True Blood may seem like your average girl-meets-vampire-but-is-secretly-loved-by-a-wolf-man story, but it is actually much deeper. In this alternate Louisiana, as in much of the United States, there are vampires that dwell among humans. A company realizes the danger of vampires feasting on humans, and develops a synthetic substitute for human blood: True Blood. 

Meet the cast of characters who make up the colorful tapestry in this Southern Gothic romance. In a small rural Louisiana diner, a waitress named Sookie can read people’s minds — except Bill’s, who happens to buy True Blood. Sookie’s best friend is Tara, who is tactless when interacting with others, but tries to be a good daughter to her alcoholic mother. Tara’s cousin is Lafayette, a gay drug dealer who works with Sookie and Tara at the diner. Sookie’s brother Jason loves the ladies, but for some reason the ladies end up dead. And the police think he may be the main suspect…

True Blood is a wildly creative series. Besides telling a supernatural tale sprinkled with romance, it also provides social commentary. Vampires are treated as second-class citizens who must fight for their rights, against those who disagree with the vampire political movement. Meanwhile, some humans hunt the vampires and drain them of their blood for sale as a drug. There are people taking the drug and becoming addicted to it.

The show is based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. Dead Until Dark is the first novel, and provides the main plot line for the first season. Dead Until Dark is available at the Library in book and playaway form (Playaways self-contained digital audio books). There are currently ten books in the series, along with several short stories. There is also a CD featuring music from the series, with songs that vary as much as the characters on the show — including country, rock, swamp, and blues rock. 

For a creative series with colorful characters, I recommend the addictive True Blood. 

Robert Bates – Glenwood Branch

Cream: The BBC Sessions reproduces 22 classic early Cream tracks recorded between late 1966 and early 1968. The CD is a showcase for the super-group’s blend of blues and rock and roll. A compilation of sessions from Brian Matthew’s Saturday Club, Rhythm and Blues on the World Service, and Top Gear (on the then brand-new BBC Radio 1), this CD takes you back to the formation of Cream, and presents live-session versions of some of their signature early hits, including "Crossroads," "Sunshine of Your Love," and "I Feel Free." There’s a great live version of “I’m So Glad” here too, driven by Ginger Baker’s madcap drumming.

The contemporary interviews on the CD give Eric Clapton a chance to provide details about the newly-formed band and their music, as well as framing the tracks and taking you back in time to when they were first released. Brian Matthew and his BBC colleagues suggest just how explosive and different the music of Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton was from most of what had come before. In addition, the extensive liner notes provide a context for the music, explain the history of the live sessions at the BBC, and the reason the band re-recorded so much material for direct radio broadcast.

This is a great collection that supplements Cream’s four albums of studio material with rare and previously unreleased live recordings. Take a trip back in time with Cream: The BBC Sessions. For more Cream, take a listen to Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire.

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

Hanukkah Rocks is one CD you cannot go without this holiday season. I listen to this album year-round, but now is the perfect time to share it with you because the Festival of Lights is upon us! Enjoy the honesty, hilarity, and holidays with tracks like "Latke Clan," "Applesauce vs. Sour Cream," "Gelt Melts," "Jewish Girls (At The Matzoh Ball," and "How Do You Spell Channukkahh?"

Are you ready for eight fabulous nights of food, fun, and family? If you answered "yes!", wonderful! Check out a copy of Hanukkah Rocks for your party. If you answered "no", then check it out to get in the mood and make those latkes. Even if you don’t celebrate Hanukkah, you’ll appreciate the musical variation and humor — you can thank me later.

Everyone can celebrate Hanukkah thanks to two nice Jewish boys, Adam and Dave LeeVee. I discovered The LeeVees when I was working for NPR. I was so happy to find some funny, fun-loving, well-produced Hanukkah music. It only took Adam and Dave eight days to write all these songs, which is pretty significant given that Hanukkah is eight days long. Even today, when I listen to these songs, I feel like I should be dancing and singing along in my Bubbe’s kitchen.

The music produced in this album uses instruments of the percussive and strings persuasion, which accounts for its light-heartedness. The LeeVees have described themselves as "Beach-Boys-in-yarmulkes", but you may also hear similarities to other great bands (that I LOVE), like the Ramones and Get Up Kids. So, let’s light our menorahs and enjoy this time of year with more latkes, more gelt, and more music.

Happy Channukkahh!

JP Protasio – Savage Branch

Who Killed Amanda Palmer is an outstanding collection of piano-driven rock songs dealing with big issues in creative and challenging ways. We’re used to transparent three-and-a-half minute bubble gum radio tunes that produce their full effect the first time you hear them — but you won’t get that here. Even Amanda Palmer’s most straightforward songs have a sophistication that make them stand out and immediately demand a second listen. Her unique vocals and challenging lyrics are matched with richly orchestrated piano and string melodies. This is art for your ears — poetry with orchestral accompaniment, and the tracks are produced with a glossy retro-richness by Ben Folds.

