Some of y'all might remember my critically acclaimed review of "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" where I said that it was terrible...Well, they couldn't make an album that godawful without making one this bad before it.
Well, yes, I'll slow down. "But it's critically acclaimed!" "It speaks to the angsty teenager in me!" "I have poor taste in music!" - NONE of these are excuses for saying that this is CLOSE to the best FLips release. I mean, once again, stupid sounding hippy-dippy pop music with gawdoful harmonies and boring melodies.
I guess around here (and on that 4 disc thing), Stephen Drozd put on the Daddy pants and said "I'm writing all the music now!", and now we get, like, freaking harp glissandos? And 2 versions of the same song? TWICE?! And cheesy sounding string arrangements? I mean, c'mon, let's not try to hide your lack of being able to write a decent melody (something we learned you can't do on "Embryonic") by covering it in crap-funk grooves and overly bombastic horn parts. I mean, it seems like you (the Band, not the faithful reader) is saying "I'M MATURE! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! I CAN RIDE THE BIKE ALL MYSELF!", but really, you're still just a little kid from Oklahoma.
Now, some songs here are good, but for our purposes, we can say the decline of the FLips I know and love starts here. Plus, this thing's like an hour long. Where's the fun in that? An hour of some pretty arrangements and Wayne's exciting new lyrics about optimism and hope and all that other crap.
Here's a Flipper video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUsd2IKwzNI
OVERALL RATING - Whee! Whaaooo! Let's talk about Weezer!
KEY TRACKS - "Race for the Prize", "Waitin' for a Superman"
Monday, October 18, 2010
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
Yesterday, I finally found a vinyl copy of this in a record store that Peter Prescott was hanging out in. I said nothing to Peter, but I got all excited about this and its $7.99 price tag, so with this and a Silkworm EP (for 99 cents), I was on my way.
This catches the Boss inbetween "The River" and "Born In The U.S.A." (a favorite of John Gargiulo and Evan Allen). And it's 10 songs. He's the only musician and it was recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder. And guess what? It's awesome.
Why?
Well read on, I'll tell you more.
So here, we see Bruce in a different state - lyrically, we always knew where he was coming from - running or going or freezing out or whatever. But he was often just drenched in the bombast of Clarence Clemons sax solos and Max Weinberg's pervert drumming and the only emotion we got was when Bruce would go "UGHHHHHHHHAA" inbetween vocals and stuff of that nature. Here, it sounds like Bruce is playing in your corner working on some unfinished hits. And yeah, these songs aren't "finished" - the goal was to have the E Street Band re-record these jams, but after doing it, Broose and management decided against it and THANK GOD.
Most people only know one song off this ("Atlantic City"), because that's the only one on the Greatest Hits, but all of these songs are fantastic. I mean, what'cha got here...well, the title track which is about some folks on a killing spree, then "Atlantic City" (which is awesome), then another one that sounds like the first one, and well, hell, I won't do this for the whole album. There's also a track that sounds like Suicide on here!
Did you know that the Boss was such a NO WAVE (LOLZZZ) fan?
Well, I did. He's even released a Suicide cover or two in his life.
Anyway, great album. Great mood (bleak and not optimistic 'til the last song). Great cover. Great release.
Here's Bruce doin' it right.
OVERALL RATING - Squiddily bop!
KEY TRACKS - "Atlantic City", "Open All Night", "My Father's House"
This catches the Boss inbetween "The River" and "Born In The U.S.A." (a favorite of John Gargiulo and Evan Allen). And it's 10 songs. He's the only musician and it was recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder. And guess what? It's awesome.
Why?
Well read on, I'll tell you more.
So here, we see Bruce in a different state - lyrically, we always knew where he was coming from - running or going or freezing out or whatever. But he was often just drenched in the bombast of Clarence Clemons sax solos and Max Weinberg's pervert drumming and the only emotion we got was when Bruce would go "UGHHHHHHHHAA" inbetween vocals and stuff of that nature. Here, it sounds like Bruce is playing in your corner working on some unfinished hits. And yeah, these songs aren't "finished" - the goal was to have the E Street Band re-record these jams, but after doing it, Broose and management decided against it and THANK GOD.
Most people only know one song off this ("Atlantic City"), because that's the only one on the Greatest Hits, but all of these songs are fantastic. I mean, what'cha got here...well, the title track which is about some folks on a killing spree, then "Atlantic City" (which is awesome), then another one that sounds like the first one, and well, hell, I won't do this for the whole album. There's also a track that sounds like Suicide on here!
Did you know that the Boss was such a NO WAVE (LOLZZZ) fan?
Well, I did. He's even released a Suicide cover or two in his life.
Anyway, great album. Great mood (bleak and not optimistic 'til the last song). Great cover. Great release.
Here's Bruce doin' it right.
OVERALL RATING - Squiddily bop!
KEY TRACKS - "Atlantic City", "Open All Night", "My Father's House"
Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
It has been 13 years since M. Gira has released any new work under the Swans moniker. Since the group’s dissolution, he’s been active with groups like the Angels of Light and running his record label, Young God (title taken from a Swans EP from way back when). Earlier this year, he announced that Swans were returning with a new record and a tour in the fall. Until then, Swans were just a group I’d heard about in passing – their music, bleak; their albums being some of the most depressing musical artifacts ever recorded, live concerts being insanity – percussionists that banged on pieces of sheet metal with bike chains over pulsing bass notes for 8 minutes at a time at crushing volumes. Clearly, I knew I had to see this band.
Within a few days, I had absorbed as much of their music as I could, but I also saw the growth and change of the band. Early to mid 80s were dark, abrasive, claustrophobic examples that proved music was able to change one’s outlook on life within 2 minutes of hearing a song called “Stay Here” or “I’ll Cry for You”. The late 80s were still kind of bleak, but a few questionable personnel choices left us with albums that were over-produced and just lacking in about everything that made the early ones great. The 90s were interesting and confusing at first, but in the end, produced worthwhile stuff. So how does Swans 2010 stack up?
