Coffee&Cigarettes Music Factory Reviews

A New Mix....

2006-12-11T00:20:00.000-08:00

For those parties interested. Check out a a new mix over at the little engine blog.

It was meant for november. another mix will be going up shortly.

<3

dr thunder

Osaka Popstar - Osaka Popstar & the American Legends of Punk

2006-10-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

70%
The rather simple concept of a "supergroup" (a band featuring members who have been previously successful individiually) leads to some logical problems: clashing egos, lack of clear direction, and high, possibly unreachable expectations.

Though Osaka Popstar is, strictly speaking, a punk rock supergroup (founded by producer John Cafiero, who sings, featuring ex-Ramone Marky on drums, ex-Misfit Jerry Only on bass, ex-Black Flag Dez Cadena on lead guitar and ex-Voidoid Ivan Julian on rhythm guitar) the band fits an entirely different vision: essentially, fun, old-school punk mixed with Japanese cartoons.

Though it sounds weird on the surface, it's not that weird when you think about it: there's a certain quirkiness and fun that you can find in both punk and anime. Osaka Popstar makes the connection explicit by covering the themes to "Astro Boy" and "Sailor Moon".

Punk music is largely built on "punks" as musicians, that is, amateurs. So in a lot of ways, the mere idea of a punk supergroup seems self-contradictory: how can successful, proffesional musicians be amateurs? However, the members still play with a lightness and fun, plus sincere enthusiasm for the subject matters (which is many times ridiculous). The band can pull out the tricks if need be, but usually they just blast the songs out, which is preferable. Cafiero is a competent, if unremarkable vocalist. Some of the leads are also highl melodic by punk standards, which help bring more personality to the songs musically.

The band's cover of the bluegrass standard of "Man of Constant Sorrow" breathes new life into an old song, though it feels overly long (not that it is in any other standards besides punk, it's only 3:20). Songs like "Insects" would sound perfectly in place as the theme to some Saturday morning cartoon.

Marky Romane gives a stellar performance, giving the music a tight Ramones beat, and it only makes sense: he invented and defined it. The christmas song, "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't" has weird percussion to it that make it interesting, but it ultimately suffers from a symptom of the whole album: a lot of it to fels too kitschy, too much like a novelty to really have a lasting value. Two back-to-back Richard Hell covers ("Love Comes in Spurts" and "Blank Generation") are standouts, especially the latter. "Monster" continues the punk rock anime theme song trend, the bizarre "Where's the Cap'n?" (about the tragedies of running out of cereal - I feel your pain, brother), and the final song "Shaolin Monkeys" sounds like another bizarre cartoon theme song.

The album suffers from too much of a gimmicky feeling; how many times can you play punk rock songs that sound like they want to be cartoon theme songs? Even still, it's a fun listen, and the musicianship is supergroup-worthy (in terms of punk music). The artwork included is also well-done and fun to look at. It all boils down to what kind of a reaction you have to the idea of "punk rock supergroup plays anime theme songs". If you think it's too stupid to listen to, stay away. If you find it to be the work of absolute genius, by all means, get it, its execution is top-shelf. If you are like most people and think "hah, that's cool", you will most probably grow tired of the idea quickly, though you will get some enjoyment from it. It's as simple as that.

-Luis

Masta Killa - Made in Brooklyn

2006-10-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

73%
It might be a cliche to say it, but Masta Killa is, far and away, the most under-appreciated member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After being the last member to join the group, he only made one verse on the Wu's ultra-classic debut "Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers", and while other members went on to various solo releases of varying degrees of artistic and commercial success, it took Masta more than 10 years to release his solo album. Suprisingly, "No Said Date" became a modern-day Wu classic.

Now, a couple of years later, Masta Killa has to find a way to follow up a great album. The suprise factor is gone, and the amount of time given to the creation of this work is a lot less. It's a difficult situation, but one which I looked optimistically towards.

"Made in Brooklyn" begins with a really nice omnious (in a Wu way) beat, although for some reason, it does not feature Masta Killa's vocals. In it's place are 4 or 5 unknown little kids rapping - he did this on "No Said Date" but it was only two or three and the song was noticeably shorter. Though the kids try their best to sound like Wu-Tang Jr., the fact of the matter is that they have yet to develop the kind of voice or lyrical ability to pull anything like this convincingly, which is a damn shame.

The album's real opener is "E.N.Y. House", produced by M.F. Doom. Doom re-uses a beat from his "MM... Food" instrumental release. It ultimately lacks enough coherence to exist as more than a sample looped over a drum machine, which of course is what it is, but it's not ultimately what it should sound like (both elements should work as a cohesive unit, not run seperately). Another shame, since the vocals here are actually good.

Raekwon and Ghostface pop up for "It's What It Is", which is cool since Masta has a tendency to shine near his crew mates. However, though the beat is alright, it is way too repetitive. The next track opens up with bits of inane dialogue, but segues into a mellow beat, which Masta Killa turns into a good love song (think "Queen" off of his first album). The Wu posse cut "Iron God" features U-God, RZA, and Method Man, which again is a good thing. A funky horn-laced beat helps a lot, although the lack of a real melody makes it seem repetitive (instead of catchy) over time

There's a remix to an old, obscure GZA song called "Pass the Bone". The soul-heavy beat helps put the song over the top, though you have to question whether life really needs another rap song about weed. Following is "Older Gods, Pt. 2" with trademark funky horns from Pete Rock. The problem: a buncha guys who I do not know talk for 4 MINUTES about god-knows-what over the beat, and it is not even slightly interesting. By the time Masta Killa steps in to deliver a few lines, the beat feels tired and it all becomes a large 5 and a half minute throwaway. It's a damn shame.

Following this is a heavily R&B-tinged song "Let's Get Into Something", with singer Startlet.
Again, it takes more than half the song for Masta to show up. Overall, if R&B/rap is your kinda thing, you will like this. I can't really take any of this modern R&B, but I do enjoy the rap portions. Following is another Wu cut - "Street Corner" featuring GZA and Inspectah Deck. Bronze Nazareth makes a good RZA impression on the beat, and the song avoids any overdone introductions, which makes for one of the album's best cuts so far. Following is another Bronze Nazareth cut - "Ringing Bells", another killer beat and another killer song (no actual bells in it though).

Next is "East MC's", which features two more obscure Wu-affiliates: Free Murder and Killa Sin. The beat uses a super high-pitched string, and the two guests do a good job. However, another overdone introduction follows. After a minute of irrelevant bullshit, the actual song, the reggae-tinged "Lovely Lady" (featuring Ski and Government Tools) begins. It's actually incredibly fresh sounding: digital strings do the familiar reggae guitar crack while the drums are done live in a mix of reggae fills and hip-hop beats. Again, it takes a little time for Masta to even show up (4 minutes!). A little out of place, but it's pretty cool.

Overall, some bad choices (wasted beats, overlong introductions) hurt throughout the album, although Masta Killa manages a good run of impressive songs to close out the album. Masta stays on top lyrically throughout most of the album, but some beats get repetitve and others aren't too good. It's a step back from "No Said Date", and sadly, a bit of a classic case of the "sophmore jinx". It's a solid effort, but nothing that would make Masta raise his profile anymore than "No Said Date" did.

-Luis

Paul Dianno - The Living Dead

2006-09-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

60%Al Atikins. Dave Evans. Neil Turbin. Paul Di'Anno. Rod Evans.

If you're a bit of a pop culture nerd, you might recognize the trend in that list: they were all the singers of soon-to-be wildly popular rock bands fired before the bands reached their height.
You may also recognize the outlier: Paul Di'Anno.

As Iron Maiden's first recorded singer, Di'Anno fronted Maiden during their first two albums: "Iron Maiden" and "Killers", both are now considered heavy rock classics (especially "Killers"). The group dumped Paul in favor of the more dramatic Bruce Dickinson, and achieved huge global success. Di'Anno, meanwhile, struggled to achieve any sort of success, either as a solo artist or with a band. He has more or less been reduced to singing for cheap to people wanting an Iron Maiden fix, including singing on Iron Maiden tribute albums (imagine that). But what sets him apart is that those 2 first albums are considered by some to be Maiden's best period, stripped of the bombast which later characterized them and featuring the gritty vocals of Di'Anno.

With his latest release, "The Living Dead", Di'Anno is making another reach at hardcore Maiden fans looking for a dash of nostalgia. The first thing I noticed about this new album is that it's hardly new: while now it's labeled as "The Living Dead" by Paul Dianno (which is not the way he usually spells it, but then again it's not his real name so go figure), it is mostly comprised of the earlier 2000 release of "Nomad" (credited to his namesake band Di'Anno). Odd, isn't it? Though there's new cover art (check the creepy blonde zombie or whatever), most of the rest which isn't on "Nomad" isn't exactly new - it's been released elsewhere or at least recorded a while ago.

The album opens up with a cover of Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction", which if I'm not mistaken, is culled from "Hangar de Almas", a tribute to Megadeth in which Jeriko contributed this song along with vocals from Di'Anno. It's pretty weird to open up an album with a cover and with a different band that will support the singer through the rest of the album, but I guess that's minor. The major problem with this song is Di'Anno himself: in earlier records his voice strung the balance between handsome and madman, with a gritty but not gruff vocal tone. In this song, that all gets thrown out the window in favor of a much more "hardcore" approach. The results, including some quasi-death metal vocals, are almost embarassing. The band plays the song well enough, if missing a bit of Marty Friedman's fire in the solos. Also they add a nice if unnecessary extended coda to the song.

The next song, the title track, is a power ballad, slowing everything down at first, featuring acoustic guitars and pianos. Thankfully, Di'Anno goes to a much more relaxed and much more pleasent tone. Finally, the song reaches into keyboard-soaked "hard" section and Di'Anno's gritty vocal tone which characterized him hits at full force.

On the more up-tempo songs, however, Di'Anno seems compelled at going for the death metal-ish growls, which just don't work for him. The band plays a thrash-informed NWOBHM style which is competent but far from magnificent. Di'Anno and the rest probably sound best during the slower numbers, and Paul seems more compelled to do what he does good during these songs.

The lyrics are generally not spectacular and sometimes cringe-inducing ("S.A.T.A.N."? Come on.) There is a dearth of good riffs and choruses, which could have saved the album. Di'Anno's singing is both good just because it's good but also good as a nice dose of nostalgia. He takes a few risks (the already discussed growl and some shots at falsetto). While that is commendable and all, the problem is that he doesn't really pull it off. He's talented and versatile, but he's not that talented and versatile. He's not Phil Anselmo. The album hits when it tries for quasi-power ballads or the soft-intro-to-loud-main-part bit that seems to be in every other Maiden song nowdays (ironically this almost never happened when Paul was actually in the band). And maybe part of the problem is how heavy and inaccesible it is, relatively speaking. Iron Maiden is not a really heavy band, but they are sometimes inaccesible because of their prog tendencies. Di'Anno seemed to balanced it out with a more punk-flavored Maiden, but here, none of that is present in favor of tried-and-true metal with nothing the least inventive about it. Sure, it's competently played and sung by one of the more important voices of the NWOBHM, but that's it.

For people who own Nomad, this is pretty much entirely worthless unless you really despereatly need the three or four "new" songs thrown in. But if you see this in the bargain bin and have a rush of nostalgia and curiousity to see what Paul is up to, go ahead, pick it up. Paul makes both a conscious attempt to establish himself apart from "the Beast" and to reach out to their fans, since, let's face it, they are his primary audience. Featuring a few old Maiden cuts live at the end ("Remember Tomorrow", one of his most impressive songs vocally, and "Sanctuary", which with it's almost punk-ish riffing characterized Paul Di'Anno's time in Maiden best as the "unrefined" portion of a band that is for the most part "refined", in a way) and a bonus DVD set in '79 can either be considered a fan service or a desperate grab at money using his past, or perhaps even both. The old Maiden cuts are excellent for the most part, they are classic songs and they are performed and recorded well, although perhaps they underscore the difference in quality songs from the first two Iron Maiden albums and this CD we have here. While it's commendable that Paul is trying to establish his own sound, it is unfortunate that the most glaring flaw of this album is quite simple and related: there is no Steve Harris songwritng, there is no Dave Murray on guitar. This is not Iron Maiden, nor is it near Maiden quality. In particular there is just a general lack of good songwriting and good songs on this album. Di'Anno is a great singer, but he needs the right backing and the right lyrics to establish his potential. Without great songwriting, Di'Anno is just a good singer. With it, he can be a legend. Sadly, it's not here.

-Luis

Michael Franti & Spearhead - Yell Fire!

2006-09-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

74%
There's certain music that we all like despite the artist. For me, I was always a big fan of "Black Star" by Yngwie Malmsteen, even though he just happens to be the single biggest asshole in the universe (and I mean that quite literally, it's a proven scientific fact).