Given the depth of Palmer’s songs and lyrics, you can expect to hear some controversial subject matter handled in a provocative way. "Oasis" is a brutal and no-holds-barred look at the difficulties some teenagers have prioritizing their lives. "Ampersand" is a spectacular take on (and personal response to) our tendency to “mate for life.” Other songs are inspired by current events and by the “legacy” that we carry based on our family’s history and culture. Palmer is an artist with an opinion, and she’d like you to reexamine your most fundamental convictions too. Amanda Palmer sees the elephant in the room and isn’t afraid to point it out. Maybe that’s why they killed her…

Palmer has recently (and deservedly) garnered attention for her innovative and creative use of the internet to connect directly with her rapidly growing fan base. Given this approach, it is not surprising that Who Killed Amanda Palmer is just one component of a multimedia project, including a book of photographs from the many possible murder scenes (with text by Neil Gaiman), and a website with videos for many of the songs. Scroll down the lyrics pages for some visual clues into the inspiration and subject matter of the songs. Palmer embraces this multi-vectored approach, asserting in an explanatory video for the project that this is not a concept record, but rather that she is a concept person! Check out this most recent example of Amanda Palmer’s exceptional art. You’ll be both floored and addicted in very short order.

For more from Amanda Palmer, check out No Virginia (including the mind-blowing Ultima Esperanza) by The Dresden Dolls.

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

As I continue my exploration of the Library’s heavy metal collection, I want to focus on a few recent albums that demonstrate that metal is far from dead!

Metallica – Death Magnetic (2008)
I skipped the 1990s for two reasons: 1) the Library doesn’t own a lot of ’90s metal, but 2) there isn’t really a whole lot of ’90s metal to begin with. Well, not a lot of good metal, at least. Even Metallica and Anthrax succumbed to the grunge scene. Metallica’s long awaited 2008 release Death Magnetic, was a brilliant rediscovery of their metal roots. It’s loud. It’s fast. It’s long. It’s angry. It’s Metallica! \m/

Mastodon – Crack the Skye (2009)
When the first three songs on an album are titled "Oblivion," "Divinations," and "Quintessence," the odds are that you’re going to hear heavy metal when you push play. This album is awesome and otherworldly. I found that the best way to enjoy it was to turn off the lights, chill in my recliner, and close my eyes. Thematically, it’s about someone who has an out-of-body experience and then travels through the astral plane to warn a Russian czar of his impending assassination. Yeah! Like Queen’s epic song Bohemian Rhapsody, this entire album is one long build-up, reaching it’s climax during the last few minutes of the final song.

Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings (2009)
Hot off the press, this is their 10th studio album, and it shreds. Drummer Mike Portnoy and company don’t waste any time getting to the meaty stuff. As its title may suggest, this album switches back and forth between (controlled) chaos and beauty, as only Dream Theater can do so elegantly. The end result is a blistering symphony of emotion grounded in technical prowess. Never mind that Dream Theater performed Metallica’s Master of Puppets and Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast live in their entirety…these guys don’t need another band’s material to bring it.

I hope you are enjoying my little foray into our heavy metal collection. In case you missed them, here are links to the previous installments: Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3

Dan Curry – Savage Branch

I’ve always liked the Dave Matthews Band, particularly their older material. It’s never been a must-buy, obsessive sort of fan-girl thing though. That changed with their new album: Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. This one made my (very short) list of "listen to all weekend, memorize the lyrics, and play it until I dream about it" albums. Dave Matthews Band hit gold — it rocks, it swings, it soothes, and it shakes things up.

First and foremost: this work is a moving tribute to a dead friend. "GrooGrux King" refers to longtime DMB saxophonist Leroi Moor who died in an ATV accident about the same time the band started recording this CD. There’s an honesty about this album that I love — many of the tracks sound like a bunch of friends, who happen to be star musicians, just improvising and having a great time.

Second: this is a real, complete album…not just one or two single releases and a bunch of filler. I like it best in its entirety — spiritual and profane, joyous and grieving, big and blatant, quiet and profound.

That said: I do still have favorite songs.

Shake Me Like a Monkey: I defy you to sit still for this song. The rhythms just drive you to get up and DANCE!

Lying in the Hands of God: A quieter ballad, I kind of passed this one over the first few times through the album. It’s sneaky, though, and has become a favorite.

Alligator Pie:  A funny, jazzy answer to Dave’s daughter asking him (according to the lyrics), "Daddy, when you gonna put me in a song?" This track just sings of zydeco and New Orleans.

Time Bomb: This song’s power came along gradually, and is very timely for all those men and women who have served in harm’s way.

You and Me: A hymn to family and marriage — "You and me can do anything, baby."

