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Friday, May 15, 2009
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Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Thank goodness The Clash didn't even last 10 years. Seems like everything went south for Green Day with American Idiot, and it gets so much worse with 21st Century Breakdown. Pseudo-heady material flattened by Butch Vig in the studio, this album completely overreaches (its 18 songs are split into 3 acts, oh jeez). Take "Last Night on Earth" for example. As a rock ballad, it's weak. As a Green Day song, it's actually offensive. This is a band aging disgracefully, and they just lost me for good.
- paul
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Released 05.15.2009
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna (The Social Registry) [audio]
I put off exploring Saint Dymphna for a long time after hearing "House Jam," figuring it to be some kind of anomaly. I'd heard their older records, and all of them were droning masses of beats and noise. My loss, because once I came around I discovered that Gang Gang Dance have substantially reinvented themselves into a pulsing machine of demystified rhythms and spacious atmospheres. Mutant disco echoes (a la Arthur Russell) and shimmering shoegaze (like MBV) bring both future and past to the present.
- paul
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Released 10.21.2008
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008
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Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (Interscope) [audio]
After hearing the title track from Chinese Democracy, I was hopeful that this album might live up to the hype. Instead, the bulk of the album is mired in over-produced unapologetically long songs with somewhat sterile arrangements and musicianship. Axl Rose's vocal performance sounds great but fails to make up for the constipated arrangements. The funky song "If the World" is one of the more likable tracks, though it oddly sounds a bit like Jamiroquai. I wanted Appetite for Destruction, not Travelling Without Moving.
- j.p.
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Released 11.23.2008
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Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (Interscope) [audio]
I really wish this day had never come, to be honest. Chinese Democracy was a much better album when it was still the music playing in Axl's head and none of the rest of us had heard it. But as it is, Chinese Democracy is an audio diary of what he's been doing since way back when and little more. Nothing here was worth waiting a year for, much less 17 of them. Furthermore, Guns N' Roses without Slash, Duff and Izzy is not really Guns N' Roses at all. It's something else. Something very bad.
- paul
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Released 11.23.2008
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Thursday, October 02, 2008
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GZA - Pro Tools (Babygrande) [audio] [upcoming shows]
There aren't enough rap albums like this anymore. This disc is densely packed with a relentless barrage of verses, often forgoing hooks and choruses in favor of squeezing in an extra 8 bars here and there. RZA's production is featured heavily, and his couple guest verses kill. It is a testament to the strength of GZA's flow that his monotone, battering ram delivery has commanded our attention for 15+ years. No singles or pop music here; this is headphones-on-the-bus hip-hop, with enough meat on its bones to fill multiple sittings.
- tom d.
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Released 08.19.2008
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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Gonzales - Soft Power (Arts & Crafts) [audio] [upcoming shows]
What starts off as a different, yet positive Gonzales record gradually takes a nosedive as it progresses. "Working Together" is a fun sing-along opener, but nearly everything that follows comes off as cheesy and strange. Smothered in glossy 70's soft rock, some of these tracks sound destined to narrate soap operas. But hidden underneath are still traces of Gonzales' impeccable musical arrangements and piano skills. Soft Power results in a cluster of hits and misses.
- melody
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Released 06.03.2008
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
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Miwa Gemini - This Is How I Found You (Rockpark) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Miwa is sultry. Miwa is intriguing. She is pop, jazz, roots, and blues in a folk package. It's easy to quickly compare to Cat Power or Jolie Holland, but she is unique, and at times confusing. Although her lyrics play out as simple narratives, there is a mystery within her sound that will arouse your interest in the individual behind the story. What sounds unstructured comes into focus within a few tracks, as her gentle voice draws you in to what becomes an intimate collection of songs.
- cormac
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Released 04.08.2008
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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Golden Silvers - Arrows of Eros/Fade to Black 7" (Young & Lost Club) [audio] [upcoming shows]
So now we're on to the post-post-post-punk revival and bands aren't afraid to utilize ridiculous synthesizer sounds that were widely thought to have been erased at the end of 1982. If that intrigues you, check out "Arrows of Eros" by the new UK band Golden Silvers. It's a throwback to Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love," but plenty different enough to avoid distraction through familiarity. The b-side "Fade to Black" is slower-paced and contemplative, providing a great contrast in styles on one single.
