Draft Day 2008

Merely a parody song in honor of draft. Thanks to the Texas-based band iSOLA for the tune "Sam" on which it's based.

Hello, it's time to draft again
And I wish my team would finally win
Hello... hello

Hello it's time to draft again
And I wish my team would finally win
Hello.... hello

There is no point in trading up
Give away parts we've put together
The is no point in stars resigning
If there is no chance of the team's getting better

There is no point in trading up
Give away parts we've put together
The is no point in stars resigning
If there is no chance of the team's getting better

Hello it's time to draft again
And I wish my team would finally win
Hello.... hello

Hello it's time to draft again
And I wish my team would finally win
Hello.... hello

Is there a chance on this draft night
A running back to make us better?
A consistent force on key 3rd downs
Or capping off 6 points whenever

Is there a chance on this draft night
A running back to make us better?
A consistent force on key 3rd downs
Or capping off 6 points whenever

Hello it's time to draft again
And I wish my team would finally win
Hello.... hello

Theory's Scars and Souvenirs reasonably memorable

Often overshadowed by their Canadian rock brethen and friends in Nickelback. Theory of a Deadman has put out two solid albums previously and began to pick up notoriety when the single "Hello, Lonely (Walk Away From This)" picked up significant US radio time. Building on that success, Theory released its third Album, Scars and Souvenirs, on April 1, 2008.

Of the 13 tracks on Scars, only 2 in my opinion are hit or miss in general. The rest form a solid musical core for my listening pleasure. Starting with the criticisms I have, "Crutch" seems a little forced as an up-tempo rocker that breaks up a solid flow between "Not Meant to Be", "All or Nothing" and "Heaven (Little By Little)". The later track "Wait For Me" seems like a weak ballad by the standards of Theory's prior efforts. While I enjoy the lead single "So Happy", I'm not convinced it's a great choice as an album opener. Not sure to be honest which song I would use but it seems like "So Happy" might need a buildup.

The previous criticism aside, "So Happy" is a solid musical effort that's easy to like and understandably serves as a good single for radio. "By the Way", the second track which contains the title lyrics for the album, might be my favorite track. The lyrics tell a typical rock song story of a broken relationship and dealing with the day a girlfriend leaves for the last time but it attacks this cliched story with some vivid imagery not necessarily common in such a song ("The dust on floor piled up from the years of those scars and souvenirs. Now that you're gone it's easy to see.") "Got it Made is a fun, solid up-tempo track which brightens the mood after the somewhat dreary leadoff tracks. "Not Meant to Be", "All or Nothing", and "Heaven (Little By Little)" seem to be this album's equivalents to the "Santa Monica", "Say Goodbye", "Hello Lonely" complex from Gasoline though there are element of all three in each song so it's not a direct parallel. "Bad Girlfriend" is driving rock song about a stripper. We've seen this before though to be honest I have to give Tyler credit for fashioning a quality song around the opening lyric "My girlfriend's a dick magnet". The song in general reminds me of an edgier version of Nickelback's "Next Contestant". Next is the anthem for the disenchanted known as "Hate My Life." Maybe because I live it a little but that song's a lot of fun.

The last block of the album might be weaker on balance than the first 9 tracks but "Little Smirk" is a solid rocking relationship vengeance song. "End of the Summer" is decent but doesn't distinguish itself as more than a solid album track. I do enjoy the closing track "Sacrifice" which to an extent brings me back to the mid 90s with kinda a seattle-esque flare in the beginning. "Sacrifice" does make a solid album closer as it seems the Tyler comes to grips with closure and strives to move on.

All in all Scars and Souvenirs is a solid effort which is destined to remain on the playlist for some time to come.

8.25 out of 10

Thanks for reading..... now off to work.

Song Lyric of the Day
"I hate all of the hobos
Always begging for change
I don't like how I gotta work
And they just sit around and get paid"
Theory of a Deadman -- "Hate My Life"