A lot of times for Michael Franti, unfortunatly, it's the opposite. He's got such an idealistic message, such an honest genre-mixing attitude, such a serious committment to his ideas and overall, he just seems like such a nice guy that it's hard not to want to like his music. A lot of times, Franti makes it easy by making awesome, soulful and enlighting music - take for example, "Sometimes" on 2001's "Stay Human". Other times, however, he falters.

As Franti returned from a 2004 trip to war-torn regions of Iraq, Israel, and Palestine, he came to the conclusion that people over there didn't want to hear that many more songs about war; instead, they wanted to celebratory music.

As such, the album is suprisingly light for the most part, stepping into balladry now and then, but avoiding any real darkness. Franti gets a crucial assist from the legendary Jamaican rhythm section of Sly & Robbie on most of the songs on the album, their contribution along with his backing band's consistentcy through bass player Carl Young, drummer Manas Itene, and guitarist Dave Shul.

Backed by a Chuck D-inspired booming yet with such a ... brotherly quality to it, Franti's assertions of peace, respect, equality and the legalization of marijuana (just as examples of this highly topical album) seem earnest and convincing (whether they are values to be agreed on is another debate).

The album is at it's best on it's faster moments, including the opener "Time to go Home", the more straightforward reggae of "Hey Now Now". Both Franti and Spearhead probably are at their best when playing reggae with elements of soul, and they still may be one of reggae's most talented acts.

It's weaker moments are when Franti tries to write 80's rock-inflected ballads that sound like second-rate U2. They are decent, but certainly not exciting.

And that last sentence may sum up this album at it's best: good, but just not excitingly so. Franti seems to make music only as a vehicle for his political message, which in of itself is completely open to interpretation and subjectivity. Franti is a good songwriter but he is by no means genius, and his inability to really make a song hit home is what ultimately holds back the album: it's an attempt at a celebration, but it's not inspiring in any way. The overall concept of this record is as likeable as the artist, but you really would have liked for a little better execution.

-Luis

Motörhead - Kiss of Death

2006-09-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

77%
Motörhead continues an impressive run, delivering new material after only 2 years. The reason it's so impressive is because they've been on this pace for about 30 years now and lead singer / bassist Lemmy Kilmister is 61 years old. His trademark gruff voice remains in top form, it's quite a miracle he hasn't shredded his throat by now. Their hard living lifestyles haven't slowed Motörhead down, which in of itself is impressive.

Another impressive thing about Motörhead is their unrelenting insistence on the trademark loud and fast rock music they have always adhered to. From the opener, "Sucker", we are treated to a hard song playing at a punk-ish tempo, with Lemmy's voice delivering lines convincingly. Although the "classic" line-up featured Lemmy with the now-retired "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar and "Philthy Animal" Taylor on drums, their current line-up may be their second-most important; it features Mikkey Dee on drums and Phil Campbell on guitar. Motörhead has never been the most technicly advanced band in the world, but they never needed to be. Devoid of the over-bombastic stylings of some heavy metal or prog rock, Motörhead's punishing musical attack is best for people who don't like overthinking their rock music.

Most songs are short, and the album as a whole is good, if a little too predictable. Even the kinds of ideas that may have at some point suprised us, like their acoustic song ("Whorehouse Blues") on their last album, aren't suprising anymore (here it's the pseudo-power ballad type of thing on "God Was Never on your Side").

Some songs are a tad bitter darker than average Motörhead, with even gruffer vocals and heavier riffs ("Living in the Past"). For the most part, it's all expertly done Motörhead stuff. The main problem is that it's not particularly outstanding when compared to anything else from their catalog and it's pretty predictable, all in all. However, you'd have to think that this is exactly the way you would want them to be playing - at this stage they cannot suddenly indulge in 8 minute keyboard solos or take stabs at rap-metal - Motörhead has to be Motörhead, and we wouldn't want it other way.

The riffing is furious - for that I give a lot of credit to Campbell, but his solos are pretty meh. There is essentially no filler but hardly anything truly great - it's a pretty well done and cool package, but the fact that it doesn't hit too many high points may make it frustrating for some. Lemmy's lyrics can go along with "sex and drugs and rock n' roll" pretty well for the most part, except for the reflective "God Was Never on Your Side". I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: Lemmy writes the smartest dumb lyrics ever.

Truthfully, there's not too much to say about this album.If you like Motörhead (and if you have any common sense, you do) you'll like this CD. If you don't, you won't. It's as simple as that. Motörhead isn't out to suprise anyone, it's out to please the fans. This means that the few weaklings in this world who still do not like them won't suddenly convert. The rest of us, however, can enjoy another fine ride of good, loud and fast rock music.

-Luis

Ian Gillan - Gillan's Inn

2006-09-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

72%
Although it's hard to tell from the inexplicably lame (and almost disturbing) cover, Ian Gillan is the legendary voice behind British hard rock icons Deep Purple (though he was also known for a one year stint with Black Sabbath and the leading role in "Jesus Christ Superstar"). This album follows a recent trend for older rock stars where small side projects are released as a way to keep diehard fans happy, although it seems they are not intended for the main part of their personal canon. Ex-bandmate Richie Blackmore did it earlier this year as Blackmore's Night (where he re-recorded the Deep Purple classic "Child in Time"), and here Ian has made an album completely comprised of re-recorded takes on some classic songs, both from his time in Deep Purple and his solo catalog (a career retrospective, as he calls it).

Gillan has enlisted some famous friends (Satriani, Iommi, Dio) to spice things up and bring a little new life into the old songs. The songs have a really polished feel to them, which may be a disappointment to some, but in a way it also adds more new sound to the old songs. Gillan has lost a step with age, unfortunatly, but he obviously still is an amazing singer. It's hard not to feel a rush of excitement when he really goes for the high stuff. "Bluesy Blue Sea", a song from his solo career now re-recorded with Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers, is the first song where he hits higher notes, and is greatly aided by a backing which sounds great and a nice solo from Janick.

Probably the main draw for listeners is the appearance of great guitarists playing the old songs, and thankfully the names don't dissapoint. For example, ex-Scorpions guitarist Uli John Roth adds a lot of new life to "Day Late and a Dollar Short". Although perhaps the most exciting name in the group is Joe Satriani. Best known as an instrumental rock virtuoso, "Satch" also filled in for Ritchie Blackmore during a Deep Purple tour back in the days, though he never recorded with them. Satriani is in 3 songs on here, and it's nice to hear him in a more rock band song context than a guitar virtuoso instrumental rock setting.

Ian also teams up with a few other old bandmates: ex-Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord on "Men of War" and his old Deep Purple rhythm section of Ian Paice and Roger Glover on four songs. Other former, although less "classic", bandmates join Ian, such as the beformentioned Satriani, Tony Iommi (from Ian's stinit in Sabbath), Steve Morse (Deep Purple's new guitarist), and Michael Lee Jackson (from Ian's solo band).

The new take on the Deep Purple classic "Speed King", featuring Satriani, is lackluster (especially since Gillan doesn't recreate his performance well enough). However the new take on the megaclassic, iconic song, "Smoke on the Water" (featuring essentially the rest of the current Deep Purple line-up), feels right and sounds inspired if not especially different than before. Morse's new solo and a new drum part (is that a conga?) sound good in the midst of the legendary riff, and Ian sounds as good as he did originally.

The good thing is the songs are obviously compelling, the musicianship is excellent, and the production beats any 1970's production. The bad thing obviously, is you're just getting a bunch of old songs that do not sound especially different than beforen (and you're most likely to just prefer the originals). As such, it's pretty much either for diehard fans, or perhaps for newcomers to get a taste of Ian Gillan (especially his solo career). A nice addition is the DVD portion of the album, on the flipside of the CD (it's a DualDisc). I think for a lot of people, actually seeing Iommi or Satriani along with Gillan is cooler than just listening to it. Overall, it's non-essential, but it delivers on it's premise.

-Luis

Dudley Perkins - Expressions (2012 A.U.)

2006-06-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

80%
A genius producer teams up with a rapper-turned-singer-who-can't-really-sing for an album that's a clear throwback to the 70's. No, it's not Gnars Barkley, it's Dudley Perkins's new album, "Expressions (2012 A.U.)". Some may remember Dudley from when he got his start as MC Declaime on the Liks' breakthrough "Coast II Coast" album. Now under his government name and signed to indie rap's premier label, Stones Throw Records, he takes a stab at singing, with decidely interesting results. And who's the genius producer? Well, it's Stones Throw's in-house maestro, Madlib.

So how's his singing? Technically, pretty terrible. It's pretty obvious he has had no formal training of any sort. On the other hand, he's got something in there, maybe it's just loads of charisma, maybe it's his carefree attitude, maybe it's best described by words we cannot define but we know them when we hear them: funk and soul. You hear it in Eddie Hazel's guitar and Maceo Parker's horns and Bootsy Collins's bass, and you hear traces of it here. Actually, maybe Bootsy's singing is the best comparison, it's not so great in a lot of contexts, but in his Rubber String Band, it was incredibly appealing. It makes even Perkins himself ask, "Dudley, how'd you get so funky?", on the album's first track, "Funky Dudley".

As far as Madlib, he's only here to cement his reputation. Madlib's name might not be on the cover, but truly, this is his album. From the magnificently funky licks of "Funky Dudley" or the creeping keys and seductive bassline of "Come Here my Dear", it's all pretty incredible. Dudley wouldn't sound nearly as good over anyone else's production.

The lyrics are either sung or rapped or somewhere in between. Dudley manages to be appealing if not techinically incredible at any point (his rapping technique is by no means bad, but he's not Rakim). The lyrics revolve around different aspects of life - sadness, love, god, weed, so on. The truth is that Dudley's not an amazing lyrcist. Competent? By far. Amazing? No. However, he has a knack for honesty which works well for his delivery.

And as previously mentioned, weed plays a big part here. There's the sound - even the skit, "Domestic Interlude" has speakers which the people seemed to have intentionally lowered their pitch and appear incredibly high - and then there's direct references just in case you didn't get the clues.

Madlib has a knack for unpredictability. His beats stutter and samples come through at unexpected times. However, it doesn't sound random, just carefree. It really only adds to the whole feel of the CD. It's like he's driving a car and you're in the passenger seat: first he goes slowly, speeds up in a straight line, and just as you see your destination, he takes a sharp right turn and suddenly you're sent out flying, and just as soon as you feel like you're going to hit the ground, he's there again to pick you up, and you're at your destination. Sorry for the odd metaphor, but what I'm trying to say is this: he sets up an expectation in your mind with what he's going to do, then he does something completely different, but then somehow he always ends up where you thought he would.

While Perkins's previous album came off as a mess, "Expressions" has enough focus and organization to seem unified enough. Of course, it's by no means tight - it's way loose, actually, but there is at least focus throughout.

Although teaming up with a really capable singer with really great lyrics would have been awesome, part of the charm here is Dudley's everyman voice and his carefree honesty. Some songs, however, really suffer from a lack of a really well-sung hook, an example of this is "Inside". Then there's the "Domestic Interlude" and "The Last Stand", which have music but are not really songs, and although they're not entirely without merit, they do seem kind of pointless.

At the end, the album begins to lose focus a bit, but thankfully "Dear God" is a really strong closer, funny but at the same time touching. There's even a conversation with God about weed thrown in there.

"Expressions (2012 A.U.)" works best as a whole, and it probably sounds best while under the influence of marry-wanna. Madlib's musical recycling, cut-and-paste genius cannot be overstated here - he's really cemented his position as hip-hop's most creative, consistent producer. Dudley complements the music well, and manages to overcome technical shortcomings to sound appealing and especially entertaining. It's really just a fun, well-made, funky ride.

- Luis

Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom

2006-06-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

71%
"The truth kinda hurts, don’t it motherfucker?"

If I gave you a hundred guesses to figure out which guest vocalist sings those words on this CD, you would probably never guess Norah Jones. There probably isn't an easier way to underscore how different this album is to what your expectations may be for it.

But to call Mike Patton different or unpredictable would be an understatement. Best known as the lead singer of alternative metal outfit Faith No More, Patton split into several projects - everything from heading avant-garde bands like Mr. Bungle and Fantomas to singing with metalcore/jazz-fusion band The Dillinger Escape Plan to collaborating with the foremost DJ group in the world, The X-Ecutioners. After getting to more avant-garde extremes musically, his vocals were less sung words but more screams, growls, and sound effects.

Perhaps the last thing anyone expected Mike Patton to do then, is to tone down his experimental nature and announce that he was making a pop album. Or perhaps we should have all expected it, considering Patton has a track record of doing the unexpected.

