Thank you all very much for reading The Tune.
As of today, I am officially announcing its indefinite retirement from the world of online music criticism. The site will continue to exist temporarily, but there will be no new posts made. Perhaps I will resurrect it at some point in the future, but that is merely speculation.
If you would like to continue reading my reviews (as well as some other damn good ones), check out and bookmark http://www.reviewrinserepeat.com, an online music webzine that I will be writing for. Check out my reviews of the new Editors and Kill Hannah albums; they're already up.
Keep listening to good music!
-Jordy-
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- SINGLE O/T WEEK
Oct. 27-Nov. 2 - Past SotW's
- Browse iTunes
The Summer Set - Love Like This (2009)
Lollipop/punkTM.
Grades:
Overall: C
Music: C-
Vocals: D+
Lyrics: C+
Creativity: D+
Catchiness: A-
Candy value: B-
Like All Time Low's Nothing Personal, this summer's pop/punk guilty pleasure album, The Summer Set are a relatively unknown band with ambitious plans to take advantage of the current pop market. Unlike All Time Low, these Scottsdale, AZ guys are newer on the scene, rock with a little less credibility, and...well, to be honest, they try too hard. Love Like This is by no means a bad album (unless you've got a gigantic stick up your ass), but its teenage theme-songs aren't quite as appealing as bands like The All-American Rejects or The Cab.
That being said, it's hard to resist the tongue-in-cheek fun of "Love Like This" when singer Brian Dales whines "they say that love's some bitch, read my lips: I've waited all my life for a bitch like this." Lead single "Chelsea" is another highlight, if the term "highlight" can apply to a track with a shit-ton of power chords and generic melodies/lyrics. But you know what? No matter how many bands do it, no matter how many times, it's still fun. You can't listen to Radiohead and scream "You're talking shit again; I'm gonna sleep with all your friends!" ("The Boys You Do [Get Back At You]").
What can I say that hasn't been said a hundred times before about every band that sounds exactly like The Summer Set? They're not unique, they're not particularly talented, they don't stand out...blah blah blah. If you like lollipop/punk in general (yes, I coined the term), you'll love these guys; if you don't, stay the hell away from them and don't waste your time ranting about how much they suck, for God's sakes. If The Summer Set had been around in the 80s, they might have gotten dibs on "I'm a material boy, in a material world"...oh wait, that doesn't rhyme.
Try: the band's MySpace and "Love Like This" on YouTube. Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
Grades:Overall: C
Music: C-
Vocals: D+
Lyrics: C+
Creativity: D+
Catchiness: A-
Candy value: B-
Like All Time Low's Nothing Personal, this summer's pop/punk guilty pleasure album, The Summer Set are a relatively unknown band with ambitious plans to take advantage of the current pop market. Unlike All Time Low, these Scottsdale, AZ guys are newer on the scene, rock with a little less credibility, and...well, to be honest, they try too hard. Love Like This is by no means a bad album (unless you've got a gigantic stick up your ass), but its teenage theme-songs aren't quite as appealing as bands like The All-American Rejects or The Cab.
That being said, it's hard to resist the tongue-in-cheek fun of "Love Like This" when singer Brian Dales whines "they say that love's some bitch, read my lips: I've waited all my life for a bitch like this." Lead single "Chelsea" is another highlight, if the term "highlight" can apply to a track with a shit-ton of power chords and generic melodies/lyrics. But you know what? No matter how many bands do it, no matter how many times, it's still fun. You can't listen to Radiohead and scream "You're talking shit again; I'm gonna sleep with all your friends!" ("The Boys You Do [Get Back At You]").
What can I say that hasn't been said a hundred times before about every band that sounds exactly like The Summer Set? They're not unique, they're not particularly talented, they don't stand out...blah blah blah. If you like lollipop/punk in general (yes, I coined the term), you'll love these guys; if you don't, stay the hell away from them and don't waste your time ranting about how much they suck, for God's sakes. If The Summer Set had been around in the 80s, they might have gotten dibs on "I'm a material boy, in a material world"...oh wait, that doesn't rhyme.
Try: the band's MySpace and "Love Like This" on YouTube. Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
Blue October - Foiled (2006)
The breakthrough album for some of the most lyric-centered rock in ages...
Grades:
Overall: A
Music: A
Vocals: A
Lyrics: A+
Creativity: A
Catchiness: B+
Written by submitter Kristina:
The first time I heard Blue October, it was their song “Hate Me,” from Foiled, playing on the radio. I didn’t like it. I thought it was really weird and too dark for me – I was a naïve and happy person at the time, and Blue October writes music that is difficult to relate to if you’re naïve and happy. Then I was encouraged to buy the album, which I did in spite of more than a few misgivings. After a couple of listens, I had to concede it was money well spent. As with almost any album, there are some songs on Foiled that might not be worth your time. But unlike the vast majority of bands out there, Blue October provides far more great songs than shitty ones.
