Category Archives: CD Review

Art, CD Review, Entertainment, Health/Science

Classic CD Review: Greatest Hits

Leave a comment



Band: Wesley Willis
Year: Various
Label: Alternative Tentacles

Comments: Wesley Willis was (death, 2003) a joke. The man himself was not a joke…in fact, he was a paranoid schizophrenic who consistently had to deal with the “Warhellride,” or demonic encounters. He was a great story teller, as evidenced in many of the songs in this collection. Wesley was a master at combining vivid descriptions with catchy (but, very monotonous)  outsider pop riffs and phrases. Go to his Wikipedia page and there you find how his songs are structured. This is precisely what makes Wesley’s music a joke. He built a career out of ranting over music. You don’t get a lot of that from musicians today and that’s why people will always react to his music in a wtf kind of manner. Whereas critics say fellow outsider Daniel Johnston’s music ranges from “spotty to brilliant,” Willis doesn’t fit on a paradigm that’s worth evaluating. How do you judge a man who can’t be judged? The demons got to him and got to him damn well at that. If I absolutely absolutely absolutely had to slap a grade range on his Greatest Hits, I’d probably dish out between a C+ and a B. It’s music for a good laugh now and then…not the kind that’s constantly on repeat. Rest in peace, Wes.

Art, CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: xx

Leave a comment
Album of the Year? Yeah, right. Top 50, maybe...

*Rough Trade Records named this the top album of 2009. But is it? In my never ending quest to find great music, I am reviewing this LP! But wait…I already named my top 5 albums of 2009. That’s tentative, though. So let’s see about this.

Band: The xx
Label: Young Turks
Release: 2009

1. “Intro” – 9.0
2. “VCR” – 9.4
3. “Crystalized” – 9.7
4. “Islands” – 8.2
5. “Fantasy” – 7.8
6. “Shelter” – 8.1
7. “Basic Space” – 8.8
8. “Infinity” – 9.3
9. “Night Time” – 8.5
10. “Stars” – 8.9

Comments: This is the first band to actually cause my sub-woofer to make crazy ass noises. There are some pretty cool beats and stuff like that, but this record isn’t that special. Vocals are kind of shabby and not really unique at all. The “chill-wave” that this record embodies is limited in the sense that you can only stare at your shoes for so long before you fall asleep. In essence, the only things that save this from mainstream success are the male vocals and the consistent darkness and ambiance. Pop music usually doesn’t regard the latter as positive or particularly marketable. And to some degree, I can see a lot of independent-minded people shunning this kind of music or writing it off as done before, or what have you. The album begins to crumble after the third song, but there are some cool spots after that.

Grade: 8.7

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: Those Darlins

1 Comment

Chris will probably follow-up soon with an extensive review of his own. This is just for my record keeping purposes.

Band: Those Darlins
Release: 2009

1. “Red Light Love” – 8.8
2. “Wild One” – 8.3
3. “Mama’s Heart” – 8.4
4. “Hung up on Me” – 8.5
5. “The whole damn Thing” – 8.5
6. “Who’s That knockin’ at my Window” – 7.9
7. “Snaggle Tooth Mama” – 7.7
8. “Cannonball Blues” – 8.2
9. “222” –  9.0
10. “DUI or DIE” – 8.6
11. “Keep my Skillet Good and Greasy” – 7.2

Comment: Country has never been my thing, per se, though at least a few of my favorite bands draw at least some significant influence from the genre. Those Darlins are probably best described as a throwback to early country/rockabilly. I guess it’s not really my thing, but  I do appreciate it.

Grade: 8.3

CD Review, Entertainment, Lists, Music

3 Days Until Arctic Monkeys

1 Comment
Notice how drummer Matt Helders looks like Chris' brother Justin

Here are two classic reviews of, coincidentally, Arctic Monkeys’ first two albums:

Favourite Worst Nightmare
1. “Brianstorm” – (A) – Heavy rocker in all aspects, most noticeably drums and lead guitar.
2. “Teddy Picker” – (B) – Alex’s great voice kind of gets lost in distortion.
3. “D Is For Dangerous” – (A-) – A catchy riff, simple as that.
4. “Balaclava” – (A) – I can’t believe I’ve always overlooked this song. It’s awesome!
5. “Fluorescent Adolescent” – (A+) – Might just be the best they have to offer. Great ending harmonization.
6. “Only Ones Who Knew” – (B+) – It’s like you expect a huge build-up, but don’t get it. Still good, though.
7. “Do Me A Favour” – (A-) – Kickass heavy ending!
8. “This House Is A Circus” – (A) – You see the correlation yet? Loud, noisy distortion = awesome for AM.
9. “If You Were There, Beware” – (B+) – Cool rhythm, but not ultra exciting…well, the last minute or two is!
10. “The Bad Thing” – (A) – Just a good one!
11. “Old Yellow Bricks” – (A) – My favorite part is the beginning.
12. “505” – (A) – Makes sense that they usually close out sets with this one.
Final Grade: 93

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
1. “When The Sun Goes Down” – (A+) – An instant classic! “Said he’s a scumbag, don’t ya know!”
2. “The View From The Afternoon” – (A) – High energy goodness.
3. “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” – (A+) – Nothing needs to be said.
4. “Fake Tales of San Francisco” – (A) – I think it’s the bass line that makes this song!
5. “Dancing Shoes” – (A+) – Exquisite replication of tapping.
6. “You Probably Couldn’t See…” – (A) – Really really really really catchy. Features drummer vocals.
7. “Still Take You Home” – (A+) – Crisp all the way through.
8. “Riot Van” – (A) – Somebody on KLYAM’s favorite AM song. Soft, but meaningful throughout.
9. “Red Light Indicates…” – (A) – Very Humbug-esque.
10. “Mardy Bum” – (A) – Awesome.
11. “Perhaps Vampires…” – (A) – Like so many other songs.
12. “From The Ritz to the Rubble” – (A+) – I dig the spoken-word deal. Definitely one of their best.
13. “A Certain Romance” – (A+) – Great great great great way to end things.
Final Grade: 97

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Morals

Leave a comment

Band: Teepee
Label: Senzei Records
Release: 2009

1. “Subconscious” – 6.9
2. “Tecum Uman” – 5.4
3. ”

Damn, this album sucks I’m not even going to continue. I think I saw a song on here called “No Man Is An Island” and for that I give it some props. Maybe it is just these first two songs that are bad so don’t judge my judgment. I’m just telling you what I’m feeling.

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: Horehound

Leave a comment

Band: Dead Weather
Label: Third Man Records
Release: 2009

1. “60 Feet Tall” – 8.5
2. “Hang You From The Heavens” – 8.7
3. “I Cut Like A Buffalo” – 7.5
4. “So Far From Your Weapon” – 7.7
5. “Treat Me Like Your Mother” – 8.3
6. “Rocking Horse” – 7.5
7. “New Pony” – 8.3
8. “Bone House” – 9.2
9. “3 Birds” – 7.4
10. “No Hassle Night” – 8.5
11. “Will There Be Enough Water” – 7.6

Comments: Sweet licks — bass, guitar, etc. I do like the direction of many of the instrumentals, but often times these sounds are too processed for my liking. Their blues-rock style borders garage crossover, but is seemingly heavier than that. I get a weird Rage Against the Machine vibe; apparently others do too. PJ Harvey meets RATM meets Cold War Kids meets Downbeat 5. The good news is that this album possesses a ton of positive energy and is generally fun no matter which way you spin it. Most fun? Probably “Bone House.” The amount of noise (pop) is reminiscent of Sonic Youth. Filler alert for “3 Birds.” Overall, I’m not going to be coming back to this album for my fix of blues-rock, but for a one time deal it’s a solid listen.

