It’s an EP. “Shoot the Freak” is first, and it’s very straightforward peppy pop rock. “A Forest” and “Open” are forgettable. “Skin Color Crayon” is much more fun and even makes reference to a jungle gym. “Beautiful Blackout” has a good beat, but the vocals were mixed strangely, and I don’t get why this was done. But what the hell do I know?
Archive for the ‘KSCU’ Category
Diet Kong “Beautiful Blackout”
November 14, 2010Various Artists “The Vampire Diaries Original Television Soundtrack”
November 14, 2010Lots of your favorite artists on this one. Placebo’s cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” is surprisingly good. The Silversun Pickups offering, “Currency of Love,” is exactly what you’d expect.
Bat for Lashes fans can rejoice with “Sleep Alone.” Goldfrapp gives us “We Radiate.” They sound a little more retro on this one. That’s their shtick, though, isn’t it? I was pleasantly surprised with Sky Ferreira. “Obsession” is not an Animotion cover, but it’s a good song in its own right.
What is a cover is Digital Daggers’ “Head Over Heels.” Shed no tears but embrace your fears, because it’s just not that good. It’s three musical styles in one, but with no transition. It’s like a masturbatory mashup, in that it’s just one thing that is pretending to be three. The only times this has ever worked were Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Big Audio Dynamite’s “Rush.”
Jason Walker gives us light rock, less talk, on “Down.” I don’t know who the woman is singing with him, but it makes the song work. Plumb are here, and I wonder whether it’s the same Plumb that I have a record of from long ago. It could be. “Cut” is an OK song, if you want to see what they sound like now.
“On Melancholy Hill” is the Gorillaz’s entry, and it’s pretty amazing.
Highlife “Best Bless”
November 14, 2010It’s an EP. I thought it would be about smoking weed, but I guess not. “War Fair” is just a short intro. “F Kenya RIP” falls into the big “world” bucket. What does the rest of the world call world music? Justin Bieber?
This reminds me of Omeyocan, but nobody knows who that is. “Burying Stones” could be considered Britpop, but it’s not. It’s weird like Flaming Lips, but you don’t feel as if you need to be on drugs to appreciate it. The African sound that Paul Simon incorporated on “Graceland”? That’s pretty close.
“Tuareg Dancehall” isn’t dancehall, but it might be a song about a dancehall. This is the most accessible song on the EP. Its tapes will play in your VCR. “Wet Palm Trees” takes you to the end. This EP has a ton of color, and it’s music the whole family can agree on.
James “The Morning After the Night Before”
November 14, 2010James are still around. That means the band’s old. Your parents might have conceived you while listening to “Laid.” But we all must move on. This is a double album, meaning I get two units for reviewing it instead of one, but it very easily could have been on a single record because both are pretty short. Don’t let the music department find out!
The first album is “The Morning After,” and the second is “The Night Before.” Makes more sense now, doesn’t it? I also like the cover art, because it has a cat on it.
“Tell Her I Said So” has synths at the beginning. Tim Booth wrote all the songs, so I will assume he sang them, too. It’s the same guy that’s always been singing in James, so there you go. There is definitely an uptempo lean in this one that many of the other tracks lack.
“Make for This City” is acoustic done right. If your parents want to give you a little sister, then you better hide this one. It has “make out” written all over it. If you’re into the band’s famous falsettos, give “Fear” a shot. “It’s Hot” is for Death Cab for Cutie fans. Booth is Ben Gibbard here, totally.
Lots of what you’d expect. Definitely a fun time for all.
Pete Yorn “Pete Yorn”
November 14, 2010Why would a fifth record be self-titled? Oh, he is on Vagrant now. Bully for him. It seems like this guy has been around forever, which means I am probably mixing him up with someone else.
If Eels were slightly poppier, you would have Pete Yorn. “Rock Crowd” does this well. “Velcro Shoes” is half Beatles, half Dinosaur Jr. “The Chase” is not about the bank, with the hipster “the” added in front. It’s just a good power pop song.
“Always” is not a Rilo Kiley cover, but it’s still a hot little number. “Wheels” is the last track, and it’s the expected ballad to send you on your way. It’s not bad.