Well, you won’t be confusing this with your (or my) copy of Filth or Greed anytime soon, but it is, hands down, one of the finest albums I’ve heard this year, regardless of genre or band or whatever other consideration you might throw at me. And I’ve only had this album for a few days as I write this. The music sounds like Swans and doesn’t sound like Swans. Gira’s voice isn’t the low growl we used to hear 27 years ago, but rather has more of a crooner thing going for it (those who’ve heard any Angels of Light will know what I mean) and the music, oh my gosh, THE MUSIC. It starts with “No Words/No Thoughts” which begins with some church bell sounds then 2 and a half minutes of unrestrained bashing of guitar chords and cymbals THEN the actual song comes in. It comes chugging around like the train that could, building momentum until it again erupts into a wall of glorious noise to only come back all the way down and then repeat and repeat again after a band-less verse. “Reeling the Liars In” has a hymn-like quality to it with an almost campfire sing-a-long chorus of “I’m reeling the liars in/the only true thing, the place to begin, is to burn up the liar pile…” Gira might have toned down the some of his lyrics, but danged if the meanings didn’t stay the same. “Jim” is another one that starts quiet enough and once again grabs the listener in a pulls into noise, complete with a mandolin on top. “My Birth” has all the volume and tempo you’d expect with this awesome high 2-note guitar line on the top of everything.
Going to side two, we have a duet with Devendra Banhart (who released his music on Young God) and Gira’s son on a track whose name I probably can’t put in The Penguin, but know that the song is almost beautiful and the contrast of the two voices works way better than anyone could have thought. It’s not novelty, it works. “Inside Madeline” is 4 minutes of growing crescendos and pounding rhythms until it almost all drops out and we have some violin and mandolin with vocals for the last 2 minutes. Usually, I’d say that this was an example of poor track sequencing or laziness, but it all comes together. “Eden Prison” is the one that people who have been checking out this album would know as it was the one free download floating around. Once again, solid, and if anything, it sounds better in the context of the album rather than being a standalone piece. And last is the ditty entitled “Little Mouth”, a quiet number with acoustic guitars and ending with another Gira vocal.
There are a lot of factors as to what makes this a great album. There’s a cracker-jack group of players that have all played in Swans or Angels before (I got really excited seeing Norman Westberg on guitar) and Gira just wrote 8 fantastic songs. He also produced the thing and was able to release it by selling and album of demos and a book of his art and everything that he got from those went straight into the album. When he announced this, he also stated that anyone who pledged a certain amount would be credited as an “Executive Producer” on this release, and sure enough, there’s a list of names who believed in this project.
I never should’ve doubted this given the time and effort Gira put in, and by the time this review comes out, I will have already see the group (which is happening September 30th), so you could ask me if it was worth it. I can say I’ll say yes.
OVERALL RATING – All the monster trucks in the world .
KEY TRACKS – “No Words/No Thoughts”, “My Birth”, “Inside Madeline”.
Within a few days, I had absorbed as much of their music as I could, but I also saw the growth and change of the band. Early to mid 80s were dark, abrasive, claustrophobic examples that proved music was able to change one’s outlook on life within 2 minutes of hearing a song called “Stay Here” or “I’ll Cry for You”. The late 80s were still kind of bleak, but a few questionable personnel choices left us with albums that were over-produced and just lacking in about everything that made the early ones great. The 90s were interesting and confusing at first, but in the end, produced worthwhile stuff. So how does Swans 2010 stack up?
Well, you won’t be confusing this with your (or my) copy of Filth or Greed anytime soon, but it is, hands down, one of the finest albums I’ve heard this year, regardless of genre or band or whatever other consideration you might throw at me. And I’ve only had this album for a few days as I write this. The music sounds like Swans and doesn’t sound like Swans. Gira’s voice isn’t the low growl we used to hear 27 years ago, but rather has more of a crooner thing going for it (those who’ve heard any Angels of Light will know what I mean) and the music, oh my gosh, THE MUSIC. It starts with “No Words/No Thoughts” which begins with some church bell sounds then 2 and a half minutes of unrestrained bashing of guitar chords and cymbals THEN the actual song comes in. It comes chugging around like the train that could, building momentum until it again erupts into a wall of glorious noise to only come back all the way down and then repeat and repeat again after a band-less verse. “Reeling the Liars In” has a hymn-like quality to it with an almost campfire sing-a-long chorus of “I’m reeling the liars in/the only true thing, the place to begin, is to burn up the liar pile…” Gira might have toned down the some of his lyrics, but danged if the meanings didn’t stay the same. “Jim” is another one that starts quiet enough and once again grabs the listener in a pulls into noise, complete with a mandolin on top. “My Birth” has all the volume and tempo you’d expect with this awesome high 2-note guitar line on the top of everything.
Going to side two, we have a duet with Devendra Banhart (who released his music on Young God) and Gira’s son on a track whose name I probably can’t put in The Penguin, but know that the song is almost beautiful and the contrast of the two voices works way better than anyone could have thought. It’s not novelty, it works. “Inside Madeline” is 4 minutes of growing crescendos and pounding rhythms until it almost all drops out and we have some violin and mandolin with vocals for the last 2 minutes. Usually, I’d say that this was an example of poor track sequencing or laziness, but it all comes together. “Eden Prison” is the one that people who have been checking out this album would know as it was the one free download floating around. Once again, solid, and if anything, it sounds better in the context of the album rather than being a standalone piece. And last is the ditty entitled “Little Mouth”, a quiet number with acoustic guitars and ending with another Gira vocal.
There are a lot of factors as to what makes this a great album. There’s a cracker-jack group of players that have all played in Swans or Angels before (I got really excited seeing Norman Westberg on guitar) and Gira just wrote 8 fantastic songs. He also produced the thing and was able to release it by selling and album of demos and a book of his art and everything that he got from those went straight into the album. When he announced this, he also stated that anyone who pledged a certain amount would be credited as an “Executive Producer” on this release, and sure enough, there’s a list of names who believed in this project.
