Friday, December 31, 2004
December 4: The Carl Stalling Project - Music from Warner Bros. Cartoons, 1936-1958
Carl Stalling, the in-house composer for all the Looney Tunes cartoons, was absolutely brilliant. And you really realize this listening to these soundtrack compositions for various cartoons. Not all great music has to have vocalists, kids. Check this one out if you find it in a used bin somewhere.
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December 3: The Brady Bunch - It's a Sunshine Day: The Best Of
Everybody remembers the Partridge Family, but few recall that the Brady Bunch recorded three albums and a handful of singles of teen-pop sludge in the early '70s as well. If you were a fan of the show, the "hits" are on here: "Keep On Moving," "It's a Sunshine Day," and "Time to Change." But there are also bizarre covers of "American Pie" and the theme from Charlotte's Web, and some decent songs intended for Barry "Greg Brady" Williams' solo album that were never released. I like this album because it's a great example of the kind of dreck pop culture can spit up now and again. Remember this if someone offers you an album deal, Olson Twins.
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December 2: Various Artists - The Goonies original motion picture soundtrack
I bought this for 50¢ at a record store going out-of-business sale, and it's the best 50¢ I ever spent, because I challenge any of you to find an album that is more '80s than this. Every track on this album is booming electronic drums, screeching synths, and glossy overproduction. I bet there's even a keytar on some of these tracks. You get Teena Marie, the Bangles, REO Speedwagon, and two, count 'em, two tracks from the queen of the '80s herself, Cyndi Lauper. I loved this album.
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December 1: Ren & Stimpy - You Eediot!
Actually, this disc rocks. It's music from the Ren and Stimpy cartoon show that was on in the early '90s. You get the Muddy Mudskipper theme, the Log theme, the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen anthem, and, of course, "Happy Happy Joy Joy." And in between all that, you get a bunch of jazz cuts that were used as background music.
But I needed some more Mr. Horse. Yes, sir, I did.
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But I needed some more Mr. Horse. Yes, sir, I did.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Disappointments, Duds, and Decent Discs: Andrew's November
November 1: Orgy - Candyass
November 2: Salt - Bluster
November 3: Splender - To Whom It May Concern
November 4: Virginwool - Open Heart Surgery
November 5: Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
November 6: Atticus Fault (self-titled)
November 7: The New Pornographers - Electric Version
November 8: Dig (self-titled)
November 9: Space Monkeys - The Daddy of Them All
November 10: Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet
November 11: Cold Memory - damage/no damage
November 12: Stroke 9 - All In
November 13: Pilot Radio - Antiques
November 14: Color - Are You With Me?
November 15: Remy Zero - The Golden Hum
November 16: Collective Soul - Youth
November 17: 3rd Degree - Radio 7
November 18: Josh Joplin Group - Useful Music
November 19: Rancid - ... and out come the wolves
November 20: Oasis - The Masterplan
November 21: Superdrag - in the valley of dying stars
November 22: Travis - 12 Memories
November 23: Everclear - Slow Motion Daydream
November 24: Live - V
November 25: Live - Birds of Pray
November 26: Cracker - The Golden Age
November 27: Jason Falkner - Can You Still Feel?
November 28: Something Corporate - Leaving Through the Window
November 29: Koufax - Social Life
November 30: Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo
Best album: Josh Joplin Group - Useful Music
Worst album: Live - V
Biggest disappointment: Travis - 12 Memories
Well, I've replenished the sell-back pile for next time I go to Hastings. I think in honor of the holidays, December will be a month for weird music I have received over the years, most of it as Christmas presents from misguided relatives. And I can promise you by January 10, this blog will be back up to date. Honest.
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November 2: Salt - Bluster
November 3: Splender - To Whom It May Concern
November 4: Virginwool - Open Heart Surgery
November 5: Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
November 6: Atticus Fault (self-titled)
November 7: The New Pornographers - Electric Version
November 8: Dig (self-titled)
November 9: Space Monkeys - The Daddy of Them All
November 10: Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet
November 11: Cold Memory - damage/no damage
November 12: Stroke 9 - All In
November 13: Pilot Radio - Antiques
November 14: Color - Are You With Me?
November 15: Remy Zero - The Golden Hum
November 16: Collective Soul - Youth
November 17: 3rd Degree - Radio 7
November 18: Josh Joplin Group - Useful Music
November 19: Rancid - ... and out come the wolves
November 20: Oasis - The Masterplan
November 21: Superdrag - in the valley of dying stars
November 22: Travis - 12 Memories
November 23: Everclear - Slow Motion Daydream
November 24: Live - V
November 25: Live - Birds of Pray
November 26: Cracker - The Golden Age
November 27: Jason Falkner - Can You Still Feel?
