Full of stuffing

Well by now, you should be rolling around helplessly, and that’s a good thing, am I right? Yum Yum food, right? Well, you are so helpless, I would assume, that the only joy you could possibly get today would be from playing records, right? Well, have I got a treat for you!!! Listen to these records! Yes, do it!

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane – ***1/2 – It always amazes me that Switchfoot has this endless supply of hooks and choruses that pull you into the song, and keep you engaged. There are several songs here that are sure to become staples of thier live sets. It’s great. The only complaint might be that they seem to discuss the same topics over and over, and have the same TYPE of songs, but they are still catchy!!

Relient K – Forget & Not Slow Down – *** – Another winner from Relient K. Maybe not as hooky as previous releases, but good nonetheless. This album feels a bit more self contained, with all the intros and outros, songs kind of blending into one another. It really showcases Relient K’s ability to create these kind of epic, multi-tiered songs. Cool!

Wolfmother – Cosmic Egg – **1/2 – Eh… I don’t know about this one. I liked their first record, but got a bit tired of it after a while. This is basically retreading the same ground, but with less catchy hooks overall. I think they would have needed to step it up a bit to get me back, and this didn’t do it for me.

Mike Lombardo Trio – The Fordham Sessions – *** – Pretty good album of piano-pop songs that can’t resist being compared to Ben Folds, but once you take that out of the equation, there is still solid songwriting and well thought out lyrical material. Definitely a standout for this genre.

Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears – Mad Valentines EP – ***1/2 – A fantastic taste of the power and genius of this guy. His album last year was wonderful, and this EP is just as good. Check it out!

Bears

I was taken hostage by bears. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. I was minding my own business, walking along, when a great big brown bear walked up behind me, and pawed my head to the ground. I had always heard that I should play dead when attacked by bears, which I did. Well, I mean I was knocked unconscious, so that made it easier. The bears then apparently dragged me back to their cave. I didn’t really understand what they wanted from me, and when I woke up they were surrounding me. They all became excitable when my eyes opened. Normally, this would be fine, but since these were bears, their excitement quickly turned to violence. I had no choice but to join the fight. After I took down one bear, the rest of them came after me, and I really had no defense. So as they clobbered me into unconsciousness again, I rested easy knowing my mind was still in tact. That’s when they took my brains out. Now being the simple man I was, I had nothing in my brain that I needed. So, losing it meant nothing to me. They eventually replaced it with a pinecone, smeared in honey to help it stick. That new brain gave me just the right amount of smarts to get out of there. When the bears finally went back to sleep, I ran out of the cave and got to the nearest hospital. With blood and honey dripping from my skull, the hospital staff was disturbed and scared of my current state. As they opened the skull casing to find a pinecone, the horror they expressed was palpable. I assured them I was fine and that they should just pop in a new brain and I would be good to go. It wasn’t so easy. Apparently this hospital doesn’t have a dozen spare brains sitting around. So instead they jammed a few sponges in and sent me to city general, the big city hospital with all the brains. When I showed up, they threw up all over the floor. I tossed them a few sponges out of my head to clean up and went on to surgery. Turns out they weren’t ready, and I had to be put on a waiting list. So with nothing to do while waiting, I decided to head down to the 7-11 and pick up a couple snacks. I loves me a Slurpee™, so I grabbed one of those and took a super long and fast drink and amazingly, I had no brain freeze! Since there’s nothing to freeze! I was pumped, I could drink 10 Slurpees™ now with NO side effects! So awesome. Then I needed some meat, so grabbed one of them microwaveable burritos. As I placed the burrito in the mic, and started it up, I could feel a small pulse in my cranial area. The pulse suddenly turned into an insane amount of pressure, and my head exploded!! Yow! That hurted! I quickly jammed the burrito down the remaining throat pipe and headed back to the hospital. When they saw my body hobbling down the corridor, the palpable horror from earlier seemed like a gentle breeze. Suddenly, Reginald, the brown bear who I took down earlier, was there standing before me. As he ripped me from limb to limb, I realized I never completed the task I was sent out for. I was supposed to destroy bear-kind once and for all, so I guess they were justified. Funny how life goes, huh?

