Thursday, June 20, 2013

Re-post: The Fireman - Electric Arguments (2008)

With Paul McCartney coming to town and some of my new readers attending the show, I decided to re-post this review from 2009 for their interest.  Enjoy!



As The Beatles release two new box sets and Rock Bandit seems appropriate to review Sir Paul McCartney's side project. I'm just going to come out and say it: this is McCartney's best post-Beatles album, at least for me. After the breakup, I prefer John Lennon and George Harrison, and never liked Wings, so from my perspective this is not going out on a limb; on the other hand, I've never heard anything I'd call "best" from McCartney before this. 

The Fireman - Dance 'Til We're High


It's raw, it's moody, it's got a snarl to it; even the vocals are rough and jagged. I really enjoyed it, and it's quite a surprise to see Sir Paul so edgy in his old age. Thanks for turning me on to this, Andrew!


CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.


- Snilch

Friday, June 14, 2013

The Screaming Blue Messiahs - Gun Shy (1986; re-released 2009)

You may have figured out I like The Screaming Blue Messiahs.  And if not, you can read here, here, or here. Synopsis:  it's rockabilly with an emphasis on rock.  

Their formula is simple but effective, and innovative in its simplicity.  Despite having a "sound," they are "same-ish" (as opposed to "same-y") by playing around inside the formula without completely breaking out of it.  This is symbolized by "Talking Doll," where a relatively simple guitar and bass lines combine to make the song a harmonious musical standout.  Or the added guitar line in "President Kennedy's Mile" -- it's not going to cause smoke to come out of your ears, but it's the right addition to the song.  Sometimes you don't need to overthink these things, people.

The Screaming Blue Messiahs - Wild Blue Yonder


If they had hung around, perhaps they would have turned out like Pennywise, slowly grinding themselves into a flattened piece of sameness.  Considering they broke up almost 25 years years ago, we'll never know.  Which is too bad, actually.

CD Placement Rating:  Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Monday, June 10, 2013

Kyle Andrews - Robot Learn Love (2011)

This has some serious promise -- just check out "Make Me Feel Human," "Lazer Tag with Imaginary Friends," or "The Search for a Heart," which are electronica/light rock/pop gold.  This album suffers from a lack of consistency throughout, making it ultimately good, not great. 

It's not bad by any stretch, just not something that I'll listen to except for the highlights.  Just a little too bubblegum.  But there is WAY too much promise here to ignore Andrews moving forward -- I'll be very interested to hear his next album.

CD Placement Rating:  Sell-back 1