November 28: Something Corporate - Leaving Through the Window
November 29: Koufax - Social Life
November 30: Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo
Best album: Josh Joplin Group - Useful Music
Worst album: Live - V
Biggest disappointment: Travis - 12 Memories
Well, I've replenished the sell-back pile for next time I go to Hastings. I think in honor of the holidays, December will be a month for weird music I have received over the years, most of it as Christmas presents from misguided relatives. And I can promise you by January 10, this blog will be back up to date. Honest.
November 30: Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo
Not really a keep or sell album, just something I felt like listening to. Remember when the Goo Goo Dolls were a rock and roll band? Go back and listen to this album; the only wimpy ballad is "Name," and it's a good wimpy ballad.
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November 29: Koufax - Social Life
Emo meets Something Corporate meets something pretentious. The songs are very good, with some jazz touches and interesting arrangements, but the singer can't sing. Not that he can't sing very well, he can't sing at all. He sucks. Bad.
Apparently the Get Up Kids discovered this band somewhere and got them signed to Vagrant, the emo label of choice. Gee, thanks, TGUK. I will say that I saw them a couple of years ago in OKC and they're better live than on this album.
sell.
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Apparently the Get Up Kids discovered this band somewhere and got them signed to Vagrant, the emo label of choice. Gee, thanks, TGUK. I will say that I saw them a couple of years ago in OKC and they're better live than on this album.
sell.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
November 28: Something Corporate - Leaving Through the Window
I had actually lost this album for more than a year when I found it a few days ago in another CD case. Something Corporate had a little bit of hype when they came out as a sort of Ben Folds / Green Day hybrid. And this album starts out really well, with five strong cuts in a row. But then the second half of the album tails off in quality, and the band starts to sound like an Elton John wannabe being propped up with a bunch of distorted guitars so he sounds "cooler." My brother is a big fan of this band; he saw them live last year. I'll have to ask them how they were. As it is, they barely skate into the keep pile.
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November 27: Jason Falkner - Can You Still Feel?
This reminded me a lot of the David Mead album I did a few months back. Like Mead, Falkner writes a lot of very well-crafted, sophisticated power-pop songs, and like Mead, he put 'em out on a major label that didn't have a clue what to do with him. In the label's defense, there's nothing on here you could call a hit single, but there are some very good song ideas. Nevertheless, it didn't quite move me, and I'm gonna sell it.
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Saturday, December 18, 2004
November 26: Cracker - The Golden Age
This is one of the first CDs I ever bought, and I don't think I've listened to it even once since it came out in '96. Therefore, it's a keep-or-sell candidate, and a candidate for "disappointing follow-ups" week, since it came after the classic Kerosene Hat, featuring "Low," which still gets played on the radio.
This one's a little more country-rock than Kerosene Hat (which I don't own anymore for some long-forgotten reason). A couple of the up-tempo songs, like "I Hate My Generation" and "Sweet Thistle Pie" (featuring Joan Osborne on background vocals), are pretty good, but for the most part, this didn't age well. It sounds a bit like proto-red dirt if you're into Cross Canadian Ragweed, but otherwise, I can't recommend it. Therefore, I'm going to sell it.
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This one's a little more country-rock than Kerosene Hat (which I don't own anymore for some long-forgotten reason). A couple of the up-tempo songs, like "I Hate My Generation" and "Sweet Thistle Pie" (featuring Joan Osborne on background vocals), are pretty good, but for the most part, this didn't age well. It sounds a bit like proto-red dirt if you're into Cross Canadian Ragweed, but otherwise, I can't recommend it. Therefore, I'm going to sell it.
November 25: Live - Birds of Pray
Inexplicably, after the dungfest that was V, I came back to Live and bought Birds of Pray. Live love me, you know. They might kill me one day, but they love me.
This one seems to be a rehash of The Distance to Here, with a fish theme on the artwork and lots of uplifting songs (and absolutely no rapping, which is good).
The first two-thirds of the album are waaaay too bombastic, though; it seems at times like Live is trying to bludgeon us to death with the mighty rock force of their love for all mankind. But then towards the end, on "River Town" and "What Are We Fighting For?" they start to sound just a touch like good, mid-'90s Live. So I might keep this one. Check back with me at the end of the month.
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This one seems to be a rehash of The Distance to Here, with a fish theme on the artwork and lots of uplifting songs (and absolutely no rapping, which is good).
The first two-thirds of the album are waaaay too bombastic, though; it seems at times like Live is trying to bludgeon us to death with the mighty rock force of their love for all mankind. But then towards the end, on "River Town" and "What Are We Fighting For?" they start to sound just a touch like good, mid-'90s Live. So I might keep this one. Check back with me at the end of the month.
November 24: Live - V
I feel like a battered woman when it comes to Live; they keep hitting me in the face with their crap, and I keep coming back for more.
