One More Album Like That and We're Through!

Let me preface this with the statement that all the artists in the following rant are people that I absolutely love and still count among my favorite musicians ever. I also want to make it clear that I do expect artists to evolve and change their style over time and albums.

As long as I like the new style.

Three artists have really (REALLY) disappointed me with their most recent offerings. (Although I have little positive to say about the albums to be mentioned, pick up anything else by these guys and you will be creamily happy with the sounds that sound in your ears). Let's talk about my bitter, bitter disappointment:

Jonah Matranga (formerly Onelinedrawing) and his album "And":
Prior to this album, Jonah could do no wrong. As his solo albums became more produced (and financed?) he threw in a few things I didn't really feel added to my album enjoyment (New York and Portland anyone?), but they were never more than a chance to take a breath before being blown
away with the next song. Will "And" is an entire album where you have time to breathe. Jonah, if you were looking to become a featured artist on Light 97, this is the direction to keep going. To make up for this poor showing, Jonah also released a couple discs of his early recordings
called "Songs from Sacramento". Please, skip "And" and pick up those instead. (The "And" Preorder Bonus disc is decent as well.. his home demos just sound better to me than the produced stuff). All this being said, Jonah is playing at the Mercury Ballroom in Manhattan in early November... I'll be there, you should as well... he is an amazing live show... just pray that he doesn't bring a slide guitar.

Badly Drawn Boy and his album "Born in the UK":
Where did my friend that created the "About a Boy Soundtrack" and "The Hour of the Bewilderbeast" go? How would I have described BDB prior to this album? Quirky and catchy Piano Based Rockpop. How do I describe this album? A rip off of 70s and 80s sad love ballads that make me cry out loud in disappointment. The worst track on the CD? "Swimming Pool" with BDB's spoken word, poetic wax of self analysis followed by a unimaginative song about how you should appreciate the little things. I don't know... this CD is just unlikable. I think I'm giving it to my mother.

Bright Eyes and his album "Cassadaga":
I actually got into Bright Eyes relatively recently and really started to appreciate his twangy folkcountry indie sound. Well with Cassadaga, turn up the twang, throw in a few extra instruments per song remove anything poppy or memorable from the songs. Maybe for the people that came to Bright Eyes from the other side of spectrum (not the post-emo indie rock side) this album is a bit more palatable. Not for me. Sorry Bright Eyes, I tried. I'll go back to "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" and remember our good times.

So.. if you put any faith in my suggestions, skip these three albums and spend the money on their earlier albums. (Definitely buy those!) Me? Well, I'm rediscovering The Clash and starting to realize how much I really like Elbow.

Sir Elton John, I thank you.

You guys know why music sucks now? It's because of the Internet. I didn't know this until Sir Elton John told me... but now it all makes sense.

"We're talking about things that are going to change the world and change the way people listen to music and that's not going to happen with people blogging on the internet."
"I mean, get out there -- communicate."
"Hopefully the next movement in music will tear down the internet."
"Let's get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home and blogging."
"I do think it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span."
"There's too much technology available."

Thank you Elton, for opening my eyes

yrCD-0707

so i did something productive this weekend... lemme tell you about it. i was at feisal's rooftop fourth of july sky moisture extravaganza and found myself (like usual) trading music suggestions with everyone there... invariably, the conversations would end with the promise "i'll burn you a CD" ...
yeah
...
how often does that ever happen.
...
yeah.
so.. i've started yrCD. I found these really cheap 80mm cds that hold 185mb and are infinitely pocketabled and i've loaded the first 25 with shit you should listen to. If it works out (meaning i can find 25 people to take them) i may start doing this with some frequency.. so next time yous eee me, ask if i have any on me. let's listen to some music.
Tracklist of yrCD-0707:
Cold War Kids: Saint John
Cursive: Rise Up!
Death from Above 1979: Black History Month (Sammy Danger Remix)
Dr. John: Cold Cold Cold
Earlimart: We Drink on the Job
Elliott Brood: Second Son
Forward, Russia!: Eighteen
Kings of Leon: Taper Jean Girl
Loney, Dear: I Will Call You Lover Again
Mates of State: Ha Ha
Onelinedrawing: A Ghost
Papercuts: Unavailable
Pedro the Lion: Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives
Tapes 'n Tapes: Cowbell
The Dears: Ballad of Humankindness

!Direction, Country!

Here’s another one I strongly disliked at first but has been finding a way into my zen’s (www.anythingbutipod.com) rotation..

Forward, Russia!


Fuck yeah.. I would label them (which I hate to do) "Hardcore Dance Punk"... First listen it kinda sounds like two leopards having angry breakup sex over a drummer having a rather rhythmic seizure. Seriously.. the lead singer has a kinda strange new-wave voice that can instantaneously degrade (upgrade?) to the sound of an angry jungle cat in the same measure. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post.. I am starting to like it.

It’s fucking interesting, if anything. I have yet to notice anything shocking about the band instrumentally other than the strange and relatively infrequent synth interludes (that should sound out of place but do not). Oh, except the percussion. It’s pretty awesome yet (for me) gets quickly overlooked when I am worrying about the lead singer’s head exploding..

Let me know what you think.. and I’ll leave you with this rather memorable quote from drownedinsound:

From the off, the four members of !Forward, Russia! rip against each other; Fractured and percussive guitar stabs are cradled by the most pounding rhythm section imaginable. It’s liquid dance in punk masquerade. They are the spiked ball on the end of a giant mace, but sharpened sharper than razors. The singer spazzes out relentlessly, hypnotically, voice never waning as he wails and hollers. A mega-quick banshee, a perfect frontman.

My sobriety is irrelevant, I’m fucked on music and stomping my feet.

An assortment of samples can be streamed/downloaded here: http://www.forwardrussia.com/music.htm

oh.. and i'm listening to the CD: "Give Me A Wall"

Gospel Alternative Rock - Been done?

That’s the cover of www.coldwarkids.com. Inside they have a pretty cool picture diary/blog of their current tour. It fits with my current view of this band: Pretty Cool. Thankfully, this is my evolved opinion. My initial listen of “Robbers & Cowards” led me to believe this is just a slightly more listenable version of Kings of Leon.

I was wrong.

Partially.. Take KoL and throw in a bit of Walkmen and something from the Mississippi Delta. What?

Yeah.. there is a pretty apparent Gospel sound throughout the album which I actually ended up really liking. There even is this one song (We Used to Vacation) that I swear sounds like whatever that 90’s song that started “I’ve been a baaad baaaaad girl”.. can’t remember what it was called…*

They seem to have a pretty standard post-alt rock setup… drum set, bass, piano and however many overdubbed guitars are necessary for the song… he’s got the voice of your classic rocker, not especially melodic or tuneful, but still pretty engaging.

Lyrically? They have gotten pretty good reviews around the interdumptruck for “deep-soulful-lyrics” but I don’t know how much I agree with that. Choruses are pretty catchy and ever now and again they make a surprising rhyme but I don’t see anything especially wonderful in them. Remember Jeff Buckley? Someone somewhere stated that their song “Passing the Hat” was channeling him. Meh.

My recommendations are “Saint John” and “Hang Me Up To Dry”…

You can download a bunch of MP3s from their EPs on the cold war kids website… I suggest you do.

In fact, pickup the disc.

I really like it. I wasn’t absolutely astounded by it, but it adds a nice dimension to my Zen’s Random Play all.


*I apologize for the disjointed style of this horrid post. I am hungover and tired and can’t seem to concentrate on something for more than a couple seconds.