quickcrit - music reviews

Hey Quickcrit gang, swooped some beers for a new Friday Night Beer Pairing, Coney Island Lager. I know absolutely nothing about this beer, picked it up cause I thought the label looked really cool. I think it's officially summer now in San Jose as it has stopped raining and is now really hot. I am excited for this, as I could use a change of pace. Lately I have been listening to a lot of blues, punk, and gritty rock in the crummy weather. I need some heat, mama's showin skin with the short hem, and some move your hips music. So to go along with my summertime enthusiasms I am pairing Coney Island with Kings Go Forth and their newest album "The Outsiders are Back" released in April of 2010. These guys are pretty solid, and I am having a real hard time believing they are from Wisconsin. I guess I shouldn't knock Milwaukee since I ain't never been, but when think Wisconsin I think Duane Kuiper and dairy farms, not congo drums and reggae soul. But they display a very talented mix of RnB, Funk, Latin Jazz, and Reggae. Remind me a lot of Third World see "1000 Songs", with maybe some Joe Bataan like on track "One Day", or possibly Earth, Wind and Fire on tracks like "Now We're Gone". Don't get it twisted now, I'm not sayin they are biting people's style, as they definitely have their own flavor and the whole album is very strong work. My favorite track is "Get a Feeling" as it reminds me of music in the park. Horns blastin off the buildings, harmonious vocals that make people step in line on time, and the breakdown bass and congo drums that crank it up a notch to make you sweat hard in the heat. Also, by the way, this Coney Island Lager is really good. I bet it would go perfect with a Nathan's hot dog, or with BBQ ribs at music in the park for that matter. Thumbs up To Kings go Forth and Coney Island beers!

This week I am pairing Modelo Negra (a personal favorite) , with Sharon Jones and The Dap King's (also a personal favorite) new album "I Learned The Hard Way". Both the beers and the album came not from the fruit of my labor, but from good friends and family. The old man decided to unload his Modelo's on me since he is drinkin wine these days, score! Thanks dad. And the new album comes from Mercy's mafia like connections, granting me access to the new champions of soul before their official release date, which is April 6th. I have to say that just for the record, introducing someone to the new album, then telling them they can only listen once, is like introducing someone to rock cocaine and telling them they can only hit it one time. Needless to say I'm hooked and cannot be held responsible for my actions when it comes to getting my fix, and yes, I am willing to sell my T.V. to cop another listen. Anyway, the single I understand is "I Learned the Hard Way", which isn't bad, but dude, "Better Things To Do", "Window Shopping", "If You Call", and my favorite "Money" make we want to say fuck it. Sell the Honda and buy a Brougham, just so I can play this loud, look people square in the eye and say "that's right" as I hit a corner. And just as Modelo Especial is really good, like "100 Days and 100 Nights", the Negra is just a little bit better, just like "I Learned the Hard Way". The Especial is awesome, great beer, light, smooth, no complaints. But the Negra has that somethin extra, a little fuller flavor, but not overwhelming as to distract from what's workin with the Especial. That's kinda how I feel about "I Learned the Hard Way". The new album has a little more flavor in that the Dap Kings band was able to shine, especial-ly (ha!) in the track "If You Call". They let it hang out more in this album, but do not overshadow Sharon. Splendid album, splendid beer, check em' out!

Howdy Ladies and Gents, gettin on the record now as a lover of beer and Friday nights. This evening I decided to drink a nice I.P.A, Racer #5 to be exact. It comes from the Bear Republic Brewery in Sonoma County, and is described as having a "trophy in every glass". I think it's not too heavy (which I enjoy in an I.P.A), and is very smooth and crisp, with a high and tight bite at the end, very refreshing. Reminds me of the high and tight fade on the singer King Kendell of the Amazing Royal Crowns. This is the kind of beer a workin man in the summer drinks to cool down, or while workin on a "1965 GTO", which just happens to be the title of an awesome song that the Crowns do. So I am pairing the Crowns with the Racer no. 5, and I have to say it's going really well. I used to drink IPAs all the time in college then switched over to lagers later on, and it's nice to taste a good one again. It brings back good memories of the Sierra Nevada Brewery, good friends, and nights of front porch sittin with shorts and a beater till 2AM. Just as the beer is givin me good vibes, so is the tunes. I fucking love this band and I never listen to them anymore. "Shiverin' in the Corner" has to be one of my favorite songs of all time, and I guess I have moved on to other bands since, like I did eventually with the IPAs, for no apparent reason other than to rediscover them later and be stoked. Like finding a $20 in your coat pocket, or catchin a flirty look from the hot new bartender at your local watering hole. Sometimes I guess it's important to take time and reflect on good times and the simple things we love, instead of focusing on tomorrow's agenda and constantly moving forward with things. So I think tonight I will slow it down, take the time to enjoy my six pack, stroll down memory lane, and periodically rock out to jams like "Mr Lucky", "Still Royal", and "Invitation to Alienation", bottoms up!!