This was Live's fifth album (hence the title... remember this for later, kids: roman numerals aren't that cool), and it is pretty freakin' terrible. Ed Kowalczyk is experimenting with hip-hop on several of the tracks, and comes off as the Sugarhill Gang's clueless white neighbor. And when he's not trying to rap, he's preaching some sort of unformed Eastern mysticism (as on "Forever May Not Be Long Enough," the overblown song from The Mummy Returns). This probably would have been a career-killer had it not been for Sept. 11. Some dude made a video using Live's "overcome" with footage of the Twin Towers and sent it to VH-1 and MTV, who ended up spinning it a lot in the weeks afterward. And, as it turns out, "Overcome" is the only decent song on here, so when people like me saw the video, they went out and bought the album. I feel hoodwinked. Hoodwinked, I tell you!
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This was Live's fifth album (hence the title... remember this for later, kids: roman numerals aren't that cool), and it is pretty freakin' terrible. Ed Kowalczyk is experimenting with hip-hop on several of the tracks, and comes off as the Sugarhill Gang's clueless white neighbor. And when he's not trying to rap, he's preaching some sort of unformed Eastern mysticism (as on "Forever May Not Be Long Enough," the overblown song from The Mummy Returns). This probably would have been a career-killer had it not been for Sept. 11. Some dude made a video using Live's "overcome" with footage of the Twin Towers and sent it to VH-1 and MTV, who ended up spinning it a lot in the weeks afterward. And, as it turns out, "Overcome" is the only decent song on here, so when people like me saw the video, they went out and bought the album. I feel hoodwinked. Hoodwinked, I tell you!
Friday, December 17, 2004
November 23: Everclear - Slow Motion Daydream
If trademarks are allowed for musical styles, then Art Alexakis should have one for the "duh duh duh duh-nuh-nuh-nuh. Yeah." He had a lot of hits with that riff, all through the late '90s. This is the album where the novelty of that riff finally wears off.
I met Art earlier this year, at the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati. He implied that he was leaving Capitol Records because he was angry about their lack of promotion for this album, and it's true that hardly anybody even realized the album had been released, but Art should realize that this thing's a bit of a dud.
There are two fairly good songs, "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom" and "New York Times," but VDSM is a novelty tune and New York Times is about what most of the album is about, Sept. 11 and its aftermath. Art, I'm a fan. But I don't care what your opinion on Attorney General John Ashcroft is.
If the above two songs are on Everclear's recently-released Greatest Hits, and I think they are, this one's a sell.
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I met Art earlier this year, at the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati. He implied that he was leaving Capitol Records because he was angry about their lack of promotion for this album, and it's true that hardly anybody even realized the album had been released, but Art should realize that this thing's a bit of a dud.
There are two fairly good songs, "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom" and "New York Times," but VDSM is a novelty tune and New York Times is about what most of the album is about, Sept. 11 and its aftermath. Art, I'm a fan. But I don't care what your opinion on Attorney General John Ashcroft is.
If the above two songs are on Everclear's recently-released Greatest Hits, and I think they are, this one's a sell.
November 22: Travis - 12 Memories
Some bands shouldn't go political. Take Travis, for example. Travis are a very good Scottish band who had some small hits over here and some really huge hits in the UK. They're a nice, light, acoustic group who write good pop songs. Well, after their last album, their drummer broke his neck diving into a shallow pool in France and was nearly paralyzed. As a result, the band had a lot of downtime, and lead singer/songwriter Fran Healy apparently used all that time to watch the news. So is one of those dark, gloomy post-Sept. 11 albums that we were all pretty sick of by the time it came out in fall 2003. I don't care about some Scottish dude's opinion of the Iraq war, or the British government, or Sept. 11, or domestic violence. There is only one song on here that's even close to Travis' previous output, "Love Will Come Through," which is probably why there's a Travis greatest hits out this Christmas. This album's a career-killer, and with the greatest hits coming out, I may just have to sell it.
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November 21: Superdrag - in the valley of dying stars
Let's do some "disappointing follow-ups from great bands" to finish out the month, shall we?
First up, Superdrag. This is their first indie album, after Head Trip in Every Key (one of my top albums of all time) had flopped royally on Elektra and they got dropped. Unlike Last Call for Vitriol, the album after this one, Superdrag doesn't sound like a band at the end of its rope yet. Instead, they ram through these songs like they've got something to prove.
It's only half the album Head Trip was, but half of that album is still pretty decent. I think it's a keeper, especially since I doubt Superdrag will ever have any sort of greatest hits.
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First up, Superdrag. This is their first indie album, after Head Trip in Every Key (one of my top albums of all time) had flopped royally on Elektra and they got dropped. Unlike Last Call for Vitriol, the album after this one, Superdrag doesn't sound like a band at the end of its rope yet. Instead, they ram through these songs like they've got something to prove.
