musicbeet.com

Dirty On Purpose: Hallelujah Sirens

Kevin — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 01:53:58 +0000

(North Street Records, 2006) With the May 2006 release of the debut full-length from New York quartet Dirty On Purpose, the band has thrust itself into the company of such indie rock greats as Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and My Bloody Valentine. That’s not to say that Hallelujah Sirens is of a level of quality comparable to Daydream Nation, Painful, or Isn’t Anything. Indeed, far from it. What that really means is that the band shares an aesthetic with those greats, one of finding pop nuggets in layers of hazy atmosphere and of preferring sinewy guitar lines to chunky power chords.

“No Radio” starts the album off in just such a fashion, as harmonized male and female vocals tell the tale of a couple in love as they watch the sunset, while droning guitars and waves of feedback fight to cover them up. The band then stumbles slightly on “Your Summer Dress.” Although the melody and instrumentation certainly aren’t unpleasant, neither are they memorable or particularly interesting. Where the band hits its stride is with the quiet, sad “Lake Effect,” in which the song’s protagonist resolutely sings “Better to go far away / Better to back up your threats than stay / Better to go while the going’s okay / You wanted to be far away” over an acoustic guitar, piano, and a violin. Fortunately, the band was able to avoid the pitfall of schmaltz, leaving the third track as one of the strongest. Following directly on its heels is another strong track, the Sonic Youth-esque “Light Pollution,” which would have fit right in on Rather Ripped (which is better than Quinton thinks it is). From there, the band rolls right through the rest of the album with only one bump in the road, as the propulsive “Car No Driver” leads into the almost-hypnotic verse of “Always Looking,” which sounds like it eventually drains down a sink. Maybe that was the sound of inspiration draining away, because the weakest song on Hallelujah Sirens, “Marfa Lights,” follows, as the band throws out a tuneless, aimless rocker drenched in reverb that never develops into anything interesting. But then, right when you think things can’t get any worse, the band goes any records something like “Monument”…and completely redeems itself! “Monument” is a bit of a curveball from Dirty on Purpose, an instrumental in the middle of the album that serves its own purpose, not that of interlude or momentum breaker. The effects-laden guitars and driving rhythym section of the song combine to make one of the strongest tracks on the album, despite the lack of lyrics to keep things interesting.

The mood of Hallelujah Sirens is consistent throughout - simultaneously wistful, regretful, and optimistic. The lyrics tell stories of common nights made uncommon by the company kept, of dying relationships and moving on afterward, and of being so bored you find yourself chasing ghosts. But what really ties the album together (much like the Dude’s rug tied his living room together) is the band’s ability to meld pop songcraft with less traditional production techniques. As just the second release and first full length from the band, the album suggests great promise for the band. Maybe, given enough time, the band will craft its own masterpiece.

 1. No Radio
 2. Your Summer Dress
 3. Lake Effect
 4. Light Pollution
 5. Car No Driver
 6, 7. Always Looking
 8. Marfa Lights
 9. Monument
10. Kill Our City
11. Fake Lakes

Primal Scream: Riot City Blues

Jeff Crowder — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:47:05 +0000

(Columbia, 2006) There are different reasons why I love different bands. I love Oasis for their unbridled arrogance, and their consistent sound. I love Audioslave because I loved the previous bands, and it seemed like a natural fit. I love the Beatles for their impact. I love Spoon for their tunes. I could go on and on, but with Primal Scream; I love them because with each album, you never know what you are gonna get.

Rarely will a band release two revolutionary albums in their career, but the Scream has. Screamadelica was released in 1991, and changed the way people looked

at the Ecstasy culture. Nearly ten years later they remade themselves as sonic terrorists on XTRMNTR. Now, we get Riot City Blues, a more traditional rock and roll album, similar in vein to Give Out, But Don’t Give Up.

