tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14879931931026080412024-03-04T23:26:25.122-08:00Ringing Earsnerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-64835268825622340652011-04-30T21:39:00.000-07:002011-05-02T16:16:14.097-07:00ALL - Breaking Things<img src=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gfSKTavxL._SL500_AA280_.jpg /> <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Breaking Things</span> was one of those great achievements of a band firing on all cylinders. It has been my opinion that ALL albums tend to possess handfuls of throwaway songs that I'd rather skip and forget about but <span style="font-style: italic;">Breaking Things</span> has no such instances. Looking back, ALL was the perfect band for my teenage sensibilities; able to weave heartfelt tunes about love and loss seamlessly with scathing indictments of politics and culture. While most of my early teen years was spent listening to bands with a 'simpler-is-better' policy, ALL had no qualms about showing everyone that their musical chops were above and beyond most of their contemporaries. Whether it is Stephen Egerton, who jumps with ease between crisp guitar melodies and discordant offensiveness; Bill Stevenson, who's solid surf inspired drumming is layered with years of punk influence; or Karl Alvarez who commands his bass to dance with a fury underneath it all, the group stands with few in their willingness to play to the height of their ability. <span style="font-style: italic;">Breaking Things</span> also marks the first appearance of vocalist Chad Price, who's gruff voice was perfectly suited for the much more aggressive vibe displayed on the record. <br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Breaking Things</span> was released when I was in 7th grade and was the second ALL album that I purchased. Its greatest attribute is the fact that it is played with much more passion and conviction than on all effort before and since; even the tunes that could be deemed 'slow songs' sound absolutely gigantic. As such, when heavier songs do appear, the group sounds to be a much more dangerous band than they actually are. It was such a refreshing album for the teenage me; the songs about girls and pain and loss were much more loud and cathartic than most power pop and the songs of rebellion and aggression were even more so. I know of few bands who could pull of the desperation of 'Shreen' and the rage of 'Politics' on the same record. <span style="font-style: italic;">Breaking Things</span> will always be close to my heart because as a child, it enticed me both ends: the boy who craved the emotion of indie rock and the cynic who craved the antagonism of hardcore.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-56640729708445236442011-04-29T18:16:00.000-07:002011-04-29T19:56:18.340-07:00AC/DC - If You Want Blood, You Got It<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qWj5eLKrL._SS500_.jpg" width="228" height="228"/><br />Here we see the Australian greats at their most unhinged. Being the age that I am, I did not have the privilege of witnessing the coming of <span style="font-style: italic;">If You Want Blood . . .</span> but I am sure that if I had been able to pay attention, it would have finally dawned on me that not one of their recorded works to that point had adequately documented the ferocity that they could unleash. Which is saying quite a bit considering that none of their studio albums could be called tepid or bland. But here we can finally see that absolute fury that they were capable of when not constrained by production.<br />AC/DC had always been one of the great forbidden bands. My impression of them as a child, from the little exposure that I'd had, was that of a dangerous band who would just as soon leave me for dead if it suited their fancy. What strikes me as odd as I sit here reflecting upon this, is that I was not as enticed by this as I should have for there were certainly dangerous bands that I had actively sought out in my youth. But for whatever reason, AC/DC stayed more or less on my periphery until my late teen years. And for that, I blame Brian Johnson. Not that he is a slouch without the means to bleed his pipes with the best of them, but he always struck me as unremarkable. And since most of my exposure to the group had come from <span style="font-style: italic;">Back in Black</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Razor's Edge</span> and the soundtrack to <span style="font-style: italic;">Maximum Overdrive</span>, he had been the beacon of my knowledge and no amount of heroics by Angus Young (epic as they may have been) could sway my opinion of AC/DC being not worth the effort.<br />But thank God for Bon Scott and the used vinyl store that had opened in my hometown for showing me the light. A 2 dollar copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">Powerage</span> was all that it took; I became a steadfast believer. It was then that I saw that Bon and Angus were two wild children who were truly meant to be together. Their individual energy worked in symmetry; each magnifying the other. And nowhere does this shine more than on <span style="font-style: italic;">If You Want Blood . . .</span><br />Recorded live on the 1978 <span style="font-style: italic;">Powerage</span> tour, this album displays AC/DC in their prime. I defy anyone to find an opening track to a live album, or any album for that matter, that compares to the energy released during the opening track once the whole band joins their feral lead guitarist on stage. Nary at note is missed on the entire album. The group rips and tears from song to song as if some unknown force compels them to push harder, faster and louder. The rhythm section of Malcom Young, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd moves as a single punishing unit, providing an unquestioning backbone to the ferocity of Bon and Angus, embellishing ever so rarely and only when necessary.<br />As a performer, Bon Scott to me was the very essence of rock and roll idolatry; a dedicated man who adored so deeply the responsibility of the front-man to forsake well-being and vanity for the sake of the performance. No matter what cunning words his tongue was spewing forth, they always seemed brutishly sexual and one always got the impression that his lips were curled into a lecherous sneer. On <span style="font-style: italic;">If You Want Blood . . .</span>, this sensation is only enhanced and every time he opens his mouth, it feels like an aural thrust bursting through the stereo as if he wishes to saturate your very being.<br />This is the live album to which all others should be compared, a monument to the idea that once pushed in the right direction, one needs only to step back and watch the great ones work their magic.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-89738645058238418332010-06-28T21:40:00.000-07:002010-06-28T21:43:46.741-07:00My Top Albums of 2009 part 3<span style="font-weight:bold;">19.Propaghandi - Supporting Caste</span><br /><br />As a teenager, Propaghandi was one of the more important bands for me as far as an introduction to social justice goes. As the years went on though, I drifted away from them for one reason or another. It turns out that the years have been kind and their humorous, pissed-off wit has become more refined and brutal. They are no longer the skate-punk band that I remember, and that's a good thing. Speed and sarcasm are still tools of their trade, but they are a more dynamic unit, with hardcore, metal and even a little indie rock added to their arsenal.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">20. Polysics - Absolute Polysics</span><br /><br />Polysics are yet another band that proves the Japanese can take a genre that has become otherwise boring and breathe massive amounts of life into it. At their very core they are a new wave band (quirky new-wave, not moody new-wave) and on the surface they are a spastic dance band with enough energy to power a small town. I absolutely adore how thick and driving the bass is on this record and it serves as the perfect counterpoint to the scathing guitars and the downright bizarre synth lines that dance around the songs with dizzying fury. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">21. Regina Spektor – Far</span><br /><br />My favorite Russian song sprite returned in 2009 with another oddly melodious series of piano compositions. Her lyrics play out like folk stories that weave between the distant past, the urban present and the dystopian future. The strong suit of Ms Spektor has always been her piano playing; weird and deceptively simple. But she plunks away at the keys with such purpose and the progressions are so foreign that the simplicity cannot be seen as a handicap. Her strength is coming up with melodies, both on the instrument and with her voice, that wouldn't ever occur to any other.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">22. Rosanne Cash - The List</span><br /><br />What passes for country music these days is a sad state and Rosanne Cash is one of the glowing exceptions that heralds the golden days of the genre. It probably helps that she is the daughter of one of country music's grand pioneers, but her songwriting abilities are so strong that I suspect her familial heritage is a moot point. What's more important is the brilliant channels she has opened up to the musical heritage that her genre has laid down over several decades. She is a haunting storyteller, but the advantage she has over all the other contemporaries who dabble within the genre is that above all, her music is smart.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">23. St. Vincent – Actor</span><br /><br />I avoided liking St. Vincent for a long time if only for the reason that she seemed to be just another oddly creative female musician. That might seem harsh but I tend to be drawn to such musicians and I wanted to make for certain that it was her actual music that I adored and not simply the idea of her music. It was a foolish endeavor because the more I listened, the more I couldn't resist it. The music is primarily electronic but laced with organics here and there. But the charm it all is how she wields both of those layers, doing things that I haven't often heard and doing it with gusto. She is disjointed and beautiful, distorted and lucid, scathing and inviting; everything that I love in a musician.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">24. Tanya Morgan – Brooklynati</span><br /><br />Hip-Hop outfit Tanya Morgan embodies pretty much every aspect of the genre that I have loved from the last 15 years or so and packages it up into a brilliant concept album. The setting is the fictional city of Brooklynati, a chill, laid back urban area of unspecified location that seems to have called its inhabitants from all over. The album moves seamlessly through outstanding songs and downright fantastic skits in ways that I have not heard in a long while. The songs owe much to Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and early NWA, but there is also a block party feel that emanates through every track to further transport the listener to the beautiful city within the artists' minds. The frosting on the cake, however, is a downright uncanny parody/tribute of early 90's Hip-Hop/Soul by way of a fictional group frequently referenced throughout the record, Hardcore Gentlemen. If it doesn't transport you back to 1993, nothing will.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">25. Thunderheist – Thunderheist</span><br /> <br />I jokingly like to term this genre Hipster-Hop because of the obvious roots of its creators and the even more obvious target audience. Vocalist MC ISIS has a sort of lazy delivery to her rhyming that I have come to adore in groups like The Cool Kids and it works even better here in the midst of the low-fi electronic orchestrations of Graham Zilla. The pair works well together, each bringing a distinct attribute to the creative process in order to create a fantastic dance record that is not afraid to bend the rules, even if it is just ever so slightly.