This is not to say their music isn’t weird, because it most certainly is – but in a good way. Lead singer/songwriter Justin Furstenfeld presents powerful vocals that communicate poignant emotion, along with lyrics that are thought-provoking but sometimes disturbing, sad, and depressing. Several songs ("She’s My Ride Home," "Into The Ocean," "What If We Could," "Let It Go," and others) feature violin by Ryan Delahoussaye, a rare and welcome treat in rock music. "Let It Go" also contains a harmonica solo – hey, they are from Texas. Beautiful harmonies abound on second single "Into The Ocean," a poppy song about wanting to commit suicide, on "Let It Go," an introspective song about decisions that haunt him, and on "Sound Of Pulling Heaven Down," one of the best love songs out there.
The catchiest songs on the album are "Overweight," about helping others at your own expense, "Drilled A Wire Through My Cheek," about finding out the extent of a loved one’s emotional injury and trying to protect that person, and "X-Amount Of Words," about trying to overcome mental/emotional problems (the latter song is one of my favorites on the album). "18th Floor Balcony" is something of an anomaly for the album – and Blue October in general – because it’s just so innocent. It’s a soft, sweet ballad about blissful love, and it puts new love into words perfectly. Hidden track "It’s Just Me" is the worst song on the album, but it’s still decent.
Over the past three years, "Hate Me" has grown on me; I can now relate to it pretty well, whereas before I found it unrelatable. So if you listen to this album and don’t like it at first, don’t give up, cause someday you might “get” it and be glad you do.
Try: the album on Imeem. Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
Grades:Overall: A
Music: A
Vocals: A
Lyrics: A+
Creativity: A
Catchiness: B+
Written by submitter Kristina:
The first time I heard Blue October, it was their song “Hate Me,” from Foiled, playing on the radio. I didn’t like it. I thought it was really weird and too dark for me – I was a naïve and happy person at the time, and Blue October writes music that is difficult to relate to if you’re naïve and happy. Then I was encouraged to buy the album, which I did in spite of more than a few misgivings. After a couple of listens, I had to concede it was money well spent. As with almost any album, there are some songs on Foiled that might not be worth your time. But unlike the vast majority of bands out there, Blue October provides far more great songs than shitty ones.
This is not to say their music isn’t weird, because it most certainly is – but in a good way. Lead singer/songwriter Justin Furstenfeld presents powerful vocals that communicate poignant emotion, along with lyrics that are thought-provoking but sometimes disturbing, sad, and depressing. Several songs ("She’s My Ride Home," "Into The Ocean," "What If We Could," "Let It Go," and others) feature violin by Ryan Delahoussaye, a rare and welcome treat in rock music. "Let It Go" also contains a harmonica solo – hey, they are from Texas. Beautiful harmonies abound on second single "Into The Ocean," a poppy song about wanting to commit suicide, on "Let It Go," an introspective song about decisions that haunt him, and on "Sound Of Pulling Heaven Down," one of the best love songs out there.
The catchiest songs on the album are "Overweight," about helping others at your own expense, "Drilled A Wire Through My Cheek," about finding out the extent of a loved one’s emotional injury and trying to protect that person, and "X-Amount Of Words," about trying to overcome mental/emotional problems (the latter song is one of my favorites on the album). "18th Floor Balcony" is something of an anomaly for the album – and Blue October in general – because it’s just so innocent. It’s a soft, sweet ballad about blissful love, and it puts new love into words perfectly. Hidden track "It’s Just Me" is the worst song on the album, but it’s still decent.
Over the past three years, "Hate Me" has grown on me; I can now relate to it pretty well, whereas before I found it unrelatable. So if you listen to this album and don’t like it at first, don’t give up, cause someday you might “get” it and be glad you do.
Try: the album on Imeem. Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
Cartel - Cycles (2009)
The "Band in the Bubble" reclaims a little pop/punk credibility, but not enough.
Grades:
Overall: C
Music: C
Vocals: C+
Lyrics: C
Creativity: D+
Catchiness: B-
Reintroduction value: B-
A short history of Cartel albums:
The Ransom EP (2004): [B-]
Chroma (2005): [A-] averaged a [B] with other critics.
Cartel (2007): [D] averaged a [C-] with other critics.
Now that you're up to date on past Cartel albums, I'll talk for a little about their third release, 2009's Cycles. Well, it continues their tradition of one-word "C" titles. It certainly doesn't depart from their sweet-and-sour pop/punk stylistic traits, like Will Pugh's personable-yet-whiny vocals and ticklish songs that make me squirm all over. Fortunately, it doesn't make me squirm in the way that 2007's Cartel did - before the album was over, I'd already puked it all right back out in an effort to forget it existed.
The "Band in the Bubble" is, fortunately, gone - as are their atrocious efforts like "Radioheadish" - but the band is not back to the form of their debut Chroma. Lead single and opener "Let's Go" states the band's intent immediately: "let me reintroduce myself as a man with a cause/ I found a lot of time to think and look at who we are." Thank you, Mr. Pugh. At least you are intelligent enough to realize when your band is moving in the absolute wrong direction. The song is a mix between the scenester music of Chroma and the pop of Cartel, and could appeal to the mainstream more than any song Cartel has written. "Faster Ride," the album's other highlight markets Georgia group to pop radio even further.