“Country Girl” is a great album opener, and certainly sets the tone for the remainder of the album. The non sensical lyrics, the strummed guitars, and the stomping beat set the rock and roll template. “Nitty Gritty” has even worse lyrics, but grooves along like Some Girls era Stones, with a simple riff, and the “shake some/some action, girl/we’re gonna get right down to the real nitty gritty” in the refrain. So far, so simple. “Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar” is a tongue in cheek story of a slut and a drugged up rock star. (Possibly Kate Moss & Pete Doherty) It is a little more punky then the rest of the album, but it is a shaker. “When the Bomb Drops” opens with a big riff, reminiscent of the Edge. “Mix some blood and drugs and water” may be the lyric that somes up the Scream’s whole career. “Little Death” is the only track on Riot City Blues that could fit on another Scream album. “The 99th Floor” adds harmonica to the stomp, and you can practically hear Bobby Gillespie’s spit hitting the microphone. And who else but the Scream could put a song called “We’re Gonna Boogie” on their album, and not come off like KC and the Sunshine Band. The song is a plodder, with more harmonica, and non sensical lyrics, and a pretty decent country stomp. Handclaps,and a nice strum open up “Dolls (Swett Rock N Roll)”. A tribute to the New York Dolls, this comes off more like the 1997 edition of Blur, complete with La,La’s thrown in for good measure. “Hell’s Comin Down” is another country stomp, again with rediculous lyrics. The album closes with the slow, harmonica laced “Sometimes I Feel So Lonely”. Semi-reminiscent of the Screamadelica days, it completes the album with a plea for redemption, literally. “You can be redeemed boy/You can be redeemed.”

So how can an album such as this stand up to the rest of their catalogue? Well, it really can’t, when compared to the landmarks, Screamadelica and XTRMNTR. But, standing on its own merits, this is a good time, fun rock and roll record, no more, no less. And for this reviewer, that is enough.

1.Country Girl
2.Nitty Gritty
3.Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar
4.When the Bomb Drops
5.Little Death
6.The 99th Floor
7.We're Gonna Boogie
8.Dolls (Sweet Rock N Roll)
9.Hell's Comin Down
10.Sometimes I Fell So Lonely

(Note: The American release of the album includes live renditions of John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” plus album cuts “Country Girl” and “Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar,” as well as a music video for “Coutry Girl.”)

Muse: Black Holes and Revelations

Quinton — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:29:02 +0000

I have exactly one complaint with Black Holes and Revelations, and it’s so minor that I’m going to start the review with it knowing it will turn approximately zero people away from picking up this masterpiece: As with Absolution, they once again failed to cover a jazz standard. Ok, maybe I’m being unrealistic, since part of what makes the cover of “Feeling Good” (off of their second album, Origin of Symmetry) so mindblowing is how unique it is, so re-treading that ground probably wouldn’t have the same results a second time.

Ok, enough of that, how about we talk about the subject at hand? As the sole album in a body of work, I might wish for a few more heavy songs on Black Holes and Revelations, but this is Muse’s forth album (excluding EPs, singles, and live albums), and I’m willing to let them grow up, so long as they do it in style. And my, have they ever! “Take A Bow” is a phenomenal opener, not quite erupting so much as gradually building tension until you’re just overwhelmed, teasing you with impending climax until you realize the wave is never actually going to break, just continue to build and build until it falls apart. What it falls apart into are a couple of dancy numbers, the first mildly so, the involuntary hip-shaking driven mainly by syncopated drums and a clap track, but when “Starlight” gives way to “Supermassive Black Hole,” you’ve no choice but to, well, get your groove on. We get some traditional muse on “Map of the Problematique,” a lovely, plucked-string shuffle in “Soldier’s Poem,” and then my favorite track, “Invincible.” It wasn’t something I expected when I started listening to the album, a slow-burning, uplifting ballad that just grabs at the drama geek in me to sing along, more like the highlight from a Disney movie than a rock album. Of course, Muse rock the shit out of it, so even if “power ballads” are your pet peeve, I don’t think you’ll cringe too severely. I’m not going to give you a play-by-play of the rest of the album, but I will say this: crank it up. Got a road trip planned? Perfect! Pop Black Holes and Revelations into your car’s CD player (or other audio-broadcasting device), put a brick on the accelerator, and attempt to ruin your speakers, for this is an album designed for maximum speed and volume. Not your thing? Um… well, there’re plenty of other 4.5-beet albums out there, but this one might not be your cup o’ tea.