- paul
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Released 07.15.2008
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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Golden Shoulders - Friendship is Deep (Welcome Home) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Golden Shoulders' instrumentation is similar to pre-Nels Cline Wilco and has a vocal delivery sounding like Unbunny. "I Will Light You on Fire" has a delicate piano melody with double tracked non-matching vocals creating a shambling indie pop masterpiece. "The Committee" simultaneously cops licks from both Pavement and The Pretenders and is so irresistible it must be considered a homage instead of a crime. Originally released with 12 tracks in 2004, it now comes with two bonus tracks that previously appeared on compilations in 2005.
- mark
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Released 04.15.2008
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple (Downtown) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I'm a little pissed off. I used to love St. Elsewhere, and now I can't really listen to it anymore because this album so thoroughly exceeds it in every possible way. Where their debut put Danger Mouse in the driver's seat, their sophomore release is built on Cee-lo's shoulders, and it is a much stronger foundation. Tracks like "Open Book", "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" and "Surprise" exceed anything on their debut in depth and power. I wasn't sure Gnarls could improve on their first effort, so I certainly didn't expect leaps of this magnitude.
- tom d.
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Released 03.18.2008
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Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple (Downtown) [audio] [upcoming shows]
If you have developed an allergy to fun since St. Elsewhere was released, you will probably love this album. The pace on this disc has slowed tremendously; those searching to compliment will say it has "matured". Two party tracks energize the first 15 minutes of the disc, but the back half drags quickly into relative monotony. The "joi de vivre" has all but evaporated. Their shows will still rule, and the collaboration will remain of interest, but this disc will slide from my mind quickly.
- bob d.
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Released 03.18.2008
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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Gachupín (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The first song sets the stage; starting with a groovy Irish jig on a rhythm guitar, "Irish Juju" neatly transcends into an Egyptian-inspired horn section then finishes with West African drums blended with a funky electronic keyboard. This is a cleverly-composed album laced with African-Columbian and Brazilian rhythms, and jazzy, psychedelic world beats that are sure to lure the listener into a tribal dance-trance! And the gritty, raunchy ending to "Las Armas Secretas" leaves no room for argument—these cats can jam.
- christina
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Released 01.15.2008
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Tuesday, March 04, 2008
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Grand Buffet - King Vision (Fighting Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Oh Jumpin' Juggalo Jesus, where do I begin? Okay, that's unfair. You are NOT Insane Clown Posse, but you are a painfully caucasoid rap/pop duo from a different northern industrial metro with a transparent 'tude and an awkward handle on rocking the mic. The best things about King Vision are the tracks themselves, and each would be better served by remaining a melodic, lo-fi synth-heavy instrumental. When you rap you're clumsier than Paul Barman, and when you rock you sound like Smashmouth. It's a zero sum game.
- paul
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Released 01.08.2008
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Monday, February 25, 2008
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Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree (Mute) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Hayley Stark was right. The unimaginative soft rock rumblings newly emerging from this UK duo show they're irrelevant in any musical style. The first track is about clowns and though scientifically it's been proven that nothing can be worse than a song about clowns, Goldfrapp give it the ol' college try for the nine songs that follow. Some are less cringe-inducing than others ("Little Bird" and "Happiness" almost work) but at best the album is forgettable, at worst unforgettable. Alternate album title: Pirates of the Cariboring.
- troy
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Released 02.26.2008
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
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The Gothees - Meet The Gothees (Starfish LE) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Bela Lugosi may be dead, but The Gothees are trying their best to resurrect the
ghost of Bauhaus and make it the bride of surf pop. The spooky guitars and flat
vocals (Ian Curtis, is that you?) don't take themselves too seriously; "there's some
irony required." More than half the songs are covers; "Sugar Sugar" makes me laugh
with its sexy somberness. The band also manages to mix up a dirge-like version of
Donovan with a tribute to Falco ("First there is a Falco, then there is no Falco,
then there is").
- meredith
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Released 07.03.2007
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
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The Gunshy - There's
No Love in This War (Latest
Flame) [audio] [upcoming shows]
You can't really sing along to this album; not many melodies will
stick with you, but goddamn, the words will. Matt Arbogast culled
them from his grandfather's letters home during WWII. "December
18, 1943" comes closest to being hummable, maybe because it's one
of the few that express joy (his wedding ring arrived that day;
he dreams of saying "I do, I do, I do, until my throat is sore").
Speaking of which, Arbogast's voice sounds like Tom Waits in
desperate need of a cough drop. But it fits the ragged and raw
emotions expressed.
