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CD Review, Music, Nobunny

CD Review: Nobunny Live at Thirdman Records [2010]

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Band: Nobunny
Release: 8/2010
Label: Thirdman Records

1. “The Gutter” – A-
2. “Hocus Pocus” – B+
3. “Mess Me Up” – A
4. “Give It To Me” – A
5. “Motorhead With Me” – A+
6. “It’s True” – A+
7. “Boneyard” – A+
8.  “I Am A Girlfriend” – A+
9. “I Don’t Know Why” – N/A
10. “Your Mouth” –  N/A
11. “Not That Good” – A+
12. “It’s So Easy” –  A
13. “Hippy Witch” – B+
14. “Monster Kiss” – A-
15. “Chuck Berry Holiday” – A+

Comments: This is thee live Nobunny album that everyone’s been talking about. The introduction “Today’s greatest rock and roll band on Earth…Nobunny ladies and gentlemen!” met by cheers of all of five people in the audience is more priceless than Jared Swilley’s “This is going to be the greatest live album of all time” on Los Valienteles Del Mundo Nuevo. Live at Thirdman is the product of a late arrival at Jack White’s homestead after a crazy night involving jails and cheerios. Nobunny starts off with “The Gutter,” an old country tune from the Raw Romance tape about spending your unemployment paycheck on smokes and booze and not having any money left over for anything else. “Hocus Pocus” is a dancer. “Sometimes my feet get the best of me” says Nobunny after that one. “Mess Me Up” is a classic off Love Visions that’s pretty raw. The next two are off the Give It To Me 7″ released in early 2009. “Give It To Me” is a punk rocker in the same vein as the fantastic “Motorhead With Me”. Dedicated to all the pretty girls out there is “It’s True.” “I know you heard it all before/And I don’t mean to be a bore but/you got eyes that sparkle like diamonds!/you got a smile that keeps me smiling!/you’re so cute there’s no denying…It’s true!” The raunchy incomprehensible “Boneyard” is just one of those live songs that is awfully hard not to love. Same is true with “I Am a Girlfriend” mainly because of the short “hey little girl” Ramones-esque interlude, but also because it is an incredibly sharp yet raucous live tune. So after that incredible stretch of songs, there comes a problem. Nobunny realizes he can’t play some songs live. No big deal! “I Don’t Know Why” is a soft acoustic number (presumably) that was never practiced before and “Your Mouth” pretty much the same except they practiced it once. So after about ten seconds of “Your Mouth” Nobunny does what he does best. He says “WE’RE JUST GONNA DO OUR REGULAR SONGS.” A ha! Good call, No-no. Fitting (but not really because we know Nobunny is the shit) that he dedicated “Not That Good” to himself (and his band). “It’s So Easy” is a Buddy Holly cover with a few lyrical modifications here and there. “Hippy Witch” is basically inaudible on Raw Romance, but makes sense here. “Monster Kiss” is a Halloween song. Yee! No better way to end a set than with “Chuck Berry Holiday” — the same tune that one fan of mainstream music only (MMO) has called a “catchy song!” Now, that’s something! I attribute that to Nobunny’s vocals and the guitar riff. It’s golden. That’s all I’ve got. See ya later, suckers! “It’s a black man in a white world!”

Grade: A (94)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Death To False Metal [2010]

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Band: Weezer
Release: 11/2010
Label: Geffen Records

1. “Tuning Up the Radio” – A
2. “I Don’t Want Your Loving” – A
3. “Blowin’ My Stack” – A
4. “Losing My Mind” – A
5. “Everyone” – A-
6. “I’m A Robot” – B
7. “Trampoline” – B+
8. “Odd Couple” – A-
9. “Autopilot” – B+
10. “Unbreak My Heart” – B-

Comments: Word. I think generally fans of early Weezer (TBA and Pinkerton) will think favorably of this release. This record (as a whole) is certainly edgier than “Beverly Hills” and the like. Death is old material encompassing a fairly vast variety of rock genres with 2010 production quality and aesthetics. There is some straight up power-pop, a little oldies/lighter pop, pop-punk, and some grunge. The first four tracks are absolute gems. The rest of the album is very good, but doesn’t quite have the passion (for lack of a better word) that is present on the first four tunes. The “Unbreak” cover borders on average. So maybe this is Weezer’s third best album ever?

