Can you do something about this?

Hey kittehs!!!! Read. Apparently, I only reviewed 4 records, all which feature some varying degrees of undress on the cover. go figure.

Cory Branan
Mutt

Interesting set of songs from this guy, pretty good, but nothing really stands out. I think my interest in this tail end of the alt.country era has really waned. I want to like it, but I think I am just burned out by all of it.

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Jimmy Fallon
Blow Your Pants Off

If you are a fan of the show, you have probably heard most of these songs, but there is a visual element which is all but lost on this, and while it might help isolate the real underlying base of these style parodies, and voices involved, still I think the visual is a necessary thing to really drive home the humor.

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Anuhea
For Love

A stronger reggae presence is felt on this record, which is probably enjoyable to someone, just not me. She has a nice voice, and a certain viewpoint, but it leaves me cold.

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Hallelujah The Hills
No One Knows What Happens Next

Great little indie album from this group.

Review: We’re going nowhere by Didn’t Planet

Didn't Planet is Massachusetts based power pop band. Their concept album about being in band bounced off the doormat so I chucked it on the big speakers. The punning band name didn't bode well but luckily the music was better than the moniker would lead you to expect.

The first two track is a joke so the music doesn't start until until track two. The problem with putting jokes on an album is that no one wants to hear the same joke twice. I have the same issue with another band I love called Secret Powers. Their album The electric family choir (also a concept album) is great but you need to keep skipping past the joke tracks.

I digress. The music.

Track two is very Green Day-esque which is okay by me.

Track six is a nice track but is has – Gah – a forty second jokey lead-in which I'd have to listen to every time I put it on. Good vocal, some harmonies, a bit country.

Track seven is different again with the opening has a bit of They Might be Giant's (perhaps Don't let's start) about it.

These are all bands I like but overall it's not my cup of tea. I'm just not feeling it. I want to like all music I listen to and whilst I don't dislike it I just don't LOVE it.

 

What?! You’re telling me there’s only three left?

It is a mystery that brings me to you all today. Isn’t that rich? Send in the clowns, Bozo.

Redd Kross
Researching The Blues

Redd Kross are back with a bang, at least at first, they hit us with 3-4 powerful intense songs, but by the end of the record they relax back into a pop soundscape that is all their own. Combined, it makes for a great listen, and no one song really defines the record. It’s just all good.

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Mike Viola
Acousto De Perfecto

You simply can’t go wrong with Mike Viola. This time, he takes a bunch of old songs, a couple new ones, and runs them through a stripped down acoustic format, which really brings out the lyrics and the message of his music. It is so very good.

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Kevin Tihista’s Red Terror
On This Dark Street

Another guy who kind of just sits there under the surface, always working on something, always releasing new records. His whispered vocals have always intrigued me; it is a good rainy day record.

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Eytan Mirsky
Year of the Mouse

Eytan always delivers a great set of songs. This collects many more great songs and stories. Using great tunes, humorous lyrics (at times), and a strong consistent voice, it makes for a fun and engaging listening experience.

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Sloan
Australia 1999

Another live bootleg LP from this band, which is ostensibly the greatest band of all time, but really you do not get the full picture with a live recording, it doesn’t offer too much in the vein of improvements on the songs, but still fun to revisit songs from that time.

Don’t be afraid children. You have the music in you.

It’s been a week, and let me tell ya, that has been the time that has elapsed most certainly!

Dan Kibler
Dan Kibler

Wow, hadn’t heard this name in a while, but shame on me for missing another album in between his last Big Deal record and this one. So I actually got a double dose of the Kibler when this came out. This latest album is a great pop album, he does a fantastic job with a hook, and there are plenty here for the taking!

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The Early November
In Currents

I did not detect any sort of concept on this album from these guys, which is probably a good thing, I mean I love a good concept album, but sometimes you feel detached from the artist’s actual experience. This album shows a band well seated in their sound, but not afraid to keep growing.

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Duke Special
Oh Pioneer

Duke returns with a low-key affair, so while lacking some of the more rousing numbers in his catalog, we instead get an introspective record, with some unique sounds and atmosphere that carries you on this journey.

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Eleni Mandell
I Can See The Future

Always love a new Eleni Mandell record, and this one delivers… We see a bit more subdued sound on this, but no less engaging and interesting. A lot has happened to her since her last release so she has plenty to share.

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Shonen Knife
Pop Tune

I have always had a mild interest in Shonen Knife, they return with a good pop-punk record, nothing super interesting here, but a quick, fun record. Let’s just say, no song made me want to turn it off.

If you listen closely, perhaps you’ll hear the sound.

So, this week I have some doozies for you. Make sure to give ‘em a chance, and rock it and/or roll it if you must!

Chester French
Music 4 Tngrs

I liked this album a lot. These guys have a wide range of musical interest and it really combines to create a unique sound. But at the same time, it makes for a very uneven sounding record. Still, they are writing pop songs in their skewed perspective, and the lyrics, while not revolutionary, certainly bring something different

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Trent Dabbs
Future Like Snow

Dabbs has kind of grown into this relaxed laid back songwriter, who picks a sound and just rolls with it. While there is no urgency in his sound, and really doesn’t reach out and grab you, it is a pleasant listen, and worth some time.

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Tony Sly & Joey Cape
Acoustic Vol. 2

These punkers slow it down a bit and it really works for them, the new generation of aging punks. There is a reflective mood on this album, but it doesn’t abandon all fun and recklessness, making for a good listen.

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Gold Motel
Gold Motel

THEY’RE BAAAAAAAACK! My top album getter from 2010, return with an album that doesn’t quite match the onslaught I felt with their first, but they don’t need that anymore, established as a great pop band, we can take our time with these songs and let them sink into that place still housing their old hooks, and expand and improve upon it.

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Billie the Vision & The Dancers
While You Were Asleep

This awesome Swedish band returns with another great collection of songs that reflect a kind of mixed emotion somewhere between love and whimsy, that is very engaging and pulls you right along the world they have constructed. I world I’d like to spend some more time.