Time Marches On – Review time

OK, I know it’s been like two weeks, but I can explain. I can’t explain. I just haven’t been listening to much new music lately. So sue me. I’d like to see you try. Oh my, so negative, I’m deeply sorry, folks, I…I…well, I just… ugh. Forget it. Just read these reviews, OK?!

Mitch Freidman – Game Show Teeth – **1/2 – An interesting record. Mitch has a style that borrows a bit from XTC, They Might Be Giants, David Yazbek, and has quite a few good songs.

Making April – Egg Hunt – *** – A recent find, this band sounds a bit like Something Corporate, but really bring a unique and energetic sound to the emo template.

The Webstirs – So Long – ***1/2 – This was a fantastic record. Definitely a slice of delicious power pop, this band rocks out and is just a fun fantastic record to listen to.

Starsailor – All The Plans – *** – Kind of more of the same from Starsailor, but is still pretty good. It may grow on me.

Superdrag – Industry Giants – *** – They are back, and while the album is a bit darker and louder than previous albums, it was actually still quite enjoyable.

Love Is You

Here’s something. I put my iPod on shuffle and answered the following questions with each song that came up. Maybe a few make sense?…comment and let me know…

IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY? Will You Marry Me? (Ed James)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Yer Stoned Italian Cowboy (The Go)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? So Long Johnny (The Go)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Girlkillsbear (Softlightes)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? Break Me (Jewel)

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO? Margot Known As Missy (The Judybats)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Wishin’ And Hopin’ (Bachrach – Baroque)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Avenger Hill Street Blues (The Soundtrack of Our Lives)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Waiting For Nothing (Hot Hot Heat)

WHAT IS 2 + 2? Tatum O’ Tot and the Fried Vegetables (Redd Kross)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Crown Victoria (Robbers On High Street)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Sipping On The Sweet Nectar (Jens Lekman)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? The Future Has Arrived (The All-American Rejects)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Witches Night (The Judybats)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? You Can’t Fool Me Dennis (Mystery Jets)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? I Speak Your Mind (Frisbie)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Swingin’ In The Sky (Stephen Brodsky)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Little White Lies (The Romantics)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Out Here In The Cold (Gotye)

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW? Honeydew (Ooberman)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? I Started A Fire (Ash)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Love Is You (Redd Kross)

Music mayhem

So here’s another week, with another batch of reviews. I wanted to address my rating system. I feel bad, like I am always giving people 3 stars or thereabouts, which doesn’t give much to work with. It stems from this 4 star rating system, which is limiting, I suppose. I like it to be limiting, because it makes it easier for me to keep track of it. So I am going to try to explain my ratings:

4 stars – Excellent, almost perfect, definitely a candidate for my year-end list.
3 1/2 stars – Excellent, but not perfect. There is some aspect of it I am unsure of.
3 stars – Average, definitely something I like, but unsure if it will stick with me into the future.
2 1/2 stars – Good, but not great. Usually I dislike a few tracks, or elements of the songs
2 stars – I could do without ever hearing it, it might have only one or two good songs.
1 1/2 stars – Would probably give it away or just be non-chalant towards it.
1 star – Awful, something I never want to hear again.
1/2 star – Worthless pile of horribleness.

Tommy Keene – In The Late Bright – *** – Can’t go wrong with Tommy Keene, and this album is no exception, great atmosphere, great tunes, great singing, it all just works together great.

Eleni Mandell – Artificial Fire – ***1/2 – Eleni Mandell has really stepped it up in her last few albums, and has really created a sound of all her own. This album is great, tons of great songs, and a lot of variety throughout.

Clem Snide – Hungry Bird – *** – They are back, thankfully, with another great record. It picks up right where they left off, with great songs and that cool style that we come to associate with them.

Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You – **1/2 – Haven’t really listened to Lily Allen much, I kind of liked a couple songs off the first album, but was wary that the sound might get old a bit, so I never listened to the whole thing. So I thought I’d give the new one a shot. It is a cool sound, and she seems to be doing a variety of things on this record, but in the end, it did seem a bit repetitive and too self-aware for my tastes.

