Tag Archives: Album Review

Classic Album Review, Girls of the Gravitron, Music

Classic Album Review: “Magnetic Mountain”

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Band: Girls of the Gravitron
Release: 2010
Label: Miss Lonelyhearts Records

Comments: Once in a great while – and it sure is great – I come across a very inspirational group of music creators. Girls of the Gravitron are one of them. I got into this album on a whim, because why wouldn’t I want to explore a Memphis project that features members of the Barbaras and Magic Kids? Magnetic Mountain is not a highly polished offering; in fact, its homey and tinny sound accounts for a lot of what makes this click for me. The one song that I literally couldn’t stop listening to from the time that I heard it first is “Her Flower Opens Like Slow Moving Trail of Atom Bomb”. It makes me want to pick up a guitar and learn how to rip off Girls of the Gravitron. If only I could. It has the cheeriness of a lot of what folks might call underground pop – lots of jangle and some killer keyboard (especially at the end…thanks Will McElroy!). Cole Weintraub sings sort of like Jeffrey Novak and Calvin Johnson with a cool blend of Adam Green’s off-the-cuff delivery (listen to “Weird World” for justification of this claim) . Basically, if you love those dudes and a wide range of music styles – punk, folk, garage – you should have no problem loving this. There are 19 tunes on this one…this review would probably read more like a tiny research paper if I went into intricate detail about everything. At any rate, Magnetic Mountain is something you ought to listen to yourself rather than reading me describe what it is like to listen to. The other thing that is especially noteworthy is that these are dudes who know what they are doing. This record is almost a continuation or a confirmation of their legacies in those other bands which I’d argue puts a cherry on top of a ‘Memphis sound’ that they cultishly created. I will list some other weirdo gems that are approximately outstanding (this is tough!): “Principes of Kimberly,” “Magnetic Mountain,” “Violent Appetites,” “Come Alone,” and the finisher “1000 Yrs”. This will be your new favorite musical discovery!

CD Review, Music, reviews, Ty Segall

LP Review: “Twins” (Ty Segall)

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Release Date: 10-9-2012
Label: Drag City

Comments: There are a few ways to examine Twins, which amounts to be Ty Segall’s sixth solo album. One approach would be to first make note that this is the third musical project of 2012 that has the Ty Segall name slapped on it in some form. The other approach would ignore those releases and treat this as the follow-up to 2011’s Goodbye Bread. The former approach seems to work best with Twins. Without having Ty Segall Band’s Slaughterhouse in mind, I am pretty sure several people (whose last Ty listening experience is Goodbye Bread) would be confused with Twins – whoa, Ty became 90% incapacitating guitar riffs? Sure, Goodbye Bread featured some real jams – “You Make The Sun Fry,” “My Head Explodes,” to name two, and 2010’s Melted is full o’ fuzz, but the difference is that Twins does a significantly more noticeable attempt at getting to the heart of the song – fast and with little left to spare. Slaughterhouse did this exceptionally well and it does seem like Ty had some similar ideas in mind in the crafting of Twins. There’s that fuzz pedal and that guitar solo – which we heard about well before this release.