Fun Time Go!

Hey pals, what’s going on? So I think we all said some things last time that we regret. I’m sure there are things we’d like to take back. But you know what? It’s over, it happened. There’s no going back. All we can do is keep going and try to get past it. I mean, I guess if there would have to be a “winner” in this situation, I think it’s pretty clear who that is. So I mean, I guess an apology from your side, wouldn’t be disregarded. No, I mean, like, it doesn’t matter, but I mean, right is right, right? So I guess, just do the right thing. I mean, it doesn’t matter, though. Wait… OK, listen, just read these reviews, we’ll talk more next time. Thanks.

Kyle Vincent – Where You Are – *** – If you like powerful, slow-churned power pop, it doesn’t get much better than Kyle Vincent. This new album is no exception. Its spare production, focused on the piano and voice, make it a beautiful record to just take in. And the songs are great!

Young Fresh Fellows – I Think This Is – ***1/2 – It isn’t often that a band that has been working for almost 30 years can still sound so fresh and young. It’s perhaps a curse of the name that they must always stay this way, but I’m not complaining. They can still bring it, they revel in weird off-beat concepts and just fun-filled music. Keep it up fellows!

Discovery – LP – *** – An interesting project. This type of electronic dance music has never really been my cup of tea. But having the guy from Vampire Weekend interested me. While the album doesn’t have the great hooks I always look for, it does differentiate itself from other similar music.

John Brodeur – Get Through – *** – Great to hear from Brodeur again, his albums seem to be few and far between, but when they come out, they are really good. Lots of interesting lyrics, cool melodies, and overall a good time.

Dan Bryk – Pop Psychology – ***1/2 – Dan Bryk is a great, unique artist, who plays great poppy music, with smart, funny lyrics, that talk about his own life, things he’s thinking about, his own hang-ups and such, but in a way that is relatable to all.

MY NEW SONG AND VIDEO

Friday is a free day!!!

Wow, this might be my first Friday blog in a while. I tend to blog early in the week for soem crazy reason. But not this week. Nope. Well… OK, then, I really have nothing else to add. Just keep rockin’ folks!

The Shazam – Meteor – **** – You literally can’t go wrong with The Shazam. This is at least their best produced record to date, and sounds awesome. But top that with great, cool songs, and you’ve got perfection. Their return was worth the wait, and this will give me hours of enjoyment.

Wilco – Wilco (The Album) – *** – A good addition to the Wilco library. This one takes a step towards the more poppy, happier side of Wilco, and that’s nice. I think they were headed this way on Sky Blue Sky, but were too verbose on that release, and this takes them back to basics.

Regina Spektor – Far – ***1/2 – You really can’t go wrong with Regina Spektor. She makes songs that are all at once melodic, weird, arty, engaging, and cool. This album keeps up that pattern and keeps things hoppin’!

God Help The Girl – God Help The Girl – *** – This CD was great. It is a cool, soulful record for the most part, but it throws some curveballs at you from time to time, making it a lot of fun. So, while a tad inconsistent, it does have it’s charms. Oh, and Belle and Sebastian related stuff pretty much gets a free ride from me anyways.

Eugene McGuinness – Eugene McGuinness – *** – A solid, good album from Eugene, who I think only had an EP before this… Not sure on that, but it is a fine album of great pop music, a bit a britpop, a bit twee, a bit of everything.

Happy Independent Blog Day!

Hallo folks. It’s been quite a week. As we sit back and think about the invention of America, we must reflect on all the stuff we blowed up real good. I am also realizing it has almost been an entire year since I started writing these reviews. In fact my first review blog was on July 8 of last year. So, I suppose I should have waited a week to post that fact. But whatevs, I might not even blog next week. So yeah, that’s interesting. Here’s some stats for ya!

