The Snilch Report

Love of Diagrams - Nowhere Forever (2009)

2012-01-27T08:48:00.002-05:00

It's been two years since Love of Diagrams released their follow-up to 2007's Mosaic, which I loved. Why, then you ask, did I wait until this month to listen to it?

Well, the band is from Australia, so the CD was available only as an import.

"In that case," you say, being a reasonably logical person of sound mind and body, "why not just download it from iTunes or Amazon? No shipping, no import -- right?"

Answer: because the digital files were available only as "imports" as well.

Yes, these are electronic files. Yes, there is no "transportation" of these files or physical reason why these cannot be transmitted. Yes, this is incredibly dumb.

In any case, I'm happy to have had the chance to finally get a listen. Nowhere Forever is a sea change in sound; at first I heard a lot of similarities to Sugar's Copper Blue (and tonally that is the most direct comparison for the first half of the album), but the more I listen to it, the more it sounds like The Lilys' In the Presence of Nothing.

I feel like I'm listening to the next piece in a student's portfolio: they're now less about juxtaposing angular guitars against the vocals, and more about making a statement with a driving tone, then slightly tweaking it to make their final point.

"Lookout" and "Mountain" exemplify this perfectly: it's a wall of 1994 grunge, spat at in the final third by a lilting guitar riff that's simple but very powerful. You get pulled in by the undertow; it's a war of attrition you'll eventually succumb to. This shows in the song lengths: 3 of Mosaic's 13 songs were longer than 3:45; only 1 of Nowhere Forever's 11 songs is shorter than 3:45.

Despite the huge tonal shift in the music and song length, it still works. It lacks the highs and lows of Mosaic but is consistently strong for the first seven songs before petering out on the last four.

But I'm still not sure on this one. I wrote 90% of this review two weeks ago, but have been vacillating on whether this is great or merely good. I'll say this: the first 3/4 make a really nice rock album. The dropoff at the end knocks it down a peg.

CD Placement Rating: Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

The Dead Milkmen: A Half-Assed Retrospective

2011-12-29T16:52:00.000-05:00

As you make your returns of your gifts this holiday season, I'm sure there's one question on your mind: "What Dead Milkmen album should I exchange this [insert crappy gift name] for?"

This, of course, pre-supposes that you still purchase CDs, or that you've actually given a passing thought to The Dead Milkmen since "Punk Rock Girl" or "Bitchin' Camaro." Or that you'd want to delve into an actual album rather than a greatest hits. Or, finally, that you'd want to take advice from someone who's not really a true fan of the band.

If the above is the case... well, then you've come to the right place!

Thanks to chance to go through a friend's ~~riehle~~ really cool music collection before he sells it all, I listened to the entire Dead Milkmen catalog. They're one of those bands that I've always wanted to explore further, but felt like I'd be dropping myself into a King Missile-like hole.

Overall, I was surprised at just how good these guys play. As musicians, they rock-solid good -- no joke there. Their vocal talent is what fans consider "a great contrast to their music," and enemies consider "awful." But all in all, they are a band first, and goofy lyricists second. If you like their humor, there is nothing not to like about these guys. If you don't, it won't work.

Not included in this review: their 2011 reunion album, The King in Yellow, their first in 16 years.

Without further ado....

Highly Recommended

Bucky Fellini (1987)
Stoney's Extra Stout (1995)

I picked two albums that did not include either of their hits, which is odd. Bucky Fellini is critically considered one of their three best albums; Stoney's Extra Stout was not only their last album, but considered by many to be a statement of how far the band had fallen. I disagree, as I think it's excellent.

Recommended

Big Lizard in My Backyard (1985)

This was close, but ultimately for me this was a mishmash of songs I loved (about a third) and others I hated (the rest). Their debut album does feature "Bitchin' Camaro" and "Takin' Retards to the Zoo," but ultimately it fell short for me as a whole.