“Thank God For Sinners” is an an affirmation that Ty is going full throttle again. Then there’s the fastest song on the record, “You’re The Doctor,” with increasingly dynamite fuzz, layers of solo, and some drumming that must have reminded Ty of his old days pounding on the “Skin” recording. Fans of older Ty (which is weird to say given the man’s youth) might be even more receptive to “Inside Your Heart,” which has some piano, but some mid-song jamming that is just three words away from Slaughterhouse “Tell Me What’s Inside Your Heart.” The thing that I love about Ty is that he is not quite recycling old riffs and song structures – he is innovative. Like having Brigid Dawson sing on “The Hill” while a rampage is going on in the background. Twins poppiest moments at this point come on “Would You Be My Love.” The bass-line is killer and the general sludge that probably doesn’t only have me thinking Nirvana. Only on “Ghost” does Ty restrain himself from the kind of electric indulgence that is apparent on the previous five tracks. The result is mixed, but that is hardly a knock. “They Told Me Too” is the opposite sounding – Ty feasts himself on his effects pedals. “Love Fuzz” is another pop oriented tune – it would not be out of place before or after a Black Keys number on the radio. The fuzz comes in the form of a repetitive rhythm section, bolstering the onslaught of the lead near the end. I got to give a shout out to “Handglams” for going the extra distance. Ty had done a similar thing vocally/stylistically with “I Am With You” from Goodbye, but here he really cranks things up and departs from that nicey nicey entrance, adding some good stuff in there that we just haven’t really heard from the man. Acoustic guitar and no drums make up “Gold On The Shore” before Ty finishes things with “There Is No Tomorrow,” a mid-tempo closer.

With Twins, there is not as much cohesion in sound here as on Hair, Slaughterhouse, or maybe even any Ty release post-Lemons. Ty has reached new levels of sonic exploration, though, and it is abundantly clear that he can really do the heavy almost pseudo-metal stuff just as well as the slower tempo output. There are several tunes on Twins that are the most ‘this’ or the most ‘that’ in the grand scheme of Ty Segall. As I have expected on more than one occasion this year, I expect a broader crowd to be turned onto Ty.  It’s not like the stuff he did before 2012 did not lend itself to more ears, but his music is proving he is not a mere ‘garage wunderkind’ – which seems to be a pretty damn awesome thing to be in itself! It seems fairly fitting that NME [9 out of 10] and the like are giving their high praise – maybe they have not seen a dude like this since Alex Turner (who has name dropped Ty as someone whose stuff he is really into). But Turner can’t say he has released three fantastic albums in a seven month span. Nor can too many musicians at all.

Fat History Month, Local Music, Music, reviews

Album Review: Fat History Month – Fucking Despair (2011)

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Band: Fat History Month
Full Title: Fucking Despair
Year: 2011
Label: Sophomore Lounge

Allston duo Fat History Month have a knack for crafting minimal, yet catchy, lo-fi jams best enjoyed in a sweaty, crowded basement. The ten songs on their LP Fucking Despair, ranging in length from just over one minute to just under twelve, capture the same stripped down sound utilized in their live sets: sparse, mumbled vocals with loose drum grooves and busy clean guitar riffs filling the space. Singer/ Guitarist Seanhistorymonth perfectly channels the nonchalant attitude and nonsensical lyrics of Pavement vocalist Stephen Malkmus. In the album opener “Free as a Cat”, he softly contemplates the life of a roaming feline, and on “Things I Enjoy” he provides commentary on a carefree existence. While his lyrics and delivery are plenty playful, Sean’s intricate guitar work brings about a contemplative, slightly somber mood reminiscent of early Modest Mouse or sometimes even American Football.  Songs like  “You Can Pick Your Nose, You Can Pick Your Friend’s Nose, But You Can’t Escape Your Horrible Family” feature longer instrumental passages where  his occasionally melancholic melodies are supported by the noodling percussive sounds provided by Markhistorymonth on the drums. On this, their first full length offering, Fat History Month successfully mix moody down tempo basement rock with catchy, sometimes bizarre lyrics that beg for a crowd of broke college students to sing along.

http://fathistorymonth.bandcamp.com/album/fucking-despair

CD Review, In The Red, Music, Ty Segall, Ty Segall Band

Album Review: Ty Segall Band – “Slaughterhouse”

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Band: Ty Segall Band
Label: In The Red Records
Release: 6/2012

Comments: It would be reasonable for a KLYAM reader at this moment to think to themselves, “damn, they’re all about Ty Segall lately!” We aren’t secretly working for Ty, by the way. It’s just been that what the guy has been doing lately is nothing short of incredible. Slaughterhouse, as many of you may know, is the work of Ty’s live band, which in addition to he, includes Emily Rose Epstein (drums), Mikal Cronin (bass), and Charlie Mootheart (guitar). Technically speaking, this is the band’s first studio release. (There is a 2011 complete band live album called Live In Aisle 5.)