It's only half the album Head Trip was, but half of that album is still pretty decent. I think it's a keeper, especially since I doubt Superdrag will ever have any sort of greatest hits.
November 20: Oasis - The Masterplan
You know how great a band Oasis were? They put out a b-sides album after only three regular albums, and it was as good as the first three albums. Seriously. "Acquiesce," "Stay Young," and "The Masterplan" could have been super-huge "Champagne Supernova"-style hits, but Noel Gallagher just wasn't as big a fan of them. So he dumped 'em off as b-sides. Maybe Noel should have stayed on the cocaine, because this collection proves he was really kicking some a$$ as a songwriter when he was nose-deep in some Columbian snow.
You also get a cover of "I am the Walrus," which further proves that Oasis were trying to be the grunge Beatles instead of just the Beatles II. But that's a discussion for another day.
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You also get a cover of "I am the Walrus," which further proves that Oasis were trying to be the grunge Beatles instead of just the Beatles II. But that's a discussion for another day.
November 19: Rancid - ... and out come the wolves
Josh Joplin Group is good, but it's a bit of a depressing album. So I needed a pick-me-up, and Rancid'll do it. I'm not sure why I didn't do this during punk month, but oh well.
This is a great album, and when it came out in '95, it taught all the nü-punks like me who bought Green Day and Offspring what punk rock was really about (and led me into bands like Bad Religion and NOFX). "Roots Radicals"? "Time Bomb"? "Ruby Soho"? All on here.
I've been a bit disappointed with Rancid's albums after this one; they kind of abandoned all sense of melody, but this is a great album. And a fact that I think is forgotten is that Matt Freeman is a crazy-good bass player. Seriously; check out "Maxwell Murder." That dude can play. In fact, I was so inspired by this album that I started my own band with a dude who couldn't sing very well and a kick-ass bass player. Were we as good as Rancid? Not even close, dude.
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This is a great album, and when it came out in '95, it taught all the nü-punks like me who bought Green Day and Offspring what punk rock was really about (and led me into bands like Bad Religion and NOFX). "Roots Radicals"? "Time Bomb"? "Ruby Soho"? All on here.
I've been a bit disappointed with Rancid's albums after this one; they kind of abandoned all sense of melody, but this is a great album. And a fact that I think is forgotten is that Matt Freeman is a crazy-good bass player. Seriously; check out "Maxwell Murder." That dude can play. In fact, I was so inspired by this album that I started my own band with a dude who couldn't sing very well and a kick-ass bass player. Were we as good as Rancid? Not even close, dude.
November 18: Josh Joplin Group - Useful Music
Sometimes another person's opinion of something you love can ruin it for you forever. Case in point: this album. I was crazy into the song "Camera One" off this, and played it for the 12 Pearls guys on a road trip one time. Their reaction? "Eh. Sounds like the Wallflowers." I was crushed, and haven't listened to this much since.
So it was a keep-or-sell candidate, but you know what? I can't get rid of this album. It's too kick-ass. And "Camera One" is one of my top 10 songs. So there.
Check it out sometime. Apparently the Josh Joplin Group broke up (probably due to poor sales), but I bet Josh Joplin is still making music. I hope he makes more.
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So it was a keep-or-sell candidate, but you know what? I can't get rid of this album. It's too kick-ass. And "Camera One" is one of my top 10 songs. So there.
Check it out sometime. Apparently the Josh Joplin Group broke up (probably due to poor sales), but I bet Josh Joplin is still making music. I hope he makes more.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
November 17: 3rd Degree - Radio 7
Another CD I picked up at that convention in Vegas a couple of years back. At the time, I could have sworn this band said they were from New York, but from the liner notes in this album, it looks like they're from Denver.
The music on here is pretty good, but it's kind of an evolutionary dead-end, like the super-smart dinosaurs that they think showed up right before the asteroid hit. 3rd Degree takes that super-polished alt-pop sound that SR-71 and Marvelous 3 and a few other bands had hits with in the late '90s and pushes it into an even more polished, poppy direction. The result is kind of Foo Fighters crossed with Matthew Sweet. But by the time this came out, everybody was listening to Nickleback and crap like that. So 3rd Degree never really had much of a chance. According to their website, they've changed their name to God or Julie. Which is a terrible, terrible name.
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The music on here is pretty good, but it's kind of an evolutionary dead-end, like the super-smart dinosaurs that they think showed up right before the asteroid hit. 3rd Degree takes that super-polished alt-pop sound that SR-71 and Marvelous 3 and a few other bands had hits with in the late '90s and pushes it into an even more polished, poppy direction. The result is kind of Foo Fighters crossed with Matthew Sweet. But by the time this came out, everybody was listening to Nickleback and crap like that. So 3rd Degree never really had much of a chance. According to their website, they've changed their name to God or Julie. Which is a terrible, terrible name.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
November 16: Collective Soul - Youth
Man, lots of people must be reading this thing; only 10 months after I publicly asked "where the hell are Collective Soul?", they're back! Like Stroke 9, they're on their own now, and like Stroke 9, they appear to have not splurged on a top-grade graphic designer.