Either way, Peeping Tom is Patton's new project where he collaborates with a guest artist for every song. According to him, it's his attempt at making a pop record, or what he would put on the radio if he controlled it, but it's by no means Patton singing along to your average pop-rock music - for the most part, actually, it has a strong trip-hop bent. Patton is almost unmatched in terms of pure vocal talent, and here he cuts down on the weird vocal stylings for more straight-up singing.

Despite advertised as a bit of a pop album, "Peeping Tom" is hardly accessible. As an example, I could barely bring myself to really listen to the trip-hop/D'n'B of "Don't Even Trip" (featuring Amon Tobin).

The second song, "Mojo" opens with the world's foremost beat-boxer, Rahzel, doing a jungle-type beat. The beat, no doubt constructed by the other collaborator, Dan "The Automator", keeps on with the eeire electronics with a little beatboxing from Rahzel mixed in.

Old-school innovator turned indie rap hero Kool Keith guests on "Get Away", although it seems the other way around: Keith does all the verses while Patton handles the hook. Although being reduced to hook singer on your own album might not be such a good thing, I actually did enjoy that song a bit.

The next song, "Your Neighborhood Spaceman" (his second collaboration with Odd Nosdam) has keys eerily reminiscent of Aerosmith's seminal power ballad "Dream On". Patton does deviate from singing a little on this song, doing a quasi-rap. It actually works quite well, and the song is one of the album's high points. He does deviate at points from his singing throughout the album, from a vocal freakout on the opener "Five Seconds" to a whisper on "Mojo".

His collaboration with Massive Attack, "Kill the DJ" isn't as good as it could have been, given the amount of talent involved. Going from eerie electronica/hip-hop/metal type sounds, I was suprised to hear "Caipirinha". It features Bebel Gilberto (João Gilberto's daughter) to a bossa-nova-tinged backing. Semi-suprisingly, the song shifts to chunky synths on the chorus before returning to the acoustic guitar-driven verses.

"How U Feelin'?" features Doseone, and it may be good as far as Anticon goes, but then again, Anticon sucks. Then there's the bizarre Norah Jones duet "Sucker", which is as weird as the rest of the album. Norah's breathy delivery of the "motherfucker" line comes off as awkward, but then again, it might kill the point if it wasn't. The album closes with another eeire number: the "We're Not Alone" remix featuring the Dub Trio. Patton sings in a falsetto for a bit, then briefly two hard rock guitar chords and two crashes are hit and he's in a full-on scream. Then he goes back to the falsetto and the music relaxes again. Then the chorus hits hard again. Mike Patton is about the only guy who can pull it off as well as he does here, and the song is about as close as pop/rock this album comes to.

Although there were claims that Mike Patton had made a pop record, those claims are pretty much untrue. Although Mike reigns in a bit (this isn't the "metal dadaism" of Fantomas nor the chaos of the Dillinger Escape Plan), it'd be a real stretch to call "Peeping Tom" "accesible". Patton flirts with electronica and hip-hop about as much each, resulting in a trip-hop vibe. The real star here though, is Mike's vocals: few can pull off what he does so effectively throughout the album. "Peeping Tom" is Patton's most accessible project since Faith No More, so both Patton fans and Faith No More fans will eat it up. That being said, however, it doesn't make enough of a grab to a more accessible sound to appeal to a mainstream audience to garner too many new fans. Of course, that to many is commendable so it hardly seems like fair criticism. On the other hand, I didn't find enough compelling music to justify that. In other words, Mike's attempt at a pop record seems half-hearted, which only ends up weakening his own experimental nature and doesn't add enough in the way of accessibility to make up for it.

- Luis

Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe

2006-06-17T01:31:00.000-07:00

78%
Les Claypool is definitely not your average rock bassist. Best known for his stint in the funk-metal band Primus, Claypool has won legions of supporters not only for his virtuosity, but for his quirky sense of humour. At the same time, some find his playing overly self-indulgent and his humour too weird or out of place.

Claypool's bass playing is intricate, complex, and yet always groovy. He combines elements of heavy metal, funk, and progresive rock into his own unique style - his main inspirations are Geddy Lee of Rush and Larry Graham of Sly & the Family Stone.

With Claypool's new solo outing, "Of Whales and Woe", he doesn't set out to change those opinions much. Instead, he does what he does best: he plays the hell out of the bass guitar and he makes unapolageticaly odd music with odd lyrics.

While Claypool has always been the dominant force in his many bands (usually playing bass and doing vocals, even in supergroups like Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains and Oysterhead), this dominance is much more pronounced on his solo album, which is logical, being that it is a solo record. Not only is there less guitar than in his other bands, but when there is a guitar, it's Claypool playing it. Not only that, but he also plays drums. To support him, he brings in saxophonist Skerik and vibraphonist Mike Dillon (both from Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade) and multi-instrumentalist Gabby La La.

The opener, "Back Off Turkey" is an interesting song which serves mostly as an introduction. His 2 children play on it, which is also interesting. In the end however, it's not something you would want to hear more than once.

Which brings us to the second track, "One Better". The cut opens with a funky bass groove which Claypool seems to be constantly changing throughout the song. It has all sorts of weird instrumentation, but it doesn't sound just weird for the hell of it. It actually works pretty well. Even still, the focus remains on the bass.

"Lust Stings" features more guitar work and some really odd singing from Claypool. It's the kind of odd work some will adore and others won't "get" (count me in the latter group for the most part). The title track doesn't do much for me until Claypool breaks into a full jam, where he displays his considerable chops. The Indian-tinged "Vernon the Company Man" features Gabby La La on sitar. Les's vocals are mostly spoken, and it sounds like a poem set to music. Gabby La La actually takes center stage for the most part, with her soloing and Claypool providing a pulsating rhythm with his bass.

"Phantom Patriot" returns to another funky bass riff with quasi-rap vocals and an intentionally over-the-top chorus (made to the reflect the superhero-ish vibe of the subject matter) that grows on you.

A lot of these songs sound like Captain Beefheart or Frank Zappa and the Mothers, especially due to the vibraphone work and Claypool's sillyness and narrator vocal style. However, a lot of them sound like Graham Central Station due to the funky bass playing.

"Iowan Girl" has very little else but Claypool playing bass (I've heard people do that with a six string guitar, but not wit a bass guitar). The vocals are made up of quirky singing about girls from Iowa. Finally about halfway through a bassdrum and a tamoburine kick in and Claypool makes the bass guitar melt with a ridiculous solo. It's probably the best song on here.

Included in here is the theme song to the goofball "Robot Chicken" series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The fact that it doesn't sound out of place on here should speak volumes about just how quirky Les can be.

To me, alot of times Les's vocals can get in the way of his playing. Sometimes they can add to it, but a lot of times they are just odd additions that the song could do without. Perhaps acknowledging this slightly, Claypool ends the album on the instrumental "Off-White Guilt" (I chuckled at the song title - how often does that happen? Not often enough since the days of the days of Sheik Yerbouti, I say). It's another interesting musical composition, even if Claypool doesn't get to shine too much on it.

This is one of Claypool's more consistently good non-Primus outings. This is a must for all that love Claypool, and fans of Primus will not be dissapointed. Bass freaks will probably thoroughly enjoy Claypool's solos and bass lines. People more in the middle (like me) will find things to like - namely some groovy basslines and some awesome solos, and things that don't work as well - like the vocals or the oddball instrumentation. For the rest and the uninitiated, it will likely fly way over their heads (this is probably not the place to start). Claypool is an acquired taste, but for those who have acquired it, "Of Whales and Woe" is highly reccomended.

- Luis

Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang

2006-06-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

56%
Ever since exploding on the scene on A Tribe Called Quest's posse cut "Scenario", Busta Rhymes had a knack for stealing the show through his sheer manical energy. In recent efforts, however, we all became accustomed to it. Suddenly, his unmatched voice felt tired. The relatively low sales of his last album, "It Ain't Safe No More" furthered this point.

At the same time, New York, the birthplace of hip-hop and it's most dominant city commercially has been experiencing a slow decline. Currently, Southern hip-hop is reigning, at least in terms of sales. Busta Rhymes has envisioned a comeback - not only for him, but for the whole New York scene. His album titles have a tendency towards hyperbole (example: "Extinction Level Event (Final World Front)") and irrelevancy ("Anarchy") but "The Big Bang" is neither. It's exactly the kind of impact he wants to make.

Now signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath label, he has the monetary and artistic backing to attempt such an important record. From the opener, "Get You Some", there is a wealth of talent working together. Not only is it produced by Dr. Dre, it features Q-Tip (ex-ATCQ) and Marsha from Floetry (no, not the one with the fucked up teeth. The fat mannish-looking one.) Dre's production has weird keyboard work and booming drums, and it wouldn't have sounded that out of place on a 50 Cent album. Busta uses it as an expression of purpose. In the end, it's alright, but it's no big bang.

The big single, "Touch It" is produced by Swizz Beatz and samples Daft Punk. Busta does an admirable effort, switching from a relaxed rap to the full madman shouting in seconds. Unfortunatly, the chorus is annoying and it doesn't have much musically going on. However, credit must be given for not including any of the 87 "Touch It" remixes that have popped up randomly here and there.

"New York Shit" is an attempt at an accompanying anthem to Busta's planned New York revitalization. Swizz handles the chorus, but it's produced by DJ Scratch who takes from a Diamond D beat pretty much entirely.

In case you're missing the trend, there's an average of more than one guest star per song. "Been through the Storm" even brings in Stevie Wonder, but only to sing. It's a wasted shot however - not only because of the generic (although not bad) production (courtesy of Sha Money XL and Dr. Dre) but because he sings generic lyrcs in manner like he's imitating Wyclef Jean imitating Bob Marley.

To further prove the point, not only does he bring in Stevie, he brings in Rick James back from the dead on THE NEXT TRACK (by heavily sampling "Ghetto Life"). The song ("In the Ghetto") is produced by DJ Green Lantern with help from Dr. Dre, and it works for the most part except for the alternatively super high pitched and super low pitched voices that sing "In the Ghetto", which come off as either laughable or irritating or laughably irritating.

I actually enjoyed the next 3 songs (to varying degrees) - "Cocaina" (featuring Marsha, produced by Dr. Dre), "Goldmine" (featuring Raekwon, produced by Erick Sermon) and especially "You Can't Hold a Torch" (featuring Q-Tip and Chauncey Black, produced by the late J-Dilla). "Torch" has a throwback vibe, accentuated by a nice guest appearance from Q-Tip.

The roll is interrupted by the cliche of "I Love my Bitch" featuring Kelis and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am. Thankfully, the album returns to better songs with "Don't Get Carried Away" featuring a pretty good guest shot from Nas and a somewhat over the top but still entertaing beat from Dr. Dre.

The next song is "They're Out to Get Me", produced by "Mr." Denaun Porter (member of D-12, or is it D-10 now?), who has been playing keyboards all throughout the album, and it actually works pretty well. He also sings (perhaps deliberatly) off-key, which should have been re-thought. After the kinda meh "Get Down" (produced by Timbaland), we end on 2 odd songs. First, there's "I'll do it All", (featuring Laitoya Jackson), with all sorts of weird keyboard work and no bassdrum. Lastly, there is "Legend of the Fall Offs", an utterly bleak end to the album with a weird sound effect for a snare and some crickets chirping. It also kinda works for what it is.

To Busta's credit, he delivers pretty well and manages to shine through the slew of guest stars. It's weird when Busta has to steal even his *own* show, but it shows how good he can be that he's mostly successful at it.

Inexplicably, 3 songs which are better than most of what's on here that had already been released are not present. First, there is "Rough around the Edges", featuring Nas over a haunting choir-based beat. It's slightly better than the Nas featured song on the actual album. Then there's "I'll Hurt You", a song that features Eminem and a stop-and-start violin-based beat courtesy of Scott Storch. Lastly, there is "Where's Your Money?", another beat supplied by the late J-Dilla featuring the late Ol' Dirty Bastard working his usual genius. Those last 2 songs are better than anything on the actual album, so I have no idea why they were cut.

Ultimatley, for all the lofty goals and the amount of money funneled into this project, "The Big Bang" is mostly a disappointment. Loyal Busta fans won't be all that dissapointed, since he brings his usual style with enough twists to not sound too tired, but the rest of us won't find much to like. My advice: run your Soulseek or your Limewire or whatever it is you have (and I know you have it, you internets pirates), and get "You Can't Hold a Torch", "I'll Hurt You" and "Where's Your Money?". 'Cause a "Big Bang" this is not.

- Luis

Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

2006-06-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

79%
After a string of solo albums as side projects, Graham Coxon enters his sixth as only his second after being a member of Blur. While ex-bandmate Damon Albarn may be drawing the most attention for his Gorillaz group and electronic/trip-hop work, Coxon direction remains on what brought him here: Britpop with loud guitars.