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-82024054377770939562010-01-14T23:25:00.000-08:002010-01-15T17:47:29.950-08:00My Top 25 Albums of 2009 part 2<span style="font-weight:bold;">11. Kid Sister - Ultraviolet</span><br /><br />For some reason, I knew I was going to like Kid Sister the moment I heard her name. Not only is the music incredibly fun in every sense of the word, but there. is a unique quality to the way she raps that I cannot quite pinpoint, but that I adore nonetheless.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">12. Mirah - (A)spera</span><br /><br />The Northwest's own Latin influenced Indie rocker returns and from the very beginning, it is apparent that her lyrical prowess hasn't diminished in the slightest. And though this effort tends to run a bit slower and a bit longer than previous albums, her creative ability to orchestrate underutilized instruments underneath beautiful vocal melodies shines through regardless. Mirah is a talented treasure.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">13. N'Dambi - Pink Elephant</span><br /><br />There is no way that I can describe this record other than straight up excellent R&B. Think Al Green, think Stevie Wonder. N'Dambi is an artist that I discovered later in the year and I have yet to really delve into her, but this record hooked me instantly. While I enjoy the neo-soul trend that is happening as of late, it is nice to hear someone taking the smooth and genuinely sensual route as opposed to the all-out party route (not that there is anything wrong with the all-out party route. As you will see).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">14. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone</span><br /><br />I am of the opinion that Alt-Country will never have a finer figurehead. With her powerful voice and song-writing prowess, Neko Case is a simply haunting commander in ways that most artists can only hope to achieve. Middle Cyclone is a perfect example of such things. It walks a fine line between somber and joy, but in fin Neko Case fashion, it never gives too much advantage to either.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">15. No-Fi Soul Rebellion - Oh Please, Please, Please</span><br /><br />I'm still not entirely sure how to classify this husband and wife pseudo-duo but that is part of why they appeal to me so much. It is part electronic funk, part hip-hop, part Indie Rock, somewhat goofy and it all comes together with an accomplished seriousness. I may not agree with their choice for the albums closer, but the nine tracks before it make up for it in all of their dance-inducing gloriousness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">16. Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts</span><br /><br />Another easy contender for Album of the Year, the Noisettes represent to me what I most adore about music in this day and age. The best parts of the Neo-Soul Revolution come when bands fuse said soulful antics with other categories. With the album moving quite adeptly between lo-fi Punk, pulsating disco and heartfelt folk, Shingai Shoniwa is free to weave her R&B vocals throughout the tapestry to breathe new life into otherwise tired genres.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">17. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart</span><br /><br />2009 must have been the year for e to reminisce because yet again we have a group that causes me to long for the music of my youth. This album draws heavily from the simplest of simple Indie Pop greats like Crayon, Beat Happening and from legendary alternative pioneers The Vaselines. Lo-fi does not even begin to describe it; everything about it is minimalist and as a result, it could not be more refreshing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">18. People Eating People - People Eating People</span><br /><br />I've already mentioned that Converge and the Noisettes were jockeying for Album of the Year and People Eating People easily completes the top 3. This eagerly awaited album perfectly captures the talent within Nouela Johnston; all she needs is her piano and a drummer to back her up and she can write music much more aggressive and technical than that of any Hardcore group. But above all of that, the album is catchy to the point of amazement; she possesses a wonderful ability to make even the most cynical of lyrics sound fun. I'm already pining for her next effort.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-59811129349700995272010-01-08T18:39:00.001-08:002010-01-08T19:09:01.858-08:00My Top 25 Albums of 2009 part 1<span style="font-weight:bold;">01. The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future</span><br /><br />This excellent electronic pop duo delivered unto me an album that I did not find appealing on first listen, but thankfully I recognized how foolish I had been. While not as traditionally 'catchy' as their previous work, Ray Guns works in layers and mood to create sing-a-long songs that are far more creative than the norm.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">02. Chatmonchy - Kokuhaku</span><br /><br />One of my favorite discoveries from my first trip to Japan in 2006, my return in 2009 was made all the better upon learning that Chatmonchy had just released a new album. Since I hate to use the word 'mature' when describing albums, I'll simply say that Kokuhaku is a more focused and driven effort that still maintains all of the fun that I have come to expect from this excellent trio.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">03. Converge - Axe To Fall</span><br /><br />A contender for album of the year, Axe To Fall sees converge returning to a brutality we have not seen since Jane Doe. Kurt Ballou and Ben Koller are finally in an unstoppable synch and Nate Newton holds down the low-end while bellowing auxiliary vocals that bring to mind greats such as the Melvins and Karp. The riffs are more diverse, with metal, complex hardcore, and dare I say it, black as pitch country melodies tearing apart the air. But it is Jake Bannon who is as furious as ever, spitting venom across the soundscape that reminds me why I fell in love with this band so many years ago.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">04. The Cool Kids - Gone Fishing</span><br /><br />The only downside to this record is the length; at 21 songs, it certainly would drag if each tune was not so strong. The Cool Kids have one of the most simultaneously hysterical and fresh brands of Hip-Hop since Biz Markie and I hope the get the due soon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">05. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains</span><br /><br />Is it wrong to put an album on here for purely sentiments sake? Screw it. I 'll do it anyways. Cymbals Eat Guitars is a group that pulls one of my favorite elements from the early 90's Alternative boom: melodic dissonance. Upon listening to this band, who gloriously channel Pavement, it occurred how radio-friendly and sanitized Indie Rock has become. They are not perfect by any means, and they walk the line between good and bad quite precariously here is to hoping that they err on the side of noise rather than of sound.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">06. Dinosaur Jr - Farm</span><br /><br />Speaking of the Alternative boom, the band more or less responsible for a portion of it returned for its second album since reforming in 2007. They are as loud as ever, grasping hold of the 'wall of sound' concept and running with it with reckless abandon. I'd like to say that this hearkens back to the very earliest of the Dinosaur Jr eras, but sadly that it not the case. However, conjuring their mid-90's eras is almost as good and hearing Barlow tunes on a Dinosaur Jr album once again more than makes up for it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">07. Future of the Left - Travels With Myself And Another</span><br /><br />Ever so often, when the lingering corpse of Punk Rock begins to bore me, I will be introduced to a band such as this that revitalizes my belief in the genre. Not content to merely stand on the shoulders of who has come before them, they instead pull from many directions, touring literally dozens of sub-genres. The result is something that sounds always familiar, but is constantly out of reach. One could not ask for much more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">08. The Gossip - Music For Men</span><br /><br />For one reason or another, I resisted liking this band the longest time despite the fact that I should automatically like anything that has Hannah Blilie as the drummer. Everything changed with Music For Men. They have finally perfected their blend of soulful indie funk and I could not be happier that I followed my whims and picked up the album.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">09. Har Mar Superstar - Dark Touches</span><br /><br />Here is another album that I just did not care for upon first listen and for the life of me, I am not sure why. His humor is intact, the beats and grooves are as funky as ever and the melodies are so spine-tingingly perfect that I can't imagine anyone disliking it. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10. - Japandroids - Post-Nothing</span><br /><br />This album reminds me so much of my teenage years that I can't help but picture myself playing drums in Searching For Venus and discovering bands like Lync and Braid. If anyone has ever forgotten what Indie Rock used to be like, look no further than this album.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-51307547057832820772009-12-16T22:42:00.000-08:002009-12-16T23:25:01.401-08:00My thoughts on the final Kane Hodder showsI have not written on this blog in a long while but if there was ever an appropriate time to kick start it, this is it.<br />On the dates of December 18th and 19th, Kane Hodder, a band for whom I was vocalist and principle songwriter for the better part of 7 years will be calling it quits. I'd like to think myself capable of delivering to you a beautiful recollection of the times and trials that had been endured by all who had played under the moniker, and perhaps someday I will do just that, but at the moment I do not have the will to write such things.<br />What I will say is this: when Kane Hodder returned from our latest trip to Japan in June of this year, I held no delusions of ever performing with them again. Not to say that it did not pain me to feel such a way, but things had turned in such a way that somewhere along the way, my joy in music had been stripped of me. The real tragedy of that situation was the ten or so songs that we would leave behind. They were amazing, some of my best work and undoubtedly our best work in the current incarnation. Some day, I hope to complete that work<br />When I was asked to take part in this reunion of sorts with those whom I had more or less began the journey with, I felt pangs of that joy once more, but I never thought that it would be anything more than a fun, but ultimately pitiful grasp at a past glory. But things have certainly changed and I see myself eager to bare my soul for my friends once more.<br />But still, my thoughts are complicated to say the least.<br />Two nights ago I stood with a group of people that had not been assembled in three years and we began playing songs that I had written in my lonely apartment in Bremerton. I became flooded with images of good times and bad times, of friends gained and of friends lost and even so, I felt a twinge of regret.