Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
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Red Wanting Blue: These Magnificent Miles
Red Wanting Blue: These Magnificent Miles
For over a decade, Red Wanting Blue has paved their way without the help of a label. These Magnificent Miles is their first record label released album.
The fact that Red Wanting Blue has never been signed to a label is a little surprising; the band has a mainstream ready sound. The album’s opening track “Gravity” sounds like Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd or any one of those bands that sounds exactly alike to the untrained ear.
But Red Wanting Blue does not just present incredibly generic post-grunge on These Magnificent Miles, no the band is promoted as a country group. “Where You Wanna Go” sounds like Clint Black covering a Kenny Chesney song which I am sure is pie-in-the-sky for any commercial country fan but is lackluster for the rest of us.
While it would be easy to write the group off and cite having a song called “U.S. Bumper Sticker” as yet another reason to hate Red Wanting Blue, I must give credit where credit is due. In a genre where it is unpopular to not be overly patriotic, “U.S. Bumper Sticker” is actually critical of the country. The track seems to be about a man grappling with loving his country but not necessarily loving the flag-waving idiots that occupy it.
Despite the over all negative tone of this review, I am not giving These Magnificent Miles a sub-1 rating. I can not tell if I hated the other songs so much that the two that were mediocre stood out as good in comparison or if I actually liked two songs, but I will give them at least that “U.S. Bumper Sticker” is pretty good. The rest of the tracks I could do without but if you are a fan of commercial country radio or songs played in commercials to join the army, you might find Red Wanting Blue more pleasing than I.
Rating: 1.9/10
MP3: Red Wanting Blue “U.S. Bumper Sticker”
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Tom Jones: Praise & Blame
Tom Jones: Praise & Blame
70-year-old Welsh singer, Tom Jones is amongst the world’s greatest living crooners. He emerged in the 1960s, releasing hits like “It’s Not Unusual”, “What’s New Pussycat?”, and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”. Since that time, he has consistently released albums. On his 39th studio album, Praise & Blame, Tom Jones departs from the pop-oriented sound that dominated his career and instead explores the barren world of gospel covers.
Let’s just get this out in the open, Praise & Blame is a cover album. The only song covered on the album that I had ever heard before was Bob Dylan‘s “What Good Am I?” When the most notable song covered on an album is a deep cut from Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy, you know Tom Jones did some serious crate digging to make his selections.
The album’s lead single, “Did Trouble Me” is a cover of a Susan Werner tune. The track definitely shows off one genre explored on the album. The track is sparsely instrumented, instead letting Tom Jones’ soulful vocals shine on their own. Towards the end of the song an earthy combination of banjo and drums come in to accentuate the crescendo but do little to take away from Jones’ superior performance.
The other genre greatly explored on Praise & Blame is old time rock ‘n’ roll. “Strange Things” is a cover of 1940′s and 50′s gospel singer, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The track shows off a Chuck Berry-esque guitar while still maintaining the same soulful feel as “Did Trouble Me”.
The album’s soulful nature and absolutely perfect song selection makes it an easy album to love. Although it may not be what fans expect of Tom Jones, it will probably be on the short list for Grammy nominations simply because the instrumentation, the vocal work, and song selection are absolutely perfect. Praise & Blame may be Jones’ crowning achievement.
Rating: 8.5/10
MP3: Tom Jones “Strange Things”
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Seu Jorge And Almaz: Seu Jorge And Almaz
Seu Jorge And Almaz: Seu Jorge And Almaz
I first became aware of Seu Jorge (as I am sure many of you did) from his role in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The movie not only let Jorge show off his acting skills but also featured him doing acoustic Portuguese language covers of David Bowie songs. Because of this, Seu Jorge has attained a level of success in America many world artists will never near. On his latest album, Seu Jorge is backed by a band known as Almaz. The band consists of drummer Pupillo and guitarist Lucio Maia from Nacao Zumbi and composer/film scorer Antonio Pinto. The album is produced by Mario C who is best known for his work with The Beastie Boys.
The album’s music is for the most part Brazilian samba with tinges of rock and jazz mixed in. Although that may not sound like the most accessible genre to American ears, there are some signs that Jorge is moving his music more mainstream. Take for example the album’s first single, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”. You read correctly, the track title is in English as are the lyrics. The track has a smooth jazz beat accompanied by long lazy guitar strums and sustained keyboard notes. The track seems like Jorge’s attempt to make the essential summer track. It works to mixed results. The track reminds me of something G Love and Special Sauce might have done but with sloppier lyrics.
