DMB’s ‘Walk Around the Moon’ – A Brief Review
July 9th, 2023 by Gregg Senko
I don’t know if this has ever happened before, but when three of your favorite bands all release studio albums in the same year, that can be ironic, iconic, a sign, or simply coincidence. It’s certainly the most latter of all of those, but it didn’t demean the anticipation any less. Between Paramore’s This Is Why, Metallica’s 72 Seasons, and now Dave Matthews Band’s Walk Around the Moon, Paramore put out the most enjoyable effort, in my humble opinion. Still, there’s an enjoyable rock-engaging experience to be had with each recording. With DMB’s ninth studio album out this past May, it’s time to take a quick look at this 12-song record.
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I’m going to make it a habit to do album reviews well after they’ve been released. The simple reason being I’m far too knee-jerk reactionary when initially hearing a new release. So that brings us to Metallica’s 11th studio album, 72 Seasons. The title is a reference to the first 18 years of someone’s life that, as lead singer James Hetfield stated, “form our true or false selves.”
It goes without saying that this album has had plenty of time to stew in listeners’ ears, considering it was released this past winter. Still, the timing doesn’t feel all that off as the North American tour is about to get underway and the vibes and sounds of This Is Why have simmered without making any hastily written reviews.
David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock. And I’m sure EVERYONE on social media has their very strong opinions on it for better or for worse. Either way, I love seeing that big dork in the white mask return again and again on the big screen. Also returning in Halloween Ends is Blue Oyster Cult’s 1976 rock staple “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” the first song ever featured in a Halloween movie. While Halloween has been more known for scores than they have soundtracks, there are some notable songs featured in the films and even attempts to nab a hit single and sell records while counting box office receipts. I wanted to look at each film in the series and select one song that significantly ties into the movie in some way, SHAPE or form that feels memorable. Some are less memorable than others, some are a bit of a stretch, and some you may not even remember. 
Prior to taking in Chelsea Christer’s energetic and enduring documentary, Bleeding Audio, I had no awareness of the pop punk quartet known as The Matches. Originating in Oakland in 1997 (as then, The Locals), the group hit the road hard. While finding success in their shows, signing to a record label and releasing 3 albums, they were never able to commercially take off as many industry scouts might have hoped. Continuing the push for 12 years, The Matches finally lost their spark and went their separate ways in 2009. With time passed, they found themselves rekindling and putting together some reunion shows years later to surprising resurgence. Bleeding Audio takes us through this frantic journey with the band, the people who supported them, collaborated with them and their fans.
With the current state of affairs around the world, cinemas and movies theaters alike have taken a pause and closed the curtain temporarily, which unfortunately also includes flicks that were soon to be released. One such movie was the next (and possibly final!) outing of Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 that was supposed to hit in April – the tasty looking No Time To Die.
February is a cold, cold month here on the north coast. Most people are hunkered down somewhere indoors, save for your skiers and other winter sport aficionados. It is certainly a little out of the norm to see any kind of outdoor gatherings, let alone a festival. Wait, festival? Here? In Cleveland? Uh, yeah. The Brite Winter Festival entered its 11th consecutive year and is dotted with various food trucks, ice carving demos, and of course the highlight of the event, the music.
Last week, Nashville-based indie rock band Coin presented the world with their third album, titled Dreamland. The band’s first outing, a self-title record, was a largely upbeat, go-after-it-and-get-it feel accompanied with a couple tunes which occasionally slowed the pace. The second album, How Will You Know if You Never Try, featured an array of songs that seemed to have matured from its predecessor. That is not a negative connotation by any means as they were two, for the most part, different sounding records that validated the Coin’s multi-faceted persona. With the close of February comes Dreamland, the band’s first album in nearly three years.
A few months ago I wrote about Fitz & the Tantrum’s new album and how I discovered this impending release after seeing them live this past summer. The band that had opened for them was a group out of Nashville called Coin. I was already an established Fitz fan, but Coin was previously an unknown ensemble to me. That evening certainly changed a few things in my musical world.