Coxon main role is guitarist, and he still is admirable. He performs all the instruments on the album, and it's hard to complain. As a singer, he does a good job even if you could replace him with a dozen other British singers and it wouldn't do much of a difference.

Coxon recalls punk-pop in the pre-Blink 182 era - it's fun and loud and catchy but not stupid. "I Can't Look At Your Skin" is a good example of this, a catchy, high-energy song with a pretty cool guitar lead. Then, on track 4, "Just A State of Mind" he slows down. Quite thankfully, Coxon delivers pretty solidly on these as well.

But the real point of the album are the rocking numbers like "Gimme Some Love". Despite this, some of the slower songs are needed or else it would get rather redundant.

Unsuprisingly, the lyrics in "Love Travels at Illegal Speeds" deal with love, and all aspects of it. Of course, 9 out of 10 songs ever written are about some form of love, so it's quite easy to fall into cliche. Coxon falls into a lot of cliches, but thankfully he doesn't repeat them very often. Some songs are pretty cliche but they are sung with enough feeling and with good enough music to excuse the lyrics - "What's He Got?" is a pretty good example of this.

The album doesn't have a lot of suprising turns. It's mostly all pretty solid Britpop. And it may be for the better - sure it's not much but britpop-punk, but it's good at what it does.

Fans of Blur will probably enjoy this, and fans of Coxon's previous solo work will no doubt like it (it's probably Coxon's best solo album to date). People looking for a good, energetic and catchy bit of Britpop will surely be satisfied. Just don't expect that much else, because it's not much else. And really, why should it be?

- Luis

The Coup - Pick a Bigger Weapon

2006-06-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

79%
Radically political music has not found a platform for popularity in the modern day. Essentially, big record companies do not want to sign an artist that opposses "the system", because, well, the compaines are part of the system. More simply put, what CEO would sign The Coup, famous for their song "5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO", (sample lyrics: "you could throw a twenty in a vat of hot oil / when he jump in after it, watch him boil")?

Radically political, Oakland's The Coup has been making music since 1993. The group is compromised of rapper Raymond "Boots" Riley and DJ Pam the Funktress. They are perhaps unfortunatly best remembered for their infamous unreleased album cover (made before 9/11) where they are shown in front of an explosion going off in the World Trade Center. Their love for 70's funk mixed with contemporary politics, as well as their attempts to portray a hard political message while still creating invigorating music that would not sound out of place at a party recalls Public Enemy.

The Coup hires a few people to perform live instrumentation reminiscent of 70's music, particularly funk or soul. Also, some of the songs have a considerable Prince tinge to them (re-inforced by the more "sexy" lyrics offered on some songs by Riley). The live band features Tony Toni Toné's Dwayne Wiggins and alumni of Maze, Parliament and The Gap Band.

The album doesn't pick up until track 3, "Laugh, Love, Fuck", thanks to it's funky lead synth and slap bass. Track 4, "My Favorite Mutiny" tries an Issac Hayes-type soul which works really well, and features good guest verses from Black Thought (of the Roots) and Talib Kweli. The chorus doesn't work as well, but it kind of grows on you. The song takes on a suprising instrumental portion at the end, which is unexpected but also really cool.

Indie rap has a tendency to be overly pretentious and "intelligent and deep" (read: boring), something that this album's label, Epitaph (the most successfull indie label ever, I do believe) has been a stronghold for. Given this, it's nice to hear a group that still wants to have fun.

At the same time, given Oakland's now-semi-mainstream "hyphy" movement (advertised as the new "crunk" of 2006), it's also nice to hear a group from that area sounding so different (remember when everyone in Atlanta wanted to sound like Lil' Jon? Yeah, now everyone in Oakland wants to sound like E-40. It's a little ridiculous, if you ask me, but I digress). The group sounds smart and diverse but at the same time fun, which is a real plus (to quote Chris Rock: "some conscious rappers need some ignorant beats").

"IJustWannaLayAroundAllDayAndBeWithYou" has a sexy soul Curtis Mayfield-ish vibe to it, which is cool, but it doesn't really work as a rap song (and whoever sings on these choruses needs to get their act together). It also has a nice instrumental portion at the end. "Head (of State)" has a pretty good history rap from Boots Riley ("war ain't about one land against the next / it's poor people dyin' so the rich cash checks") with a terrible chorus ("Bush and Hussein together in bed / giving each other h-e-a-d, head!" Yeah. What?). It also doesn't have the kind of great enough music to excuse that chorus.

"ShoYoAss" has a Quiet Storm vibe (not really my thing) that works pretty well for what it is and but also has a nice funky keyboard solo at the end. "Yes 'Em to Death" is part of what I do believe is one of the worst trends to ever have affected hip-hop music. It's a "skit." 90% of these are horribly unfunny and a general waste of time, but thankfully this kind of serves a point - to introduce the next song. It's 1:17 long and 90% of it could have been cut to same the serve purpose.

The next song "Ass-Breath Killers" is kinda (but only kinda) funny (about fictional pills which make you stop kissing ass) and it has a pretty alright bit of keyboard and scratching and a real nice guitar at the end, although it's hardly special. "Get that Monkey off your Back" has a "Dirty Mind"-era Prince feel, which is a plus, but it kind of lacks really good vocals. The band keeps on a commendable roll with "Mindfuck (A New Equation)", although Boots tries his breathier, low-key flow which I'm not a big fan of. "Two Enthusiastic Thumbs Down!" features former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra doing a spoken-word bit, but its 1:15 long and it's not entertaining.

Lyrically, the album is really diverse and at times almost confusing - there's "Ass-Breath Killers" , "I Love Boosters!" (a light-heartedly funky song celebrating people who steal from department stores and re-sell the products), "Tiffany" (a story about a woman which sends a message in a story without preaching), etc.

"BabyLet'sHaveABabyBeforeBushDoSomethin'Crazy" (no, I have no idea what the point of ridonkulously long song titles with no spaces in them is) features R&B singer Silk E doing all the vocals, and it's kind of slow and not all that entertaining.

"Captain Sterling's Little Problem" features current Audioslave (and ex-Rage Against the Machine) guitar genius Tom Morello doing an OK wah-wah riff while the bass drum booms and the snare stutters. Unforuneatly it's nowhere near as cool as it should be, cause it sounds rather bare-bones (in an incomplete way) and the vocals aren't great either. At the end there's some weird sound which may or may not be a guitar solo (you never really know with Tom Morello). It's kind of interesting, but it's definitely no "Bulls on Parade". The album closes on a more D'Angelo-ish note with "The Stand", which is alright but not special.

Ultimately, The Coup does an admirable effort. Boots Riley never gets too serious and preachy but is able to deliver a message, and at times tries to be funny or silly. He's clever and good enough to almost make it all work, but it doesn't quite. The backing music is pretty solid throughout, although it kind of falters in the second half of the disc. The Coup draws heavily from Public Enemy and Prince, and despite not besting either's heydays, "Pick a Bigger Weapon" is a better album than any of those two's 2006 releases (think about that one). The Coup manages to be both smart and fun more often than not, and "Pick a Bigger Weapon" is largely a success.

- Luis

Schroeder's Songbook - Butterflies & Bellyaches

2006-06-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

86%

A lot of times your favorite artists are simply the ones that create the most relatable music. Not always does an album need to be embellished with enthralling recording quality or have lyrics that twist your brain into a pretzel. The album can just have that one endearing quality that could be anything from lyrics to instrumentals, just either way you feel like you connect through the album to the artist. When I listen to Butterflies & Bellyaches, the recent release by Schroeder’s Songbook, that is the feeling I get.

Indie is a term used loosely by a lot of people, and myself included. It’s a simple tag you can throw on any musician- indie pop, indie rock, indie dance, indie trance… you get the idea. Some people think indie can define a sound, whereas others believe it to be more like a style of life. If you asked me by sound whether Schroeder’s Songbook was indie, I would indubitably say no, however if you asked me if it was based on a style of life, I would absolutely say yes. Schroeder’s Songbook is a one man band composed of Charlie Hodgson, a DIY guy from Gaithersburg, Maryland, who does everything on the album from recording to singing, to writing, to playing the acoustic guitar.

Butterflies & Bellyaches is a 13 track album that unfolds like a journal of Charlie’s life. Just like when you read a journal, you skip to all the good parts that usually have nothing to do with happiness and a lot to do with broken hearts. Every song on the album (minus one or two) play out like a “screw you” to women in [his] life. While some may think this to be a fault, and under some circumstances I feel that way, the album still maintains its intensity through each track.
For the most part, the best quality of Schroeder’s Songbook can be found through the lyrics. “Missour/Misery” is the clever play on words, opening track for Butterflies and Bellyaches. “I’ve got these mix tapes/I’ve got these mistakes/I’m getting better at making both everyday/You’re the reason why Missouri and misery sound so much the same to me.” Songs like “The Thread” and “Headphones and Halos” include catchy lyrics paired with poppy acoustics that are bound to stick in your head for days on end. The album hits a climax with “John Cusack Movie,” a song alluding to John Cusack movies, such as Say Anything and High Fidelity. Honestly, John Cusack is the Holden Caulfield of movies just with a Clash t-shirt, who wouldn’t relate?

The album never gains much speed after “John Cusack Movie” due to the constant repetition of the theme heart break, which is heard in most all songs. Slowly you get a little drained and all you want is a song about anything other than love. Luckily though, after seven songs you get “NJ Coup De Grace,” but then it is back to the old ways.

Appreciate the recording on this album. Sure, it’s no Decemberists quality, but each song was recorded in one swoop, all at once. It’s hard to find any DIY band that doesn’t cut and paste pieces all over the place to create what they believe to be a “better” sound. In fact, the album almost sounds like it was mastered that way, yet at the same time it sounds completely original.

Despite the one or two flaws the album has, the positives outweigh the negatives by nearly an infinite amount and I would recommend Butterflies & Bellyaches to anyone who enjoys a solid acoustic act.

Check out the MP3 Section for some of Schroeder's Songbook's music.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

2006-06-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

66%
The Chili Peppers are back after a 4 year (damn, it's been that long?) hiatus. The band has been creating a funk-metal/alternative rock/rap/the kitchen sink fusion for quite a bit, and quite successfully so (both artistically and commercially). After their commercial success, perhaps they feel as though that they are at the top of their game and can't go wrong, and the ambition here is clear: it's a concept double album.

The first disc ("Jupiter") opens up with the big single: "Dani California", which has an addmittedly cool video where frontman Anthony Kiedis dresses up as Prince and then then they all dress up as the Sex Pistols and Nirvana and what have you. However, the actual song is rather unremarkable - not bad, but it's the expected Chili Peppers sound. It's also the millionth song dedicated to their home state. It seems that at the point in which they would want to step out of their mold, they go right back to it - not to mention it sounds suspiciously close to Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance".

Guitarist John Frusicante gets more than a few solos his way and bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary also gets a few opportunities to to showcase his talents, and both artists for the most part deliver. Drummer Chad Smith performs well enough and Kiedis does the rapping/singing thing of his as expected, but it's nothing special.

Producer Rick Rubin sounds exactly what a big-name producer shouldn't sound like: undistinctive. The sound he gives the Peppers is rather flat - not bad, just unremarkable.

Slow songs like the title track just drag - that song in particular is more than 5 minutes long. It's pop-rock sound is broken up by it's true-to-roots funk metal songs like "Hump de Bump" - a decent enough P-Funk-inspired rocker but nothing they haven't done better before (the chorus is pretty bad too). However, Flea has a tendency to shine on these tracks.

"She's Only 18" is Kiedis's (46) ode to his girlfriend, 18 at the time the song was written. A little creepy much? Ah fuck, maybe it's just me. "Slow Cheetah" is another pop-rock acoustic type song, with a rather retarded song title which leads to a rather retarded chorus. "Strip My Mind" is another long slow song that could be skipped. "Especially in Michigan" is a decent rocker with a guest shot from Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.

"Warlocks" is a pretty good funk-rock song especially due to the clavinet work from Billy Preston (R.I.P.), but the vocals get a little irritating, though thankfully it's short of three and a half minutes. The first CD cocludes with "Hey" another long (over 5 and a half minutes long) slow track that just comes off as boring.

And so we reach disc 2, "Mars". The opener, "Desecration Smile", is a slow 5-minute long song but it's the best one on here. "Tell Me Baby" opens up like it's another slow song but becomes another funk-rock song (with a nice bassline but otherwise irritating.)

"21st Century" is one of the better songs on here, with some nice work from Flea and Frusicante, although the lyrics could use some work.

