1. “Odessa” – B+ 2. “Sun” – C+ 3. “Kaili” – B+
4. “Found Out” – B 5. “Bowls” – C
6. “Leave House” – B 7. “Hannibal” – B+ 8. “Lalibela” – B 9. “Jamelia” – C+
Comments: Caribou is a pretty cool dude. He puts beats together nicely. From the get-go, this was a different kind of experience for me. I knew two Caribou songs and they were great background music…nothing really over the top. Chill, basically. It turns out, most of this record IS just great background music. Less chaotic and more dreamy, but still background music. Anyway, Caribou’s got mathematical credibility (a Ph.D. from Imperial College in London)…take that “math rock” people. He’s got psychedelic credibility (stage name comes from something thought of while on an acid trip), too. Credibility doesn’t matter, though. We are talking music. Electronic music. I feel like Caribou needs some more pounding bass. That might not be his thing per se, but it’d make for a more exciting listen.
Comments: Good beats/average rap. That’s approximately what this record amounts to. This isn’t a traditional rap record…obviously. Lou Reed singing over a hip-hop beat? Fail. So even if “Gorillaz are real,” they are still a pretty laughable band. Getting somewhat big names to feature on tracks doesn’t prove to positively affect the record. The theme of the record is pretty lame, something you would expect from a fictional cartoon band. Miracle Johan did “To Binge” better on his Hawaiian mix released a few years ago. At the end of the day, this is a pretty unspectacular record in the grand scheme of 2010 releases. It will be forgotten. It’s already been forgotten.
Band: Portugal. The Man Release: 3/2010 Label: Equal Vision
1. “The Dead Dog” – B 2. “Break” – B- 3. “60 Years” – B+ 4. “All My People” – A- 5. “1000 Years” – A 6. “Fantastic Pace” – A- 7. “The Pushers Party” – B+ 8. “Do What We Do” – B 9. “Just A Fool” – B- 10. “Some Men” – B 11. “When The War Ends” – B+
Comments: This band was a fresh discovery for me last summer. I very favorably reviewed their 2009 LP TheSatanic Satanist. That was a unique record for me… definitely plenty psychedelic, but plenty pop as well. The beauty of this band is that it’s really hard to say that they are this or they are that. Given the title alone, you’d probably think this was a hip-hop record. There is, without a doubt, influence coming from hip-hop and neo-soul on a lot of Portugal. The Man’s tunes. That’s why I don’t mind throwing out a band like Outkast for comparison purposes. I guess I’ll even name drop Cold War Kids for a track like “Fantastic Pace.” I don’t have many complaints about this album, but I’d probably say top to bottom I prefer Satanist.
Band: Nick Curran Release: 2/2010 Label: Eclecto Groove Records
1. “Tough Lover” – A- 2. “Reel Rock Party” – B 3. “Reform School Girl” – A- 4. “Kill My Baby” – A- 5. “Psycho” – A- 6. “Sheena’s Back” – A- 7. “Baby You Crazy” – A- 8. “Ain’t No Good” – A- 9. “The Lowlife” – B+ 10. “Dream Girl” – B 11. “Flyin’ Blind” – B+ 12. “Lusty L’il Lucy” – A 13. “Filthy” – A 14. “Rocker” – A
Comments: Without a doubt Curran is one of only a handful of musicians today that effectively does the ’50s thing pretty good. He makes no effort to modernize the record in any aspect. I’m not really a purist so I can’t say that I’m completely taken aback by everything on here. Curran and gang are comparable to King Khan and BBQ Show, if only the Show tried harder to limit itself to just playing oldies. Curran has got the ADD of King Khan (and Little Richard and so on) and the sheer power of Sultan. He also has a back-up group that possesses all the instrumental goodness of the Shrines. That said, this thing doesn’t really make me overly excited. I can’t really understand why not and that alone bugs the shit out of me. A good majority of the tracks don’t have much “replay” value. They are pretty awesome when you play them the first time, but after that I have no burning urge for more plays. “Lusty L’il Lucy” is a funny little ditty. She’s the town’s best friend. She’s also the album’s best song. “Filthy” describes Lucy, I’d imagine. Definitely, the last three songs alone are probably as cool as the first eleven…and that’s fine. I’m glad I got to experience this one. I’ll be coming back to it every now and then because it just might better tickle my twine at a later listen.