Final Grade: 8.1

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

Classic CD Review: The VU & Nico

1 Comment

Title: The Velvet Underground & Nico
Band: Velvet Underground
Release: 1967
Label: Verve

1. “Sunday Morning” – A+
2. “I’m Waiting For The Man” – A-
3. “Femme Fatale” – A+
4. “Venus In Furs” – A+
5. “Run Run Run” – A
6. “All Tomorrow’s Parties” – A
7. “Heroin” – A+
8. “There She Goes Again” – A+
9. “I’ll Be Your Mirror” – A-
10. “The Black Angel’s Death Song” – A-
11. “European Son” – B

Comments: What can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said? Well, “I’m Waiting For The Man” is kind of lackluster compared to the crackly, but excellent 1969 Live version. A change-up comes with the noise classic “Run Run Run,” which has to have had a tremendous influence on many bands. I liken 3:37-on to Black Lips’ “Juvenile” with in terms of vocal structure and quick guitar progressions. “ATP” is an experimental-pop follow-up. It’s an awesome tune, no doubt, but not amongst the greatest on here. I like the noisy doo-wop of “There She Goes Again.” It’s fun. I’m not so impressed by the last three songs, but that’s okay.

Grade: A

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

Classic CD Review: Safe As Milk

Leave a comment

Band: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
Label: Buddah Records
Release: 1967

1. “Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do” – B+
2. “Zig Zag Wanderer” – B+
3. “Call On Me” – B+
4. “Dropout Boogie” – A-
5. “I’m Glad” – A-
6. “Electricity” – B
7. “Yellow Brick Road” – B+
8. “Abba Zaba” – B
9. “Plastic Factory” – A
10. “Where There’s A Woman” – B
11. “Grown So Ugly” – B+
12. “Autumn’s Child” – B+

Comments: This is a very encouraging album for me. It’s an exciting listen (as is most music from the 1960s), although I won’t go as far as to designate it as one of the best “classics” that I’ve heard. I wouldn’t say a lot of modern day garage/punk/psychedelic bands are necessarily derivative of Captain Beefheart, but influenced for sure. The best way I can describe this record is: saner than Bloodshot Bill. I guess my own real gripe is that most of these songs feel too archaic; this may be where the delta blues references are validated. My comments may be a bit skewed: most of the bands that I love play music that has several grand-daddies in a plethora of genres and styles. These guys, on the other-hand, could only draw upon a few primitive fathers such as the blues and early rock. I can’t wait to hear Trout Mask Replica, their magnum opus.

Grade: B+

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: Teen Dream [2010]

Leave a comment

Band: Beach House
Label: Sub Pop
Genre: Dream Pop
Release: January 26, 2010

1. “Zebra” – 9 +8+8 = 8.3
2. “Silver Soul” – 9+8+9 = 8.7
3. “Norway” – 8+7+7 = 7.3
4. “Walk in the Park” – 9+7+8 = 8.0
5. “Used To Be” – 9+9+9 = 9.0
6. “Lover  of Mine” – 8+7+9 = 8.0
7. “Better Times” – 8+7+6 =  7.0
8. “10 Mile Stereo” – 8+8+9 =8.3
9. “Real Love” – 9+7+8 = 8.0
10. “Take  Care” – 9+9+9 = 9.0

Sounds Like: Grizzly Bear, Washed Out

Final Grade: B- (8.2)

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

EP Review: Fall Be Kind

Leave a comment

Band: Animal Collective
Label: Domino
Release: December 18, 2009

1. “Graze” – 9.0 – Forget about the droning space psychedelia that the first few minutes bring…3:35 and on is what’s up.

2. “What Would I Want Sky?” – 9.6 – The long introduction isn’t so hot. 3:09 and on is what’s up. I get a “feel-good” vibe that’s sort of cold and fitting for this time of the year as opposed to the other kind of “feel-good” like in “Summertime Clothes.”

3. “Bleeding” – 8.2 – Initially, I’m not really digging it. I like the flow, but there isn’t anything outstanding.

4. “On A Highway” – 8.9 – The kind of song that you don’t want to introduce to prospective listeners. Any elements of pop have been toned back drastically. The ending brings the song together, but should have happened earlier.

5. “I Think I Can” – 8.3 -This one doesn’t do much for me until about the 5:11 mark. From there, the multiple vocal tracking is funny and sounds fine.

Comments: Oopsie doopsie another really early leak from the Collective. The last time an AC leak came, it turned out to be an instant classic wrought with premature “best album ever made” status. This EP is a let down for me. It doesn’t ride the Merriweather Post Pavillion coattails, which is sad, but I’m pretty sure they’ve had these tracks sitting around for a while and just wanted to release them in some form.

Grade: 8.8