I have posted 32 blogs, with 5 reviews each, so I have reviewed 160 records. Wow. That actually surprises me. My weakest month was November, with only 1 post, but I made up for it, with 4 posts each the next two months. Overall, a successful experiment, I have felt really good, writing these and delivering you, my fans, a heaping helping of cool records to give a listen to. I hope you all have enjoyed it. Let’s make it 200 records for the next year!

Tony Cox – Unpublished – ***1/2 – A fantastic record from this guy, which in the end plays out much like a Dodgy record, using the singing and playing of Nigel. But all the songs are written by Tony Cox, which definitely gives it a new flavor. Tony seems to be a very good songwriter and producer.

The Smithereens – Play Tommy – *** – I’ve never really listened to Tommy, with the exception of Pinball Wizard. I’ve also seen a few clips from the movie, so I was well informed about it. So it’s interesting to hear this tribute first. I liked it quite a bit, there is definitely the Smithereens flair to the whole thing, which is good.

The Simple Carnival – Girls Aliens Food – ***1/2 – A really fun record, very Beach Boys/Brian Wilson-esque. I like how it kind of takes this template, which many have used, but makes it sound interesting by subverting things, both lyrically and musically. Whether it’s singing from odd persepctives, or playing strange sound effects or instruments, makes for a very interesting experience.

Michael Carpenter – Redemption #39 – *** – You really can’t go wrong with Michael Carpenter. This album carries on the great tradition of his music, adding a bit more of the alt.country elements as well. Overall a good listen, and fun album.

Former – And Nothing But The Truth – **1/2 – A nice example of this heavier pop sound, very good clean soaring rock/pop. A little on the long side, but still enjoyable. Great in small doses.

I’ve hit the big time!

Hey all my loyal fans and readers, just wanted to send out a message to let you know that you’re OK. Just keep on keeping on, my friends. Hey, if you enjoy the blog, why not let your friends know. You know, we can’t just keep these things to ourselves. And with your help, we can raise the awareness of this blog ten-fold. Oh yeah! Let’s make this happen! Keep hip!

Mandy Moore – Amanda Leigh – **** – I can’t help it! I love it too much. I don’t know what it is about Mike Viola and his latest batch of albums and collaborations that just make me go crazy, but it does, and this is no exception. Finally, a Mandy Moore album, which I am with 100%, the last two were good, but I still felt a bit unsure of them. This album matches her style well, and works just great.

Office – Mecca – ***1/2 – Well, they say never to look a gift horse in the mouth, but here goes nothing. This, the second album by Office, was offered by the band for free online. As I was a fan of their first, I snatched it up, and it was great. I think it might even be better than the first. It seems like they have found their sound, and feel comfortable in it.

Greg Pope – PETE EP – *** – Fun little thing from Mr. Pope. Fun, groovy power pop.

Broken Promise Keeper – Ice Cold Pop – *** – Good solid power-pop from this one-man band. Very reminiscent of Shoes, definitely more of an indie-pop sound as well.

Rhett Miller – Rhett Miller – ***1/2 – I have enjoyed both of Rhett’s previous solo albums, though I found the second one had to grow on me a bit. I think the same is the case of this album. It is enjoyable on first listen, but will probably take a couple more listens to let the hooks sink in, and really take hold. I still recommend it though!

Cinco De Mayo!

OK, all I know about Cinco De Mayo I immediately forgot after Spanish class in 10th grade. So I don’t really have anything to say about it. But, it does mean that Spring has sprung, and I am loving the warmer weather. And with warm weather comes the search for the perfect summer record. I’m not sure if we have one yet this year, so we might just have to pull Kelly Jones’ SheBANG! back out for now. And while you’re at it, check out these sweet new releases from some old favorites and some brand new bands featuring other old favorites.

Jellybricks – Goodnight to Everyone – *** – Another winner from the Jellybricks. This album definitely seems more polished than previous Jellybricks stuff, and that is great, it makes it clear what good pop songs this band can pop out.

Honeydogs – Sunshine Committee – *** – Love the Honeydogs, and this is another example of why. A great unique sound, that is engaging and fun. Great insightful lyrics, and good messages. Would love to have a full-length, but this is still great.

