No “Sun, Sun, Sun” in this forecast
- The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun
- Release Date: 01/24/2006
- Rilo Kiley side project's boring sophomore release borders on the level of elevator music.
The Elected’s sophomore effort Sun, Sun, Sun can be summed up in one very appropriate, very condemning word: nice.
Yes, that’s nice, as in: “My mom came up to visit me last weekend and we had a nice time.” Or: “Yeah, those Venetian blinds sure would add a nice touch to the guest bedroom.”
Or even still, when a prospective love interest tells you: “You’re a really nice person.” (Ok, you get the point.)
Sex rock at its finest
- Best Little Secrets Are Kept
- "Milkshake, milkshake, I love to feel you sweat. We don't have to go to the pool if you want me to make you wet. Can you keep a secret? Because the best little secrets are kept."
- Buy it on Amazon
All you hipsters and trendspotters that read this site probably already own this CD, but if you don’t have Louis XIV’s Best Little Secrets are Kept then I say “Tsk tsk!” The trendy dance rock band first made waves touring with The Killers last year and is now hitting alternative radio hard. With lyrics that are not so subtle about sexuality and sexual escapades, catchy danceable hooks, and great production value, this is a CD not to be missed.
By now, most Crap Filter readers probably know that at the beginning of the year I declared a personal vendetta against trendy dance rock… yet for the second or third time this year, I’ve fallen into listening excessivley to another dance rock CD. Hypocrite? Sure, I probably am, but I can’t help it when there is actually good music coming out of the trendy genre I had previously written off. Continues after the jump »
Something not-so-Corporate
- Everything in Transit
- Something Corporate's Andrew McMahon fights back from a recent bout with cancer by creating a solo project that takes the sound he already developed with Something Corporate and transforming it into a more mature and powerful sound. And on drums... Tommy Lee... yes, THAT Tommy Lee.
- Buy it on Amazon
- The band on Myspace
In a period of my life where stress is high and my boss is screwing me over, an escape from life sounds really nice… and not just a week in Florida (although, I did just enjoy a great vacation in Clearwater, FL last week). In the opening track to Jack’s Mannequin’s debut “Everything in Transit” (entitled “Holiday from Real”), McMahon sings out:
But if you left it up to me
Every day would be a holiday from real
We’d waste our weeks beneath the sun
We’d fry our brains and say it’s so much fun
Out here
But when it’s all over
I’ll come back for another year
Oh how I can relate… of course my woes are nothing compared to the past year of McMahon’s life. This CD was finished and in post-production before the diagnosis came, but on June 1st, about two months prior to the release, McMahon was hospitalized and diagnosed with leukemia. Don’t fear, however. Apparently doing well, he’s touring again and promoting the hell out of this CD. Continues after the jump »
Mellow fellows
- In Praise of Folly - The Present Age
- Release Date: 04/20/2004
- Let the rains keep falling in Seattle if it helps bands like IPOF maintain their angst.
- Buy the album or vic a few free MP3s here!
Is it the rain in Seattle that makes all the music that comes out of it so dank and murky?
From Jimi Hendrix and the sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart), to the Nirvana-led grunge movement of the early ‘90s and thereafter, nothing musical reverberating from this Pacific Northwest city ever seems to come across as uplifting or inspiring, and I’m apt to wonder if, indeed, gloomy skies are really to blame.
Latest evidence: In Praise of Folly, the most recent addition to my musical library.
Spirit filled hardcore
- The Recovery
- Enlow's return after an indefinite hiatus proves that they are back and here to stay, with a powerful sound that can capture the ears of metalheads, hardcore kids, and punkers alike. Well worth a listen (even if you don't fit into any of those categories)!
- Buy it on Amazon
- But it on ITunes
After a hiatus and an indefinite future, Enlow has returned with their follow up to 2003’s “The Desperate Letters”. Their new release, “The Recovery”, was recorded with the infamous Stephen Egerton of Blasting Room Studios (perhaps you know him better as one of The Descendents). Not only is this a solid release, but it already seems to be getting a lot of press and drumming up attention from the scenesters, drawing comparisons to Underoath, Dead Poetic, and even This Day Forward.