Grade: B+ (89)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Nothing Fits [2010]

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Band: Tyvek
Release: 11/2010
Label: In The Red Records

1. “4312” – B
2. “Animal” – B-
3. “Potato” – C
4. “Future Junk” – B-
5. “Nothing Fits” – C
6. “Outer Limits” – C-
7. “Underwater 1” – B
8. “Underwater 2” – B
9. “Kid Tut” – C
10. “Pricks In A Car” – C+
11. “This One – That One” – C-

Comments: Every time I see “Tyvek” I think of Tyvek! The problem is I’ve never listened to any material from the band Tyvek…until now. Obviously, I was expecting some sort of lo-fi garage/punk/pop. In The Red has a reputation for releasing that kind of stuff. Listening to this, for me anyway, is like listening to St. Dad or the Homostupids. Tyvek is better, but they’ve got too much noise and screaming. My little ears can not really handle it. At their lightest (“Underwater 1”), they are like a hardcore Cheap Time. At their heaviest, they are like your average ’80s D.C area high school hardcore punk band.

Grade: C+ (78)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Play It Strange [2010]

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Band: The Fresh & Onlys
Release: 10/2010
Label: In The Red

1. “Summer of Love” – B+
2. “Waterfall” – A-
3. “Until the End of Time” – B
4. “Tropical Island Sweet” – B+
5. “All Shook Up” – A-
6. “Be My Hooker” – B-
7. “Fascinated” – B+
8. “Plague of Frogs” – B-
9. “Who Needs a Man” – B
10. “Red Light Green Light” – C+
11. “I’m A Thief” – B

Comments: Initially, I’m  feeling like I did the first few times I listened to Album. The music itself is fairly pop-sensible, but on the weird side of things. Play It Strange reminds me of The Shins at their most upbeat. Unfortunately, for me, I’m not feeling the psychedelia. This is too creepy of an album. Listening to this is like watching an old Western. There are some fascinating parts, but most of it is like Congratulations minus the pop factor. They are a good fit as opener for MGMT.

Grade: B (85)

Animal Collective, CD Review, Music

CD Review: Down There [2010]

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Band: Avey Tare
Release: 10/2010
Label: Paw Tracks

1. “Laughing Hieroglyphic” – B
2. “3 Umbrellas” – B
3. “Oliver Twist” – B+
4. “Glass Bottom Boat” – B-
5. “Ghost of Books” – B–
6. “Cemeteries” – B-
7. “Heads Hammock” – B+
8. “Heather In The Hospital” – B+
9. “Lucky 1” – B

Comments: Primary song-writer and founding member of Animal Collective, Avey Tare decided to give a go at a solo album. Right from the start, it is fairly obvious that the sound is retro to the direction that Merriweather Post Pavilion went in. The first two tracks are of the experimental variety while “Oliver Twist” is still pretty weird, yet danceable. Credit the drum beat on that one. The next two are old time AC sounding. So yeah if anyone, anyone at all, was expecting some kind of clean pop MPP sort of stuff, you will be disappointed! Fans of early work might be like “yo, this is pretty good” and people sympathetic to these creative voyages might just think “yeah, it’s okay.” If Deerhunter and Atlas Sound and so forth make “efficient ambiance” than Avey makes rather run of the mill ambiance. Your mind won’t be blown after listening to this. In the rare event that it does, you better find a new brain. Then again you might have been listening to this on some kind of psychedelic substance, so who am I to judge such a subjective experience? I’m calling out “Heads Hammock” as the best thing on here. So, yeah, Avey, good attempt, bro. Real solid effort. You did your thing and people should respect it.

Grade: B (84)

CD Review, Music, reviews, Uncategorized

CD Review: Civilized [2009]

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The drummer of the band,

Artist:

stellastarr* 

Label: Bloated Wife Records

1. “Robot”  B-

2. “Freak Out” A

3. “Tokyo Sky” B

4. “Numbers” B-

5. “Graffiti Eyes” A-

6. “Prom Zombie” B-

7. “Warchild” A

8. “People” B+

9. “Move On” B+

10. “Sonja Cries” A-

Comments:  After their last album Harmonies for the Haunted that spawned the hit single “Sweet Troubled Soul” the band stellastarr* (sometimes just referred to as Stellastarr) took to their own label Bloated Wife Records (named after a hidden track on Harmonies for the Haunted) after leaving RCA Records, and in 2009 came up with the album Civilized.  While not nearly as polished as their previous efforts and nothing is produced that was as marketable as “Sweet Troubled Soul”, major improvements has been made.  Most notably, Bassist and back up vocalist Amanda Tannen is used much more frequently and more efficiently, then in previous efforts.  Secondly, guitarist and lead singer Shawn Christensen sounds much more relaxed and comfortable on this album.  Lastly stellastarr has become much better song writers and crafters, previous efforts has really been hit and miss (although when they hit, their really good), like I said nothing measures up to “Sweet Troubled Soul” or even “My Coco”, but overall the album is much more consistent.   The album starts off with a good effort sung entirely by Amanda on “Robot” and comes close to their best work with “Freak Out”.  From then out its one solid song after another that will please any hipster, which eventually peaks with the song “Warchild”.  The album winds down after that ending on a strong note with “Sonja Cries”.  Overall the album isn’t a game changer for music, the post punk genre, or even the band, it just happens to be a solid effort, from a band who has shown sparks of greatness, but has not shown us what they can do.  But after listening to this album a few times, I have hope that maybe one day they can craft that masterpiece that they always been hinting at but never delivered on, yet.

 Grade: B- (82/100)

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CD Review: Fantastic Explanations (and Similar Situations) [2010]

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Band: Cheap Time
Release: 2010
Label: In The Red

1. “When Tomorrow Comes” – B
2. “Everyone Knows” – A-
3. “I’d Rather Be Alone” – B
4. “Throwing It All Away” – C+
5. “Down the Tube” – B+
6. “Showboat” – C-
7. “Miss Apparent” – C+
8. “June Child” – C-
9. “Woodland Drive” – A-
10. “Lazy Days” – B
11. “Approximately Nowhere” – B
12. “Waiting Too Long” – C+

Comments: Young Jeffrey Novak had a ball on Cheap Time, the self-titled debut release of…Cheap Time! He and his boys created a pretty solid record of garage pop slingers that I thoroughly enjoyed. At his songwriting peak, he is just as awesome as former label-mates Black Lips and Jay Reatard. It’s unfortunately that really none of that great songwriting can be found on this record. Fantastic Explanations is a relaxed vacation on a island where everything is not all about speed. This approach isn’t as winning as I had hoped, but there is a decent moment or two to be listened to on here. Take the lazy “Everyone Knows,” which is simply a disgusted Jeffrey rambling over a hooky garage/grunge riff. The Ramones-esque “Woodland Drive” is a nice listen as well. Besides those songs there aren’t a whole lot of goodies.

Grade: B- (81)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Come Around Sundown [2010]

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Band: Kings of Leon
Label: RCA
Release: 10/2010

1. “The End” – B
2. “Radioactive” – B+
3. “Pyro” – C
4. “Mary” – C+
5. “The Face” – C
6. “The Immortals” – C
7. “Back Down South” – B
8. “Beach Side” – C+
9. “No Money” – B+
10. “Pony Up” – C-
11. “Birthday” – C-
12. “Mi Amigo” – C-
13. “Pickup Truck” – C+

Comments: Kings of Leon are a pretty polarizing bunch. For starters, they’ve never been “indie” — a terrible label to begin with, but even worse when people use it on a band that’s been signed with major label giant RCA since the get-go. Glad I’ve got that out of the way. They’ve been derided as “boring arena rock,” but they make “good music” compared to one Justin Beiber. Original fans seem (on the Internet, anyway) a dime a dozen, but have the Kings really compromised anything in the last six or seven years? Debut “Red Morning Light” was (still is) typical southern pop-rock. The next year’s Aha Shake Heartbreak had a bunch of the same kinds of songs — fun (oh no, not that!) well produced guitar-oriented anthems. Like I was trying to say, they never really came in “indie” and went downhill to “pop” from there. There was never that kind of transition. Somewhere along the line we are left with 2008’s Only by the Night. I liked Only by the Night. Not a whole lot, but the instrumentation was minimal, yet affective. When I first heard Kings of Leon being played on the radio — you know “Sex on Fire” (a bit more like their southern-y stuff of the past) and the huge “Use Somebody” which was (and still is) well overplayed but it undeniably has a catchy progression and pleasing guitar work. Two years have past and now Kings of Leon have brought us Come Around Sundown. Right from the get-go with “The End,” I’ve noticed they’ve haven’t changed. Surprise! It’s a pretty good song…incorporating the typical elements of post 2000s clean southern/garage pop-rock. “Radioactive,” the album’s lead single, is sing-a-long material…something like their arena friends U2 have been accustomed to making over the years. Keep in mind I don’t know much about U2, but it’s all about the “big” landscape of the song…potentially “bigger” than “Use Somebody.” If you want to go to sleep, listen to “Pyro.” Even though it has a sizable build-up, it’s boring. “Mary” is bland. Pretty awesome guitar solo, but otherwise bland. Looks like they really hit a poor streak because “The Face” is the same damn fodder! The thing that sort of keeps Kings of Leon somewhat sane in times of distress are their bridges and outros. Not saying they are good, but they can really make an awful song turn into something manageable. “The Immortals” is pretty average. It doesn’t suck, but it’s almost like they’ve done somewhat of the same variation for the past three songs. “Back Down South” seems like an honest descent into southern music. The noisiest song on the record goes to “No Money.” A little more of that direction couldn’t really hurt the band. OH YEAH IT COULD. So yeah, this album is pretty terrible, but it’s not that terrible. I’ve listened to some terrible records this year, but it does have a few trick ponies that act as saving graces.