1. Take A Bow
2. Starlight
3. Supermassive Black Hole
4. Map Of The Problematique
5. Soldier's Poem
6. Invincible
7. Assassin
8. Exo-Politics
9. City Of Delusion
10. Hoodoo
11. Knights Of Cydonia

The Decemberists: The Crane Wife

Quinton — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 05:32:46 +0000

I’m going to start this review by admitting that I’m biased. Yes, that’s right, I already like The Decemberists, so when I tell you that this is a ~~good~~ great album, you’re going to be wondering “Yes, but am I, Random Internet Surfer, going to enjoy it?” Well RIS, I’ve a few questions for you:

Do you enjoy the vamping and slow crescendos typically associated with Prog Rock, and would it be alright with you if said vamping and crescendos were worked into the latest Decemberists compositions?
Would you be alright if Colin and Chris spent more time with electric guitars, ever so slightly edging toward a “heavier” sound?
Do you really like organs?
How about 11 minute songs (yes, plural; there are two), not quite playlist fodder but wondrous epics in the spirit of The Tain, a previous Decemberists effort?
Will you allow Meloy a misstep or two, namely the instrumental intro to “The Island” and the drudging, plodding “When The War Came,” both of which lack the hooks and/or tension that most of Meloy’s work gleams with?

Well, then I guess you’ve answered your own question. Personally, it took me a few listens to get used to a less-folky Decemberists sound, but, honestly, they’ve moved closer toward my personal taste. “The Perfect Crime #2″ might just be my favorite song of 2006, if not of the decade or, dare I say, ever. Even if you’d rather listen to Castaways and Cutouts, there’s plenty here for you, for when I say less-folky I do not mean to imply that The Crane Wife is lacking in the indie-folk that The Decemberists have made their claim to fame perfecting, merely that Colin is branching into new territories. Plus, you get to hear them do a round in the closing “Sons and Daughters.” And if any band ever should’ve recorded a round by now, this is that band.

1. The Crane Wife 3
2. The Island - Come & See/The Landlord’s Daughter/You’ll Not Feel The Drowning
3. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
4. O Valencia!
5. The Perfect Crime #2
6. When The War Came
7. Shankhill Butchers
8. Summersong
9. The Crane Wife 1 and 2
10. Sons and Daughters

Nina Gordon: Bleeding Heart Grafitti

Quinton — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:25:55 +0000

This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it albums. And if you love it, I’m sorry. You’re wrong. Forget my feelings about the subjective nature of taste; if you like this crap, you and I have a problem. Let’s look at a list of the ways this album fails to be redeeming:

Every song sounds the same. Exactly the same.
Every song is seriously overproduced. I like pop music, sure, but this is ridiculous.
You’ve heard all these songs before. Take equal parts Michelle Branch and Sheryl Crow and blend until everything worthwhile is unrecognizable, then water it down until you can’t even remember what the ingredients were.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Nina Gordon, what is wrong with you? I’ll give you half a beet because Veruca Salt was badass, and because these are… wait, no. No beets for you!

If you’re even remotely tempted to listen to this album, sit down for a minute and think about how expensive music is these days. Buying this album would be like driving cross country to eat at McDonalds: potentially tasty, but in no way worth the money you have to put in your tank. In fact, don’t even steal this album, because the low risk of getting caught outweighs any benefits you might imagine could come from acquiring this waste of 47 and a half minutes.

1. Bleeding Heart Graffiti
2. Christmas Lights
3. Kiss Me Til It Bleeds
4. Suffragette
5. This Was The YEar
6. Don't Let Me Down
7. Pure
8. Watercolors
9. Superstar
10. Turn On Your Radio
11. When You Don't Want Me Anymore
12. Bones And A Name
13. The Time Comes
14. The Crickets Sound Like Sleigh Bells

Darker My Love: Darker My Love

Quinton — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 11:46:13 +0000

Paradoxically, my main criticism with Darker My Love’s self-titled album is also my main compliment. The album is hypnotically beautiful, but the layered, droning songs bleed together into a 40-minute fuzz-fest that struggles to avoid becoming stagnant. Lush vocal harmonies crawl out of the mist and add to the psychedelic vibe, but despite the theft of the Summer of Love’s color pallet, Darker My Love paint a unique (if somewhat boring) picture. I say somewhat boring because they’re constantly rescuing you from themselves, the pop nature of their sound keeping you from being lulled to sleep by the hypnotic nature of their sound. Taken in small bits the material is more redeeming, so mixtapes are the perfect home for Darker My Love’s lush, Dream Pop-esque take on the 60s. Like Wolfmother’s self-titled album, Darker My Love displays a sort of reverse synergy, invoking that old cliche that there is such a think as too much of a good thing, especially if that “good thing” is throwback rock.