It’s hard to tell exactly how this record was produced. In many ways, it sounds like a ‘everyone ready? 1-2-3-4!!!’ click and record effort. The depth and clarity of each instrument is something else. Getting back to the record itself, I find it fascinating to look at this from a loose concept record whose name tells all angle. You think Slaughterhouse and you don’t think of a sunny afternoon walk in the town common. It’s more like the guitars and all associated effects are no longer producers of music, but are more like intelligently crafted guns. Even Ty’s vocals aren’t at all like the Ty that we’ve heard from the beginning. He’s vicious, carefree, and destructive. He screams and he says ‘fuck yeah’ and ‘fuck this fucking song’! The songs themselves don’t fall far from the creators’ tree. The band is on the same page as Ty and the three of them, well they don’t give a flying fuck either. Some might say well “Fuzz War” is just a loada shit noises and random chords. I would’ve said that two years ago. If you look at this from a macro perspective, it’s almost a perfect ending. We start with “Death” and work backwards to when the mayhem began. (Don’t go back and listen to every song in the reverse order — though that might actually be interesting to some… including myself.) At this point you might be thinking, so what’s the best song on this thing? Well it’s “Wave Goodbye”. I believe [after much deliberation] that “Wave” is the best thing that Segall has done to date. It’s a perfectly crafted song. From start to finish, it’s a monster. You know Ty’s up to no good when he starts off “I went to churches and I went to school, I played by all of your mother’s rules”. That solo never gets old, either. The pounding of Emily Rose Epstein. Mikal and Charlie. Man. “Wave Goodbye” is so supreme that it sort of leaves you wanting to compare the other songs to past Ty efforts. But you will find that you can not simply do that. Even the 1 minute 30 second “Muscle Man” most effortlessly can compete with the fuzziest and loudest there is on Melted. Speaking of loud and fuzzy.

Where to go from here with that. Friggin “That’s The Bag I’m In” slaps “Muscle Man” around with its dick. You can’t help but smile when Ty instructs “extra fast” on the “Diddy Wah Diddy” cover. Ty and Charlie get extra giddy at times on that song and Ty. Funny dude. “I got a car with wheels. Who fuckin’ cares? Fuck this fuckin’ song. DIDDY WAH DIDDY…Wait, rewind it, let’s go again!” This is a tight band.  If we care to backtrack a bit, we can talk about some of the other tracks. “I Bought My Eyes” is insane. Some people who prefer damaging aural attacks might say this is the front-runner of them all. It sort of is. The other contender is “Tell Me What’s Inside Your Heart.” First. Any coincidence that they’ve been playing “Eyes,” “Wave Goodbye,” and Tell Me” live? They must love them long time too, right? If songs were people (as I often make the comparison), who would win in a 5k running race, “Eyes” or “Tell Me”? If you are a Melted purist, you might be more of “The Tongue” type (though that means you could be an “Imaginary Person” or “Caesar” purist…cover your ears, kids…and this isn’t an insult, those are my favorite songs, too). Or maybe you like yourself some “Oh Mary,” which indeed is a Ty Segall cover. And by Ty Segall cover, I mean one guitar/two drums one-man band 2009 style. This time around, Ty’s vocals sound nearly identical, but the instrumentation is more bopping, controlled, and clearer. Controlled chaos. I’ve seen it listed sometimes as “Mary Ann,” which either is a mistake of journalists or a purposeful re-branding made for an onslaught of first-time amateur Ty listeners. Let’s go to the bottom of Slaughterhouse.