The last CS album and the two new tracks off the greatest hits sounded robotic, as if Ed Roland had hit on the exact mathematical formula for a good rock song and wasn't deviating anymore. But this album's got some soul to it. Allmusic said it was the album for people who thought "Gel" is the best Collective Soul song, and I agree with that to a point. There's some glam-rock influence, and some '80s influence (there's saxophone on a couple of tracks), but the traditional hard-driving 4/4, studio-tweaked song structure is still here, too.
Overall, I like it. They're supposed to be coming through town before Christmas; I might just go.
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The last CS album and the two new tracks off the greatest hits sounded robotic, as if Ed Roland had hit on the exact mathematical formula for a good rock song and wasn't deviating anymore. But this album's got some soul to it. Allmusic said it was the album for people who thought "Gel" is the best Collective Soul song, and I agree with that to a point. There's some glam-rock influence, and some '80s influence (there's saxophone on a couple of tracks), but the traditional hard-driving 4/4, studio-tweaked song structure is still here, too.
Overall, I like it. They're supposed to be coming through town before Christmas; I might just go.
November 15: Remy Zero - The Golden Hum
Remy Zero were one of several bands in the late '90s pegged as "The American Radiohead." Alas, none of them came close to matching Radiohead's talent, prestige or sales. This is another album that was hurt by 9/11; if I remember right, "Save Me" was one of those songs that Clear Channel quit playing (along with "Fly," "Leaving on a Jet Plane," etc. etc.) right afterwards. But then it got picked up as the theme song for Smallville, so that's probably a wash.
The real problem with this album is that it's got one good song, "Save Me," two halfway decent ones, "Perfect Memory" and "Hollywood High," and eight tracks that are unfocused, boring non-starters.
Plus, the lead singer used to be married to Alyssa Milano, which makes me just jealous enough to sell this one.
It puzzles me no end that some great bands (Jimmy Eat World back when they were on Capitol, Lucky Boys Confusion, etc.) get absolutely no help from their labels, and other bands, like Remy Zero and Cold (god, I hate that band) seem to get pushed over and over again for three or four albums. Did you know this was Remy Zero's third album? I briefly had a copy of their second, and it sucked worse than this one.
Alas, Remy Zero have broken up, according to their website, so I won't have them to kick around anymore.
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The real problem with this album is that it's got one good song, "Save Me," two halfway decent ones, "Perfect Memory" and "Hollywood High," and eight tracks that are unfocused, boring non-starters.
Plus, the lead singer used to be married to Alyssa Milano, which makes me just jealous enough to sell this one.
It puzzles me no end that some great bands (Jimmy Eat World back when they were on Capitol, Lucky Boys Confusion, etc.) get absolutely no help from their labels, and other bands, like Remy Zero and Cold (god, I hate that band) seem to get pushed over and over again for three or four albums. Did you know this was Remy Zero's third album? I briefly had a copy of their second, and it sucked worse than this one.
Alas, Remy Zero have broken up, according to their website, so I won't have them to kick around anymore.
November 14: Color - Are You With Me?
Here's a recipe for disaster: take one Austin-based band of veterans (half of them were in a band called Seed that had a song on the Melrose Place soundtrack 10 years ago), record with the guy behind Matchbox 20 and that Aerosmith song "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing," write a whole bunch of uplifting, you-can-do-it songs, the kind Survivor got big with in the early '80s, and then release the whole package on Sept. 11, 2001.
Ouch.
Color were pretty much dead in the water from the beginning (it didn't help any that their style of music peaked about three years before this album came out), and their website's been taken down, so I assume they've broken up. I picked this up at Randy's M&Ms in Edmond after listening to it on one of the listening stations. So hey music retailers: those listening stations work. Put more up in your stores, so people with an hour or two to kill can try before they buy.
I liked this album at the time, but three years on, it already sounds horribly dated. It's headed for the Sell pile.
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Ouch.
Color were pretty much dead in the water from the beginning (it didn't help any that their style of music peaked about three years before this album came out), and their website's been taken down, so I assume they've broken up. I picked this up at Randy's M&Ms in Edmond after listening to it on one of the listening stations. So hey music retailers: those listening stations work. Put more up in your stores, so people with an hour or two to kill can try before they buy.
I liked this album at the time, but three years on, it already sounds horribly dated. It's headed for the Sell pile.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
November 13: Pilot Radio - Antiques
File this one in the "huh?" basket. Pilot Radio are a band from Houston that 12 Pearls played with about 18 months ago. We traded CDs, and I didn't think much more about them until I dug this out of a box last week. So I go on their website, and they've signed record deals in France and the Philippines, where the album is out and a video is on TV. Wha?!?