The album maintains it's later-day RHCP sound of slow pop-rock mixed with a few rockers and some earlier-day funk-metal. When they try to reach out, it's actually rather uninteresting ("If") or a mess (the weird spoken word bit on "Death of a Martian")

"So Much I" has an exciting punk/funk kind of sound that the album is short on. The band goes on a long (more than 6 minutes) rocker with "Turn It Again" which is pretty good if a little too long. "Death" of a Martian" ends the album with a semi spoken word bit with guitar soloing going around.

Finally, after 28 tracks spanning over 2 hours, the double album is over. Flea is pretty much excellent throughout, John Frusicante is a bit hit-or-miss but good overall, Chad Smith is versatile and solid but not spectacular, and Anthony Keidis does a comptent if unispiring job on vocals.

It's really not much of a concept album, it's only vaguely so. But it's definitely a double album in that it's way too long and way too average for anybody but hardcore fans to like. There is no truly bad song in here, but there is no truly good song in here either. The repetitive themes, production, guitar tones, and style (which is kind of the same the Chili Peppers have been pushing for the past however many years) just addds to this. They fuse earlier days of the Chili Peppers, but they don't do them any better nor in any new way. It's listenable, and you won't hate it, but at the end of the day, it all seems rather unnecessary.

- Luis

The Derek Trucks Band - Songlines

2006-06-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

91%
The Allman Brothers Band was a Southern blues-rock band that hit it's peak popularity in the 70's. The brothers were Gregg (vocals) and Duane (slide/lead guitar). Duane was known as a guitar virtuoso, possibly the best slide guitar player that ever lived. Tragically, in 1971, Duane died before his 25th birthday in a motorcycle accident. Then, bassist Berry Oakley died in a similar motorcylce accident just three blocks away from the site of Duane's accident.

The band continued with its other revered guitarist, Dicky Betts, taking most of the guitar duties. The band went through a couple of guitarists over the years, until finally, in 1999, the band found a new slide guitar virtuoso to replace Betts, drummer Butch Trucks's nephew Derek Trucks.

Trucks is 27 years old. He was the youngest guitarist to be on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time list. He was born 10 years after the first Allman Brothers Band album. Derek Trucks is widely recognized as a slide guitar wizard - he has been since his teen years. He wants more than that.

"Songlines" is an attempt to create something besides the Allman Brothers Band, something that exceeds what we perceive of Derek Trucks. It's so we can see Derek not only as an incredible guitarist, but also as a real bandleader and songwriter with diverse influences and sounds.

The Derek Trucks band has added a permanent vocalist in Mike Mattison, who has a strong voice reminiscent of Gregg Allman, but at the same time a suprisingly soulful falsetto. He brings some consistency to the songs and adds a more vocals-oriented approach to the band.

Trucks has set forth a wide variety of influences in this album. The band is both adventerous enough to try something different and good enough to pull it off. Take for example their version of jazz legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "Volunteered Slavery" or Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's "Sahib Teri Bandi/Maki Madni" or reggae founding father Toots Hibbert's "Sailing On".

The album gets a lot of depth from the strong percussive work of Count Mbutu. The band's base of slide guitar blues is strongly expanded towards jazz, soul, and Eastern music which the band has been known to play live. Even though the band has a distinct jam band reputation, the songwriting is tight enough to focus on songs and not loose jamming. The group never falls victim to endless doodling and sounds focused throughout.

Their take on the traditional "Crow Jane" features Mattison singing in a soulful falsetto with some incredible blues guitar work by Trucks. The instrumental medley of "Sahib Teri Bandi/Maki Madni" showcases what great slide guitar players do - sound thoroughly human through their instrument. Trucks manages to do that and at the same time adhere to the Pakistani sound (the songs are literally hundreds of years old and based around Sufi prayer). On keyboards and flutes, Kofi Burbridge comes in at crucial times to provide different aspects while bassist Todd Smallie plays "in the pocket" and around drummer Yonrico Scott.

The resonating delta blues guitar in "Chevrolet" sounds incredibly fresh coupled with the unusual percussion, while Mattison returns with his usual gruff tone. Their twist on Toots and the Maytals' "Sailing On" is mellow, with swooping guitar work from Trucks. The original tune of "Revolution" is slick and anthemic in a pop/blues/rock kinda way. On the soulful "I'd Rather be Blind, Crippled, & Crazy", the band manages to incorporate a reggae sound and a popping bassline. Meanwhile, Mattison switches from the gruff tone to the falsetto in the middle of the song. However, it all makes sense - the album never sounds confused in it's eclecticism. Instead it's variety is one of it's strongest points.

The band's take on "I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)" has the unmistakable sound of 70's soul -with its rumbling bassline, piano work and handclaps -0 but has the addition of Trucks on guitar, soloing and working in tandem with the vocals. The album concludes with "The Sky", an original compostion which serves to close the album with a jazz/blues sensibility.

On paper, "Songlines" may come off as impenetrable, but in reality it's far from it. It's actually quite accessible, and if anything it's a tad too accessible for some. Some songs aren't as good, but in general the music is beautiful. Some of the lyrics could use some work, but the instrumentation is always superb. The mix of eclectic styles is also a strong draw.

Derek Trucks is one of the most humble guitar heroes ever. He doesn't approach his band as a way of creating some sort of backing for him to show while approaching songs as excersizes in guitar wankery, like far too many guitar virtuosos do. Rather, he works as a band crafting actual songs, with an emphasis on substance over style. Even still, Trucks can't help but to steal the show. Slide guitars are intended to sound like a singing voice and Trucks can make his sound like a soulful singer or a wailing delta bluesman or an Eastern mystic. He is perhaps rivaled only by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts as the best slide guitarist ever.

The album is triumphant. This is Truck's coming of age, from prodigy and guitar hero to full-flegded bandleader and songwriter. It's also the band's finest album to date.

-Luis

Rebel Meets Rebel - Rebel Meets Rebel

2006-06-10T07:12:00.002-07:00

73%
On the 24th anniversary of John Lennon's death, guitar hero "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot 5 times and killed onstage. He was a member of Damageplan, but he was best-known as a member of Pantera, one of the more talented rock bands of the 90's.

Sometime during the breakup of Pantera and the first Damageplan album, 3/4's of Pantera teamed up with outlaw country singer David Allen Coe to create a country/metal fusion album. The lineup consisted of Dimebag (guitar), his brother Vinnie (drums), and Rex Brown (bass) with Coe doing vocals.

Appropiatly, they titled the project "Rebel Meets Rebel". Though initially the combination may sound a little suprising, one can see the similiarities between the artists. Both share a penchant for drinking and possess tough guy, "outlaw" images. Both share cultural and geographic backgrounds - coming from the South, reffering to themselves as outlaws or cowboys. Pantera's signature song is called "Cowboys from Hell" (that's what the CFH on this album cover stands for) while David Allan Coe pioneered the "outlaw" country style.

Now, about a year and a half after Dimebag's death and over 5 years after recording began, the project has finally been released on Vinnie Paul's Big Vin Records. This may smack some as exploitation as it is the only album released so far on the label (the only other product is a DVD called "Dimevisions, Vol. 1" which focus on Dimebag Darrell). However, it seems that these supsiciouns are rather unfounded - it appears as though Dimebag would have liked to have seen this album released and it was in a state he would have wanted it to be (keep in mind that he died a year after they had finished recording).

The album opens up with "Nothin' to Lose", containing a suprisingly funk-metal-ish vibe, with a popping bass. The oddball country/metal touches aren't suprising - check the fiddle solo on the title track (yes, the song, album, and artist are called "Rebel Meets Rebel") - sure, it's weird to have fiddling in metal but that is expected in this kind of a fusion album. The unexpected turns are stuff like the funk touches or the piano or the acoustic 30 second instrumental "Panfilo".

The whole drinking, we're-from-Texas, eagles-and-confederate-flags, redneck-y vibe can be a little tiresome. For some, it may be part of the whole charm, but to me, it's a tad overdone. Both Coe and Pantera, and more generally metal and country, have a tendency to go with the drinking/partying/outlawing themes, and it's definitely still prevalent here.

The lyrics (entirely written by Coe, Dimebag & Vinnie wrote all the music) get a little tired and immature, especially on songs like "Cowboys Do More Dope" ("Country music stars like to catch a buzz / They like to smoke alotta weed...Cowboys do more dope than rock and rollers!" Um, yeah. Whatever.) There's a few breaks from the genre cliches, including the somewhat confusing "Cherokee Cry", where Coe sings "Get off our sacred grounds, won't you leave the dead alone? / Let the eagle fly and the buffalo roam, and give us back our homes!". As far as I know, none of the band members are Cherokees of any sort (but I could be wrong) and they don't intend to give up their lands to any Cherokees any time soon. On the other hand, the subject matter is a lot more substantial, which is a welcome break.

Coe's voice is distinctive but it may be tough for Pantera fans to get used to (although the vocals have a tendency to grow on you). Fans of Coe's work will probably find it even tougher to adjust to the abrasive musical attack. Rex Brown delivers some of his better moments while Vinnie Paul has a pretty tight performance. But the real star here, of course, is Dimebag. Fans of Pantera (and metal in general) will no doubt, if nothing else, appreciate Dimebag's strong riffing and distinctive sound. His solo on "Get Outta My Life" (featuring Hank Williams III) is what air guitars were made for.

This album is a rather bold experiment, and it works as an album a bunch of guys would get together and drink beer to. Pantera fans should take a listen before buying, and David Allan Coe fans should be especially cautious. However, it is a must for Dimebag completists.

"Rebel Meets Rebel" is likely (barring the release of demos from the incomplete second Damageplan album, something Vinnie has discussed doing) the last we will hear from Dimebag Darrell's guitar. Which is a damn shame. Dimebag was a very talented muscian, and, more importantly, we have heard time and time again how much of a good man he was. Riff in peace, brother Dime.

-Luis

Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

2006-06-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

84%
When the general population heard of the new Bruce Springsteen album, the news wasn't exactly met with unanimous anticipation. Firstly, it's Springsteen's second non-E Street Band album in a row. Secondly, it is The Boss's first all-covers album (interestingly, he covers songs sung by and associated with Peter Seeger, but none were actually written by him). It all doesn't sound very promising.

Suprisingly, it works. "We Shall Overcome" was recorded quickly, with a band with limited experience playing together. The band plays loosely, resulting in a rather invigorating record. Like any good folk music, it has it's share of social/political commentary, but at the same time it never beats anybody over the head with it - it's subtle, relying on stories about the people with politics as an inevitable result. For example. it's hard to hear "Mrs. McGrath", where Springsteen laments a mother's loss of a child in a war, without thinking about the current stiuation in Iraq.

The album epitomizes a few aspects of folk music in it's fun, sing-along atmosphere. It's quite suprising that an acclaimed songwriter with a rockstar image could work so well, indeed better than he has in a while, playing covers as a down-to earth folk singer. Although on the other hand, maybe it shouldn't - after all, Bruce is firmly rooted in American tradition and firmly ingrained in contemporary American culture ("Born in the USA", anyone?). It was Pete Seeger himself who said "plagiarism is the basis of all culture." So maybe a tribute to Pete Seeger covering songs he didn't write is quite fitting.

"We Shall Overcome" manages to offer a nice chunk of variety by exploring the wide spectrum of styles included in the catch-all genre that is folk - including Zydeco, bluegrass, etc. At the same time, the album is influenced by different - although still decidedly American - genres: gospel, rock 'n roll, etc.

The band is made up of relative unknowns instead of the much more famous E Street band. Of the twelve musicians listed, I know only three. I know Mark Pender (trumpet) and Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg (trombone) but only from TV, playing with the Max Weinberg 7. The other artist I know is Patti Scialfa (backing vocals), but only because she's married to the Boss himself. Bruce sings with a raspy, Tom Waits-ish voice, helping the songs differentiate themselves from both the Seeger versions and Springsteen's previous work pretty nicely.

The music tends to rock, going for a joyous sounds perhaps best accomplished on "O Mary Don't You Weep" - thanks to it's rather unexpected mix of sounds (violin, trombone, fiddle, etc.) and some really effective backup vocals. The album slows down for a much different effect every now and then on songs like "Shenandoah"

Springsteen and his band sound loose, relaxed, and (most of all) just having fun when they play (alcohol was definitely a factor). The album was recorded in 3 day-long sessions, with no previous rehearsals (perhaps what Bruce refers to when he talks of music being "made" instead of "played"). The result is an uplifting, fun album. It's folksy sound may be derided by some (you know who you are) but in the end it's hard to find too much fault in the execution. Sure, personally I could have done with less banjo and more piano, but that's besides the point. If there's one knock against this this album, is that it sounds a bit contrived at times (especially these banjo parts) - its everyday atmosphere a little hard to believe when you realize the prices he's charging for tickets at his concerts.

In the end, however, it's about the music. It's hard not to enjoy an album that was put together by people who enjoyed putting it together so much. The joy is infectious.