I never should’ve doubted this given the time and effort Gira put in, and by the time this review comes out, I will have already see the group (which is happening September 30th), so you could ask me if it was worth it. I can say I’ll say yes.
OVERALL RATING – All the monster trucks in the world .
KEY TRACKS – “No Words/No Thoughts”, “My Birth”, “Inside Madeline”.
Pylon - Chomp
So I've got something on my mind before this AWESOME Pylon review.
However, I can't seem to write it, so just ask next time you see me if you're so inclined.
Here, Pylon got back from touring America and it shows in well, only the packaging (which is full of pics taking around the grand canyon or some place). Other than that, this still sounds like Athens, GA and it's marvelous. I might actually enjoy this one more than "Gyrate".
Here, Pylon sounds even more crazy. Sound effects during songs, Vanessa's vocal delivery is even sharper, there's a solo in "K" (a song about Scrabble) that just completely falls apart, but PERFECTLY. And "Crazy" is on here which R.E.M. covered a bunch (this version is better), and tons more stuff. Musically, it's tighter and more inventive - songs like "No Clocks" start off like near-perfect pop hits then do a complete 180 with even more snapping vocals and crazy guitar parts. "Spider" does this thing where it's one song, then another song, then towards the end, the first part comes in and the two parts of the song play AT THE SAME FRICKING TIME!
Have I ever talked about Pylon's lyrics? Man, where they crazy! Like little poems, so finely crafted. Even in the song "Gyrate" (which is on this album, not the album "Gyrate") we have the "2-4-6-8 Why do we gyrate? 1-1-2-3 we don't need a recipie ABCDEFGYRATE". like HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!
My only complaint with the whole album is that there's too much chorus effect on the guitars. Most of the time, it's fine, but other times, it just seems like Randy forgot to hit the pedal off and didn't want to re-record his parts.
I listened to this album almost everyday this summer while driving to and fro work (along w/ Scratch Acid and "The Real New Fall LP") and I couldn't get enough of it, STILL. And I got it in January.
The CD version has some bonus tracks, like "Crazy" (single version) alt. mixes of two other songs, and "Yo-Yo" with pitch shifted vox.
Just go buy it. Super cheap. Super rad. Super awesome.
OVERALL RATING - WHITE CASTLE
KEY TRACKS - Crazy, Altitude, Spider, Beep
However, I can't seem to write it, so just ask next time you see me if you're so inclined.
Here, Pylon got back from touring America and it shows in well, only the packaging (which is full of pics taking around the grand canyon or some place). Other than that, this still sounds like Athens, GA and it's marvelous. I might actually enjoy this one more than "Gyrate".
Here, Pylon sounds even more crazy. Sound effects during songs, Vanessa's vocal delivery is even sharper, there's a solo in "K" (a song about Scrabble) that just completely falls apart, but PERFECTLY. And "Crazy" is on here which R.E.M. covered a bunch (this version is better), and tons more stuff. Musically, it's tighter and more inventive - songs like "No Clocks" start off like near-perfect pop hits then do a complete 180 with even more snapping vocals and crazy guitar parts. "Spider" does this thing where it's one song, then another song, then towards the end, the first part comes in and the two parts of the song play AT THE SAME FRICKING TIME!
Have I ever talked about Pylon's lyrics? Man, where they crazy! Like little poems, so finely crafted. Even in the song "Gyrate" (which is on this album, not the album "Gyrate") we have the "2-4-6-8 Why do we gyrate? 1-1-2-3 we don't need a recipie ABCDEFGYRATE". like HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!
My only complaint with the whole album is that there's too much chorus effect on the guitars. Most of the time, it's fine, but other times, it just seems like Randy forgot to hit the pedal off and didn't want to re-record his parts.
I listened to this album almost everyday this summer while driving to and fro work (along w/ Scratch Acid and "The Real New Fall LP") and I couldn't get enough of it, STILL. And I got it in January.
The CD version has some bonus tracks, like "Crazy" (single version) alt. mixes of two other songs, and "Yo-Yo" with pitch shifted vox.
Just go buy it. Super cheap. Super rad. Super awesome.
OVERALL RATING - WHITE CASTLE
KEY TRACKS - Crazy, Altitude, Spider, Beep
Butthole Surfers - Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac
So let's chat.
It's 2010.
Cool, we made it this far.
No, but Dude, Seriously.
WHAT A WACKY ALBUM!!!
Here, is probably, my FAVORITE Surfers release. Why? Well, it doesn't sound like them trying to rip off Hendrix (that'd come later). Instead, you got TWO drummers, one bassist, a guitar bro who makes a lot of cool noises and the singer-guy who shouts through a megaphone and sings like a good-to-honest REDNECK in some parts.
Honestly, these Texans created some of the damned finest noise since 1984. I mean, from "Eye of the Chicken" to "Negro Observer" (which has a sax solo!), to the surf-rock "Butthole Surfer", to the weird twisted southern fried blues of "Lady Sniff" skipping back a few to "Dum Dum" (great one to play bass with), to the over 6 minute "Cherub" (with megaphone!), to the just completely screwed up "Cowboy Bob".
I mean, it's a shame this band just sucks. 26 years ago, they released a fantastic album and haven't done anything worthwhile since 1987 or so.
OVERALL RATING - Sonic Drive-In
KEY TRACKS - Dum Dum, Lady Sniff, Eye of the Chicken,
It's 2010.
Cool, we made it this far.
No, but Dude, Seriously.
WHAT A WACKY ALBUM!!!
Here, is probably, my FAVORITE Surfers release. Why? Well, it doesn't sound like them trying to rip off Hendrix (that'd come later). Instead, you got TWO drummers, one bassist, a guitar bro who makes a lot of cool noises and the singer-guy who shouts through a megaphone and sings like a good-to-honest REDNECK in some parts.
Honestly, these Texans created some of the damned finest noise since 1984. I mean, from "Eye of the Chicken" to "Negro Observer" (which has a sax solo!), to the surf-rock "Butthole Surfer", to the weird twisted southern fried blues of "Lady Sniff" skipping back a few to "Dum Dum" (great one to play bass with), to the over 6 minute "Cherub" (with megaphone!), to the just completely screwed up "Cowboy Bob".
