Still crazy after all these reviews…

Hey all you crazy fools! I can’t believe you are still reading. Here are some reviews for you. Hey, how’ve you been? Oh cool, sounds good. Yeah, I’ve been thinking that myself! Small world, right? Ah well, let me know how ya do! Thanks!

Jack White – Blunderbuss – a pretty good record, it does branch a little from the White Stripes sound, but I doubt this would be any different under the White Stripes moniker. Jack is Jack and will be for all time, so surrender to it!

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Mystery Jets – Radlands – apparently inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s Badlands, the Mystery Jets step a bit from their neo-Brit-pop leanings and create a kind of tune-less experiment, and if you know me, I needs me some catchy melodies, and I got none off of this!

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Zeus – Busting Visions – this record kind of goes all over the place. Kind of a 70’s music primer, it touches on classic power pop, classic rock, and blends it in the modern approach to indie-rock. Perhaps leans a bit too much to plain old classic rock for my tastes, but an interesting record anyways.

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Megan Joy – Megan Joy – I followed this former American Idol contestant after Bleu wrote and produced some phenomenal songs for her. While those songs do not appear on this EP, she has an interesting, if not unique, voice, and delivers soulful songs very competently, worth checking out if you like that sort of thing.

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Train – California 37 – I got into Train when they dropped Drops of Jupiter on us (pun intended) and have stuck by, even as they have transformed into this obnoxious joke of a band. I’ll admit, they have some catchy numbers, but I can’t take them seriously anymore. Great job fellas, you really blew it.

Music mayhem

So here’s another week, with another batch of reviews. I wanted to address my rating system. I feel bad, like I am always giving people 3 stars or thereabouts, which doesn’t give much to work with. It stems from this 4 star rating system, which is limiting, I suppose. I like it to be limiting, because it makes it easier for me to keep track of it. So I am going to try to explain my ratings:

Oscar Round-up

Had you going there for a second, huh? No, this blog will not be mentioning the Oscars in any way. Nope, I won’t mention the horrible mash-up during the best song nominees presentation, nor the bizarre attempt to revive the corpse of the musical. That would just be insulting to your intelligence. I mean we can all think for ourselves, we don’t need any corporate oversight committee telling us where we should get our entertainment. So here are some alternative viewpoints on what’s good in music. Now, I have to get to the movie theatre…to…see…Slumdog Millionaire…yes, master…must obey…

Mark Olson & Gary Louris – Ready For The Flood – *** –

What what?

Hey everybody! Here’s where I normally write a bunch of useless garbage and random non-sequitors, ending with a plea to read my blog. That will not happen this time, I promise. Remember, promises are the key to your eternal happiness. It only takes one to make an elephant walk. Now read my blog!!

Modern Skirts – All Of Us In Our Night – *** –

The first of 2009

Ok, here we are, 2009, it’s gonna be great! Let’s get started!

Andrew Bird – Noble Beast – ***1/2 – More goodness from Andrew Bird. I think it finds the happy medium between the Mysterious Production of Eggs album and the Armchair Apocrypha album, having some of the lightness of Eggs with more of the electronic instrumentation found on Armchair.

Antony & The Johnsons – The Crying Light – *** –

The Last of 2008

OK, this is it, the final review blog of 2008. It was a great year for music, but 2009 looks like it will be hitting us with some winners. Find out more in my next exciting blog! It’s getting kinda crazy around here, what with all the winter madness shaking things up. Hey! I just saw an awesome concert yesterday, by Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. A fun, rip-roarin’ show, I even got to meet the band, a bunch of nice fellas and lady. Check my facebook for pics. Otherwise, have fun for ’09!

For The Kids Three – *** –

What makes a great album?

What makes a great album anyway? I wonder about this a lot. On these reviews, I base my decisions on first impressions, based on one listen, and often, I come back to my reviews and question my decision. Because the thing that happens is you revisit records. Sometimes the stars are aligned so that something just hits you right on that first listen, but when you revisit, things have changed, and you see it through different eyes.

