Category Archives: Music

Classic Album Review, Music

Classic Album Review: Endless Summer [1974]

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Band: The Beach Boys
Label: Capitol

Side A
1. “Surfin Safari” – A
2. “Surfer Girl” – A+
3. “Catch A Wave” – A+
4. “The Warmth of the Sun” – B+
5. “Surfin’ USA” – A
[Grade: A]

Side B
1. “Be True To Your School” – A+
2. “Little Deuce Couple” – A
3. “In My Room” – A
4. “Shut Down” – A
5. “Fun, Fun, Fun” – A+
[Grade: A]

Side C
1. “I Get Around” – A
2. “Girls on the Beach” – A+
3. “Wendy” – A
4. “Let Him Run Wild” – A
5. “Don’t Worry Baby” – A+
[Grade: A]

Side D
1. “California Girls” – A+
2. “Girl Don’t Tell Me” – A
3. “Help Me, Rhonda” – A
4. “You’re So Good To Me” – B+
5. “All Summer Long” – A+
[Grade: A]

Comments: This was a just a great great listen. I can’t say anything really that hasn’t already been said. The only thing that sucks is changing the record after every five songs! I guess that’s the product of growing up in the digital age. As far as ‘older’ songs go, there were just so many fantastic ones on this compilation that just instantly ‘clicked’. Love when that happens.

Grade: A

Art, Music, Video, Who Did It Better?

Who Did It Better?: Take Up Thy Stephoscope and Walk

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Hey all, every now and then I get inspired by Andrew’s segments and I throw in my own “Who Did It Better?” This time it’s a trippy one! Here we have two versions of the crazed, psychedelic tune “Take Up Thy Stephoscope and Walk.”

First up: The Original
Pink Floyd

Next: The Cover
At the Drive-In

You know up until a few weeks ago I would have gone Floyd all the way, but I think ADI simply expand on the original’s zaniness; they stay true to its acidy, early Floyd/Syd Barret, anarchic character, but make it even crazier and heavier! My one gripe, it’s a tad bit longer than it needs to be. So, what do y’all think? Who did it better?

CD Review, Music, Peter Bjorn and John

CD Review: Gimme Some [2011]

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Band: Peter Bjorn and John
Release: 3/2011
Label: Wichita Recordings

1. “Tomorrow Has To Wait” – A
2. “Dig A Little Deeper” – A
3. “Second Chance” – A-
4. “Eyes” – A-
5. “Breaker Breaker” – A
6. “May Seem Macabre” – B
7. “(Don’t Let Them) Cool Off” – A
8. “Black Book”- B+
9. “Down Like Me” – A-
10. “Lies” – A+
11. “I Know You Don’t Love Me” – A

Comments: Peter Bjorn and John have been around for more than a decade and, after many a pop song, have established themselves as an upper-echelon independent band. Their big break as you all may remember was Writer’s Block from 2006 which won ubiquitously positive reviews. It’s a personal favorite of mine. On that record was their biggest hit, the whistle hooked “Young Folks.” Their experimental follow-up came in 2009 with Living Thing, which was reviewed in the mainstream with far less enthusiasm and much more mixed feeling than Writer’s Block. My feeling is that critics weren’t expecting the band to make as much of a departure as they did from standard rock and roll. I actually really enjoyed Living Thing, which was still PB&J at its core, just with a bunch of electronic stuff thrown in the mix. Gimme Some is not really a return to their old style of songwriting, but more of an evolution towards unchartered territory. On this album, backing vocals and involved guitar riffs and parts are more dominate than ever before I’d say. I wouldn’t have expected PB&J to veer into a garage-pop/punk direction, but they do pretty nicely on “Breaker Breaker” and “(Don’t Let Them) Cool Off”. The power-pop of “Lies” is real good! If they have another brush with b-level ‘fame’, I’d like to think it will be because of this song.  Pretty sure I just said this, but they really never have played as fast as they do here! It’s awesome. Gimme Some initially lacks that ‘oohhh shit!!’ element that Writer’s Block has. That was almost a concept album, though. It ran the gamut of musical emotions. This is more of a variety platter, but one that has a little bit of all of the ‘good stuff’. It’s like ordering a pu pu platter that comes with a bunch of tasty items like chicken wings, fingers, and ribs and some other stuff that is edible, but not the greatest by any stretch.

Grade: A- (92)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Unlearn [2011]

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Band: Fergus & Geronimo
Release: 01/2010
Label: Hardly Art

1. “Girls With English Accents” – B+
2. “Wanna Know What I’d Do” – B+
3. “Powerful Lovin” – B+
4. “Baby Boomer/Could You Deliver” – B
5. “Michael Kelley” – B
6. “Baby Don’t You Cry” – B+
7. “Where The Wall Are Made of Grass” – C
8. “The World Never Stops” – B-
9. “Forced Aloha” – B
10. “Could You Deliver” – C
11. “Unlearn” – B

Comments: This, the debut by Texans Fergus & Geronimo, is an odd one. The vocal monotony is pretty bearable and at times enticing. The songs, however, are not as monolithic. There’s some white-man soul (“Powerful Lovin”) in addition to rock and roll and doo-wop. A promising characteristic of F&G’s music is that it doesn’t sound forced. In some cases, it sometimes feels as if bands try to sound weird just to sound weird. This group is innately weird. It works to a degree, but the album remains a bit of clusterfuck if I’ve ever heard one.

Grade: B- (83)