I mean, it's a shame this band just sucks. 26 years ago, they released a fantastic album and haven't done anything worthwhile since 1987 or so.
OVERALL RATING - Sonic Drive-In
KEY TRACKS - Dum Dum, Lady Sniff, Eye of the Chicken,
Sonic Youth - 4 Tunna Brix
What a terrible waste of my time.
The Fall (one of the greatest bands ever) gets covered by Sonic Youth in a 1988 Peel Session and it SUCKS.
The Fall aren't an easy band to cover, and Sonic Youth can't seem to do any cover without screwing the tunings up and Thurston yelling like a donkey for the rest of the EP. I mean, what the hell Sonic Youth? You have such good albums, then you crap all over the legacy of one of the finest bands around. And the song choice sucks too! 2 early singles, the Kinks cover and "My New House" that just sounds gah!
Terrible!
And what the hell? He's singing "Psycho Mafia" wrong! That's not even possible!
OVERALL RATING - Trash it.
KEY TRACKS - Rowche Rumble
The Fall (one of the greatest bands ever) gets covered by Sonic Youth in a 1988 Peel Session and it SUCKS.
The Fall aren't an easy band to cover, and Sonic Youth can't seem to do any cover without screwing the tunings up and Thurston yelling like a donkey for the rest of the EP. I mean, what the hell Sonic Youth? You have such good albums, then you crap all over the legacy of one of the finest bands around. And the song choice sucks too! 2 early singles, the Kinks cover and "My New House" that just sounds gah!
Terrible!
And what the hell? He's singing "Psycho Mafia" wrong! That's not even possible!
OVERALL RATING - Trash it.
KEY TRACKS - Rowche Rumble
Scratch Acid - Scratch Acid
In 1984, some record was released with a guy who hits his drums hard, a singer who just kinda yells, some wicked sounding guitar and a bassist that's all like "I play the bass, do do do, playin' de bassz". That was THIS RECORD.
Or probably some other ones.
There were some other records released then and
OK. ENOUGH OF THAT.
Really, you're here because you know that Yow and Sims would later form the Jesus Lizard, and Sims and Washam would form Rapeman before TJL, and the guitarist did something at some time. So, you gotta go back and hear their old band, and THEY ROCK.
Yow screams and grumbles and stumbles around these songs (sample lyric: "Hey, don't eat my brain/yer eatin' my brain/stop eatin' my brain!!!"). I mean, totes Poet Laurete? I concur! The guitarist here has some crazy riffs up his sleeves. Sims plays the bass like a good boy, and Rey is all like "HIT DRUMS HARD ALWAYS" and even wrote a string part for "Owner's Lament", that while kinda generic, still sounds cool.
As for the JAMZ, you got some rockers and some ZZ Top sounding crap. Like "El Espectro" is just a hard-rockin' FANDANGO! jam. And as much as I like "Lay Screaming", I don't care for the beginning. It just sounds like it's all "DARK EDGY INDUSTRIAL", but the rest of the song rules. "Monsters" is a screech feast that goes FAST FAST YELL!
But, yes, GREAT EP.
OVERALL RATING - Brick House
KEY TRACKS - Mess, Owner's Lament, Cannibal
Or probably some other ones.
There were some other records released then and
OK. ENOUGH OF THAT.
Really, you're here because you know that Yow and Sims would later form the Jesus Lizard, and Sims and Washam would form Rapeman before TJL, and the guitarist did something at some time. So, you gotta go back and hear their old band, and THEY ROCK.
Yow screams and grumbles and stumbles around these songs (sample lyric: "Hey, don't eat my brain/yer eatin' my brain/stop eatin' my brain!!!"). I mean, totes Poet Laurete? I concur! The guitarist here has some crazy riffs up his sleeves. Sims plays the bass like a good boy, and Rey is all like "HIT DRUMS HARD ALWAYS" and even wrote a string part for "Owner's Lament", that while kinda generic, still sounds cool.
As for the JAMZ, you got some rockers and some ZZ Top sounding crap. Like "El Espectro" is just a hard-rockin' FANDANGO! jam. And as much as I like "Lay Screaming", I don't care for the beginning. It just sounds like it's all "DARK EDGY INDUSTRIAL", but the rest of the song rules. "Monsters" is a screech feast that goes FAST FAST YELL!
But, yes, GREAT EP.
OVERALL RATING - Brick House
KEY TRACKS - Mess, Owner's Lament, Cannibal
Mission Of Burma - The Sound The Speed The Light
And MISSION OF BURMA is BACK with a new record that came out last October! And I wasn't even going to buy it, but the LP was only $13 the day I went to Newbury to buy "Yank Crime" and "Crooked Rain Crooked Rain" on LP, so how could I resist??
Let's be honest, you can't help but be skeptical when a band gets back together after their guitarist quit due to his broken ears. I mean, how can he hear those songs? How can he tell silly new jokes that he HASN'T heard since becoming not-deaf? I don't know.
Wow!
but hey, Really, Like I said,
slightly
skept-
ical.
But then, after a romp to the Boston Public Li(Bill)berry with Evan "Magic Toes" Allen, I saw they had "The Obliterati" which was the second MOB reunion LP. I checked it out, threw it on and was like "Wow, other than the album being over an hour long, this is solid". So here, we have this new thing.
I actually knew about this thing BEFORE it came out. When I saw Shellac for the first time last year, someone asked Bob when the new MOB album would be out and he said "October, and it has a TERRIBLE title, "The Sound The Speed The Light". There you have it! Bob Weston hates doing tape loops, the bastard! And when I saw Burma on Mission of Burma Day (Oct. 4th, my mother's birthday) in Cambridge at MIT fo' free, they played this entire album, but in reverse running order (WTF LOLLZZZZ). So there, I gave a root canal to Mayor Menininoiono.
But that's beside the point. - - - ). That ")" was also beside a point. ZING!
So the songs?
Most are good!