After that, the album is abnormally mediocre. Being used to Cartel touching either end of the spectrum (in my opinion), this is the first album that simply doesn't make me feel one way or the other. Songs like "Typical," despite its weak lyrics, and "Conventional Friend" are enjoyable, though by no means within the realm of the best pop/punk of 2009. They reside in the 3-star range, 1/2 star above the average. Others, like the gag-yourself acoustic ballad "Only You" and the forgettable "See Me Now," reside in the 2-star range, 1/2 star below the average. Simply put, the album wavers between "it's okay" and "meh" far too much to truly reintroduce Cartel. But, if nothing else, the band have redeemed themselves from their last release. Looking forward to the next one. Little hint, guys: grow up like Relient K did.
Try: "Faster Ride (Acoustic)," a few tracks on Cartel's MySpace. Preview/buy: "Let's Go" on , "The Perfect Mistake" on
Grades:Overall: C
Music: C
Vocals: C+
Lyrics: C
Creativity: D+
Catchiness: B-
Reintroduction value: B-
A short history of Cartel albums:
The Ransom EP (2004): [B-]
Chroma (2005): [A-] averaged a [B] with other critics.
Cartel (2007): [D] averaged a [C-] with other critics.
Now that you're up to date on past Cartel albums, I'll talk for a little about their third release, 2009's Cycles. Well, it continues their tradition of one-word "C" titles. It certainly doesn't depart from their sweet-and-sour pop/punk stylistic traits, like Will Pugh's personable-yet-whiny vocals and ticklish songs that make me squirm all over. Fortunately, it doesn't make me squirm in the way that 2007's Cartel did - before the album was over, I'd already puked it all right back out in an effort to forget it existed.
The "Band in the Bubble" is, fortunately, gone - as are their atrocious efforts like "Radioheadish" - but the band is not back to the form of their debut Chroma. Lead single and opener "Let's Go" states the band's intent immediately: "let me reintroduce myself as a man with a cause/ I found a lot of time to think and look at who we are." Thank you, Mr. Pugh. At least you are intelligent enough to realize when your band is moving in the absolute wrong direction. The song is a mix between the scenester music of Chroma and the pop of Cartel, and could appeal to the mainstream more than any song Cartel has written. "Faster Ride," the album's other highlight markets Georgia group to pop radio even further.
After that, the album is abnormally mediocre. Being used to Cartel touching either end of the spectrum (in my opinion), this is the first album that simply doesn't make me feel one way or the other. Songs like "Typical," despite its weak lyrics, and "Conventional Friend" are enjoyable, though by no means within the realm of the best pop/punk of 2009. They reside in the 3-star range, 1/2 star above the average. Others, like the gag-yourself acoustic ballad "Only You" and the forgettable "See Me Now," reside in the 2-star range, 1/2 star below the average. Simply put, the album wavers between "it's okay" and "meh" far too much to truly reintroduce Cartel. But, if nothing else, the band have redeemed themselves from their last release. Looking forward to the next one. Little hint, guys: grow up like Relient K did.
Try: "Faster Ride (Acoustic)," a few tracks on Cartel's MySpace. Preview/buy: "Let's Go" on
, "The Perfect Mistake" on Relient K - Forget And Not Slow Down (2009)
The anatomy of Relient K: a band with a brain, a heart, and courage.
Grades:
Overall: B+
Music: B+
Vocals: B+
Lyrics: A-
Creativity: B
Catchiness: B-
Maturity value: B
God, time passes fast. It seems like just yesterday that I found Relient K, just after the release of their 2nd full-length The Anatomy Of Tongue In Cheek. Back then they were a strictly Christian pop/punk band with a sense of humor, recording tracks like "May The Horse Be With You" and "(Marilyn Manson Ate) My Girlfriend." They amused many fans like myself with "Sadie Hawkins Dance," with one of the catchiest falsettos of all time, and they never took themselves too seriously. Now, many times when witty bands decide to go artsy (see: Panic(!) At The Disco), their paltry efforts are barely worth a Canadian penny. But Relient K haven't just made a sudden decision to grow up; their maturation process has taken several albums, and finally, they've reached a level of comfort with their own music which young bands can't seem to grasp.
Forget And Not Slow Down is one part pop, one part indie rock, one part old Relient K, and seven parts good music. It doesn't confine itself within one single genre, just as the songs don't follow only one course. They wander between the pop/punk-lite of the title track, addictive pop that drives "can't hold a candle to her" into your head ("Candlelight"), lovesongs ("If You Believe Me"), and a trilogy of tracks titled after African isohyet zones ("Sahara," the intermission "Oasis," and "Savannah," one of the album's best track, which features a plucky guitar and the best songwriting Relient K has put forth). The music is like a fresh fruit smoothie: sweet and smooth during the first sip, a brain freeze of doubt to follow, and then the full genius of blending up the many tastes offered to you leaves you craving more by the end.