Personally, I am not Mr. Hardcore Aficionado, so comparisons are hard to draw for me when I listen to albums like this one. Most people who listen to hardcore would scoff or laugh at the comparisons that I could make here because my ears are less trained to the sound, but I did dabble in the hardcore scene in my teenage years and so, I’ll give it a shot… their sound is a mix of the ever-popular metalcore trend and an early hardcore/post-hardcore sound. Translation: I think of Stretch ArmStrong and old-school punk/hardcore like early H2O, but can hear influences of modern metalcore like some of Zao’s stuff and perhaps something a bit more chaotic like Norma Jean. Continues after the jump »
Take a dip in the Pond
- Matt Pond PA - Several Arrows Later
- Release Date: 10/11/2005
- Matt Pond PA's latest succeeds where others have failed and should propel them into a household name.
- Download some Matt Pond MP3s for free!
It’s about time the band Matt Pond PA got some recognition.
Formed eight years ago in Philadelphia, Matt Pond PA is one of those bands that’s always working, always putting out new material and touring, yet somehow always flying just beneath the mainstream radar. With the release of Several Arrows Later, however, that string of virtual anonymity should come to an abrupt end.
Four tracks of near perfection
- Kissing Cousins EP
- What if Sonic Youth was a bit more tame, they enlisted PJ Harvey as their lead vocalist, and listened to a steady diet of Portishead and The Breeders? I imagine it may sound a little something like this...
- Buy it from VBM
Kissing Cousins can be found where the dark, quirky, lo-fi rock sound of PJ Harvey meets the sultry, lounge flavored trip-hop feel of Portishead. This EP is a mere 4 songs, but in the short time it takes to listen to, you’re bound to fall head over heals for their brand of melancholy, downtempo rock. The extremely sexy and sultry vocal delivery takes center stage with a backdrop of dream-like fuzzy guitar work, deliberately downbeat drumming, and solid bass lines.
The first track, “Silhouettes”, begins with an inviting riff on top of decidely slow and alluring drums. After a thirty second intro, we are first treated to the vocal stylings of Heather Heywood. According to the Velvet Blue Music webpage, Kissing Cousins sound like “PJ Harvey decided to use a tamed down Sonic Youth to be her backing band.” In this track, we can already see where this description came from. The music is very akin to a tamer Sonic Youth here, and Heywood’s vocal delivery can easily be compared to Ms. Harvey. Continues after the jump »
Tuning back to 1989
- Key Lime Pie
- Indy rockers, Camper Van Beethoven, were in full force in 1989 with this release... but only a year later, they parted ways and pursued other (in Lowery's case, less-adventurous) endeavors. It may have been 2004's "New Roman Times" that won me as a fan, but without "Key Lime Pie" the face of indy rock today would be much worse off.
- But it on Amazon
In the year of 1989, I was a mere 8 years old and didn’t really know much about the indy music scene… well, I knew nothing about the scene, but that’s understandable at 8 years old. In fact, my musical diet at the time consisted of my mother’s contemporary Christian music and my dad’s oldies… not exactly what I’m into now. It is safe to say that my knowledge of indy rock and the music underground was not quite… well, existent.
But, whether I knew about them or not, Camper Van Beethoven, a great indy band that had already won over college radio and post-punkers alike, came to see 1989 as the year they would release their seemingly final album. In 1990, CVB disbanded and David Lowery went on to form the slightly more commercially successful band Cracker (whom you probably know from the alt-radio smash “Low”) and the rest of the band pursued their previously formed non-Lowery project Monks of Doom.
Not until Michael Moore chose a cover of their 80’s college-rock cult hit, “Take the Skinheads Bowling”, as the them to his Oscar-winning Bowling for Columbine, did CVB truly hit the mainstream. In recent years, they reunited and put out the 2004 album that won over a new generation of fans (including me), “New Roman Times”. To support this album, CVB toured with indy band on the rise, Modest Mouse in 2005 and seem to be gaining a new younger fanbase. Continues after the jump »
Magical overdose
- The Magic Numbers (self-titled)
- Release Date: 10/04/2005
- The Numbers' debut is a rollicking good-time party CD that is best consumed in small doses. Not recommended for diabetics.
