The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Dead Oceans
2010

I don't know what it is, but I'm having a hard time writing about this record. Maybe I'm just tired or my head hurts from that awesome dream I had this morning. Holy crap it was so awesome. I'll tell you about it later I suppose.

Anyways, I think I fell in love with this guy last night. Not really in a gay way or anything, but seriously, Kristian Mattson is nothing short of a musical genius. For some reason his music kind of fills that folk void that Sufjan Stevens left behind when he recorded all of that electronic stuff and put on a horrible live show. Anyone go see that shit?

A few people who have heard me playing this either at work or at home were like "who is this? sounds like Bob Dylan or some shit." It's really easy to say that this guy is the "Swedish version of Bob Dylan" but I feel like there's much more than that going on here. Especially on this record. It opens up with the title track, which has this great chord progressions. God I really want to write a review about Shallow Grave because I think I like that record more. This one is really good too, but I think that one's better. "King of Spain" makes a good single, but it's not the best song on this album (the first one is, I think) and there's some other really good songs on here too. "Love is All" is a pretty tune. So is "A Lion's Heart". This record closes out with "Kids on the Run" which is a piano ballad reminiscent of something off of Nebraska.

All in all, this is one of the better records of 2010. Go out and get it.

4.5 out of 5 steering wheels

Les Savy Fav - Root For Ruin

French Kiss
2010

Les Savy Fav has been off of my radar for a while, and I don't really know why. Maybe I got burnt out by them. Who knows. Either way, it's been almost 6 months since I cared enough about this band to listen to them. I don't really know why I haven't been listening to them, Les Savy Fav is one of those bands that's right up my alley. Maybe I just haven't been in the mood for something with so much energy and awesomeness packed into a sound. Or shit, maybe I'm just getting too old for this kind of music? Nah.

Anyways, apparently this shit leaked back in July. I really feel like I should keep better track of stuff that leaks on teh torrentz, but that takes extra effort. I wasn't really hyped up to listen to this record, but I figured I'd give it a chance. I mean, Les Savy Fav is a pretty awesome band. Better than most of the stuff that comes out. I'd even say they might be underrated (gasp!) But yeah I guess it exposes how I listen to something obsessively then lose interest and put it down. Or how you want to listen to old man music as you get older.

So yeah, this record. God. Sorry. I guess it's not bad. It's pretty fucking good actually, compared to other records. Les Savy Fav definitely brings it on this album and it's packed full of all of the sweaty, fat, balding Tim Harrington screaming into a mic as you can handle. There's lots of potential for dancing. Great guitar parts. Excellent, cryptic lyrics. Some pop hooks and shit. Fucking fat beats to make you want to rock out. All of that tied up with the post grunge shit you expect from these mo-fos. So what's the beef with this record? Why have I only listened to it a few times and not been obsessed with it?

It's nothing new.

That's why. It's pretty much the same as Let's Stay Friends except for new songs. This album doesn't really change anything. I mean, if you like your bands to stay the same, then this album is pretty good (I mean it is), but it's lacking the new direction to make it fucking great. So, this album exists in the purgatory between being okay and being something awesome. Almost there, but not quite.

3 out of 5 steering wheels.

Magic Kids - Memphis

True Panther
2010

I was listening to KJHK one Thursday afternoon at work and this show called "Ad Astra Radio" was on. I need to keep reminding myself to listen to that show more. Anyways, these guys were on that show that day, along with Fourth of July playing some songs off of their new record. I think that was the night Ariel Pink was in town playing Yes! covers at the Jackpot. We started there and then Peter and I went across the street to the Replay to watch these guys play.

They put on a really fun show. I mean, this pop is so fucking sweet it will make you sick if you listen to it too much. Lots of people think these mofos sound like the Beach Boys, and I guess I could see it, but I think they probably ripped more pages out of Belle and Sebastian. I went home and got their album and I've listened to it a few times through. It's not bad, but I'm not one of those candy pop junkies so I'm not crazy about it. The string arrangements on here are pretty good. It all works well together, but the kicker for me is that I really don't think these guys are doing much of anything new or exciting here. I guess if you are seeking out that retro sound then these guys fucking deliver, but this record doesn't go anywhere we haven't been before.

So yeah, It's not a bad record, but I think I liked the live show more. They really put on a great live show at the Replay and I think that was the best way to experience them. There seems to be lots of bands that come and go at the Reepz that I really enjoy live but would never listen to at home. I guess these guys made that list.