I only have a few bones to pick with the album. First, out of the 15 tracks, 4 are "Outro" and "Intro"s, give or take a minute long. All 4 are utterly useless and ruin the process of drinking in the album like a dead fly in a smoothie. Personally, I may delete all 4 from my computer and listen to the album without them. Sure, the tracks might not have an excuse to wind down for 60 seconds, but hell, the pace of the album would be improved a hundredfold. Second, the inclusion of the song "This Is The End," one of my least favorite Relient K tracks of all-time, because of an abrasive punk beat over what should be a pop song. Third, the production minimalizes Matt Thiessen's distinctly throbbing vocals, sheltering them in a mess of triple-tracking that takes away their edge. But I won't complain any longer. Relient K has finally delivered, both for their diehard fans and for the rest of the public, and though it's not as world-shaking as Green Day's maturation, it certainly deserves notice in the scene.
Try: the whole album on Imeem; select tracks on MySpace. Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
Grades:Overall: B+
Music: B+
Vocals: B+
Lyrics: A-
Creativity: B
Catchiness: B-
Maturity value: B
God, time passes fast. It seems like just yesterday that I found Relient K, just after the release of their 2nd full-length The Anatomy Of Tongue In Cheek. Back then they were a strictly Christian pop/punk band with a sense of humor, recording tracks like "May The Horse Be With You" and "(Marilyn Manson Ate) My Girlfriend." They amused many fans like myself with "Sadie Hawkins Dance," with one of the catchiest falsettos of all time, and they never took themselves too seriously. Now, many times when witty bands decide to go artsy (see: Panic(!) At The Disco), their paltry efforts are barely worth a Canadian penny. But Relient K haven't just made a sudden decision to grow up; their maturation process has taken several albums, and finally, they've reached a level of comfort with their own music which young bands can't seem to grasp.
Forget And Not Slow Down is one part pop, one part indie rock, one part old Relient K, and seven parts good music. It doesn't confine itself within one single genre, just as the songs don't follow only one course. They wander between the pop/punk-lite of the title track, addictive pop that drives "can't hold a candle to her" into your head ("Candlelight"), lovesongs ("If You Believe Me"), and a trilogy of tracks titled after African isohyet zones ("Sahara," the intermission "Oasis," and "Savannah," one of the album's best track, which features a plucky guitar and the best songwriting Relient K has put forth). The music is like a fresh fruit smoothie: sweet and smooth during the first sip, a brain freeze of doubt to follow, and then the full genius of blending up the many tastes offered to you leaves you craving more by the end.
I only have a few bones to pick with the album. First, out of the 15 tracks, 4 are "Outro" and "Intro"s, give or take a minute long. All 4 are utterly useless and ruin the process of drinking in the album like a dead fly in a smoothie. Personally, I may delete all 4 from my computer and listen to the album without them. Sure, the tracks might not have an excuse to wind down for 60 seconds, but hell, the pace of the album would be improved a hundredfold. Second, the inclusion of the song "This Is The End," one of my least favorite Relient K tracks of all-time, because of an abrasive punk beat over what should be a pop song. Third, the production minimalizes Matt Thiessen's distinctly throbbing vocals, sheltering them in a mess of triple-tracking that takes away their edge. But I won't complain any longer. Relient K has finally delivered, both for their diehard fans and for the rest of the public, and though it's not as world-shaking as Green Day's maturation, it certainly deserves notice in the scene.
Try: the whole album on Imeem; select tracks on MySpace. Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
INTERVIEW - John Mayer being hilarious in NY Entertainment
This is one of my favorite interviews I've ever read, and I just had to post it for y'all. It's funny as shit. It's done by NYMag.com, all credit to them. Here's the original:
"What do you think about Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize?
I think it's fantastic.
Why? What's your overall opinion?
Do you think I'm smart enough to be able to articulate to you why our president receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is a bit early for things? What's your overall opinion?
I think it's a bit premature. Someone compared it to giving an Oscar to someone still making a film.
So you don't think he should have it.
I don't think it's a bad thing, but maybe someone else deserved it more.
Who? If you don't know who else should have gotten it instead of Obama, I love you, you're beautiful, but shut your fucking mouth.
What do you think about health care? Would you take the public option?
Have you ever heard me play guitar? I'm really fucking good. You know what I'm bad at? Answering questions about public health care. This is not in my wheelhouse. Do you have any questions about music? I almost got a mad need to lighten up. You need to lighten up, because the questions you asked me were all troublemaking questions. If someone gave me the Nobel Peace Prize, and I didn't deserve it, I would just shut my mouth and enjoy the hell out of it.
Which I'm sure he's doing.
What's he going to do, send it back? It's like I'm getting a wrongful bulge in my pants and everyone's thinking I've got a nine-inch cock. I'm not going to argue with them, I'm going to let them think I have a nine-inch cock.
