Category: CD Reviews (Page 189 of 399)

Science Faxtion: Living on Another Frequency

January 23, 2009 /

Bootsy Collins, Buckethead, and Brain join forces with producer multi-instrumentalist Greg Hampton to release the man/robot Orwellian-themed, musically eclectic Living on Another Frequency. As bizarre as the combination sounds, it really isn’t unique. Brain and Buckethead worked together on The Big Eyeball in the Sky, joining Bernie Worrell (who guests on this record), and Les Claypool in the one-off Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains. Buckethead has worked with Collins before in Praxis. The X factor, and ultimately the weakness of the record, are the whiskey-soaked, cigarette-stained and underwhelming vocals of Greg Hampton who provides the lead voice on the majority of the record. It’s a shame because musically, it is as sophisticated as it is bizarre. It has much more structure than a Praxis project, but still roams all around a futuristic funk rock sound to tantalize the listener. The best tracks are the trippy instrumental based tracks which have weird vocal samples (and no Hampton singing like “Sci-Fax Theme” and “Famous”) or “Life-IS IN-Deliver,” featuring a spacey, Hendrix-influenced vocal by Collins, or a guest spot by the distinct Chuck D on “What It Is.” It’s adventurous and interesting, especially on paper, but much like the 2008 Chicago Cubs, being good on paper doesn’t guarantee success. (Mascot Records)

Science Faxtion MySpace page

Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, External Music, Folk, Funk, Reggae, Rock, Songs, Steal This Song

Mobile: Tales from the City

January 23, 2009 /

The Juno Award-winning “Best New Artist” of 2007, Toronto-by-way-of-Montreal rockers Mobile step up their game on their second album. Not content to follow the lead of their critically acclaimed contemporaries back in Montreal, the band’s tack is decidedly mainstream, with Killers producer Jeff Saltzman (not to be confused with Portland, Oregon producer Jeff Stuart Saltzman) in tow. In reality, though, their sound hasn’t changed all that significantly – if anything, the precise, danceable rock beats typical of the band (and of Franz Ferdinand, and, naturally, the Killers too) are even more firmly in place, and the dark dramatic sweep of their productions are more pronounced. Some of the album’s most successful moments are when drummer Pierre-Marc Hamelin gets to breathe with some fills (especially on “No Tomorrow” and in the midst of the ‘80s pop synth beats of “Gravity”), though to their credit, the band does manage to humanize dance rock with just enough dark moods to keep it interesting without devolving into self-parody. They’re at their best, however, when they buck the formula – “All is Forgiven” is a surprisingly unpretentious, low-key three-part epic (who knew such a thing existed?) that bridges the gap between Muse and ‘80s Genesis. Tales from the City may not be earth-shattering, but it does continue to provide evidence that the musical grounds up in the Great White North are still fertile. (Universal Music Canada 2008)

Mobile MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Your favorite band sucks: bands and artists the Bullz-Eye music writers just “don’t get”

January 20, 2009 /

Every music lover has been there – in front of the television or a set of speakers, listening for the first time to the work of a critically revered artist whose songs are supposed to change the way you look at the world…only to come away wondering what all the hype was about. For the iconoclastic among us, these moments are opportunities to prove what independent thinkers we are; for everyone else – a group that often appears to include virtually every name-brand music critic on the planet – they’re opportunities to turn off your ears, nod your head, and smile. What kind of self-respecting music writer doesn’t love the music of Bruce Springsteen? U2? Elvis Costello? A total hack, right?

Your favorite band sucks Maybe. Or maybe we tend to forget that one of the most wonderful things about art is the utterly objective way we respond to it. One establishment’s treasure can be one lonely listener’s source of constant befuddlement, consternation or outright rage – and with that in mind, your Bullz-Eye Music staff put its heads together and drew up a list of all the bands and artists we’re supposed to love…but don’t. Each of the writers who contributed to this piece is speaking solely for himself, and you’re sure to disagree with some of the names mentioned here – and, of course, that’s sort of the point. But enough of our introductory babble – let’s break down some critical idols!