No surprises here, but you should know what you’re getting with Yornie anyway.
John & Jehn “Time for the Devil”
November 14, 2010More Peter Murphy than Bauhaus, it’s still not hard to figure out what is being channeled here. “Time for the Devil” makes it clear that if no one is going to make a new Cure album that sounds like “Head in the Door,” then someone else will have to do it. It’s the same way that Cities XL emerged from the dust after it became clear that SimCity 5 was never going to be made.
So the Jehn in John & Jehn: Is she supposed to be the Siouxsie half of a tag team? Maybe. The band’s name is unfortunate because they don’t really need her. And of course she sings a song called “Vampire.” I guess “Cloves and Depression” is destined to be a B-side. She does do a good job on “And We Run,” however.
“Down Our Streets” bridges the gap between 1983 and 2010. Still, Spandau Ballet fans can’t help but be proud of this one. “Shades” has a good melody, although the chorus is flat. I haven’t heard the first album but wonder just how far along they have come. If they can do better, they could really be on to something here.
Cheyenne Marie Mize “Before Lately”
October 31, 2010It’s a singer-songwriter, folkin’ around at a farmers’ market. She can sing, so that’s a bonus, and she’s in the camp with Frente!’s lead singer and Feist. “Kind” is the standout here, as Cheyenne Marie Mize channels Sade.
“Not” is one of the more beautiful tracks, with strings and deep piano. Her voice is one of the strongest you’ll hear, yet she is modest with it instead of trying to run you over. The restraint makes for a better record.
All the songs have single-word titles, which would make for an interesting bill if she played with Fall Out Boy. It’s almost like she is cheating with “With(Out),” but that would have been one word anyway. At any rate, this track could be an Azure Ray cover for all I know.
Nothing wrong with this record, although there’s not a lot about it that is very inspired, either.
Various Artists “Lost Tribe Sound: One”
October 31, 2010It’s a compilation of Lost Tribe Sound acts. Many of the tracks are instrumental, but the ones with the vocals provide for entertaining entertainment. Pollution Salute has a real gem with “Bright Shine,” which might be about when you take Taco Bell hot sauce and rub it on a penny.
The Birdcage use ethereal synths and great female lyrics on “Daydream.” This is one of my favorite songs of the year, and I want to know what I can do to make this band millionaires. Cock & Swan already are well-known around these parts, and the acoustic version of “Unrecognized” is recognizably awesome.
Benoit Pioulard gives us an acoustic version of “Hirondelle.” Most of the other 20 tracks on the record are instrumentals, making for useful beds or freestyle karaoke sessions.
Rain Perry “Internal Combustion”
October 31, 2010It sounds like a woman from L.A. singing slightly contemporary rock ‘n’ roll. Suzanne Vega comes to mind. “The Compartmentalized Thing” is first and is easy enough to listen to. The lyrics are generally mixed pretty high, so I guess that means there are good stories to be heard. Can’t help but wonder whether “Red, Green, White, Blue” is secretly about m&m’s, though.
“Next Best Thing” has some soul to it. It’s not Aretha Franklin or anything, but there is some heft to complement the organ. “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War” is what Beth Orton would have sounded like if she had ever learned to sing. This song is really amazing. It’s perfect for the fall. Put it on your personal music player and walk through your neighborhood, helping decompose the leaves by stepping on them.
And it goes on. The whole record is a good listen.
Modern Superstitions “All the Things We’ve Been Told”
October 31, 2010It’s an EP. “Go-Between” is first and has a peppy rhythm that would make Space Ghost proud. It’s a trio of teenagers, but they sound older than that. “Visions of You” is a Bettie Serveert knockoff. Well, a lot of the tracks are. There’s a lot of Manifold Splendour in there as well.”Everything Is Not Mine” has great guitar and an awesome chorus. Power pop fans should love all this stuff.
“Beck & Call” is a little less rock ‘n’ roll and a little more country. Neko Case comes to mind here. “Love That Beats My Heart” sounds like Superdrag but with a female lead singer. It’s also pretty good.
“Mercy Line” is last, which is where it belongs. It’s good, but it is not as good as the rest. All the tracks on here are pretty amazing, though.
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