-Luis

Tom Zé - Estudando o Pagode: Na Opereta Segregamulher e Amor

2006-06-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

75%
Tom Zé is 70 years old. He is a legend, having secured a high place in Brazilian culture, with probably nothing left to prove. Even so, he is by no means stuck in the past - well into the second half of his life, he still attmpts to sound cutting-edge and avant-garde. Zé feels a need to stay relevant in the present times and deliver a message, perhaps best explained with his most famous quotation: "I don't make art, I make spoken and sung journalism."

The title, "Estudando o Pagode: Na Opereta Segregamulher e Amor", reveals alot about the album. Firstly, "Estudando o Pagode" literally means "studying the pagode." Pagode is a Brazilian musical style which fuses Samba with African rhythms, performed electronically in its modern incarnation. The subheading reveals the central themes of the album, one being women's struggle against oppression and the other being love, while the word "opereta" ("operetta ", a small opera) hints at the scope and unity of the record.

The album is driven by its message. This, ultimately, is a disadvantage for those who do not speak Portugese. It is a shame, since the message may the album's strongest and more important aspect. Zé manages to contain classical elements of drama, female empowerment, typical pagode machoist attitudes, and so on. The overriding theme, however, is the oppression of women throughout history, and thus, the album's focus time travels quite often.

Sonically, "Estudando o Pagode" is ambitious and complex. That said, however, some listeners will no doubt find the sound off-putting at times. As is the case with a lot of artists who attempt to break the mold, most people will likely either hate it or love it (think of The Mars Volta, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fanotmas, etc). Unusual instrumentation is plentiful - I'm pretty sure I heard leaves used as wind instruments and typwriters and kitchen utensils as percussion.

However, there is certainly some level of accesibility here - a suprising amount, to be honest. For every rather bizarre song like "Pagode - Enrredo Dos Tempos do Medo", there's some rather accessible songs like "Canção de Nora" or "Duas Opiniões."

Although the concept behind the album is very important, the songs do stand as their own entities. None are too long or over-indulgent (as is the case too many times in experimental, concept albums).

In the end however, I still feel the message is very important. People who do not speak the language will be missing a lot of it. Which brings us back to how it stands as music: the sound can either strongly appeal to you or not at all. As such, it's very hard to quantify this review. This album deserves a chance from just about everyone. It accomplishes what it sets out to do, and really it's up to the listener to decide whether those are goals to be set out for in the first place.

-Luis

Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac

2006-06-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

86%
Rosanne Cash's new album opens up with a faint sound. Upon close listening, we recognize it: it is the legendary Man in Black, Johnny Cash, Rosanne's father, urging her to "come on." The sad reality of Rosanne Cash's current life is that she lost her father, her mother Vivian, and her step-mother June Carter in a period of less than 2 years.

The album reflects the dichotomy of the sadness of mourning for them, and the occasional joy of their memories. While the album may sound darker and colder than other releases, it is by no means utterly depressing.

The lyrics are personal without ever sounding self-pitying or artificial. They hit strongly by being open and honest, with no need for ,amy elaborate metaphors or the like. On the opener, "Black Cadilac", Cash sings: "Now one of us gets to go to heaven/While one has to stay here in hell." These kinds of reflections are common as Cash sorts out her feelings throughout the CD.

While generally the album will be considered alternative country, its sound is by no means dominated by country. Indeed, some songs don't sound very much like country at all. Cash is willing to experiment - and most often when she takes a chance, it works. For example, "Like Fugitives" has a drum track that sounds... Trip-Hop-ish, oddly enough. Although, for the most part, the album has soft sound, Cash knows when it is appropiate to rock. "Dreams are not my Home" hits with fury but at the same time doesn't sound out of place.

On the piano-driven "I Was Watching You", Cash sings about her parents relationship. Cash begins with a description of their marriage, where Cash sings to her parents: "I was watching you from above / 'Cause long before life, there was love." The song comes full circle at the end, where Cash says she hears her father say, "I'll be watching you from above / 'Cause long after life, there is love." This last line perhaps serves to illustrate the central theme of "Black Cadillac".

Although some songs, including "I Was Watching You", have some religious connections, Rosanne, unlike her father, has been noted as not very religious. Indeed some songs have Cash realizing that they're gone, and questioning her own mortality. Sometimes she comes out with an outright indictment of organized religion. This mix of ideas probably arises from the normal mourning process which very often involves confusion and uncertanity, including questioning of one's own religious beliefs. If there is a God, why did He let them die? But if there isn't a God, does that mean they are gone for good?

Some songs on here are not as good as others. However, with the deep personal meaning attached to each song, it's hard not to pay attention. That's not to say that Cash relies on the listener's sympathy - on the contrary, she has grown quite a lot as a singer and songwriter and achieves her highest point so far in her career.

The last song of the album, "The Good Intent" opens with another home recording of a young Johnny Cash. One can hear a baby, presumably Rosanne, and then, the father saying "bye, bye bye." Home recordings on an album would normally sound out of place, or gimmicky, but here, they reinforce the message.

After 45 and a half minutes of music, we get to the last track, simply titled "0:71". It is 71 seconds of silence. A time to reflect, perhaps. Perhaps it is the best way to end an album that is so moving, bittersweet, and just beautiful.

-Luis

Aceyalone accompanied by RJD2 - Magnificent City

2006-06-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

68%
A trend that has been arising in underground hip-hop is one which invovles two renowned artists teaming up for a full album, often with these two artists having limited previous experience working together. This happened with 9th Wonder and Buckshot, MF Doom and Danger Mouse, Madlib and JayDee, etc. Perennial undergound favorites Aceyalone (ex-Freestyle Fellowship) and RJD2 have gone through a similar course, and the premise, as always, is exciting.

RJD2 has created some of the more intriguing instrumental hip-hop since debuting in the new millenium. Meanwhile, Aceyalone's peak occured more than 10 years ago. Not that Acey has completely lost it, but he's now a veteran, a proffessional. A little bit of the magic is lost.

RJD2 manages to deliver some diverse, compelling work - "All For U" has ample funk, "Fire" sounds like 80's soul, "High Lights" sounds like classic West Coast rap, "Heaven" relies mostly on a piano and strings but adds a grinding electric guitar for the chorus. Meanwhile, in almost every song, Aceyalone sounds uninspired. Not bad - not bad at all. He just sounds like he lacks direction or any real purpose.

When RJD2 falters - as is the case in "Supahero", a synth-driven beat that sounds like a demo on a Casio keyboard - Aceyalone is not there to pick up the slack.

Acey is talented, and that carries him through the album. He manages to stay away from being too cliched, but he never sounds that fresh either. And while the album is billed as "Aceyalone accompanied by RJD2", Aceyalone doesn't take command much. "Caged Bird" is one of these intances, where the beat is mostly made of percussion. Other than that, Aceyalone seems to be adapting to what RJD2 does - and he suffers from it.

There are some instances where both RJD2 and Aceyalone deliver, and the lofty expectations set for the duo are filled - such is the case with "Here and Now", but that doesn't happen often.

"Magnificient City" is almost never really bad. It's also almost never really good. For the most part, it's unremarkable, and it's periods of greatness are balanced by periods of just the opposite. Not bad, but they could have done much better.

-Luis

Ursula 1000 - Here Comes Tomorrow

2006-05-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

76%

Ursula 1000, American DJ Alex Gimano's alter-ego, has been producing funky, quirky, sample-heavy electronica since his debut in 1999. Now on his 5th release on Thievery Corporation's ESL Records, Ursula attempts to emphasize his strengths while broadening a bit as well.

A sense of humour is needed, as instantly demonstrated on the album opener, "Kaboom!" (featuring Izumi Ookawara). There are cartoon sound effects and an Austin Powers impression and so on. For some, this could be annoying, although others will no doubt enjoy it. This song in particular struck me as a little too much, especially after a while of listening to it. However, for the most part and for most people, this album manages to stay away from annoying pretty deftly and pretty consistently.

The album strongest point may be Ursula 1000's penchant for craetive breakbeats and other percussion. Guest vocalists abound, mostly basically lyric-less (for example, Barbara de Dominicis vocals on Boop consist entirely of made-up noises), and they come off as mainly unnecessary in some sogs.

About half the songs are instrumentals. The best of the bunch is probably the most original one, the Two Tone Ska-inspired "Two Tone Rocka." Not a lot of people are putting Ska music into their Electronica, but Gimano does so and does so very effectively.

A few songs seem entirely skippable ("Hello, Let's Go to a Disco", featuring Dougee Dimensional), but they're a minority. Others, including most of the instrumental songs, go by with a lot of interesting touches and sounds, but in the end, they aren't the most memorable pieces of music. These are probably best fit for a party setting, where one can enjoy them, dance to them, and have fun, even if at the end they dont stick out. The last type of songs feature guests and truly stand out as very good songs even if they aren't being danced to.

The first song like this is "Descarga en la Discoteca", featuring everybody's favorite Latin Funk / Acid Jazz group, Los Amigos Invisibles. A truly funky guitar riff and a catchy chorus make it a real winner. The second song like this is "Arrastao" featuring Kojak (the Brazilian rapper, not the TV dectetive). The song fuses Hip-Hop/Electronica beats and synths and some good flute work with a very nice Bossa-Nova-informed guitar. Kojak raps mostly in Portugese with a little English mixed in for the whole song, and this as well as his voice goes along well with the Bossa-Nova/Hip-Hop backing track.

The album has a strong concern with the 70's and a quirky, sometimes almost cheesy (but in a "so-cheesy it's good" way) sound. However, the album manages to find plenty of eclectic influences - Bhangra, Electro, Ska, Funk, Latin Dance, Disco, Rock (almost Hair Metal, even), etc. The line between charmingly quirky and just plain annoying is thin, but luckily, Ursula manages to stay away from overdoing it most of the time. Personally, I dug the more adventurous wold music stylings than the Disco/Funk, especially since these came off as more original, but both seem to be excuted fairly well.

There is enough variety so that there is something for pretty much everyone. This may come off as a little kitschy, but that's really not a problem. If anything, that's the sound Gimano was looking for and it works for the most part. At it's best, this album has to be danced to. It's fun, even it has its missteps.

-Luis

Pony Up! - Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes

2006-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

69%
Because I outgrew my infatuation with Baby Spice around third grade, I very rarely hear girls sing about their “boy problems”. I constantly hear the reverse. There seems to be a lack of strong female voices in the Indie Pop realm, and acclaimed indie female voices like Neko Case, Leslie Fiest, and Amy Millan… well they’re grown women. I don’t see them whining about boys not kissing them.

Girl bands have a tendency to feel gimmicky (The Donnas, The Like), but if the music is good there’s nothing wrong with a good audience draw. On Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes, Pony Up! stumble around with a few impressive pop concoctions. Guitarist and part-time lead vocalist Sarah Moundroukas’ “The Truth About Cats And Dogs (Is That They Die)” is a charming cutesy pop song, and it is some of the most impressive Indie Pop I’ve heard all year—the melody won’t leave my head. Unfortunately, large portions of the album fail to give the listener the feeling given during “Cats and Dogs”, and a lot of the lackluster performances fall under the songs sung by Laura Wills"

"Possible Harm" drags on for what feels like forever and half way through it I can sense no end. It’s strange that a nondescript piano Indie Pop band writes a majority of their songs to flirt with the five minute mark—and even odder for a band whose gimmick is cute girls with cute voices. Wills’ songs are unimpressive slow builders instrumentally and melodically (see: “The First Waltz” and “Dance For Me”) which is disappointing because she’s arguably a better lyricist than Moundroukas

Still they’re a clever and artier bunch then they were on their debut EP. The band has moved on from juvenile sexual frustration humor to heartfelt sexual frustration melodrama. “Pastime Endeavor”, the most impressive track next to “Cats and Dogs”, is a rehashing of the feelings from famed EP track “Shut Up and Kiss Me” put more eloquently.

Pony Up! has matured with time together as a band and they’ve clearly come a long way (a lyrical except from the self titled EP: “My brother and sister are going to beat you up!”). The potential is there, and I’m not making any kind of predictions towards it being tapped. I’ll just say this: I am anticipating their sophomore effort.

- Marlon Frisby

Various Artists - Tropicália: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound

2006-05-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

97%
Tropicália (also known as Tropicalismo) is a Brazilian art movement that arose in the late 60's which encompassed film, literature, visual art, and especially music. The art movement was clearly avant-garde and bold, but at the same time embracing of past cultural movements. It was set against a backdrop of social change and worldwide turmoil: the 60's included a miliary coup and subsequent banning of free-speech in Brazil, the assasinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK, the student rebellion in France, the Civil Rights Movement, and so on. The music reflected this in unusual time signatures, broad experimentation, and politically charged lyrics. A healthily eclectic mix of U.S. rock (especially psychadelic rock), funk and soul; Brazilian folk, samba, and bossa nova; Portugese fado; and African music not only reflected Brazil's multicultural roots and current climate but also the spirit of adopting new and foreign influences while reviving almost forgetten traditional styles that was part of the movement.

