5 Reviews a Week – Goin’ Crazy Edition

OK, I’ve been told that using album and artist titles to create my intro message is annoying. And I guess that’s right. Well here’s the latest reviews. Heavy on the UK this week, but that’s how it goes. I really have nothing more to say. See what happens when I have no gimmick?!

Coldplay – Viva La Vida – *** – Coldplay gets a bad rap by many music fans, but their music still speaks to me. I think this latest album is their biggest sounding record, and I think they open up their sound quite a bit, which is refreshing. This album seems to lack some of the bigger hooks featured in previous albums, but in time, may catch on to me.

The Fratellis – Here We Stand – *** – The Fratellis are a band that I am not sure about. I liked some songs on their last album, but overall it left me kind of dry. This album is a step up, I think, by stepping away from some of the recklessness of that first album, however, this move also takes some of the power out of their songs, this seems almost too crafted of a record.

The Zutons – You Can Do Anything – ***1/2 – The Zutons always get me pumped up. When I hear their songs, I immediately need to start moving. They catch you from the very start and that’s what makes them great. This album is no exception. The great thing about this album is that it doesn’t stray to far from their original sound, but does take a few chances. With a band like this, major change is going to have to come slow, because I have so embraced their sound.

Laura Cantrell – Trains and Boats and Planes – *** – Laura Cantrell is a great interpreter of songs. This is a covers record, and kicking it off with my favorite Bacharach tune is a great place to start. She has such a clean and dry vocal style that brings something different to each of these songs.

Joan As Police Woman – To Survive – *** – This album is slow moving, but it captures you from the beginning and holds on tight throughout. You want to isolate yourself and just focus on what is happening within each song.

5 Reviews a Week – Funtime Extravaganza!

Well, I bet you thought that I would nEVER post again. I guess I am too busy SINGing, DANCEing, and STEALing THINGS to post. But not to worry, it’s not like I got MARRIED or something. I do HAVE FEELINGS TOO! Well anyway, here is another ROSETTA stone of music reviews, that make as about much sense as the air in YOUR LUNGS. Hopefully these reviews will become STRONGER in the future. HEY you never know, you may find a JEWEL you have not heard of before. Stay cool people!

Mason Jennings – In The Ever – *** – Mason Jennings is always great. His songs evoke such an idea of having something important to say. You stop and listen to the lyrics often. Yet it still can be a fun and enjoyable record to listen to – music wise.

Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – *** – Jason Mraz is someone who does the type of music he likes to do. You know he is passionate about every note sung, played, emoted, whatever. While some of the songs on this album are a bit over the top with emotions, it is still a good record to chill out to.

Martha Wainwright – I Know You’re Married, But I Have Feelings Too – ***1/2 – I love Martha Wainwright. Her music is so powerful, without being outlandish. She has so many feelings swimming in her head at any one time, and it is exciting to listen to her sing, because you never know where she will go next.

Hey Rosetta! – Into Your Lungs… – *** – I didn’t know a lot about this band going in, other than the record was produced by Hawksley Workman. This was enough to catch my attention, though, so I tried it out, I was pleasantly surprised. It is a record that is vibrant and interesting to explore. It made me feel very enthusiastic.

Jewel – Stronger Woman – ** – I feel embarrassed to be a Jewel fan sometimes. I feel bad, because she really did have some good records in the middle period. I struggle with her decisions to go into different directions. I hear her say that she wants to do this or that, but I often wonder if the reasons aren’t more economical. This album is her foray into pure country. I think she does a good job of carrying over some of the more folk-pop elements to country, but too often she falls into the modern country traps of oversentimentality. There are some great songs, but also some I hope to never hear again.

Late but not uncertain 5 reviews a week part 2!

OK, I know, I’m a day late. What can I say, I’ve been busy. well anyway, I have a great blog planned for you today. Featuring several bands, OLD and new, even bands from 97(’s). I don’t BLAME you if you find IT strange. But ON that subject, the GRAVITY of the situation is just too much for me. Much like an episode of the SIMPSON’s, the reviews may be BITTERSWEET, but the WORLD will be a better place for it. I know these reviews are CATNIP for some, but for those who don’t love them, I have put some DYNAMITE in these reviews. So don’t get RED with anger, because it will only make the situation worse. Have fun!

Ashlee Simpson – Bittersweet World – 3 of 4 – Cool…it’s really easy to just scoff at Ashlee Simpson, without even giving it a chance, but this record (and its pedigree) made me take another look. Enlisting the help from Kenna on quite a few tracks makes this album different and interesting. More of that non-existent 80’s sound that made his album such an anomaly in today’s music scene.

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. – Catnip Dynamite – 3.5 of 4 – Jellyfish is one of my favorite bands. This being one half of the songwriters definitely gives this the credibility, and is, for the most part, very interesting and fun. There’s not quite the sharpness of Jellyfish, but on its own, it stands up very well.

Weezer – The Red Album – 3 of 4 – Weezer is a band that is always good, but often inconsistent from album to album, song to song. So there are some really great songs on here, but a few that make you say “What are they thinking?” But it’s great that they are able to mix it up from time to time, I’ll give them that.

Gavin Degraw – Gavin Degraw – 3 of 4 – I really liked Gavin’s first album, and it really opened me up to some more similar sounding bands, and at this point, Gavin is among those types of artists, but does not neccessarily stand out for me. This album seems to be a bit of rehashing of the first album, with nothing jumping out at me on first listen.

Old 97’s – Blame It On Gravity – 3.5 of 4 – Excellent! I was a little scared that this band would just go defunct, I am glad to say they still got it. If they can keep delivering albums of this quality for a long time, it will be great. There are some great songs on here, and they are even experimenting with new style and sound changes, while maintaining their unique sound.

First (Real) Post

Welcome to my world friends. I am so backed up on reviews. I finally had some time to look at what I have been listening to lately. It is a shocking amount of music. Since I want to try to blog more often, I am going to kick it off with five reviews a week for a few weeks. So here is the latest, and this time, with links to pinpoint exactly what the heck it is I’m talking about! Enjoy

Elf Power – In A Cave – *** out of 4 – I always enjoy Elf Power, and they have consistently released great albums, especially more recently with a fuller band sound and better songwriting. This album has all the elements of the band that I love.

The Steps – The Steps – **1/2 out of 4 – Interesting album from this group. I don’t know a lot about them, but they have some pretty good songs on here, in the tradition of some of this new britpop stuff.

Jamie Lidell – Jim – **** out of 4 – Another great one from Jamie Lidell, his album from a couple years ago was great, and this continues the direction he went with that, really hitting his stride on some songs.

Sloan – Parallel Play – ***1/2 out of 4 – I love Sloan, so any new music from them is appreciated. And this album does that well, providing me with a great rock album with no gimmicks that has dragged down some other Sloan releases.

Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson – Rattlin’ Bones – *** out of 4 – This is a really great album. The great thing is that it is more of a pure country sound, less poppy and more down and dirty. Each artist does great with their part, and make a great duo.

It’s a New Day

Oh yes indeedy friends, this will be a day to live in infamy, the day I left the terribly buggy Myspace and enter the fantastico world of WordPress, but don’t you worry my fans, I will still be providing my unique blend of music, life, and comedy to your eyes as frequently as is humanly possible. Please enjoy, and if you are new to my world, check out the archive at blog.myspace.com/kingwart!