I mean, here, Roger writes the bulk (6), Peter (3) and Clint (2, co-writing a 3rd with Holly Anderson, the one that also wrote a jam on "ONoffON" and wrote with Conley on some other stuff). And what do we get? Well, Peter's songs are all like "bloom-da-bomal-crash" and double tracked hollered vocals like a demented football coach. Roger sounds like a "dumb football player" according to Mark Prindle, and Clint sounds like a woman (hence, cheerleader or sportscaster), and there's your 2010 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS. But really, Clint doesn't sound like a woman, ok? He sounds totally normal. And his songs are great!
But so where were we? Ah yes. I mean, I listened to this album, but I "got" it on a Saturday morning in my dorm. It was one of the last ones and it was raining out. Prep school was going on so I had no real reason to want to get up and actually get out and do anything, so I woke up, but this album on, and then just sort of lied down, half-awake, half asleep and at some point, "After the Rain" came on and damned if I just didn't get up and get all frantic, trying to find out what song it was. I listened to it and the one after ("SSL 83"), and then listened to all of side 1 again, this time, fully awake and involved and I don't know why but this Burma got to me somehow. Of course I flipped to side 2 and finished it and over time my opinions have changed on some tracks, but this is the most consistent and strongest Burma LP since "Vs". They finally reigned it in by having a digestible 12 jams instead of 15 or 16 and Bob's tape loops are actually doing more than repeating vocals - they sound like an INSTRUMENT, DAMMIT!
Granted, some songs like "So Fuck It" are silly - I mean, is there any reason Roger Miller needs to be singing "I often wonder what I'm really worth/and I won't take shit from you or anyone else/so fuck it". I mean, who's giving Roger such guff? He's a self-employed composer or something and plays guitar in Burma and he's in his 50s and stuff. Guess that old rebellious spirit never dies, does it...
But on the whole, this album is full of fully written and wonderful sounding songs that are now part of Burma's show. So if you plan to see them live like I did 2/3 weeks ago, get to know this. Burma's back and it's time you took notice if you didn't already.
OVERALL RATING - Mark Ibold's smile.
KEY TRACKS - "After the Rain", "SSL 83", "Comes Undone" and maybe "Feed".
Let's be honest, you can't help but be skeptical when a band gets back together after their guitarist quit due to his broken ears. I mean, how can he hear those songs? How can he tell silly new jokes that he HASN'T heard since becoming not-deaf? I don't know.
Wow!
but hey, Really, Like I said,
slightly
skept-
ical.
But then, after a romp to the Boston Public Li(Bill)berry with Evan "Magic Toes" Allen, I saw they had "The Obliterati" which was the second MOB reunion LP. I checked it out, threw it on and was like "Wow, other than the album being over an hour long, this is solid". So here, we have this new thing.
I actually knew about this thing BEFORE it came out. When I saw Shellac for the first time last year, someone asked Bob when the new MOB album would be out and he said "October, and it has a TERRIBLE title, "The Sound The Speed The Light". There you have it! Bob Weston hates doing tape loops, the bastard! And when I saw Burma on Mission of Burma Day (Oct. 4th, my mother's birthday) in Cambridge at MIT fo' free, they played this entire album, but in reverse running order (WTF LOLLZZZZ). So there, I gave a root canal to Mayor Menininoiono.
But that's beside the point. - - - ). That ")" was also beside a point. ZING!
So the songs?
Most are good!
I mean, here, Roger writes the bulk (6), Peter (3) and Clint (2, co-writing a 3rd with Holly Anderson, the one that also wrote a jam on "ONoffON" and wrote with Conley on some other stuff). And what do we get? Well, Peter's songs are all like "bloom-da-bomal-crash" and double tracked hollered vocals like a demented football coach. Roger sounds like a "dumb football player" according to Mark Prindle, and Clint sounds like a woman (hence, cheerleader or sportscaster), and there's your 2010 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS. But really, Clint doesn't sound like a woman, ok? He sounds totally normal. And his songs are great!
But so where were we? Ah yes. I mean, I listened to this album, but I "got" it on a Saturday morning in my dorm. It was one of the last ones and it was raining out. Prep school was going on so I had no real reason to want to get up and actually get out and do anything, so I woke up, but this album on, and then just sort of lied down, half-awake, half asleep and at some point, "After the Rain" came on and damned if I just didn't get up and get all frantic, trying to find out what song it was. I listened to it and the one after ("SSL 83"), and then listened to all of side 1 again, this time, fully awake and involved and I don't know why but this Burma got to me somehow. Of course I flipped to side 2 and finished it and over time my opinions have changed on some tracks, but this is the most consistent and strongest Burma LP since "Vs". They finally reigned it in by having a digestible 12 jams instead of 15 or 16 and Bob's tape loops are actually doing more than repeating vocals - they sound like an INSTRUMENT, DAMMIT!
Granted, some songs like "So Fuck It" are silly - I mean, is there any reason Roger Miller needs to be singing "I often wonder what I'm really worth/and I won't take shit from you or anyone else/so fuck it". I mean, who's giving Roger such guff? He's a self-employed composer or something and plays guitar in Burma and he's in his 50s and stuff. Guess that old rebellious spirit never dies, does it...
But on the whole, this album is full of fully written and wonderful sounding songs that are now part of Burma's show. So if you plan to see them live like I did 2/3 weeks ago, get to know this. Burma's back and it's time you took notice if you didn't already.
OVERALL RATING - Mark Ibold's smile.
KEY TRACKS - "After the Rain", "SSL 83", "Comes Undone" and maybe "Feed".
R.E.M. - Out Of Time
Second major label R.E.M. record and check it out:
It has:
Their biggest hit.
One of their more annoying songs.
A wonderful song w/ Mike Mills doing more of the lead vocal.
A bunch of crap.
I mean, I lurv me some R.E.M., I mean, I invented Michael Stipe. I went into Athens, GA and pushed him out of my skull and into a grade schooler's facial mold and he came out born an 8 year old bald-headed boy. But that's beside the point. Most of the songs seem NOT COMPLETED. NOT FINISHED. HALF-ASSED.