I was about to say this is Ty’s best release. I’m not sure if it is entirely appropriate to say that though. I can’t imagine too many record reviewers have asked what the roles were of John Hassall and Gary Powell in the making of Libertine records. I don’t have any liner notes in front of me (still waiting for the record to arrive in physical form) so I feel bad coming to any conclusions and giving misinformed credits. I know the band has switched up instruments live and they are all capable of doing that kind of thing. Did it happen on Slaughterhouse? Either way, this really is a special record. This is only the beginning of my experience with it. I can’t wait to drop the needle for the first time and hear the first screeches of “Death” and the final barrage of noise on “Fuzz War”. And everything in between. Right now, I’m going to place it ahead of Hair, which I raved about. Like most great rock and roll, I can see this being under-appreciated. Maybe people aren’t on the same wavelength as I am about the capabilities of these four, but it’s really something that ought to be examined. Excellent!

Best Coast, Music

Review: Best Coast – “The Only Place” (2012)

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Band: Best Coast
Release: 5/2012
Label: Mexican Summer

Comments: Best Coast has been on the KLYAM radar for a couple of years now. Time flies, but it doesn’t seem like 2010 was all that long ago. That Art Fag 7″ was packed to its three song core in terms of really distorted sounding pop. Good stuff. Crazy For You was pretty impressive; it neatly worked around its cliche lyrics and repetitive arrangements. So even though a lot of it sounded the same, a lot managed to sound different. With the The Only Place, things start off on a weird note. The same titled debut single is quite catchy, although it is a bit more of a showcase of the new producer. It never manages to be boring. “Why I Cry” isn’t too far off from the previous track musically with its relatively ‘big’ chorus and right-back-at-ya amount of hooks. “Last Year” tells us what the Vivian Girls did four years prior: “I believe in nothing”. On production display here is what producer Jon Brion might have had in mind for Bobb Bruno, which is to offer assaults of lead guitar that capture the listeners attention. “My Life” has its own fair share of nooks and crannies, like a violin (or something of that nature) and an acoustic guitar.  “No One Like You” has Bethany’s fine voice on display, that damn acoustic guitar, and the words “crazy” and “girl”. It sounds like an oldie, but goodie — country/early rock and roll style. The song that really caught my attention though is the next one, “How They Want Me To Be”. Mainly because of the lyrics. Who is ‘they’? And I thought this about the media or her mom up until ‘you’ came in. I should’ve known! Anyway, this slow ballad is catchy you have to admit. It’s not something you’d want to listen to over and over, but I mean there’s a shit load of extra vocals, glockenspiel, sleigh bells, and guitars that you just don’t usually get from your usual Best Coast song. “Better Girl” has Bethany recalling the “no fun”  line that was popularized by her dude Wavves. The song is forgettable, but serves as a bridge to the next, “Do You Still Love,” which uses the bass as a propelling force. The ending is cool and must have felt pretty good to create in the studio. “Dreaming My Life Away” is a change of pace on this record (it was re-recorded after initially being released a couple of years ago). Some have noted its jazz — the organ and drumming can be thanked. Not my cup of tea as you might expect, but in context it is interesting. And I guess that’s kind of the thing here. In context, everything seems interesting. It is a lot like Crazy For You, but you’d be bold to say this could exist without Bethany starting to ‘settle down’ or having Brion kicking around. “Let’s Go Home” brings us back to “The Only Place” in many ways, or – if you are a cynic – to that ridiculously annoying Magnetic Zeros song “Home”. To end the album is “Up All Night,” which boils down to a new age 8th grade final dance slow song. No wonder to choose a prominent sounding organ and some “ooohhhs”. To call this a wrap, here’s what I think happened on this LP: Best Coast still wanted to sound like Best Coast, but with more tightness, a little less originality, and bunch more appeal. I don’t really see this as a win or a loss for the band or its fans. From what I’ve read so far, it might be all too easy to shit on or all too easy to call an improvement over Crazy For You. I can’t picture a new wave of young adult girls latching on to this as some kind of ‘indie’ answer to Taylor Swift or acoustic Katy Perry. Not out of the question, though.

