As for 2009? Well, the Dirty Projectors became a household name, as did Twitter, Girl Talk turned into a gimmick, Kanye continued to be an asshole, online music streaming got big (and bought), and the sales of digital and vinyl releases continued to increase, while the Virgin Megastores and Sam Goody’s of the world went bye bye.

And that’s not even scratching the surface. Before we turn the page on the 2000s, we wanted to take one more look at the year that was the last 365 days. Music, here was your 2009…

Top Albums of 2009

As selected by the CoS Staff…

01. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

02. Passion Pit – Manners

03. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

04. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love

05. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

06. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

07. Kittens Ablaze – The Monstrous Vanguard

08. Wale – Attention Deficit

09. The Antlers – Hospice

10. The Dead Weather – Horehound

Click here for #11 – #100

Top Songs of 2009

As selected by the CoS Staff…

01. Phoenix – “1901″

02. Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes”

03. Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead”

04. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks”

05. Phoenix – “Lisztomania”

06. Wale – “Triumph”

07. Jay-Z – “Run This Town” (feat. Kanye West and Rihanna)

08. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Heads Will Roll”

09. Girls – “Lust for Life”

10. Animal Collective – “My Girls”

Click here for #11 – #50

Headline Grabbers

There is always a few particular artists who seem to appear in the headlines more than others. Take these three for example:

Lil Wayne appeared on ESPN, began work on a rock ‘n’ roll album, talked gangsta with Katie Couric, won some Grammys, released the worst song ever, pushed back the release of his rock ‘n’ roll album, pushed back the release of his rock ‘n’ roll album again, told kids to stay in school, teamed up with Madonna, collaborated with Kanye, Eminem, and Drake, promised two albums before the year was out, plead guilty to weapon possession, released a stellar mixtape, watched his mom get a TV show, had his rock ‘n’ roll album mistakenly leaked, and got arrested again, all while actually failing to release any studio albums at all before the year was out. And to cap it all off, he’s going to prison in February!

For a band that didn’t release an album in 2009, Radiohead sure managed to grab quite a few headlines. Capitol Records reissued their discography, Thom Yorke debuted a new song, as well as contributed to the New Moon soundtrack, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway collaborated with Neil Finn and Wilco, the entire band got together to release a tribute song for Harry Patch, the last surviving World War I combat soldier, Thom Yorke covered Mark Mulcahy’s “All for the Best”, the entire band got together again to release a track titled “These Are My Twisted Words”, Thom Yorke offered a secret 12″, Thom Yorke formed a new band and played some shows, the entire band got together for a third time to begin work on a new studio album, and Thom Yorke became really pissed about climate change.

You either loved or hated the amount of U2 present in 2009. Bono and crew got on their boots, played the Grammys, resided on Letterman, released a new album, teamed up with Brandon Flowers and Chris Martin, started talking another new album, took to Fordham University for a secret show, embarked on the first leg of their claw-featuring global 360 tour, tapped Muse as an opener, wrote a Broadway musical about Spider-Man, pissed off David Byrne, got reviewed in Chicago, reissued The Unforgettable Fire, apparently made no money, played the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall-of-Fame anniversary, titled their next album, wanted to be like The Beatles, plotted more tour dates for 2010, played a free Berlin Wall concert behind the backdrop of a different wall constructed by MTV to prevent those without tickets from watching U2 play a free Berlin Wall concert, teamed up with Jay-Z, got tapped for Glastonbury 2010, and announced a remix album.

Music Festivals

Despite a recession which saw a number of mid-tier summer music festivals call it quits, the big boys were as grand as ever. Coachella rounded up McCartney, Bonnaroo brought The Boss and Phish, and Lollapalooza finally saw Perry using his festival to his advantage. What’s more, Outside Lands proved once again that its a festival to be reckon with, while Sasquatch! demonstrated that Washington state can also rock hard. Hova was able to save All Points West from a mud filled weekend, Pitchfork continued to serve as a hipster’s wet dream, and the Virgin Mobile Festival reminded us that some good things can be free. Finally, Consequence of Sound hit South by Southwest for the first time, celebrating with events featuring the likes of Astronautalis, Gringo Star, Shad, 13ghosts, Kittens Ablaze, Catfish Haven, and Blueblood. Oh, and did we mention we have already begun planning for next year?