- meredith
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Released 10.16.2007
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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The Go! Team - Proof of Youth (Sub Pop) [audio] [upcoming shows]
How to approximate the sound The Go! Team makes in three easy, simultaneous steps: 1. Tune an old AM car radio to a Motown oldies station and roll up the windows. 2. Put a Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five record on your turntable and drop the needle. 3. Turn on the television and change the channel to an old rerun of CHiPs. However, that's just a hell of a lot of unnecessary work when all you really have to do is play Proof of Youth all the way through...and then again...and again.
- paul
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Released 09.11.2007
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Monday, October 08, 2007
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Dave Gahan - Hourglass (Mute) [audio]
Where Gahan's first solo album Paper Monsters had little more to offer than pompous ego-stroking, Hourglass is a reinvention of his persona outside the realm of Depeche Mode. Seemingly humbled by his own creation, his voice takes a backseat to the lush, ocean-sized instrumentation of some really, really gorgeous music. "Saw Something" and "A Little Lie" highlight this shift in personal priority the best, leaving an almost infinite amount of breathing room. Revelatory? No, but definitely worth hearing a time or ten.
- paul
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Released 10.23.2007
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Thursday, October 04, 2007
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Gallows - Orchestra of Wolves (In at the Deep End/Epitaph) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Orchestra of Wolves is an appropriate title for this album, because I imagine that the sounds a wolf pack makes while it's disemboweling you would not be too dissimilar. The music is an unrelenting tirade of screaming and raw guitars. Punk fans, who feel your minds have been poisoned by the recent glut of pop-punk progressive-emo fare, will find this brand of UK street-punk to be a remarkably refreshing antidote for your ills.
- j.p.
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Released 07.10.2007
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara (Nettwerk) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I don't even want to try and describe this album; I just want you to listen. It's so lovely you'll ache, yearning for something you never knew you needed. Gorgeous. Yes, it's slow, but oh, how it works its way into your veins, coursing through until you're forced to dig out your journal and record your latest sadnesses. Someone more clever than I dubbed the sound "Canadiana." Serena Ryder's strong backing vocals complement Tony Dekker's plaintiveness well; think Sonya Cotton and Will Oldham.
- meredith
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Released 05.08.2007
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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Goon Moon - Licker's Last Leg (Ipecac) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Goon Moon features Jeordie White (Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails) and Chris Goss (Masters of Reality). The songs on Licker's Last Leg feature disturbing yet beautiful lyrics combined with an interesting mix of industrial, desert rock, and other unusual musical styles. Each track has its own unique personality and the album as a whole offers pleasing, and sometimes surprising treats for the listener's ears. This is some of the best and most creative work I've heard in quite some time.
- j.p.
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Released 05.08.2007
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Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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Great Northern - Trading Twilight for Daylight (Eenie Meenie) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Great Northern's Trading Twilight for Daylight has a soothing, introspective tone, thanks to neatly arranged songs using piano, synths and swirling guitars under mesmerising vocals. The band transmit a poppy, radio-friendly persona, particularly with "Just a Dream." Tracks like "Telling Lies" present a hopeful, upbeat mood that wouldn't be out of place if featured on Grey's Anatomy. Overall, this work is easy on the ears and perfect for summer.
- miriam
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Released 05.15.2007
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
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Good Charlotte - Good Morning Revival (Epic) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Doing away once and for all with the notion that they're a punk band, the Brothers Madden leave themselves free to create a big, glossy and surprisingly sharp-edged rock record that has more in common with The Killers than it does Rancid. "The River," in particular, will go down as one of the better mainstream rock radio singles of 2007 come year's end. Though their target demo may still be a legion of mall-dwellers in studs and eyeliner, they're finally making stuff that appeals to rest of us too.
- paul
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Released 03.27.2007
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Friday, March 02, 2007
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The Goners - Drink Dance Die EP (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This is not the '90s Estrus Records band of the same name. Aside from having the world's second greatest drummer, these Goners are obsessed with zombies, the morgue, dead bodies, and necrophelia. "Head" covers a legendary regional story of a horrific crime. The track "Ratt" has a tongue-in-cheek Scorpions intro before snapping into breakneck hardcore complete with an old school breakdown so old it's in a musical wheelchair. The vocals could be Scottish (by way of Transylvania) over midtempo cretin punk and horror comic book themes.
