Archive for October 2010
Episode 1555 is up (California State Assembly District 24)
October 26, 2010Episode 1553 is up (United States Senator)
October 26, 2010Glasser “Ring”
October 24, 2010This is not be confused with Leigh Glaser, one of the Bay Area’s sexiest meteorologists (and now a MILF).
“Apply” gets the album off to a solid start, reminding the listener of a subdued Sarah McLachlan, Kate Bush or Sinead O’Connor. The rest of the songs just go along, following the template, until “Treasure of We.” I feel like I am at a teppanyaki restaurant, and I don’t even care where my server is from. I’m just getting ready to catch food in my mouth. The music could double in an EA Sims title, and the vocals themselves are equally captivating.
No wrong answers on this record, but “Treasure of We” glitters and sparkles among the rest.
Lower Dens “Twin-Hand Movement”
October 24, 2010This is some loud, dusty post-new wave stuff that reminds me of The Cure when they released “The Head on the Door.” A key difference is that a woman sings, although it’s rather androgynous, so don’t expect anything overly melodic or poppy. The darkwave nature makes me think of Lackadaisy, a bit.
As far as the songs go. They all sound the same, and they are all pretty good. “Plastic and Powder” has numerous bridges and takes you on a journey. “Holy Water” also confirms the easy-to-make female Cure stereotype.
“Rosie” has a long introduction so if you like to talk over songs, this is the one for you. Perhaps this track has more a Bauhaus edge to it.
Pretty straightforward approach here. You know what you’re getting yourself into.
Mad Caddies “Consentual Selections”
October 24, 2010It’s your standard greatest hits CD with two new tracks, which although they weren’t good enough to be released at the time they were recorded are now the enticement to get you to buy the record. It makes no sense to fault Mad Caddies for this. Bands have been doing this for a long time. To make sure you don’t get too excited for the new tracks, they stuck them at the end, and this is a 24-song record!
But all your friends are here. “Leavin'” is one of my favorites. All kinds of ska greatness from six records, shoehorned into an album. You really can’t go wrong. If you want something a little slower, give “Drinking for 11” a try. Some people like Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” so maybe you’ll like this one.
“Mary Melody” is what I think of when I think of Mad Caddies. A little more guitar than some ska bands, but still a very accessible late-’90s pop-punk sound. And whistling. Don’t forget the whistling. “The Bell Tower” is another one of their best.
“Silence” is a bit hornier than the rest, if you’re into that sort of thing. “The Gentleman” has the same melody as the freecreditreport.com punk ad. They probably stole it from Mad Caddies, because who would know? Me, that’s who.
My girlfriend blames Sublime for this band, which is exactly what you would expect her to say. Really, that is a seal of approval if there ever were one. She also thinks they sound like Gogol Bordello, so whatever.
Eels “Tomorrow Morning”
October 24, 2010I did the last record for KSCU, so I might as well do this one. The cat likes it. She’s sitting next to me, and her ears are moving. Maybe when she hears “I’m a Hummingbird,” she is waiting for the actual hummingbird to show up. Her downstairs neighbor picked one out of the air, impressive for a cat, so she probably just wants to fit in. The song itself is a bit trippy, more Flaming Lips than Eels, but it works.
“Baby Loves Me” gets out the synthesizer. Also slightly trippy, it’s fun to see Eels fuck around a bit. Even the lyrics make for a good story. They should do a whole album of just this. “Spectacular Girl” is just as good and is representative of Eels at their best.
The album really gets good on “This Is Where It Gets Good.” I wish these guys made maps, because they would put “Denny’s” on the map where a Denny’s was. Think of how helpful that would be.
“The Man” is in the Cake vein. This would be the single if this album had one. “I Like the Way This Is Going” is a sweet story and has a bit of jangle. I can’t help but think they wrote this 15 years ago and finally got around to recording it today, because it’s so innocent. The last track, “Mystery of Life,” is my favorite because it has female backing vocals. I knew they had it in them.
I expected this to be one-dimensional, but it’s pretty good.
Kid Cudi, Best Coast and Rostam of Vampire Weekend “All Summer” single
October 24, 2010This sounds exactly you would expect it to. Three cheers to Best Coast for getting involved with this ilk. This song could very well blow them up. Maybe it already is blowing them up. I hope they can wait, though, because I am missing them on this tour, because I believe in couples’ therapy, and the other show they’re doing coincides with a casino party I am working. Sucks!
The B side is an instrumental of the single. Good for karaoke, I suppose, or speaking over if you happen to have a radio show.
Miriam’s Well “Indians and Clowns”
October 24, 2010This record is like a bad Craigslist date when you’re just thankful you picked El Burro at the Pruneyard because at least then the food will be good, and you can get drunk and take the bus home afterward. And in the meantime, maybe you’ll discover something that you have in common with her, even if it’s just that you hate it when people salt their food before they even taste it.
This is a standard rock record with Bonnie Raitt-style lyrics. “More Than I” makes you want to go to Crate and Barrel and replace all your chairs with bar stools. “Waiting on a Plane” is another hot summer afternoon kind of song. They all sort of run together, but the band is not without talent, either.
“Diamonds” is more of a ballad, the kind where, when you dance with someone, you have to actually, you know, touch them? So romantic, this.
Soft Cotton County “Leave Tomorrow EP”
October 24, 2010It’s the band with the perfect name, and they’re back with a few more tracks of dreamy, sucralose-laden pop music. It’s so good that it won’t be used in an Apple commercial until the iPhone 6.
The title track is first and is awesome. “Easy Goes It” is second and is also awesome. Do you see where I am going here? The music is very accessible because, although there are synths, they do not dominate the music, which can turn a lot of people away. I really think that if Book of Love could have stuck around another 20 years that this is how their sound would have matured.
The band logo is still the same font, as well, which I also appreciate it, even if it now reminds me of Carly Fiorina’s soon-to-be-failed U.S. Senate campaign. I’m using a lot of keywords because I want people to read this review.
“On That Road Again” ventures off into Fleetwood Mac territory, but I can dig it. There are worse ways to grow up than to head in this direction. “Now” is the last track and has tambourine.
This EP does everything right. The tracks are in the right order, the artwork and music complement each other, and I still want to hear more.
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