Outrageous Cherry – Universal Malcontents – ***1/2 – I think a step up for this band, who I’ve never been to sure of. I feel like this album definitely shows the best they can be. Great psychedlic style music, with a great sound, and interesting perspective on the world.

Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows – ***1/2 – A good energetic record from this supergroup featuring Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger, James Iha and Bun E. Carlos. Some really catchy songs like “Kind of A Girl” and “Cha Cha” make it worth the price, but mostly the record doesn’t grab you on first listen, I’m not sure how lasting the impact of the record will be. Time will tell.

Ben Harper & Relentless7 – White Lies For Dark Times – *** – I’ve never been a huge Ben Harper fan. His stuff has been a bit hit or miss. I really liked Diamonds on the Inside, though. So when I heard this new song Shimmer & Shine, I was both shocked and intrigued. It was rockin’ and so I was hoping the rest of the album would be the same, but the song is kind of an anomaly, and the rest of the album doesn’t quite hit the mark. I see he is trying to be harder rocking, but he fails to pull it off most of the time.

Time to go!

OK, people, this is it. We gotta make this year a good one, we are finally getting a bit of a flood of new music, so I am about as happy as a clam. I would know because I am a clam. So the challenge I put out to all of you right now, is let’s go! Let’s do this thing! What thing? I don’t know. Seriously. Then why are you telling us to…? Umm, well, it just means that…uh…well you know, let’s go! Whatever.

Fastball – Little White Lies – *** – I love Fastball, and was so happy to hear they had some new music. And this is definitely Fastball, doing what they do best. While perhaps not quite as good as their last, it does have some great tracks included.

Valley Lodge – Semester At Sea – ***1/2 – I just discovered this band this year, loving their debut from a few years back. So it couldn’t have been better timing as this new album hits me with some more rock action! Great, fun, power pop.

Ace Enders & A Million Different People – When I Hit The Ground – *** – A cool album from the Early November front-man. He has really moved away from the emo style of his early stuff, to just pure pop/rock goodness.

Salim Nourallah – Constellation – ***1/2 – OK, this is the real Salim Nourallah release for 2009. It works great as an album, the songs all belong together, and it creates a great mood and atmosphere. Don’t look to rock out too much on this one, for these are beautifully subdued songs.

Dennis Schocket – The Cinderblock Mansion – *** – Great album from ex-Starbelly member. Fantastic pure-pop goodness. Seems also to be a bit more personal and reflective.

April Showers bring Music Reviews

Ah April. That month of months. Spring attempting, and failing, to turn into Summer. You would think it would learn that it’s just not grown up enough to make real Summer. Instead it just rains a bunch. Oh, and the bunnies come out to play of course. Imagine the month of April as a little bunny, trying to inflict pain on something. Instead, it just bats its little soft paws into it, and falls asleep before finishing the job. That’s what April is.

Alice Peacock – Love Remains – *** – A great album from this artist, who is really a pop-rock artist with a bit of country thrown in. Some of the more overtly country songs are a bit much, but overall, it’s a great collection of songs.

Doves – Kingdom of Rust – *** – Another good album from Doves, and it’s been awhile. But they still have that great epic sound, atmospheric and energetic at the same time.

Pat Dinizio – Buddy Holly – *** – Buddy Holly is someone who’s music I love, but I’ve never taken the time to really delve into his catalog. This helps, although I don’t know if slowing down the songs does much to enhance it. But with Pat singing, it’s A-OK!

Gavin Degraw – Free – *** – While I feel this album is a bit too overwrought, and doesn’t have as much fun as the first two albums, I am glad he is evolving a bit as an artist, the second album seemed a bit too much of a re-hash.

Brakes – Touchdown – ***1/2 – Awesome, Brakes just keeps getting better. As much as I liked their energetic and odd debut, I am really liking the more produced, toned down feel of this record. They don’t abandon the weird and energetic stuff, but they slow it down in the right places, and it makes for a pleasant experience.