- mark
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Released 01.09.2007
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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
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The Gothic Archies - The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events (Nonesuch) [audio] [more audio]
Categorized as "goth-bubblegum," this album is stupendous—a word which here means that I adore it. Stephin Merritt, his trademark deep voice set against synthesizers and clanging percussion, is joined by none other than Lemony Snicket on the accordian during this romp through the 13 Series of Unfortunate Events books (the songs were originally written for the audiobooks). But you don't need to know who Count Olaf is to appreciate the record—"This Abyss" could pass for your run-of-the-mill depiction of angst. Except that Merritt is anything but run-of-the-mill. Marvelous.
- meredith
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Released 10.10.2006
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Monday, January 08, 2007
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G-Whiz - The Frank Henderson EP (self released) [audio and upcoming shows]
With four songs coming in at just under ten minutes, the "don't blink or you miss it" approach to music is still relatively rare. It's geeky garage rock—similar to 84 Nash, Staggering Statistics, Supernova, Jason and the Scorchers—with buzzing guitars, murky drums, harmonica, fiddle, toy piano and fuzzy recording quality. The low production quality is a perfect match for this music; the last thing it needs is more sheen. Best lyric: "Jesus and me / he's a carrot, I'm a pea, smiling at the folks we see."
- mark
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Released 06.20.2006
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
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The Game - Doctor's Advocate (Geffen) [audio and upcoming shows]
Game, you're fired. "I'm the West Coast Rakim"? Seriously? You should know your rap history well enough to know how absurd that statement is. Here, I'll explain the difference. Rakim is the God MC for a reason, the most compelling voice in rap history. You, Game, are talented, but at your best you sound EXACTLY like Dr. Dre, and no other MC can make skilled rhymes so eminently ignorable. Even Jay-Z doesn't take his bragging that far. Keep selling to 12 year-olds; the real heads know to look elsewhere.
- tom d.
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Released 11.14.2006
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Friday, November 10, 2006
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Dylan Gilbert - The Artist and the Scientist (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Move over, Conor Oberst—there's a new boy wonder in town, and his
name is Dylan Gilbert. These 10 guitar-based folk/rock songs pack a ton
of feeling and are good for rocking out, getting pissed, or just sitting
there and contemplating the world. This whole album should be in heavy
rotation on every college radio station. And the guy looks like Adam
Brody—need I say more?
- diana
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Released 09.12.2006
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Thursday, September 21, 2006
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Golem - Fresh Off Boat (JDub Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Reigning from New York City's Lower East Side, these energetic and innovative musicians are dragging Old World klezmer to the rock clubs and radio waves of the modern age. They personalize Yiddish folk songs with rock guitar, aggressive accordion and fiddle, and multilingual punk vocals, and even perform elaborate gender-bending Jewish wedding ceremonies. Not your father's klezmer!
- heidi
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Released 08.22.2006
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Thursday, August 31, 2006
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Goons of Doom - The Story of Dead Barbie and Ghost (Volcom) [audio and video] [upcoming shows]
Goons of Doom follow-up their Bikey Zomby ep with this 16 song lp that deals with surfing, the devil, getting laid, broken toes, rock n' roll, and general horror. Pro surfer Ozzie Wright leads this pack of ghouls straight from the bowels of Australia. The Goons sound like a hybrid of 50's rock n' roll and 70's punk with some Sonic Youth guitar noise layered in the mix. Brace yourself for such stand out tracks as "Bikey Zomby", "My Song", "Fingered", and "Hello Kitty"...just to name a few.
- kyle j.
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Released 08.08.2006
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Thursday, April 27, 2006
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Grogshow - ST (Future Appletree) [audio]
Recorded in the spring of 1995 and never released until now, Grogshow was a two piece band from Iowa which tragically lost leader Marc Kisting in 1996 to leukemia. Joined by drummer Jason Williams, Kisting plays acoustic guitar, mandolin and sings in a thin, vulnerable voice similar to Ed Crawford from FIREHOSE. Musically close to mid-fi era Mountain Goats, this twenty two minute document holds up amazingly well considering the time it was recorded and while this is a reminder of how unfair life can be, we are lucky to have this to remember him by.
- mark
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Released 01.30.2006
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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
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Adam Green - Jacket Full of Danger (Rough Trade) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Adam Green is some kind of cosmic conduit for great music. He mishandled this gift throughout the existence of Moldy Peaches and for the majority of his two previous solo albums, but he seems to be coming to terms with it finally...sort of. The jaunty Nilsson-esque pop is arranged and performed flawlessly by a troupe of able musicians, but Green dulls the glow of the material with his singing. With a vocal style that bridges a drowsy Lee Hazelwood with a retarded Nick Cave, he'd have been better off handing these songs to other people.