3 out of 5 steering wheels, for a good live performance.

The Album Leaf - A Chorus of Storytellers

Sub Pop
2010

So the first time I listened to this record, I was falling asleep and had it going. I've always dug The Album Leaf since my roommate Chris from freshman year of college played them for me. Perhaps I'm generalizing all ambient/post rock music, but this stuff is really good about making me think about landscapes. Or falling asleep. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either. When I want to chill out I always put on some post rock. Or when I want to work on something. It's not really so much that I'm bored by this music or think it's bad, but I couldn't sit around just listening to the Album Leaf.

So what's this new record like? Well, compared to One Day I'll Be on Time this album seems a bit more upbeat and well, poppy. For a post rock album there's quite a few energetic songs on here, like "There is a Wind." There's lots more instrumentation on here, and it's a somewhat different direction from previous Album Leaf records, which bordered on minimalist. There's still that signature keyboard driven sound here, which is great.

All in all, this is a pretty good record. I think it's growing on me.

3.5 out of 5 steering wheels

Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz

Asthmatic Kitty
2010

When I put this shit on for the first time, I heard the opening track "Futile Devices" and instantly fell in love with this record....

well, not really. I fell in love with the first track. It's classic Sufjan Stevens, and for some reason the lyrics fucking fit. It has been a long long time.

I got really excited when that All Delighted People EP came out. It was pretty much the classic Sufjan style amped up a bit and dragged out into 12 minute long songs, but you don't really mind since it's awesome.

Anyways, the simple summary of this album is that it reminded me of that Enjoy Your Rabbit album everyone kind of passed off because it was too weird and The Avalanche. Yeah. The Avalanche. The songwriting skills on this album pale in comparison to Illinois with it's heartfelt ballads about serial killers, superman, and pretty much everything about the state of Illinois. Michigan was just as fucking good. I don't know, this album doesn't sound as inspired as the earlier ones Sufjan Stevens wrote. It's like he's trying to figure out what he's wanting to sound like, which is cool and every thing. I dig the electronica. The songwriting though, it sounds about as good as the stuff he put on a record of B-Sides. It's good, but it's not mindblowing enough to make you fall in love with it.

So are there any songs worth listening to on here? Yeah. "Futile Devices" is fucking awesome. "I Walked" is a great combination of Sufjan's great songwriting and his new electronic sound. "Vesuuvius" is also a great song. "Too Much" could be something good, but the lyrics are kinda cheesy. Honestly, there's a lot of forgettable stuff on this album. "Impossible Soul" is 20 minutes plus of Sufjan autotune, and some other stuff going on. It's not that the songs are bad, but they drag on for fucking ever and you get fucking bored listening to them. I guess someone said Sufjan Stevens was kind into minimalist electronica, and it shows on this album. It works sometimes, but other times, you get bored and want to put on Illinois.

So all in all, this isn't a bad record, but it's not what I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't so much of a disappointment that I won't listen to his music anymore (like his live show), but I wasn't really blown away. Like I've been saying, it's been long enough we can forget about all of the hype of 2005. I like to think that this record is just a preview of better things to come, as Sufjan continues to work on new shit maybe something mindblowing will come out in the future.

3.5 out of 5 Steering Wheels

Fourth of July - Before our Hearts Explode

Range Life
2010

I hate saying this, but I never really was all that into On The Plains. I listened to it a few times, because my friends fucking love that album, but it never really topped the list of albums I wanted to listen to. When these guys play I try to make it out to show some support for local music etc. etc.

A few weeks ago I was driving around on a Thursday night (had to think about that for a second) and Fourth of July was doing a live studio performance on KJHK. I thought the two songs they played were pretty damned good, and they had a live show coming up, so I went ahead and tried to find this album so I could listen to it before their show. I passed it off at first and went to see them at the Taproom, spent way too much time outside with my friend Peter smoking cigarettes and I was way tired from getting smashed the night before. It was still a good show because my friends and I had a great time when they played that song "Photograph" which is probably one of the best songs off of On the Plains, and these guys sound pretty killer live, even at the fucking Taproom.