More recently, the music has found admirers in popular musicians like Beck, Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) and David Byrne (Talking Heads) and newfound interest from modern-day listeners, especially from "indie rock hipsters" (I love you crazy kids). There has been a lot of art expositions and concerts (including the Os Mutantes reunion) going on, and to coincide, the Soul Jazz label has seen it fit to release this compilation, centering around the most important artists of Tropicália in the style's most relevant (and pretty much only) period of 1968-1970.

Os Mutantes, a daring, progressive group, take most of the tracks (7 out of 20), and rightfully so - they are clearly talented and responsible for a lot of what happened in Tropicália back in the day as well as a big factor in it's newfound interest (Cobain publically asked for a reunion tour - which did not occured until this year, Byrne and Beck re-released some of their work, Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes has repeatedly referenced them as his main influence, etc.)

Caetano Veloso and Tom Zé come in second and third respecitvely with 5 and 4 tracks. Neither has slowed down their ouput much since the 60's - Veloso released a new album in 2004 and Zé has a new one this year. Gilberto Gil (Brazil's current Minister of Culture) and Gal Costa have three songs each (Gil spilts one with Os Mutantes and another with Veloso, while the last song is solo), while Jorge Ben Jor has one. Personally, being a big Jorge Ben fan, I would have liked a little more from him, but I do concede that he probably had less of an impact on Tropicália as the other artists, so complaining about that would just be personal nitpicking.

The strong leftist stance of the music is important. Suffice it to say that the Brazilian military dicatorship at the time jailed Veloso and Gil for months for criticizing the goverment to explain the radicalism and political leanings of the movement. The lyrics are mostly in Portugese but there is some English as well.

But I would hate to make it seem as Tropicália was an over-serious movement devoid of any fun or enjoyment - on the contrary, the songs are full of a light, youthful energy. The easygoing funk grooves and overall Beatle-esque atmosphere make it more fun than most revolutions could ever aspire to be. And at the same time, the sense of experimentation (like that of the Beatles) should not be ignored, like its ingenious uses of musique concrète which can be heard at certain times in the compilation. The fun of it all may, at times, even lead one to forget that this music IS, indeed, a part of a revolution.

Tropicália is not an easily definable concept, especially in a musical sense, and that is why calling it a "movement" instead of a "genre" or even a "style" is more accurate. You could list the various influences and points of reference (Hendrix, the Beatles, funk, Joao Gilberto, African music, etc.), but at the end, there is always more. A good example of this is the Middle Eastern flair of Costa's first contribution, "Tuareg."

The compilers made an interesting choice in beginning and ending with two different versions of the same song: "Bat Macumba". The opener is performed by Gilberto Gil with Caetano Veloso and the closer by Os Mutantes. While Gil and Veloso include prominent guitar work, the Os Mutantes version is loaded with unusual effects and musique concrète Perhaps it is to stress the difference in techniques and approach that artists within the movement had, or perhaps there is another reason. Either way, it's choices like this that show the compilers are putting thought into their selections, making the compilation more interesting than a compilation resulting from a "throwing a bunch of songs people seem to like in a random order" approach would be.

Of course, one could argue that some worthy artists were excluded. For example, Maria Bethânia (Caetano Veloso's little sister) or Chico Buarque could be considered even more relevant to the movement than, say, Jorge Ben (who is generally seen as more of an associate than a direct member of the movement), and could thus be considered in need of inclusion. But that's all really a minor gripe. There is a concious point to the exclusion: the compilers are not going for a broad look at the movement but rather a focused view at it's most important members and at some particular aspects within the movement, and clearly, it works.

Like any good compilation album, "Tropicália: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound" leaves you with an urge to go and get every artist's individual works. While that's certainly a good idea, this compilation serves as a good introduction to Tropicália - a style that, although relatively short-lived, is by no means irrelevant and absolutely thoroughly enjoyable.

-Luis

Danielson - Ships

2006-05-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

86%
I don't think hatred of Christian music comes from disliking Christianity but from the perception that Christian bands are usually pretty bad. That and they like to sing about their faith. There's nothing that annoys atheists and agnostics more than songs about God and having enlightenment preached down upon them. So "Christian" Indie Rock confuses me. I've never heard Sufjan Stevens sing about God—although I'm told Illinois has Christian undertones/themes—so I don't get how his music is "Christian" because he is a Christian. Is any music I make "Agnostic" simply because I am an agnostic?

Danielson stretches my "Christian" Indie Rock confusion even further. You see, on itunes Sufjan Steven's music presents itself in a relatively normal way: the genre that appears is "Alternative & Punk" (don't ask about the Punk, I don't know). Danielson's genre appears as "Gospel and Religious". Color me baffled. Unless Daniel Smith is a lot more cryptic than I realize—which is possible, I can hardly tell what he is saying sometimes—on Ships than I'm pretty sure these songs aren't about God (and yes, I'm aware some of his earlier stuff was, but this is a new day folks).

At least give me this: Danielson isn't exactly church music. On Ships the Danielson Familie sound like an Architecture in Helsinki who just snorted cocaine and decided to play big Noise Pop songs with folk/acoustic tinges here and there. "Ship The Majestic Suffix" evolves from Daniel Smith going solo acoustic to a forceful number that is backed by crunchy electric guitars as Smith's yelpy squeals lead a choir and then the song devolves back down to the lonesome acoustic guitar.

These songs are dense. Each track is filled with strings, horns, xylophones, and anything else Daniel Smith and his collaborators could get their hands on. But if you think about all the people who worked on this album (Sufjan Stevens, Deerhoof, Serena Mareesh, Half-Handed Cloud, and all the members of the Danielson Familie) than it makes sense how this band could come off as a twee Broken Social Scene. After all, the songs have a playful and bi-polar feel to them (although some would argue strongly Danielson is not twee); the chorus of "Bloodbook on the Half Shell" kicks up the tempo and strides into a fast paced rant and the song switches pace and mood back and forth several times.

"Did I Step on Your Trumpet" is a delightful romp that sounds like Smith can not contain how much fun he is having as he flails about and sings with his female choir. Smith is quite characteristic: he's got an Indie Rock yelp to rule all Indie Rock yelps—imagine a squeaky friendlier Isaac Brock. Smith's delivery shifts personalities, tones, and speeds often. The guy is a regular goof ball: his mouthed sound affects appear all over the album. "Two Sitting Ducks" ends epically with a drawn out descending crash of percussive noise as manic ole' Smith and his back up singers sing behind the wall of sound.

"He Who Flattened Your Flame Is Getting Torched", however, stands out against the playful kid argument. It's no Okkervil River or Bright Eyes track, but this piano and guitar ballad wonderfully contrasts the rest of Ships. And after all that bouncing around, it's nice that Danielson tries to bring us back down to Earth, or maybe they just needed a timeout.

Ok, so Christian Rock sucks. We've established that. But, this release earns Danielson a spot next to Sufjan Stevens on your "Christian Artists I can Stand" list.

- Marlon Frisby

Tony Allen - Lagos No Shaking

2006-05-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

75%
In the mid to late 60's, amid a period of decolonization, with newly independent African countries seeking an identity in the modern world (for example, what it really meant to be African in the 20th century, what to do amid Cold War tensions in which the superpowers presented bad examples in the form of abysmal treatment of blacks in the US and Stalin's rule in the USSR, etc.), a man named Fela Anikulapo Kuti founded a form of music which mixed Yoruba music, jazz, funk rhythms, and African percussive and vocal styles. The Nigerian bandleader and multinstrumentalist coined the term "Afrobeat" to describe the form of music he had founded. Touting politics such as Pan-Africanism, Fela contributed to the discussion on what it meant to be African in modern times.

Tony Allen was Fela Kuti's drummer in the band Africa 70 from 1968-1979. He is one of the godfathers of Afrobeat, and probably the most deserving of the title of co-creater with Fela. To quote Fela himself, "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat".

Allen is an extremely skilled drummer (Brian Eno called him "probably the best drummer ever), and he can sometimes sound like more than one man (indeed, Fela hired 4 drummers to replace Allen after he parted). Allen has always remained active but has recently intensified his activity, resulting in 2006's "Lagos No Shaking", recorded in Lagos, Nigeria in 10 days.

The album is, as expected, driven by Allen's rhythms. There are, however, many guest collaborators, ranging from vets like ex-Egypt 80 horn players Baba Ani and Show Boy and legendary vocalist Fatai Rolling Dollar to relative newcomers like vocalist Yinka Davies. None of the songs are less than four and a half minutes long while the longest songs top at just over six minutes. The lyrics are, for the most part, not sung in English. And while the album presents a return to traditional Afrobeat for Allen - in its horn arrangements, tenor guitar riffs, call-and-response vocals, and of course, percussion - there is a fair amount of variety presented.

The material on the album ranges from great to just average. All the songs, if nothing else, have Allen to provide an interesting percussive backdrop, and many contain catchy funk guitar riffs. Generally, the songs employ the "endless groove" traditional of African and African-derived styles (Afrobeat being no exception) where the rhythm of drums, guitar, and bass are maintained for the entire song.

As a disclaimer, I should note I do not speak the language most of the lyrics are in, so I am missing an important aspect - the political ideas. It could be very interesting how an Afrobeat album would adapt to the state of the world and particularly Africa in the early 21st century. From what I can understand (and it's not much), there is more general themes than specific political ideas, which is fine if not necessarily as memorable as it could be.

The guitar and jazzy horns are generally impressive, but the vocals can be shaky at times. Fatai Rolling Dollar is the vocalist who comes off best, his work helps make "Awa na Rae" a standout track (although the real star, of course, is still the percussion). In the end, despite the collaborations, it still is Tony Allen's show. Probably the best example of this is the closing track, "Gbedo", another standout thanks to its impressive perc work supported by minimalistic instrumentation.

"Lagos No Shaking" is not a groundbreaking album, but it will almost certainly satisfy fans who have already gone through Fela's work (although given the amount of work Fela did in his life - the volume being beyond even Zappa, if I'm not mistaken - we are probably talking about older fans with a sense of nostalgia.) And although it might be wishing for the impossible, what this album ultimately lacks despite its positives is Fela himself - his passion, songwriting, lyrics, etc. - but that is an era long past. As far as traditional Afrobeat goes in the post-Fela era, there is little that is ahead of "Lagos No Shaking."

- Luis

Beirut - Gulag Orkestar

2006-05-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

81%
I am a relatively unpretentious music critic. While my reviews are my opinions, I try to keep them focused on the band and not the writer. I’ve read a number of reviews that felt like they more about the writer then the band. I’m not bad mouthing this type of reviewing (per se), but until now I have never wished to take part in it. However, this seems as good a time as any. Beirut makes me hate myself.
Some insight: I too am a young songwriter. I’m 18, a year younger than Zach Condon the lead songwriter of Beirut, and I am not nearly as accomplished. At 16, when Condon had already recorded two albums of his own, I had learned only the violin and the bass guitar—and I played the more difficult instrument very badly. I spent my early band days as a lyricsmith—impressing any guitarist I could with any arty words I’d stuck together and then recruiting them to construct a song while I played bass and sang. Yet, this type of arrangement did not seem possible when I entered college, and through sheer frustration (and a lot of free time) I taught myself guitar.
A common misconception: you have to be good at guitar before you can write a good song. This is very untrue. I am an adequate guitar player currently, but the second song I wrote is still one of my best songs. I taught myself to play guitar BY writing songs (and practicing everyday). I am praised by the other bands on campus, who are astonished by the progression I’ve made over the last year. Still, it feels like Condon got too where I was going long before I could.
Ever since I heard In The Aeroplane Over the Sea I’ve wanted to be “the next Neutral Milk Hotel”. Perhaps this is an impractical goal. My song lyrics are dirty realism centered and that starkly contrasts the fantasies of Jeff Magnum. My singing voice is more of a hopeful boyish indie pop croon then the booming semi-nasaly—he’s no John Darnielle but come on—shouts Magnum pulls on “Holland 1945” (and while Condon doesn’t sound more like Magnum than me, his soulful bassy voice—simalir to David Thomas Broughton in sound and masking his age—blows mine out of the water). But, it hardly matters now anyway, without even trying Beirut has been dubbed with more Neutral Milk Hotel comparisons than you can shake a fist at.
The truth is, while I would have strived for these kind of similarities, Condon was trying to make Gulag Orkestar as Eastern European as possible. The pliable associations with Neutral Milk Hotel come mostly from the brass section and Condon’s trumpet playing. After all, the guy uses a ukulele. Beirut sounds as much like Neutral Milk Hotel as you can when you’re band is playing Gypsy music and you don’t have a guitar. “Postcards from Italy” sounds more like Jens Lekman on “Yours Arms Around Me” than anything on In The Aeroplane Over the Sea. But all in all this shit is impressive.
Beirut has sent me reeling. But, a true contemporary, Condon has made me ask more of myself. I’m back at the drawing board, still piecing together my first musical masterpiece, and maybe if I can pull together a brass section it’ll actually sound like NMH—after all, I have a guitar.