There are other hints of Jorge striving for a more mainstream appeal. He does an English version of Michael Jackson‘s “Rock With You”. On the cover, snaky guitars replace the disco chic creating what I imagine The Doors may have sounded like if Jim Morrison lived into the late 70s. It is an interesting listen to say the least.
Despite the steps to make his music more accessible, I still wonder what kind of market will be purchasing Seu Jorge And Almaz. The album will probably appeal to those fans of Brazilian samba/rock fusion but how much of the population is that? Sure, some fans of The Life Aquatic and City of God might find their way to the album but not enough to make a serious difference. Sadly, Jorge will probably again go unnoticed while producing a solid album.
Rating: 6.1/10
MP3: Seu Jorge And Almaz “Rock With You”
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Mike Patton: Mondo Cane
Mike Patton: Mondo Cane
Faith No More was one of those 90s one hit wonders that most modern rock fans probably just vaguely remember. While “Epic” was a huge hit, the band never really managed to scrounge up any other type of commercial success in America. However, lead singer Mike Patton has turned into one of the most prolific musicians of his generation. Recording well over thirty albums with bands such as Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk, and Peeping Tom, as well as collaborative albums with X-ecutioners, Dan the Automator, and John Erik Kaada. That does not even include his solo albums. On his third solo album, Patton covers Italian pop music of the 1950s and 1960s.
With how weird and experimental some of Patton’s projects have been (I’m looking at you Phantomas), it is no surprise that this idea could spring from his head; what is a surprise is how well he speaks Italian. Upon doing some research, Patton was formerly married to an Italian artist and owned a home in Italy so I guess it makes sense but that does not necessarily make it any less shocking.
For the most part, Patton tries to stay true to the original. He croons out tunes like Massimo Ranieri‘s “Scalinatella” with no hint of experimentalism. There would be no reason to believe that the man singing this song with perfect diction and seriousness is the same man responsible for Fatih No More.
Some tracks are not content staying faithful to the Italian pop tunes to which the album pays homage. A screamed version of The Blackmen’s “Urlo Negro” sticks out as the most outlandish cover included on the album. Although other tracks like “20 KM Al Giorno” sounds like an Italian Tom Waits.
What is interesting is that despite being completely in Italian, Mondo Cane might be one of the most easily accessible Mike Patton releases. The album is poppy and includes beautiful orchestral instrumentation. It is obviously an atypical release but Mondo Cane is probably worth checking out.
Rating: 7.6/10
MP3: Mike Patton “Scalinatella”
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The Young Veins: Take a Vacation!
The Young Veins: Take a Vacation!
The least shocking fact of all time might be that The Young Veins are from California. It’s easy to compare them to sun-soaked West Coast power-popsters before them like Phantom Planet and Rooney among others. But what is surprising is that the Young Veins are made up of former members of Panic! at the Disco.
Panic! at the Disco was the epitome of Hot Topic. Their music was perfectly tailored to fit into skinny jeans and boys wearing make up. The Young Veins, while not exactly NOT a cookie cutter band, seem to be the exact opposite. On their debut album, Take a Vacation!, the band apes the melodies of The Beach Boys while using the retro sound of the British invasion.
While a lot of people will write off what the Young Veins are doing as being “nothing new”, I am not so quick to judge. Pop rarely gets reinvented because it does not need to be. The Young Veins essentially make the perfect pop record on Take a Vacation!. The album’s lead single and opening track, “Change” starts off with a guitar sound ripped directly from The Shins‘ “So Says I” before keyboard Nick White of Tilly and the Wall fame comes in with his retro-organ sound. The track’s vocal harmonies are so tight, you would swear you were listening to Herman’s Hermits. While the lyrics are nothing to write home about (ex. “Now she begs for money/no one calls her honey), they do not need to be when the track is this poppy.
What’s amazing is that, “Change” is just the beginning of the poppiness. Nearly every track on the album sounds like it could be a single.
Rating: 8.5/10
MP3: The Young Veins “Change”
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Ashlyne Huff: Ashlyne Huff
Ashlyne Huff: Ashlyne Huff
Back on May 11th, Ashlyne Huff released her debut self titled album. On the front cover of the album is a picture of Ashlyne. She’s quite the looker. And on the back you can get a small glimpse of her fine legs, one of the perks of being a dancer. Its not until you listen to the album that you get the real sense of Miss Huff’s multiple talents.