How about a style question?
Yes, this seems to be apropos. Do you get paid for this?
I do it more for fun.
You do this for fun? That's like me saying ... never mind.
What do you think about guys with seventies mustaches?
I don't give a fuck about who wears their face what way. If I could grow a beard, I'd have some nutty things going on on my face.
You can't grow a beard?
It's a pituitary thing. I know you're not that much of a moron.
These are questions my editor wanted me to ask. I'm trying to build my journalistic career here.
You're not building a journalistic career. You're making yourself look like a moron and you're not a moron. Who's your editor?
Jada.
Jada is making you sound like a moron in front of people.
Why don't you tell me about your new album? You've been in the studio for a while.
I have a record coming out November 17.
Any particular theme or inspiration behind this one that makes it different from previous albums?
Look what we're doing right now! We're connecting right now! This is great! Yeah, it's going to be quite melodically bright, but the themes are all about heartbreak.
How is that different? Haven't you written a lot about heartbreak?
I think most artists do, but this is really breaking into the theme of it as a concept.
Is there hope behind the heartbreak?
The melody is the hope. The lyrics are the heartbreak, the melody is the hope. If you have the lyrics being the heartbreak and the music as the heartbreak, your editor made you ask stupid fucking questions! You're standing in front of me acting as if these questions are fair, but now we're talking about something real. So there was stuff I wanted to put on the record that just didn't fit the concept. So the next record will have that concept.
What concept?
More political things, worldly things.
Such as?
Nothing rhymed with public option.
You don't always have to rhyme, though.
I'm going to forcefully sodomize your editor."
Thursday - Common Existence (2009)
One of my old favorite bands attempts a comeback.
Grades:
Overall: C-
Music: C+
Vocals: B+
Lyrics: C-
Creativity: C-
Catchiness: D
Production: D
If you'd have tuned into my headphones a few years ago, there would have been a good chance you'd have heard Thursday. Their 2001 album Full Collapse is still one of my favorite albums of all time, and their 2003 album War All The Time never gets old. When 2006 rolled around, I was prepped and ready for a new Thursday album, and they delivered...A City By The Light Divided. Possibly the most disappointing album I've ever heard. Possibly the worst-produced album I've ever heard. And yet, somehow critics loved it! While I sighed in misery, turning to other bands like Thrice for my post-hardcore medicine, the rest of the scene seemed to be deaf to the major problems with the album. I barely even wanted to give Common Existence a listen when it came out in January 2009, so disenchanted was I with Thursday.
But I did listen. While certainly an improvement on ACBTLD, it retains some of the issues of that album. The production, while vastly improved, is not up to the quality of Thursday's second and third albums. It seems they've devolved back into the Waiting period (their debut album), where post-hardcore was defined by a muddy aggression, a lack of hooks, and horrifically abstract lyrics. "When I first saw you there were guns in the river/ Black birds of warning
circling high above the marquee where/ The blue notes of lovers mixed with the loneliness of others / Turned our breath into snowflakes as we whispered in the gutters," Geoff Rickly whines on "Beyond The Visible Spectrum," over discordant strings mixed with forgettable guitar noise. Sure, it's...pretty. In its own way. But it's not the Thursday I used to know. Neither are the aggressive rock of "Unintended Long Term Effects" or the attempt at resurrecting hardcore on "Last Call."
The album's bookends are perhaps the best tracks; "Resuscitation Of A Dead Man" recalls Full Collapse's "Understanding In A Car Crash" and actually - God forbid - contains a hook. The nearly 6-minute "You Were The Cancer," on the other hand, makes use of Rickly's dark imagery to create a haunting ode that at times crushes you to the core and at times soothes you with a gentle hand. "You were the cancer; that's all you'll ever BE!" And as Rickly screams the final word, you may be taken back to when Thursday were one of the best bands out there. But no longer. Even the oddly impressionistic "Time's Arrow" feels to heal all wounds, as the saying goes. It's a sad truth that Thursday, though they may be liked better than ever by critics, have alienated many of their fans and seem to have forgotten their apex. Don't bother with this album.
Try: "You Were The Cancer," "Love Has Led Us Astray." Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
Grades:Overall: C-
Music: C+
Vocals: B+
Lyrics: C-
Creativity: C-
Catchiness: D
Production: D
If you'd have tuned into my headphones a few years ago, there would have been a good chance you'd have heard Thursday. Their 2001 album Full Collapse is still one of my favorite albums of all time, and their 2003 album War All The Time never gets old. When 2006 rolled around, I was prepped and ready for a new Thursday album, and they delivered...A City By The Light Divided. Possibly the most disappointing album I've ever heard. Possibly the worst-produced album I've ever heard. And yet, somehow critics loved it! While I sighed in misery, turning to other bands like Thrice for my post-hardcore medicine, the rest of the scene seemed to be deaf to the major problems with the album. I barely even wanted to give Common Existence a listen when it came out in January 2009, so disenchanted was I with Thursday.