Title: Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone Band: The Walkmen Release: 2002 Label: Startime International
1. “They’re Winning” – A 2. “Wake Up” – A+ 3. “Everyone Who Pretended” – A+
4. “Revenge Wears No Wristwatch” – A 5. “The Blizzard of ’96” – A- 6. “French Vacation” – A 7. “Stop Talking” – A 8. “We’ve Been Had” – A 9. “Roll Down The Line” – A-
10. “That’s The Punch Line” – A 11. “It Should Take A While” – A- 12. “Rue The Day” – A- 13. “I’m Never Bored” – A 14. “Don’t Be Long” – A-
Comments: This was hardly a debut record in the traditional sense. All five members arrived in the band in 2000 after performing in one of two polished bands: Jonathan Fire*Eater or The Recoys. Fire*Eater landed a major label deal with Dreamworks and were a significant influence on The Strokes while The Recoys were less of a big deal, but drew their sound from “vintage” garage groups like the Troggs and Standells. The group wasn’t really young at the time of this recording. All members were at least 25 and had significant experience at their individual schticks. They had, what seems evident now, a great handle on how they wanted to sound. Even now critics are at a loss in terms of how to really describe the band in words and labels that modern listeners may feel comfortable with. It’s bare bones and minimalistically dreamy, but very real. Just enough keyboards, just enough lead, just enough bass, barely surfacing rhythym, and penetrating vocals. When I first bought this record last summer, I remember I wasn’t as enthusiastic as I am now. It definitely takes a few listens to just take in what the Walkmen have to offer here. This isn’t the best album from the group, but it does give kids like you and me a pretty good look at the beginnings of a band that hasn’t matured all that much since their formation. That’s saying a lot.
Artist: Sebadoh Full Title: III Year: 1991 Label: Homestead Grade: A- Tracks:
1) The Freed Pig- 9
2) Sickles and Hammers (Minutemen)- 7
3) Total Peace- 8/9
4) Violet Execution- 9
5) Scars, Four Eyes- 9
6) Truly Great Thing- 10, Best Sebadoh Track, Hands Down!
7) Kath- 8
8) Perverted World- 8/9
9) Wonderful, Wonderful- 8
10) Limb By Limb- 8
11) Smoke A Bowl- 7/8
12) Black-Haired Gurl- 9
13) Hoppin Up and Down- 8
14) Supernatural Force- 8
15) Rockstar- 9
16) Downmind- 7
17) Renaissance Man- 8
18) God Told Me- 8
19) Holy Picture- 8
20) Hassle- 8
21) No Different- 8
22) Spoiled- 10
23) As the World Dies, the Eyes of God Grow Bigger- 9
Comments: This album is the definition of Lo-Fi! This is just about as low as it gets. We hear very raw recordings of what some slick shit would masacre into a clean, traditional pop song. Not Sebadoh! This enormously influential group/album unleash a lengthy LP of noisy, loud, quiet, and everything in between sounding numbers. Singer/Guitarist, Lou Barlow (formerly, at the time, now presently, of Dinosaur Jr) and crew utilized a Portastudio cassette tape recorder to achieve this distinct, lo-fi sound and it absolutely gives the album a certain feel/vibe. I’ll admit, this is the kind of record, you don’t listen to track by track over an over again, but there is much to be appreciated here. With that being said, there are many notable tracks. From the get go, “The Freed Pig,” is rather catchy and serves as a memorable opener. “Violet Execution,” “Scars, Four Eye,” and others continue in this fashion. Then, you have your bizzarre, quiet, incredibly lo-fi tunes in “Total Peace,” “Kath,” “Smoke A Bowl,” and several others. Lastly, there’s the “low pop” songs, as I have dubbed them lol. Two strongly stand out and thefore I have granted them the highest of scores, with a 10. First, we have “Truly Great Thing.” One of the most passionate, yet simple songs I have ever heard. First thing that came to my noggin, THIS IS A FUCKING ELLIOT SMITH SONG! Seriously, this sounds just like ES. Being a fan of him, this works very well. You could say, it is a truly great thing ;) Secondly, we have the classic, “Spoiled,” as seen/heard in Larry Clark’s disturbing film, Kids. If I was asked to point to the best example of Sebadoh’s lo-fi style, I would have to place the Burger King hat on “Spoiled”‘s little dome. The final track, “As the World Dies, the Eyes of God Grow Bigger,” showcases Barlow’s wide vocal range: from line to line he SCREAMS and then softly sings, back and forth. It’s also a very humorous ditty, my favorite line is, “EVEN MY GRANDMOTHER LOVES TO GET HIGH!” He shouts this with all his might. Overall, some songs are better than others, but it is worthy of at least one listen and has become a respectable addition to my record collection.
Band: Happy Birthday Release: 3/2010 Label: Sub Pop
1. “Girls FM” – A 2. “2 Shy” – B+ 3. “Cracked” – C+ 4. “Perverted Girl” – B+ 5. “Subliminal Message” – B- 6. “Eyes Music” – C+ 7. “Maxine The Teenage Eskimo” – B+ 8. “I Want to Stay (Run Away)” – B 9. “Pink Strawberry Shake” – B 10. “Zit” – C 11. “Fun” – B
Comment: Right off the bat, Happy Birthday sounds like Islands. That comparison pretty much dies, though, after “Girls FM.” Considering the band is still obscure as fuck (they were signed out of the blue by Sub Pop after forming in late 2008), it’s necessary to give them a decent amount of credit just for releasing something polished relatively quickly out of nowhere. I can’t really describe the sound too well on this record. It’s merely an eclectic pop record…what the “independent” big shots like to call “indie-pop.” That really doesn’t tell anyone much, unfortunately. On “Maxine,” you’ll definitely hear some surf-pop Beach Boy influence. Like you’re deaf or something if you can’t hear that. I guess I could namedrop Girls as well, but Happy Birthday is much more spastic. They do a pretty bad attempt at garage/punk on “Zit.” I don’t know, I thought I was going to like this record more than it turns out in the end. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but nothing special.