I didn't even think this was that great. The lyrics don't sync up with the music properly, and the singer's a little flat all the time. Also, they operate in that mid-tempo area between ballads and rockers that pisses me off. If I can get anybody to take it, this one's a sell.
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I didn't even think this was that great. The lyrics don't sync up with the music properly, and the singer's a little flat all the time. Also, they operate in that mid-tempo area between ballads and rockers that pisses me off. If I can get anybody to take it, this one's a sell.
November 12: Stroke 9 - All In
It's my opinion that, more than any other band, Stroke 9 got royally screwed over by 9/11. See, here's what happened: Stroke 9 were coming off a multiplatinum debut (Nasty Little Thoughts; go pick it up, it's a good listen), and had the lead single, "Kick Some Ass," on the Jay and Silent Bob soundtrack. It was also the lead single off their second album, scheduled to come out early October 2001. But then Sept. 11 happened, and DJs around the country started playing "Kick Some Ass" as some sort of anti-terrorist song. Well, the record company freaked and pulled the album. It was another year before it came out, and by that point, the track listing had been shuffled around, and it was called Rip It Off. Predictably, it sank like a stone, and the record company dropped them.
Well, here it is two years later, and Stroke 9 are back. I know this because I saw their new album on display in Wal-Mart today and picked it up (only $9!) First thing I noticed: when you lose the major-label budget, you also lose the major-label graphic designer, because the packaging looks like it was done in about 45 minutes on Photoshop or something. Second, the bass player's gone. According to the website, he was sick of touring. But it's not like the band's been touring that much anyway.
So how is it? Decent. Certainly not as good as the band's two major label albums. There are two "experimental" tracks in the middle that are kinda cool, but sound a bit too much like "hey, let's screw around in the studio" stuff.
Also, they've gone the Bowling for Soup route by assembling some '90s heavy-hitters to write with. There's a song with Butch Walker of Marvelous 3, and one with the guy that got kicked out of Third Eye Blind, and a couple of others.
I really like this band, but this CD just sort of confirms that the wheels came off this train years ago. Every band's got to come down sometime; I just think Stroke 9 came down sooner than they should have.
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Well, here it is two years later, and Stroke 9 are back. I know this because I saw their new album on display in Wal-Mart today and picked it up (only $9!) First thing I noticed: when you lose the major-label budget, you also lose the major-label graphic designer, because the packaging looks like it was done in about 45 minutes on Photoshop or something. Second, the bass player's gone. According to the website, he was sick of touring. But it's not like the band's been touring that much anyway.
So how is it? Decent. Certainly not as good as the band's two major label albums. There are two "experimental" tracks in the middle that are kinda cool, but sound a bit too much like "hey, let's screw around in the studio" stuff.
Also, they've gone the Bowling for Soup route by assembling some '90s heavy-hitters to write with. There's a song with Butch Walker of Marvelous 3, and one with the guy that got kicked out of Third Eye Blind, and a couple of others.
I really like this band, but this CD just sort of confirms that the wheels came off this train years ago. Every band's got to come down sometime; I just think Stroke 9 came down sooner than they should have.
November 11: Cold Memory - damage/no damage
If memory serves me correctly, I got this at a music conference in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. The band were (their website's gone, so I assume they've broken up) from New York and got signed to a startup record company run by an Internet millionaire. My impression then (and now, too) is that they realized this was their only chance to make a real album, and so they packed it. This thing's got 18 songs on it, and they ain't all keepers, folks. Actually, only one or two are that great, the rest are medicore punkish mish-mash.
If I can find anybody to take it, this one's a sell.
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If I can find anybody to take it, this one's a sell.
November 10: Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet
I think Crash Test Dummies got a bad rap. Yeah, we all heard "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" too much, but so what? There's other good songs on here. The old SPI in Stillwater used to play "Afternoons and Coffeespoons" all the time, and that song was good.
Go back and listen to this album if you've got it. Now ignore "Mmm Mmm" and what do you get? A band that sounds like Dave Matthews Band or Blues Traveler, two other acts that were big around the same time, but with the lyrical sensibility of They Might Be Giants.
If I pulled out a CD right now and said "Hey, would you like to hear this band? They sound like They Might Be Giants crossed with Blues Traveler," would you say yes? No, of course not. It's 2004. Nobody wants to hear that now. But in 1994? You bet your sweet bippy you would have.
And they were Canadian. And didn't that guy have an extraordinarily low voice? I'd like to hear him in a bass-off with James Earl Jones. That would be awesome.
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Go back and listen to this album if you've got it. Now ignore "Mmm Mmm" and what do you get? A band that sounds like Dave Matthews Band or Blues Traveler, two other acts that were big around the same time, but with the lyrical sensibility of They Might Be Giants.