Black Lips, CD Review, Music

LP Review: Arabia Mountain [2011]

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Band: Black Lips
Release: 6/2011
Label: Vice

Part Two: HERE
Part Three: HERE

A1. “Family Tree” – A++
A2. “Modern Art” – A++
A3. “Spidey’s Curse” – A++
A4. “Mad Dog” – A++
A5. “Mr. Driver” – A++
A6. “Bicentennial Man” – A+
A7. “Go Out and Get It” – A-
A8. “Raw Meat” – A+
B1. “Bone Marrow” – A
B2. “The Lie” – A
B3. “Time” – A
B4. “Dumpster Dive” – A
B5. “New Direction” – A+
B6. “Noc-A-Homa” – A+
B7. “Don’t Mess Up My Baby” – A++
B8. “You Keep On Running” – B+

Grade: A (96)

Art, CD Review, Honorary KLAYMERS, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video

Album Review: Maine Coons-Maine Coons

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Artist: The Maine Coons
Full Title: Maine Coons
Year: 2010
Label: Spent Planet

Tracks:
1) My Kinda Luv- 9
2) I Am a Motherfucker- 9/10
3) Hey Dickhead- 9
4) Ghetto Queen- 9
5) Pull the Plug On Grandma- 9
6) Hologram (Urinals)- 7
7) Uniform Choice- 8
8) Tired and Unispired- 8/9
9) Fast and Easy Livin’- 7/8
10) Can’t Follow Thru- 7/8

Comments: This is good jerkin off music. Yeah, I said it. I figured the nature of this band fit such a description. This is truly slimy Punk Slime right here, guerrila pop art at its finest. The first five tracks serve as instantaneous catchy classics. With very little effort they seap into yer psyche and crawl around for a while. Just fast, punk ditties with that gorgeous garage rockin’/ early Black Lips/King Khan & BBQ underbelly. This album has an incredible beginning, like nothing else I have seen in a while. Rarely, does an artist hit me with a ton of bricks like these guys- from “My Kinda Luv” to “Pull the Plug On Grandma,” I’m totally hooked. I love the direct vulgarity of tracks like “I Am a Motherfucker” and “Hey Dickhead,” where fans of Garage Punk, so to speak, will find themselves chanting the lyrics everytime it blasts thru their speakers. Alas, after “Pull the Plug” I am somewhat severed from the initial appeal.”Hologram” is okay, but feels more like a filler track. “Uniform Choice” and “Tired and Uninspired” are really good songs and definitely save the second half of the album from spoiling the whole LP. The last two tracks are not terrible, but simply do not cut it, at least for my money. Overall, this is a fun, invigorating, and at times fantastic record that needs to gain more recognition. Musically, I am always fascinated by the sparse production, which is relatively easy on the ears and that is not a bad thing; the simplicity of just vocals, keyboards, guitars, percussion. Two guys run this show- one on vocals/keyboards while the other bro plinks his gee tar, commands the drums a la Mark Sultan (with his feet) and shares vocals duties with his comrade. Lastly, I missed some of my favorite MC songs in “How Long Is It Going to Take For You to Find God” and “Inside You,” both of which do not appear here and I think should have replaced some of the weaker numbers. Ohh well, if you like immediate pop hooks in the vain of Black Lips, Jay Reatard, King Khan BBQ, Box Elders, Harlem, and others usually featured on this site, then I am positive you will enjoy this motherfucker. Without a doubt, the Maine Coons are amongst my new favorite bands and I hope to see them live again soon. Peace out, I gotta go kill some dickheads and then piss on their graves.