1. Opening
2. What's A Mans Paris
3. Helium Heels
4. Post Mortem, Post Boredom
5. Wake
6. Fall
7. Hello Traveler
8. Claws & Paws
9. Catch
10. People
11. I Feel Fine
12. Summer Is Here

Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped

Quinton — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 23:58:55 +0000

Well, I’m a little late with this one, and probably the last person on the ‘net who plans on reviewing Rather Ripped. All I can think to say is “It’s not bad.” There’s a lot of dissonance, a little bit of noise, but where most critics are calling this Sonic Youth’s most accessible album, all I can think is that it’s probably their most boring. For a band that’s supposed to be one of the best at what it does, nothing I hear convinces me of that. There’s too much cacophony for this to be a chill-out record, but it’s still too sparse to be a noise record. There are hooks, sure, but they’re nothing special and certainly not plentiful enough for this to be considered a pop record. Now, I’m not saying Sonic Youth need to retread old ground, nor do they need to “sell out.” However, if you want people to listen to an album you have got to give them a reason, and in that respect Rather Ripped misses the mark. It’s not a bad record by any means, but there’s always something else I’d rather listen too.



1. Reena

2. Incinerate

3. Do You Believe In Rapture?

4. Sleepin Around

5. What A Waste

6. Jams Run Free

7. Rats

8. Turquoise Boy

9. Lights Out

10. The Neutral

11. Pink Steam

12. Or

Richard Ashcroft: Keys to the World

Jeff Crowder — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 07:46:44 +0000

(EMI International, 2006) “How the mighty have fallen…” That has been the running theme to the solo career of one Richard Ashcroft. “He can’t top Urban Hymns” people say, in reference to his previous band’s highwater mark. But, do we act the same way when any artist from a famous band breaks away and releases a solo album? The answer is almost always “yes”, and though it isn’t fair to Mr. Ashcroft, I will say that Keys to the World doesn’t hold a candle to Urban Hymns.

But it does rate well among his other solo albums. Starting with the lush Alone with Everybody, Ashcroft has laid a solid template from which to work from. The problem with his second album, Human Conditions, is that he forgot to make adjustments to the template. Meaning Conditions came off as a weak rehash of Alone with Everybody.

At the very least, Keys to the World changes up Ashcroft’s template. Starting with the stirring “Why Not Nothing”, Keys is different from the outset. This is the way albums are meant to start. With a rush of sounds, and a catchy tune. “Why Not Nothing” almost rocks. It is certainly one of the fastest moving tracks he has in his whole catalogue. He follows that up with the Curtis Mayfield sampling “Music is Power”. A catchy tune, absolutely, but lyrics like “Music is power/Let it float through your mind” don’t inspire confidence. Lead single “Break the Night with Colour” is next and it delivers. Starting with a lite piano line, and building to the gorgeous chorus, this is Ashcroft’s best single since “Lucky Man” off of the aformentioned Urban Hymns. So far so good, but then we get into the middle of the album, and Ashcroft retreats from the progress that he has made. “Words Just Get in the Way” is a clunky ballad, with more horrible lyrics. The title track incorporates a mild hip hop beat, and a wailing vocal sample, to little effect. “I got the keys to the world/mixed up world” an effective chorus does not make. “Sweet Brother Malcolm” is a quiet acoustic character study, but lacks any passion or real vision. The lowpoint comes in the form of “Why do Lovers?” with the lyrical gem “Why do lovers/Choose others.” Yikes. Some relief comes in the near rocking “Simple Song”, but the closing “World Keeps Turning” is especially weak. It must be said, though, that Ashcroft is in fine voice throughout. His honeyed baritone has added some grit over the years, and it has added to the depth of some of the songs.

So why does this record get three beats and not less? Well, compared to the rest of his solo output, Keys to the World stands tall. But compared to his work with the mighty Verve, it doesn’t come close.

 1. Why Not Nothing?

 2. Music Is Power

 3. Break the Night with Colour

 4. Words Just Get in the Way

 5. Keys to the World

 6. Sweet Brother Malcolm

 7. Cry Til Morning

 8. Why Do Lovers?

 9. Simple Song

10. World Keeps Turning

The Vines: Vision Valley

Jeff Crowder — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 04:39:01 +0000

(Capitol, 2006) Whatever happend to the likely lads of 2001/2002? The garage rock revival was supposed to be the saving grace of “real” rock and roll. At the very least, it saved us from more of that moronic rap rock that had become so prevelant in the late ’90s. The Vines were a part of that crowd, along with the Strokes, the Hives, B.R.M.C., and the White Stripes. With the release of their first album, Highly Evolved, the Vines were the first of these bands to be on the cover of the ever decling Rolling Stone. They were hailed as conquering heroes. Untill the band had to tour. Then the realities of being Frontman Craig Nichols became a burden he didn’t want to bear.

Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome after the release of dour second album, Winning Days, Nichols at least had a name for what he was fighting. Asperger is a neurobiological disorder that keeps its sufferers from adjusting to social situations. Those afflicted often exhibit compulisve narrow minded behavior, and crave sameness. With this new knowledge in hand, this reviewer felt confident that the Vines would make a triumphant return. The symptoms of the disorder reflected perfectly the erratic behavior Nichols had displayed since he was thrust into the spotlight. Maybe they would record an album of commentary on the trivialities of common social interaction, or maye I just expected too much. After the complete remake of Highly Evolved that was Winning Days, I was hoping for something a little different. Just maybe a glimmer of hope for the band. Vision Valley delivers not a glimmer, but a ten thousand pound hammer of repetition that is indeed catchy, but highly loathsome.

“Anysound” starts off with a traditional riff one would expect from the Vines. The first 45 seconds of the song are some of the best on the whole album. After the typical “Nothin’s Comin’”, which includes the lyrical nugget “All for one, ain’t nothin’ real/Tell you how I fuckin’ feel”, comes the pseudo power pop of “Candy Daze” Bet you can’t guess what is next. That’s right, a ballad. Does everyone have their Noel Gallagher handbook to ballad writing? Let’s go through the checklist for the title track:
1. Big Strings….check.
2. Nonsensical lyrics….check.
3. Lots of ooooooh’s and aaaaaahhh’s……check.
4. Stretch thin idea into repetitive struggle that never seems to end…..check.
You get the idea. The big first single “Don’t Listen to the Radio” has a chorus so catchy you may just wonder what the hell “Get out the way today, yeah!!” means. Other lowlights include “Fuk Yeh”, “Futuretarded” and “Gross Out”. All of which vie for the title of worst Nirvana wannabe song of the year. The albums pattern of Nirvana-esque rock, and crappy ballads continues untill the last track, “Spaceship” which tries to include Pink Floyd-esque atmospherics to a bland ballad.

It is too bad the Vines have blown the opportunity do with their third album what some of their peers in the “garage rock revival” have done. The White Stripes stripped their signature guitar buzz for piano and marimba on Elephant. (Granted, Elephant was the Stripes’ fifth album, but their third in the public eye.) B.R.M.C. made a countrified, down home album with HOWL. The Strokes even made a record that sounds like it was produced, on First Impressions of Earth. However, The Vines have chosen to make the same record. Again. Not even a glimmer hope emerges from the sludge. If they don’t deliver with album number four, they may find themselves out of the big leagues forever. And the question that continues to appear is “Would anyone care?” After listening to Vision Valley, the answer is “Probably not.”

 1. Anysound

 2. Nothins Comin

 3. Dandy Daze

 4. Vision Valley

 5. Don’t Listen to the Radio

 6. Gross Out

 7. Take Me Back

 8. Going Gone

 9. Fuk Yeh

10. Futuretarded

11. Dope Train

12. Atmos

13. Spaceship

The Submarines: Declare a New State!

Kevin — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 21:40:18 +0000

(Nettwerk, 2006) The Submarines are quite the stereotypical little indie pop band - members John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard are married, and probably because they made Declare a New State! together; they’d broken up, but grew together again over the course of recording an album about their relationship woes. The music reflects that - sad, but cute.

(…a great time passes…)

That’s all I had written about this album for three whole weeks. I got stuck; there was nothing to say. And then a couple of days ago, it hit me. That really is all there is to say about this album. There are no exceptionally good or bad songs on Declare a New State! There are no great or terrible lyrics, voices, production jobs. For indie pop, The Submarines are about as bland and boring as it gets. After three weeks, I find myself singing along with the songs unconsciously, but then I realize it’s not because the songs are particularly catchy, it’s just that they’re easy and I’ve heard them over and over again. That’s the worst way to find yourself singing along to music, and it’s more annoying than enjoyable. Declare a New State! may appeal to die hard fans of cute indie pop, but it’s not a good choice for casual fans or as a starting place in the genre.

 1. Peace and Hate

 2. Clouds

 3. Vote

 4. Brighter Discontent

 5. Hope

 6. Ready Or Not

 7. Modern Inventions

 8. The Good Night

 9. This Conversation

10. Darkest Things