- Marlon Frisby

Other People - S/T

2006-05-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

74%
I receive an intriguing mental image when I think of this band. A young couple is eating lunch or milling around in their apartment, and they are having a joyous discussion about music. They muse about albums they want to purchase and gush about the artists who were in town last week. They start to pitch ideas on what bands they should go see next. After wracking his brain—which included several vain attempts of recalling concert posters from the last time he saw a band play—the guy perks up, “I think we should see Other People.” The girl looks back at him and gasps. The guy’s eyes widen. He realizes what he’s done and quickly corrects, “The band.”

I want this band to succeed. If not because they are innovative musicians, then because if they do, hilarity will ensue. The fan side of the indie music scene would become a lot more entertaining.

Other People are a young and inventive indie rock band from Los Angeles, California. Their self-released self-titled debut is stuffed with clever lyrical quips, stretchy voiced group vocals, and discrete references to the undead. It comprises a record of dreary spooky haunted tunes that aren’t that sad. At times their theme and sound are comparable to an adolescent less keyboard/synth contingent Wolf Parade—without keys the band implements tangled, start-stop, twinkling guitar parts.

Album opener “Attracts Rats” is a slow trot where part time lead vocalist Nate Michalski shifts from relationship uncertainty to mocking of the executive branch—the sarcasm, satire, and irony are all heavy—and is rejoined by his bandmates on the chorus for an expressive chanting session. “Black Dirt” plays up the wonderful production, done by the band’s own Charlie Lesoine, as sound effects swell about, intertwining beautifully blended guitars cavort, and a synth bass line mixes with the bass guitar. Will Bromell’s drumming hits harder and with energy (which contrasts his diligent time keeping on earlier tracks) during the rocking critique on human life, “Human Beings”.

Still, while these early tracks will impress, it is hard not to fall in love with late hitter “Picture Frame Me”. This song is performed by a hip electro drum beat that backs only delayed acoustic rhythm guitar and occasional interjections by the bass and the other guitar. The last verse is started with group vocals and the band’s other lead vocalist Gabe Michalski eventually breaks out, “Long face, picture frame, breathe in and fill me with sky!” The album closer “Thank You For Being Alive” displays the band at its creepiest. A softly and slowly played acoustic guitar is backed only by production effects, Gabe’s voice is scraped and tentative, and the falsetto of the backing vocals adds to the shivers.

One could make a living stressing how young and promising this band is—its youngest member is 18, its oldest is 22, and the rest fill in spots in numerical order in between. But Other People is a memorable album, and it deserves your attention. It’s shallow to bring up their age at all because if the members of this band were in their thirties, this album would still be impressive.

- Marlon Frisby

Rahim - Ideal Lives

2006-05-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

72%
"Ideal Lives", the debut full length from Brooklyn's Rahim, is a collection of bright Post-Punk slow jams. Like their French Kiss Records brethren Thunderbirds Are Now! and Les Savy Fav, Rahim take a sizeable influence from the old D.C. Scene (ie. Q and Not U, Fugazi). But unlike the frantic spazmasters and shouting art-punks they share a house with, Rahim channels their influence in a much more “chill” way.

Rahim are the Thunderbirds Are Now! that your girlfriend can stand. In fact, while the rampant frenzy the Birds put on is likely to turn her off (sighing and rolling her eyes, wishing you would play some Iron & Wine), the frolicking thoughtful love ballads that Rahim plays are likely to get things moving. “Forever Love” is a tale of beginnings and of preservation led by delicate back and forth guitar notes and a continuous cheerful organ pattern that recalls your cousin's wedding, and the verse leads to a chorus of crooned “Ooohs” “Ahhhs” and a reassuring call that, “This could be us forever.” The toe thumping “KlangKlangKlang” exhibits the band blending funky conga hits with customary drum kit action and a buzzing bass line as the singer enquires, “A question. Could I stay here perfectly for years? The same as you and I’ve always been.”

The members of Rahim have “ideal lives”, and their lyrics show them struggling to keep their lives as they are. “Only Pure” has the dreaming Post-Punks lamenting upon damaged beliefs, and the defiant single “10,000 Horses” is a challenge to those who oppose their powers (of love?), leaving the warning, “We will not be denied.” It’s endearing and all, but I feel like the band is out of place. The rhythmic droning of “Desire” takes the band out of their element as they try to infuse wired Post-Punk energy with their lusting themes. If Rahim were an Indie Pop band I’d be lambasting them for using the word “love” in a majority of their songs. I want to peg them as cheesy, but the nature of the band keeps the listener from exploiting the vice.

It is rare that modern Post-Punk music is so thoughtfully themed and written. Other Post-Punk acts might show more flare and more of a tenacious dance kick, but Rahim are a unique bunch. Sure, other bands can write a song in a perverse time signature as hectic angular guitar noise and synth landscapes loop around (barely staying on beat), but can they write a catchy tune?

- Marlon Frisby

Destroyer - Rubies

2006-05-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

91%
Destroyer’s Rubies is a vast, lush masterpiece cradled by the far-reaching eccentric visions of songwriter Dan Bejar. Bejar’s stretchy and nasally calls are transcendental and absurdist: other times they’re just vulgar and raunchy. Bejar’s distinctive vocals and turn of phrase are the main characters of this abstruse musical and the orchestration of the album (though almost equally eclectic and magnificent) fills the role of the supporting cast. With Rubies, not only has Bejar managed to surpass the MIDI/synth experimentation on his 2004 release Your Blues, but he has created something to be placed among music’s greatest epics in the 21st century and what is easily the best Indie Rock release of 2006 thus far.

Bejar and Destroyer change the sound they emit with every album they create, and they manage to fit into their new skin without need for readjustments and learning curves. The band has upgraded from the synth orchestrations of two years ago and moved towards a more Indie Chamber Pop feel. Rubies sounds like the Arcade Fire with more whimsical pianos or Belle and Sebastian if Stuart Murdoch were clubbed in the neck.

The musical narrative begins with the ten minute title track “Rubies”; where we are introduced by guitar fuzz and Bejar rambling about cyclones, jackknives, and wives, but we’re almost immediately –yet comfortably— swept away into a steady jumping acoustic guitar strum. Electric lead guitars return at crescendo structure changes and the song steadily dances along with percussion provided by a drum kit and several crashing and clanging sound loops. The song descends into a quiet interval where Bejar makes his first self reference of the album, crooning, “I’ve wanted you. I’ve wanted Your Blues,” and then adds that, “All good things must come to an end. The bad ones go on forever.” Atmospheric guitar effects and a nostalgic piano line take us away to the 6:33 mark where the song fades into a lonesome acoustic guitar and Bejar’s singing. Now that he has our attention he announces that, “I didn’t want to go, but leave I must… Please don’t wake me from this golden slumber,” and as silence hits he cattily interjects, “I’m proud to be part of this number!”

On “Your Blood”, Bejar and Destroyer show us a standard acoustic guitar pop song that is led by a classy swelling Wurlitzer Piano. Bejar yelps at the end of the first and second verse, “I made donations to The Plague, and The Fall, and The Old Grey Mare,” before we fall into a piano interlude filled with a few interjecting electric guitar stabs, and he concludes by referencing the previous song and previous album as he merrily reveals, “Never had to choose Your Blood versus Your Blues.” “European Oils” showcases Bejar’s inane lyricism at its best – and its most frightening – when over beautiful sweeping piano keys that drop into silence, Bejar’s character – apparently some sort of raider – justifies his lust (and possible rape) of the hangman’s daughter by asserting that, “She needs release. She needs to feel at peace with her father, the fucking maniac.” In most Indie Pop songs such an outburst would be appalling, but it’s all relative when it comes to Destroyer. Rubies pushes away presumptions on the words people believe they should be hearing when they listen to such charming tunes and Bejar’s elastic vocals blend so fondly with the rich instrumentation that backs him up. It all works together like a Picasso painting or a Dali illusion. Things that perhaps shouldn’t be are, and they’re beautiful because of it. Bejar makes it work.

Songs like “Painter in Your Pocket” show a tad more of Bejar’s “conventional” side. With acoustic guitar in hand he critiques a woman he fancies as she hangs on the arm of, “Yet another visionary, profitous East Van punk.” The song forms into guitar swells and a thumping bass line and Bejar professes to her, “I didn’t stand a chance… you looked okay with the others. You looked great on your own.” But on the very next song, “Looters’ Follies”, Bejar reaches new peaks with his dizzying lyricism. He transitions from the line, “Why did we stop fucking around? Girls like Gazelles graze. Boys wearing bells blaze new trails in sound,” to, “I looked up. I looked around. A famous Toronto painter shot me down,” and with sheer bravado he makes it work.

The only “steady” sounding rock song appears just over halfway through the disc with “3,000 Flowers”. It introduces itself with high hats, tambourines, shakers, and a guitar solo. The song quiets itself at the end as Bejar’s voice calls from the distance, “And the skies reigned supreme over the land as The Music Lovers sat crossed legged in the sand and in Time and in Space and (in other words) in a band who, much like churchgoers, fuck themselves up.”

Destroyer’s Rubies is a complicated modern musical journey that is set off by the arcane (or joyously asinine) lyricism of Dan Bejar. He manages to craft beautiful thick tunes, but when the sound drops and most other bands would give you standard revelations on love and/or loss you’re instead given a swift kick to the head by Bejar’s enigmatic prose and stringy vocals. Yes, chamber pop orchestrations have been this beautiful before, but it is rare that they are this brilliantly distorted and abrupt. I can feel in my bones that 2006 is going to be a long year, and we have only reached March. It is likely that Destroyer will be unseated from its current position of “number 1” – the hype surrounding the new Fiery Furnaces album is hard to ignore – but for right now Rubies stands alone as Indie Rock’s finest work of 2006

- Marlon Frisby

Thunderbirds Are Now! - Justamustache

2006-05-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

76%
Like Les Savy Fav with a chick singing (except it’s actually a guy),” Detroit Neo Post-Punk outfit Thunderbirds Are Now! have almost as much fun describing their music as they do playing it. While the song names might leave some thinking they’re nothing more than a novelty act (“Baby Girl I’ve Got Ten Kids (Let’s Not Make it Eleven)”) actually listening to the band may lead you to a different conclusion. Are they rambunctious and juvenile? Perhaps. But they also manage to be a creative and tight group of musicians, and the band’s French Kiss Records debut Justamustache has set the tone for the “Dance Punk” campaign the Les Savy Fav run label seems to be starting up.

It might surprise some to learn that TAN! has actually calmed down. They’ve calmed down a lot. There are moments on the 2002 release Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief that are frantic enough to be harsh on the ears. Most of the songs clock in around or below two minutes, and the frenzied brevity leaves something to be desired. The band made a conscious decision to change their sound, and while manic spazz guitar riffs and spacey keyboard sounds are still the band’s claim to fame, on Justamustache pop influences are allowed to sink into the music. Hell, on “Aquatic Cupids” the band is damn near anthematic when they break into the call, “Steal from the future and not from the past!”

Singer Ryan Allen’s coos, croons, and cat calls also play a major role in the feel the band puts off. You’d get a similar tone if The Blood Brothers were covering The Smiths. On the bridge of the (sort of) single “Eat This City” Allen actually plays off of his femininity when he girlishy giggles, “Shout it baby.” Atmospheric keyboard noise and a synthetic dance beat swarm Allen in sexuality when he breathes, “It’s so hot that we might melt, it’s so hot that we drink ourselves, and all of this sweat is making a stir, bodies adjust to the temperature,” on the band’s slow song “Bodies Adjust”.

The moments where the fun dies down lie in the middle of the album. Songs like “Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About Me” and “To: Skulls” fail to match the excitement brought to the table in the album’s later and earlier bright spots. These two songs serve more as a buffer between the band’s rocket start and the more chilled finish. The final track “Cobra’s Feet” is an adhesive, bringing about introspective thoughts while admitting in the chorus that, “Yes it’s a mess, but we’re here to clean up.” As the album descends to its ending a nameless cheerleader appears and gives her two cents chanting, “A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Awesome. Totally.” Who are we to disagree with a lady with pom poms?

- Marlon Frisby