There is the phenomenon of expecting a lot out of something

After the Fact, the Stinging Aftertaste of 2008

I’m sure many of you face the same struggle after all those year end lists come in. People obviously have varied tastes, and it is often difficult to tell if you will like something someone puts on a list. I submit to you these reviews of 5 CD’s I saw on best of ’08 lists and tried out. With the exception of Scot Sax, they are all new artists to me. And the results are mixed, some I really liked, some fell a bit flat. I think there is a tendency for high expectations (if they put it on a list it must be GREAT!!) Good luck.

The Revisionists – The Revisionists – *** –

Stupid winter (but baby, it’s cold outside!)

Brr… stupid winter. Stupid winter and it’s stupid coldness. I hate you winter, and I hope you die. I don’t even have the energy to write a proper intro. So here’s a bunch of records, OK, listen to them or not, I could care less…you all make me sick. (Why am I so mad all of a sudden?) Go have your little Christmas parties and wear your dumb sweaters, I’ll be in my room listening to records. (Calm down dude!) Oh and one more thing…you…you…uh…whu- where am I. What are you… NOOOOOOOO!!!!

Jesse Malin – Mercury Retrograde – ***

Electing your musical futures…it’s that dumb reviewer guy again

Alright, now that the election is over and the world is saved by Barack, we will all be rich, war will be over, and all we’ll do all day is listen to music. So to get us ready for this Utopia, I present a few records that should be sampled by all. We’ll do a vote on these records, so send me your votes, and I will tally them up, and, as the sole electoral vote, I will choose who gets to win. Onward Democracy!

Built By Snow – MEGA – *** –

Freezing cold warmth…review time!

Hiya everybody, got another set of review for you, it’s kind of weird, once I stopped trying to keep to a schedule, suddenly, I have been able to keep these almost weekly. I guess once the pressure’s off to produce, it doesn’t hurt so much when you’re late. So, it has been really cold around here lately, I’m thinking I need to move to a warmer climate, of course popping in some of these tunes can help warm my frozen heart once again. Enjoy.

Andy Bopp – This Guitar Kills Singer Songwriters – *** –

Howzabout dem apples, a new review blog from me!

Alright, we are the throes of fall, and as such, it’s time for some yummy apples, five of which I offer you below. These fresh fruits fell on my head recently, knocking out all sense and leaving me with a strange desire to bathe myself in apple cider. So please bear with me as I watch this leaf CHANGE COLORS IN MY VERY HAND!!!! Creepy. Well, enjoy.

Cliff Hillis – The Long Now – ***1/2

Our national treasure…5 reviews for all

You know, it not often that we encounter a situation where the ultimate result is both a combination of what makes us really and at least a small part given to the answer we are looking for. Hopefully this blog will help to define what really makes us get out there.

Paul Westerberg – 3oclockkreep – *** –

5 Reviews this week – cool as a cucumber

Well, I’m back, and cooled down since last week’s rant. I got some new CD’s since last time, and will be coming at you with some sweet reviews of all that has been bouncing in my ears as of late. This week, I think I got a good mix, let me know how it hits you. I love typing into a vacuum as much as the next guy, but we need to get some conversation going, and keep this blog breathing. I’m as guilty as all, just reading and leaving, but it would be cool to get this thing active!

David Yazbek – Evil Monkey Man – *** –

5 reviews whenever i feel like it…OK?!

OK, this blog is now the 5 reviews whenever I feel like it. You know, I always complained when comic book writers broke from a monthly cycle or something. And that’s because comics take like 10 minutes to read the first time, not realizing all the work that has to go on. I mean I relate to that. Coming up with these reviews amount to the same amount of hard work that goes into drawing and writing a comic book. I mean for one, I have to, like, listen to them, which takes like 45 minutes or something. Then, uh, I have to write the review, and determine a star rating based on over 500 categorical themes. And that takes like 2 minutes, so in all, to get these out weekly would take AT MINIMUM 4 hours – A WEEK! That’s crazy, no way would I possibly be able to do that on a weekly basis. No way.