The Kills - Blood Pressures (2011)

The Kills' status amongst Coachella regulars is a testament to their wide and lasting appeal, with their position in the lineup consistently rising in the three years they have performed. In their latest evolution, The Kills continue their characteristic vocal interplay with Mosshart leading and Hince supporting that has made them so appealing, balancing just the right amount of distortion and vocal coarseness to keep their sound rough around the edges. Blood Pressures has less frills, with riffs pared-down for powerful deliveries. The heavier sound is heard in the reggae strumming and low vocals of "Satellite". Though I hate it when my favorite track is the first because it always seems like I'm being set up to be disappointed, I have to say that "Future Starts Slow" is my favorite track with it's intense driving beat and piercing guitar. "DNA" particularly highlights Mosshart's seductive vocals, while "Heart is a beating drum" and "Nail in My Coffin" live up to their names. The second half of the album does not have the same energy, perhaps because it is hard to maintain the same intensity throughout, but the final track "Pots and Pans" provides an interesting close- transitioning into a repetitive but soothing trance.
The Kills - DNA - Blood Pressure - Free MP3 Link by smokincharliebrown

Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys! (2011)

I'd never heard Elbow before a few days ago. I'm not sure if I'd even heard of them, but they've been playing together since 1990, according to Wikipedia. With Tuesday's release of Build a Rocket Boys!, It's safe to say that this band of Brits is planning on keeping things going a while longer. While I purposely didn't give myself anything from their back catalog to compare it to, Elbow doesn't seem to have developed that lack of luster that often accompanies even the best of bands as it's members move into middle age. The first several tracks are fresh, interesting, and well crafted, and though I find my attention drifting a little after halfway through (they could be creeper tracks that get me later, these are first impressions) there is enough to keep me riveted. "Lippy Kids" is a powerful sentimental track that has an aspect in the tone that reminds me of "Night Swimming" by R.E.M. (#1 make-yourself-cry track!), "With Love" is a slightly dizzying, spot-on-produced ear worm, and "Neat Little Rows" is, along with the others, a great showcase of what lead singer Guy Garvey's pipes are capable of.

Yuck - Yuck (2011)

Tex says: I didn't gain much of a musical education in my youth. The vast majority of records in my home were used children's records purchased from the library (things have to be pretty unpopular to end up on the library clearance cart). To be fair, my folks did have a few records, but the only ones I can recall were a Kenny Rogers, a couple of Moody Blues, The Pointer Sisters, and a heavily spun Christmas album by Mannheim Steamroller. In the early 90's, my junior high peers and I all began to set our sights on becoming cooler, or in my case, remotely cool. The beacon of hope in this undertaking was a local college radio station which, with it's diverse format, gave a fantastic sampling of what type of cool we could aim to be.

Neo-nineties-college-radio-rockers Yuck emulate bands like Superchunk and Dinosaur Jr., and they fortunately do it well. They're all high energy fuzzy guitars, and distorted vocals – bound to bring back some good memories (but with a smack of awkwardness) – for readers in their late 20's and 30's. "Georgia" is a standout power duet that will have you swooning if anything by Yuck will.


Yuck - Georgia from Yuck on Vimeo.

Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown (2010)

If you are reading this blog, then there probably isn't much that I can tell you about this band that you haven't already read online. Thus, I'll spare you the pointless biographical ramblings. I will tell you, however, that this is a very good album, albeit quite similar to Only by the Night in expression and production. Thankfully, Come Around Sundown is not simply a reincarnation of "Sex on Fire" in album form, as it is less likely to get you dancing, and more likely to help you get intimate. A number of the jams channel the slowed-down, sensuous sing-along tracks that your lady-friends insisted on butchering the lyrics to from previous albums. Nevertheless, tracks like the first single "Radioactive" and the growling "No Money" brings the sound around full circle to the days of hard-charging southern rock. Moreover, the made-for-karaoke "Birthday" will surely be annoying bartenders nationwide as an overplayed jukebox staple.

I think that those who may find this album disappointing are the folks who got to the KOL party early and long for the stripped-down presentation off of their early efforts. Unfortunately for that crowd, the days of Youth and Young Manhood are gone forever and you have to let the band grow up and develop their big-venue, glossy image and sound. They can't all be "indie" forever. I personally like the casual saunter and amusing lyrics of "Mi Amigo" (shouldn't it be Amiga?), the thunderous bass leading into the "Closer"esque "The End" and the back-porch twang of "Back Down South." It is all bueno from my perspective.