- paul
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Released 04.18.2006
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Wednesday, December 21, 2005
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Goons of Doom - Bikey Zomby EP (Volcom Entertainment) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Originally a joke band featuring pro skateboarder Ozzie Wright, who shares vocals duties with wife Bang Bang Bunny Fant, it's possible they have created a new musical genre- Australian horror punk, performed wearing capes and covered in (hopefully) fake blood. They manage the fake accents, while the music is influenced by Wire, The Damned and also Richard Hell. How many punk bands can pull off a song over ten minutes long? The most quotable lyric- "I'd rather get fucked from behind by Godzilla."
- mark
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Released 09.13.2005
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Tuesday, December 13, 2005
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The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Memphis Industries/Columbia Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
1-2-3-4 Get your butt out on the floor! 2-4-6-8 I think this record's really great! Yeah! Woo! This collection of exuberant shouts, cheers, and big boisterous sound evokes Saturday morning TV back in the '70s as remembered on VH1; it's like a bunch of cheerleaders, backed by a marching band (with a piano in tow), showed up on Sesame Street to support the Double Dutch team. My favorite parts are "Get it Together"'s crazy recorders, kickdrum, and record scratching and "We Just Won’t be Defeated"'s chanting. Gooooooooooooo Team!
- meredith
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Released 10.04.2005
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Friday, October 28, 2005
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Giant Drag – Hearts and Unicorns (Kickball) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I'm digging the fuzzy sound infiltrating indie pop these days. Paired with eerie melodies and a voice that is equal parts PJ Harvey, Hope Sandoval and Tracey Bonham, it becomes Giant Drag. I was immediately drawn in by the name of the album; who doesn't love hearts AND unicorns? And pleasantly surprised by intense and thoughtful lyrics of songs with titles like: "Kevin is gay" and "You're full of shit (check out my sweet riffs)." Ironically, a giant drag is one thing this band is not.
- stacie d.
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Released 09.13.2005
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Tuesday, September 27, 2005
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Grandaddy - Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla EP (V2) [audio]
Old is new again for Grandaddy, which means you have to take the good
with the bad. "Close The Curtains" is straight up quirky pop a la
"A.M. 180" from their 1997 debut full-length, the lengthy "At My Post" goes through moods and movements reminiscent of The Sophtware Slump, and the ear-splittingly annoying "Florida" recalls their earliest singles. But by re-writing their back catalog, the band can't help but sound tired and out of new ideas. Then again, maybe they're saving their best work for next year's full length.
- cory
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Released 09.27.2005
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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
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Girl Friday - Swimmer (Get Fresh Records) [audio]
Listening to this album made me move several other CDs into the "I'm sorry, but you’re not good enough to get a review" pile. Girl Friday's hypnotic rock sound elicits comparisons to K's Choice and Cat Power. At least from me. From "Give Over," a mesmerizing track encouraging the listener to find "the sweet inheritance of life," to "100 Miles," a ponderous meditation on getting beat down by the man (at least as I interpret it), the entire record deserves to be heard.
- meredith
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Released 06.15.2005
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Thursday, June 02, 2005
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Gorillaz - Demon Days (Virgin)
DJ Danger Mouse is no Dan the Automator. His production work on the new Gorillaz album is more one-dimensional than the psychotic fun Nakamura was able to achieve on the foursome's debut. Notably missing is Zen axe master Noodle's infectious singing, and 2D/Damon Albarn's vocals lack the enthusiasm I expected. However, the new incarnation is more coherent and deep than its predecessor, and Murdoc's bass chops have reached a new pinnacle. A decidedly worthy sophomore album, if not always as fun.
- tom d.
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Released 05.24.2005
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Monday, March 07, 2005
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Doug Gillard - Salamander (Pink Frost) [mp3s] [upcoming shows]
From the ashes of Guided By Voices' break up rises Doug Gillard's first solo record, Salamander. Longtime axeman for GBV and Cobra Verde, Gillard plays almost every instrument on the record. Gillard has fine crafted a perfect guitar oriented rock/pop record. "Present" sounds like it could be a Superdrag B-side. While the wonderful (But) I see Something (which closes the record) brings to mind Epic Soundtracks and Elvis Costello. Salamander is hooky, infectious, and well-crafted. This may well be Gillard's best musical outing yet.