<br />Aaron and Jerome bled for us when they did not have to. When they joined our ranks, I was ecstatic beyond account, and those feeling have not ebbed. However, how different would things have been if we had dropped our moniker and began a new journey as a new family? <br />I do not regret my time with them in the slightest, but sometimes I regret how that time was spent. I listen to the absolutely amazing songs that we wrote between the five of us and I mourn for the band that could have been. We could have been unstoppable, but we chose to chase a dream that had died off. <br />I do not wish to belittle any of the things that we did, and I do not wish to discount the multitudes of people who stood by us through thick and thin; when I think of all the people that Kane Hodder has brought into my life, I count myself among the luckiest of all people. I merely wish to properly enunciate the bittersweet duality that I am feeling. I do not doubt that when I am onstage this weekend that I will become overwhelmed with an emotion that I do not feel often.<br />I have no excuses for the way things have played out and I refuse to make them. Since becoming a father, I have found myself less and less willing to fight for the past. I will celebrate it; I will celebrate it to lengths the likes of which few have ever seen, but I will not mourn it. I have not decided to do this for myself; I said goodbye to Kane Hodder months ago. But for all of you who have stood by us, who have sang and cheered and even for those who have reviled us, I realize that my life would be incomplete if I did not say goodbye to you. <br />Over the years, Kane Hodder lost sight of its guiding ideal. This weekend I will stand before you to show that I have remembered that you are all the ideal that we were chasing in those early days. Touring and dreams of success were the poisons that drew us away from you. We became wicked, playing for monetary gain only. And even as the fans dwindled, we still chased a fevered dream of achievement when it was in actuality our ideals that we had abandoned. <br />This weekend I will beg your forgiveness as I cleave my throat into pieces.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-56956578683212125452008-12-17T12:16:00.000-08:002008-12-17T13:32:54.756-08:00Blitzen Trapper The Fratellis<span style="font-weight:bold;">Blitzen Trapper</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Furr</span> 2008 Sub Pop<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Fratellis</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Here We Stand</span> 2008 Interscope<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1v9Zvf3IjAz4G_GGC38YRWctCBObljo1q_8SuzEpL-PDOH2btja-cCd6Rb5KOMS4zNc9KZVX6cLv-PvahsM2ZsL0c5AIRqH05e2RD2vupwTXOhNBMTH0bOnfrF39AkKx93W-Z0MXWNSw/s1600-h/419KDxCPOOL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1v9Zvf3IjAz4G_GGC38YRWctCBObljo1q_8SuzEpL-PDOH2btja-cCd6Rb5KOMS4zNc9KZVX6cLv-PvahsM2ZsL0c5AIRqH05e2RD2vupwTXOhNBMTH0bOnfrF39AkKx93W-Z0MXWNSw/s200/419KDxCPOOL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280874607178990050" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCB4TM3A0YPxBK-HzA2qDpjTgha5aV5FF8fI6T_e2gOdx7TP0znKCQLncQpqlaBlP6mnPoQ-ILwbGlm3GMYNguaSHKs0gwqUEtr7XjZwdbvziqKBL_QnuqDVf6ibtiXbN-tUiVxAQWHEU/s1600-h/51ZvBY7wBUL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCB4TM3A0YPxBK-HzA2qDpjTgha5aV5FF8fI6T_e2gOdx7TP0znKCQLncQpqlaBlP6mnPoQ-ILwbGlm3GMYNguaSHKs0gwqUEtr7XjZwdbvziqKBL_QnuqDVf6ibtiXbN-tUiVxAQWHEU/s200/51ZvBY7wBUL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280875134667941042" /></a><br />The Beatles can be an incredibly vital influence to draw upon. They built blueprints for both pop songs and rock songs of which the reverberations are felt deeply even outside of those particular genres. However, they also happen to be one of those rare bands that is hard to emulate without lifting from them directly. As a result, bands attempting to do so will more often than not end up in one of two extremes. Either they fall short in a pitiful mess of things they truly did not comprehend, or they end up becoming a pale imitation, playing note for note certain sections but lacking any sort voice they can their own. Very rarely do they hit that perfect balance and actually build upon the great foundations laid before them.<br />Portland's Blitzen Trapper and Glasgow's The Fratellis have both released albums this year that bear many marks of The Beatles throughout them. Only one, however, has accomplished something admirable. <br />Two years ago I heard the Fratelli's disc <span style="font-style:italic;">Costello Music</span> and was quite pleased. It seemed to be a much better version of the modern New Wave/Brit Pop peddled by bands like Franz Ferdinand, but without relying on repetition like so many others of the genre. There was brilliant tempo changes and clever production throughout. They laid groundwork in rock and roll but they laid Spanish folk, Irish drinking music and Punk rock within the layers drawing upon both the Beatles and the Clash equally. And it was raw. Raw and eclectic. I was very excited to see what they had in store next with their 2008 release, <span style="font-style:italic;">Here We Stand</span>. Unfortunately what I found was that they had all but abandoned the eccentricities that had made them so intriguing and opted for a more homogenized and safe route. It is as if they had heard people praise their clever use of The Beatles' influence and decided to run with it. Gone are the brilliant, genre-jumping pop compositions which are replaced with tunes that can be jaw-droppingly similar to the legendary group. The biggest offender occurs near the end of the disc. "Lupe Brown" lifts note for note sections of "She Loves You" with vocals that sound to the letter like the harmonies of numerous other Beatles' tunes. I've shown many people this song and they listen in disbelief as it plays out. Normally the consensus is that they are not even trying to sound different. At such words, I lament the excitement I had to hear this record.<br />I had not heard Blitzen Trapper prior to hearing <span style="font-style:italic;">Furr</span> and on initial listens I was inclined to write it off. However, unlike the Fratellis this band has actually pulled off what few have managed. They do manage, at times, to successfully weave something of their very own out of the blueprints left behind. Certain songs are very well crafted, weaving very well their own voice within the Fab Four's influence. And maybe it is because that is but a small piece on a much larger plate. Blitzen Trapper is without a doubt well versed in classic rock and Steely Dan, Tom Petty, the Eagles and Elton John leave their occasional mark upon the grander outcome. But even they fall victim to the pitfalls of such attempts. The outstanding offense is "Black River Killer" which is essentially a reworking of Tom Petty's "Last Dance With Mary Jane." But even the weak songs on <span style="font-style:italic;">Furr</span> are much more diverse than anything on <span style="font-style:italic;">Here We Stand</span> and the album is indeed enjoyable on certain occasions. I'll keep a watchful eye.<br />It is my hope that The Fratellis can recover from their slip up here in 2008 and return with something as vibrant and lively as its predecessor. Yes, I can respect and even like to see growth but maturing does not mean diluting what was great.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-89348938644770147322008-12-16T09:51:00.000-08:002008-12-16T10:51:05.990-08:00The Happening 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMm4k2aTCpyvex9bQ7vehZcoSDvcJODErrmgXh9R3LGzoy5aCY3aFLIXjoD3ubmuHTInILFJ6k7ceHPCs53fenDgFbH1TF53JIgJ2TXpPMjR5jf8aLzAO1qVk8hRYmd4otGJOXjexzJ4/s1600-h/Happening11.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMm4k2aTCpyvex9bQ7vehZcoSDvcJODErrmgXh9R3LGzoy5aCY3aFLIXjoD3ubmuHTInILFJ6k7ceHPCs53fenDgFbH1TF53JIgJ2TXpPMjR5jf8aLzAO1qVk8hRYmd4otGJOXjexzJ4/s320/Happening11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280461806197527026" /></a> No matter how many times I am disappointed by M. Night Shyamalan, I will always go see his movies. He is, after all, the master of the intriguing premise. After watching the trailers for <span style="font-style:italic;">The Happening</span> I was interested yet wary. The debacles that were <span style="font-style:italic;">The Village</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Lady In The Water</span> were still fresh in my mind and I was not ready to trust the man just yet. But things I heard piqued my interest, namely the lack of a twist and giving an explanation for the phenomena, however vague it might be, fairly quickly into the story. Long story short, I eventually caved and saw the film and then instantly remembered that Shyamalan is also the master at destroying his brilliant premise with unnecessary bloat.<br />As is always the case with his films, it starts out strong and interesting, in this case a mass suicide epidemic at first thought to be a terrorist attack. But unfortunately, as the excitement of that passes, we are introduced to each of the main characters. And they are all highly reliable performers, Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo, but anytime they open their mouths in this film they spit forth the some of the most contrived, forced and downright mind-boggling dialogue I have ever witnessed. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5upGvDRTrER1qBRY3UTVm06ZhOOpI8qKuXIu-NCBYyb9YokpiSUqQ0SIDOec3QXyAz_vsgRckz-SEx7IHZzpYeXyw7JzGo5a9wUvpPKRSNELBWen6gxiT0WE-frLQuInT-5U6-Tvxgw/s1600-h/1213115549823_12Happening-mif_450_320.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5upGvDRTrER1qBRY3UTVm06ZhOOpI8qKuXIu-NCBYyb9YokpiSUqQ0SIDOec3QXyAz_vsgRckz-SEx7IHZzpYeXyw7JzGo5a9wUvpPKRSNELBWen6gxiT0WE-frLQuInT-5U6-Tvxgw/s320/1213115549823_12Happening-mif_450_320.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280461994786095730" /></a><br />Like I said, I loved the premise of this film, probably more than anything he has ever done. The idea of an entire planet rebellion, violently so, against it's parasitic inhabitants is something I adore and love the exploration of. And I get it, I get the message and I get the warning and I love it. The death sequences are appropriately creepy and unsettling, the use of the wind and the clouds was top notch but the sense of dread that should have been ever present was absent. And as confused as the characters were, it felt as if it was for the wrong reasons, like it was the performers themselves who were confused, reading through the script for the first time. <br />The personal back stories did nothing to add depth to the narrative and the most unbelievable aspect of the film for me was Wahlberg and Deschanel as husband and wife. Between them lay absolutely no chemistry and even a couple in turmoil like they supposedly were would have some semblance of a bond between them. The performers did not so much emote as they would merely say how they were feeling with awkward dialogue that seemed to be stuck in their mouths. In particular, it was quite hilarious how John Leguizamo was constantly throwing percentages around as if to remind us that he was a math teacher. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tvV9cVjE5vuoNRwEdzGVlAIW48FUSdxnEwLUlWxy8q9uSkQFXqLC9NaWpDhEz0xfy01JiSbUWj1wyoEBKKcaoUssQOZZB9oXNRGjNpitC87Qw9Cvk250K3hc3mAjOpHTVuoXjLh1KlY/s1600-h/mark_wahlberg__zooey_deschanel_the_happening_movie_image.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tvV9cVjE5vuoNRwEdzGVlAIW48FUSdxnEwLUlWxy8q9uSkQFXqLC9NaWpDhEz0xfy01JiSbUWj1wyoEBKKcaoUssQOZZB9oXNRGjNpitC87Qw9Cvk250K3hc3mAjOpHTVuoXjLh1KlY/s320/mark_wahlberg__zooey_deschanel_the_happening_movie_image.