Supergroups

By the time December rolled around, there were as many supergroups in existence as there were non-supergroups…

Dave Grohl + John Paul Jones + Josh Homme = Them Crooked Vultures, Conor Oberst + M. Ward + Jim James = Monsters of Folk, Jack White + Alison Mosshart + Jack Lawrence + Dean Fertita = The Dead Weather, Thom Yorke + Flea + Nigel Godrich + Joey Waronker + Mauro Refosco = ???, Phil Lesh + Bob Weir = Furthur, Coldplay + Mew + a-ha = Apparatjik, Supergrass + Radiohead = The Hot Rats, Joe Budden + Joell Ortiz + Royce da 5’9″ + Crooked I = Slaughterhouse, King Khan + Black Lips = The Almighty Defenders, New Order + Blur = Bad Lieutenant, Sammy Hagar + Michael Anthony + Joe Satriani + Chad Smith = Chickenfoot

Reunions, Hiatuses, and Nothing at All!

Two 2009′s biggest themes were bands reuniting and bands calling it quits (or announcing extended hiatuses). And then there were those that couldn’t make up their mind at all.

Blur began its reunion, The Stooges revived Raw Power, Pixies gave it another go, Creed came back!, No Doubt did too, Faith No More hit Europe, Phish returned, The Murder City Devils reunited for Coachella, Sunny Day Real Estate returned for some grunge, Deadheads got the best Christmas present ever, Blink-182 got back together for the kids, Spinal Tap released a new album for the first time in 17 years, Sublime played a show and then got sued, Eminem reunited with D12, Simon and Garfunkel became friends, Limp Bizkit dusted off the red cap, Three members of the Velvet Underground got together for a discussion, Orbital celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reunion, Jawbox made its first live performance since 1997 on J-Fal, Faces reunited without Rod Stewart, while Take That did reunite with Robbie Williams, John Lydon moved on to Public Image Ltd., Cee-Lo got back together with Goodie Mob, The Jayhawks reunited, as did The Gories, and Ben Lee resurrected Noise Addict. Oh yeah, and some band named Pavement announced plans for a busy 2010.

On the other hand, Blur also ended its reunion, The Verve broke up again, Oasis had a fight, Flight of the Conchords called it quits, Music journalism died, Nine Inch Nails said goodbye, as did Harlem Shakes, The Broken West, and Pela, and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Blitzen Trapper, Bon Iver, Lily Allen, Deerhunter, and TV on the Radio all announced lengthy hiatuses.

Plus, we learned an At The Drive-In reunion apparently wasn’t a possibility, nor was the rumored Stone Roses comeback, Spacemen 3 got an offer, but declined, The Kinks kept thinking about it but still didn’t do anything, contrary to Courtney Love’s comments, Hole didn’t reunite, Pulp teased and then unteased, and Swans thought about it and didn’t. And not surprisingly, The Libertines, The Smiths, and Neutral Milk Hotel all continued to tease to no fruition, while Led Zeppelin continued the suspense.

Soundtracks with benefits

There’s nothing like a nice movie soundtrack or benefit album featuring some of our favorite musicians. 2009 exemplified this fact to the max…

Grizzly Bear, LCD Soundsystem, Badly Drawn Boy, Arcade Fire, Karen O and friends, Daft Punk, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Beck, Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard, British Sea Power, Dengue Fever all provided sounds for the silver screen, as did the inane number of musicians appearing on the New Moon soundtrack.

Ben Gibbard, Fleet Foxes, and The Cave singers contributed to the Give Seattle charity album, while Tom Waits, Pete Seeger, and Jim James lent their talents to Preservation, an Album Benefiting Preservation Hall and Its Music Outreach Program. Our friends at Ear Farm rounded up Tom Tom Club, Sean Bones, tUnE-yArDs for their pro-Xmas Do you EAR what I EAR?. Peter Bjorn & John, Juliette Lewis, and White Rabbits helped fight malaria. The Climate change benefiting Rhythms Del Mundo Classics saw contributions from The Killers, The Rolling Stones, and Amy Winehouse. Stars (like Yorke and The National) collided for Mark Mulcahy. Hot Chip, The Hold Steady, and Lily Allen shared reinterpretations on War Child Heroes. And let’s not forget about Dark Was The Night, the tantalizing 31-track effort featuring the Dirty Projectors with David Byrne, Feist with Ben Gibbard, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, and more, all in benefit of The Red Hot Organization and AIDS awareness.