If I pulled out a CD right now and said "Hey, would you like to hear this band? They sound like They Might Be Giants crossed with Blues Traveler," would you say yes? No, of course not. It's 2004. Nobody wants to hear that now. But in 1994? You bet your sweet bippy you would have.
And they were Canadian. And didn't that guy have an extraordinarily low voice? I'd like to hear him in a bass-off with James Earl Jones. That would be awesome.
November 9: Space Monkeys - The Daddy of Them All
I got this a year or two ago in a bargain bin somewhere. I believe Space Monkeys were the last major band on Factory Records, the legendary Manchester label that had Joy Division, New Order, and the Happy Mondays. This was, apparently, an ill-fated attempt to wed Oasis-style Britpop with late-'80s Madchester dance music. Other than "Sugar Cane," which was kind of a hit here in... '97? '98? there's not much to write home about.
Sell.
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Sell.
November 8: Dig (self-titled)
Anybody besides me remember Dig? They had that song "Believe" about 10 years ago? No? Bueller?
The story I heard about these guys was that they were LA studio musicians who got together to make a "grunge" album, a la their '80s counterparts Mr. Mister and Toto. Other than "Believe," they didn't do a very good job of it. My least favorite part has to be "Conversation," where they took actual dinner party noise and used it as a backing track. When Weezer did it for like 45 seconds on "The Sweater Song," (also in '94) kinda cool. When you do it for four minutes, no.
Sell.
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The story I heard about these guys was that they were LA studio musicians who got together to make a "grunge" album, a la their '80s counterparts Mr. Mister and Toto. Other than "Believe," they didn't do a very good job of it. My least favorite part has to be "Conversation," where they took actual dinner party noise and used it as a backing track. When Weezer did it for like 45 seconds on "The Sweater Song," (also in '94) kinda cool. When you do it for four minutes, no.
Sell.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
November 7: The New Pornographers - Electric Version
Hm... first of all, if you call your band the New Pornographers, I don't think Wal-Mart will carry your CDs. Just a tip.
This album was very well-reviewed when it came out two summers ago. I bought it, listened to it once, and then promptly forgot about it. Well, it's time to drag it back out.
Apparently this is some sort of Vancouver collective that's all people from other bands. Didn't I do Broken Social Scene, the Toronto collective, a few months back? What's with Canadian musicians getting together in collectives to record albums? Anyway, this has exactly three great songs on it: "The Laws Have Changed," "All for Swinging You Around," and "Miss Teen Wordpower." Coincidentally, those are the songs that best showcase Neko Case, who is apparently the talent in this bunch. The rest is pretty ho-hum.
I believe I'll download those three, and then sell this disc. Ain't technology great?
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This album was very well-reviewed when it came out two summers ago. I bought it, listened to it once, and then promptly forgot about it. Well, it's time to drag it back out.
Apparently this is some sort of Vancouver collective that's all people from other bands. Didn't I do Broken Social Scene, the Toronto collective, a few months back? What's with Canadian musicians getting together in collectives to record albums? Anyway, this has exactly three great songs on it: "The Laws Have Changed," "All for Swinging You Around," and "Miss Teen Wordpower." Coincidentally, those are the songs that best showcase Neko Case, who is apparently the talent in this bunch. The rest is pretty ho-hum.
I believe I'll download those three, and then sell this disc. Ain't technology great?
November 6: Atticus Fault (self-titled)
Don't always believe what BMG tells you in the one-paragraph blurb. That's my message for today, kids. Atticus Fault's, for instance, said something like "Band from Nashville combines U2, Coldplay with grunge." I was intrigued, and it was another buy-one-get-three-free sale, so hey, why not?
Here's why not... a) they don't sound like U2 orColdplay. b)if anything, it sounds like Nine Inch Nails crossed with '70s prog-rock, but that probably wouldn't get idiots like me to buy the album, would it?
So this thing comes in the mail, and it's got a computer-animated album cover that looks like a reject from the Creed catalog, complete with... wait for it... a totally made-up alphabet (the key is inside, under the disc). You have got to be f**king kidding me.
Then the band is so pretentious that the first song starts with three minutes of instrumental nonsense before the singer finally kicks in. Guess what, guys: U2 could get away with this on the Joshua Tree, but you know what? They were the BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD!!! And last I checked, you were four losers from Nashville who managed to sucker MCA into giving you a record deal.
Also, I get the sneaky suspicion this is pseudo-Christian music. Either that, or the band is totally obsessed with the Nativity and the Virgin Mary. Which is a bit weird. Combine all this with the fact that three (count 'em, THREE) members of the band are doing the Billy Corgan/Michael Stipe pre-emptive baldness thing and you know what you get? Crap.