I mean, obviously there's a reason people like this album. It's because people don't listen to full albums anymore. I mean, you got "Losing My Religion", then skip to "Near Wild Heaven" the go past all the slow dirge-y boring garbage to "Shiny Happy People" and then turn off the CD and listen to "Full Moon Fever" by Tom Petty. Gah! And I love me some R.E.M., after all, I gave Bill Berry a root canal with my feet while he tried to record back-up vocals during this album. But enough about my past with William.
See, here, R.E.M. just doesn't seem to be trying. I mean, one this album, you've got vocal spots my KRS-One (of rap fame) and Kate Pierson (of B-52's fame), and then a bunch of strings and garbage. I mean, "Endgame"? Really? A 4 minute song with no lyrics other than "La-da-da-da-da" then a frickin' FLUTE coming in and mimicking that? What the hell?? Such utter garbage. Some poor excuse for being all "ethereal" and "expanding boundaries". At what point did Athens, GA become Athens, Greece and did Peter Buck turn into Yanni? I mean, I remember when I first showed Peter Buck how to bowl using a fake hand crafted from a longshoreman's peg leg, but that doesn't MATTER. or VELOCITY. or VELCIRAPTOR. Christ! This fargin' song is still going??????
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
"Half a World Away" sounds like a crappy "Swan Swan H", "Texarkana" is worthless and is showing the uptempo "Rockers" you'd find on such BANGING albums like "Reveal" and "Up", which sucks because Mills takes the vocals again! And I love Mike Mills! He's my favorite member of R.E.M. I mean, I remember when I taught Mike about listening to Beatles albums backwards to find hidden meanings like "Do LSD" and "Start a race war" (to my suprise, those messages were already ON the Beatles LPs, but playing them backwards was much more amusing to the peach-fuzzed Mills).
And "Belong"? A song with a bass riff with some mumbling from Stipe and then a chorus of only backing vocals? Not inventive, but rather, STUPID.
Christ, did they actually write any SONGS here??
Honestly, there isn't much to like here. These songs are more ideas rather than fully formed musical statements and honestly, if you're going to say that R.E.M. "peaked" with songs like "Losing My Religion", I'd have to say you're as wrong as school on Sunday - NO CLASS.
Wait, that didn't work there.
OVERALL RATING - GREAT! If you like 2 or 3 songs and 37 minutes of metaphorical crapping on a band's previous legacy.
KEY TRACKS - "Near Wild Heaven", "Low"
It has:
Their biggest hit.
One of their more annoying songs.
A wonderful song w/ Mike Mills doing more of the lead vocal.
A bunch of crap.
I mean, I lurv me some R.E.M., I mean, I invented Michael Stipe. I went into Athens, GA and pushed him out of my skull and into a grade schooler's facial mold and he came out born an 8 year old bald-headed boy. But that's beside the point. Most of the songs seem NOT COMPLETED. NOT FINISHED. HALF-ASSED.
I mean, obviously there's a reason people like this album. It's because people don't listen to full albums anymore. I mean, you got "Losing My Religion", then skip to "Near Wild Heaven" the go past all the slow dirge-y boring garbage to "Shiny Happy People" and then turn off the CD and listen to "Full Moon Fever" by Tom Petty. Gah! And I love me some R.E.M., after all, I gave Bill Berry a root canal with my feet while he tried to record back-up vocals during this album. But enough about my past with William.
See, here, R.E.M. just doesn't seem to be trying. I mean, one this album, you've got vocal spots my KRS-One (of rap fame) and Kate Pierson (of B-52's fame), and then a bunch of strings and garbage. I mean, "Endgame"? Really? A 4 minute song with no lyrics other than "La-da-da-da-da" then a frickin' FLUTE coming in and mimicking that? What the hell?? Such utter garbage. Some poor excuse for being all "ethereal" and "expanding boundaries". At what point did Athens, GA become Athens, Greece and did Peter Buck turn into Yanni? I mean, I remember when I first showed Peter Buck how to bowl using a fake hand crafted from a longshoreman's peg leg, but that doesn't MATTER. or VELOCITY. or VELCIRAPTOR. Christ! This fargin' song is still going??????
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
"Half a World Away" sounds like a crappy "Swan Swan H", "Texarkana" is worthless and is showing the uptempo "Rockers" you'd find on such BANGING albums like "Reveal" and "Up", which sucks because Mills takes the vocals again! And I love Mike Mills! He's my favorite member of R.E.M. I mean, I remember when I taught Mike about listening to Beatles albums backwards to find hidden meanings like "Do LSD" and "Start a race war" (to my suprise, those messages were already ON the Beatles LPs, but playing them backwards was much more amusing to the peach-fuzzed Mills).
And "Belong"? A song with a bass riff with some mumbling from Stipe and then a chorus of only backing vocals? Not inventive, but rather, STUPID.
Christ, did they actually write any SONGS here??
Honestly, there isn't much to like here. These songs are more ideas rather than fully formed musical statements and honestly, if you're going to say that R.E.M. "peaked" with songs like "Losing My Religion", I'd have to say you're as wrong as school on Sunday - NO CLASS.
Wait, that didn't work there.
OVERALL RATING - GREAT! If you like 2 or 3 songs and 37 minutes of metaphorical crapping on a band's previous legacy.
KEY TRACKS - "Near Wild Heaven", "Low"
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Hi! I'm Radiohead!
In 2005, I was in a bad place. My last album wasn't very good, and the one before it was kinda "meh", and I knew it! But, I still released it. Why? Because I've got little Radiohead's running around to feed. But in 2005, I didn't know what to do. I knew that my best work was behind me (my "Kid A"), and it was too easy to tread upon the same electronic crap I'd been doing for the past few years. I mean, even Mark E. Smith knew that the techno stuff had to go at some point. So I decided that I needed more guitars. But after deciding that, I had the first song be a drum thing with some light fingerpickin' goodness just to show "Hey, who says you can't teach an old Radiohead new tricks?". I corrected myself and said "Well, we need a ROCKER!" so there's that song. Then I said "Man, I've been paying this song "Nude" since 1997, I might as well record it", so I did. And bam! It's there. But honestly, I feel the finest work comes with tracks 4-8. I mean, it's on there that I create the mood of the album and introduce cool sounds all up in the joint with this strangely weird atmosphere of it feeling warm but distant, LIKE A RAINBOW IN THE DARK! LOLZZZZZ.