Anyways, I decided to give this record another listen, and I have to say, it's actually pretty fucking good! There's lots of really catchy songs on here! "Friend of a Friend" is a great song to kick off the record to. It's a great rock song. "Providence" really sticks out with the fucking horn part and shit. I really dug "I Don't Want to Lose You" - it has this really catchy guitar solo in it. I really liked the lyrics on "L Train," probably because I can relate to that song. This album has tons of great lines about heartbreak, bitches going to fucking France and leaving people behind here, getting drunk at Free State Brewery, and getting stuck in this town while others have moved on. At least, that's what I pulled out of the record, and I guess I could relate to it. Maybe I should give On the Plains another listen, but for some reason, Before our Hearts Explode does a really good job capturing how this town makes me feel. The songs on this album sum up what it means to live in Lawrence, KS- all of the disappointment, the vortex of this town, watching people you know leave, and getting drunk (at Free State) to forget that everyone you know has moved somewhere else to start their lives.

4 out of 5 steering wheels.

The Morning Benders - Big Echo

Rough Trade Records
2010

I've been hungry for new music recently. Probably about the time I wore out The Suburbs and had naught but old music to go through. My downloading habits are weird. I sporadically torrent tons of music every 2 months or so, then it takes a while to process all of it. So I've been sifting through massive piles, so to speak, of new shit I've never heard before. This band was in that pile. Last.fm told me to listen to them, so I gave them a shot.

I can't really decide if this band is worth loving or not. I mean, they certainly are like-able, but is there a fucking love connection here? Probably not. These guys are pretty fucking good at crafting "indie pop" music, which isn't all that bad if you ask me. It's just that there's a ton of other bands that are doing the same damn thing. I want to say these guys kind of sound like Beulah, then you look them up and find out that they're from the bay area or some shit like that and it makes complete fucking sense.

So I downloaded two records by these guys and I chose to review this one because it came out this year. I think it's okay. I recall hearing the first song "Excuses" on KJHK a long time ago and was wondering "Who the fuck are these guys? I want to listen to them some more!" The second song, "Promises" has this great little bass driven hook in the beginning that repeats throughout the song. "Wet Cement" sounds too much like "Wasted Hours" off of The Suburbs by that one band from Montreal. It picks up a bit with "Cold War" but for the most part this album is kind of forget-able. The other one I downloaded I thought it was easier to get into it, and maybe it's just coz the songs might be a little more poppy or up beat, I'm not really sure.

I'm not sure if I'll be listening to this band in like 3 months. I'll let you know

3 out of 5 steering wheels.

Murder By Death - Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them

Eyeball Records
2003

Holy shit has it really been 7 years since this album came out? Damn.

Anyways, It's almost October. I think I'll spend most of October talking about records I like to listen to in the fall or around Halloween.

This record is perfect for this time of year. I mean, first off it's about the Devil taking over this town by the Mexican border or some shit. There's all sorts of western imagery in there, coupled with a song about zombies and all of this awesome gory stuff that makes this record awesome. It's the perfect record to put on after watching an episode of Deadwood before you go out to the bar and it's great to drink whiskey to. It's great to drive around to. I was listening to it last night at work and I was like "Yup. It's that time of year again"

This was the last really good record this band put out. It combines Adam Turla's great storytelling ability with the fuller sound this band had before the guy who played keyboards went back to art school. It sucks that I have to say that, because people I've talked to like that other record In Bocca al Lupo. I don't know, the songs off that record sound like something's missing, and the live performance sure as hell sounds like some shit's missing too.

I've seen this band perform live several times. Each time I was really disappointed by the fact that all I could hear was the guitar and the bass. No piano, nothing from the hot cellist. Hell it was hard to hear the drums sometimes! I will say that the best show was probably fall of 2004 at the Granada. They opened with "The Devil in Mexico" and then basically played through all of this record while there were these clips from horror films playing above them. It was too awesome.

Anyways, I'm listening to "Masters in Reverse Psychology" right now, and I'd love to talk about this record more and how many memories are tied to it and how much I like it, but I have to go back to work soon. I really want to listen to it and drink whiskey sometime this weekend. Maybe Friday? Who knows, I'll keep you posted.

4 out of 5 steering wheels.

Superchunk - Majesty Shredding

Merge
2010

What's up with everyone coming out with new shit this year? I'm not complaining at all, in fact I really really like it. Superchunk goes way the fuck back. I mean, this band practically invented indie rock back in the early 90's when they said "fuck it, we're going to make our own record label" and then Merge Records happened and lots of good songs were recorded released and distributed. It's been a long ass nine years since we all heard Here's to Shutting Up and saw this band opening for the Get Up Kids. I didn't really think it was weird at the time (I was only 16- jesus christ I'm old) but now I think I realize how fucked up that scenario was.