Grade: C+ (77)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: I Am Not A Human Being [2010]

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Rapper: Lil Wayne
Release: 10/2010
Label: Young Money

1. “Gonorrhea” – B
2. “Hold Up” – C+
3. “With You” – A-
4. “I Am Not A Being Human” – C-
5. “I’m Single” – C+
6. “What’s Wrong With Them” – B+
7. “Right Above It” – A
8. “Popular” – B-
9. “That Ain’t Me” – B-
10. “Bill Gates” – B

Comments: Lil Wayne is an interesting fellow. He has an adoration of playing around with words. He particularly utilizes metaphor and simile. His rhymes range from cheesy Weezy to fairly intelligent and thoughtful. Beats have never really been a focal point for Weezy, especially on non-singles. He almost can’t be taken seriously, nor can his guest rappers, but some how they always end up with something called a song. It’s striking. On the R&B slow jam “With You,” we get a good sense of what Wayne is capable of in terms of sensible writing. He effectively tells a romantic story without much effort. What I’m saying is “With You” doesn’t sound forced or random. “Tonight it’s moonlight and candles and shit.” That’s all. It’s so Human Being. Imitating Beastie Boys rock-rap style isn’t Weezy’s thing. He made a terrible rock-esque album earlier this year, didn’t he? Let Wayne shine. He doesn’t need power beats or abrasive guitars. I was expecting Nicki Minaj to rap not sing a chorus on her feature in “What’s Wrong,” but I must say she doesn’t do that bad of a job. Wayne’s verses are solid. “Right Above It” was the first single (featuring Drake) from this record and contains the record’s most distinguishable beat/chorus. It deserves all the accolades it has/is getting. I didn’t expect much out of this relatively short LP. There are high points and other points that just seem to exist without much fanfare.

Grade: B- (82)

CD Review, Music

CD Review: The Age of Adz [2010]

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Band: Sufjan Stevens
Release: 10/2010
Label: Asthmatic Kitty

1. “Futile Devices” – B
2. “Too Much” – C
3. “Age of Adz” – C+
4. “I Walked” – B
5. “Now That I’m Older” – B+
6. “Get Real Get Right” – B-
7. “Bad Communication” – C
8. “Vesuvius” – C+
9. “All For Myself” – B-
10. “I Want To Be Well” – C
11. “Impossible Soul” – B

Comments: S.S has made a return to show business…as the band Phoenix. Not quite, but as you may or may not know, this is an electronically driven piece of work. A bit like when Peter Bjorn and John went electronic…except that actually worked rather well. Sufjan is still pretty much Sufjan of old. He sort of “wow”-ed me with Illinois — not going to lie — though I’d never consider myself particularly fond of his work, holistically. You either have to stick orchestral or go full electronic. None of this half and half BS is acceptable in my eyes. Sufjan thinks since he’s Sufjan he can do whatever he wants. He’s not Radiohead. Some of these tunes are decent throw-away listens. That’s a depressing thing to say given the current music culture, but it’s true. I mean, I have a pretty short listening span so these 4+ minute tunes aren’t ever going to cut it. Even the shorties are just little one timers. Twenty-five minute songs aren’t acceptable…ever.

Grade: B- (80)