Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Friday, August 01, 2008

This List for Sunday, July 27, 2008

Candlebox | stuckincustoms.com | Miley Cyrus

HEAR THIS

Candlebox never found a true place among the pantheon of ’90s bands. Unfairly lumped in with the grunge crowd (maybe because it’s from Seattle), it eventually vanished after being shunned for its hard blues and classic rock approach.

Ten years after its last release, Candlebox returns with three of its four founding members in tow on “Into the Sun” (Silent Majority/ILG Records).

Fans of the band’s smash hits like “You” and “Far Behind” — which remain in heavy rotation on rock radio — are again likely to be enthralled with Kevin Martin’s soaring vocals and Peter Klett’s chugging riffs and melodic psychedelia-infused leads.

Fans of ’90s rock are sure to dig “Into the Sun” for the fun stroll down memory lane that it is — unfortunately most everyone else probably won’t even notice.

- John Kosik, The Associated Press

BLOG THIS

If only getting stuck in customs really looked like this. World-renowned photographer Trey Ratcliff makes masterpieces, and he’s sharing them via his blog, Stuck in Customs

(stuckincustoms.com). The site features photo postings from Ratcliff’s recent travels (and he travels a lot), anywhere from Kuala Lumpur to Yellowstone.

Ratcliff uses a technique called High Dynamic Range to essentially adjust contrast ratios in his pictures — making the colors brighter and the images more mesmerizing.

But don’t just look, Ratcliff is sharing his secrets. You can find a HDR tutorial for free, but messing with textures will cost you. Look on the right navigation bar for the tutorials, equipment recommendations and a listing of the places his photos are from.

- Sally Dadisman, McClatchy Newspapers

HEAR THIS

“Breakout” (Hollywood) may be the best tween-pop album ever to come from a 15-year-old TV-star-turned-singer. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. Lucky for Miley Cyrus and her handlers, that won’t matter to all her die-hard fans.

The smash hit “7 Things” is a clumsy, but fun, mishmash of country jangle verses and pop-punk rave-up choruses, with vocals that are girlish, but trying to be more. Cyrus fares so much better on the bouncy title track and the peppy “Full Circle,” which are both closer to her “Hannah Montana” material, and the pretty country-tinged ballad “These Four Walls,” where she sounds far more accomplished.

- Glenn Gamboa, Newsday