Category: Alternative (Page 139 of 155)

A Top 13…? Sure, why not.

November 8, 2006 / Will Harris

In a recent promotion involving the release of the L.E.O. album, Bleu provided folks who purchased the record through Not Lame Records with his top 13 essential albums of all time. The list was posted to an E-mail list I’m on, and, predictably, it spurred everyone to start sending out their own top 13 lists…so here’s mine, and feel free to submit your own as well:

1. The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour: I know I’m supposed to pick Revolver or Sgt. Pepper, but over the years, I’ve come to realize that any album which contains “I Am the Walrus,” “Penny Lane,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Your Mother Should Know,” and “All You Need Is Love” is really the Beatles album that I’ll listen to more often than any other, “Blue Jay Way” be damned.
2. The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead. If only because of “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.” Of course, there are plenty of other reasons to include it, since I love every song, but that one song is ultimately the reason it’s essential for me.
3. Jellyfish, Spilt Milk. So is it true that you’re either a Bellybutton man or a Split Milk man, and that you can’t be both…?
4. The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds. It didn’t hit me like a ton of bricks, as it did others, but when it did hit me, WOW.
5. a-ha, Hunting High and Low. I didn’t even listen to this album until after their time on the US charts had come and gone, but once it did, I wondered why the hell I’d never paid any attention to them before.
6. Pet Shop Boys, Very. It was officially the point where Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe stopped mattering in the States, but it was also when I realized that I rather preferred it that way.

7. R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant. Seeing these guys at William and Mary Hall when they were touring behind Document was a formative moment in my appreciation of alternative music, and of all their albums, this remains my favorite.
8. The Merrymakers, No Sleep ‘Til Famous. This was the album that convinced me that there was something in the water in Sweden that gave its residents the ability to write incredibly catchy pop hooks.
9. Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, Globe of Frogs. I could list any number of Hitchcock albums here, but this is one I’m forever returning to.
10. Squeeze, Frank. A dark horse in the Squeeze discography, to be sure, but when I worked at a record store, my manager said, “You must listen to this album.” I continue to thank her for that to this day.
11. Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison. Because I can still remember listening to it on 8-track while riding in my dad’s Ford pick-up.
12. XTC, Skylarking. Andy Partridge may still grimace at the memory of working with Todd Rundgren, but even he can’t fault the end result.
13. Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. Because it fucking rocks. Period.

Alternative, Lists, Pop, Rock

Yawn. A new Smithereens album.

November 7, 2006 / Will Harris

Why the yawning for one of my favorite bands of all time? Because it’s been seven years since the band’s last studio album, and they’re breaking their silence with…an album of covers. Okay, sure, it’s a cute gimmick – the album’s called Meet the Smithereens, and they’ve re-recorded Meet the Beatles in its entirety – but a less devout fan might well suggest that the band’s running creatively dry…

Alternative, News, Pop, Rock

Mix Disc Monday: Rainy Day Songs

November 7, 2006 / Mike Farley

You know how some songs were just meant for rainy days? I started this list and it had a few songs with ”rain” in the title, but I thought that was kind of cheating. Leaving that out made things more interesting. This is a good mix to sit on your front porch (under cover, of course) and watch the rain as you listen to some cool tunes.

“Jane,” Ben Folds Five (The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner)
Ben has a lot of songs that could have wound up on this list, but “Jane” earns that distinction with its minor key and somewhat somber mood.

“So at Last,” Butch Walker (Letters)
Butch is singing about Southern California in this song, but there is no denying the rainy day feel of it. I’d be really surprised if Butch wasn’t in Minneapolis on a crappy day when he wrote it.

“Let It Die,” Feist (Let It Die)
The aching beauty of this song can practically inflict wounds on the human body. This is Leslie Feist at her best.

“Cold Again,” Freedy Johnston (This Perfect World)
You can almost feel the chilly air as Mr. Johnston sings about walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. You can also probably taste the half-burnt, half-frozen pretzel from a New York City street vendor.

“Flair,” Josh Rouse (Dressed Up Like Nebraska)
This album is full of up-tempo jangly acoustic rock songs. But this one is dark and somber and awesome all at the same time.

“After Tomorrow,” LUCE (LUCE)
This track is more optimistic than sad lyrically, but the overall vibe is perfect for gray skies.

“Jen Is Bringin’ the Drugs,” Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s (The Dust of Retreat)
Here is how the lyrics start: “Jen is bringin’ the drugs / She wants to get real fucked up.” I mean, it’s not a bad idea on a rainy day.

“Don’t Believe,” Marjorie Fair (Self Help Serenade)
Most of the debut album from this band has that dreamy, underwater feel to it. And it’s bordering on brilliant.

“Suburbia,” Matthew Good (Beautiful Midnight)
One of the best under-the-radar albums of the last 10 years, Matthew Good must have written this entire album when he was in a real funk. And, you know, that always makes for the best music.

“You Just Forgot,” Mindy Smith (Long Island Shores)
This one was released maybe a month ago. Being fresh in my mind may have helped the song land here, but I think maybe it will still be a great rainy day track 10 years from now. What a voice on this chick.

“You Are Mine,” Mute Math (Mute Math)
A stunning song from a stunning debut. This is movie soundtrack material.

“Things behind the Sun,” Nick Drake (Pink Moon)
Quite honestly, you could put this song on the list 15 times and forget about the other 14. But that would be way less fun.