Kings Of Leon now have, what I consider to be, five great albums. Criticism may end up being dolled out describing this album as "safe" or "mainstream" (negative words in the music reviewing lexicon), but in truth, all bands eventually fall into that trap. What we have here may not be ground-breaking, but it is very, very enjoyable, so I'll indulge... feel free to join me.

Ash - The A - Z Series

I like all the innovative approaches bands are taking to stay relevant and fiscally solvent in, and sometimes really take advantage of, the new musical landscape. Ash seems to be looking past the album, for now anyway, by releasing a series of 26 digital downloads. People can either subscribe or buy the tracks individually. And they seem to be having some success with it, given that all the vinyl subscriptions are sold out and they are only up to G. So far I like "Joy Kicks Darkness" and "Arcadia" the best. I don't think I'd mind if all my favorite bands moved towards this format.

Alice In Chains - "Check My Brain" [single] (2009)

More like "Alice In Chains," really. One of my favorite 90's alt rock bands is back with a new lead singer who sounds like a watered down Layne Staley (may he rest). Or worse yet... a cheap imitation vocalist because I've heard AIC cover bands (e.g., Dirt) who sound muuuuch better. Their anachronistic single, "Check My Brain" (view it here), is so awful and wrong. It isn't even good enough to be a b-side back in the Jar Of Flies days. All of this just makes me sad. Why the 14-year hiatus? Why a new album? Why try to recapture that which will never come back? I know you guys lost your irreplaceable frontman to a drug overdose, but why come back with a lesser AIC? Isn't it better to burn out at your brightest, than fade away... or worse, come back at half speed? Why didn't they just change their name/start a new band altogether? Why did they even stop recording in the first place? So many unanswered questions! Jerry Cantrell was pretty much the de facto second lead singer during some of their most memorable showcases of vocal harmony (Umm, does anyone else remember the genius that is/was "No Excuses," "Heaven Beside You," and "Down In A Hole"?), why didn't he just step up then and take over? It's not like he didn't have the chops to put out tracks all by his lonesome post-Layne, considering he basically rocked the shit out of one of my all-time favorite Chains songs ever, "Got Me Wrong." Or was he just temporarily distracted with his foray into film? Too bad his cameo career didn't take off.



Point to ponder:
Oh, and for all the Seattle music fans out there... am I the only one in the world who maintains that Alice In Chains: Unplugged blew Nirvana's acoustic set out of the water? And they didn't even have to throw in a Bowie or Meat Puppets cover to achieve that.

Jimmy Eat World - Clarity Live (2009)

Jimmy Eat World released their live album yesterday and many thanks to the boys of J.E.W. for reminding us why Tuesdays are the best days for music! Hot off the heels of their sold-out, 10-city, 10-year Clarity anniversary tour (the only show this year I absolutely regret missing, sigh) is the release of this album that features the live performance of their last tour stop at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona. I love when bands show hometown love.

I wish more bands would take a cue from these guys and promise to play each track, in order, off their classic record. I would've seen them anyway, truth be told. After catching them a few times over the years at Roseland Ballroom (NYC) and even at a smaller but legendary venue like The Stone Pony (Asbury Park, NJ), these guys always put on a great show. Sometimes on the Bleed American tour former Promise Ring-ers would hit the stage to join in on "A Praise Chorus" much to the delight of emo-bred older fans, but they almost always have great opening acts to complement their set. They also respect their fans, both longtime and new, by playing a healthy mix of older and newer favorites. Even the really really emo shit like their first song, "Roller Queen," that I absolutely love and you'd think they wouldn't play, like, past 1999. If these aren't enough reasons to see them, they feature some of the most romantic mood lighting and backdrops ever. I'm talking stars, shiny lights, interplays of green/blue/purple hues, really great stuff for romantics like myself and lead singer Jim Adkins too, apparently. It's been a while, but I can recall always feeling happy, enchanted, and peaceful after one of their shows, almost like falling in love. If you're a guy, take your girlfriend to one of their shows and you will most likely get the good lovin' that evening when you get home. They will eat your world and music will never be the same to you ever again.