- Buy it on Amazon
If The Magic Numbers were a cereal, they’d have more sugar than Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Or Cocoa Puffs. Or even that Ritalin-endorsed, parental nightmare called Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Cereal, if that was possible.
Why? Because their eponymous debut record is so choked with sweetness, so overflowing with the excesses of enchanted melodies and doo-wop harmonies you don’t know whether to get up and dance like Napoleon Dynamite, or vomit.
Fortunately, I like sugary cereals. But even I have limits, and this record pushed them nearly as hard as Hanson’s chunder-inducing Middle of Nowhere.
Silver and Gold
- Silver Cities EP
- Though Silver Cities is still coming into their sound and their own, they are heading in a good direction. Another job well-done by Velvet Blue Music on releasing sounds from the underground that don't suck.
- Buy the EP from VBM
Anyone that has been following Crap Filter probably knows that I have declared a personal vendetta against dance rock for the year of 2006. So, it’s just my luck that when I receive a brand spanking new CD from one of my favorite indy labels, Velvet Blue Music, it turns out to be some dance rock band called Silver Cities that I suspected sounded like every fourth band to release music in the past year. But, since I trust Jeff and his musical prowess, I decided to give it a spin and take on this review, rather than pawning it off to some other Craphead (my personal affectionate term for Crap Filter writers, like myself).
At first, I thought I’d regret the decision. “Why the hell didn’t I just send this to Vin? He has no musical taste, he’ll be okay listening to dance rock crap.” But my sentiments started to fade as the CD began it’s second go round, and by the third and fourth, I found a few tracks making me tap my toe and sing along. And by the fifth listen of this short five track EP, it hooked me… “This ain’t half bad… Actually… It’s pretty damn good.” Continues after the jump »
Elliott’s last stand
- Elliott - Photorecording
- Flying for years under the mainstream radar, Louisville's Elliott have thrown in the towel, but not before releasing a terrific last-hurrah compilation.
Found on the press release for Elliott’s latest CD, Photorecording:
“The legacy left behind by Louisville’s most beloved is one that will prevail, and this release closes the door with an intimate look into the final hours of the band.”
If the fact you’ve never heard of Elliott trumps the shock that should result with news of their untimely demise, you’re definitely not alone. It’s this anonymity and lack of commercial success – forever predicted and foretold and promised to be on its way, then always slowly fading out of reach – that has plagued the band for years, ultimately forcing members to ring the group’s death knell and go their separate ways.
And it’s a damn shame. Because this is a skilled and accomplished band that deserves, or should I say deserved, much, much more.
A taste of rockabilly
- The Occupants
- Move over Stray Cats, The Occupants are the ones that are here to rock this town. Maybe in a few years, they can occupy that #1 spot.
- The Occupants on Myspace
Hailing from the Philadelphia area, The Occupants began as the solo project of Daniel Drust. Since the project’s inception, The Occupants has grown to a three piece band with Dan on guitar and vocals, and the added rhythm section of Mad Mike on bass and Tow on drums. Dan described their sound to me as “pop punk/rockabilly with elements of folk, blues, and metal” (which, by the songs on this demo, seems to be a pretty accurate description).
After a recent review The 101ers CD, it is refreshing to hear a newer band that can also fully appreciate old time rock’n’roll and doesn’t jump on some current bandwagon. With Dan’s laundry list of influences…
Lots of great pop/punk bands that I’ve always liked, aka Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, [The] Ramones, MxPx, Rancid, [The] Queers… roots-rock/rockabilly acts aka Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Wanda Jackson, Little Richard, Tiger Army, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Joe Turner… and acts I don’t feel like categorizing aka [The] White Stripes, Son House, Bukka White, Etta James, James Taylor..