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280462290043743810" /></a><br />Ultimately, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Happening</span> suffers from the same ailment as most disaster movies do, in that it starts out strong, but as soon as the human aspect of the film comes in to play, things just fall flat. In fact, the only film i can think of off the top of my head to play upon the disaster formula well was <span style="font-style:italic;">Deep Impact</span>. There was a real sense of inevitability and desperation that the filmmakers really locked onto in a way that no one else has been able to do effectively. The people seemed real and worn down and there was a sense of urgency. Now I do realize that this film is taking a radically different approach than most of its kind and like I said, I love the idea. This would have been a great episode of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Twilight Zone</span> or an even better novel where the inner dealing of each character could fully blossom. Here we have performers who are forced into doing the ailing will of an increasingly megalomaniac director who I have no doubt will continue to let me down over and over. But damn him, I'll still watch his movies.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-77930124966907858282008-12-15T15:29:00.000-08:002008-12-15T16:15:13.049-08:00Lenny Kravitz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d30RE6OpvIHBMdFyagqr2rcA4LQRFJH7-jFuVxykEf1Flzf0caGR3wWi-BszohTO2-swfilNQE7LvnS5HTClwGeYeKmNfW0BqFYDjsdkB479TYiXCTUJW-CSST0yk3HPQT1Tm-2J-dY/s1600-h/61DZqL6Q0CL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d30RE6OpvIHBMdFyagqr2rcA4LQRFJH7-jFuVxykEf1Flzf0caGR3wWi-BszohTO2-swfilNQE7LvnS5HTClwGeYeKmNfW0BqFYDjsdkB479TYiXCTUJW-CSST0yk3HPQT1Tm-2J-dY/s200/61DZqL6Q0CL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280174692750698674" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lenny Kravitz</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">It Is Time For A Love Revolution</span> 2008 Virgin Records<br /><br />I actually liked this album upon initial listens. Even now, I find that there are some strong, standout tracks to be heard, particularly "Good Morning," a melodious and booming ballad that draws heavily upon the Beatles, but in a good way. But upon further spins, it became more than apparent that aside from a few infectious and catchy parts scattered throughout, there were great amounts of blandness. And if I've learned anything from doing "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" at Karaoke, the man is not a very strong lyricist. <br />It all actually starts off very strong until we get a few songs in, it is quite the rocking album. However, I would much love to start a crusade against overly long albums, in particular ones that are brimming with filler. <span style="font-style:italic;">Love Revolution</span> boasts a whopping 16 songs and that is simply too much Kravitz to take. Trim this down six or seven songs and you're golden. <br />As I said before, some of the tunes suffer from great choruses surrounded by a tremendous lack of thrill. It is something to be expected in pop songs and in some strange way, it can be forgiven. In rock music though, it is an insurmountable peeve of mine that drives the compositions down among the lowest common denominators of music. <br />If Kravitz has one strength it is his incredible knowledge of the various forms of rock and funk that when used wisely, create memorably great songs. Songs that can stand of to the best of the genres. Take "Will You Marry Me?" for example. He draws upon the best of James Brown, Grand Funk Railroad and Stevie Wonder to weave a perfect funk rock masterpiece. Real funk rock. Not the trash you hear at bars but the stuff you'd find Roy Ayers or the Ohio players creating. One the other hand you have "Uncharted Territory" and "Confused," the two songs that unfortunately close out the album. The former is a horrendous and typically American attempt at reggae that employs tactics that I absolutely deplore. It is a very easy genre to screw up and Kravitz does so with gusto. The other is a lazy and cheap attempt at the blues which does no respect to the form, not even to that played by the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn.<br />Perhaps this is a case of the artist being a little too in control and that being said, if you want to keep this album good, limit it the number of tracks to about nine, forgoing most of the latter half.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-63896145955267532002008-12-15T12:53:00.000-08:002008-12-15T13:27:45.631-08:00Tilly and the Wall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJYsC_WCbcJHrQHmwpB29Tq2CZbAcdw1eQ9KfmsBGZHzHt0SIwf4n7sSNGIDdUSiNNKN7OmfeWNtqtByIJORgvfGfg7CN8b8kYSZe4DqCg4Xfcp4uLQdh9sQ5Vmj5zDw5V_-w5Z_4e-c/s1600-h/09e0810ae7a055304ccba110._AA240_.L.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJYsC_WCbcJHrQHmwpB29Tq2CZbAcdw1eQ9KfmsBGZHzHt0SIwf4n7sSNGIDdUSiNNKN7OmfeWNtqtByIJORgvfGfg7CN8b8kYSZe4DqCg4Xfcp4uLQdh9sQ5Vmj5zDw5V_-w5Z_4e-c/s200/09e0810ae7a055304ccba110._AA240_.L.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280131334018364994" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tilly and the Wall</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">O</span> 2008 Team Love Records<br />This is without a doubt in the running for my favorite album of the year. It is at the same time lo-fi, edgy indie rock and sing along hippie folk. That may sound like the wort description ever bestowed upon a band but trust me on this one, it works. And really, how can you go wrong with a band who utilizes a tap-dancer as a form of percussion?<br />Each song is an entirely different section of the same magnificent animal. They start soft, with the heart-felt acoustic ballad "Tall, Tall Grass" that introduces us to the massive group melodies that will dominate the core of the vocals throughout the album and from there they split off in all directions the branches of a tree. We find traces all around of 80's pop and new wave, both contemporary and alternative folk, cabaret and show tunes, new york punk and even gypsy. 'Wall of sound' does not even begin to describe the production as every inch of space is occupied by various voices, instruments and other miscellaneous sounds. And what is even more genius about the whole affair is that it never, not once, feels too busy. <br />This album is one that conjures images. Even listening to it in a strictly aural fashion, the songs are quite visual. I swear that every time I listen to "Chandelier Lake," I imagine a group of festive people singing around a bonfire and swaying with the music. It is a rare thing that a band can ignite something like that within me and I cannot help but stand in awe of it. Tilly and the Wall really do trigger emotions and rather than simply compose songs, they paint pictures and scenarios through word and sound. <span style="font-style:italic;">O</span> is an album that is worth every precious second you give to it.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-18658645665910562932008-12-11T21:12:00.000-08:002008-12-15T12:33:01.805-08:00Akimbo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGmTNZ5TAjDBjXaBDOwRmCleztorhriUTuUxYKbp31byheXdc3Ht8Z0PdkHB6NkgNy3YbvaRmyaiUjCIsR1LNRWegUi7aGuK6grIEWY8Ycd26-CyKTdgOZxjP2pRz3zd81ypHLM6RhVg/s1600-h/5197NaL7soL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGmTNZ5TAjDBjXaBDOwRmCleztorhriUTuUxYKbp31byheXdc3Ht8Z0PdkHB6NkgNy3YbvaRmyaiUjCIsR1LNRWegUi7aGuK6grIEWY8Ycd26-CyKTdgOZxjP2pRz3zd81ypHLM6RhVg/s200/5197NaL7soL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280117470831294210" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Akimbo</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Jersey Shores</span> 2008 Neurot Recordings<br /><br />Concept albums are dangerous things. They require a perfect balance of song and story, something composers of the Renaissance era called "Word Painting," and stray but a little in either direction and you could find yourself mired a sloppy mess. There have been many acts as of late who have attempted this formula, announcing brilliant concepts such as <span style="font-style:italic;">Leviathan</span> by Mastodon which was based upon the novel <span style="font-style:italic;">Moby Dick</span> only to have it crushed under its own weight. Concept albums have always been a chance for a band to expand and experiment with things they may not normally try, many times creating songs that meld the band's particular style with something far more operatic.<br />It has always been interesting to me that to most bands, the idea of the concept album means long drawn out sections of color and ambiance. I have no strong objection to this in most cases, but I do not think it has ever been written down as a requirement of the form.<br />With <span style="font-style:italic;">Jersey Shores,</span> Akimbo gives us a concept we can sink our teeth into, namely a string of shark attacks that occurred in the year 1916 off the coast of New Jersey, the sames ones that inspired Peter Benchley's novel <span style="font-style:italic;">Jaws.</span> In my own research into said attacks, I became even more entranced by the album for its historical accuracy, with songs titles sharing names with the key locations and victims of the events.<br />The songs are all over the place and for the most part that is a great things. There are beautiful stretches of quiet, melodic sections that are quite out of character for Akimbo but are executed perfectly and are precisely placed so as to erupt into the brilliant cacophony that they do so well. It sets up calm that helps you envision a pleasant beach day that can descend into complete terror at a moment's notice. The vocals are appropriate for each section, not simply the earth moving bellow that normally adorned past Akimbo efforts. They move like a tide, from melodious shouting to high pitched, blood-curdling screams as if becoming the shark, the victims and the witnesses all at once. <br />However, this cannot be called the most memorable of concept albums and I dare say that there are moments, however rare they may be, that descend into something bit lackluster. Case in point being the opening track "Matwan": Until the last two minutes or so, it stampedes perfectly along, luring us in quietly with impending doom and shouted warnings of power and ferocity. But we find it disintegrating into an uninspired mess at the climax that even carries over into the opening moments of the next track before being saved by brilliance once again in crisp waves of swaying melody. <br />But those are the trappings in attempting to create a worthy concept album and it takes something special to be willing to take such chances and move away from your musical comfort zone. I would say that Akimbo has achieved something highly remarkable for over 90% of this album, proving themselves to be a metallic force to be respected. Perfect, however, it is not and I would not recommend it to the casual Akimbo fan nor to the hardcore metal fan, who both may simply find it too odd. But even so, make no mistake that there is a place for this album in the hallowed halls of heavy music.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-54830305895155303262008-12-11T14:37:00.000-08:002008-12-11T17:59:48.264-08:00Dance of the Dead 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczqhi-478GvOg_mkRR73u_cRayytROJYeTFzT7TRpU9nGTTt-CQ-vmoQU_dtzVRKCMQoBzWxCOSOn5kVZx5LTi7Jet-j6B8if5o7-vA3Rnz2-EtaQJTv79qo2UOLjFDU6vLZH0Ul2w8U/s1600-h/danceofthedead-fl-01.