Sell.
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Here's why not... a) they don't sound like U2 orColdplay. b)if anything, it sounds like Nine Inch Nails crossed with '70s prog-rock, but that probably wouldn't get idiots like me to buy the album, would it?
So this thing comes in the mail, and it's got a computer-animated album cover that looks like a reject from the Creed catalog, complete with... wait for it... a totally made-up alphabet (the key is inside, under the disc). You have got to be f**king kidding me.
Then the band is so pretentious that the first song starts with three minutes of instrumental nonsense before the singer finally kicks in. Guess what, guys: U2 could get away with this on the Joshua Tree, but you know what? They were the BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD!!! And last I checked, you were four losers from Nashville who managed to sucker MCA into giving you a record deal.
Also, I get the sneaky suspicion this is pseudo-Christian music. Either that, or the band is totally obsessed with the Nativity and the Virgin Mary. Which is a bit weird. Combine all this with the fact that three (count 'em, THREE) members of the band are doing the Billy Corgan/Michael Stipe pre-emptive baldness thing and you know what you get? Crap.
Sell.
Saturday, December 04, 2004
November 5: Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
I liked the movie Magnolia a great deal, mostly because of the really good Aimee Mann-led soundtrack.
Unfortunately, the best I can say for this album is that it reminds me of the movie Magnolia, even though none of these songs are on it. Oh, and the CD jacket is really cool; lots of alternative comic-style art. Check out the song "Humpty Dumpty"; the rest is a bit hum-drum.
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Unfortunately, the best I can say for this album is that it reminds me of the movie Magnolia, even though none of these songs are on it. Oh, and the CD jacket is really cool; lots of alternative comic-style art. Check out the song "Humpty Dumpty"; the rest is a bit hum-drum.
November 4: Virginwool - Open Heart Surgery
This is one of the few albums that I bought because I liked the cover. Seriously, I was in Tulsa at this indie shop (Starship Records, if you guys know Tulsa), and I was trying to talk the owner into carrying the 12 Pearls CD. So I thought I'd butter him up by buying a CD, and picked this one because the jacket looked pretty cool.
Mistake.
Turns out (thanks to some allmusic research) that Virginwool are part of the same northern Florida music scene that brought us Matchbox 20, Sister Hazel, and Creed (and the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync, but forget them for a minute). Not that this band is nearly as good as any of those bands. Well, I guess they're better than Creed. According to allmusic, the band got signed because the song "You're the Girl" got a ton of airplay on the radio in northern Florida. Odd, I thought that was one of the worst songs on here.
To me, the whole album sounded like a huge Stereophonics ripoff, which is weird, because Stereophonics were never popular in the U.S., so if you're a U.S. record company, why sign a band that sounds like them?
This one's going on the sell pile.
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Mistake.
Turns out (thanks to some allmusic research) that Virginwool are part of the same northern Florida music scene that brought us Matchbox 20, Sister Hazel, and Creed (and the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync, but forget them for a minute). Not that this band is nearly as good as any of those bands. Well, I guess they're better than Creed. According to allmusic, the band got signed because the song "You're the Girl" got a ton of airplay on the radio in northern Florida. Odd, I thought that was one of the worst songs on here.
To me, the whole album sounded like a huge Stereophonics ripoff, which is weird, because Stereophonics were never popular in the U.S., so if you're a U.S. record company, why sign a band that sounds like them?
This one's going on the sell pile.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
November 3: Splender - To Whom It May Concern
When I popped this disc in, I was convinced it was a sure-thing sell. After all, it's Splender's second album, not even the one that had the hits on it back in the late '90s, and I only got it from BMG because it was buy one, get three free and there were only two I really wanted. But then I gave it a listen, and it's actually really good. Seriously. Check out "The Loneliest Person I Know" and "Save It For Later." New Wave crossed with power-pop crossed with a touch of hard-rock. I can almost forgive the bass player for having those bizarrely-tweezed eyebrows. Fellas, even if you're a rocker, you shouldn't attempt to give your eyebrows weird shapes. It just scares the rest of us.
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November 2: Salt - Bluster
I vaguely recall the title track from this album being played on the old SPI in Stillwater (or maybe 95X in the early days? It's all such a blur now). I believe they're a Swedish grunge band maybe? Another album that mysteriously showed up in my collection; maybe I borrowed this from somebody in high school and just never gave it back. Regardless, it hasn't aged well either, and it's a sell.
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November 1: Orgy - Candyass
Hm... I actually bought this album? Worse, I was actually into this band? Hard to believe, listening to this Korn-with-more-keyboards slop now. I remember being disappointed that I missed Orgy's set at Edgefest in Tulsa one year. But this album, their first, has really not aged well. Even the cover of "Blue Monday" by New Order isn't doing it for me. I think it's November's first sell.
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