…it is safe to say that The Occupants know their roots… although improper use of “aka” may cause one to question their knowledge of grammar. That’s okay because grammar isn’t very rock’n’roll anyway. Continues after the jump »
Rock’n’roll 101: Joe Strummer
- Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited
- Punk legend, Joe Strummer, and his first band, The 101ers, display what rock'n'roll was just before the punk rock explosion. Check out this CD and they'll show you that they have the "Keys to Your Heart"
- Buy it on Amazon
Born John Graham Mellor, Joe Strummer became a groundbreaker in the melding of musical styles and a godfather of the punk genre as a member of a little band called The Clash. The Clash is arguably the most important band in British punk rock, and this writer would argue that they are possibly the more important band of the last 30 years… but not until recently did many discover that The Clash wasn’t where it all started for Joe.
In the wake of the punk rock explosion, Joe Strummer was the heart and soul of a band called The 101ers. Self described as “Squat Rock”, the band infused soul, R&B, and reggae into old time rock music. Their original 1975 release entitled, “Elgin Avenue Breakdown”, was rereleased in 2005 with several previously unreleased tracks as “Eligin Avenue Breakdown Revisited”. Shades of The Clash can be heard throughout the CD, but what comes out most clear is Strummer’s sincere love of rock’n’roll as an artform. This CD is a must for fans of The Clash, post-Clash Strummer, and anyone interested in the roots of the punk rock movement of ‘77. Continues after the jump »
Sweet sweet chaos
- Sweet Sweet Suicide
- Norwegian punk/hardcore band shows that black metal isn't the only harsh sound coming out of Scandanavia. Crank your stereo, sing-along, and start moshing it up. A superb hardcore release.
- Buy it on Amazon
- Visit the band's website
Norway’s Silence the Foe certainly has done their share of listening to The Refused from what I can tell. That isn’t to say they aren’t original or that they simply reproduce the music of the seminal hardcore/punk act, but the influence is very evident. In fact, the first time I listened to this EP, the immediate comparison to The Refused came to mind.
As an avid fan of The Refused (and a fan of their current endeavors including The (International) Noise Conspiracy), I appreciated this CD from that aforementioned first listen. The first song on the 7-song EP (“Chaotic Mind”) is perhaps my favorite, and is certainly the perfect opener. The lyrics “Heart to heart, chaotic mind” begin as a chant with a cool synth effect in the background before the guitars and Fugazi-esque bass line kicks in. If you are anything like this reviewer here, you’ll be singing and yelling along by the end of the first minute of the track. Continues after the jump »
Strokes of genius?
- The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
- Release Date: 01/03/2006
- There's a lot to love -- and hate -- about the NY retro-rockers' third studio LP.
How much do I love The Strokes’ latest effort First Impressions of Earth? Let me count the ways.
1) It’s catchy.
Wasting no time at all, the New York rockers open their third LP with one of the best tracks on the album, “You Only Live Once,” and one you probably won’t grow tired of any time soon. Three minutes of pure power-pop party fun a la early ‘80s Blondie, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. blend luscious guitar riffs around Julian Casablancas’ abrasive swooning for their most unforgettable tune since “Last Nite.” Coming soon to a radio near you.
Night in Dullsville
- Night is Invisible - 1
- New-age music so dull it should come with a warning.
If inducing boredom and uncontrolled drowsiness is the object of a record, then Night is Invisible’s 1 is an inspiring success. Because there’s nothing I wanted to do more than drift off into a deep slumber while listening to it despite the fact it was mid-afternoon.
While many would argue that yes, indeed, some new-age music’s value lies in its ability to whisk you away from the land of the conscious to a world just below it, the journey there should at least be a memorable one. NIV’s latest release is an expedition in dullness and as forgettable an album as I’ve heard in quite some time.
Brothers grim: death comes to life
- Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim & Jeff Buckley
- Previously unreleased in the US, Rykodisc releases a tribute to Tim and Jeff Buckley, the tragic unsung heroes of American folk. If it doesn't make you swoon, you should probably check your pulse.
- Purchase the CD
- Buy David Browne's Book
Set to release in the US in late January, a collection of the late Buckley’s songs entitled “Dream Brother” features many indy bands and singer/songwriters doing their best at channeling the spirits of Tim and Jeff to produce a tribute CD worthy of the family’s legacy… a legacy of woeful sorrow, heartfelt and beautiful music, and ultimately tragic death.
