Tag Archives: 2010 In Music

CD Review: Sea of Cowards [2010]

05/04/2010 G. Gordon Gritty 1 Comment

Band: The Dead Weather
Release: 5/2010
Label: Third Man Records

1. “Blue Blood Blues” – B-
2. “Hussle and Cuss” – B-
3. “The Difference Between Us” – B-
4. “I’m Mad” – B
5. “Die By The Drop” – B
6. “I Can’t Hear You” – B
7. “Gasoline” – B-
8. “No Horse” – C+
9. “Looking at the Invisible Man” – C
10. “Jawbreaker” – B-
11. “Old Mary” – C-

Comments: These guys! I think I may have mentioned this in my review of Horehound: these songs (especially the first five) are really memorable, but not necessarily my cup of tea. If you like what they call ‘blues-rock’ then I could definitely see this as a suitable fit alongside a collection of Raconteurs, White Stripes, Black Keys, and Them Crooked Vultures records. The first single released in March “Die By The Drop” brings back crazy memories of Rage Against the Machine. Same with the next song.

Grade: C+ (79)

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CD Review: Avi Buffalo [2010]

05/03/2010 G. Gordon Gritty Leave a comment

Band: Avi Buffalo
Release: 4/2010
Label: Sub Pop

1. “Truth Sets In” – A-
2. “What’s In It For” – A-
3. “Coaxed” – B+
4. “Five Little Sluts” – B+
5. “Jessica” – A-
6. “Summer Cum” – A-
7. “One Last” – B+
8. “Can’t I Know? – B
9. “Remember Last Time” – B+
10. “Where’s Your Dirty Mind” – A

Comments: Avi Buffalo the successor of the late Page France? That’s my initial impression. Catchy folk influenced pop binds this record together. Much has been written about the whipper-snappers who came up with this fun record. I won’t get into that. All I’ll say is that it’s really freaking impressive! “What’s In It For” has a particularly memorable ending…recalling a young (more epic) Built to Spill if you will. The heartfelt “Jessica” strangely gave me Weird Al vibes. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s strange. I like it. “I’ve got lost in your summer cum” sings young Avigdor on the fittingly titled “Summer Cum.” Haha! Laugh, damnit! It’s a funny song title and you know it. The song’s particularly more freaky than anything that came before it (no pun intended). Not to be real negative, but this record sort of loses its charm during the second half.

Grade: B+ (89)

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: Warm Slime

04/30/2010 G. Gordon Gritty Leave a comment

Band: Thee Oh Sees
Release: 5/2010
Label: In The Red

1. “Warm Slime” – B-
2. “I Was Denied” – A-
3. “Everything Went Black” – B+
4. “Castiatic Tackle” – A
5. “Flash Bats” – B-
6. “Mega-feast” – B+
7. “MT Work” – B

Comments: Prolific in both quantity and quality, Thee Oh Sees have been kicking out jams for years at the rate of two or three albums a year. Maybe more. Damn, the phrasing in that first sentence is a little redundant, but it sounds good. Speaking of redundant, how about a 13 minute opener? That’s more than twice the length of Mark Sultan’s $ premier number “Icicles.” Damn, I hope Pitchfork doesn’t give Stephen Deusner the call-to-the-mound, so to speak, to review this album. That hater will just hate. So, anyway, if I am going to pitch in my two cents, I might as well do that at this time. It’s only appropriate. Around the 5:00 mark things slow down from consistent beats to an A Capella (but not really) repetition of some sentence that is not comprehensible to me. A speed up, of course, follows and is actually kind of awesome. The drums remind me of when I try recording myself playing drums on the computer. It’s just a sequence of loud bass drum bangs that sort of take center stage and make everything else… off-center-stage. That makes no sense. But I continue. Let’s be real here. In the age of the information superhighway and not of the vinyl long-player, this opener is hella skippable. Listen up, though. I could see if I was reading a book or something and popped this on the record player. Yeah, that’d be fun. But fucking eh! “I Was Denied” is a loud noise club bang her with a very simple progression and an irresistibly in your face chorus. “Everything Went Black” has another classic Oh Sees drum scheme. These drum schemes work to some degree, but don’t get me into some kind of frenzy. “Castiatic Tackle” is the shit! Hot shit! That’s the way I like it, dudes. To borrow a phrase from the great Cole Alexander (and thousands of others…thanks Google search), this shit is “psychedelic as fuck!” “Flash Bats” doesn’t keep pace with the one before it, but is very good. “Mega-feast” has a cool hook and all. What a fun closer “MT Work” is.