But I did listen. While certainly an improvement on ACBTLD, it retains some of the issues of that album. The production, while vastly improved, is not up to the quality of Thursday's second and third albums. It seems they've devolved back into the Waiting period (their debut album), where post-hardcore was defined by a muddy aggression, a lack of hooks, and horrifically abstract lyrics. "When I first saw you there were guns in the river/ Black birds of warning
circling high above the marquee where/ The blue notes of lovers mixed with the loneliness of others / Turned our breath into snowflakes as we whispered in the gutters," Geoff Rickly whines on "Beyond The Visible Spectrum," over discordant strings mixed with forgettable guitar noise. Sure, it's...pretty. In its own way. But it's not the Thursday I used to know. Neither are the aggressive rock of "Unintended Long Term Effects" or the attempt at resurrecting hardcore on "Last Call."
The album's bookends are perhaps the best tracks; "Resuscitation Of A Dead Man" recalls Full Collapse's "Understanding In A Car Crash" and actually - God forbid - contains a hook. The nearly 6-minute "You Were The Cancer," on the other hand, makes use of Rickly's dark imagery to create a haunting ode that at times crushes you to the core and at times soothes you with a gentle hand. "You were the cancer; that's all you'll ever BE!" And as Rickly screams the final word, you may be taken back to when Thursday were one of the best bands out there. But no longer. Even the oddly impressionistic "Time's Arrow" feels to heal all wounds, as the saying goes. It's a sad truth that Thursday, though they may be liked better than ever by critics, have alienated many of their fans and seem to have forgotten their apex. Don't bother with this album.
Try: "You Were The Cancer," "Love Has Led Us Astray." Preview/buy:
Rate this album:
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Backstreet Boys, Blake Lewis, My Paper Camera, Push Play, Editors, Absent Elk, AM
Here's a little pop in the form of my 28th collection of "First Impressions," a regular feature that documents new releases in a quick, easy-to-read format, for your musical edification:
Backstreet Boys - This Is Us (2009)
Grade: C
I was always more of an *NSYNC fan. That says it all (by the way, I am a straight male). But you know what? For pop music in 2009, this ain't half bad. When you listen to some of the shit on the radio nowadays, you almost crave boy bands to dominate the airwaves. "Straight Through My Heart" and "All Of Your Life" are classic BB, danceable and catchy, while "PDA" is more contemporary with its teenage lyrics. Yeah, they're still a shitty boy band. But there's a reason they were so popular. They harmonize beautifully and their songs are catchy.
Blake Lewis - Heartbreak On Vinyl (2009)
Grade: D+
Moving on to more pop, I was a minor fan of AI veteran and cutesy-boy Lewis' first album, Audio Day Dream. The title song for his sophomore 2009 effort is semi-memorable, but too disco...and the album never picks up. "This is a sad song, so sing with me tonight," Lewis sings on "Sad Song," but it doesn't make me want to sing. The album's lone memorable track is the last one, "Love Or Torture," and by then you're pretty sick of Lewis, even if he can beat box with the best of them (the awesomely-titled "Superscratchavocalisticturnatablelicious").
My Paper Camera - Faces In A Magazine EP (2009)
Grade: C
With only one song on their 6-track EP falling below 4:25 in time, this Boise, Idaho band makes an odd version of pop/rock. A touch of emo rocks single "Charlotte" and the title track, while "I See The World In A Different Way" is gentle piano rock. With a bit better production and a major label, these guys might have a shot at the bigtime, but as it is, their debut EP is simply a good listen. Comparable to Mae, the Stereophonics. But not quite as listenable as either of them.
Push Play - Found (2009)
Grade: C+
In summer 2008, I found the pop band Danger Radio and was immediately impressed. Their Maroon 5-ish sensibilities were completely unknown, yet utterly wonderful. When I first heard Push Play's single "Midnight Romeo," I thought I might have stumbled upon another band of that ilk. But I was not so fortunate: though "Watch It Burn" and "Heart Attack" are some great pop/rock, and "Away Away" is catchy, most of the album is sub-par. But this band may have a very promising future.
Editors - In This Light And On This Evening (2009)
Grade: B-
Critics couldn't make up their mind on this one (from 2/10 to 8/10), but I will. Though it begins with the lazy "Bricks And Mortars," a song sure to bore you out of your mind, In This Light... picks up by "Papillon," a She Wants Revenge-esque song with a dance beat, and "You Don't Know Love," dark synthpop at its best. The album's most receptive tracks are those with beats, like the aforementioned or "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool," but repeated listens will make you fall in love with Editors.
Absent Elk - Caught In The Headlights (2009)
Grade: B
After rocking covers of Girls Aloud and Lady GaGa's "Poker Face," this British indie band is set to release their debut album on October 18. It contains the catchy BritPop single "Emily" and various fun numbers like the jiggly "Cannibal" and the rhythmic "Better Than You." It's like Hard-Fi, if they had any street cred whatsoever. And better than that, the band can write a ballad too ("Let Me Know"). I highly recommend giving this one a chance, despite the odd band name.