Folk great Tim Buckley died with little to no money or possesions at the age of 28, from an overdose induced by a comibination of alcohol and heroin. Before his tragic death, he recorded 9 studio albums and a slew of other live and assorted tracks. He also had a son, Jeff, who became a force in the 90’s NYC scene. Jeff, like his father, wrote and performed heartfelt folk music. Stylistically, Jeff was a little bit more rock and roll, perhaps, and if we wanted to discuss their music in depth there would be a lot to say about their similarities and differences… but their legacy isn’t simply about their music, it’s about tragedy. As Tim had died at a young age, so did his son. Jeff, only 30, drove his car into the Memphis Harbor in 1997, ending his career with only one full length studio album, a live CD, an EP, and scattered other recordings. Father and son, both wrote about the beautiful and the mundane in this life with diverse songs ranging from soft ballads to bluesy rock tunes. Continues after the jump »
Haunted Arkade
- Arkade - The Story of Hiding
- Morose and deeply affecting, Seattle's Arkade serenades the macabre in their outstanding 2004 release.
Seattle’s Arkade is a difficult band to peg.
For one, their effusively melancholic and keyboard-rich sound comes across more as mood-enhancing theatrical score than full-fledged rock and roll. Haunting and introspective and rife with dreary symbolism, you’d sooner expect to find Arkade’s songs packaged in a soundtrack to films about murder, revenge and ghosts, rather than compiled together and standing on their own, like on the LP The Story of Hiding.
But that’s exactly what this record is; fifty minutes of eerie, thought-provoking music that gets inside your head like a poltergeist and never seems to let go. Regardless of the non-traditional arrangements and lack of complexity, The Story of Hiding is such an extraordinarily emotional and powerful collection of songs that it defies convention and commands recognition.
Kat can do
- Kat Jones - La Rosa, La Calavera
- An atrocious opening track can't diminish the power of Kat Jones' first full-length LP.
When it comes to the quality of a record, never discount the importance of track placement. Sometimes just as essential as the material contained therein, a great opening song can really set the pace of an album and entice the listener to linger longer than they may have wished.
Which makes me wonder why Christian rocker Kat Jones chose to open her first full-length album La Rosa, La Calavera with “The Night is a Veil,” an annoying tune so grating I could barely make it through.
Anchored by just a piano-, organ- and keyboard-driven rhythm that gets under your skin like scabies and never seems to go away, “Veil” blends Transylvania gothic with 1800s Wild West saloon and a poor man’s Fiona Apple to rear one of the ugliest musical disasters since “The Macarena.”
No, really. It’s that hard to listen to. And if I had not been reviewing the album as a whole, I probably would have turned it off altogether. But once you get past this track, it becomes quite apparent that the nightmare that is “Veil” is nothing more than an aberration; the rest of this album is pretty good, an impressive collection of faintly understated God-rock goodness.
Acrobatics made easy
- Ghost of an Acrobat
- With simple melodies that are easy to hum along to, The RingOut will get stuck in your head for days. Their debut effort together is not too shabby!
- Check out TheRingOut.com
- The RingOut on Myspace
Central NJ’s Jerk Records founder and el presidente, Pete Andrews, is no stranger to indy rock. Having played in countless bands since his teens, Pete is back hitting the skins with a new band, The RingOut, an all-star cast of Jersey scene indy rockers. The band features Tim Bennett formerly of Full Surrender on guitar, John Molnar of Sketch on bass, and Jeff Ulrich formerly of The Only Normal on lead vocals and guitar. Continues after the jump »
A simple Planar
- Planar - Goodbye Atmosphere, Goodbye Traffic
- MacGyver they're not, but new-age trio crafts impressive debut from little more than some keys and percussion.
- Check out Planar's Website
Making decent music can be easy. Just ask the band Planar.
Employing only a drum machine and a couple of synthesizers for their debut LP album back in 2002, Goodbye Atmosphere, Goodbye Traffic is not only a significant accomplishment given the limited resources, it’s also a pretty good record.
A collection of ethereally dreamy new-age tunes dominated by wavelengths of mood-enhancing synthesizers and samples, Goodbye Atmosphere, Goodbye Traffic relies more on the sum of its technical parts than the actual talents of individual musicians. But it works.