- kyle j.
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Released 10.19.2004
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Friday, January 21, 2005
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A. Graham and the Moment Band - This Tyrant is Free (Sonic Unyon Records) [mp3]
What's so catchy about "Glorious", the opening song on This Tyrant is Free? It could be the chorus that's sung by a choir or that the song has a great hook. Whatever it is, catchy is one word I would use. If it's not the many hooks within the album, maybe it's the Pavement-esque vibe that hangs in the air throughout the record or the smooth pedal steel that pops up on a couple of songs. Maybe it's just Graham's wise-ass lyrics. Whatever it is, I hope I hear more real soon.
- kyle j.
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Released 10.19.2004
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Tuesday, October 19, 2004
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Giant Sand - Is All Over the Map (Thrill Jockey) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
Oh Howie, I really appreciate that you at least tried to take
your Adderall while you were making this record, but we're never going to catch up with you, are we? I almost know what you're doing on one song and then zip - you're eating candy and playing pinball. By the time I make change you're unraveling your socks to see how long a thread you can make. Somebody needs a time out, and it's me.
- leslie
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Friday, August 13, 2004
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Graham Colton Band - Drive (Universal) [mp3s] [upcoming shows]
I think this is supposed to be interesting and catchy in a Ryan Adams or Pete Yorn sort of way, but Drive comes off like an updated-for-2004 Toad The Wet Sprocket trying to score the title track to a cheap WB teen drama. No surprise, really, with Brendan O'Brien producing (Stone Temple Pilots, etc.) and helping to write the record. More unecessary adult-alt-rock to clog up the airwaves.
- cory
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Friday, July 30, 2004
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Michael Gira - I Am Singing to You from My Room (Young God Records) [audio/video]
Michael Gira doesn't mind ruining surprises. For his second post-Swans solo outing, he goes DIY with just an acoustic guitar and a DAT machine to show us what the next Angels of Light record might sound like. A hint: the revenge tale "My Sister Said" is utterly heartbreaking. Wrapping up this bulky document of damaged folk lamentations (there are 17 songs, including some stripped-down Swans oldies) are three out-of-character fairy tales. A promising infancy of what is sure to be another gem.
- jason m.
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Thursday, April 01, 2004
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The Get Up Kids - Guilt Show (Vagrant) [audio and video] [stream the album] [upcoming shows]
Wow. If you're anything like me, after that last record, you were prepared to skip this one, all together. Never fear, though, this record represents a bit of a return to form for the ol' TGUK. They holed up in their own studio and did all the recording themselves (with help from Ed Rose). They rock. They don't pretend that they're being played on some adult contemporary radio station. And there's no Scott Litt to be found. Buy without fear, children.
- brian
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Wednesday, February 11, 2004
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Delia L. Gonzalez & Gavin R. Russom - El Monte 12" (DFA) [audio]
Readers familiar with the heavy dance-oriented funky punk that's become DFA's calling card for the last three years are in store for a surprise. "El Monte" conjures up images of 70's supernatural thriller films and the chilling music that scored them (Wendy Carlos, Mike Oldfield, and others). On the flip, "Rise (DFA Remix)" has the added benefit of drums and ends up sounding more like classic 80's darkwave than anything else you've ever heard on DFA. Not a bad first musical outing for a couple of visual artists.
- paul
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Friday, November 07, 2003
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Guided By Voices - Hardcore UFOs (Matador) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
Michael Stipe recently stated that once a band is together for twenty years, the only option is to put out either a live album or a greatest hits collection. Bob Pollard, prolific as he is, has taken that advice and more than doubled it with the Hardcore UFOs box set. Included are albums of: live performances, greatest hits, of unreleased material (some of which even I haven't heard before), the band's first release (Forever Since Breakfast), and singles and B-sides released by Matador. The box set is simply a dream. Take that, Stipe.
- dave
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Tuesday, April 08, 2003
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John Guilt - The Mirrors and Uncle Sam (Munich Records) [mp3, mp3, mp3] [upcoming shows]
The first proper long-player from NYC's John Guilt (formerly Maestro Echoplex) continues down the path opened by their previous EP (strummy, organy, folky indie rock), but with a somewhat richer, fuller sound. The Mirrors And Uncle Sam evokes the spirit of the old Nation, the one where a teary-eyed Henry Ford can talk about "fellers" in glorious black and white. There's a real sense of detached melancholy throughout, and a ghostly, midnighty feel. It's a lovely and sad anti-paean to Modern America.