It’s been a week since I’ve had a chance to digest All the Feels, the latest release from Fitz and the Tantrums, which is the band’s fourth studio album. I’ve been a mild fan of them for the better part of five years now and finally got to see them live this past summer when I definitely got the Fitz fever. Without question, they put on one of my favorite performances I have had the privilege to experience in person. Their energy is infectious, but does this latest recording bring that same positive punch?
It was like any other day of my life. I drove the usual route home after a hard day at the office and was flipping through my favorite Sirius XM channels trying to find a familiar tune to God speed the way home with. I do all of this on autopilot, just pressing pre-programmed favorite buttons onscreen, not paying attention to the particular channel names or whatnot. Then it hit me like a wall would eventually if you ran blindfolded indoors. I heard these raspy, authoritative, take-no-prisoners female vocals, which I have never heard before. Immediately this singer had my full undivided attention. I looked at my radio unit and saw I landed on XM’s Octane and the song playing was called “Haunted” by a rock star named Diamante. Right then and there I wanted to know all I could about Diamante. Thank the maker for instant gratification. Before I knew it Diamante’s album, 
Usually when any of my four favorite bands release a new studio album, I get a little excited. When three of the four release new albums in the same year, I climb to the roof and do repeated backflips off the chimney. Such was the case this year as Dave Matthews Band, Daughtry and Imagine Dragons all gave the public something new to rock to in 2018. Since my biggest regret was not addressing each release individually as they occurred, you now get them bundled and gift-wrapped in this neat little article. Please hold the applause until later. We’ve got some music to talk about!
I was kind of late to the concert scene compared to most of my peers as a teen. I didn’t see my first show until I was 19. Since then, I’ve lost track of just how many concerts I’ve been to, but thankfully there has been that luxury of experiencing a lot more good shows than bad. With each of those headlining bands, there have been a plethora of opening acts I’ve been able to listen to as well. Some sang, some danced, but only a few performed. This past Wednesday, April 11th, another opening act was added to my list of artists seen. Wait, in this case let us say ‘experienced’. Prior to the Daughtry show at the Hard Rock Rocksino in Northfield, Ohio, a trio known simply as Sinclair took the stage. No one warned me just how impactful they would be.
If you felt like there was an overwhelming choice of new releases to listen to in 2017, you would be correct. Blockbuster headliners such as Taylor Swift, Eminem and U2 all released new albums this past year as did some fairly newer stars such as country singer Danielle Bradbery and pop hottie Dua Lipa. On the rap and hip-hop front, Lil Wayne has an album coming out on Christmas Day while Big Sean came out with his latest work last week. Did I listen to every album that came out this year to come to my conclusion? Of course not, that’s not realistic. However, after sifting through twelve months of various radio stations as well as a much more increased use of Pandora than in recent years, we have a winner.
When their first album, Night Visions, was released in September of 2012, Imagine Dragons quickly started amassing a fanbase. There are very few albums that not only grab, but retain my interest for months and years to come. Night Visions did that in extraordinary fashion for me and many others and is still a record I go back to frequently. Roughly three years later, the band came out with its sophomore album, Smoke + Mirrors. For whatever reason, I never connected with it. Nothing jumped out and grabbed me and I always found its debut track, “I Bet My Life,” to be rather noisy. Critics were split on the record and I was bummed. Still, it went gold in the U.S. and was successful overseas. However, my musical concern grew. Could they be the proverbial rookie flash-in-the-pan? A one-and-done?
To celebrate the review this week of Marco Siedelmann’s very cool and comprehensive B-movie book titled 
It’s no secret that Dave Matthews Band has been one of the most successful bands since the 90’s. There’s just something about their music that connects with me on a very soulful level. Maybe it’s the unconventional singing voice of Dave himself. It could be the marriage of all those instruments that blend into a unified musical journey. There’s also the story-telling element of Dave’s lyrics that add depth to their content. In actuality, it’s truly a combination of all those things and more. While the live concert is where the band thrives, there’s no overlooking their roster of studio albums. There’s no real timetable for their next release, but there is and admirable library to pick from today so let’s take a look at how they rate.