Track listing:
"Table For Glasses" (awesome)
"Lucky Denver Mint" (incredible)
"Your New Aesthetic" (good)
"Believe In What You Want" (good)
"A Sunday" (fucking love it)
"Crush" (good)
"12.23.95" (great)
"Ten" (sigh)
"Just Watch The Fireworks" (oh my god, so amazing)
"For Me This Is Heaven" (un..fucking..believable)
"Blister" (don't even get me started on this one's genius)
"Clarity" (ridiculously great, especially live)
"Goodbye Sky Harbor" (awesome)

Plus, they tacked on a pair of studio cuts ("What I Would Say To You Now" and "No Sensitivity") as a nice little bonus. The CD is available through the band's website. It's a nice little "just because," great-stocking-stuffer-yes-I-know-it's-not-Christmas-but-still, present for any true Jimmy Eat World fan.

Glasvegas - Glasvegas (2008)

Glasvegas quick facts: (1) These Scottish alt. rockers may have written the best song about social workers, "Geraldine," in the long history of songs about social workers; (2) It is also far and away their most catchy & intriguing track, with serious potential of being dangerously overplayed; (3) In the distant second tier, tracks like "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry," "Daddy's Gone," and "Flowers & Football Tops" are also quite enjoyable, and the parts, that are capable of clear understanding, should be sung at full vocal strength in the shower; (4) I don't find the rest of the album that incredible, but there is certainly no shortage of epic, heavily accented vocal emotion and dramatically tender lyrics.

Sweet Water - Clear The Tarmac (2009)

This is a fun album. It reminds me of the late 90s, and I don't mean that disparagingly, just that certain sounds - the guitar on "Grass Is Green" for example - make me think of songs on the radio back then. Which I guess makes sense since Sweet Water was putting out albums throughout the 90s. The songs explore the rockier side of pop, falling somewhere between power pop, pop punk, and alternative rock. What that means is that the guitars are generally plugged in, turned up, but still melodic and the choruses simple and catchy. The album would fit into a radio station playlist right in the middle of Blink 182, Sugar Ray, Third Eye Blind, and Matchbox 20. Maybe not the coolest station anymore, but one you might listen to in your car in traffic and accidentally find yourself singing along, drumming your steering wheel, and generally enjoying yourself. "Rock Steady" and "Stereo" are particularly catchy.

Girl Talk - Feed The Animals (2008)

Pittsburgh's Girl Talk (real name: Gregg Gillis) is a former biomedical engineer who quit his day job to pursue his real art and craft: DJ-ing. Specializing in the creation of incredibly catchy “mash-ups,” he incorporates the best highlights from popular top 40, 80’s, hip hop and alternative rock songs we all know and love, to make brand new tracks for us to continue loving. Diddy might claim to have invented the remix, but Girl Talk took said remix, shook it up, and served it on the rocks with a twist of lime.

To understand his mission, he has said: "The whole basis of the music is that people have these emotional attachments to these songs… being able to manipulate that is a really easy way to connect with people." Ahh, the genius in conceptual simplicity that makes you wish you’d come up with it first! Feed The Animals boasts 14 stylized and ultra danceable tracks that are dizzying as they are intoxicating. Quite simply put, this shit is musical schizophrenia of the functional kind. Mixing upwards of 300 [unauthorized?] samples from artists ranging from (hip hop) Jay Z and Ludacris, to (electronica) Aphex Twin and Kraftwerk, to (mainstream pop) Rihanna and Britney Spears, to (classic rock) Pete Townsend and Steve Miller Band, Girl Talk has moxie. In fact, according to The New York Times Magazine, Girl Talk is a “lawsuit waiting to happen” and this is just as enjoyable to watch as tabloid fodder of good old-fashioned trainwrecks is to read (see: Amy Winehouse).

He’s even gaining a reputation for off-the-wall stage antics, all of which include the spontaneous removal of most, if not all, of his clothing during his set. Apparently, nudity never gets old. But half the fun is trying to identify the artists that are being used in each track [sometimes 18+]. Plus, his mixing choices are unique as hell. Who else would think to mix The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” with Busta Rhymes’ interjection of thoughts on making “booty clap?” File all this mad genius under Girl Talk, whose style will soon render traditional DJ’s obsolete. Seriously, just put this record on and the party will come to you. And if he doesn't make you dance, get your ass to a doctor immediately to check for vital signs.