Anyways, I don't think we have had a proper good indie rock/pop record in at least nine years. I'm glad these (slack) motherfuckers came back to show all of us how we're supposed to do it right. This album rocks my socks off. It punches you hard in the beginning with "Digging for Something" and really doesn't let off with the pop hooks. The second song, "My Gap Feels Weird" feels like a weird song. It's like Superchunk felt like they had to make a math rock song, and it doesn't really feel right on this record. "Rosemarie" is a classic Superchunk jam and listening to it instantly takes me back to the 1990s (the awesome parts anyways). "Crossed Wires" is a really energetic rock song. Hell, most of this album feels really energetic, which is weird because most everyone in this band is at least 40 years old or older and haven't recorded anything together in nine years.

So I guess the hard part is comparing this album to the other ones. How does this shit stack up in comparison to Here's to Shutting Up or Here's Where the Strings Come In or any of that other stuff they released back in the 1990s when awesome music was coming out. It's really difficult to compare it all right now. I mean, this record sounds significantly similar to make me love it instantly, but I feel like it's missing some of the spontaneity that made Here's Where The Strings Come In so great. I think everyone is going to eat this shit up because, well, it's been nine years since the last album came out. I'm not saying it's bad, but similar to some other records I've reviewed on here (I'm looking at you, Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens and Broken Social Scene) it's been so fucking long since the last album let us down that we are ready for something new. While the last album these guys put out wasn't disappointing, it's been a long time and I forget things after a few years. That's how I was able to forgive Sufjan Stevens for his really disappointing live performance and love that new EP he just dropped like a bomb on all of us.

So yeah, shit's pretty good. I think 2010 is a comeback year. I'll talk to my friend Ian and see what he says, but I think I'm right on this one.

4 out of 5 steering wheels.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let it Sway

Polyvinyl
2010

I saw these guys back in January. They put on a really fun live show. Or maybe it was just because I was drunk and the songs they play are really fun. Who knows. They played some new songs at the show, and I thought they were kind of ho-hum. I honestly didn't have high hopes for this record to be any good, but I was really pleasantly surprised.

The opening song "Back in the Saddle" starts out misleading. It sounds so quiet and boring, but the song picks up. I think they should have excluded it from this album, because it's kind of a weak song. "Sink/Let it Sway" is a great second song, and is classic SSLYBY. It's a fun pop melody which is what this band is expert at crafting. The record continues through some more pop songs, "Banned By the Man" is another classic SSLYBY jam, "In Pairs" is a little more adventurous, "Everylyn" has a really catchy melody, "Stuart Gets Lost dans Le Metro" is a great acoustic jam; So while the songs are really good, this record really fails to go anywhere. It's like Pershing part two. Don't get me wrong I really liked Pershing and I'm glad that this record doesn't let you down, but this band really isn't switching anything up.

I really liked Broom- I still think that's SSLYBY's best record yet. I'm thinking I really dug how unpolished the sound was on the record. I don't know why I've developed such an aversion to a high level of polish maybe there's a bit of punk inside me? I guess I really like how raw band's first records always sound. There's something exciting about how it's just cobbled together and it's developing into something else. Sometimes that unpolished, cobbled together recording style works really well for bands (it did for Guided By Voices) and when they spend too much time and energy it comes out sounding all wrong (like Do The Collapse). I think SSLYBY might be one of those bands. Oh yeah, I think this record rocks in the car or bus too, what ever you are driving.

3.5 out of 5 steering wheels. It's good, but not mindblowing.

Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People

Asthmatic Kitty
2010

I was driving around in bus 748 yesterday over on Crestline road and had the radio locked on KJHK. It was around 2 PM, and this song came on. I was like "wow this sounds a lot like fucking Sufjan Stevens- is this some old shit he wrote or a side project?" I really liked the song and thought it sounded too much like the songs we all came to love on Come on Feel the Illinoise and Michigan to be a side project or some shit like that.

So I get home from the bar last night/this morning (thanks for the ride, Amy Stack), and my friend Ian is telling me about this new Sufjan Stevens song he heard on KJHK. I was like "OMG I HEARD IT TOO IT WAS SO AWESOME!" and then my friend Joy got home and said pretty much the same thing. I instantly found this record, downloaded it and listened to it all the way through.

