Category: CD Reviews (Page 74 of 399)

Rooney: Eureka

June 23, 2010 /


RIYL: Weezer, Butch Walker, Fountains of Wayne

It’s pretty rare these days that a band on a major label or an offshoot of a major has free reign to make the record they want. But that’s just what we have on our hands with Los Angeles-based rock band Rooney on their third album, Eureka. They wrote the material and produced it, and the result is a stunning set that is as catchy as anything out there today. The arrangements and production on Eureka are such that the melodies jump out of speakers – and while there is a distinct resemblance to Weezer, for the most part there are no formulaic songs on this album.

Rooney_01

You know how they used to call Budweiser a good drinking beer? Eureka is a good listening album. Seriously. And Rooney shines equally on upbeat pop numbers like “Holdin’ On” or “All or Nothing;” on funky ear candy like “I Can’t Get Enough;” or even darker, melodic, piano-driven tracks such as “Only Friend” and “Stars and Stripes.” In fact, try to find a bad track on Eureka. It makes you wonder why bands are forced to write with the Kara DioGuardis of the world or to be produced by label hires that make everything sound the same. It’s sometimes best to just let them be a band, just like Rooney. (California Dreaming/Warner Bros.)

Rooney MySpace Page

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, News, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

Me, Myself, and iPod 6/23/10: A literal animal collective

June 23, 2010 /

esd ipod

!!! – AM/FM
I am admittedly late to the !!! party, as I spent a good year trying to figure out how to even say the band’s name (Jason Thompson finally set me straight by going “Ch-ch-ch”), but after hearing this Frankie Goes to Hollywood-sampling number – and if it’s not Frankie, it’s gotta be something produced by Trevor Horn – you can bet I’ll be keeping an eye on them going forward.

Joemca – Big Dreams
It’s like a glitchy Bruce Springsteen song. That’s a good thing, by the way.

Brock Enright – Maybe
Blissed out Jesus and Mary Chain? Sounds good to me.

Marco Benevento – Greenpoint
There are few things that make me roll my eyes faster than seeing “sound sculptor” in quotes in a press release. Having said that, this is a neat little instrumental.

Unicycle Loves You – Mirror, Mirror
I wrote a piece a while back about how band names have gone to shit. I cited Unicycle Loves You as an example of this. Their fans let me have it, though in a playful way, unlike the unfiltered hostility that one normally finds on the web. A few weeks later, the band sent me a friend request on MySpace. Had to give them points for that. Now they have a new album, and wouldn’t you know it, I like the first single. Still hate the band name, though.

The Rattles – Wavy Lane
These guys are animals. Literally. The album cover shows a cat, a hippo, a lizard and a goat. Not sure if this is just another Wiggles act or a really meta joke, but the song will have Nuggets fans dancing in their seats.

'60s, Alternative, Ambient, Americana, Artists, CD Reviews, Downloads, Me Myself and iPod, Pop, Power Pop, Psychedelic, Rock

Stanton Moore Trio: Groove Alchemy

June 23, 2010 /


RIYL: Galactic, The Meters, Medeski Martin & Wood

One of the hardest working men in show business, Galactic drummer Stanton Moore is not the type to be content with merely releasing one of the best albums of the year with his regular band (Galactic’s Ya-Ka-May.) But while that album has some of the band’s most memorable songs in years, it dabbles in hip-hop and vocal tunes. There are probably some fans who may still prefer to hear “the redneck gangster” focus his sticks more on old school funky grooves. This is exactly what they’ll find on Groove Alchemy.

Moore is joined by longtime friends Robert Walter (Greyboy All-Stars) on organ/piano and Will Bernard on guitar for a very funky session, indeed. The album is part of an instructional book and DVD project where Moore explores the roots of classic funk drumming, which means a deep focus on what was coming from the Meters and James Brown’s band in the ’60s. The album was recorded at the increasingly trendy home studio of the Band’s Levon Helm in Woodstock, New York, which gives it a live vibe. But the sound is pure New Orleans.