Oh, and I couldn't resist:

Weezer - Weezer (Red Album) (2008)

This is the kind of album that makes you revisit the band's older albums to reassure yourself that they didn't use to suck this bad. Some of the songs are extended medlies with segments of pop broken up by blandness. At first I thought some of the segments sound like that Ben Folds song "Rockin' The Suburbs", then I realized that they just sounded like bad late 90's rap/alt. rock. Mostly it's just uninteresting. "Troublemaker", "Pork And Beans" and "Dreamin'" are classic Weezer and probably worth checking out. But don't listen to the rest of this album if you used to like Weezer. Just remember them for what they were. It's too late for me. I can't undo my mistake.

Santogold - Santogold (2008)

This alternative/garage rock/hip hop diva has been on heavy rotation at the nightclub I work at for the past few days with hits like “Shove It,” “Creator,” and “L.E.S. Artistes.” I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone have three club hits at once, especially with their debut album, and songs that I have yet to get sick of. My old man always says he refuses to drink “light” beer or have sex in canoes, because they are both just too close too water, which is how I usually feel about the trendy, generic dance music that gets played at San Jose’s “hot” downtown night scene. So, when I picked this record up, it was for the few songs I had heard and had liked, expecting the rest of the album to be shit. However, I immediately recognized the song I liked, “Lights Out,” which is featured on those new Budweiser Lime* commercials. This album is both poppy and catchy, as well as creative and/or original in a very pioneering sort of way. I have on no account listened to an artist transition between hip hop dance jams that are as dirty and rugged as a Kragen’s parking lot, to as slow, soulful alternative rock so seamlessly and effortlessly. You could play this at your next house party, or while you are cooking mini English muffin pizzas (which were REALLY good by the way). Some personal favorite tracks of mine, beside the before mentioned, are: “Say Aha,” “You’ll Find a Way,” and “Starstruck.” I would compare her to others, but honestly I can’t, and even if I could, it wouldn’t do her sound justice. So do yourself a favor and make some mini pizzas and pick up the self titled album Santogold.

*Gross. Anyone who buys that shit should be kicked in the nuts while they are in line.

Annuals - Wet Zoo EP (2008)

Actually this is a split EP with Sunfold, basically, the same band, except fronted by the guitarist. The three Annuals songs are more of the wonderfully catchy indie pop found on Be He Me, although they're a little less experimental and a little more like the Shins, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. "Around Your Neck" is my favorite, with it's jangly guitar, peppy clapping and sing-a-long chorus. The Sunfold tracks sound like bland alternative pop/rock. If this EP was on vinyl it would rarely be flipped over.

The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia (2008)

Since the single replaced the album as the centerpiece of music marketing, it has been exceptionally infrequent that every song on an album captivates me. In this rare case, I believe that Saturnalia severs itself from this trend because every song feels utterly unique and formula free. Maybe this is the advantage and consequence of piecing an album together over 4+ years of song writing and recording. It is evident that the two minds behind Saturnalia summoned their collective daemons to put together one of the more sincere and striking albums of the year so far. Mark Lanegan's unfiltered growl mixes well with Greg Dulli's more mainstream and lyrical approach, making for a darker divergence from typical alternative-indie sounds. Arrangements shift from pensive acoustic guitar and piano to beat-driven electronica to forceful chords, while exploiting their contrasting vocal capabilities to both elevate and dredge the mood. I cannot promise that everyone will enjoy, but if you are like me and appreciate the darker, grittier, talent-laden underbelly of rock, you will. For stacking up the quality from beginning to end I must applaud.

Start with: “The Stations,” “Bête Noire” & “All Misery/Flowers,” but tackle the album as a whole.

R.E.M. - Accelerate (2008)

Plugged-in and re-energized, this album recalls the R.E.M. that wrote "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" It seems that after a few albums that failed to catch fire they are out to prove they are still capable and relevant. The single "Supernatural Superserious" is the obvious standout, but the rest of the album holds up well. Check out "Hollow Man" and "Living Well Is The Best Revenge".