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 163px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczqhi-478GvOg_mkRR73u_cRayytROJYeTFzT7TRpU9nGTTt-CQ-vmoQU_dtzVRKCMQoBzWxCOSOn5kVZx5LTi7Jet-j6B8if5o7-vA3Rnz2-EtaQJTv79qo2UOLjFDU6vLZH0Ul2w8U/s200/danceofthedead-fl-01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278717341464179842" /></a><br />There is not much to this movie. There is no deep meaning that I can discern and the storyline is paper thin. However, it is full of laughs and full of gore and there is something very close to my heart about members of the sci-fi club saving their high school from a zombie-like invasion. <br />Basically the premise is simple: the dead, or something similar, rise up and attack a high school prom and the only people who can stop are the losers who couldn't get dates. Though the details are charming and clever I won't bore you with them here, but along the way they team up with cheerleaders, violent rednecks, a rock band whose music can soothe the blood lust of the creatures, and a belligerent and a well-prepared Gym teacher reminiscent of R. Lee Ermey. Its like <span style="font-style:italic;">Monster Squad</span> for a new generation. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_ryjUU9s3WGj1W37_PW780S-HCeh3t3wxov0Lg3XToLC6-ixfRJP-oiBjyA1zkxVE1BgkFYSZxH9Yfr7f1y69gBWePlIr7s3eQO7g0K4C2AJ_7a2EsnCJk9unkYeYSoshavPVQYuTqw/s1600-h/DanceOfTheDead2008_scene_3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_ryjUU9s3WGj1W37_PW780S-HCeh3t3wxov0Lg3XToLC6-ixfRJP-oiBjyA1zkxVE1BgkFYSZxH9Yfr7f1y69gBWePlIr7s3eQO7g0K4C2AJ_7a2EsnCJk9unkYeYSoshavPVQYuTqw/s200/DanceOfTheDead2008_scene_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278717198462474898" /></a><br />And notice that I say zombie-like and not zombies proper. They are fast and their resurrection is explained by the town being next to a nuclear power plant. These are Zombies in name only and if this were a movie to be taken seriously, it would be a major blemish but as it is, they could be fighting werewolves or vampires and it wouldn't really matter. The point is the fun of it all. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sk7XfwI853k1-eq-qzmE1KTlW5CMeS3rfRhgpaoiJMhxTEQYv0P0RfqLAJRUzpr4Eo6qWwNpKg-rPN8eIVSFwWQY1oE0BkGZPZlF40LWgIBfdF3Yd4qyOsEhABcxxvsFerEh2nAajBA/s1600-h/danceofthedead02.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sk7XfwI853k1-eq-qzmE1KTlW5CMeS3rfRhgpaoiJMhxTEQYv0P0RfqLAJRUzpr4Eo6qWwNpKg-rPN8eIVSFwWQY1oE0BkGZPZlF40LWgIBfdF3Yd4qyOsEhABcxxvsFerEh2nAajBA/s200/danceofthedead02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278717091905201906" /></a><br />I'm fairly interested in watching the career of star Justin Kusnitz, who also starred this year in <span style="font-style:italic;">Otis</span> as the smart ass stoner brother. This role is almost identical but he does play it well and hopefully he can get some chances to branch out in the near future. <br />For the most this isn't breaking any new ground, but there are enough good touches and witty satire to keep it interesting. So laugh it up and enjoy the gore.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-78547764040335799722008-12-11T13:14:00.000-08:002008-12-11T17:46:33.035-08:00Otis 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUo6jyDcU9kAxm-RLOaKR6rOTGu8rxx3oqbxcK3egt7H5zxoysp-4STiXhb_6erfn7Ho3kPdnV5YA5w3keeOmdOele2q5TrT144l5XAO8G2TeCnCTrqiSoQMW80G1ThWsz69WqzS6XsY/s1600-h/otis.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUo6jyDcU9kAxm-RLOaKR6rOTGu8rxx3oqbxcK3egt7H5zxoysp-4STiXhb_6erfn7Ho3kPdnV5YA5w3keeOmdOele2q5TrT144l5XAO8G2TeCnCTrqiSoQMW80G1ThWsz69WqzS6XsY/s320/otis.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278713307840991826" /></a> <br /><br />It is <span style="font-style:italic;">Last House on the Left</span> for the <span style="font-style:italic;">Juno</span> set and though I usually despise such descriptions, in this case it is appropriately applicable. It is all at once disturbing, funny and hip, but unlike <span style="font-style:italic;">Juno,</span> the dialogue does not grate on your nerves (not that I disliked <span style="font-style:italic;">Juno,</span> but the teen slang seemed desperate and contrived). How does one make an inherently anti-violence movie? By putting it all out in front with every gorey detail present. <span style="font-style:italic;">Last House on the Left</span> implemented this ethos with disturbingly real results and brought the true price of violence and revenge to levels never before seen.<br />In <span style="font-style:italic;">Otis</span> we do get that to be sure, but this time it is tongue-in-cheek and guiltily hilarious. Dennis Paoli, the screenwriter for <span style="font-style:italic;">Re-Animator,</span> once said that there is a fine line between violence and comedy, pointing specifically to slapstick which is at it's very core incredibly violent. And so here we have a movie about a fat, anti-social man, abducting young women and forcing them to enact the strange, perverted high school fantasy that exists in his head. His desire is that it will all culminate in them going to the "prom" but things never quite go well and the girls end up being killed. There is nothing that should be funny about that. But director Tony Krantz does that and much more. As the title character lives out said fantasy with his next victim, Riley, a violent, funny and at times touching series of events occurs that is far more compelling than what seems to be at the surface. <br />One scene in particular has the bulbous Otis decked out in full football gear asking Riley, done up as a cheerleader, if she saw the great plays he was making in practice. It is awkwardly touching, implying he is more than just a monster and there is a deep seeded need within him to simply fit in. Scenes such as this and the pathetically funny prom scene propose that is is as if his evil and heinous deeds stem from a dream scenario he has elaborately constructed in his head. He merely wants it to go according to plan and no one has yet to simply follow along leading the all to their necessary end in his eyes. In no way dies that justify his actions, but it does give the character layers that most films do not dare to supply. So much so that you begin to feel for Otis, almost as much a you want Riley to escape his subterranean dungeon. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-AX1hzVmXwZrfvlLf2LYBlgYrm3aO-shLnjw5Kc0mGmvqEYzZjeZyiNXWY5gdXBD2skEhGS5dyxZUW_iubHlw5UuqsoGc0h_A58h0hjCdSeQBhHGi711Wj9q3759mZnBGC0oKYuDnDE/s1600-h/otis-prom.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-AX1hzVmXwZrfvlLf2LYBlgYrm3aO-shLnjw5Kc0mGmvqEYzZjeZyiNXWY5gdXBD2skEhGS5dyxZUW_iubHlw5UuqsoGc0h_A58h0hjCdSeQBhHGi711Wj9q3759mZnBGC0oKYuDnDE/s320/otis-prom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278713446252901346" /></a> <br /><br />While the tale of horror is happening, on the other end we have the comical desperation of her family trying to track her down only to have an insufferable and somewhat inept FBI agent in charge of the case. Illeana Douglas and Daniel Stern are downright perfect as the parents and their frustration at the pompous imbecile who is supposed to be saving their daughter fills some of the funniest scenes of the film. You can truly feel the desperate hilarity of the situation: that they cannot believe the things this man is saying. Things like telling them not to worry as he has an 80% recovery rate only to be corrected by his colleague that in the case of one particular girl, they only recovered 60%. It is only a matter of time before they realize that they will have to take matters into their own hands and when Riley, through one part luck and one part ingenuity, escapes, they make certain that revenge will be theirs and theirs alone. But things do not go as planned.<br />To spoil is would be a crime but I will say that the transformation from pushing themselves to commit the most heinous of acts, to reveling in it completely and utterly, and then to understanding the gravity of what they have just done was executed with the perfect amount of wit, horror and humor. <br />Some have said complained of the pacing of the film, stating that it did not blend its parts together into a viable sum. While it is true that some scenes can fall into the realm of straightforward comedy, the moments when it does meld perfectly far out weigh the ones that may fall short. And more importantly, this really is more than anything else a sad story about a realistic social outcast. And not only does it warn of the high price the price of violence but also of the casting aside of those we deems unworthy, where they can brood hate and rage and destructive fantasy within them. If anything, you are compelled to believe while watching Otis subjected to verbal abuse by his brother, played by Kevin Pollack, that he had never really known love and that there was no where for him to go but to descend into the violent path that he did. You are compelled to believe that love could have steered him another way. Wes Craven, when asked about the legacy of <span style="font-style:italic;">Last House on the Left</span> on said "The story, about the painful side effects of revenge, is an evergreen. The headlines are full of people and nations taking revenge and getting caught up in endless cycles of violence." That holds true in this film. A film that is both hilarious and shocking. A film that shows that sometimes the best way to protect yourself is with a laugh.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-22558229875042722242008-11-25T09:46:00.000-08:002008-12-15T22:33:36.397-08:00AC/DC Metallica Guns N Roses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vkfUdTSwVL99vqF7P51hAGi3Lc41oAF9qZTba_hKmBC1WhEFm-ulq0pSIILWd-GXkIPjRnf5rRP1zfDWBXcV6CDDG-bDRHLTu718wspQ01EBeht5RCFIbj7YbHHQDdk0pnbj3BDMOsQ/s1600-h/617alC4yElL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vkfUdTSwVL99vqF7P51hAGi3Lc41oAF9qZTba_hKmBC1WhEFm-ulq0pSIILWd-GXkIPjRnf5rRP1zfDWBXcV6CDDG-bDRHLTu718wspQ01EBeht5RCFIbj7YbHHQDdk0pnbj3BDMOsQ/s200/617alC4yElL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272685241400634642" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhObwE1txt89c_dUGEhegRbU9RPYFkv2U69ZZgr5tBzX-sLYVKPe3DSrFK-eeZ0io4GzDJtRdPyHJVf48B3xrwKAlUe7zQCld7ZU3xO6YOTv9VYXddIIG1d9_bQq3V3dr7j2Zd6WTZSpQ/s1600-h/619VGtLZxRL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhObwE1txt89c_dUGEhegRbU9RPYFkv2U69ZZgr5tBzX-sLYVKPe3DSrFK-eeZ0io4GzDJtRdPyHJVf48B3xrwKAlUe7zQCld7ZU3xO6YOTv9VYXddIIG1d9_bQq3V3dr7j2Zd6WTZSpQ/s200/619VGtLZxRL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272685344102064706" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3G_QSzYwBWqI5MH9mnhfqVHGyi8zCziwUNnx3zThuMJOOPCgVLv2ih69Ai4ws_TEuam-Il460yV3TXteJAamCxZJAI-LVUlyb-xBEUwbjx1oYvTnkW36GVqbGUlnALnDjbNGfqnOL6Fc/s1600-h/d5dec0a398a02638bebcd110._AA240_.L.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3G_QSzYwBWqI5MH9mnhfqVHGyi8zCziwUNnx3zThuMJOOPCgVLv2ih69Ai4ws_TEuam-Il460yV3TXteJAamCxZJAI-LVUlyb-xBEUwbjx1oYvTnkW36GVqbGUlnALnDjbNGfqnOL6Fc/s200/d5dec0a398a02638bebcd110._AA240_.L.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272685490819659362" /></a><br />This year has seen three titans of rock and roll return with fans for the most part highly anticipating the new alums but also highly skeptical the results. How could a band with some members in their sixties riding on the longest wait between albums deliver anything stellar? Or one who's courtroom antics and previous album all but alienated their fan-base to the point of revolt against them? And how could a band who's only remaining member was a prima donna lead singer who had been working on a somewhat mythical album for the past 14 or so years ever give us something worthy of listening to? I thought about all of these albums long and hard and I've listened extensively to all as well. i will admit that AC/DC was the only group I really had any confidence in as I felt their last effort, <span style="font-style:italic;">Stiff Upper Lip,</span> had been a glorious return to roots and was eager to hear what they could come up with next. The others instilled in me more of a morbid curiosity, like watching a car wreck, though I was pleasantly surprised by one. And I also considered reviewing these albums separately but in starting said reviews I found they often referenced each other so here it is in a giant super review.