I was too wasted last night to really for an opinion about it, but today I'm more sober (for the time being). The title track is REALLY REALLY LONG. Like 11 minutes long. Sufjan Stevens is such a good songwriter that you still want to keep listening to it. The song really rises and falls and changes in a way that keeps you listening. Oh yeah, there's two versions of the song as well. You all remember that "collection of B sides and alternate versions" we had to settle for in like 2005? I don't know, I'm tired of hearing alternate versions of the same shit, but I guess that it works here because the two songs sound different enough. "Enchanting Ghost" is classic fucking Sufjan Stevens and a motherfucking guitar. I think it's like "Predatory Wasp of the Pallisades Part II" or a continuation of that song about John Wayne Gacy.

Sufjan Stevens was fucking burnt out after making Illinois and that's probably why we are just now getting new shit, almost 6 years later. I mean, I would be really burnt out too if I wrote over 300 songs for an album and still had enough good stuff I threw out to make another album. Nobody can really do that, except for that one guy from the Mountain Goats. So I don't know, hearing this EP got me excited about Sufjan Stevens again. It's kind of like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in a long ass time, even though you stopped hanging out because they pissed you off. After seeing Sufjan Stevens live, I was so disappointed with his show I didn't want to listen to him. Thanksgiving came and went and I really didn't want to listen to anything off of Michigan or even Seven Swans like I normally do because I was so let down. Sure they were fucking tired, but I had high hopes for a religious live experience and when it didn't happen I was pissed. I guess I've had enough time to forgive Sufjan Stevens and we've all had some time to forget about the hype from the state albums. This album is a pleasant surprise released just in time.

The best part is yet to come- I guess there's a full length LP coming out in a few months? AWESOME!

5/5 Steering Wheels.

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Merge Records
2010

So I haven't updated in a while and I apologize. It's been a somewhat busy summer filled with terrible music of RAGBRAI, work, more work, a relationship that probably ended too abruptly and some other shit that went down. Lots of whiskey was drank in the beginning and at the end. What that has to do with this Arcade Fire album I'm not sure.

I got this shit right at the beginning of August. Like right after I got back from Iowa and had someone who shall remain nameless decide that "things weren't working out" and "it's not you it's me I don't really know what I want." Like when Neon Bible came out. I was really worried this album was going to suck a bag of dicks since Funeral was so awesome and there's no way anyone could ever top that album. Somehow this band continues to make solid albums. Granted, they aren't repeats of Funeral, they're all different, which is something I've really come to like.

The opening/title track really sets the tone for this album. It sounds like this off kilter version of the theme for some hokey 1970's suburban sitcom. Some of my friends commented that this album is really very theatrical, and for the most part they are right. I feel like this shit would go well with a movie, or maybe they should make a movie based on the album? I'd love to see images of "Living in the sprawl, dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains." Maybe they could make a movie based on James Howard Kunstler's Geography of Nowhere- I think this album would go great with that. I really dug songs like "We Used to Wait" and "City With no Children in it" the first time I was listening through it. That was before I got to "Sprawl II- Mountains Beyond Mountains." That song blew me away.

I really enjoyed this album to the point where I literally listened to it every day for like 4 weeks straight. I still listen to it, just not every day. It's been a long time since I have done that with any band or music, but god damn I miss it. Shit Neon Bible came out in like 2006, so this shit was way long overdue. I think what makes this album such a great experience for me was that it talked about growing up in the suburbs, and how much that environment really divides people and makes us build up walls around ourselves. It's a perfect social commentary that so many people my age can relate to, and it's what makes this album almost as good as Funeral, but not quite. Let's hope that this band keeps doing what they do and makes another album that somehow manages to capture something that everyone can relate to.

5/5 Steering wheels. Shit's mindblowing.

Deer Tick - Black Dirt Sessions

Partisan Records
2010

I fell in love with Deer Tick back in February. I think. Whenever they came through and played a show. It was on a Sunday night, and I had a few of their records in my iTunes that I had listened to a few times because my old roommate Ian told me I'd probably dig them. They were playing a show at the Jackpot, and wasn't all too familiar with their music. What a great show! I listened to Deer Tick obsessively afterward. I fell in love with Born on Flag Day first and War Elephant came shortly thereafter.

