Dear leakers of music

We're having trouble again. On this day of atonement I wish to thank you for your recent new releases. Holy crap, everyone who is/has put out a high profile album really knocked it out of the park.

Helloween, Iced Earth, Arch Enemy, Monster Magnet and Down have all made amazing new records. However, letting them all drop at the same time due to internet leaks is making it very hard to concentrate on any one. Iced Earth is so two weeks ago? Helloween is so last week? Damn our accelerated culture. I should *still* be grooving on the new King Diamond but it seems positively ancient, having dropped in June.

Please internet leakers, control the valve of new music more judiciously so I can enjoy and savor these new records.

PS- Holy crap the new Arch Enemy is freaking amazing! Do you actually listen to the music, or do you just leak it? Big props for dropping the Japanese retail version which has them covering "The Oath" from KISS. I know! A Music From "The Elder" track!!! Who the hell covers Elder era KISS? But also this is the best Iced Earth album since Something Wicked and the new Helloween is quite a grower! I need to find time to let it grow!

If this embarrassment of riches has done anything, I'm back on the album! Who has time to fast forward through Deicide and TMBG tracks while on random with this many full albums to enjoy?

New album micro-reviews!

The best, worst, and in-between of the recently leaked/released:

Chemical Brothers We are the Night: I don't know when they became a rock band, but they're damn good at it! The track with the Klaxons is so far my favorite

Art Brut It's a bit Complicated: "People in Love" is the best pop song I've heard this year. The rest of the record is very good too.

Bad Brains Build a Nation: Ugh.

Dream Theater Systematic Chaos: They got really heavy and more traditionally proggy. Love it! They should ease back on deliberately cribbing Muse, though. "The Dark Eternal Night" is the current stand-out track for me, but I imagine this will change with more listens.

Symphony X Paradise Lost: The first one that sounds like an album, and not a home recording project. The songs are great too. I think it is a concept album, but I can only tell because every song references Babylon. They are still not world class, but one day. Every album shows a big leap in songwriting and scope.

Marilyn Manson Eat me, Drink me: Unlistenable. Sounds like something a high school kid posted to MySpace.

Megadeth United Abominations: About half the record is as good as anything they've ever done. What more could you ask for?

Wilco Sky Blue Sky: See Megadeth

Ozzy Black Rain: I can't tell if the album is no good or if I just irreparably hate Ozzy. Either way, fuck this noise.

An open letter to internet music leakers

I applaud your efforts towards bringing me brand new records months before their release date.

Though I must say I am REALLY backed up right now. The new Symphony X? For reals? Right after you bless us with Bjork, Megadeth, Marilyn Manson, They Might Be Giants, Tomahawk, and Dungen?

Really, take a nap. I need to catch up. Seriously, I had to crash course the night of Dimmu as I hadn't even had a chance to absorb their record. I don't have as much time to listen to music as I did. The madness must end!

Leakers you need to take a leaking break. Let us enjoy some tunes before the new wave of bombardment. However if anyone out there is sitting on the new Bad Brains, King Diamond, Art Brut, Dream Theater, Shellac or Entombed, then please disregard this message.

Thanks!

Best,

scd