<br />I have never been a fan of the Brian Johnson era of AC/DC. <span style="font-style:italic;">Back in Black</span> had some songs I enjoy, as did <span style="font-style:italic;">Razor's Edge</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Ballbreaker</span> but most of their output with him at the helm had been underwhelming and it was not until 2000's stellar <span style="font-style:italic;">Stiff Upper Lip</span> that it felt like the AC/DC I loved. However, they had always struck me as a band that was not ever trying to outdo themselves or to attain that next level. They were simply there to rock and they would write the music accordingly. As a result, it felt like their transition to <span style="font-style:italic;">Stiff Upper Lip</span> and in turn their newest, <span style="font-style:italic;">Black Ice,</span> felt so much more natural than most bands. They are first and foremost and rock and roll band and while they may have dabbled in heavy metal and the like through the years, their roots have always been in hard rock and so the blueprint was always there. Metallica on the other hand, gave something completely different on the Rick Rubin produced <span style="font-style:italic;">Death Magnetic</span> in that it feels so much like a band actively trying to prove themselves to those who had lost interest and to regain the roots they had in some ways abandoned for one way or another. As the album progresses you can almost feel the time and effort that went into studying highs and lows of previous efforts to make something truly vicious and heavy and say "we know who we are." That is not to say that bands cannot stretch their legs and reach for new heights, but their is something to be said for taking a blueprint and adding on to the building, rather than erecting an entirely different structure after the previous one is built. There are bands who have accomplished the latter, to be sure, and with such accomplishment comes great respect and opens massive creative avenues. When a band fails in that regard, however, it is usually a failure so complete and massive that the very integrity of the band, however important that may be, is forever tarnished. Some would say that Guns N Roses tarnished themselves deeply with 1993's <span style="font-style:italic;">"The Spaghetti Incident?"</span> a vile collection of punk and glam rock covers that served, until now, as the last and horrific vestige of a once great band, though it is quite clear now that the long-awaited <span style="font-style:italic;">Chinese Democracy</span> is not the messianic return of the band as Axle Rose had often heralded it. In fact, if Metallica's <span style="font-style:italic;">Death Magnetic</span> can be seen as some glorious atonement, than this album is it's polar opposite. Perhaps if we had tasted other albums from GnR I would have been more forgiving. But the bad taste of <span style="font-style:italic;">"The Spaghetti Incident?"</span> and most of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Use You Illusion</span> albums was simply too much and an album nothing short of life-changing would be acceptable. <br />In <span style="font-style:italic;">Black Ice,</span> AC/DC has delivered to us their longest running album to date, clocking in at just over 55 minutes and at times, it does drag. With 15 songs, I would certainly have been okay with five or six being cut from the final product as the album, as strong as it is, unfortunately closes on a bore. Stop the songs at track ten and you have a classic and solid album but while the length does stain the product ever so slightly and keeps it from being the perfect album, it also does not drag it down enough to completely ruin the experience. For the most part it is a tribute to the dictum that less is more, something that AC/DC lost track of at some point and for the first time ever in Brian Johnson's tenure, I can almost imagine Bon Scott singing most of these songs, with Johnson not merely screaming at all times, rather there is a swagger that I rarely feel from the frontman. It took them almost thirty years, but I feel like they have finally picked up where they left off when Bon died.<br />In turn, one could almost say that <span style="font-style:italic;">Death Magnetic</span> serves as almost an alternative-reality Metallica. To put it more suffice: Imagine Cliff Burton had not died. I still regard <span style="font-style:italic;">... And Justice For All</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Black Album,</span> (as it has come to be called) as flawed classics. I love them and would not want to give them up though they had not always felt like true Metallica albums, or maybe they were simply natural reactions to the loss they had sustained. We'll never know for sure. However, listening to <span style="font-style:italic;">Death Magnetic</span> at times is much like looking into the past. I imagine a nexus point in realities where time and space split apart and this is the Metallica unbroken and whole. It clocks in at almost twenty minutes longer than the AC/DC effort but it almost never feels like it drags. With the exception of only a few moments, the songs are fast, brutally so even. And while Lars Ulrich has certainly been a better drummer, it is great to hear him giving it his all in ways he has not done in years, quite possibly since <span style="font-style:italic;">Master of Puppets</span> in 1986. But like I said, sometimes this album feels like it is trying to appease its listener and sometimes I imagine Russel Crow in <span style="font-style:italic;">Gladiator</span> yelling to a Colosseum of confused watchers asking "are you not entertained?" But maybe it is just me and my initial lack of faith that after my image of Metallica as more than human gods was more or less destroyed by watching <span style="font-style:italic;">Some Kind Of Monster</span>.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Chinese Democracy</span> feels way too long. And at a torturous 71 minutes, it certainly is. The stories of Axl Rose's eccentricities and how reclusive he has been since the collapse of the original band are now famous and he has even been dubbed the "Howard Hughes of Rock and Roll." Guns N Roses as a collective was young and loud and their songs got to the point. They were not Pink Floyd and they were not Led Zeppelin. They were not supposed to be. They were Guns N Roses. And you know, I got <span style="font-style:italic;">Use Your Illusion</span>. I didn't always like it per se, but I understood what they were going for and I'll stand behind those records even though I wish that it had just been one records with most of the fat trimmed off but that is beside the point. <span style="font-style:italic;">Chinese Democracy</span> doesn't even feel like an extension of that and it is not Guns N Roses. It is Axl's new solo project and it was clearly not just him that made GnR so great. It was Slash and Duff and Izzy and Steven as well that made them so great and Axl is not greater than the sum of those parts. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this but I will say that it draws far to heavily upon new rock. Almost like it is a cheap knock off of those bands that were cheap knock offs of Guns N Roses itself. Only on top of that there is odd electronic ambiance and a digital precision present that makes it feel like anything but a raw and dirty rock and roll band. It is Guns N Roses for the Creed set, for the Nickleback set.<br />These albums are all interesting in their own ways but only two can be called anything close to good. And considering the sources of the material, perhaps two out of three is not all that bad. There have certainly been more than a few let downs in the history of rock and roll comebacks and it is nice to see that they are not all hopeless.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-23308127533946884532008-11-21T12:28:00.000-08:002008-11-21T13:34:44.020-08:00The Stangers 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0IqYhFoOWPquKvSob5tTCO7DmxFwXXcPHvEdyPxHZFx5wvJHU-GNBK1uA1pYqPvkcHHcSFT9Q6_UL3ZEosn5UCuo2uxHuF6NIrF6wWC108iImIsQQ05PHzdhyphenhyphenZqD1tyjG-_O9GAYd_I/s1600-h/strangers2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0IqYhFoOWPquKvSob5tTCO7DmxFwXXcPHvEdyPxHZFx5wvJHU-GNBK1uA1pYqPvkcHHcSFT9Q6_UL3ZEosn5UCuo2uxHuF6NIrF6wWC108iImIsQQ05PHzdhyphenhyphenZqD1tyjG-_O9GAYd_I/s320/strangers2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271226483587441170" /></a> With so much horror in these days descending into mere Torture Porn i.e. <span style="font-style:italic;">Saw</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Hostel</span>, it was so refreshing to see <span style="font-style:italic;">The Strangers</span> use simplicity to such a savage effect. There is no copious amounts of blood, there is no gore by any stretch and it is nice to see a film going back to the roots of the genre and not confusing gory with scary. It is not the most original of set-ups but it doesn't matter because it is done so perfectly. Inspired by numerous events, including the Manson murders and the director's own childhood experiences involving a stranger coming to his home and asking for someone who was not there, the film is so quiet and slow and builds up tension like a tightrope. Every time the strangers appear it is so brilliant, just standing quietly in the background, barely visible except for those expressionless masks. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gJ4sIXv3o7QL3G3nXuajIluFWoDgvvr5zhS8N6Mvc2hLhyC4fIWYtBcEmmD7z7lMLemZks4Af7SZChO3XgJ8Mb7oAOkM8iOH3_wLYwrjQ-kl_fSl2PIm_zCn0oE1lHB3i0jT1j2CKFE/s1600-h/2007_the_strangers_001.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gJ4sIXv3o7QL3G3nXuajIluFWoDgvvr5zhS8N6Mvc2hLhyC4fIWYtBcEmmD7z7lMLemZks4Af7SZChO3XgJ8Mb7oAOkM8iOH3_wLYwrjQ-kl_fSl2PIm_zCn0oE1lHB3i0jT1j2CKFE/s200/2007_the_strangers_001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271227118334297410" /></a><br />Some have complained about the back story, but I must disagree as I think it adds to the desperation and situation of the protagonists. At the beginning of the film we see them arrive at a secluded cabin but something is definitely wrong between them. The cabin is decorated beautifully with rose petals and candles, and we soon learn that while attending a wedding the man proposes to the woman only to be rejected and that is where we join them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQApE2ecNNkomIxuu2HBAZgsuEzlT3gD_alkN2rxIpLMjH1EmzMoWVsYgBy06i75yzWqiz-xvSf2aLfXd8LPVuMMRd7GVmcZX2apfQPk0BqKFj2t-e3E2JHam3vHTnLF7669Qk3mBXK0/s1600-h/strangers-firstlook.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQApE2ecNNkomIxuu2HBAZgsuEzlT3gD_alkN2rxIpLMjH1EmzMoWVsYgBy06i75yzWqiz-xvSf2aLfXd8LPVuMMRd7GVmcZX2apfQPk0BqKFj2t-e3E2JHam3vHTnLF7669Qk3mBXK0/s200/strangers-firstlook.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271227335521006354" /></a> The attacks come slowly and subtly at first, knocks on the door, the moving of objects and the first contact with the strangers was so great: Doll Face, without her mask, has unscrewed the front porch light to keep her face shrouded and knocks on the door and ask for Tamara. It is so creepy and effective and sets such a surreal tone for the rest of the film as it descends into complete madness.<br />There is no reason for the attacks, when asked why they are doing these things they simply reply with "because you were home," which is so much more terrifying because it puts forth to you that these people do not care who you are and they do not care what you say, they are merely out to have fun. And that fun is psychological torture and your eventual death and because of that knowledge, that dread, the collapse into desperation and hysteria is palpable; there is no escape for they have thought of everything. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cacbiSx6FyswEyLG_iKDVTPmegRNrp0sNR_7_kjfKBSwS3AUGbmiWFiQYgO3eTUKoOzPBdCnL8sjmNFu9u6Wi105OKY4yDfMK1ITcO_Mrs2EqQ-GaevG2ES8aaAOWlGY71zTR9HWqGo/s1600-h/TheStrangers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cacbiSx6FyswEyLG_iKDVTPmegRNrp0sNR_7_kjfKBSwS3AUGbmiWFiQYgO3eTUKoOzPBdCnL8sjmNFu9u6Wi105OKY4yDfMK1ITcO_Mrs2EqQ-GaevG2ES8aaAOWlGY71zTR9HWqGo/s320/TheStrangers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271226820166285474" /></a> And just before we get the Carrie-esque ending, that last frightening gasp, we are treated to a setting calm and serene and dialogue so vulnerable and self-aware.<br />"are you a sinner?"<br />"sometimes."nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-88942396804626518012008-11-19T11:33:00.000-08:002008-11-19T12:24:01.426-08:00Foals<span style="font-weight:bold;">Foals</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Antidotes</span> 2008 Sub Pop<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKs2AMuXKELdMb0w03rK2cUheIYSmSvTYyi0S5aR01q2rsvxpKFfzcCJhJ1QczE-JrBfA31yTRcMlSb7ZNREceBAWv2RoBvpQb53PpxlvcHkQ_6YW9QUsSQRInVghRbGjJT_wjUicaGQ/s1600-h/fo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKs2AMuXKELdMb0w03rK2cUheIYSmSvTYyi0S5aR01q2rsvxpKFfzcCJhJ1QczE-JrBfA31yTRcMlSb7ZNREceBAWv2RoBvpQb53PpxlvcHkQ_6YW9QUsSQRInVghRbGjJT_wjUicaGQ/s200/fo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270466934309035058" /></a><br />Think of it as math-rock you can dance to; with guitars that owe much to the great post-punk acts of old and a rhythm section rooted deeply in disco and funk, the mind is presented with a beautiful paradox. And as the indie rock blazes from its core, the songs unleash upon us the Afrobeat sounds of brass and kettle drums. But in all of its cacophony, all of it's innovations, it rarely sounds alien or full of dischord, rather it is able to flow in quite a naturalistic fashion. The vocals are for the most part shouted instead of sang, tinged with their Oxford accents and marked with sass without being typical copies of such singers who might attempt similar things.<br />The album is full of stops and starts, tempo changes, genre changes, mood changes; it is both ethereal and pulsating, dance-inducing and thought-provoking. However, it is not at all times the most memorable of albums, the melodies sometimes falling short and the innovation itself taking center stage. It is something I admire and can understand the temptation, though it is my hope that this album is used as a building block and that true potential is unleashed. It is their debut album, after all and for that we are truly lucky.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-25060150854511605492008-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:002008-11-19T11:31:25.250-08:00Esperanza Spalding<span style="font-weight:bold;">Esperanza Spalding</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Esperanza</span> 2008 Heads Up International<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pO68OflUd2QjaHR0kgif5AWJrjoyo4Jxr85WAlwHDd2eH8Y8ipOXLA7KxH5Q-xMmMoDFqQio7oA12WR6RQuyc38xfxD2IPgNFA5T-p_5eyive37ItrPO4K1uttuET2M6rAkFurLIB7A/s1600-h/Esperanza.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pO68OflUd2QjaHR0kgif5AWJrjoyo4Jxr85WAlwHDd2eH8Y8ipOXLA7KxH5Q-xMmMoDFqQio7oA12WR6RQuyc38xfxD2IPgNFA5T-p_5eyive37ItrPO4K1uttuET2M6rAkFurLIB7A/s200/Esperanza.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270453429541892354" /></a><br />Much like Rock and Blues, Jazz has become highly saturated and bland, filled to the brim with lackluster compositions and shameless imitators. But as time goes on, and the genre itself begins to bloat, shining diamonds can rise to the top. Esperanza Spalding has risen indeed and all, Jazz aficionados of not, would do well to listen.<br />At 24 years old, her ability on the bass already matches and overcomes most seasoned players but that alone is not enough. Her voice is strong and commanding but also youthful and optimistic and it cuts through her mobile bass lines with melodies that are both memorably jovial and uniquely innovative. <br />Each song delivers a divergent style starting with the super-cool of "I Know You Know," the sultry swagger of "Fall In," and the samba flavors of "I Adore You," which features a brilliant scat and bass solo that shames most of what is attempted by even masters of the genre. The one weakness that is readily apparent to me is the beginning of the final third of the album which at times descends into uninspired jazz jamming which in of no interest to me but it is but only a small part of a greater whole and rather than rely on Jazz alone, she draws upon flamenco and Latin influences to bring the songs to a glorious new level. It has been done before to be sure, but in her hopeful exuberance becomes something entirely new. Her backing band is superb, all playing their parts with the same joy as she, abandoning all jaded pretenses and drawing perfectly upon that which radiates from her. She is magnetic is song and personality and it would seem that the Jazz world could look to her a a focal point, a rallying cry to rejuvenate the spirit of innovation that once permeated it.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-74425091370696165622008-11-19T09:43:00.000-08:002008-11-19T10:19:53.268-08:00China Forbes<span style="font-weight:bold;">China Forbes</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">78</span> 2008 Heinz Records<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsUakbp0barDlR38DS-6ZppEd4j62uIb6BtuR9SXIoBoCyyJI16kMhI8r5ANrnSspGOMjYcSg6nRKa8Ir9c2b6xGm2qBReJ5w6xb1mg395TggIgB28SvcB6aVqlkq54EDFw2wMmf5V24/s1600-h/china.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsUakbp0barDlR38DS-6ZppEd4j62uIb6BtuR9SXIoBoCyyJI16kMhI8r5ANrnSspGOMjYcSg6nRKa8Ir9c2b6xGm2qBReJ5w6xb1mg395TggIgB28SvcB6aVqlkq54EDFw2wMmf5V24/s320/china.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270434965122062258" /></a><br />It is a very sad thing when such talent and originality falls short and gives in to something utterly bland. As the primary vocalist for the Portland-Based Pink Martini, she helps blend seamlessly lounge, world and Latin music with soft and sultry, yet completely commanding vocals. She can dance effortlessly between languages, delivering Spanish Portuguese, Russian, Italian and many others as though she were native and last year's <span style="font-style:italic;">Hey Eugene!</span> was the pinnacle of Pink Martini's achievements thus far. <br />And so we come to <span style="font-style:italic;">78</span>, the much anticipated solo album from China Forbes and to label it as unremarkable would be an understatement. Gone is the confident and wonderfully layered voice, replaced sadly by flat and almost lethargic melodies that would be better fit to be found on a flavor of the week album rushed into production without care. Perhaps that was the point; to abandon the bombastic camp and furor that was Pink Martini and embark on a simpler road. Perhaps that was the intention, but what we get is a mere bore and even a rendition of the Pink Martini track "Hey Eugene," a previously quirky dance groove becomes something wholly lifeless.<br />The production is halfhearted, the songs are indistinguishable and lifeless with the same pace and same mood over and over and one begins to realize as the album progresses that Pink Martini as a collective is the true majesty and that the individual pieces, while vastly important, rely on each other to lift themselves up.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-21250891111333130242008-10-21T13:48:00.000-07:002008-11-10T17:09:34.846-08:00Emmylou Harris<span style="font-weight:bold;">Emmylou Harris</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">All I Intended To Be</span> 2008 Nonesuch<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhyVBYP_XaQbzkcBtUpFoqiiu66RPOU8vVaout0ek7wt_orB_GFRZW10If7GrQrYI3v4g7mlgN2Se5ikcJIl4b7heZpDqYK15xA9BSkO0YigxKKKfJ10CKwzbcGtBRgl61RtRMNgl-9k/s1600-h/51o35D4BnlL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhyVBYP_XaQbzkcBtUpFoqiiu66RPOU8vVaout0ek7wt_orB_GFRZW10If7GrQrYI3v4g7mlgN2Se5ikcJIl4b7heZpDqYK15xA9BSkO0YigxKKKfJ10CKwzbcGtBRgl61RtRMNgl-9k/s200/51o35D4BnlL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259746263480312770" /></a><br />Oh, Emmylou Harris, how I love you. Oh, how I think <span style="font-style:italic;">Blue Kentucky Girl</span> is one of the finest albums country and bluegrass have ever known and oh, how I look to your voice as one of the most defining of the genres. And oh, what a joyous treat your 2006 pairing with Mark Knopfler was. And some are saying that your newest album, <span style="font-style:italic;">All I Intended To Be</span>, is the pinnacle of your career. I almost agree.<br />This album is very good. And I love the way you sing sorrow. But I also love the way you sing joy, and there is very little of that to be found here. To say I don't miss that, would be a lie. However, it is beautifully maudlin, it moves slowly to be sure, but it also quite care-free and the more I listen to it the more I admire it. 'Gold' is one of the high points, featuring amazing backing vocals by Dolly Parton, it feels the most timeless, truly among the greatest in your deep canon. As is 'How She Could Sing the Wildwood Flower,' a fittingly melodic and harmonious tribute to June Carter that seems to float off of your fingers and your lips.<br />The interspersion of cover songs was an interesting idea and it truly does work. They mesh with the originals so well, in fact, that even if you are familiar with the song, like Merle Haggard's 'Kern River,' its easy to forget that it is not one of your own.<br />To call this album the most personal of your career, however, would be an understatement. The assembly of so many longtime friends, of such powerful caliber is impressive and the care put into this album is nearly tangible. It sounds as though many old friends and lost loves simply got together and worked through their emotions for each other one song at a time. And though I miss songs like 'Sisters Coming Home,' this is by far the most peaceful you have ever sounded.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-30195685548612125362008-10-21T12:34:00.000-07:002008-10-21T13:43:32.395-07:00Duffy<span style="font-weight:bold;">Duffy</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Rockferry</span> 2008 Mercury<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1vus6S5NcfRzR567Xs0bdmzVMQSu-eG_69feeZYk12v2lkQc0cOHUpimlKZRSQxS3ijVvYnDJFhBBtcHxx0Pw2bk6B4crq9yXqKJElSl1l_DfKxTpeGeMGXG86-Ks-R6hCqdnzytQE0/s1600-h/51xNrzL-+lL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1vus6S5NcfRzR567Xs0bdmzVMQSu-eG_69feeZYk12v2lkQc0cOHUpimlKZRSQxS3ijVvYnDJFhBBtcHxx0Pw2bk6B4crq9yXqKJElSl1l_DfKxTpeGeMGXG86-Ks-R6hCqdnzytQE0/s200/51xNrzL-+lL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259709801976908562" /></a><br />Welsh vocalist Duffy is one of the latest in the line of young ladies leading the charge of New Soul, and while I do not think that Amy Winehouse comparisons are inappropriate, I would have to say that Duffy has the more compelling and stronger voice while also exploring a different facet of Soul Music than Winehouse. And unlike her British counterpart, it is far more likely that we will get more albums by which to better judge her legacy.