- ryan
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Tuesday, April 01, 2003
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Matthew Good - Avalanche (Universal) [audio/video] [upcoming shows]
First off, let me say that I like Matt Good. Yes, he's got an oversized ego and a mouth to match, but his music shows occasional flashes of brilliance that makes you think there's a lot more we haven't heard yet. So you'd think his first solo album would show us what he's capable of. Instead, we get an overproduced, self-indulgent mess of an album, but if you listen real close, you might find some of that brilliance somewhere in there. Oh, and the packaging is nice. Seriously though, I like Matt Good.
- kean
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Tuesday, December 31, 2002
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GZA/Genius - Legend Of The Liquid Sword (MCA Records) [audio] [video]
No, it doesn't even come close to the original... the brilliant... the definitive... Liquid Swords. But I gots news for you - neither does any other hiphop release this year. If you can find your way past that fact, Mr. Grice has pieced together a solid disc. Simple, catchy beats. Entertaining lyrics. Sure, a few of the tracks start to wear a little thin, but the get-up-and-dance-whiteboy hotness of Did Ya Say That? (LOVE that offbeat/bewildered chorus) and Uncut Material more than make up for it.
- jon
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Thursday, December 12, 2002
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David Gray - A New Day At Midnight (RCA) [audio] [upcoming shows]
With his US breakthrough "White Ladder," David Gray provided the innocuous, triple-A radio soundtrack to countless Banana Republic shopping trips and "pensive" moments on the Real World. Yet in spite of that, you couldn't really fault the guy - the heart of a talented songwriter beats underneath layers of arterial cheese. Gray's new disc intentionally cranks the "sad" up a notch - as the elegaic lead single "The Other Side" asserts - but the honkies will still lap it up.
- nick
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Friday, September 27, 2002
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Goner - Dollar Movie (Eskimo Kiss Records) [mp3s]
Some great songs with loads of synths, drum machines, Rentals/Weezer-style keyboards, and pianos. This band could have success at a higher than indie level but the songs would be better served by stripping them down, becoming more organic, adding more drums, lowering the keyboards in the mix or ditching them entirely (see "lifer's lament"). They somehow remind me of those bands you claim to like until they become really popular - in some form, they have a great future. Hopefully, they move in the right direction.
- mark
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Tuesday, September 24, 2002
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Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute (Warner Brothers) [mp3]
With stints on Ozzfest and music videos featuring Vincent Gallo, Glassjaw teeter between trad metal crunchosity and avant experimentation, all with a sophistication and genuine musicality that belies their Long Island hardcore roots. The Morrissey-via-Fugazi vocals may grow a little tedious over the course of a full-length, but the oft-surprising songcraft and clever riffs certainly make up for it. Not for everyone, but worth a few listens more than most "hipper" records I've heard this year.
- nick
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Wednesday, August 07, 2002
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Green Day - Shenanigans (Reprise)
True appreciators of Green Day are a small but dedicated lot; undoubtedly, most had already heard, in some form or another, the non-album material compiled on the overdue Shenanigans. It turns out to be a CD typical of its sort, with both throw-away tracks and "This-is-why-I-love-this-band" moments represented. Naturally, the latter element is what makes such collections so attractive to fans, and the highlights do deliver. However, their considerable pop-rock shine is greatly diminished by the presence of lesser songs, ultimately making the album an item for completists only.
- chris
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Tuesday, July 02, 2002
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Guided By Voices - Universal Truths and Cycles (Matador) [mp3s]
Even though they put bands twenty years younger to shame and have more potential hits than Toto, this won't be the release that will turn Guided By Voices into household names. Contained here are the usual power chord anthems fans expect with a stripped down production that manages to sound slick without being suffocating (see Do the Collapse). Despite being potentially their best hi-fi release to date, non-fans will continue their holdout while long time fans will get their usual fix.
- mark
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Tuesday, May 14, 2002
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The Get Up Kids - On a Wire (Vagrant) [mp3]
When did these guys go "adult alternative" while I wasn't looking? It's like "What if R.E.M. went into the studio all fucked up and said 'Let's make the worst album we could possibly imagine! Let's even rip off Pink Floyd (Let The Reigns Go Loose), but butcher that too!'" This comparison is, of course, aided by the fact that Scott Litt produced this steaming turd. "Grunge Pig," indeed. Destined to be one of the worst albums of the year, I would file this one under "music to shit by" ...but that's too generous.