Move over Stapp, Godrock has a new face
- The Hope Dialect
- "Screw Tennesse! Let's move to Maryland and release a kickass record." At least that's how I envision the conversation going...
- Buy "The Hope Dialect"
- Greenwood on Myspace
Maryland based indy-rock quintet Greenwood began as a group of college guys in Tennessee with several things in common: location, desire to produce good music, and faith. 2005 marked a big year for them, as the relocated (with their wives and girlfriends) to Maryland in order to storm the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and DC scenes. Thus far, it has been a challenge, but with the catalyst of their debut release “The Hope Dialect”, things are moving in the right direction. With 8 tracks at approximately 33 minutes, I dare not call an EP, but it’s most definitely not a full length release. That being said, this release is as solid as an independently released rock album can be, a cohesive sound reminiscent of early Jimmy Eat World with a production quality that was much better than this reviewer could have expected. Continues after the jump »
All hype, no bite
- My Morning Jacket - Z
- Kentucky alt-rock band's new release is the apple of critics' eyes, but it's their 2003 effort that should be lauded.
The brisk Hawaiian Trade Winds swept a sweet-smelling mixture of coconut tanning oil and indigenous jasmine across the balcony of the Westin Maui hotel as I relaxed seven floors above paradise. The December sun, brighter and warmer than any summer orb of the Northeast, blazed down on my face and ignited within me a contentedness I had not felt in months, if not years. Slouching deeper into the reclining chair as the afternoon whiled away, I took a deep breath of the aromatic air and reached for the perspiring glass accompanying me and wondered how a moment like this could get any better. As I took a sip of the Mai Tai, it occurred to me that the poolside din just below – children hollering, man-made waterfalls crashing, dishes and cutlery clanging together at the outdoor bar and grille – was a slight distraction from the surrealism unfurling before me.
Music, I thought. It was the perfect time for music.
Having downloaded a bunch of new tunes to my iPod before heading off on holiday, I knew there would be some down time to listen to them during my travels. And what better time than now to drown out the white noise of vacationing wayfarers with the soothing Dixie-rock style of My Morning Jacket?
The sound is seeping through my ears
- The Light is Seeping Through the Cracks
- Harris manages to pull off the personal, emo sound without making me want to kick their asses for being sounding whiny, unpopular losers. Bravo!
- Visit Harris' Web site
At first glance, er listen, Harris’ latest album sounds like any of dozens of other sort-of-emo, sort-of-punk, sort-of-getting-cliché. And then you hear the keyboards.
Harris is among the indiest of the indy — an unsigned band with a solid album that exhibits obvious commecial appeal. This certainly isn’t a bunch of overly idealistic amateurs out to change the face of music, but a talented bunch with great ideas, fun songs and willing to put their own unique spin on a genre that’s starting to get a little long in the tooth.
While listening to the album it was really hard to peg Harris as pulling their influence from any one place. The obvious influences — punk, post-punk, pop-punk, and emo — are all there, but the’re a lot more there just beneath the surface. Carousel evokes memories of early good Weezer, yet without the inevitable self-importance that comes along with Rivers Cuomo. The keyboards at times evoke Yes and very early Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, if only briefly. I’d say they’re probably underused, but I’m a sucker for these things. Continues after the jump »
Not bad, not folk-ing bad at all
- Fear Not, Distant Lover
- "So I guess I just started to believe that you get what you give, you can do anything, if you fucking work hard enough, and this has been something I've always wanted to be able to do and I finally realized it was going to take some serious dedication at the end of the summer." Looks like the dedication paid off.
- Peasant on Myspace
- Buy "Fear Not, Distant Lover"
Already featured once here on Crap Filter (“DIY ethic and beautiful music”), Damien DeRose, aka Peasant, has officially released his follow up to his June 2005 debut, “Sow and Scatter”. Only six months later, this release marks a much more mature Peasant, who seems very comfortable in his folk-drenched singer/songwriter style.