With only six tracks to the album it makes it difficult to judge how good of a songwriter she is. I mean, what if five of the songs are brilliant but another four she could have added wouldn’t have been?
So, for her lasting impact I’d like to see some more original work.
What you can get a sense of is Ashlyne’s talented voice. She describes her sound as a mix between Pink and Kelly Clarkson. I find it a bit of a cop-out to settle for any comparisons. Naturally, she’s pop based in her musical writing, but perhaps only for the moment. So you could have switched out Pink and Clarkson for just about any other two female pop stars.
The opening track “Heart of Gold” is a straight out electronic pop song. Its catchy, to say the least, but clearly not her most powerful performance. Interestingly, Huff is from LA but hails from Nashville originally. So it was no surprise to hear a bit of that country influence on this track. But, she doesn’t stand to be labeled as country-pop.
“Trippin’ it Up” is more or less a dance track with guitars. Its got a very movable beat, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear more of a traditional dance mix of it coming at some point. I also find that her voice sounds more natural on this track than “Heart of Gold”. I don’t know if she was having more fun here, or if she was forcing out the vocals more on “Heart of Gold”. Still, she shows she can make a fun dance track while singing about more serious topics than just partying.
“Sweet Nothing” slows things down with what I consider to be a very good ballad-type song. The acoustic guitar allows for Ashlyne to show off her voice. And she does it quite well. Its funny to hear that she didn’t always like to sing considering how talented she is at it.
The one sore spot for me on the album was “Comeback”. I wasn’t crazy about the idea of a relationship being compared to a comeback. But on top of that it just was the weakest song on the album. And that’s what leaves me wondering if she just ran out steam. A few more tracks would have settled that question, but she’s certainly capable of writing good songs. And who knows how she’ll grow as a writer and singer. Or what influences will unfold in her future songs. The certainty is that she has the goods to be around for a long time. Her success is wholely determined on how committed she’ll be to trying to break through a genre that’s filled with lots of talented, pretty women all ready. I can say at least she’s being herself and not going for the Lady Gaga approach. Its a testament to all young women that you should be comfortable with who you are, and proud of it at the same time. Ashlyne Huff is going places, like a stage near you soon. So be sure to check her out.
Rating: 7.8/10
MP3: Ashlyne Huff “Trippin’ it Up”
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Factor: Lawson Graham
Factor: Lawson Graham
Canadian producer, Factor has been crafting beats for over a decade. In that decade he has produced works for the likes of Xzibit, Aesop Rock, and AWOL One. On his latest album, Lawson Graham, Factor continues to push the boundaries of hip hop by mixing in an eclectic mixture of sound and influences.
Hip Hop producers are not generally the most free thinking bunch. After Kanye West broke how many sped up soul sample-based song came out? A lot. That’s why it is important to have artists like Factor. It is evident from listening to Lawson Graham that Factor is not concerned with what hip hop heads will say about his release.
Lawson Graham sees Factor mostly experiment with mixing indie pop and folk with hip hop. Tracks like “Every Morning” could have easily been written by a modern Pete Seger. The track features Cars & Trains singing over a simple acoustic guitar and electronic drums beat. The drums are, of course, Factor’s signature crackling, heavy drums.
But Factor does not only indulge in the rock realm, he does a good job to rotate between more traditional hip hop and the esoteric fare. The album features some of Factor’s famous rap friends like Radical Face, Barfly, 2Mex, Pigeon John, and Myka 9 among others.
The track that probably best mixes both genres together is “The Fall Of Captain E.O.” which features Ceschi. Ceschi does the rapping and singing thing normally, so it is not out of his range to mix psychedelia and hip hop but the track’s vivid imagery and catchy hook works incredibly well.
Unfortunately, not all the tracks work so well. A couple of the more rock based tracks seemed to pale in comparison to the hip hop tracks. The hip hop tracks worked so well that if Factor had focused more on them than on the folky stuff we might be talking about one of the best albums of the year instead of an album just above mediocrity.
Rating: 6.4/10
MP3: Factor featuring Ceschi “The Fall Of Captain E.O.”
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RJD2: Inversions Of The Colossus
RJD2: Inversions Of The Colossus
In a flurry of creativity, RJD2 released his fourth album The Colossus back in January to solid reviews only to follow it up with Inversions Of The Colossus last month. The album is a completely unique companion piece to The Colossus.
