Category: CD QuickTakes (Page 117 of 149)

The Silent Years: The Globe

September 26, 2008 /

Detroit’s biggest indie-rock act in terms of popularity is the White Stripes, but the city’s biggest-sounding group has to be the Silent Years. The group is technically a five-piece, but they certainly aren’t shy in asking others to join in, with over a dozen people being credited as “performers” in the liner notes of their sophomore album The Globe (and that doesn’t include the horn section, who are billed as an ensemble). Not surprisingly, The Globe is a epic-sounding record, with arching guitar riffs accompanying omnipresent keyboard melodies and driving beats while backing singers and the previously mentioned horn section wait in the wings ready to flood your speakers at a moment’s notice. Amazingly, no matter what the Silent Years try to do, they pull it off. When they’re trying guitar-driven rock (“Climb on My Back”) it works, when they get crazy with percussion and keyboards (“Goddamn You!”) it works, and even when they kick it down-home country-style (“Black Hole”), it works. Some might say that they need to tighten up a bit and pick a sound, but why? Sure, there may be a lot going on with The Globe – but it’s all good. (First Date Records 2008)


The Silent Years MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Sunfold: Toy Tugboats

September 26, 2008 /

Sunfold is a unique band. Not musically, actually – in that regard they are quite average. No, Sunfold is unique because while they are technically a side project of the Annuals, the two bands’ lineups are entirely identical. The only difference between the bands is that Adam Baker and Kenny Florence have switched places, so the drummer is now the singer/guitarist and vice versa. Some may consider the move brave and unique; others (like me) consider it a cop out and cowardly. The Annuals could have released this CD as themselves, but they probably knew that their incredibly jaded, ultra-pretentious fan base wouldn’t have liked it (because it doesn’t sound like Broken Social Scene), so instead they released it under a different name. Now the same crowd that would have most likely slammed the group for abandoning their carbon copy indie-rock sound will now most likely embrace Toy Tugboats, even though it’s nothing more than a mediocre collection of guitar-driven pop songs. If any other band had released Toy Tugboats it would have gotten no attention at all, because quite frankly it doesn’t deserve it. There are few good songs here; the psychedelic “Gnosis” and the electronic-infused “Gorgée de Rubis” are both worthwhile, but most of the album is utterly forgettable and bland. Sadly, trying to explain the relationship between Sunfold and the Annuals is far more interesting and complicated than either of their records. (Terpsikhone 2008)

Sunfold MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews

Chapters: Wife

September 26, 2008 /

Okay, look…I like Joy Division. I really do. But as a people, we need to move on. Following in the steps of Editors, Interpol and She Wants Revenge, Chapters is the latest in an increasing number of bands who believe that Joy Division is a genre of music. Throughout their five-track EP Wife , the band clings to the memory of Ian Curtis like a noose clinging to a neck of a strung-out rock star. Snare-heavy mixes, grinding guitars and intense snarky vocals are all present in spades. And if getting hung up on a singular band for your sound wasn’t enough, they also stick to the common Joy Division themes of broken relationships and broken love. But while Curtis was fond of self-loathing, Chapters seem to project their despair and the result almost comes of as misogynistic at worst or just annoying and whiny at best. Find another late 70s/early 80s British act to crib. guys. How about Ian Dury & the Blockheads? We need more of that. (Chapters 2008)

Chapters MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Billy Idol: The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself (Deluxe Edition)

September 24, 2008 /

The formula for this review is simple: two stars were awarded for the compilation of songs included in this deluxe version, and one star for the video compilation. In this age of 17 greatest hits packages for any artist who put out two records, you just don’t need to purchase every single one that is out there. Billy has received the greatest-hits treatment several times including 1985’s remix album Vital Idol and the very strong Greatest Hits from 2001. All 14 tracks off of that compilation are represented on this release. That leaves four additional songs, including two new ones recorded specifically for this super-duper deluxe, very best of. “World Coming Down” from Devil’s Playground has a Green Day pop punk feel and is a strong track. “John Wayne,” a new song, is a good one. It starts with an atmospheric and busy bass line until it builds to a rocking chorus. The production is full but not crowded and the melody has traces of a slowed-down “White Wedding” in it. Idol sounds inspired when he stretches his voice in sections. This is the best song he has produced in a long time; then again, he hasn’t been the most productive artist recently, with only three releases of new material in the last 18 years (1990’s Charmed Life, 1993’s disastrous Cyberpunk and 2005’s decent Devil’s Playground). “New Future Weapon,” the other new track, is average at best, adding nothing to the Idol legacy. The other tracks, the ones you know, that mix punk attitude, new wave, pop and elements of hard rock, speak for themselves and have been etched in our collective pop culture recall. You probably don’t need to hear “Mony Mony” ever, ever again except when that obnoxious DJ implores everyone to get on the dance floor at that fabulous (white?) wedding you find yourself at (when is he going to play “Celebration”?). The videos are a trip through neon, big ’80s hair and all the Billy Idol sneering you can possibly stand. They were innovative at the time but appear to be a bit dated now. They are worth a look and a chuckle or two. If you have no Billy Idol, this is a fine purchase. If you are a freak for videos in an age where you can only find the stuff on VH-1 classic, then this is for you. If you have a previous collection, download “John Wayne” and “World Coming Down” and call it a day. (Capitol)

Billy Idol MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews

The Wanteds: Failure Looks So Good

September 19, 2008 /

Emo has become so pervasive (and so mall-friendly) that it’s developed a bad rap over the last five years or so, but anyone who weathered the bored detachment and smirking irony of the ‘90s could tell you that a little impassioned screaming isn’t such a bad thing once in a while. The best of the emo bands understand what Springsteen always has: Even if rock & roll can’t really save your life, sometimes it really feels like it can, and that’s enough to get you through a few dark nights of the soul. Tommy Harrington, frontman for Portland’s Wanteds, gets it, and even if he isn’t the greatest singer in the world – or whichever city block he happens to be standing on at any given moment – and his songwriting isn’t always up to par, he’s got the blood-curdling intensity thing down pat, and that – along with the band’s penchant for playing loud, live, and just long enough to keep from wearing out its welcome – rescues Failure Looks So Good from the Vans rock ash heap. Harrington says the record makes him feel the way he did when he heard Appetite for Destruction and Nevermind, which is a hell of a lot more than it’ll do for you, but you can’t fault him for his chutzpah, and he’s got the right idea. Lord only knows what he’ll write about if Harrington ever finds what he’s looking for, but in the meantime, this is a record well worth turning up. (Ultra Mookie 2008)

The Wanteds MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

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