- brian
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Monday, May 06, 2002
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The Good Life - Black Out (Saddle Creek) [mp3s]
Somewhere Robert Smith is wearing his white hightops, kicking back and smiling. Saddle Creek's pillaging of the 80's continues, as the second new wave is embraced by the new pretty young things. The Good Life, like The Cure, reap all the benefits of heavy black eyeliner and teased out hair, only without having to sport the uniform that was required way back when. A proven formula executed perfectly here, many fading memories flashed back with every familiar melody.
- mark
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Friday, April 26, 2002
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Gomez - In Our Gun (Virgin) [audio]
First, Gomez was raw and powerful with 1998's Bring It On. Then, they effortlessly recorded an album that was brilliant, clever, and soulful with 1999's Liquid Skin. Now, Gomez shows that they can be polished with In Our Gun. A pair of raspy singers trade off on songs that are sometimes catchy and light, but are always musically interesting. In true indie-kid style, I feel In Our Gun is not quite as good as older stuff, but still pretty damn good. [read leslie's review of the album]
- neil
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Thursday, April 18, 2002
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Girls Against Boys - You Can't Fight What You Can't See (Jade Tree) [mp3 1] [mp3 2]
Send a note to the wife and kids, the latest platter of post-apocalyptic disco-metal from Girls Against Boys caused me to cash in my stock options and hop on a plane to Vegas where I'm blowing my cash on cards, booze, smack, and hookers. Damn, it feels good. (Okay, I made all that up. Really, I'm a loser fantasizing as I sit in my cluttered work cubicle listening to the music Rob Zombie would make if he weren't a cartoon character.)
- chip
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Wednesday, April 10, 2002
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Gomez - In Our Gun (Virgin) [audio]
Save two tracks, "In Our Gun" lacks the intimacy of previous efforts, seemingly under the auspices of trying to cram more stuff into their songs. Gun is highly listenable, as a wider variety of the band's abilities are showcased. For my money you could put an all bagpipe and harmonica corps behind Ian's vocals and I'd be riveted, but luckily, these songs are accessible and instantly likable for anyone.
- leslie
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Grandaddy - Concrete Dunes (Will Records)
Often times a b-side compilation (or b-sides in general) offer the listener insights into the evolution of a band's songwriting. Sometimes a b-side sucks, and makes you appreciate the greatness of a group's more poignant works. This is the case with concrete Dunes, a collection odd and mostly forgettable melancholy songs. I went searching for a piece of the brilliance that was apparent in 2000's Sophtware Slump, and was left disappointed. Only recommended for the die-hard fan.
- neil
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Wednesday, March 13, 2002
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Go Back Snowball - Calling Zero (Fading Captain)
If you accept the basic premise of the cult of Bob Pollard - that he is a genius with an ear for irresistible hooks, weirdly evocative nonsense-lyrics, and, sometimes, the perfect pop song - then you have no business complaining about his mammoth output. This long-distance collaboration, with Pollard adding vocals to Superchunk-frontman Mac McCaughan's instrumentals, features a Magnetic Fields quality at times, one true-genius song, a few close contenders, and plenty of lo-fi pop candy in between. Not just for diehards.
- catherine
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Monday, January 14, 2002
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Granfaloon Bus - Exploded View (Future Farmers) [mp3]
Slatch.com readers unite – an entire sleepy/twangy country-folk-pop album of drinking songs, according to singer/guitarist Felix Costanza (no relation to George). Drummer, Jeff Palmer, played bass on the last Sunny Day Real Estate album and guests on the CD have played with the Breeders, Mark Eitzel, and Mr.Bungle(!). Finding $3 CDs this good in the used bins is always exciting.
- chip
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Monday, December 03, 2001
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The Get Up Kids - Eudora (Vagrant)
This guy next to me at work keeps telling me about "The Poop List" while I'm trying to write a review for this record. I keep telling him that I've heard it all before, that it's nothing new, blah blah blah. Then I realized... that kinda sums up this collection of 7", comp songs and covers. It's nice to have all these songs on one CD, especially the stuff I only have on vinyl. The cover of Suffragette City is worth it, alone. I may have heard it all before, but it's still good shit (pun intended).
- brian
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