Tonight I'm pairing two regional adaptations of traditionally rustic genres.

Any beer lover visiting Portland will notice the abundance of pale ales; every brewery seems to have at least three kinds. So the founding of Upright Brewing and its experimental, loosely Belgian-style beers was great news for Brasilliant and me, who were forced to fly to Germany and Belgium to satisfy our thirst for doppelbocks and tripels. Upright uses a Belgian-based brewing process, but are not beholden to any one recipe, which makes a visit to Upright's tasting room so much fun. They are still playing around with their beers, so while you may not love every sip, the flavors are bold and unique. My favorite is the Upright 7, their version of a farmhouse Saison. It's dry, aromatic, and just slightly spicy. Even at 8% it goes down easy.

I'm not sure which Portland loves more, beer or folk music. Probably beer, but judging from the abundance of good singer-songwriters, indie folk isn't far behind. Nick Jaina is one of my favorites and is set to release his new album, A Bird In The Opera House, next month. "Sleep Child" (mp3) captures the album's warm vocals and rhythmic strumming that gently pushes the songs forward. The album incorporates bits of Portland into the lyrics along with subtle layers of strings. It's comfortable, catchy, and perfect for kicking back at home.

After fleeing their overpopulated and war-torn home of Venus, Valient Thorr settled in North Carolina. Since their arrival, the other 49 states are in debt. They have a very unique sound not of this earth, if you will. They have been spreading positive vibrations on an insane touring regime that has only been interrupted by Valient Himself donating one of his kidneys to his earthling father. The band is a hybrid of punk, bluegrass, and metal that is very unique, and so good. It feels as if I am listening to Adolescents, Sir Lord Baltimore, Thin Lizzy, and the dueling banjos of Deliverance all at the same time. Because of this reason, it reminds me of several different times in my life, and there is only one beer that represents my drinking life since its inception at the precious age of 14. Miller High Life.

What was once a Ramones cover band broke off from the cliché copy-the-legends riff to write their own songs which emulate those classic New York and Brit rooted punk rock sounds, but with German accents. Can you get more punk rock (rhetorical question)? The Hamburg Ramönes track “Go Yuengling Go” slates the indispensable power-chords with a catchy, football (Euro) stadium chant that repeats the title which essentially roots for the almost exclusively east coast brewery and/or beer. I think there is something in there about the beer and perfect days and making one's life complete, but it don't matter... it's all awesome. It is what you would expect from a former Ramones cover band, yet it has a contemporary and original feel. If you branch off from this recommendation, their 2008 release Long Black Hair sounds straight out of 1978 with Ramones and Clash-like numbers that are wrapped up in tight packages and hit hard and fast. It is fair to say that tracks like “Rock’ N Roller Coaster” and “Long Black Hair” do the bands namesake justice, but also in their own right would stand up to what many would consider unmeasurable expectations.

As for the beverage, I remember the first time I had Yuengling beer. Spring break, Washington D.C., two thousand and somethin'-something. Many Yuenglings later I can honestly say that I am still a fan of the company that is recognized as America's Oldest Brewery and family owned for over 180 years, and look for it whenever I am east of the Mississippi, for nostalgia purposes. I was once at a Manhattan bar, on the upper east side and the bar featured a large Yuengling mirror which had all their beers on tap listed on it. Knowing what I already wanted I ordered what I expected to be a delicious Yuengling, to which the bar maid replied, "Sorry, we don't actually carry Yuengling." The joke was obviously on me. So, tonight, if you can get it, it's all Yuengling and Hamburg Ramönes. Hit it!

I live a city that loves both beer and indie rock passionately, and since they always improve each other, it makes sense to talk about them together. While I could have started this series with any of the many local microbrews and indie bands I love, I decided to start with the combination that gave the idea – Unibroue and the Dirtbombs "La Fin Du Monde".

The connection here is of course obvious and for some reason once I made that connection I could not have one without wanting the other. It helps that I love both. While We Have You Surrounded is far from my favorite Dirtbombs' album, "La Fin Du Monde" is a great song. It's sung in French, so I have no idea about the lyrics, but figure that the apocolyptic theme of the album carries into a song about the end of the world. Somehow they make it sound wistful and pleasant. The beer pays homage to "great explorers, who believed they had reached the end of the world when they discovered America" and at 9% the beer is a heavy weight and could make you tackle hedges on your way home from the bar.