AM - Future Sons & Daughters (2009)
Grade: B+
When you think Tulsa, you certainly don't think folk-pop like this songwriter, who's been active writing tracks for TV shows and movies for years now. His 2009 album is back-and-forth, moving between lovely pieces like "A Complete Unknown" and the duet "It's Been So Long," but then hitting down points with the forgettable "When The Dust Settles" or "Endings Are Beginnings." Overall, however, here's yet another album you can't afford to miss, especially if you enjoyed Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest.
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Backstreet Boys - This Is Us (2009)Grade: C
I was always more of an *NSYNC fan. That says it all (by the way, I am a straight male). But you know what? For pop music in 2009, this ain't half bad. When you listen to some of the shit on the radio nowadays, you almost crave boy bands to dominate the airwaves. "Straight Through My Heart" and "All Of Your Life" are classic BB, danceable and catchy, while "PDA" is more contemporary with its teenage lyrics. Yeah, they're still a shitty boy band. But there's a reason they were so popular. They harmonize beautifully and their songs are catchy.
Blake Lewis - Heartbreak On Vinyl (2009)Grade: D+
Moving on to more pop, I was a minor fan of AI veteran and cutesy-boy Lewis' first album, Audio Day Dream. The title song for his sophomore 2009 effort is semi-memorable, but too disco...and the album never picks up. "This is a sad song, so sing with me tonight," Lewis sings on "Sad Song," but it doesn't make me want to sing. The album's lone memorable track is the last one, "Love Or Torture," and by then you're pretty sick of Lewis, even if he can beat box with the best of them (the awesomely-titled "Superscratchavocalisticturnatablelicious").
My Paper Camera - Faces In A Magazine EP (2009)Grade: C
With only one song on their 6-track EP falling below 4:25 in time, this Boise, Idaho band makes an odd version of pop/rock. A touch of emo rocks single "Charlotte" and the title track, while "I See The World In A Different Way" is gentle piano rock. With a bit better production and a major label, these guys might have a shot at the bigtime, but as it is, their debut EP is simply a good listen. Comparable to Mae, the Stereophonics. But not quite as listenable as either of them.
Push Play - Found (2009)
Grade: C+
In summer 2008, I found the pop band Danger Radio and was immediately impressed. Their Maroon 5-ish sensibilities were completely unknown, yet utterly wonderful. When I first heard Push Play's single "Midnight Romeo," I thought I might have stumbled upon another band of that ilk. But I was not so fortunate: though "Watch It Burn" and "Heart Attack" are some great pop/rock, and "Away Away" is catchy, most of the album is sub-par. But this band may have a very promising future.
Editors - In This Light And On This Evening (2009)Grade: B-
Critics couldn't make up their mind on this one (from 2/10 to 8/10), but I will. Though it begins with the lazy "Bricks And Mortars," a song sure to bore you out of your mind, In This Light... picks up by "Papillon," a She Wants Revenge-esque song with a dance beat, and "You Don't Know Love," dark synthpop at its best. The album's most receptive tracks are those with beats, like the aforementioned or "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool," but repeated listens will make you fall in love with Editors.
Absent Elk - Caught In The Headlights (2009)Grade: B
After rocking covers of Girls Aloud and Lady GaGa's "Poker Face," this British indie band is set to release their debut album on October 18. It contains the catchy BritPop single "Emily" and various fun numbers like the jiggly "Cannibal" and the rhythmic "Better Than You." It's like Hard-Fi, if they had any street cred whatsoever. And better than that, the band can write a ballad too ("Let Me Know"). I highly recommend giving this one a chance, despite the odd band name.
AM - Future Sons & Daughters (2009)Grade: B+
When you think Tulsa, you certainly don't think folk-pop like this songwriter, who's been active writing tracks for TV shows and movies for years now. His 2009 album is back-and-forth, moving between lovely pieces like "A Complete Unknown" and the duet "It's Been So Long," but then hitting down points with the forgettable "When The Dust Settles" or "Endings Are Beginnings." Overall, however, here's yet another album you can't afford to miss, especially if you enjoyed Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest.
Rate these recommendations:
Kill Hannah - Wake Up The Sleepers (2009)
Chicago band is better than the Cubs, but is that saying much?
Grades:
Overall: B
Music: B
Vocals: D
Lyrics: B
Creativity: B-
Catchiness: B+
Chicago value: B-
Chigago has quite a reputation for producing celebrities at the moment. President Barack Obama is perhaps the only true celebrity president, while the news never got tired of Rod Blagojevich, Donovan McNabb, or Steve Carrell. And that's just skimming the top of the list. Musicians also come from Chicago in droves...Fall Out Boy, Rise Against, Lucky Boys Confusion, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Academy Is...the list goes on. And Kill Hannah want to add their macabre name to the list that you should know.