I Found at Least One Song

Eat Your Paisley (1986)
Beelzebubba (1988)
Metaphysical Graffiti (1990)
Chaos Rules: Live at the Trocodero (1994)
Now We are 20 (2003)

Dead Milkmen fans are flinging feces at me for dropping the acclaimed Beelzebubba this far, but I really found only one song besides "Punk Rock Girl" I liked. Metaphysical Graffiti and Now We are 20 both had multiple songs I liked; the other two had literally one song each.

I Did Not Find at Least One Song

Soul Rotation (1992)
Not Richard But Dick (1993)

The critics and I are on the same page here. When these guys missed, they really missed. Their two Hollywood label records are pretty terrible.

- Snilch

Ten Songs I'm Constantly Listening to These Days

2011-12-01T16:30:00.003-05:00

In alphabetical order:

Scott Bishop - "The Deep End"

Bush - "Afterlife"

The Duke Spirit - "The Step and the Walk"

Ladyfinger (ne) - "Little Things"

Ride - "Like a Daydream"

Roky Erickson & The Aliens - "Bloody Hammer"

Sabatta - "Raw"

Switchblade Seranades - "On Parole"

The T4 Project - "15 Minutes"

Them Crooked Vultures - "Mind Eraser, No Chaser"

- Snilch

The Weisstronauts - Nineteen Something Nine (2011), In Memphis 2 (2011)

2011-11-30T15:53:00.000-05:00

Most of you know how difficult it is to get me to review anything these days. So when I got two CD's from The Weisstronauts, that increased my expected review period from three months to six.

After an appropriate period of grousing, I gave both Nineteen Something Nine and the EP In Memphis 2 a whirl. (And all in one week!)

Now for the confession part of the story: I have seen this band play a few times and have been somewhat underwhelmed. Or maybe it was that their tastes and mine didn't coincide. I could still see the latter after listening to Nineteen Something Nine; the former definitely not.

The band in a nutshell: three guitars, bass, drum, a little piano, a tiny bit of vocal; it's pretty much all instrumental. It's like a ramped up folk band that happens to jam and play a lot of electric guitar. Sometimes it feels like they're a riffing scat band, other times a very musically literate lounge band, and sometimes a jazz band hiding behind guitars. On "Sunburn" they even sound like The Alan Parsons Project.

This variety surprised me. In my previous experience with the band, I recall a Weisstronaut "sound" in the first, second, third, eighth song, etc., I heard. And for me, that's where I tuned out.

In this group of songs, they still retain that common musical thread, but have overcome the repetitiveness. And much to my surprise... I just kept playing it over and over and over again. In a word: it's great. (Okay, two words.)

The guitar sounds and production on this album are just fantastic. "Sunburn" in particular was amazing blasting through the big speakers. Don't bother listening online; I dismissed "Pete's Straw Hat" out of hand even in mp3 format, but love the fully mixed version when I listened to the CD.

I love the little nods to musical heritage throughout the album. For example, there's one to the Rolling Stones' "Gimmie Shelter" in "Timmy the Smelter" and one to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in "A Dandy's Moth Collection." (And perhaps the bass line from the Charlie Brown theme in the latter as well. But I'm not completely sure on that.)

"Hoopin'," "Timmy the Smelter," and "Sunburn" are worth the price of admission alone, but really the whole album is just fantastic. It's excellent players, all finding their space within songs without being sparce, creating a great sound that's both interesting and expertly mastered. This was a pleasant surprise of well-crafted, well-produced guitar folk rock.

In Memphis 2 is part of a series of 4-song EP's (I'm guessing) recorded when the band had a chance to record in some Memphis studios. Once again, it's great stuff, particularly the standout "Tabasco Fiasco."

And you can get both albums for $15. Not bad. You will not be disappointed.

CD Placement Rating: Car CD Changer. Yes, they're that good.

Merch rating: I would make sure I bought at least two drinks during their set (e\which is what clubs care about). And I'll definitely be on board for their next album, as well as In Memphis 1.