Our Most Memorable Features

In addition to everything else that went down, 2009 also saw Consequence of Sound further expanded our feature stories. The following are some of our favorites/most memorable:

We brought you interviews with Pavement, Ms. Consequence of Sound herself, Regina Spektor, Tom Jones, Passion Pit, Slayer, Ben Kweller, The Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, Hot Water Music, The Von Bondies, The Screaming Blue Messiahs, The Antlers, Boots Riley, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Fleet Foxes’ J. Tillman. Oh and we talked with Los Campesinos! not once, but twice.

Our Editor-in-Chief Michael Roffman gave us the entire story of The Thermals, contributing writer Alyssa Spiel spoke with 311 about its 20th anniversary, and the one and only Cap Blackard spent the day with Astronautalis.

We listed everything from the Top 11 Influential Minds of Industrial Metal and Top 10 Grunge Albums to the  Top 10 Fake Bands and Top 10 Sleepiest Albums. We did some Audio Archaeology, dusted off some ol’ classics, shared our guilty pleasures, introduced you to some great new bands, and continued teaching Rock History 101.

As for the most commented posts of the year? That honor goes to Laina Dawes’ review of 311′s Uplifter.

The Year’s Most “Unique” Moments

We thought we’d close on a light note, as in this year’s stories and moments that, well, left us scratching our heads the most…

Bill Corgan wrote a song for the Super Bowl, Bruce Springsteen apologized for selling music through Walmart, Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged, Mandy Moore married Ryan Adams, Lil Wayne released “Prom Queen”, we wrote a post about the Jonas Brothers, Crystal Castles had a meltdown, Santogold had to change her name to Santigold, Manu Chao pissed off Mexico, Chickenfoot was actually real, Prince released a $2,100 iPod, Billy Corgan made a wrestling promo, Tupac revealed he might still be alive, Creed released a new album, Billy Corgan hired a 19-year-old drummer, Kanye West helped kids stay in school, Ron Artest paid homage to Michael Jackson, Reading Music Festival banned flags, Kidz Bop covered Kanye West, Ryan Adams became a video game reviewer, R. Kelly forgot to title his new album, Oasis broke up, Liam Gallagher formed Oasis 2.0, 30 Seconds to Mars and Kanye West released a song together, 7-Eleven reissued The Beatles, Snoop Dogg got himself a new name, Rivers Cuomo was interviewed by a dog, Diddy appeared on the Home Shopping Network, Morrissey and Johnny Marr emailed, Marilyn Manson got swine flu, Radiohead didn’t break up, Elvis Presley’s grandson scored a record deal, Starfucker changed its name, Fall Out Boy formed a metal band, and Pete Doherty sang a Nazi song.

Thank you!

Before we end our 2009 recap, we would just like to take one last moment to thank the individuals who have helped Consequence of Sound become what it is today. Thank you to the publicists who work hand-in-hand with us each and everyday, thank you to the festival promoters who continue to work with us despite the fact we ruin your lineup announcements, thank you to the message boards which provide such a bevy of information, thank you to those who email us news tips and music submissions, thank you to our fellow bloggers, thank you to our amazing and tireless staff, and thank you to our readers who have put trust in us and our the reason we keep at this 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

2009 was an amazing year for Consequence of Sound, but 2010 will be even better. Stay tuned for a number of brand new features, including that much needed change we’ve all been eagerly awaiting.

Anyone attending high school during the early start of our precious new millennium can relive the pitiful days of 2001′s Weathered to their hearts’ content. Guilty pleasures aside we all had at least a handful of reckless memories from said era — be it a chainsaw pantomime or two alongside Limp Bizkit post-Three Dollar…, a sister or girlfriend insisting upon a repeat of Christina Aguilera’s latest single, a foray into Eminem’s personal daemons with The Marshall Mathers LP, or the one good song off of Weathered known as “Bullets” that promised a heavier build on Creed but never delivered due to Stapp’s ascending ego. Folks, this is the Creed I knew before being introduced to My Own Prison and Human Clay, before understanding that at some point in a short span of three albums Creed was actually pretty awesome. In the present day, it has been eight years since Weathered and after Altar Bridge and Scott Stapp’s solo career both failed miserably, Creed return now with the aptly titled Full Circle.