But the QUESTION becomes, are they the Bears or the Cubs? Are they the Bulls or...the Cubs? Are they going to defeat the competition or be...the Cubs? Well, their first 5 albums played out like an extra-long divisional series, going 0 for 5. Though they gained some critical recognition, the best song Kill Hannah had made was a cover of "Under The Milky Way," a minor 1988 hit by The Church. However, judging by Wake Up The Sleepers, Kill Hannah decided to market to the masses - and maybe even make the World Series. Their sound is tempered with age, drawing more than ever on The Smashing Pumpkins, with a more mainstream Gothic/post-everything sound, possibly described by the term "alternative rock."
The cussing is also tuned up a notch, from "dance, all you motherfuckers" on the beat-driven "Strobe Lights" to opener "Radio" with its line "you spit a lot of shit, well look at me, just look at me now." Somehow these frequent "dirty words" ground the band in reality, something they need with Billy Corgan-esque nasal vocals and influences that border on doom metal. But this isn't metal, it's pop/rock. And, I have to say, quite well-done for pop/rock. "Tokyo (Dance In The Dust)" would make a catchy single and is well-prepared for remixing, while "Why I Have My Grandpa's Sad Eyes" is perhaps the best song Kill Hannah has written, a melancholic ode to the misfortunes of life, with Mat Devine emoting: "Time's passed, just like a gasp from some tiny cell inside that won't die/ Sending out a quiet ping like a submarine, a lost transmission from a distant galaxy."
From the urban electronic rock of "New York City Speed" to the memorable line "we've got to get the fuck out of here" ("Escape Artistry") to delicate strumming of the frail finale "Promise Me," Kill Hannah have finally burrowed out of the underground and may be heading for daylight. They've never gotten past #180 on the Billboard 200, but I'd be surprised if Wake Up The Sleepers didn't spawn a few singles and a chart position. This is by no means a championship-caliber album, but it's better than any group of players that the Cubs have put together in 101 years.
Try: "New York City Speed" and a great selection of the album's best tracks on Kill Hannah's MySpace, including "Sad Eyes" and "Living In Misery." Preview or buy:
Rate this album:
Grades:Overall: B
Music: B
Vocals: D
Lyrics: B
Creativity: B-
Catchiness: B+
Chicago value: B-
Chigago has quite a reputation for producing celebrities at the moment. President Barack Obama is perhaps the only true celebrity president, while the news never got tired of Rod Blagojevich, Donovan McNabb, or Steve Carrell. And that's just skimming the top of the list. Musicians also come from Chicago in droves...Fall Out Boy, Rise Against, Lucky Boys Confusion, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Academy Is...the list goes on. And Kill Hannah want to add their macabre name to the list that you should know.
But the QUESTION becomes, are they the Bears or the Cubs? Are they the Bulls or...the Cubs? Are they going to defeat the competition or be...the Cubs? Well, their first 5 albums played out like an extra-long divisional series, going 0 for 5. Though they gained some critical recognition, the best song Kill Hannah had made was a cover of "Under The Milky Way," a minor 1988 hit by The Church. However, judging by Wake Up The Sleepers, Kill Hannah decided to market to the masses - and maybe even make the World Series. Their sound is tempered with age, drawing more than ever on The Smashing Pumpkins, with a more mainstream Gothic/post-everything sound, possibly described by the term "alternative rock."
The cussing is also tuned up a notch, from "dance, all you motherfuckers" on the beat-driven "Strobe Lights" to opener "Radio" with its line "you spit a lot of shit, well look at me, just look at me now." Somehow these frequent "dirty words" ground the band in reality, something they need with Billy Corgan-esque nasal vocals and influences that border on doom metal. But this isn't metal, it's pop/rock. And, I have to say, quite well-done for pop/rock. "Tokyo (Dance In The Dust)" would make a catchy single and is well-prepared for remixing, while "Why I Have My Grandpa's Sad Eyes" is perhaps the best song Kill Hannah has written, a melancholic ode to the misfortunes of life, with Mat Devine emoting: "Time's passed, just like a gasp from some tiny cell inside that won't die/ Sending out a quiet ping like a submarine, a lost transmission from a distant galaxy."
From the urban electronic rock of "New York City Speed" to the memorable line "we've got to get the fuck out of here" ("Escape Artistry") to delicate strumming of the frail finale "Promise Me," Kill Hannah have finally burrowed out of the underground and may be heading for daylight. They've never gotten past #180 on the Billboard 200, but I'd be surprised if Wake Up The Sleepers didn't spawn a few singles and a chart position. This is by no means a championship-caliber album, but it's better than any group of players that the Cubs have put together in 101 years.
Try: "New York City Speed" and a great selection of the album's best tracks on Kill Hannah's MySpace, including "Sad Eyes" and "Living In Misery." Preview or buy:
Rate this album:
VIDEO - The Bravery, "Hatefuck"
Never been a big fan of The Bravery. Might change that from what I've heard of their new album, Stir The Blood, out Nov. 10. Here's the video for the awesomely-titled "Hatefuck":
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