CD Reviews
Yellowcard
Lights and Sounds
Capitol, 2006
2 out of 5
After the success of Ocean Avenue, Yellowcard decided to flex their artistic muscle with Lights and Sounds. Unfortunately, that muscle is weak because what was once a kitschy sound, thanks to the violin, is now formulaic and boring.
The opening track, “Three Flights Up,” is an unoriginal piano and violin instrumental, (which sounds eerily similar to Emelia’s “Big Big World”), that sets the tone for the rest of the album (that being unoriginality). “Sure Thing Falling” sounds like just about every other semi-hard rock song out there but with a hint of punk.
Much of the lyrics and subject matter are borderline cheese. For instance, according to their biography, a recurring character on the album is a girl named “Holly Wood.” Wow. As well, have we not heard enough protest songs about Iraq, as in the contrived sounding “Two Weeks from Twenty”? The album’s only redeeming songs are the title track and “How I Go,” featuring Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. (I’m a sucker for guy/girl harmonizing.)
This release is supposed to mark Yellowcard’s arrival as a mature band, ready to be exposed to an audience wider than the pop-punk crowd of Ocean Avenue. But they’ve brought nothing new to the table, and Lights and Sounds ends up sounding like everything else out there.
Vuthana Suon Staff
Watermelon Slim & the Workers
Watermelon Slim & the Workers
NorthernBlues Music, 2006
4 ½ out of 5
Watermelon Slim’s Bill Homans was originally the only Vietnam veteran to have recorded a protest LP during the war; two years ago he triumphantly rejoined the blues scene after quitting his full-time job as an Oklahoma industrial waste truck driver. This is his third full-length studio album since then, and it’s my favourite album of 2006 so far. (Granted it’s only February, but still!)
It’s very, very hard to find fault with this CD: The production values are dead-on. The tracklist is well arranged. The instrumental backing, provided by a core of immensely talented musicians, is absolutely perfect. Watermelon Slim himself is captivating when singing and completely awe-inspiring when firing up the lead guitar or the harmonica.
This is 52-minutes of authentic, deliciously traditional Mississippi Delta-style blues. To give you some idea of how much I love this album, my only rankings when going over it track-by-track were “awesome,” “very awesome” or “AWESOME” written in capital letters. If you’re a big fan of the blues, an on-again-off-again fan of the blues, or even somebody who just likes being drunk and/or grumpy every so often, I can’t think of a reason not to purchase this album. On the other hand, if you don’t like blues in the slightest, then fine — but I’m telling you, you’re missing out on this one!
James Howard Volunteer Staff
The Strokes
First Impressions of Earth
BMG Music, 2006
3 out of 5
C’mon, give the guys a break. Sure, they sound a bit like the Velvet Underground, the Cars, Nirvana and even, in their more lacklustre moments, the Smiths. But who cares? Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas has an awesome vocal range, as demonstrated on “Juicebox,” and there’s an unrefined energy in “You Only Live Once” and “Heart in a Cage” that’s all their own.
This third album by the boys from NYC is good, but it’s not without its flaws. The first 10 minutes are electrifying, but it proves a tough act to keep up for 11 more tracks. A lot of what follows is homogenous and forgettable, and the blandness is compounded by Casablancas’s cryptic, meandering lyrics. The exception is “Ize of the World,” which reads like poetry (“An egg to fertilize; a pulse to stabilize; a body to deodorize . . .”). Unfortunately, it still manages to sound like a third-rate GM truck ad. Incidentally, the album’s solitary f-word seems to serve little purpose except to invoke that much sought-after ‘parental advisory’ label on the cover.
Though Casablancas sounds like Lou Reed, this collection of tunes has neither the wit nor the wisdom of Transformer or New York. But don’t write off the Strokes just yet.
Peter Hughes
Death Cab for Cutie
Plans
Atlantic Records, 2005
4½ out of 5
This is the sixth album from the Seattle-based band Death Cab for Cutie, and their first album produced with Atlantic records. (Their former label, Barsuk Records, produced their five other albums.)
Although Plans has a different sound from the other records, like Transatlanticism, its new sound is not jarring, but expected from a band that has been around for so long. This album is one of the most incredible things I have ever heard. The lyrics convey an amazing mastery of poetry aligned with an impressive aptitude for music.
Every song has a different sound and a different meaning, from songs like “I Will Follow You into the Dark” to “Brothers on a Hotel Bed.” Other notable songs on this album are “Marching Bands of Manhattan” and “Summer Skin.”
I have never been a romantic person, but this band makes me want to listen to romantic music. Death Cab for Cutie is an alternative to the unintelligent attempts at expressing emotions by artists such as Massari and Mariah Carey.
I have even met hardcore death metal fans that have fallen in love with this band. No one can really explain it, but this band conveys a mature, surreal feeling that you just have to succumb to and enjoy.
Chelse McKee
My American Heart
The Meaning in Makeup
Warcon Enterprise, 2005
1 ½ out of 5
Have you ever stood in a room while people were having sex and said, “Wow, this is awkward?” That’s a cakewalk compared to listening to this album.
This is My American Heart’s sophomore follow up to their self-titled 2004 EP.
When I first heard this album’s title track, “The Meaning in Makeup,” and the intro song, I assumed that My American Heart had taken a stand on the societal standards of women’s beauty. I was so far off that I couldn’t even find my way back if I wanted to.