What is there to be said about this comeback that brings all four original Creed members to the modern rock fold once again? Honestly, it came to this reviewer out of nowhere via the first single/album opener “Overcome” playing on a local radio station after some random static shuffling yielded little else but current pop waste and some cheesy adverts. Initial reaction heralded the remark, “This sounds a lot like Creed, but — no, this sounds too good.” To quote Russell Brand, “…this is verbatim!”  One five-minute download later, Full Circle became the Creed album promised to us a la “Bullets” only making a (fashionably?) late appearance years down past Weathered.

This is one of those albums that justify taking a hiatus, as the alternative would be a risk of continuing forcibly onward before arriving to results like Papa Roach’s Metamorphosis or Hoobastank’s For(n)ever.  Granted that bands like 3 Doors Down and Evanescence have held on with decent grasps, but this is easily attributed to overt patriotism and sincerity for the former (also begetting Daughtry somewhat, but that’s another tale altogether) and a generation of Lacuna Coil fans for the latter. Creed is to blame a bit for the current onslaught of arena rock and ’80s balladry re-imagining, but considering Creed was actually good at some point lends them a little leniency. Full Circle bears the spotlight of said forgiveness in parts, as we volley back and forth between the expected cheesy introspection (“Rain”, “The Song You Sing”) and the newer, heavier Creed we wanted back in 2001-2002 (“Overcome”, “Bread Of Shame”, “Suddenly”).

Lyrically, there is nothing that echoes Morrison poetics or anything truly awe-inspiring; Vocally, Stapp is as on point and clear as he’s ever been with the hearkening Vedder imitations regardless of how stayed it might be to us children of grunge (“Full Circle”, “Good Fight”).  The thing is, no one who listens to Creed expects anything shy of exactly this.  Part of the reason Weathered failed so dramatically in the creativity department was Creed’s attempt at the sincerely deep coming off preachy or just plain dull, despite big record sales due to the late TRL’s spearheading Creed’s every music video like fucking PSAs dipped in popular culture to seem “hip”.  Full Circle is a revised definition of modern rock from the perspective of a rehabilitated Creed, and it shows the reason Creed is actually a good act for its respective genre.

Full Circle showcases many aspects typically lost in the label shuffles of modern rock (something Creed knows well under Weathered) — the record is not glazed with overproduced filler backed by one generic single, it is playing to the fan base while also sporting a revitalized look and sound to prove a staying power unfathomable to the Hinders and Saving Abels of the world. Creed is on many a play list even now for a band that had quite a short turn at the wheel prior, and might one be so bold as to claim Creed currently represents a faction of good modern rock lost in the storm of the aforementioned pan flashes.  Nickelback tried being such a thing with Dark Horse and wound up a steaming pile of pointlessly perverse background noise to take up the mantles of “Rock Star” and “Figured You Out” — to say the least, Creed might have delivered a prime product a few years too late, but at least we received the damn thing eventually.

Final points to make here: Full Circle‘s titular track is to die for, as is about 75% of the record overall; nearly every track could be a potential single, but compared to the current masses of pure filler bands this is a God-send; Scott Stapp and company are now showing the new school how we really rock arenas; if the wait is any indication, maybe Nickelback should take a lesson and go on vacation so they come back sounding half this good. Full Circle is not the thinking man’s rock record, it is pure and simple modern rock with a bite that’s been lost in gimmicks and cliches since around 2003 or so. Throw all the jokes you want about Stapp as I have, but frankly it has all been overstated and now Creed appears to be back in full authenticity.

Oh, and this key to the comeback castle is not an open invitation — Motley Crue, here’s looking at you.  Get off it, your time was up when Tommy Lee went all Methods Of Mayhem on our asses.

Check Out:

“Overcome”

It can only be presumed that the band wants to rebuild its former success on the foundation that people still care about power ballads with happy or reflective overtones a la “My Sacrifice” (maybe Stapp is still feeling like a messiah after all). For those willing to help them on this crusade, you’re in luck, as Stapp told Billboard.com:

“It’s not a hopeless, complaining record. It’s telling stories, but it’s also rocking out, man. We’re rocking harder now with some of the songs than we ever have. It’s from a different place and a different type of reflection and a different level of maturity, but we’re a rock band, so there’s still that brashness. There’s a confidence and a swagger that I think we only feel collectively. Our music is fresh and still very connected to who we are and the sound we have, but it’s also taken a natural evolution.”