Moore throws down all manner of funky beats, while Walter really goes to town on the Hammond B3 and Bernard comps out with his own funky stylings. The first couple tracks are typical Meters-style mid-tempo funk. “Pot Licker” then cranks it up a notch as Moore ups the tempo for some of his hottest work ever recorded. “Neeps and Tatties” also delivers some high-energy groovy funk, as Walter’s B3 and Moore’s drumming just go so well together. The best track might be “Knocker,” which features a super-groovy syncopated beat from Moore that instantly frees the body. Bernard adds some tasty wah-wah and Walter adds some of his best sounds too. All three elements really come together here to form that groove alchemy of the album’s title. “Shiftless” also features some superb up-tempo grooving from the trio.

There’s nothing too groundbreaking here, but all three of these guys are ace musicians, so it’s definitely a clinic in acid jazz funk. Fans of Galactic and the Meters will find plenty of what they love best. (Telarc 2010)

Stanton Moore MySpace page

CD Reviews, Funk, Jam Band

Peter Case: Wig!

June 23, 2010 /


RIYL: The Plimsouls, Robert Plant, Stevie Ray Vaughn

Peter Case recently had a heart attack that required multiple-bypass surgery, and it brought the founder of the Nerves and the Plimsouls to within an inch of his life. But luckily for Case, and for his family and for his fans, the surgery was successful, and he even received financial aid in the form of benefit concerts that brought Case together with old friends like T-Bone Burnett, Dave Alvin and Richard Thompson. After a recovery period in which he listened to a lot of old jazz, Case’s new album, Wig! was spawned from a few songwriting and jamming sessions with his band. The result is a raw, bluesy effort that features Case’s distinctive vocals, but is almost more straight blues than the rock he’s been making most of his life. The live, direct-to-analog sound is reminiscent of ‘60s or ‘70s-era recordings, and the songs, while very much following a straight line in style, are nice – not great, but nice. In fact, it’s so bluesy that fans of the Plimsouls might not take to this effort as much as, say, fans of authentic blues would. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Case has earned the right to make music his way, and he sounds, not surprisingly, exuberant and full of life on Wig! Standout tracks are the blazing “Dig What You’re Putting Down” and the piano shuffle, “Look Out!” (Yep Roc 2010)

Peter Case website

Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Oasis: Time Flies…1994-2009

June 23, 2010 /


RIYL: The Beatles, The Faces, The Beatles

Here’s the straight statistical dope about Time Flies…1994-2009, the new 27-track two-disc set of nearly every song Oasis released as a single: they had eight #1 singles in their native UK, and 23 Top Ten singles overall. In fact, only two of their singles didn’t crack the UK Top Ten. They were even huge in America for a while; their 1996 album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? went quadruple platinum, and the albums on each side of it, 1994’s Definitely Maybe and 1997’s Be Here Now, sold a million copies as well. Radiohead would ultimately steal their crown, but for a moment, Oasis were England’s biggest band by a mile and one of the biggest bands in the world.

They are also quite possibly the most overrated band to ever walk the earth.

Oasis - Time Flies - COLOR1

Which is not to suggest that the band had nothing to offer; principal songwriter Noel Gallagher came up with some genius moments of modern-day rock riffage when he put some effort into it, namely “Wonderwall,” “Champagne Supernova” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” Most of Gallagher’s songs, though, are all pomp and no heart, tailor-made to get the festival crowds waving their arms but are otherwise empty, hollow attempts at Beatlesque grandeur. Rarely have songs tried so hard to sound so effortless.

Effort is only half the problem here, though; what Oasis really could have used is an editor. Was there any reason for “All Around the World” to be over nine and a half minutes long (two key changes!), or for “D’You Know What I Mean” – which is surely the inspiration for “You All Everybody,” the one hit wonder by “Lost” castmate Charlie’s band Drive Shaft – to clock in just under eight minutes? Even the songs that have a decent hook, like “Some Might Say,” don’t know when to walk the fuck away. Thirteen of the 27 songs here have run times over five minutes, and there is frankly no reason for it. A song need not be long in order to be epic; that’s a distinction Oasis never understood.

One thing working in the favor of Time Flies… is that it’s priced to sell, going for the price of a traditional single disc. Smart move, that, since anyone casually interested in the band will now get the songs they want plus a boatload more without spending much more money. If only the band had been as economical with the songs themselves. (Big Brother/Columbia 2010)

Oasis MySpace page
Click to buy Time Flies from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

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