They definitely are not on Gay Singles, so I guess we can consider them new?
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IuB4DL0BQQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSA3MFVIzcY
All posts by G. Gordon Gritty
Song of the Day – “Femme Fatale”
After Saturday night, it seemed only fitting for “Sunday Morning” to play after “Femme Fatale” because I literally met a Femme Fatale. I was suckered into a posthumously hilarious situation that I took all too seriously at the time. A very beautiful French woman flirted with me, held my hand, and advised me to follow her into the “special room” which ended up being the front door! So she threw me out and slammed the door. What a clown!
Phewf!
Listening to the “Party Favorites” channel on Comcast, I came across a good song here and there like “Burning Down the House” by the Talking Heads, which I actually felt was more of an eclectic “Party Favorite,” but still definitely suitable. Then comes on this song that I actually confused for a similar sounding King Khan and the Shrines song. Shame on me, because I read the words “Smash Mouth” on the screen! The song? “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby.” I will whole-heartedly acknowledge that I suck at music history (and this post is sure to piss off one Ben Tan if he ever gets around to reading it) so yeah, I didn’t know that ? and the Mysterians did it first and then Smash Mouth covered it. It’s really garage-y and showy hence my WTF this is actually decent party shit reaction. That’s that!
CD Review: Come Around Sundown [2010]
Band: Kings of Leon
Label: RCA
Release: 10/2010
1. “The End” – B
2. “Radioactive” – B+
3. “Pyro” – C
4. “Mary” – C+
5. “The Face” – C
6. “The Immortals” – C
7. “Back Down South” – B
8. “Beach Side” – C+
9. “No Money” – B+
10. “Pony Up” – C-
11. “Birthday” – C-
12. “Mi Amigo” – C-
13. “Pickup Truck” – C+
Comments: Kings of Leon are a pretty polarizing bunch. For starters, they’ve never been “indie” — a terrible label to begin with, but even worse when people use it on a band that’s been signed with major label giant RCA since the get-go. Glad I’ve got that out of the way. They’ve been derided as “boring arena rock,” but they make “good music” compared to one Justin Beiber. Original fans seem (on the Internet, anyway) a dime a dozen, but have the Kings really compromised anything in the last six or seven years? Debut “Red Morning Light” was (still is) typical southern pop-rock. The next year’s Aha Shake Heartbreak had a bunch of the same kinds of songs — fun (oh no, not that!) well produced guitar-oriented anthems. Like I was trying to say, they never really came in “indie” and went downhill to “pop” from there. There was never that kind of transition. Somewhere along the line we are left with 2008’s Only by the Night. I liked Only by the Night. Not a whole lot, but the instrumentation was minimal, yet affective. When I first heard Kings of Leon being played on the radio — you know “Sex on Fire” (a bit more like their southern-y stuff of the past) and the huge “Use Somebody” which was (and still is) well overplayed but it undeniably has a catchy progression and pleasing guitar work. Two years have past and now Kings of Leon have brought us Come Around Sundown. Right from the get-go with “The End,” I’ve noticed they’ve haven’t changed. Surprise! It’s a pretty good song…incorporating the typical elements of post 2000s clean southern/garage pop-rock. “Radioactive,” the album’s lead single, is sing-a-long material…something like their arena friends U2 have been accustomed to making over the years. Keep in mind I don’t know much about U2, but it’s all about the “big” landscape of the song…potentially “bigger” than “Use Somebody.” If you want to go to sleep, listen to “Pyro.” Even though it has a sizable build-up, it’s boring. “Mary” is bland. Pretty awesome guitar solo, but otherwise bland. Looks like they really hit a poor streak because “The Face” is the same damn fodder! The thing that sort of keeps Kings of Leon somewhat sane in times of distress are their bridges and outros. Not saying they are good, but they can really make an awful song turn into something manageable. “The Immortals” is pretty average. It doesn’t suck, but it’s almost like they’ve done somewhat of the same variation for the past three songs. “Back Down South” seems like an honest descent into southern music. The noisiest song on the record goes to “No Money.” A little more of that direction couldn’t really hurt the band. OH YEAH IT COULD. So yeah, this album is pretty terrible, but it’s not that terrible. I’ve listened to some terrible records this year, but it does have a few trick ponies that act as saving graces.
Grade: C+ (77)
LONG LIVE THE LIBERTINES!
“Time For Heroes” !!!!!!!!!
The Cramps – “Way I Walk”
Introduction: “The following video tape was a free concert given for the patients at the California State Mental Hospital in Napa, CA on June 13, 1978 by The Cramps who where (sic) on tour from New York and the Mutants from San Francisco.
Lux Interior: “We drove 3000 miles to play for you. And somebody told me you people are crazy, but I’m not so sure about that.”