Grade: A-

Art, CD Review, Classic CD Review, Entertainment, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video

Classic Album Review: You Turn Me On

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Artist: Beat Happening
Full Title: You Turn Me On
Label: K/Sub Pop
Year: 1992
Track List:
1) Tiger Trap– 9
2) Noise– 9/10
3) Pinebox Derby– 10
4) Teenage Caveman– 10
5) Sleepy Head– 9/10
6) You Turn Me On– 9
7) Godsend- 8
8) Hey Day– 8/9
9) Bury the Hammer– 9

Comments:
Right off the bat, this is definitely my favorite Beat Happening album and one of my all time favorite albums altogether. From the first chords of “Tiger Trap,” you know you are in for something special. The song is nearly seven minutes long, much longer than previous BH tunes and yet the simple, endearing, and always fascinating quality to their music is reatained. Most of the tracks here are longer than their previous LPs, but they don’t drag and you never feel bored. I take that back, “Godsend,” is wayyyy longer than necessary. It’s a great song…. for the first few minutes. 9:28 is too long! Besides that, I have nothing bad to see about this record. It is fantastic and proves that Beat Happening can utilize cleaner production to their advantage. Overall, the music sounds better than ever (though this was not the first cleaner sounding album), but specifically the vocals are phenomenal. Heather’s singing is the best, better than Calvin’s; “Noise” and “Sleepy Head” showcase her talent. Calvin’s classic baritone is prominent in catchy numbers like “Pinebox Derby,” “Teenage Caveman,” and “You Turn Me On.” On Teenage’ when he holds the “oneeeeeeee” in alone, it is easily one of the greatest musical moments ever recorded. For me, this album simply conists of amazing pop songs, what would be hits in another universe where earnest and quality music is appreciated on a grand scale. On first listens, that’s all I heard. I really had to pay attention, to notice the lo-fi, primitive nature of the music that was more obvious in other BH records. They did not feel like simple, Daniel Johnston esque, musically limited creations (not to say there is anything wrong with that stuff). My point being: the power of this album is in its presentation. I just hear a fabulous pop record with songs that hit you as complete ideas. I have to make a real dedicated effort to key in on that lack of musicality, which is clearly there, no doubt, but these songs are so damn excellent that it becomes of little concern. Though You Turn Me On may not be as seminal as their earlier work, it certainly continues that very same spirit and demonstrates the consistent awesomeness in their catalog.

Grade: A/A+

Art, CD Review, Classic CD Review, Entertainment, Music, music video, pictures, Punk, Quotes, reviews, Video

Classic Album Review: Dreamy

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Artist: Beat Happening
Full Title: Dreamy
Label: K/Sub Pop
Year: 1991

Track List:
1) Me Untamed- 8
2) Left Behind- 8
3) Hot Chocolate Boy– 10!
4) I’ve Lost You- 8
5) Cry For a Shadow– 9
6) Collide- 6
7) Nancy Sin- 8
8) Fortune Cookie Prize- 8
9) Revolution Come and Gone- 8
10) Red Head Walking– 9

Comments:
Beat Happening strikes again with their fourth album, Dreamy, their most polished sounding record yet. But, don’t worry it’s still the same minimalist, amatuer sounding Beat Happening you know and love. With this release, it seems like BH matured a bit in their subject matter, especially with tunes like “Me Untamed,” (a far cry from Johnson’s usual coy, lovey dovey lyrics) “Cry For a Shadow,” and “Revolution Come and Gone” (as Michael Azzerad cites, a clear reference to the sudden, apparent, demise of the underground movement). With that being said, there’s plenty of fun, adventerous (at least lyrically), creative, and ultimately joyful numbers. Chiefly, “Hot Chocolate Boy” fits this category; it is by far my favorite in their catalog and one of my all time beloved songs! Just, simple, but enthusiastic playing. If I had to choose one BH number to show to newbies, it would absolutely be HCB; it has nearly everything that made BH excellent. I really dig the line “He’s a sensation, Hot Chocolate Nation.” Overall, I like this album, but I do not favor every track. “Collide” is too repetitive and I often like repetitive songs, even for BH, but this time it’s just annoying. This album is filled with good songs, but only a few great ones. The higher quality production ameliorates the recording, but clearly isn’t the most important ingrediant in audio magic. As I said before, this is a good album, it just lacks an album feel to it, but all in all it is certainly KLYAM Recommended.