Grade: B (86)

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CD Review: Maniac Meat [2010]

04/25/2010 G. Gordon Gritty Leave a comment

Band: Tobacco
Release: 5/2010
Label: Anticon

1. “Constellation Dirtbike Head” – A
2. “Fresh Hex” – A
3. “Mexican Ice Cream” – B+
4. “Lick The Witch” – A-
5. “Sweatmother” – B+
6. “Motorlicker” – B-
7. “Unholy Demon Rhythms – C-
8. “Heavy Makeup” – B
9. “Grape Aerosmith” – C
10. “New Juices From The Hot Tub Freaks” – B
11. “Six Royal Vipers” – A-
12. “Overheater” – A-
13. “Creepy Phone Calls” – B
14. “TV All Greasy” – B-
15. “Stretch Your Face” – B
16. “Nuclear Waste Aerobics” – A-

Comments: Tobacco, the thing I really like about your music is that it is fun. While every song may not be as fun as the next, there is always at least something embedded into the pits of every tune, that makes them, at the very least, a solid listen. So, definitely props there. It’s not reasonable to expect every song on here to be straight up gold. I mean, after all, we’re talking about a man uses a vocoder. I suggested this as party music, but a die-hard fan called it “making love music.” That’s believable. Due to noise constraints, I haven’t been able to blast this music non-headphones, but I do feel like that’d be an experience. A good majority of these songs clock in at under three minutes, so if you get even slightly distracted from the music, you may notice songs finishing before you even realized they started. Word.

Grade: B (85)

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CD Review: High Violet [2010]

04/23/2010 G. Gordon Gritty Leave a comment

Band: The National
Release: 5/2010
Label: 4AD

1. “Terrible Love” – A-
2. “Sorrow” – A-
3. “Anyone’s Ghost” – A-
4. “Little Faith” – A-
5. “Afraid of Everyone” – A-
6. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” – B
7. “Lemonworld” – B
8. “Runaway” – B
9. “Conversation 16” – A-
10. “England” – B
11. “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” – B+

Comments: If you are looking to chill out and listen to some music, pop this on. If you are looking to dance like a hound or excessively head bob or pogo, you might want to pass. For what this album is worth, it’s a great listening experience. Sit back and enjoy. It’s not one of the best album’s I’ve heard in 2010 because it only offers an “in-the-now” sense of urgency. Perhaps on a rainy day or after breaking up with your girlfriend this works. The first five songs are excellently engineered and produced and are seemingly artistically flawless. After a set of three tracks (6-8) that are a little weaker than the previous five, The National step up their game with “Conversation 16.”

Grade: B+ (88)

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

CD Review: The Adventures of Bobby Ray [2010]

04/22/2010 G. Gordon Gritty Leave a comment

Rapper: B.o.B – Bobby Ray
Release: 4/2010
Label: Atlantic

1. “Don’t Let Me Fall” – B+
2. “Nothin’ On You” – B+
3. “Past My Shades” – C
4. “Airplanes” – D+
5. “Bet I” – C-
6. “Ghost in the Machine” – B
7. “The Kids” – A-
8. “Magic” – A-
9. “Fame” – A-
10. “Lovelier Than You” – B
11. “5th Dimension” – B-
12. “Airplanes Part 2” – B

Comments: “Don’t Let Me Fall” starts off slow, but improves as the song drags on. The chorus is cool. If you’ve listened to any modern hip-hop or pop station, I’m sure you’ve heard “Nothin’ On You.” It’s a “summer song” to me, despite its debut in November 2009. It’s finely organized with an enjoyable background lullaby, even if the chorus is a bit sub-par. “Past My Shades”…come on! Steer clear from “alternative rock” Bobby Ray. It’s not your thing. “The Kids” is a hip-hop sample of “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” by Vampire Weekend. I dig. “Always in detention for the lack of attention/ you can call it deficit” tells me we got a bad kid up in here. “Magic” is repetitive and frankly fun (not the chorus), but it’s more like “Rivers Cuomo time,” showing Bobby Ray taking cue from Black Eyed Peas’ style. The second verse of “Fame” flows so well. It may be the best verse on this album. I mean, of course, lyrically it’s infantile and just plain dumb, but realistic to some degree. “Everyone can’t be O to the B” … right? “Airplanes Part 2” has me convinced that it’s an improvement over “Part 1.” What if Eminem wasn’t famous? Don’t we all wonder? Or maybe that thought has never crossed anyone’s mind until this song came about. When Bobby Ray raps before Eminem, the song loses cred. I mean, how does Bobby Ray know fame? He’s a relative unknown even in the hip-hop world. “He’s gonna have a hard time explaining to Haley and Lainey these foodstamps and this WIC shit ’cause he never risked shit. He hoped and he wished it, but it didn’t fall in lap,” raps Eminem on his verse. Highlight of the song. “Lovelier” has Bobby Ray on acoustic guitar and he proves to be all right in that regard.

