I love the first part of the year when it comes to music.

Major labels typically load up their release schedule at the end of the year with their "biggest" titles in order to cash in on Christmas. Doing so basically forces them to push all of their "untested" music to the first of the year so as not to compete with said "biggest" titles.

Some "new" bands see getting bumped to the new year as an insult, which is perfectly understandable when you consider that many of those bands finished their album before the previous summer and have had to wait eight or nine months to see it released. (Examples: Jimmy Eat World's Clarity, Collapsis' Dirty Wake.)

Granted that the majors' release schedule is lighter, many "success-minded" indie labels will also use the first part of the year to put out releases, knowing that radio stations might be more willing to give the music a shot. Anyway, it basically means that the first of the year is loaded up with newer, edgier fare.

And this year is off to a pretty good start.

VAST has always been hit-and-miss with me. I loved "their" 1999 single "Touched", but when I heard the album, it didn't do much for me. Hearing the same samples over and over again kill the first few listens of an album because it gives it the wrong kind of sameness.

I always feel like I have to pull for the guys who are able to pull off the one-man-band scenario (um, for obvious reasons). So it was nice to hear the a solid first song from VAST (aka Jon Crosby)'s forthcoming release Nude, even if Jon does occasionally sound like Bono during the verses. It's basically alt-rock with a slight techno vibe, but in a good way. The chorus is awesome. (The rest of the album I'm not so sure about, but I'll give it some more time before making a ruling.)

But, good lord, I hate flash-driven websites.

The Get Up Kids' last album, On a Wire, was largely viewed as a faulty redirection of their talent. (Okay, everybody I talked to said it sucked. Which is why I didn't buy it or listen to it.) The early reviews of their forthcoming release, Guilt Show, describe the album as a "return to form" - that it's a blend of the old-school indie rock and some of the lighter flair of On a Wire. (Hopefully, that doesn't mean that it half-sucks.)

The band has released a couple of songs via their website, and the first one is top-notch. It's nicely reminiscent of Something to Write Home About.

Listen here: The Get Up Kids - "Martyr Me" (MP3)

As I've mentioned before, I love it when I find a good song hidden on an album I already own.

I bought 3 Lb Thrill's Vulture in January of 1996 with a Blockbuster Music gift card that my aunt gave me for Christmas. (I also grabbed Tool's Opiate.) "Diana" was getting serious airplay on alternative radio, and I liked it enough that I figured it was worth a shot.

The album was more "miss" than "hit" for me. I liked the first song "Born Again", but couldn't really get into the rest of it. The CD eventually went into "the box", to be pulled out only when feeling nostalgic.

A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to Lotion's "Head" (from their 1994 album Full Isaac), which, like "Diana", is another great unheard song from the mid-90's. As I occasionally do with albums that I own but have barely listened to, I decided to punch up some reviews of the album to see if anybody recommended other songs on the album. A couple of reviews later (and failing to be impressed by their choices), I stumbled over a review at Delusions of Adequacy in their "Underappreciated Album of the Month" section. After glossing over the review, I looked to see what other albums were in the section, and noticed Vulture.

Pulling up the review, I went through it and checked out the songs that the writer recommended. Again, I failed to be impressed. Reading farther down, though, I couldn't help but notice him mention "hidden songs". Hidden songs? This album has hidden songs?

Yup, starting about a minute after the last listed song, "Pinata", are two songs. The reviewer pointed out the second as his favorite song on the whole album, but my love for mid-90's alt-rock set me on the first one. According to their BMI repertoire, the song's called "Inspection", and it rocks harder and more upbeat than pretty much anything else on the album. At times, it sounds like a throwaway. (The bridge is a little weak, and the vocals are occasionally sloppy.) But, heck, it sounds good to me.

I sometimes have to ask myself, though: do I love it because it's good? Or because it reminds me of a style and period of music that doesn't really exist anymore?

Who cares. I'm rockin' out.

Similar story to "Inspection". In the summer of 1997, ManBREAK had a song on MTV's 120 Minutes called "Ready or Not". I liked it. Not enough to run out and buy the album, though. (The verse part is brilliant, but the chorus is lousy and obvious - something with a better hook would have made this song a masterpiece.)

In 2000, I stumbled across Come and See in the dollar-bin. Figuring that "Ready or Not" was worth a dollar, I picked it up. I put it on, and immediately fell in love with the second track, "Kop Karma". But, not long after, the CD ended up in "the box".

While working on a Musing (that I still need to finish), I pulled the album back out. Poking around on the Internet, I found out that some people consider this album a minor classic. It apparently spawned several big singles in the UK in 1997/1998.

The music is somewhat U2-meets-grunge-inspired, with occasional rap verses. I'm decidedly not a fan of modern-day rap/rock, where the "rappers" come off like total posers. (Read: like suburban white guys desperately trying to sound "urban".) But, here, the rap parts actually make sense. It's non-intrusive and works. And the hooks in the choruses of these two songs are amazing.

Which makes me wonder what happened with "Ready or Not".

By the way, I've seen Come and See in nearly every dollar-bin I've ever looked in. With four solid songs on it, I'd say it's worth the dollar.