Grade B/ B+

P.S. if you go bonkers for Calvin Johnson’s deep, baritone voice, then you will most likely love his vocals here, as they are baritone as fuck…. or you will think he has a stomach ache like my mother says.

Art, CD Review, Entertainment, Films, Music, pictures, Quotes, Video, Weather

Really Classic Album Review: Sounds of Silence

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Artist(s): Simon & Garfunkel
Full Title: Sounds of Silence
Year: 1966
Label: Columbia/ CBS
Tracks:

1) Sounds of Silence- 9
2) Leaves That Are Green- 8
3) Blessed- 7/8
4) Kathy’s Song- 9
5) Somewhere They Can’t Find Me- 8
6) Anji (instrumental)- 7
7) Richard Cory- 8
8) A Most Peculiar Man-9
9) April Come She Will- 10
10) We’ve Got a Groovy Thing Goin’- 8
11) I Am a Rock-9

Comments:
Simon & Garfunkel kick off this ditty with an impassioned, classic, Folk Rock anthem in the title track. The song showcases the duo’s great talent for harmonious vocals, soft, emotional, pop ballads; a far, far cry from their Tiger Beaty teen idol counterparts. A focal point, I often feel is necessary to make- that S & G were not just another wimpy, sensative, Teeny Bopper group, a category/genre that they are sometimes cast aside to. “Leaves That Are Green,” is a nice, catchy number, not too adventerous, but sound. “Blessed,” at least for my money, doesn’t quite cut as deep; it’s an ok tune, but not on par with other tracks. Enter “Kathy’s Song,” a rather soft spoken ballad, that is extremely direct, musically and lyrically. It’s as if Simon is singing soley for Kathy. The tune utilizes the “less is more” logic: it’s simply Simon and his Gee Tar singing his poetry, without any major choruses or instrumental changes. It really gives the ballad a distinct quality and overall feel. Clearly, the band had a knack for writing poetic numbers with deep themes behind them. Later on in the album, we hear two back to back character studies of two very different (or very similar?) suicide victims. The first being “Richard Cory” (based on the Edwin Arlington Robinson poem of the same name, we read in Brennan’s class, if y’all recall :) a fast paced tale about a extremely successful businessman, who seems to have it all and then one night decides to “put a bullet through his head.” This unexpected suicide is contrasted by the next track, “A Most Peculiar Man,” a slow, softer, song about a lonely man, who “lived all alone, within a house, within a room, within himself.” This fucking guy leaves on the gas in his car and thus takes his own life, much to no one’s chagrin. The two studies brilliantly stand in stark contrast to one another. They are followed up by the gentle, folky, “April Come She Will,” the LP’s strongest track, in my humble opinion. It’s so peaceful and almost Summerlike- reminding me of kicking back, relaxing, and thinking about “life.” And ok, also the fact that the months idenitfied include the Summer season! Another reason why I adore this lesser known S & G track is the fact that it was featured in the classic film, The Graduate (1967) as was the title track, the much, much more famous song. For some reason, April stands out to me more and instantly brings back images of the film and the scene it’s featured in. April, her only crime? Brevity… 1:53 is too short! This LP closes with another Folk Rock anthem in “I Am a Rock,” a highly catchy and memorable ditty that contains just about everything that made the pair loveable to begin with. Overall, this is a solid listen, but comparably weaker than most of their efforts. It feels more like a bunch of decent songs, rather than a whole album. With that being said, if you like 60s Folk Rock, poetic lyrics, songs with stories, a shit load of harmony in your vocals, etc. then you will probably dig this, and naturally if you are a fan of Simon and Garfunkel, then by all means, check this out.

Grade: B+