When I asked Damien about the inspiration of this CD, he said:
I came back from tour and I wanted to write and record an album that reflected my live show. I wanted to work on my strengths and this album came from letting go of what I WANTED my music to be, and channeling the music that I was capable of making the whole time.
A modern Kristmas klassic
- A Kustard Kristmas
- The Kustard Kings put a swinging, rocking spin on the tunes from your favorite Christmas specials.
- Buy it on Amazon
- Listen on iTunes
So much of the music we all associate with the holidays these days seems to stem from some of the classic animated shows from the 1960s and ’70s. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a nice little cartoon with that had a strong message about the increasing commercialization of Christmas. Everybody loves it, but let’s face it, it’s not the greatest thing out there. It’s been said before that it’s kind of, well, slow. I imagine that today’s kids can’t sit still long enough to take any of it in. If there’s not a collectable card game associated with a cartoon, they generally don’t want any part in it. Who can blame them though, I mean, Yu-Gi-Oh! totally rules.
Let’s face it, our perceptions and attitudes about Christmas are shaped by popular culture. Whose idea was it to hang holly and mistletoe? Who the hell cares, but that stuff equals Christmas to many of us. And Christmas usually means presents, which made us happy. It’s the same way with Christmas specials. I know that every time I saw the spinning word SPECIAL come on CBS and that familiar drumbeat, I’d snap to attention. Sure, it was usually a political debate or something, but you never knew when Charlie Brown or Rudolph might show up. As adults, the same things stick with us. A lot of us will force ourselves to sit through the specials, even though a lot of them aren’t so great.
The specials may have lost some of their appeal, but the music is forever etched into our eardrums. You know you love it when you’re in the store in mid-November shopping for deodorant and you hear Burl Ives singing Holly Jolly Christmas. Admit it. You secretly don’t care that the Christmas season starts the day after Halloween in every retail store in America.
The Kustard Kings admit it. And they celebrate it. Their album, A Kustard Kristmas is a tribute to the televison specials that we all know and secretly love. Continues after the jump »
Taste the mint
- The Mint EP
- This 18 minute EP, contains four tracks, none striking as the "single" or standout track. It flows well and is a pleasurable listen beginning to end. Good music that still maintains such a vast sense of accessibility is hard to come by these days.
- Visit The Mint on Myspace
- Buy the EP
The Mint, a band I first heard about while attending Eastern University, seems to have come a long way in just a couple of years. I have no idea why exactly, but I though they were some electro-pop/dance-rock type act, a genre now flooded with the likes of The Killers and The Bravery. I think the idea came into my head because around the same time they came by to play at Eastern, a great dance-rock type act called Elkland, an act now residing on Sony that was unsigned and equally as impressive at the time. Nonetheless, unless The Mint’s sound has changed drastically since that time (2001-2002 school year), I was mistaken at my assumption.
Though I had heard of this band a few years back, I did not listen to anything of theirs until just a few weeks ago, when they sent me their third self-released EP, The Mint (self-titled). Continues after the jump »
Porn stars
- The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
- Vancouver band bares it all in their latest effort, a tasty slice of indie pie.
- Buy it on Amazon
- Download it at iTunes
The New Pornographers’ Carl Newman must be a cool guy to get drunk with in a bar.
Judging by the way he experiments with his music – employing an ever-growing lineup of talented musicians and a bevy of instruments ranging from guitars to pump organs and e-bows – I bet there’s not a pick-up line he hasn’t used, or wouldn’t at least consider. And if you’ve ever been around this type of personality, you know how interesting it can be, successful or not.
Twin Cinema, an impressive mélange of quirky songwriting and unusual musical arrangements and harmonies, is The New Pornographers’ latest CD and Newman’s grandest figurative attempt at picking up the hottest babe in the joint.
Luckily for him (and us), he scores.
Not all indy music has to end in “-core”
- May and Marielle
- ¡el toro!'s debut release is a roller-coaster of teen angst and adolescent emotion that plays like a band who is not simply in the "figuring out who we are" phase, but a band who has found their sound and knows where they want to go.
