Title: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia in A Very Sunny Christmas Length: 43 minutes (about 2 episodes worth) Grade: A- Here’s Why: We join the demented gang for a no holds barred, fun, wacky Christmas in the Sunny style of unpredictable mayhem. This time around, Dennis and Dee devise a scheme in which they can show their Scrooge of a father, Frank the Christmas Past, Present, and Future, to show him how much misery he has put his children through. Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie discover their Christmas traditions and memories are not as wholesome as they seemed; so this year they try their darnedest to make things right. Prostitution, burglary, and constant deception make this Christmas special very sunny and definitely a must see for all fans of the series.
P.S. if you want to learn more behind the meaning of this line, “Did you FUCK my mom Santa Claus?!” then you’ll just have to see the video yourself!
Comments: Sometimes robotic electronic noises can be annoying. That’s the case on the first song. It’s a stark contrast from the upbeat positively spun “Ambling Alp,” which is undeniably an instant classic, albeit a little cheesy. “Stick up for yourself, son” really Yeasayer, really? Whatever man. I really dig the pseudo neo-soul that begins “And those thunder clouds…” It reminds me of OutKast. I’m a bit unfazed with the next tune. There are some sweets licks and catchy sequences, but it starts out a bit slow. “I Remember” has a good beat. “ONE” is wanna-be Peter Bjorn and John Living Thing (meets Julian Casablancas) material, except a bit more psychedelic and outer worldly. I don’t hate it. What’s up with the Justin Timberlake-esque stuff on “Love Me Girl.” It’s got the title and chops to fit on a JT collection. It takes guts to name a song after a great song by Phoenix (Rome). Especially when your version is many times worse than the original.
Since, Santa was nice enough to give me plenty of albums this year, as always, I will be reviewing them and let me assure you, we have some classics on the way.
” I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This was and still is the harsh truth. At this site, there are other thought provoking quotes from King, mostly in his final years, when he turned radical; unfortunately( but purposely) much of this of this wisdom is anonymous in the mainstream media. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html
This looks like it could be the next classic teen flick; it’s based on a novel by C.D. Payne, which is already a classic from what I hear. Check out both, I know I will.
1. “Pope John Paul” – A+ 2. “In the Valley” – A+ 3. “I Really Like You” – A
4. “Frantic” – A+ 5. “Wrong Choice” – A+ 6. “Mildly Decorated” – A+ 7. “Photocorners” – A+ 8. “The Only Appalachian” – A
9. “Ooh You Shocked Me” – A 10. “E Man Sorrow” – A+
11. “Rod Stewart” – A++
12. “Breakfast Cake” – A+
13. “Lion Eats The Wildebeest” – A+
Comments: Talk about a fun album! Lovely Feathers are overflowing with energy and power-pop charisma. It’s sort of synth-pop meets straight up garage-pop. A fun combination! Although it looks like I am worshiping this album or what have you, I am not. It’s damn good, though. If I was doing a normal review for this, it’d probably end up as a best album of the year candidate, not to mention one of the best albums of the decade. There is nothing epic about this one. What you hear is what you get. Fast, quirky, pseudo-dance numbers. “Rod Stewart” sort of exemplifies the spirit of this album. Heavy and catchy. Unfortunately, haters might decline to take this album seriously. That’s unfortunate for them, because sometimes sappy is much needed in music. Most of the tracks on here are multi-layered. So inevitably some parts are catchier and better than others. But I tell you that the catchy parts are really really really catchy.
Band: The Libertines Release: 2004 Label: Rough Trade
1. “Can’t Stand Me Now” – A+
2. “Last Post on the Bugle” – B+ 3. “Don’t Be Shy” – B 4. “The Man Who Would Be King” – A- 5. “Music When The Lights Go Out” – A-
6. “Narcissist” – A
7. “The Ha Ha Wall” – B
8. “Albeit Macht Frei” – B+ 9. “Campaign of Hate” – B- 10. “What Katie Did Next” – A 11. “Tomblands” – A 12. “The Saga” – B 13. “Read to Ruin” – A
14. “What Became of the Likely Lads” – A+
Comments: Our band could be your life. For a short period of time, this band was my life. Well, not quite, but I regarded them as my favorite of all time. “Can’t Stand Me Now” was quite the anthem for me, with just enough post-punk and garage pizazz. Sidenote: I’d love to see this band live and it just might be possible. At least a few credible sources have it that the ‘Tines will fully re-unite for the first time in six years in 2010. This record isn’t the band’s best because, principally, it lacks flow and direction. There are some real gems to be found, but a good chunk of these tunes aren’t really memorable. For Pete’s sake (pun intended), Grace/Wastelands kicks this album’s ass. Speaking of album closers and such, “What Became” is among my favorites. It’s arguably the best song on here.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 