Artist: Shellac (of North America!) Full Title: At Action Park Year: 1994 Label: Touch and Go Grade: A Tracks:
1)My Black Ass– 10, Open up a can of whip (black) ass!2) Pull the Cup- 7
3) The Admiral- 8/9
4) Crow– 9
5) Song of the Minerals– 9
6) A Minute– 9
7) The Idea of North- 8
8) Dog and Pony Show– 9
9) Boche’s Dick– 9
10) Il Porno Star– 9
Comments: Steve Albini is Killing Me Slowly with His Songs! At Action Park delivers a full blast of audio assault and yet it’s so soothing to my ears. Albini and crew whip you with their guitars, so brutal you are wetting yourself in Kim Gordan’s panties. But, it aint rape man ahaha, it’s a fucking fix! Most artists I adore are very pop like in nature. With Albini, it’s a whole other kitten to tackle. The Albini “sound” is heavily guitar driven, mean fucking guitars complemented by pounding drums (“Crow” is a great example of this). The record opens with the beloved, fan favorite, “My Black Ass,” an immensely catchy number and one of the best guitar riffs in all of Rock music. There’s a spectacular groove that just rolls through your headphones and slides down your skin; it feels better than sex… ok, I have no authority to say that :( but, it will one day feel better than sex :). This groove thang is commonplace throughout AAP, but is best exemplified in the closing track, “Il Porno Star,” which highlights one of Albini’s greatest talents: Dark, strangely humorous, and often malevolent lyrics. Albini shouts, “Porno Star Arrives… No English… No Money.” Go Figure. Overall, I highly recommend this classic to all Albini fanatics and newbies as well. If you don’t like it, you can kiss MY (BLACK) ASS!
Band: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Release: 3/2010 Label: Vagrant
1. “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” – A-
2. “Conscious Killer” – B- 3. “Bad Blood” – B 4. “War Machine” – B- 5. “Sweet Feeling” – C+ 6. “Evol” – C+ 7. “Mama Taught Me Better” – B 8. “River Styx” – B- 9.”The Toll” – B 10. “Aya” – B 11. “Shadow’s Keeper” – C+ 12. “Long Way Down” – C+ 13. “Half-State” – B+
Comments: Kasabian, say what?! My reviews are based on impulse and usually aren’t structured AT all. Like what I just said. I brought up Kasabian and then made a random comment. And then I just did it again. Okay, what I meant to say is that as soon as I first popped on “Beat” all I could hear was the band Kasabian with a bit more overt influence of the blues and garage rock. That’s basically a pretty good thing. I think the song could have exploded in some parts more effectively, but overall it’s memorable and great and all that crap. There is an apparent line in between forgettable and pretty cool. For a song like “Bad Blood,” it’s something that I normally would dig, but has me scratching my chin at some points. It’s funny how BRMC really wears its influences on its sleeve. I can even see a band like The Dig drawing influence from BRMC, even if it’s unintentional or indirect. Just look up The Dig and you’ll see what I mean. The thing about BRMC is that they seem to give a shit about what they are putting out. A lot of other garage rock bands that I love and adore don’t come across as spending a shit load of time on every song. I’m not being critical of one way or another…just putting what I hear in words. Another thing I’m getting: BRMC is probably a tight live band.
Band: Joanna Newsome Release: 2/2010 Label: Drag City
1. “Easy” – C+ 2. “On A Good Day” – C- 3. “Soft As Chalk” – C 4. “Esme” – B+ 5. “Have One On Me” – C- 6. “You And Me, Bess” – C 7. “81” – B- 8. “Autumn” – C 9. “In California” – C+ 10. “Good Intentions Paving Company” – C+
11. “Jackrabbits” – C 12. “Ribbon Bows” – C+ 13. “Go Long” – B- 14. “Kingfisher” – C- 15. “No Provenance” – C- 16. “Baby Birch” – C 17. “Does Not Suffice” – B- 18. “Occident” – C
Comments: Eh. Joanna Newsome is probably a folk prodigy of some sort, but to me she’s just the female offspring of Devendra Banhart and Regina Spektor. That means that this record is going to Album of the Month in March for WERS. “Freak” folk is pretty damn hit or miss. Sometimes it’s merely the case that the song that sounds the most fucked up is the best. God save the Queen if “freak” folk hits the mainstream. Joanna is too damn gentle. It’s not really even that. It’s just that my musical personality is anti-social when it comes to listening to this music. It’s bearable for a few minutes, but then can just get downright depressing. I don’t see how anyone could stomach something like this continuously. It’s pretty touching, blah, blah, blah, blah, but boring! She morphs into Peter Gabriel on “Good Intentions” and the result is an exotically freaky epic. Also, how do you tell any of these songs apart?
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 