- Snilch

Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin (2011)

2011-09-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

Les Savy Fav is an interesting indie rock group. In many ways, their early career paralleled that of Modest Mouse: moments of brilliance on inconsistent albums before finally reaching their LP breakthrough. For Modest Mouse, it was The Moon and Antarctica; for LSV, it was the singles compilation Inches.

The path following these albums, though, was very different. Modest Mouse immediately tailed off. Their follow-ups, the EP Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks (Pile of Death/The Peaches Pile) and the LP Good News for People Who Love Bad News (CD Rack) coincided with a move to a major label, and a much more safe approach. They're no longer even on my radar.

Les Savy Fav, on the other hand, stormed back with their two most consistent albums: 2007's Let's Stay Friends (Car CD Changer) and this album, Root for Ruin. The opening track ("Appetites") is in the vein of their best song (IMHO), "We'll Make a Lover of You" (and if you don't know this one, you need to check it out): starting slightly off time, the song musically fills out as the song progresses. And much like "WMALOY," there's a major change over halfway in that reveals the most interesting part of the song. ("Lips N' Stuff" does this one better, waiting for 3 minutes of the 3:48 song to reveal itself. Great stuff.)

But that's not the only trick up their sleeve. "Dirty Nails" has a great sustained groove for the entire song. And "High and Unhinged" has a classic pop structure: Verse p1, Verse p 2, Refrain p1, Refrain p2, lather, rinse, repeat. This may not be the best song on the album, but it's my favorite.

Throughout the album, the guitar playing is spot on. It's not jammy, but is right on for each song, well placed and well thought out. They've taken the step Modest Mouse couldn't: they've been able to apply consistency to their music without losing their edge.

Also, this album is great both lo-fi and hi-fi; it works great in the car, but a headphones listen reveals the subtleties of the album.

However... there are some issues with Root for Ruin. The sounds are great, but sometimes the wrong ones take center stage. On "Dear Crutches," for example, the guitars that support the overall melody starting at about 3 minutes in are the best part of the song; they get lost in the morass of everything else. I really would love to hear this guitar brought out and given a more plaintive treatment, like The Delusions' "Nobody," Longwave's "Ghosts Around You" or "Wake Me When It's Over," Built to Spill's "The Weather," Sand Rubies' "Never," Failure's "Stuck on You"... and actually Les Savy Fav's "False Starts." (The perfect reference for this is actually Scott Bishop's "Perfect Mistakes," but none of you have heard this song except for Margo and Mrs. Snilch Report.)

Also, a great album has a great closer. For example: My Bloody Valentine's Loveless - "Soon." Bob Mould's Workbook - "Whichever Way the Wind Blows." Weird Al Yankovic's Polka Party! - "Christmas at Ground Zero." All of these put a period on the end of the sentence, and I'm simply not sold on "Clear Spirits" doing this.

In the end, these are nitpicks on another great Les Savy Fav album. They make you think lyrically, and they're great musically, with the layered guitars lockstep with a smart rhythm section. They are insistent, entertaining, and amusing, retaining the exuberance of youth without sacrificing the wisdom of experience.

iTunes recommendations: I'd recommend every single song I mentioned in this blog, with the possible exception of "Dear Crutches," for obvious reasons. The reference songs are all tremendous.

Merch rating: I'll see them when they come to town next time, as long as it's not on a Sunday. I'll definitely grab a t-shirt and any albums I don't have.

CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case. But this album continues to grow on me.

- Snilch

We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls (2009)

2011-09-10T14:44:00.003-04:00

It's a fine album.

CD Placement Rating: CD Rack.

- Snilch

The Black Watch - Led Zeppelin Five (2011)

2011-08-24T14:24:00.002-04:00

Strictly from my perspective, the largest casualty of The Whiskey Dregs switching away from doing further music reviews was this one. Given the bad luck that has followed The Black Watch since 1989, however, this is just water under the bridge.