Grade: B- (82)

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CD Review: Crystal Castles [2010]

04/20/2010 G. Gordon Gritty 1 Comment

Band: Crystal Castles
Release: 4/2010
Label: Fiction (Universal)

1. “Fainting Spells” – C
2. “Celestica” – B-
3. “Doe Deer” – C
4. “Baptism” – B-
5. “Year of Silence” – B-
6. “Empathy” – B+
7. “Suffocation” – B
8. “Violent Dreams” – C+
9. “Vietnam” – B
10. “Birds” – B–
11. “Pap Smear” – C+
12. “Not in Love” – C
13. “Intimate” – B-
14. “I Am Made of Chalk” – D

Comments: Crystal Castles. I want some crazy catchy stuff from you. That’s a demand actually. I don’t want spotty dance/noise punk. You hear me? “Empathy” is the first song that accomplishes the kind of catchy that I was looking for, equipped with dreamy vocals and a strong rhythm. “Vietnam” has some streaks of greatness, but isn’t really a hit from start to finish. Unfortunately, most of the album is just average minutes of electronica. Maybe that’s your thing.

Grade: C+ (78)

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CD Review: Brothers [2010]

04/20/2010 G. Gordon Gritty 10 Comments

Band: The Black Keys
Release: 5/2010
Label: Nonesuch (Warner)

1. “Everlasting Light” – B-
2. “Next Girl” – B-
3. “Tighten Up” – B+
4. “Howlin’ For You” – B+
5. “She’s Long Gone” – B-
6. “Black Mud” – B-
7. “The Only One” – B
8. “Too Afraid to Love You” – C
9. “Ten Cent Pistol” – B-
10. “Sinister Kid” – B-
11. “The Go Getter” – B-
12. “I’m Not the One” – C+
13. “Unknown Brother” – C
14. “Never Give You Up” – C+
15. “These Days” – B

Comments: “Everlasting Light” is a bit like a spoiled Spoon offering, included in the deal: a consistent drum beat and a steady guitar. It’s about as forgettable as it is good. “Next Girl” is a great title for Justin Bieber’s next release and he can damn well have it. It’s not like Black Keys do a real solid job with it anyway. “Tighten Up” offers more variation than the first two and with good measure. Hardly do I run into a band/album that is this generically good. It’s like getting handed a plate of food. You eat mostly everything on the plate and remark that you like it, but you don’t go out of your way to inquire about what it is that you just ate. Black Keys get some kind of job done. Maybe it’s an obligation to get something done (I doubt it), but I’d get a little bored writing material for this album. By “Too Afraid” I just have had enough! Enough of these games, Black Keys! I’m not asking you to be Black Lips, but fuck, guys. Is the blues-rock genre really this limiting? OR IS IT NONESUCH RECORDS STICKING A PITCHFORK UP YOUR ASS, FORCING YOU TO BE THIS BLAND? COLD WAR KIDS ARE BETTER THAN YOU. There, I said it. Even your damn guitar solos are clean and without flavor. Okay, this is probably a good album for a straight listen. You get your dose of Black Keys and then you go to sleep or listen to Kings of Leon. Okay, good. You never listen to Black Keys until their next album drops in 2012. Then you do the same thing. Okay, good.

Grade: B- (81)

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CD Review: This Is Happening [2010]

04/14/2010 G. Gordon Gritty Leave a comment

Band: LCD Soundsystem
Release: 5/2010
Label: DFA

1. “Dance Yrself Clean” – A-
2. “Drunk Girls” – B-
3. “One Touch” – C
4. “All I Want” – B-
5. “I Can Change” – B-
6. “You Wanted A Hit” – B
7. “Pow Pow” – C+
8. “Somebody’s Calling Me” – C
9. “Home” – B+

Comments: LCD Soundsystem is a pretty fun band. I didn’t think “Dance Yrself Clean” to be much fun until the electronics kicked in halfway through. It’s got some really catchy synths and keyboard fills. The song’s lengthy but not necessarily overly so. Are we not men? We are LCD Soundsystem. If only Devo took cues from Daryl Palumbo. “Drunk Girls” is a little obnoxious. It’s a finely constructed POP song, except it doesn’t really do much for me. It’s like a ThreeOhThree song minus the bullshit. If I must give Murphy credit, I will say the man is pretty freaking flexible. I mean, is it really that easy to go from sounding like Palumbo to sounding like Ian Curtis? See “One Touch” for reference. That’s like the Pussycats Dolls turning into the Dum Dum Girls kind of shit right there. Back to “One Touch.” It’s simple and boring. The boring factor continues.

Grade: B- (81)

Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM)

Tag Archives: 2010 In Music

CD Review: Sea of Cowards [2010]

CD Review: Avi Buffalo [2010]

CD Review: Warm Slime

CD Review: Maniac Meat [2010]

CD Review: High Violet [2010]

CD Review: The Adventures of Bobby Ray [2010]

CD Review: Crystal Castles [2010]

CD Review: Brothers [2010]

CD Review: This Is Happening [2010]

Boston based shows/fests – DIY, punk, noise