This album has taken longer for me to love it. Much much longer. I've put it on a few times while I was at work or driving around, and it just doesn't have nearly as many jams on it. I could put Born on Flag Day on any time and rock out to that one song "The Ghost" in my car, or more appropriately for this time of year, "Straight into a Storm." Black Dirt Sessions has fewer songs that you can really rock out to. Some songs feel way way stripped down. The first two songs are pretty catchy. "Choir of Angels" is a good opener, I kinda dug the organ and the weird harmonies on it. I'm listening to "Twenty Miles" right now, and it's a really solid Deer Tick jam, with a fun little bass line that sounds like it's played with a bow instead of being plucked out. After that song, the record gets kinda quiet. For the next few songs it's John McCauley III and a piano, and some song about the Sun being sad, which has to be one of the cheesiest/worst songs that this otherwise great band has written. It picks up a bit with the song "Piece by Piece and Frame by Frame" which is a nice pick me up after "Goodbye, Dear Friend"- it has some fun harmonies. After "Mange," which is a good summer jam, the album picks up a bit with some more upbeat songs that you'd expect from Deer Tick.

So what do I think of this record? It's probably the weakest record this band has done. It's not all bad songs, but there's a lull in this record that makes you skip over part of it. I could have really done with out that song "Sad Sun" and the new rendition of "Christ Jesus." There's really only about 3 songs that get in the way, the rest are really quite listenable. I think that I should probably put this record on again around October, because it kindof has a creepy vibe to it.

So yeah, I'm going to give it 3.5 out of 5 steering wheels. It has some good jams on it, but you have to wade through some crap to get through it.

Ghosty - Answers

OxBlood Records
2008

So this isn't a new record. It's been around for two years or so, but it's new to me. Ghosty kindof fell off of my musical radar in 2006, partially because it seemed like they played fewer and fewer shows. This seems to be a recurring theme as of recently- bands fall off of my radar, and then somehow I stumble upon that new record that was released somewhat recently. I'm pretty sure this is a good thing, because it reminds me of why I liked these bands in the first place. Often times I go back and listen to their older material, and it's totally baller.

Anyways, on to this record. It's full of some pretty great pop songs, with catchy and interesting guitar riffs and some interesting drumming. It's pretty much a build on "Grow Up or Sleep In," except that record was way better. The songs on here have potential, some of them are actually pretty great jams, like "You are a Big Screen" or "Dumbo Wins Again", but it just doesn't have that same charm that the old record did. Maybe it's because I liked the reverb on that song "Big Surrender," or maybe it's because the songs fit together better on the last record. Don't get me wrong, there's some good tunes on "Answers" - but it doesn't seem to fit together as well as "Grow Up or Sleep In." That one song "A Good Customer" is so awful it almost ruins the record for me. The chord progression on that song a) doesn't fit in with the rest of this album and b) really pisses me off. They used to play that song live, and I hated it then.

So yeah, this record isn't a sophomore slump for these guys, but it's not their best work either. It's not like Vampire Weekend's "Contra," which might be the biggest disappointment ever. Maybe they should play more shows here in town, so people are actually interested in their music again. Or maybe they broke up. Who knows what this band is up to these days. I haven't seen a Ghosty show in like 4 years, and I'd like to go to one. I guess that's my main beef with this band- they release this record and I haven't seen any advertisements for shows on Lawrence.com or anything. Then again, this thing came out two years ago. Man, I really am falling behind with my music.

I'm going to give this thing 3 out of 5 steering wheels. It's okay, but nothing really to go raving about.

Rogue Wave - Permalight

Brushfire
2010

I put this on the other night and drove around to it. It was like Wednesday so it was really slow. I really like Rogue Wave. I listened to Asleep at Heaven's Gate and Descended Like Vultures quite extensively. I get those two records confused because they sound kindof similar, which isn't a bad thing in my mind. They are both really good records to rock out to, with a few acoustic jams thrown in there for good measure.

So these guys finally overcame all of their health problems and released a new record after being off the music radar for like two or three years. While I don't hate this album, it's definitely not as awesome (read: rockable) as the last two they put out. There's too many drum machines and other electronic gadgets on here, and I'm sorry, it just doesn't work for these guys. I really like the opener "Solitary Gun" because there's not a whole lot going on that isn't Zach Rogue on his guitar and Pat Spurgeon on drums.