Yeah man, we are so all over that like a dog chasing a Dark Horse frisbee.

Creed 2009 Tour Dates
08/06 – Pittsburgh, PA
08/08 – Darien Lakes, NY
08/09 – Hershey, PA
08/11 – Saratoga Springs, NY
08/13 – Philadelphia, PA
08/15 – Wantagh, NY
08/16 – Holmdel, NJ
08/18 – Boston, MA
08/20 – Hartford, CT
08/21 – Washington, DC
08/22 – Virginia Beach, VA
08/25 – Detroit, MI
08/26 – Cleveland, OH
08/28 – Cincinnati, OH
08/29 – Indianapolis, IN
08/30 – Chicago, IL
09/01 – Milwaukee, WI
09/02 – Columbus, OH
09/04 – Raleigh, NC
09/05 – Charlotte, NC
09/11 – Atlanta, GA
09/12 – Birmingham, AL
09/15 – Orlando, FL
09/16 – West Palm Beach, FL
09/18 – Lafayette, LA
09/19 – New Orleans, LA
09/20 – Bossier City, LA
09/22 – Dallas, TX
09/24 – San Antonio, TX
09/25 – Houston, TX
09/27 – Las Vegas, NV
09/29 – Glendale, AZ
09/30 – Irvine, CA
10/02 – Salt Lake City, UT
10/03 – Denver, CO
10/06 – Minneapolis, MN
10/07 – Omaha, NE
10/09 – Tulsa, OK
10/10 – Kansas City, MO
10/13 – St Louis, MO
10/14 – Nashville, TN

“I wouldn’t call it a reunion,” says singer Scott Stapp. “It’s a renewing and a rebirth. I missed my boys and wanted to create music with them again. We’re all thrilled to have a second chance to make a first impression.”

-via Rolling Stone

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. After all, as we reported last December, Stapp and Tremonti were already flirting with the idea of putting the band back together. They weren’t kidding, apparently, as they’re not the only ones on board. Drummer Scott Phillips and original bassist Brian Marshall, who left the band in 2000, will be tagging along, too.

“We exchanged family pictures and within 20 minutes we were jamming on acoustic guitars and talking about new songs,” Stapp explained, touching base on both writing and recording. The two have contacted several producers already, including both Brendan O’Brien and Bob Rock. “We want to put ourselves around the best and have them bring out the best in us and challenge us as artists.”

Fans shouldn’t have to wait too long. Already, the four have been demo’ing songs, six in all so far, and they plan on recording in Nashville. The likely first single is “Full Circle”, a song which Stapp and the band seem positive about. “We’ve come full circle and it’s a great place to be. The goal is [to] release the first single before the tour and have the album come out during the tour or right after.”

Tour dates are already set, starting August 6th in Pittsburgh, PA and lasting until October 14th in Nashville, TN. Say what you will, but with forty-million albums sold, there’s no telling what sort of success they’ll find again. Let’s just hope their upcoming set lists include this little number…

Creed -”What’s This Life For”

Creed 2009 Tour Dates
08/06 – Pittsburgh, PA
08/08 – Darien Lakes, NY
08/09 – Hershey, PA
08/11 – Saratoga Springs, NY
08/13 – Philadelphia, PA
08/15 – Wantagh, NY
08/16 – Holmdel, NJ
08/18 – Boston, MA
08/20 – Hartford, CT
08/21 – Washington, DC
08/22 – Virginia Beach, VA
08/25 – Detroit, MI
08/26 – Cleveland, OH
08/28 – Cincinnati, OH
08/29 – Indianapolis, IN
08/30 – Chicago, IL
09/01 – Milwaukee, WI
09/02 – Columbus, OH
09/04 – Raleigh, NC
09/05 – Charlotte, NC
09/11 – Atlanta, GA
09/12 – Birmingham, AL
09/15 – Orlando, FL
09/16 – West Palm Beach, FL
09/18 – Lafayette, LA
09/19 – New Orleans, LA
09/20 – Bossier City, LA
09/22 – Dallas, TX
09/24 – San Antonio, TX
09/25 – Houston, TX
09/27 – Las Vegas, NV
09/29 – Glendale, AZ
09/30 – Irvine, CA
10/02 – Salt Lake City, UT
10/03 – Denver, CO
10/06 – Minneapolis, MN
10/07 – Omaha, NE
10/09 – Tulsa, OK
10/10 – Kansas City, MO
10/13 – St Louis, MO
10/14 – Nashville, TN