The Doors
“…don’t even think about describing their sound as “timeless”; you’ll be hard pressed to find music as trapped in time as these peyote-fueled dirges, and no one summed up the life and legacy of Jim Morrison – whose death was as brilliant a career move as you’ll ever see – better than Denis Leary: ‘I’m drunk, I’m nobody. I’m drunk, I’m famous. I’m drunk, I’m fucking dead.'”

Bruce Springsteen
“Perhaps Jello Biafra put it best when he referred to Bruce Springsteen as ‘Bob Dylan for jocks.’ But I can sum up what I dislike about the majority of the Boss in one word: Glockenspiel.”

Pink Floyd
“If you’re 14 and discovering pot, Pink Floyd’s a must. Hell, Dark Side of the Moon is practically a gateway drug in and of itself. If you’re out of high school and still into ’em, you’ve got a problem.”

Conor Oberst
“…his songs are duller than a steak knife in a prison cafeteria. I’ve tried repeatedly to ‘get’ Oberst’s work, but each time, I come away further convinced that his music is an elaborate prank hatched by the editors of Pitchfork.”

To read the rest of the bands Bullz-Eye doesn’t get, click here.

Alternative, Americana, Artists, Dance, Folk, Lists, Pop, Power Pop, Punk, Rock, Songs

Modern Skirts: All of Us in Our Night

January 16, 2009 /

The Modern Skirts’ second full-length, All of Us in Our Night, bridges the gap between ‘70s AM gold and early ‘90s modern rock – which isn’t surprising once you take a look at the album credits and see that the producers assembled for the disc include David Lowery (Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker, Counting Crows) and Mike Mills (R.E.M., duh). It probably goes without saying that none of All of Us resonates as strongly as the best work from any of the above-named bands – heck, maybe not even strongly enough to remain lodged in your memory banks after the disc is finished playing – but none of it sucks, and in some places (particularly the brightly loping “Radio Breaks”), it hints at a brighter future for the young Athens outfit. Not greatness, perhaps, but why get greedy? This is a dozen-song set that hearkens back to a simpler, more innocent time, and even if its chances of ending up on your year-end best-of list are rather slim, it’ll help you while away a few bitter winter weeks hearkening back to a simpler, more innocent time. If you need a little more jangle and/or gentle, sunny harmonies in your musical diet, look no further. (self-released 2009)

Modern Skirts MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Cash Cash: Take It to the Floor

January 16, 2009 /

For most music fans, a band name like Cash Cash probably provokes mental images of DJs, bling-flashing MCs, and bangin’ beats – and even though this New Jersey quartet delivers on that last front, and got its first big break from the DJs who turned “Party in Your Bedroom” into a dance hit, they’re actually a pack of power pop-dealing honkies whose sound has more to do with the Click Five than Lil Wayne. Obviously, wrapping rock guitars in a hard candy shell is nothing new; bands from Cheap Trick to New Jersey’s own Fountains of Wayne have tried to make a commercial go of it for decades, with spotty results (to say the least). But to their credit, Cash Cash manage to avoid a lot of the pitfalls that recent like-minded acts such as Swirl 360 and the aforementioned Click Five have stumbled into; their songs are pretty uniformly solid, for one thing, and although they rely heavily on programmed beats and trendy, analog-sounding synths, their sound isn’t quite as brightly colored as it could be – which is a very good thing, because it staves off ear fatigue long enough for the album to draw you in. The whole thing is decidedly lightweight, but it’s a lot of fun, and it bridges the gap between power pop, dance, and New Wave more successfully than, say, the Killers. During the dead of winter, relentlessly sunny tracks like “Your Love” should provide reason enough for plenty of repeat listens. (Universal Republic 2009)

Cash Cash MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop

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