I mean, I sing real good on those numbers and my drumming is all like "doom-dippity=bloosh!" with actual guitar in this joint! I also did some cool sounding backing vocals in there that are all like "oooooh yeaaaeaahh" and some lyrics that sound like "my mah ne hi man, house of cards, eergaahhhhhh oooo sspllosss ka". After that 4 song tour de forks, there's only 2 left. Some little rockin' ditty that's all tight and blows up in your face like a puffer fish. When I called it an end this time, I just took some piano chords and simple drum beat and my singing voice and finished the song. And I think it's quite nice. Subdued? Yessirs. But that's the idea of the joint.
So, as a growing, balding Radiohead, I've tried hard to give you a product that costs nothing and I have to say, is my second best musical attempt.
OVERALL RATING - Yeah, we know.
KEY TRACKS - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, All I Need, Faust Arp
In 2005, I was in a bad place. My last album wasn't very good, and the one before it was kinda "meh", and I knew it! But, I still released it. Why? Because I've got little Radiohead's running around to feed. But in 2005, I didn't know what to do. I knew that my best work was behind me (my "Kid A"), and it was too easy to tread upon the same electronic crap I'd been doing for the past few years. I mean, even Mark E. Smith knew that the techno stuff had to go at some point. So I decided that I needed more guitars. But after deciding that, I had the first song be a drum thing with some light fingerpickin' goodness just to show "Hey, who says you can't teach an old Radiohead new tricks?". I corrected myself and said "Well, we need a ROCKER!" so there's that song. Then I said "Man, I've been paying this song "Nude" since 1997, I might as well record it", so I did. And bam! It's there. But honestly, I feel the finest work comes with tracks 4-8. I mean, it's on there that I create the mood of the album and introduce cool sounds all up in the joint with this strangely weird atmosphere of it feeling warm but distant, LIKE A RAINBOW IN THE DARK! LOLZZZZZ.
I mean, I sing real good on those numbers and my drumming is all like "doom-dippity=bloosh!" with actual guitar in this joint! I also did some cool sounding backing vocals in there that are all like "oooooh yeaaaeaahh" and some lyrics that sound like "my mah ne hi man, house of cards, eergaahhhhhh oooo sspllosss ka". After that 4 song tour de forks, there's only 2 left. Some little rockin' ditty that's all tight and blows up in your face like a puffer fish. When I called it an end this time, I just took some piano chords and simple drum beat and my singing voice and finished the song. And I think it's quite nice. Subdued? Yessirs. But that's the idea of the joint.
So, as a growing, balding Radiohead, I've tried hard to give you a product that costs nothing and I have to say, is my second best musical attempt.
OVERALL RATING - Yeah, we know.
KEY TRACKS - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, All I Need, Faust Arp
R.E.M. - Fables Of The Reconstruction (25th Anniversary Edition)
R.E.M.'s Murmur and Reckoning are both undisputed classics. The material is all strong, the production perfect for the music - it's the sound of a young band with an already strong footing in what they want to do and doing it almost too well. So, what do you do to avoid making the same album again? You leave the country, work with a new producer and start with an almost fresh palate of songs that haven't been rehearsed for years. This is what R.E.M. had to do with Fables of the Reconstruction.
Granted, nowadays, reviews looking back on it have been generally positive, but imagine a semi-R.E.M. fan in 1985 and listening to this for the first time. The first two songs are slow. Unbelieavably slow for an R.E.M. song. Say you made it past the first two, then you had a single about riding on a train, another fast tune, then one more slow one that seems to go on forever. I imagine most folks maybe gave through one pass of side two and then never pulled it out again. It's no suprise that in most used record stores, you can find near mint vinyl copies of this for dirt cheap. It also doesn't help that drummer Bill Berry was once quoted as saying that the album "sucked".
So how do you get semi-R.E.M. fan to re-purchase this album he or she didn't care for? Offer a disc of bonus demos of the whole album, including 3 "bonus" tracks (early recordings of "Hyena" from Lifes Rich Pageant and "Bandwagon", a b-side to pop up on Dead Letter Office and some other "unheard" track called "Throw Those Trolls Away"), postcards of the band members (literally the pictures on the album cover), a poster, and a page of liner notes from Peter Buck. If they bite, they'll see what a great album they missed.
In his liner notes, Buck describes Fables as "a doomy, psycho record, dense and atmospheric", and he's right (he should be, he plays on it!). It's an album full of new territory for the band, with lyrical inspiration coming from stories of the south while progressing out of the Byrds-like progressions and arpeggiations we all grew to love. I mean, the first song has a string section, "Cant Get There From Here" has horns. In some ways, this, while being a dark and at times, murky album, also acts as their most polished. There are times in songs like "Green Grow the Rushes" where within the music, you feel as if you're whisked away to where this song is supposed to take place. "Life and How to Live It" is a fast paced tune propelled by Bill Berry's drumming and what sounds like a vocal that just goes "Ohhhhhhh!" during the chorus that sounds like R.E.M. while breaking new ground for themselves.
The last two R.E.M. reissues I didn't get too excited about - I already owned Murmur and Reckoning, and the extra material were just some live concerts - but when I read about this, I got giddy with excitement. An album that I've listened to a lot since the day I've heard it, complete with demos! How could I resist? The demos were all recorded in one day and add to the mythology that surrounds the album. The band has said that they went into the studio "unprepared" but this document proves them wrong. Sure, the songs got polished and a little more refined, but on this, you hear a band in their rawest state, which is pretty great considering it feels like a raw album to begin with. The remaster of the original sounds great as well. Certain little things like vibra-slap hits and extra string parts creep out of nowhere and add to the strange and exciting sonic world that Fables created for its listeners.