The second track is okay, it doesn't really have that much pull on me. The third track "Sleepwalker" has this really neat chord progression that I dig. The next track "Stars and Stripes" is also pretty good. After that, the songs are kindof forgettable until you get to the last song "All That Remains," which probably one of the best closing songs I've heard recently. Basically, what I hate about this record is that it sounds way too over-produced. Even for a band like Rogue Wave it's too polished. I mean, some degree of sound engineering would be expected for this kind of band, but this just takes it too far. There's too much auto-tune in here, or atleast something that sounds kindof like it. I don't really like the drum machines and electronic bits, but maybe it's because I've always had a bias against electronic music. To compound this, the lyrics are kindof corny. "Can you feel the fear itself?" C'mon, those are some pretty weaksauce lyrics. Part of what made Rogue Wave so awesome like 5 or 6 years ago was that the lead singer guy had just lost his job and everything in the dot com bust and you could kindof hear that sentiment in his music. Now they sound like a cheap version of Death Cab for Cutie, complete with awful Ben Gibbard style lyrics. Maybe Zach Rogue needs to lose his job again, because when people sing about losing jobs and going through hard times, people can relate to it more; it seems more real. It's part of what makes Born To Run so awesome (or Bruce Springsteen in general).

Anyways, this record isn't all awful. Maybe it will grow on me, but for now it gets 2.5 out of 5 steering wheels.

-San

Broken Social Scene

Arts & Crafts
2010

The last time I listened to Broken Social Scene was 2006 I think. I can't really remember. I saw them one Halloween at the Granada, and it was honestly one of the most fun shows I've been to. Either way, this album leaked like a week ago or something like that. I was pretty pumped when I heard there was a new BSS album about to come out. I think this thing is going to be this summer's jam album, which is good. We haven't had a good Broken Social Scene album since You Forgot it in People, which was a pretty baller record I must say.

So the great thing is that Broken Social Scene decided to stop fucking around with those "Broken Social Scene presents: so and so" albums. Honestly, nobody cared about that shit. I forgot these guys even existed because for the last 3 years (wow has it really been that long since they last released something awesome?) Anyways, this album definitely tops their self titled album. There's tons of stuff going on here, and overall this thing sounds very poppy compared to some of the stuff BSS did earlier. I'm listening to Texico Bitches right now, and it has this really fun guitar riff with some keyboards and shit layering over the top of it. I guess what sets this one apart from You Forgot it In People is that it sounds like there is more usage of electronics here, and not so many people on stage. I remember one of the fun things about seeing these guys live was seeing like 12 people on stage. I don't think we'll see that as much when BSS goes on tour. I guess they are down to 7 people now, with the usual revolving casts of guests, including that one hipster bitch from Metric and Leslie Feist. What has she been up to recently anyways? Last I saw she was on Sesame Street doing that really annoying 1, 2, 3, 4 song with Oscar the Grouch.

So this album has more sound textures going on on it than the last one they put out. I guess I've been seeing that more in records. I'm listening to "Art House Director", and for some reason it sounds like one of their old songs when it starts out. Oh now it changed. I think that's what's going to make this album really take off this summer. It's interesting. It keeps changing. It takes Broken Social Scene new places.

I can't wait until it warms up a bit more, because I can guarantee this shit will be on repeat, with the windows rolled down. I think this thing has the potential to be that one summer defining album, but we'll have to wait and see.

Almost mind blowing. I'll give this thing 4 out of 5 steering wheels.

The Get Up Kids - SImple Science

Flyover
2010

So last night I was at the Bourgeois Pig drinking some fine whiskey. Somehow my friend Quinton and I were talking to the bartender about the Get Up Kids and he showed this new EP to the two of us. I was like "wow, I had no idea the Get Up Kids made a new EP." Indeed, it has been a long time since these guys put out anything, what with Rob Pope being all cool in Spoon and Matt Pryor writing kids songs. I don't even know what the other three dudes are up to. I was riding through downtown Eudora a week ago and saw that the Black Lodge Recording Studio was for sale. I guess that was a bust. oh well.