Chris Isaak – Mr. Lucky – **1/2 – A bit too milquetoast for my tastes, but I do like his sound. I got his last album from 2002 or so, and enjoyed it a lot…this one seems to be a bit more mainstream, and so, except for a few cool songs, it falls flat.

What what?

Hey everybody! Here’s where I normally write a bunch of useless garbage and random non-sequitors, ending with a plea to read my blog. That will not happen this time, I promise. Remember, promises are the key to your eternal happiness. It only takes one to make an elephant walk. Now read my blog!!

Modern Skirts – All Of Us In Our Night – *** – Very nice record. While playing it low key for the most part, it has a blend of instruments, vocals, and atmosphere that make this very pleasing to the ears and enjoyable.

Andrew Bird – Useless Creatures – *** – I love Andrew Bird, and this instrumental companion piece to his new album is a cool addition. It starts off with some nice short pieces, but once it gets into the longer pieces, it tends to trail off into background music. Which is fine, but I think I just prefer singing for the most part.

Steve Martin – The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo – *** – Interesting record, obviously this is going to have some novelty to a lot of people, but I think the banjo songs hold up. I am not familiar with a lot of banjo music, but this sounds good to me, so who knows.

Duncan Sheik – Whisper House – ***1/2 – This is a great CD, definitely picking up after the disappointing White Limousine, and the Spring Awakening Cast Recording, which while great, didn’t have Duncan singing on it. A concept album for another musical, it plays like an actual album, I can’t even tell the story of the play. It’s interesting, exciting, and quite enjoyable. Also features great female vocals by Holly Brooke, which blend well with Sheik.

Ben Kweller – Changing Horses – *** – Cool record from Ben Kweller. I hear everyone saying, oh it’s his country album, well whatever, it still sounds like Ben Kweller. Sure there’s a slide guitar and the themes are more country, but it would never be confused for country music. It’s Kweller-twang.

The first of 2009

Ok, here we are, 2009, it’s gonna be great! Let’s get started!

Andrew Bird – Noble Beast – ***1/2 – More goodness from Andrew Bird. I think it finds the happy medium between the Mysterious Production of Eggs album and the Armchair Apocrypha album, having some of the lightness of Eggs with more of the electronic instrumentation found on Armchair.

Antony & The Johnsons – The Crying Light – *** – Beautiful as expected. This album seems to be very organic and stark. This is a bit more clear vision than I think the first album had. The focus is on his voice primarily, and this album definitely shows some touches we have not seen before.

David Mead – Almost and Always – ***1/2 – You can’t go wrong with David Mead. What’s great is that he sounds just as good doing slower acoustic songs, as he does when he is doing high energy pop. This album is an example of the former, and is really great.

Coconut Records – Davy – *** – Jason Schwartzman has had an interesting life, and he wastes no time telling us all about it on the new album. While cool sounding and interesting, lyrically, it is a bit too self-reverential, which is good to a point, but wears thin.

tenniscourts – dig the new sounds of… – *** – This was a cool sounding record. Very energetic and rocking, nothing really jumped out at me, though, as being new or unique. But its good.

The Last of 2008

OK, this is it, the final review blog of 2008. It was a great year for music, but 2009 looks like it will be hitting us with some winners. Find out more in my next exciting blog! It’s getting kinda crazy around here, what with all the winter madness shaking things up. Hey! I just saw an awesome concert yesterday, by Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. A fun, rip-roarin’ show, I even got to meet the band, a bunch of nice fellas and lady. Check my facebook for pics. Otherwise, have fun for ‘09!

For The Kids Three – *** – As kids albums go, this one is the coolest, but I’m not sure how that translates to kids. I can see kids liking some of the more traditional fare on here, but much of it might be a bit too smart for most kids.

Longwave – Secrets Are Sinister – *** – I like Longwave quite a bit, and this album is basically more of what I like, I don’t see a lot of difference from previous albums, so that’s a bit disappointing, but otherwise, it’s a pretty good album.

Aprilsrain – Stellar Transmission – *** – Another band I saw on a year-end list. It is a pretty good album, very interesting, mellow, yet enough pop-i-tude to get me through the day.