- ¡el toro! on Myspace
- Buy it on Amazon
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a new guy to this web site. The name is Justin, but you can call me… Justin will do. I guess that will have to do as an introduction, for now. Now, I shall go forth and present to you an album from a band that I can almost guarantee you haven’t heard of, ¡el toro!’s “May and Marielle” on Undecided Records, a sub-label of powerhouse indy label, Victory Records (home of horrible trendi-core acts such as Hawthorne Heights and Atreyu, as well as few decent bands leftover from the label’s former days as a legitimate force in music). Continues after the jump »
Son Volt and politics … imperfect together
- Son Volt
- Rock and roll and politics make for strange bedfellows in Louisiana quartet's latest.
Never let it be said that being a whore is always a bad thing.
Take rock and roll for instance. When straddling such topics as teen angst, drugs, boredom and heartache – separately, or even better, all at once – she can be one saucy little vixen capable of hours of enjoyment.
But throw politics in between the sheets and she becomes nothing more than a whiny and disappointing trick that doesn’t know when to shut up.
Case in point: Son Volt’s latest release, Okemah and the Melody of Riot.
Bowie and Arcade Fire make fashionable music together
- Fashion Rocks EP
- Bowie collaborates with Arcade Fire for three iTunes exclusive tracks to benefit hurricane victims.
- Listen and download on iTunes
This is a short little EP, so I’ll make this a short little review.
Bowie and Arcade Fire performed together at the Fashion Rocks event to kick off Fashion Week in September, an event which normally only E! and apparently CBS care about.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Life on Mars?, but it’s certainly not bad here. It’s a fairly straightforward, quiet rendition of the song. Maybe a little too straightforward. It’s a good start to the set, but things do uphill from here.
The instruments on Wake Up seem a little low, lacking the “warmth” of the album version of the song, probably due to inadequate bass. The backing vocals are certainly too low, except during the chorus, when they overwhelm the music more than they seem like they should.
Five Years is good, but I think the album version is probably better. The bass and piano could probably be a little fuller here, but it’s better than on Wake Up.
The collaboration itself isn’t particularly stellar, but it is always great to hear Bowie work with newer musicians. The sound mix seems a little off. It’s definitely clear, but just not right somehow.
Part of the problem is that the recording is almost too clean for a live performance. I have a feeling that it was either done this way intentionally for television, or possibly cleaned up too much for this release.
The Fashion Rocks EP is worth picking up if you’re a big Bowie or Arcade Fire fan, but casual fans of either might not find it all that great. If you do want it, you’ll have to hurry up — it’s only available for one week on iTunes.
25 Years of “Back in Black”
- Back In Black
- Like a fine wine, AC/DC's timeless classic just keeps getting better with age.
When Bon Scott, the immensely popular lead singer of the Australian rock outfit AC/DC, drank himself to death after a night of partying in early 1980, many critics began composing the band’s epitaph well before Scott was even in the ground. After all, replacing the caustic Aussie – whose trademark vocal sneer and wickedly volatile stage presence propelled the group to the forefront of the ‘70s hard rock movement – with anyone half as talented and acerbic seemed an immeasurable task.
Enter Brian Johnson.
Just a few months after Scott’s death, AC/DC not only found a suitable replacement for Scott’s ostensibly irreplaceable pipes and testosterone-laden persona, but released Back in Black, a rock album so dynamic and influential it remains one of the all-time greatest to this day.
Madonna finally loses it this time
- Confessions on a Dance Floor
- Madonna's latest release is slick set straight from a night on the dance floor. Unfortunately, it's 3 a.m., the lights are on, and a foreign guy is sweeping up.
- Listen on iTunes
- Check it on Amazon
I honestly don’t know what Madonna is thinking anymore. Every few years, Madonna comes out with a new album that is either catchy and listenable or extremely mediocre. She hasn’t done anything I’d call outstanding since Like a Virgin. Her latest effort, Confessions on a Dance Floor, falls closer to the mediocre end of the spectrum.
I can’t really trash the album too much. It’s got its highs and its lows, and when it’s good, it’s a halfway decent dance pop album. When it’s bad, it’s a boring dance pop album. At times, the album flows from song to song as if being mixed in a club by a live DJ, which is a neat trick, but there’s never any real beat matching going on. Continues after the jump »