“Salesman at the Day of the Parade,” Rogue Wave (Descended Like Vultures)
Does Sub Pop sign any acts that don’t make rainy day songs? Not really.

“God of Wine,” Third Eye Blind (Third Eye Blind)
The last four tracks on the band’s debut album are so depressing yet somehow so compelling. Pass me the bottle.

“Windmills,” Toad the Wet Sprocket (Dulcinea)
This track will make you remember why you fell in love with Toad in the first place. Glen Phillips is my freaking hero, and this incredible song is one of his best.

Alternative, Mix Disc Monday, Rock, Songs

Notes From the Orphanage Part 3

October 31, 2006 / Mike Farley

When my editor told me he started this bit, I was the happiest person of all. Not only because all CDs come through me first before they are assigned and the pile is as high as a New York skyscraper. But because that means more artists get some kind of coverage. So here’s to you, Mr. Pulling Orphans Off the Pile Man…..

NOTES FROM THE ORPHANAGE

Avi Granite: 5 (Pet Mantis Records)
Old school jazz with dirty horns and distored guitars. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this is thinking man’s jazz. Or even better, jazz for the stoner in you. But no matter what you call it, guitarist Avi Granite and his band are incredibly talented musicians.

Sam I Am: Whatever’s Got You Down (Hopeless)
A pretty good rock band with pop and punk flavors, but the lead singer sounds like (and I can’t think of any other way to say this) Fred Flintstone. It’s like I keep waiting for him to shout “WIL-MA” in the middle of each song. Seriously, singer Jason Beebout is just too distracting to keep this thing in your CD player for very long.

Dirty on Purpose: Hallelujah Sirens (North Street)
This is the kind of guitar-driven alt-pop that is perfect for kids who want to chill out in college dorms or for radio stations anywhere below 90 on the dial. Some of it is downright depressing, but in a good way. Did I just contradict myself? I think I did. Well, check this album out and see if you disagree.

Mushroomhead: Savior Sorrow (Filthyhands/Megaforce)
This is the kind of stuff that Beavis and Butthead would raise index finger and pinky to. And while it rocks and screams like you would expect from this Cleveland metal band, the songwriting on the album is pretty damn good, too—particularly on “Simple Survival” and “Save Us.”

The Beautiful Girls: Water (Cornerstone RAS)
This is not a band of hot chicks, as you might expect, but rather it’s four dudes who make music that sounds like Jack Johnson mixed with a bit of G. Love & Special Sauce. It’s good stuff too, especially the title track; and lead singer/songwriter Mat McHugh has a compelling voice. Now, someone please pass me the marijuana.

Cute is What We Aim For: The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch (Fueled By Ramen)
A pretty good band with some pretty catchy songs if you like the sort of pop/punk in which the lead singer puts a clothes pin on his nose while singing. This is MTV bordering on VH-1. But for the love of God can we please stop with the long band names and long album titles? I mean, does anyone think this is a good band name? Why not call yourselves Sally Looked at Me in English Class and I Think I Got A Two By Four In My Pants?

Kristy Frank: Freedom (Ruffnation)
This is teen pop but with a rock edge, ala Michelle Branch. And what are they putting in the kids’ milk these days? Kristy, a California native who is part Swedish, is only FIFTEEN. And this album is surprisingly catchy and well produced. I smell an MTV darling.

Alternative, CD Reviews, Indie Labels, Pop, Rock

Notes from the Orphanage, Part Deux

October 25, 2006 / Will Harris

Like Herr Medsker, my history as a music critic can be tied directly back to one concept: getting free music. I went to a high school journalism conference in 1987, and one of the speakers assured his audience that if you sent a copy of your publication to a record label and told them that you wanted to review one of their albums, they’d send you a free copy. It’s still true today…except in our case, we send them a link to our site, and more often than not, we don’t have to request this stuff; it’s sent to us whether we have any interest in it or not. So here are a few rapid fire critiques of discs that I never really wanted in the first place, but, hey, they were free…

The 1900s, Plume Delivery (Parasol): These Chicago-based popsters are a little bit Belle and Sebastian, a little bit New Pornographers, and are influenced a hell of a lot by late ’60 pop and early ’70s bubblegum. This, their debut EP, is full of lots of pop goodness. Even the 7+ minutes of “Patron Saint of the Mediocre” are full enough of enough musical diversity to keep things interesting throughout.

Doleful Lions, Song Cyclops Volume Two (Parasol): This album was recorded in the home of Jonathan Scott – who is, for all practical purposes, the Doleful Lions – in 1999, and there’s never a moment when you aren’t completely aware that it’s a bedroom production. I admit it, the songs – originals sitting alongside covers of the Beach Boys, the Misfits, and the Close Lobsters, among others – are all catchy as hell…but, damn, never before have I wished that I was Phil Spector, just so I could clean this shit up!

Jonny Lives!, Get Steady (Eleven Seven): There are way too many punk-pop bands out there who sound approximately the same for me to be able to write anything other than approximately the same review. These guys warrant at least a few extra words, though, because frontman / songwriter Jonny Dubowski seems to be interested in having his band be more than being just the next Jimmy Eat World. They’re not Sugarcult, but they’re certainly better than average…and lord knows that most of their peers are terribly, terribly average.

Alternative, Artists, Pop, Rock, Songs