Shane Nicholson – Familiar Ghosts – *** – Good stuff from Shane Nicholson, he does great in the world of mainstream pop, doing something that is both interesting and unique, but using the tools of solid rock/pop songs.

Tahiti 80 – Activity Center – *** – I like this band a bunch, this album does keep that style up and running, while not having some of the catchier songs found on many of their previous albums, but it is still enjoyable.

What makes a great album?

What makes a great album anyway? I wonder about this a lot. On these reviews, I base my decisions on first impressions, based on one listen, and often, I come back to my reviews and question my decision. Because the thing that happens is you revisit records. Sometimes the stars are aligned so that something just hits you right on that first listen, but when you revisit, things have changed, and you see it through different eyes.

There is the phenomenon of expecting a lot out of something because you remember it being so great, then you hear it again and get disappointed. And sometimes you are disappointed with something on first listen, but then you hear it again, and are surprised that you do enjoy a lot of the record. Then there is the old standards, usually stuff you were into when you were a teenager. Some of it is embarrassing, once you have knowledge of better stuff out there, but some of those records, as bad as they may be, you always come back to them, and you start singing along, and remembering how much you enjoyed it in your younger days.

Does it make it a great album? Not neccessarily…that’s why music taste is so varied and there are no wrong answers when it comes to your taste. So here’s some albums I heard recently, maybe one day they will be classics, at least for somebody.

Plover – Plover – ***1/2 – A collaboration between Glen Phillips, Garrison Starr and Neilson Hubbard, this is a hauntingly beautiful set of songs. There are no rockers here, just some slow but powerful songs. Wonderful rainy day music.

Suzy & Los Quattro – Stick With It – *** – Fun garagey pop, with a spanish accent. A wonderfully sweet release by this band. Lots of great riffs, creative vocals, and just fun.

RemoteTreeChildren – Veteran of the Loudness Wars – *** – Glen Phillips again, this time a electronic power band. Very cool sounding and interesting to hear Glen go a little overboard with the production and vocals.

Kyle Andrews – Real Blasty – ***1/2 – A real blasty record (sorry couldn’t help it). But seriously, that is a good description. The production of kind of electronic soundscapes, with strong percussive elements, make this a record both enjoyable on headphones, or blasting out of a stereo.

Little Jackie – The Stoop – ***1/2 – A cool record indeed, very soulful, yet not overboard, exciting arrangements, and a cool vocal style, make this very enjoyable. The subject matter is pretty much all about summer in the city, and just hanging out, dealing with all the stuff that comes along with it.

After the Fact, the Stinging Aftertaste of 2008

I’m sure many of you face the same struggle after all those year end lists come in. People obviously have varied tastes, and it is often difficult to tell if you will like something someone puts on a list. I submit to you these reviews of 5 CD’s I saw on best of ‘08 lists and tried out. With the exception of Scot Sax, they are all new artists to me. And the results are mixed, some I really liked, some fell a bit flat. I think there is a tendency for high expectations (if they put it on a list it must be GREAT!!) Good luck.

The Revisionists – The Revisionists – *** – Fun and cool rock/pop. A very enjoyable record. High energy and short.

Paper or Plastic – Don’t Be Like That – *** – Good, mid-tempo pop. There some really fun songs and is presented very well. A little too much of the 80’s-esque sounds, including a non-ironic sax solo, but that can be overlooked for the most part.

Peter Adams – I Woke With Planets in My Eyes – *** – Very good pop, with a lot more experimental/atmospheric elements. It is enjoyable, but I like a bit more punch with my music.

Scot Sax – While She Was Working EP – ***1/2 – This is a cool record from Scot Sax, very subdued and experimental, but interesting and good.

Tim Ten Yen – Everything Beautiful – *** – Good, keyboard heavy pop. Interesting vocal style and unique lyrics, but lacking the bite I like in my music.

2008 is over!!

OK, now that 2008 is done, we can start reviewing 2009 records, right? Well, not quite. I still have some 2008 releases to gab about. Oh wait, nobody really cares, huh? Well OK then. But most of these records were not really candidates for my best of list, so if you wanted to see one of these on that list, this is the reason. So enjoy and have fun!