<br />The songs on <span style="font-style:italic;">Rockferry</span> tend to be more atmospheric and sultry but also far more wistful and lacking any form of self-consciousness. They rely heavily on techniques utilized by the great Motown producers and even Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound. With thumping bass throughout, brilliantly subdued guitar, drums played with the perfect mix of funk and soul and downright amazing backing vocals, the album is an absolutely underplayed and welcome assault. The slow-building title track opens the album, giving way into something ethereally epic with each second that passes. And even armed with pulsating and commanding songs like 'Mercy' and 'Delayed Devotion' the album is far less hip than any of the new soul divas, but that is by far its strength and in many ways, it feels far more genuine than most.<br />And most striking about Duffy herself is the modesty with which she carries herself. When responding to praise about her album, she quietly replies that she "can't take it in, because I didn't do it on my own," before citing the plethora of help she had in producing the album. Some have criticized her and others within the movement of misrepresenting true soul, something she partially agrees with, saying that she is not trying to define it, but she also disputes the claim that a 24 year-old white woman from Wales cannot have soul, saying that race should not be an issue and she has the perfect album to back that argument up.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-62191003536072545372008-10-21T11:51:00.000-07:002008-11-10T17:09:02.626-08:00Devotchka<span style="font-weight:bold;">Devotchka</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A Mad And Faithful Telling</span> 2008 Anti<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-caiyTOtBLcgCyHnW0Qm2GaUUEE69Yxx5_8ZccAyqf-qkaCyCzPRHUKWAIffBKLbWFTmPDe7TdvfVrc80F0muAaM41IuWInUgx35rjlx2EPVSJLJNVhiqy_x5Fwyl9A9wJSc0BcdEyCU/s1600-h/651.x600.mr.devotchka.rev.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-caiyTOtBLcgCyHnW0Qm2GaUUEE69Yxx5_8ZccAyqf-qkaCyCzPRHUKWAIffBKLbWFTmPDe7TdvfVrc80F0muAaM41IuWInUgx35rjlx2EPVSJLJNVhiqy_x5Fwyl9A9wJSc0BcdEyCU/s200/651.x600.mr.devotchka.rev.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259692539586600434" /></a><br />I absolutely adore when artists dabble in cross-genres and Devotchka is a group after my own heart. Originally a backing band for burlesque shows, this Denver-based quartet somehow manages to blend the best of Eastern Bloc folk music with Latin sounds such as Mariachi into something wholly organic and whose individual parts do not clash but rather compliment. They are one of those maverick acts who could be said are more punk rock than most punk bands themselves in that they dare to forgo conventions and so it is only fitting that <span style="font-style:italic;">A Mad And Faithful Telling</span> was released on Anti-,who has an excellent reputation of releasing great albums by groundbreaking and off the cuff artists, new and old. And while they are not as bombastic musically as some of their contemporaries within the so-called Folk-Punk and Gypsy Punk genres, their live show is said to be something to behold complete with trapeze artists and various musicians appearing from within the crowd. <br />Each member boasts an impressive repertoire of instruments to their credit, with accordion, melodica, theramin, trumpet, violin and countless others piercing throughout one another and making their glorious presence known. <br />Each song moves in its own way, from the stirring, melodic epic 'Transliterator' whose string section swirls about over the haunting verses before giving way to the oddly catchy chorus to the instrumental 'Comrade Z' whose jarring Slavic rhythm section bounces joyfully and the rapid movements of Mariachi trumpets and violins dance rapidly around it to the closing track 'New World', which I swear to god could have been a Pixies song in the right era with its atmospheric female vocals in the background that painted for me a picture of Kim Deal.<br />Devotchka is a band to be awed by, and <span style="font-style:italic;">A Mad And Faithful Telling</span> is the memo on that.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-32883911019833217092008-10-17T13:16:00.001-07:002008-11-10T17:08:41.406-08:00Black Kids<strong>Black Kids</strong><br /><em>Partie Traumatic</em> 2008 Red Int/Red Ink<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0UMjKdIUMbVWHO5jsCRcikVJ3l3ieAs45SHeXFQU9C9Ybmt8H8ZMcVLriSHAQ2wjWcE_SW2yNvWRjyyLs0eoBucQ_QrF-8sW-oo5rRetjL-FoC2STHHRysdVL1jUNaZdPl35lKYMJlI/s1600-h/partie400.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0UMjKdIUMbVWHO5jsCRcikVJ3l3ieAs45SHeXFQU9C9Ybmt8H8ZMcVLriSHAQ2wjWcE_SW2yNvWRjyyLs0eoBucQ_QrF-8sW-oo5rRetjL-FoC2STHHRysdVL1jUNaZdPl35lKYMJlI/s200/partie400.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258219452081125490" /></a><br />The Cure's Robert Smith had such a unique and noticeable voice, one that for me, defined the 80's gothic new wave like no other, and within in it, all cracking and desperate, you could feel the emotion pouring from with in him and you could in some ways empathize with whatever he was putting forth. Many vocalists have tried to mimic this voice and failed, and to me it has always seemed half-hearted and it has always been a gigantic turn-off for me. And so now there is this new up and coming band from Florida called Black Kids who's singer Reggie Youngblood at times, unleashes a full-on Robert Smith assault. And here's my conundrum: for the most part I really like the music. It draws upon the greatest of the morose new wave acts like the Psychedelic Furs while in the same turn making it infectiously dancey. And the female vocals only help. Add on top of that, the great, satirical lyrics and the fantastic use of of call and response. My favorite lines have to be (the female vocals are in italics) <em>Abracadabra</em>/Every summer you disappear/<em>Because its so sticky in the dirty south</em>/Oh yeah its hot as balls!/<em>Hey watch your mouth!</em>.And then add to that the fact that Youngblood's low register vocals are brilliantly beautiful and remind me a lot of Jim Kerr of Simple Minds fame. Its almost enough to make me forgive that one thing. But its a glaring thing. Though the more I listen the less apparent it becomes. <br />So there you go, do with that what you will. For the most part i really like this album. For the most part.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-36858172884045244702008-10-17T13:11:00.000-07:002008-11-10T17:08:22.163-08:00The Breeders<strong>The Breeders</strong><br /><em>Mountain Battles</em> 2008 4ad Records<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYa1nfokaXaC0RMhGOAZKe4fC6BNrQ-SPgm6foqZVenqSKgeOMRI8B7b7dPnG_UwPh7OCtqK2imtVnumV8iFtSP-DZFxlG0nozb-eQDh59rkBsfvLe6mePusArbnLjH7AWwllILiKbh9w/s1600-h/Mountain-Battles-by-The-Breeders_65595_full.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYa1nfokaXaC0RMhGOAZKe4fC6BNrQ-SPgm6foqZVenqSKgeOMRI8B7b7dPnG_UwPh7OCtqK2imtVnumV8iFtSP-DZFxlG0nozb-eQDh59rkBsfvLe6mePusArbnLjH7AWwllILiKbh9w/s200/Mountain-Battles-by-The-Breeders_65595_full.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258218411387505170" /></a><br />This album bores me. And that is a painful statement to make because as a teenager in the early 90's, the Breeders' albums defined much of my music listening. They were able to combine quirky and poppy, experimental and rock like few others could. And on this album, some of those qualities remain, but for the most part the songs are just bland. In some ways I attribute this to the fact that the Deal sisters seem so tired in the harmonies, almost as if they are phoning their performances in. But its more than that, the songs themselves, even the uptempo ones, move along at paces that suggest a collective apathy towards the project, even if that is not indeed the case. All in all, their are some gems, most noticeably "German Studies," a pleasant reminder of the Breeders of old featuring actual German lyrics that seem to be sung with more conviction than any of the other tracks. So rather than a "Pod" or a "Last Splash," chalk this one up as more of a "Title Tk": not bad, just sort of ho hum.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-37166153326549028302008-10-17T13:07:00.000-07:002008-11-10T17:08:04.306-08:00The B-52s<strong>The B-52s</strong><br /><em>Funplex</em> 2008 Astralwerks<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPPcvo0MS8i3DtxElIx8jlXPhj5DSJBVK_T9IWaBABPJVecRe6HDlFXE58p3Rv8SeXovcosdK0JE-z1yas8RKCa64GJ5aX48E_022YgzjsfQkkbfM_qjYAK9nlx0F6P5Qr2tjEvdoqR0/s1600-h/695a0bcd-1c93-44e8-8e8d-67fd5c3b7c74.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPPcvo0MS8i3DtxElIx8jlXPhj5DSJBVK_T9IWaBABPJVecRe6HDlFXE58p3Rv8SeXovcosdK0JE-z1yas8RKCa64GJ5aX48E_022YgzjsfQkkbfM_qjYAK9nlx0F6P5Qr2tjEvdoqR0/s200/695a0bcd-1c93-44e8-8e8d-67fd5c3b7c74.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258217263076643650" /></a><br />It has been 16 years since The B-52s released a proper studio album, a fact that should be worrisome, for time is not always forgiving to musicians and their last effort, <em>Good Stuff</em> was mediocre at best. But this band are party animals of the purest pedigree and their bombastic attitudes have not aged on bit. This album is <em>sexy</em>. It's dripping with it, in fact and every thing you'd expect from a classic B-52s album is there: Fred Schneider's unapologetic pop shout, Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson's enthralling and sassy harmonies, Keith Strickland's catchy riffs and the lyrics that beckon you to forsake your self-conscious ego and dance for god's sake. It's like the early 80's again only with better production (though sometimes it seems a tad overproduced). Standout tracks include "Juliet of the Spirits," a insanely catchy and spacey dance ballad and "Too Much To Think About," an innuendo-laden swaggering anthem using celestial imagery to describe what I'm pretty sure is sex, culminating in the line "Tonight! When Bodies Collide!" The party has not stopped for this Athens, Georgia party band and it most likely never will, as evidenced by the defiant shouts of the final track "Keep This Party Going." Will Do.nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1487993193102608041.post-73998565471350997652008-10-17T13:02:00.000-07:002008-11-10T17:07:41.051-08:00Be Your Own Pet<strong>Be Your Own Pet</strong><br /><em>Get Awkward</em> 2008 Ecstatic Peace<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpixKxce55vvpeKIRr_St54F1VRpUx-alvmoWCcYmxLw71WF3WCd-fPTyrSN-h191b0YqX8CWjgMfbEua396JSCvx-GX3JVDV7pQYzaMjY5c1_j_f2xd-mwP5wxiea7u6hrLqH_jy5Dc/s1600-h/byop.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpixKxce55vvpeKIRr_St54F1VRpUx-alvmoWCcYmxLw71WF3WCd-fPTyrSN-h191b0YqX8CWjgMfbEua396JSCvx-GX3JVDV7pQYzaMjY5c1_j_f2xd-mwP5wxiea7u6hrLqH_jy5Dc/s200/byop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258216831070030738" /></a><br />This band rules. Total lo-fi garagey punk reminiscent of legendary California pioneers the Avengers.<br />The songs are for the most part fast and simple but by the same token, never bland, featuring deceptive tempo shifts and drawing upon doo-wop and rock and roll to round things out and make them interesting. And the vocals rule. With songs about food fights, Robocop (with the best song title ever, 'Bitches Leave'), druggie hipsters, zombies and Valley of the Dolls, they are a band after my own heart. One of my most fav lines from the album has got to be from the freak-out groove 'Becky' in which vocalist Jemina Pearl shrieks "That doesn't matter anyway/Cuz I've gotta brand new friend, okay?/Me and her, we'll kick your ass/We'll wait with knives after class." <br />The only bummer about this record is that Be Your Own Pet have recently announced that they are breaking up which is a shame because I really would have enjoyed seeing them live. Oh well. Check it out, Yo!nerdyxspicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09985180979050341188noreply@blogger.com0