To start, I’ll maintain that Michael Franti & Spearhead is one of those acts that is best experienced live. Franti is one of those people that uses music to spread a message, and All Rebel Rockers is a prime example. He’s kind of like a hippie version of Ben Harper, with roots in reggae instead of folk music. It’s a thought-provoking album to be sure, and I think the world could use more of those.
6/10/09 – All Rebel Rockers
Posted in Reggae, Rock, Soul with tags all rebel rockers, michael franti & spearhead, music, review on 06/10/2009 by Dewey6/9/09 – The Rebirth of Venus
Posted in Acoustic, Indie, Pop with tags ben lee, music, review, the rebirth of venus on 06/09/2009 by Dewey
There are “feel-good” albums, and then there’s anything created by Ben Lee. I think he’s mastered the concept. While there’s nothing particularly fantastic or catchy about this album, it’s a solid pop album that’ll leave you with a smile on your face. The bonus disc of covers is a rare gem – Ben Lee covering the song The Ataris wrote about him is the most surreal thing I’ve heard in a while.
6/8/09 – The Century of Self
Posted in Rock with tags and you will know us by the trail of dead, music, review, the century of self on 06/08/2009 by Dewey
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead is one of those bands that sounds so much bigger than they actually are. Once you clear through the initial wall of noise that encloses the first few tracks, you’ll find a pretty epic rock record. I mean, even some of the ballads seem larger than life. Definitely worth a listen – but make sure you have the time, as almost every track is five minutes or more.
6/7/09 – Attics To Eden
Posted in Pop, Rock with tags attics to eden, madina lake, music on 06/07/2009 by Dewey
For every original act out there, you figure there’s got to be a hundred that copy the sound. Madina Lake (on this album, anyhow) sounds like every emo-pop-punk band you heard in the late 90’s/early 00’s. All the lyrics sounded pretty contrived, and I really don’t see the appeal of this stuff to anyone over the age of 16. Hey, someone’s got to be the “filler” at Warped Tour, right?
5/14/09 – 21st Century Breakdown
Posted in Pop, Punk, Rock with tags 21st century breakdown, green day, music on 05/17/2009 by Dewey
Y’know how when you make a carbon copy of something, the copy comes out looking a lot like the original; but there is a pretty substantial loss of quality? That’s what Green Day’s latest album feels like to me. Seems like they made a carbon copy of American Idiot. There are a couple standout tracks (”East Jesus Nowhere” and the Hives-ish “Horseshoes and Handgrenades”) but otherwise most of it is sadly forgettable.
5/13/09 – Ordinary Riches
Posted in Indie, Rock with tags company of thieves, music, ordinary riches on 05/13/2009 by Dewey
From the first sultry note sung by lead by Company of Thieves lead Genevieve Schatz, I knew I was in love with her voice. Smoky and mysterious, it sounds like a lot of other female leads, yet at the same time it’s entirely unique. Not to say the rest of the band is a slouch – there are times where they came out of nowhere and pushed things in a direction I wasn’t expecting. A must-hear, if even for the vocals alone.
5/12/09 – Outer South
Posted in Indie with tags conor oberst and the mystic valley band, music, outer south on 05/12/2009 by Dewey
It seems like Conor Oberst has been trying to find himself lately. Between his last Bright Eyes release in ‘07, his self-titled album last year, and now Outer South (with the Mystic Valley Band)… I wouldn’t say he’s all over the place, but he has definitely been experimenting a bit. While this album isn’t bad, it’s more like “Cassadaga” and less like his self-titled album than I’d like.
5/11/09 – Coaster
Posted in Punk with tags Coaster, music, nofx on 05/11/2009 by Dewey
If there’s one thing I can really count on in this world, it’s NOFX releasing albums that don’t stop kicking ass. Sure, “Coaster” isn’t as full as vitriol as the last album, but Bush isn’t President anymore – not to say that they’ve axed the political slant altogether (see the first track, “We Called It America”). I especially love the last track, a send-off of sorts to old technology (including CDs) called “One Million Coasters”.
2/12/09 – It’s Great To Be Alive
Posted in Indie, Rock with tags fake problems, it's great to be alive, music on 02/12/2009 by Dewey
Sometimes, you take a chance on a band you’ve never heard of, and they suck hard. Othertimes… you find an incredible new group that you want to research more. Fake Problems falls into that second category. If you can handle Chris Farren’s vocals (think if Gerard from My Chemical Romance was taught to sing by Jack Black), you’ll have a great time with this fun and sometimes slightly schizophrenic album.
2/11/09 – Incredibad
Posted in Comedy, Dance, Rap with tags incredibad, music, the lonely island on 02/11/2009 by Dewey
The Lonely Island rank right up there with The Whitest Kids U’ Know as one of my favorite comedy groups ever. That said, once you take the visual aspect away from the songs, they lose a lot of their punch and humor; you realize just how badly written they are. At times TLI really harness the sound of The Beastie Boys – at the end though, this album is just like most other bad rap albums: poorly written, but well-produced.