Kristen Blount – Administration Office

Imagine for a moment that you took a few years off from a project, turned your attention to other things, and realized what you were missing while you were gone. The four members of Imperial Teen did just that — working respectively on individual projects before reuniting to reflect on their separation. The result, The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band (a title summing up their individual projects), is a collection of pop tunes that are instrumentally aggressive, yet lyrically reflective. Together they embrace a variety of pop styles, showcasing the talents of the band. The collection is consistently brilliant and I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll immediately find an earworm or two.

As a listener, you get the idea that there’s something autobiographical here. "Shim Sham", "The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band", and the hard-driving "One Two" tell the story of the band getting back together and re-starting the creative process. These lead into "Room with a View," which ought to be the thirtysomething’s national anthem, as the band gives up on pretending to be twenty and confronts the truths of their new situations. “Used to stop at the red light / and now we go to the gym.” There’s plenty of reflection here, as the band’s “family drama” plays out in song; however, the mood stays positive and optimistic, and the song turns into a celebration.

It may be true that you can never go home again, but Imperial Teen’s The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band shows that you can certainly pick up threads of the past and weave them together to recapture the magic. For something that is both great sounding and substantial, don’t miss The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band by Imperial Teen!

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

The Eternal, Sonic Youth’s 16th studio album, marks their departure from Geffen Records, the band’s label for 18 years. The Eternal was recorded with bassist Mark Ibold, formerly of Pavement, with whom the band had previously toured. Also for the first time, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, and Lee Ranaldo share lead vocals — and quite well I might add, especially on the tracks "What We Know" and "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)."

"Antenna" and "What We Know" are my two favorite tracks on the album. When I first listened to "Antenna" I thought there was some strange jet flying over my apartment. I paused the song, looked out my window and saw nothing. Seconds later I realized that it was just an effect used in the song. "What We Know" is one of the album’s catchiest and more accessible tracks; it has a great chorus using Gordon and Ranaldo’s harmonized vocals.

What I find amazing about this album is that even though Sonic Youth has been recording music for more than 20 years, and certain members are approaching the age of 60, they still can create some of the loudest, most intense, and original music to date. Even more compelling is the fact that every album they have released over the past 10 years has consistently been of exceptional quality.

Sonic Youth broke new ground on 1988’s Daydream Nation, and 27 years later they show that they still have the chops to put most modern rock acts to shame. They will eternally be the kings of alternative music.

Mike Dwyre – East Columbia Branch

I was shelving CDs a few weeks ago when I thought, "Hey, we’re getting a lot of new music. I should check some of these out." I really felt old when I realized at first glance that I had not heard of most of the titles, but I figured I’d just grab a couple CDs and check them out anyway. The first title I tried was A Hundred Million Suns by Snow Patrol.

When I popped it into my CD player at home, I was nicely surprised — I liked it! Not quite the same result I got when playing one or two of the others I had chosen, but that was good enough for me! The music was mellow, reminding me of U2 a little bit. Great vocals with guitars in the background, not too much to muddle the sound. Songs like "Crack the Shutters" and "Take Back the City" have taken hold of me and won’t let go.

I hope to try my experiment again sometime soon!

Michele Happel – Miller Branch

Recently, you may have noticed some great new additions to the expanding music collection at Howard County Library. In particular, I’d like to recommend three CDs by The Killers: Hot Fuss, Sam’s Town and Sawdust. A band in the vanguard of the post-punk revival, The Killers do a great job of taking the 80s New Wave sound in new directions and producing music that is somehow familiar and yet original, distinctive, and fun.

The Killers‘ debut album, Hot Fuss, includes Mr. Brightside, a wonderful collection of jealous neuroses set to music, as well as a number of other standout tracks.

The follow-up, Sam’s Town, is a CD that has been put together in sequence and plays best, even in this MP3 era, when listened to as a whole. After the rip-roaring title track opens Sam’s Town, the CD is framed by a Sgt. Pepper-like intro welcoming listeners to the CD – hoping you “enjoy the show" – and an outro that sends us on our way feeling good about having listened to the whole collection. In between are some great pop-rock songs including For Reasons Unknown, Bones, and the exceptional Read My Mind. Each track on Sam’s Town possesses depth beyond the melody and has something forceful to say, making this CD a collection that can stand repeat listening.

The newest Killers‘ CD in Howard County Library’s collection is Sawdust, a B-sides and rarities collection that fills in some musical gaps and recovers the best stuff from the cutting room floor. There are seventeen tracks here, and although a couple of the covers and remixes fail to soar, the majority of the CD is vintage Killers. Under the Gun and a cover of Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town are standouts.

The Killers‘ Day and Age, is due for release in late fall. There’s plenty of time between now and then to catch up with Hot Fuss, Sam’s Town and Sawdust, so that you’re fully prepared when the new CD is released.

John Jewitt – Savage Branch