn half the chorus. Anyway, enough memory lane. Onward to the future - the future that is "Push and Shove".

No Doubt Post New Cover + Track List

It may have taken "Settle Down" a while to grow on me, but the fact remains that the world's greatest rock band is back in action. With their new album "Push And Shove" rapidly approaching, the group is taking to the internet with a viral campaign to get everybody excited. First up, the posted the artwork for the new album.

Not exactly the most amazing thing I've ever seen, but it sure as hell beats "Rock Steady".  As if that wasn't enough good news, they also released the finalized track list for the album, too, giving fans an opportunity to see (via their imagination or songs they may have heard on tour) exactly how this album will play out.

They have a song called "Sparkle". Hah! Looks like this album has a few surprises in store for everybody. Here's to hoping there are a few classic sounding No Doubt tracks on the album.

"Push And Shove" hits stores and online retailers September 25th.

Song of the Week - Settle Down

I know, I know. I posted an article not long ago saying how disappointed I was in this song, but that was me being a giant stan. This week I have stepped back and looked at the song from a different perspective, and you know what? It's not too bad.

No Doubt is finally back. This ain't no cover-for-TV crap (that I actually loved, no joke), this is a legit new single as a lead in to a brand-spankin'-new album. This alone should get me excited, but I was so blinded by the lack of change that they had promised beforehand. I was expecting classic No Doubt, but instead I got Hella Good No Doubt. Oh well. It's still the worlds greatest rock band. Ever. Don't hate.

The song sounds like they picked up exactly where they left off with their last album, a fresh mix of Reggae and Rock with just a slight tinge of Ska tossed in. To be honest, I always have been in love with Gwen Stefani's voice, so she could do any style of music, and I would fall in love with it. The song took some time to grow on me, but it's chorus is catchy, and it is already taking over the airwaves on the radio.

How can I not be part of the No Doubt revival? The world is right again.

Buy the track on iTunes. Do your part to ensure No Doubt NEVER stops making music. Ever. Again.

New Music From No Doubt

No Doubt was the band of the 90's. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing their music -- hell they were even animated into one of the most popular cartoon sitcoms of the time, King of the Hill. Luckily, when they decided to take a hiatus, it wasn't for good. They are back, and they have both a new music video and single to get their fans back in the mood.




This single is like a double edged sword. On the one hand, I am filled with nostalgia and excitement for seeing the four of them together again, performing new and original music, and on the other hand, I really, really don't like the song. Maybe that isn't fair to say. Initially, their press release for the song was that they would be going back to their original ska sound, which they obviously did not do here.

My disappointments with the song itself aside, I am very glad that one of my favorite groups of all time making new music together again. Their hiatus was only four years long; they had gotten back together in 2008, but all that had come to be since then was a cover of 80's pop track "Stand and Deliver". This single marks the official return of the group, and it also comes paired with the title of the new album, "Push and Shove", as well as the release date of September 25. Hopefully their original sound will shine through more so on some of the non-single tracks when the album drops.

I will remain cautiously optimistic.

No Doubt Is Back!

For real this time. I'm not kidding you. It's a month too late for April fools. This is not a drill people. Get ready for No Doubt to re-enter the music scene and rule the number one spot yet again!

Thank you Jesus. THE band from my childhood, responsible for my love of both ska and run down amusement parks. No Doubt was a hot ticket back in the day, and the have left a legacy that hardly any band has lived up to... And then Gwen Stefani went solo. Her music was amazing for what it was ("What You Waiting For" is still one of my favorite songs and music videos ever). They got back together afterwards for touring, and teased fans about a new album. What did we get? A cover of a forgotten 80's track, "Stand and Deliver" on a prime time drama. Was I the only person who liked that track?

Here we are, almost three years later, and out of the blue, the band drops a bomb.

"We hope you like the new video and the big news - the new album will be out on September 25th.  We are incredibly excited to share the new music with you. Ear candy coming your way!

We thought the big release date announcement and video deserved some new photos as well.  We will debut a fresh new site and artwork closer to the album release but wanted to add some new photos in the meantime.

We also decided to update the way the site works a little bit so that all of the photos and messages that we Tweet will also be posted here at nodoubt.com. If you're not yet following us on Twitter you can find us @nodoubt as well as at our personal accounts @gwenstefani, @AdrianYoungND, @TomDumontND and @tonykanal.  You can follow us on Facebook as well.

Thank you all so much for your support over the last 25 years. We're really proud of our new album and we hope you love it as much as we do.  We'll be posting a lot of updates between now and September as we shoot the video and start rehearsing to perform the new songs live for all of you.  We'll send plenty of photos and webisodes as we go so you're there with us.  See you soon... September 25th, 2012!

Love,
Gwen, Tony, Tom and Adrian"

September 25! It may be a ways away, and I know a lot can change in between now and then, but I am certainly pumped. The band announced previously that they will incorporate more ska styled music in with their new reggae sound. There are a lot of rumors flowing around, particularly on the "100% reliable" Wikipedia, about song titles and lyrics, but I think I'll wait for something more substantial before I make another move. 

But still guys. September 25! Oh God!