Much of the late nineties suffered from the transgression that took place in rock n’ roll shortly after Kurt Cobain decided to eat lead for breakfast (or was he forced?). Grunge shifted into post-grunge, which then somehow eventually shifted towards nu-metal. In other words, a gradual construction of a primordial, musical hell. There is, after all, a reason why they use the latter for torture. Creed fits in the middle of that timeline. Undershirt fan Scott Stapp took his band of religious spinners out into the post-grunge genre, blending elements of that Seattle sound, while also integrating some of that metal angle that could be drawn back to post-Black Album Metallica.

So, why me?

While most music aficionados will lie and tell you they were spinning Wowee Zowee at age 12, I’ll be honest and admit that Creed’s debut was a sliver of my music collection. And yes, I was thirteen years old then. It started with “What’s This Life For” and the Halloween franchise. Reasons aside, I was (and still am) a hungry-for-horror Halloween fan, which began one summer afternoon in 1996, when I caught the original film on the USA Network. When word came around that Creed’s single would be featured in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, I went out and bought the album, which was in the bargain bin at Blockbuster Music. If that doesn’t date me as a person, or this entire spectacle, then I’m at a loss.

Let’s get this straight. There’s nothing spectacular about Scott Stapp. His singing is easy. Anyone who’s ever been in a choir class (god help me for spilling my guts on here) would know this. But it wasn’t really Stapp that hit any chord for me, it was Mark Tremonti’s guitar work. In songs “One” or as I’ve mentioned, “What’s This Life For”, the myriad scales and hard hitting choruses sent me over the proverbial “edge.” The instrumentation was lyrical in its own sense. Not to mention, the group still hadn’t hit it big with “Higher” yet, so, in a way, I claimed this album as my own.

Sad huh? I blame my hometown.

Growing up in South Florida might have its benefits. For one, I never had to spend a few hundred bucks at North Face and my one pair of sandals were all that was necessary to move around in. Unfortunately, for every positive, there are at least three to five negatives to follow behind it. The music scene? There wasn’t one. In the late nineties, the music scene in South Florida consisted of any mainstream act the radio stations could muster enough courage to invest itself in. Meaning that unless a band had three or four number one hit singles, nobody came down to Florida. This might explain why the state’s famous for Limp Bizkit, Creed, and several forgettable nu-metal festivals.

So why My Own Prison? Well, why not? The songs were catchy enough and it was a throwback sound to the early nineties. Anyone as a teenager then, who weren’t old enough to attend a Nirvana concert five years previous, would be an idiot to not dig in. Songs “Pity for a Dime”, “Illusion”, and “Torn” ripped apart my shitty, double cassette “boom box” every afternoon after school. It was, sadly, how I learned angst at age 13.

Holy shit is that depressing.

There’s a difference between pre-teenage angst and teenage angst. I had listened to several bands beforehand that all capitalized on the angst department (e.g. Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day), but those all arrived when I was at the tender age of eight to 10, when the only thing I needed to be depressed about was whether or not the video store had a copy in of the latest Mortal Kombat game. Creed came at the right time for me, literally the day or week of my 13th birthday. So is it such a surprise that I’d be sucked in, especially when the pulling song for me was “What’s This Life For”, which features lyrics like “I see your soul, its kinda grey/You see my heart, you look away/You see my wrist, I know your pain/I know your purpose on your plan”? Call it fate, call it what you will, but it happened.

Fortunately by 1999, with the abysmal Human Clay, Creed finally left my music collection. Songs “Higher”, “What If”, and the sour and cheesy “With Arms Wide Open” were just not the band I had come to appreciate. (Yes, I just said “appreciate” on the topic of Creed, sue me.) I can remember actually being a bit upset at the band’s sophomoric effort, meanwhile everyone in high school would drive by blaring the epic new sound. Here’s the real sad part of the story: Creed’s 2002 single “One Last Breath” actually found its way into a couple of my CD mixes.

Well, there goes my credibility in future album reviews! (Although, I’d like to believe that My Own Prison grabs a few more “cool” points than Devil With a Cause! Sorry Jay!) Nevertheless, my self loathing should pretty much present my own case here and that is: We all have guilty pleasures. Deal with ‘em.