After his incredibly disappoint 2007 album, The Third Hand it is nice to see RJD2 return to form on Inversions Of The Colossus. The album kicks off with “The Perfect Occasion”. The track starts off with a Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love”-esque drum solo before the horns come in. The horns are reminiscent of RJ’s biggest hit, “Ghostwriter”; they are big, fun, and anthematic. RJ does something a little different with the bridge, using a Ratatat guitar sound. The track really sets the tempo for the whole record.
After the last two records being very lyrical, it’s nice to have a mostly instrumental album from RJD2. “The First Sights Of Land” and “Calm Down” are the only two tracks with lyrics, all the rest are content to be instrumentals. While some argue that instrumental albums get boring, RJD2 really mixes up his styles enough to keep it interesting. “Crumbs Off The Table” sounds like a Moog Cookbook rendition of a James Brown tune. “The Shining Path” sounds like an outtake from The Avalanches‘ Since I Left You album.
Overall, Inversions Of The Colossus really feels like an instant classic from RJD2. There are a few weak tracks but nothing overwhelmingly bad. For the most part, the album is able to be listened to from start to finish.
Rating: 8.2/10
MP3: RJD2 “The Perfect Occasion”
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The Gaslight Anthem: American Slang
The Gaslight Anthem: American Slang
I bet you can not remember the last time you saw a release by SideOneDummy Records reviewed on your favorite blog. That is not because SideOneDummy does not release some good stuff; Piebald is one of my favorite bands ever after all, but SideOneDummy does not generally release the type of music the blogosphere digs. The Gaslight Anthem seems to be the rare crossover that is appeal to both the Vans’ Warped Tour crowd as well as the blogosphere. Their latest album, American Slang has been widely praised by sites like Absolutepunk.net as well as sites like Pitchfork.
What makes them so easily praised is that they are the complete package. They have a great sound. They cite influences like Springsteen, The Ramones, Joe Strummer, and The Cure. I find their sound to be like The Hold Steady covering Reinventing Axl Rose-era Against Me. And I do not just reference those two bands sound wise but lyric wise as well.
Singer/songwriter Brian Fallon produces the type of Garden State poetry that launched the careers of Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and even Ted Leo. On “Orphans” he sings the Lawrence Ferlinghetti-esque line “Goodbye circus wheel, may you rest along the sea/I have given you the fire of my youth and the triumph o’er my enemies”. If that does not tell you this is not standard “punk” fare I do not know what will.
The album is full of repeated words, themes, and phrases. The words “when we were young” appear in several songs as does the phrases “the cool” and the question “wasn’t I good to you?” These concepts seem to come to a head in the album’s penultimate song “The Spirit of Jazz”. The song is posed as a letter to a former lover but something tells me it is not literally a person. The chorus’ lyrics are among the best I have heard this year. Fallon sings “Was I good to you the wife of my youth?/not another soul could love you like my rotten bones do/so I will wait on the edges in between/these New York streets, where you and I would meet”.
Although everything is not quite roses on American Slang. The album’s closing track, “We Did It When We Were Young” seems woefully out of place on an otherwise fairly uptempo album. Lyrically the track fits in fine but it seems a shame to end the album with far and away it’s slowest song.
But besides that slight gaff, the album is near perfect. It is no wonder critics seem to be rallying behind The Gaslight Anthem and American Slang, the album is the type of career maker that comes around only every so often.
Rating: 8.3/10
MP3: The Gaslight Anthem “The Spirit of Jazz”
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Radio Freq: Alive EP
Radio Freq: Alive EP
Los Angeles’ Radio Freq got their start playing warehouse parties. It is evident listening to their electro-rock infused debut EP, Alive why LA hipster would have eaten them up.
The album’s open track, “I’m Alive” is fairly representitive of the group’s sound. The track opens with MGMT-style keyboards before a dirty bass synth sets the tempo for the track. The track’s vocal styling reminds me of The Faint. The chorus feels a little underwhelming; it has the power to be a big arena rock sized chorus but Radio Freq seems a bit tentative. That does not diminish the chorus’ catchy hook, however, which is a clear winner.
All four songs on the EP are actually good. It took me a while to warm up to “Automatic”. The track is clearly the least danceable of the four tracks with its Ratatat aping beat and Postal Service sounding vocals. But its uniqueness makes the EP not get monotonous.
Overall, for a debut EP Alive surprisingly captures a group that looks completely in control. Most debut EPs sloppily try to showcase too many influences and thus sacrifice continuity or cohesiveness, Radio Freq shows no hint of these usual pitfalls. It makes me yearn for a full length album from the group in the near future.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Radio Freq “I’m Alive”
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