Rob Bonfiglio – Bring On The Happy – ***1/2 – Awesome set of songs from Rob, who just has a fantastic style of clean crisp pop, soaring overhead and makes you feel great.

Billie The Vision & The Dancers – I Used To Wander These Streets – *** – A very low-key and introspective record. While lyrically very playful and interesting, it is bedded by a soft musical landscape, which works great. Overall a very fine record.

Lazlo Bane – Guilty Pleasures – *** – Fairly good covers record. It is a bit long, though, and many of the songs are not altered too much, only in vocal style. But there are some highlights, including a rousing rendition of “Lime in the Coconut”, some appropriately stark renditions of songs like “All By Myself” and “I’m Not In Love”

The All-American Rejects – When The World Comes Down – *** – Good solid radio-ready pop songs. Not a lot of depth here, but it is enjoyable none the less. If you are looking for crisp, shiny, pop songs, to just have fun with, this is it.

Stars On Mars – Poster – ***1/2 – Cool swedish pop. Great female vocals with attitude. It plays out much like a rockier version of Persephone’s Bees. Some very great, fun songs on here.

Top Albums of 2008

Check out ALL 20 of these records!!!!!!!!

Kelly Jones – SheBANG!
This is one of those records that hits you from the very start. Every time I hear one of these songs, I get excited, and want to tell the world about it.

The Major Labels – Aquavia
Mike Viola made such strides in the last year or two with his album Lurch, producing Kelly Jones, writing songs for Walk Hard, and then this. This is just an incredible achievement of energy and power pop. Add in some Bleu and Ducky, and it just oozes quality.

She and Him – Volume I
When I first heard this album, I wasn’t sure. I knew there were some great songs. But upon listening to it a few more times, and seeing them live in concert, I realized just how great it was…some of those songs did have to grow on me, but now, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Stew – Passing Strange Original Cast Recording
I was so happy when I heard Stew had written a musical. I knew he had something like that in him, from all his previous work. And the record just shines, it is electrifying. There is something about having all these different voices interpret Stew’s songwriting, because I think he does write in different voices.

Andrew Daly – Nine Sweaters
This album is one of the funniest things I have heard. It is not your standard comedy CD, but these brilliant monologues of 9 different characters. Andy has the ability to take these characters to such extremes of insanity and hilarity.

Martha Wainwright – I Know You’re Married, But I Have Feelings Too
I have loved most of Martha’s previous work, so it wasn’t a stretch to expect great things from her once again. But this album takes her previous work to another level, adding another layer of sound that enhances the emotionality of the music.

The Wellingtons – Heading North For The Winter
I wish I had heard this earlier in the year, because I haven’t had much of a chance to listen to it, but I know on first glance it is just a fun rocking, exciting record. It grabs you and holds tight till the end.

Travis – Ode to J. Smith
Perhaps I just find it hard not to love Travis, but I liked this album a lot. It’s probably not their best album ever, but it’s that familiar sound and continuation of it that excites me the most.

Paul Steel – Moon Rock
In a year with a new Brian Wilson record, the Explorers Club record, and a few other tracks show that this Beach Boys sound is still alive and well, and people still love it. Of all of this, I think the Paul Steel record is a shining example of this, because it takes the sound, yet puts an original spin on it.

Rob Bonfiglio – Bring On The Happy
Again, a late-comer to the year, but it is a fantastic, slick, cool record.

The Yum Yums – Whatever Rhymes With Baby
Power-pop-tastic!

Brent Cash – How Will I Know If I’m Awake
Another of the Beach Boy mentality! (See Paul Steel)

Greg Pope – Popmonster
Another shining example of great power pop.

Jamie Lidell – Jim
(A little bit of) Feel Good Record.

Old 97’s – Blame It On Gravity
They can still do it!

Phantom Planet – Raise The Dead
I thought it was a great return to form; they went on hiatus.

Wisely – Wisely
Slower than usual, but still fantastic

Saul Zonana – Blue Monkey
That voice, and that style, can’t get enough.

Teddy Thompson – A Piece Of What You Need
Almost in here by default, but if it wasn’t exciting, it wouldn’t be on this list.

Ike – Where To Begin
More rocking, less poppy, but still great.