OVERALL RATING - Gelato and bowling.
KEY TRACKS - "Green Grow the Rushes", "Maps and Legends", "Good Advices".
Devo - Something For Everybody
The year is 2010.
To be honest, the state of popular music is dismal at best. Folks like Lady Gaga are headlining Lollapalooza while Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" is topping the Billboard charts in the categories of the Hot 100, Digital Songs, and Ringtones. In some way, this seems strange that Devo has released an album some 20 years after their last (and universally un-acclaimed), Smooth Noodle Maps. Then again, maybe it's the perfect time for a new Devo album.
Anyone familiar with Devo is aware of the concept of "de-evolution", and in some ways, it could be aruged that some 30 years ago, they were seeing the future. The popular music now - filled with rudimentary beats, lackluster lyrics, clumsily thrown around melodies and mispelled titles - seems to be a decline from the popular music even 15 years ago, where the music wasn't exactly challenging to begn with. Devo, with their history of attacking the commercial culture that their music was a part of, has attempted to release an album filled with songs that please their audience, attract new fans, and critique this day and age while secretly blending in with it.
Anyone unwrapping the CD or LP from the shrinkwrap will notice stickers that say "88% Focus Group Approved" and slightly chuckle, not knowing this was actually the case. The tracklisting was determined by a "Song Study" held where Devo fans voted on the songs, picking from 16 and only being able to choose 12. Devo would later add 3 others, and when you do the math, you get 88%. This, coupled with the previous videos (most satirical) of fake focus group testing approving the new Devo "Energy Dome" color (for those unaware, those are the flower pot lookin' things they were ((for those curious they went from red to blue)). This way, Devo was able to drum up publicity for the album while giving the fans some control over the finish project (folks might remember Rivers Cuomo doing this for a Weezer album - the idea later got scrapped).
So, with some much emphasis on the presentation, the marketing and everything else, how is the music? Well, it sounds like Devo in 2010, which can be a mixed blessing. Much like Funplex by the B-52's, there's a sense of trying to hold on to the past, while embracing the technology of the future. Yes, there are synths all over the album, but there's also guitar - probably about the same balance as one would hear on Freedom of Choice. The production is slick, everything is LOUD and there were a few different engineers and producers having their hands in this. But it's Devo. It kind of works.
The music, while not rocking out in 7/4 or repeating chants for 4 minutes that some embrace and alienate others, is uptempo, catchy and to the point. It sounds like the second best dance party of 2010. "But wait!", you the reader might be thinking. "Didn't you just blast popular uptempo music with a straight 4/4 beat and no substance to it!", well yes, yes I did. I can't speak for Lady Gaga, but since the lyrical genius of "pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-poker face" has yet to put down the lyric "al-Qaeda and the Taliban/fundamentally out of hand/I keep trying to turn it all around/but the New World Order wants to take me down" and make it singable, I'll stick with these guys. The lyrics are rife with even more references to popular culture; "Don't Shoot (I'm A Man)" has a chorus of "don't taze me bro!", "No Place Like Home" is clearly lifted from The Wizard of Oz and is fitting given the parallels of the technicolor film to the vibrant musical world they've cleary strived at creating. And it's all over in some 38 minutes.
Given that 4 of the 5 members are the same folks that were re-working "Satisfaction" back in 1977 (session drummer Josh Freese has since become a full member of the band), it's fantastic that they still have this creative energy going. Whether this will turn out to be another great 21st century reunion like Mission of Burma, or a lackluster cash-in like the Butthole Surfers is still up in the air, but here's to hoping that this isn't the last we've heard of those boys from Akron, Ohio.
OVERALL RATING - I'd say 78% NM approved, +/- 10% given my mood, diet and holiday season.
KEY TRACKS - "Fresh", "Sumthin'", "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)"
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Years ago, back when you were busy clapping chalk erasers together, I was up until the hours of the nite, the later ones, and listening to such FINE and FORWARD THINKING bands such as 6 Finger Satellite. Around that time, this sideways man above these letters was running sound for them. He later started a label and a dance-y doohick band that goes "bloop bloop bleep bleep boom boom chk boom boom chk chk chk chk crash!" or something. Ok.
So this is the 3rd LCD album, and boy, is it long! I mean, 9 songs and it's 65 minutes long. Of course by now you've heard "Drunk Girls" on XRT, and what with it's 3.45 time and fast tempo, it fits. But after that, the second shortest song is 5.54! Maybe James or whatever his name needs to work on quality control, because most people here won't make it through the first 3 songs. "Dance Yrself Clean" is great but gets repetitive as does "One Touch". And it's a damn shame that people will zone out after the first 20 minutes, because track 4 is AASEOME! It's called "All I Want" and its this little pop beat with this 2 note guitar line and it just chugs along and is so darln catchy! Like the swine flu! Max thinks it's too poppy, but he's a silly goose.
"I Can Change" just sounds kinda "meh". Not too crazy, the synths in the beginning throw me off. "You Wanted a Hit" is a 9+ minute dance beat with lyrics about record labels wanting hit songs, but the beginning sounds like Kraftwerk! YAY! GERMAN SYNTH MUSIC BY NIHILISTS! Oh! and there's that next one "Pow Pow", which quotes "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood with slightly stream of thought lyrics, but is pretty sweet. But once again, 9 minutes with little variation. "Somebody's Calling Me" is some flippidy slow thing that feels excruciatingly long as its 7 minutes long of "duh duh duh do-dahhhhhhh". The last track "Home" is great stuffs.
Let me make a statement here:
LCD Soundsystem in songs like "Home" and "All I Want" makes the music U2 wants to make these days - dancey, modern and an opportunity for Bono to stretch his voice. Maybe that's why I like these songs, because I like U2 when they write good songs.
But I'm goofballs for coconut jazz!
OVERALL RATING - Greg Kot's toe, painted by Jim.
KEY TRACKS - Home, All I Want, Dance Yrself Clean, Pow Pow
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