Link: http://www.kinodv.net/movies/archive/Cramps-Way_I_Walk.swf
CD Review: I Am Not A Human Being [2010]
Rapper: Lil Wayne
Release: 10/2010
Label: Young Money
1. “Gonorrhea” – B
2. “Hold Up” – C+
3. “With You” – A-
4. “I Am Not A Being Human” – C-
5. “I’m Single” – C+
6. “What’s Wrong With Them” – B+
7. “Right Above It” – A
8. “Popular” – B-
9. “That Ain’t Me” – B-
10. “Bill Gates” – B
Comments: Lil Wayne is an interesting fellow. He has an adoration of playing around with words. He particularly utilizes metaphor and simile. His rhymes range from cheesy Weezy to fairly intelligent and thoughtful. Beats have never really been a focal point for Weezy, especially on non-singles. He almost can’t be taken seriously, nor can his guest rappers, but some how they always end up with something called a song. It’s striking. On the R&B slow jam “With You,” we get a good sense of what Wayne is capable of in terms of sensible writing. He effectively tells a romantic story without much effort. What I’m saying is “With You” doesn’t sound forced or random. “Tonight it’s moonlight and candles and shit.” That’s all. It’s so Human Being. Imitating Beastie Boys rock-rap style isn’t Weezy’s thing. He made a terrible rock-esque album earlier this year, didn’t he? Let Wayne shine. He doesn’t need power beats or abrasive guitars. I was expecting Nicki Minaj to rap not sing a chorus on her feature in “What’s Wrong,” but I must say she doesn’t do that bad of a job. Wayne’s verses are solid. “Right Above It” was the first single (featuring Drake) from this record and contains the record’s most distinguishable beat/chorus. It deserves all the accolades it has/is getting. I didn’t expect much out of this relatively short LP. There are high points and other points that just seem to exist without much fanfare.
Grade: B- (82)
CD Review: Cum Stain [2010]
Band: Cum Stain
Release: 6/2010
Label: Burger Records
1. “Bachelor’s Life” – A+
2. “Broke My Dick” – A
3. “No Hearts/Big Mean Maniac” – A-
4. “Just A Kid” – A+
5. “Vicdumb” – A-
6. “Slip It Off Slip It In” – A-
7. “Smoker” – B+
8. “I Want It Now” – A
9. SuckHer4U” – A
10. “Jack Shack” – A
11. “Cum Stain” – A+
Comments: Just when I thought I heard the ‘last of the libertines’ so to speak, I hear this. Cum Stain. Whether the composers of Cum Stain realized it or not, they boldly described bachelor life from start to finish. Literally. When push comes to shove, the narrator is just another “cum stain on your rug.” This man is a heavy drinker, a heavy smoker, and a passionate lover. Except, he doesn’t actually love you or want to. Well, he wants to, but he figures that’s just a waste of time. He just wants to do it and get it over with. On “Bachelor’s Life” we learn a little bit about the dude. Every hour he “masturbates” and “just sits around and watch cartoons.” On a more positive note, he stocks whiskey and rum. “Broke My Dick” is pretty self-explanatory, but the narrator offers an alternative like none other: “slap you in the face while it’s limp.” Might as well do something, right? In a proto-hardcore punk, let me tell you what’s up kind of way, the narrator reiterates on “No Hearts/Big Mean Maniac” that he has no heart and that he is a maniac. The guy is straight nuts. Fuck, he even invented his own fetish: throwing manure in the faces of grade school children. So, just a quick recap. The dude is in his 20s, but he’s purely “just a kid.” He exemplifies that word, but puts an added spin on in it. I’m not really sure what he’s going for on “Vicdumb.” It seems like he is necessarily stating the obvious. Anything anyone does to you makes you a mere vicdumb. Perhaps the “dumb” instead of “tum” allows him to get away with whatever he wants. You’re the dumb-ass, not me for screwing you and then leaving. Vicdumb. “Slip It Off/Slip It In” is probably the maniac’s fantasies after a long day at the beach. Oh yeah, and everything you learned about smoking is all a bunch of shit. Smoking is for winners and the more the better. Another thing: impulse control? This guy has none and doesn’t care. If you can’t give him what he wants (as he says on the apropos “I Want It Now”), then he’ll go find it. Peace! It seems as if maybe there was a possibility for a relationship at one time (“SuckHer4U”), but he just couldn’t commit to anything more than casual. “Jack Shack” tells of a ride down to a “Gentleman’s Spa” where no (sleazy truck driver) knows your name. I must say, this is one of the best stories I’ve ever heard. The lyrics aren’t genius or intricate in any regard, but the narrative comes across very clearly. The music is incredibly lo-fi garage pop (similar to Nobunny circa Love Visions). It makes you think, too. Is this your average single guy with a job or an unemployed psychopath who has never had any women in his life?
Grade: A- (93)
Weezer To Play Blue Album, Pinkerton @ Orpheum
December 14 and 15.
CD Review: The Age of Adz [2010]
Band: Sufjan Stevens
Release: 10/2010
Label: Asthmatic Kitty
1. “Futile Devices” – B
2. “Too Much” – C
3. “Age of Adz” – C+
4. “I Walked” – B
5. “Now That I’m Older” – B+
6. “Get Real Get Right” – B-
7. “Bad Communication” – C
8. “Vesuvius” – C+
9. “All For Myself” – B-
10. “I Want To Be Well” – C
11. “Impossible Soul” – B
Comments: S.S has made a return to show business…as the band Phoenix. Not quite, but as you may or may not know, this is an electronically driven piece of work. A bit like when Peter Bjorn and John went electronic…except that actually worked rather well. Sufjan is still pretty much Sufjan of old. He sort of “wow”-ed me with Illinois — not going to lie — though I’d never consider myself particularly fond of his work, holistically. You either have to stick orchestral or go full electronic. None of this half and half BS is acceptable in my eyes. Sufjan thinks since he’s Sufjan he can do whatever he wants. He’s not Radiohead. Some of these tunes are decent throw-away listens. That’s a depressing thing to say given the current music culture, but it’s true. I mean, I have a pretty short listening span so these 4+ minute tunes aren’t ever going to cut it. Even the shorties are just little one timers. Twenty-five minute songs aren’t acceptable…ever.
Grade: B- (80)
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 