When I listened to the album’s lyrics, I found it obvious that the musicians were only 18. (These barely legal musicians have already toured with the Taste of Chaos and the Warped Tour.) The tortured emotions and the confusing poetry made it apparent that the musicians were desperate to break into an older age bracket with their music.
Some notable songs were “Pittston” and “Take Over.” “Pittston,” a song with a simple drumbeat met with a unique guitar riff, creates a nice instrumental song introduction. However, the other songs on the album leave a lot to be desired.
As for owning this album, I don’t think I’d even want it if it were free.
Chelse McKee
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
Rabbit Fur Coat
Team Love Records, 2006
4 out of 5
With a list that includes Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, Broken Social Scene’s Jason Collett, the New Pornographers’ Neko Case, and many more, it is easy to see that alt-country seems to be the current fad among hipster indie artists. Add Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis to that ever-growing list, with Rabbit Fur Coat.
The album pairs Lewis with the Watson twins, who give the album a nice bit of sultriness with their background vocals. Indeed, one of the highlights of Rabbit Fur Coat is that it highlights Lewis’s vocal talent, which lends itself well to this genre. One of the great things about her voice, with a subtle quiver, is that it strikes a delicate balance between sounding lollipop sweet and noticeably pained.
The standout track (by far) is a cover of the Travelling Wilburys’ “Handle With Care,” with Oberst and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie contributing, as all three play off each other, picking up the album’s tempo. “You Are What You Love” and “Rise Up With Fists!!” are also nice additions.
Rabbit Fur Coat showcases an aspect of Jenny Lewis that may not always be present in Rilo Kiley, and for what it is, it is a pleasant and lighthearted delight.
Vuthana Suon Staff
Fidgital
Vintage Red
Independent, 2006
2 ½ out of 5
There’s a lot going on with this album. Or rather, let me rephrase that — there is way too much going on with this album.
Vintage Red is the fourth full-length album from horribly-named Vancouverite dance-funk quartet Fidgital (yes, their website sells T-shirts reading “possibly the worst named band EVER”; no, I’m not kidding). It’s an album that’s vastly more interesting than it is entertaining. And, granted, any album that divides itself into three acts and features an apple full of snakes as the cover art is suspect to begin with.
It’s not a bad album despite these concerns; there are a lot of good ideas on this disc, and a fair number of the songs do work well to at least some degree. “True Ambition,” for example, is a neat mix of swing jazz, breakbeat and metal that meshes better than any such combination ever should.
The problem isn’t that they can’t combine multiple styles well, but that they’re trying way too hard and throwing far too much in. Fidgital spends so much time trying to wedge disparate genres together that they fail to hammer out a solid, interesting identity for themselves (and it doesn’t help that lead singer Ryan Slemko uncomfortably channels Tears for Fears on almost every song). Vintage Red is decent, but it isn’t compelling.
James Howard Volunteer Staff
Daddy Yankee
Barrio Fino En Directo
El Cartel Records/Interscope, 2005
3½ out of 5
Globalization is beautiful. It provides an outlet for artists to present their sound to the unaware. As most of the world’s popular music comes from established English-speaking artists, it is exciting to see a Spanish-speaking artist breakthrough in South America and abroad.
Hailing from Puerto Rico, Daddy Yankee is the premier vocalist introducing the world to Reggaeton — a fusion of Salsa, Rap and Reggae. His seminal debut, Barrio Fino, is complemented by this new live album, Barrio Fino En Directo. It includes five new studio tracks, two of which include cameos by established rappers Snoop Dogg and Paul Wall, and a DVD containing footage of several live performances, a powerful documentary, music videos and additional special features.
On the CD, the 10 live performances are crisp, high-quality recordings. They sound superior to the originals because the audiences of up to 60,000 fans in locales as far South as Columbia and as far North as Connecticut sing along to the highly addictive choruses that form the basis of most of his songs (see “Dale Caliente” and the groundbreaking “Gasolina”). The accompanying DVD demonstrates his intense stage presence, unmatched staccato vocals and flawless style, and validates the emerging phenomenon known as Reggaeton, regardless if naysayers cannot comprehend his lyrics or handle the tempo of the beats.
Navin Bahl Staff
Nirvana
Sliver: The Best of the Box
Geffen, 2005
2 out of 5
With the popularity of the infamous final Nirvana recording of “You Know You’re Right” released in 2002, there was a need to release more rare Nirvana to the public. This was accomplished via With the Lights Out, a four-disc box set, featuring unheard studio and home recordings, plus rare live audio and video. The subsequent Nirvana release, Sliver, contains 19 tracks that were released on 2004’s With the Lights Out. But it also contains three new (unreleased) tracks: a pre-Nirvana version of “Spank Thru,” a studio version of “Sappy” and a very rough home recording of “Come As You Are.”
But even the most dedicated fans will find it hard to break down and purchase this CD. “Come As You Are” is a low-quality version of the Nevermind track. Meanwhile, the compilation’s first track, “Spank Thru,” is almost irritating with the lack of singing ability shown by an adolescent Cobain. Many of the songs are b-sides and demos, and it contains the well-known trademarks such as the “raspy moans” singing style and the sloppy guitar playing that made the music community either love or hate Cobain. Although it’s great that Courtney Love is opening up the vaults of Nirvana, the lack of thought and consideration for the way these releases are made may end up doing more harm than good.