So about this EP-basically, this EP sounds alot like Guilt Show. I mean the songs are laid out the same for the most part. The first song, "Your Petty Pretty Things," has that same drum beat as pretty much all of the songs on Guilt Show do. The guitar parts sound pretty much the same too. I guess Matt Pryor and Jim Suptic decided to use a little more distortion. Most of the songs here sound a little more grungy and not as clean as on Guilt Show. I guess what surprised me the most was how similar these 4 songs sound to Guilt Show, even though that album came out like what, 6 years ago? And forget comparing this stuff to Four Minute Mile and Something to Write Home About, this shit's still way toned down. It's like after On A Wire was released and Matt Pryor started the New Amsterdams, the Get Up Kids became more restrained and more of a pop band. Not that that's a bad thing, but I'm sure some of us miss the high-energy stuff that this band, and many many others made so popular back in the late 90's/early 2000's.

So I've listened to this thing twice today, trying to figure out how I feel about it. My computer is fucked up, so I've listened to this shit at home since it won't recognize my iPod for some reason. Thanks Apple! I can't really think of anything else other than comparing it to their last record, since they sound so similar. It's not bad, it's listenable. This thing is just kindof, well, boring. It doesn't really go anywhere. Who knows, I may listen to it more in the coming weeks and change my mind, but for now this thing just kindof makes me go "meh".

Three out of five steering wheels.

-Sam

Spoon - Transferrence

2010
Merge

Okay, so I put this record on and heard the first song. My initial reaction to this new Spoon album was "there's no way this is going to live up to the awesomeness of GaGaGaGaGa." For the most part, I was pretty much right. This record takes the minimalism that Spoon always toys around with to a new level, which I guess is pretty cool, but overall it kindof makes this record sound boring. Oh well. I was excited to put this on late at night and just run the record the whole way through. It seemed like it'd fit in with the late night work I do, since overall I think this record is toned down. I mean, the first song on this record (Before Destruction) is so quiet and minimalist that it might lead you to believe it. It's pretty much Britt Daniel singing with his guitar with some synths and shit thrown in. The second song on this album, I don't even remember what it's called, because honestly I skip over it ever time I listen to this album. The third song, "Mystery Zone", is classic Spoon. It's pretty much the best song on this album. Jim Eno's drumming really carries this song along and it's pretty damn catchy. Who makes your money is a good follow up to that. After that, this record is weak sauce, until the last like 2 0r 3 songs, where it picks up again. Fucking Rob Pope lays it down in "Nobody Gets Me But You." What a catchy ass bass line. Hiring him to take the place of that one guy was probably a good idea, as was leaving The Get Up Kids behind.

Either way, this record doesn't quite suck, but sometimes it comes pretty close. In some ways some of the songs on here sound like b-sides from GaGaGaGaGa. It's pretty fun to drive around to, but you pretty much just want to put Mystery Zone on repeat. The rest of the songs don't really add up. And why the hell did they make "I saw the light" the single? That's like the most boring song on this whole album. Anyways, I think this falls into the category of "Should have been an E.P." or some shit like that. There's really like five or six really good songs on here, and the rest is boring as hell, and it really kindof detracts from the good songs (holy shit, Mystery Zone).

I'll give it 3 out of five steering wheels. It has its moments, but doesn't add up. You'll end up reaching for your iPod and becoming distracted while driving, since you'll want to skip songs.

-Sam

New Purpose!

So, I 've been kicking this idea around for a while: I drive all night long for my job. I drive all over the city picking people up and dropping them off. It gives me atleast 5 hours of solid car+music+road time. Additionally I usually drive somewhere in the week, or crap I might even just drive around for the hell of it.

Surely, with so much time behind the wheel, it would make me an expert on what's best to rock out to while you're stuck in traffic or riding off into the sunset, just like in the movies. So I figured, why not start reviewing records based on how well they go with driving a motor vehicle? Holy crap, what a brilliant idea, right? I can put the whole record on my iPod, and then listen to it while I'm driving. I can then meticulously break it apart while I'm driving, and see how well the record matches my mood and the mood of my passengers, and also how it (possibly) affects my driving (does this music make you want to lean your seat WAY back and cruise around at 10 MPH below the speed limit? Does this music make you want to drive like you are running from the cops in GTA 4?). I will then come home at 4 AM and try to remember how the record made me feel and if that little camera thing in the car went off and recorded me singing. Crap.

Anyways, I'd like to start by asking everyone what their favorite artists are to listen to while they are driving around, be it just cruising around the city dodging potholes or in a full on mad rush at 90 MPH down the turnpike to get to Topeka to meet your family because you told them that you would meet them at Olive Garden at 12:30 and you left Lawrence right before 12:30.

I'm going to leave the political posts up here still....maybe. I'm sick of political crap.

-Sam