Category: CD Reviews (Page 205 of 399)

The Reel Banditos: Indochina

October 31, 2008 /

Dig it: an all-instrumental groove-out with a theme about ‘Nam, maaaan. And believe me when I say that it being all-instrumental is this disc’s saving grace when it comes to the source of inspiration. After all, this could have turned into a heavy-handed, politically bent bad trip, and well, ‘Nam’s been done to death in both all seriousness and taking knocks in comedic circles. So sit back and dig the grooves of “Saigon ’67,” which features some groovy percussion, and a cool, toked-out vibe. “Huey” filrts with wah-wah guitars and ’70s Zappa-esque frippery and goes down well. “Jungle Warfare” is laden with heartbeats and a spooky dank ambiance that makes you feel as if you are there. Then there’s the crunchy “Poisoned Sky” which puts R.E.M.’s “Orange Crush” into its pithy place. By the time you make it to “The Fall of Saigon,” you’ll be ripped and spent. Why can’t more artists who feel the need to crank out conceptual chunder follow the Reel Banditos’ lead and just keep their pens quiet and their instruments cranked? Ya got me, but this is one of those left field oddities worth a good listen. (self-released)

Reel Banditos’ MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Instrumental, Pop, Rock

Social Code: He Said, She Said

October 31, 2008 /

There’s something that’s different from most power pop and Warped Tour fare when it comes to Canadian rock band Social Code. On the band’s debut US EP, He Said, She Said, Social Code sets itself apart from the pack a bit with a lot of guitar-driven energy and with Travis Nesbitt’s raspy vocal (think Hawthorne Heights and Fall Out Boy having a child). The title track is the kind of stuff that will give record labels and radio programmers a collective wet dream. But Social Code is just paying the bills with that and with the catchy but slightly grating “Beautiful.” That’s because the best tracks here are “Perfect Grave” and “The Shortest Line.” The former has a dark, melody-driven approach ala the Goo Goo Dolls, and could launch this band into superstardom if the right people hear it. Love it or hate it, this genre is still here to stay for a while, and Social Code is worth keeping your eyes and ears on. (LABEL: Fifth Season Music)

Social Code MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Emo, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

Mr. Meeble: Never Trust the Chinese

October 31, 2008 /

Downtempo is a tricky sub-genre of electronic music. Everyone wants to be Massive Attack or the Orb and deliver the end-all-be-all of post-club chill out. But if you take it too chill and relaxing, then the next thing you know you’re Dirty Vegas, or even worse, easy listening or New Age. It’s a fine line. On their offensively-named debut Never Trust the Chinese, Mr. Meeble tread that line like a tightrope, showing signs of sedative brilliance before tripping and falling off into the safety net of “Days Go By” derivatives. It opens great, through; “Raindrops” is a pretty out-there cover of “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” that combines the ’70s cheese fest with occasional interludes of cut-up glitched vocals and an even more out-of-place rapping coda. It’s not exactly perfect, but it’s certainly unique. Other tracks, like the overly aggressive “A Ton Of Bricks” (apt name: it hits you like one) are jarring and obvious attempts for mainstream appeal that come off as soulless and empty.

All of Never Trust the Chinese is like this, going back and forth between the experimental and boring, the edgy and safe. This is a band of two minds, so much so that they even split up a song to demonstrate them both. “Everything Is Good (Part 1)” is an album highlight, a mostly instrumental sonic soundscape that engulfs you. But second part blows it all to hell by removing much of what made the first part so good and replacing them with dry, vapid and tone-deaf vocals. Never Trust the Chinese has all the trappings of a debut album by a band who has not yet found their sound. These guys need to throw a desire for a Top 40 fanbase to the wind and stick to the fringe, because they’ll definitely thrive there. (Absolute Motion 2008)

Mr. Meeble MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica

Various Artists: Irish Hip Hop Volume 1

October 31, 2008 /

For any of those out there who are still listening to House of Pain’s “Jump Around” and wondering what other Irish hip hop might sound like – only, you know, in 2008 – this compilation of 20 such tracks may very well quench that desire. As could be expected, not everything here is top notch. Rira’s “25 O’Clock in the Mornin'” and CMC’s “Home” sounds pretty generic no matter how you slice it (and the “fuck that” asides are unintentionally funny). And the less said about Shaymin’s “Lassie,” the better. But The Elements’ “Nu Skool” sounds tight and funky in an old-school way, and Project 77’s “Takin’ on the Planet” throws an Irish female voice into the stew with decent results. Other tracks such as Jee4ce’s “Contact” and Ophelia’s “Revolutionary” hold their own, but for the most part this collection feels a bit stale and sounds more like a quick cash-in than a fully realized project. (80 Million Records)

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Hip Hop

Saiah: Evolution

October 31, 2008 /

I don’t know who Saiah is, but his new disc Evolution starts off with a remixed version of a tune called “Nobody.” It doesn’t really matter, because this wannabe rapper doesn’t have a whole lot going for him. The mix on this track alone is atrocious, with generic squiggly synth notes farted out against a skeletal beat, both of which are mixed so low behind Saiah’s boring rhymes that it doesn’t even register as background noise. On the lamely-titled “H8,” we have to listen to yet another hip-hopper tell us how tough it is while hilariously bad synth cello lines mope around in the back. And when Saiah sings “Don’t walk out on me, baby / ‘Cause I’m about to be famous” on “Famous” while it sounds like some kid is listlessly pushing on piano keys, you just can’t take this dude seriously. So don’t. It doesn’t seem like anyone else is, anyway. Besides, you can tell the whole thing’s not worth your time thanks to the sleeve art that looks like it was made with the usual cheapo graphics kit available in the bargain bin at your local Wal-Mart. (April Fool Records)

Saiah MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Hip Hop, Rap

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