Let's start with some history:

The Black Watch released their first album St. Valentine in 1987 (after opening for The Church and Toad the Wet Sprocket), then the EP Short Stories in 1989, on founder/lead singer/lead guitarist John Andrew Fredrick's own "Eskimo" label.
The band went through some lineup changes, including the crucial addition of vocalist/violinist/fellow songwriter J'Anna Jacoby; they signed to Doctor Dream Records in 1991 and released Flowering. It's a great album, featuring the outstanding songs "Terrific" and "Humming." Unfortunately, no one ever heard the album as the label did not promote it at all. So The Black Watch moved on.
The band signed to Zero Hour Records in 1994 and released Amphetamines. It's a great album, featuring the outstanding songs "Come Inside," "See You Around," "Whatever You Need," and "Nightlight." Unfortunately, no one ever heard the album as the label did not promote it at all. So The Black Watch moved on.
The band went through some lineup changes, signed to Catapult Records in 1997, and released Seven Rollercoasters. It's a great album, featuring the outstanding songs "I Feel So Weird" and "Steve Albini." Unfortunately, no one ever heard the album as the label did not promote it at all. So The Black Watch moved on.
The band went through some lineup changes, signed to Not Lame Records in 1999, and released The King of Good Intentions. It's a great album, featuring the outstanding songs "Uncheerupable" and "Quasi Stellar Radio Source." Unfortunately, no one ever heard the album as the label did not promote it at all. So The Black Watch moved on.
The band went through some lineup changes, signed to Saltwater Records in 2000, and released Lime Green Girl. It's a great album, featuring the outstanding songs "Caroline" and the cover "If You Could Read My Mind." This time, fortunately, this label actually promoted the album. And it included a collection of highlights from all of the above albums, now out of print. People finally heard this album.
In 2001 they released the EP Christopher Smart, again through Saltwater. So it took the band 14 years to record consecutive albums with the same record label. It seems too good to be true, right? Well, it was: this release was the last one ever for Saltwater. They promptly folded.

Fredrick and Jacoby were the only two constant elements throughout this whole odyssey. So once the band settled down for the first of three albums with Stonegarden Records in 2002 (Jiggery-Pokery), it appeared that they were finally due for some long-term stability.

Then Jacoby left the band. (To play with Rod Stewart, no less.)

Playing great music no one ever heard, toiling in obscurity, and leapfrogging from one bad label to the next is one thing, but this was definitely the hardest hit of them all. Jacoby not only contributed fantastic songs, but her vocals and violin were part of the core Black Watch sound.

Lesser men would have crumbled as Fate conspired against him at every turn (and with a bit of rancor, I might add). But Fredrick pressed on.

Since then, Fredrick (with various lineups) has released four albums and an EP, the latest of which is Led Zeppelin Five. Fredrick took a bit of time regaining his footing after Jacoby's departure -- 2008's Icing the Snow Queen was the breakthrough.) Typically, I think they sound like The Cure meets My Bloody Valentiene with pop sensibilities; Led Zeppelin Five (besides being an ironic, funny, and "how did I not think of that?" title) is actually more laid back in comparison to some of their other albums, and even adds a touch of Longwave (particularly on the track "Weirdly").

And we know that Fredrick is definitely over the hill and down the road a bit from that tumultuous departure of Jacoby's: for the first time in eight years, another band member gets a lead vocal nod.

That, of course, is pure speculation, but I won't let my lack of facts get in the way of a good story: to me, Fredrick's confident voice is what drives this album. (And by "voice" I mean that of an artist, not "vocals.") There is obviously no way to measure this, and I can't define it except to say that he just sounds so sure of himself on every song. And it is what strikes me every time I listen to it.

Highlights for me include "How Much About Love," "Emily, Are You Sleeping?" and "Cognate Objects." But there's something here for everyone: I guarantee that five other people listening to this would have widely varying top 3's. That's a good album, people.

I don't have a high enough recommendation for this band. It's criminal that they've flown as far under the radar as they have all these years and still continue to not only perseve, but to create fabulous music.

My recommendation: go buy everything they've ever done. But slowly; you'll want to absorb each album before moving on to the next. And Led Zeppelin Five is not a bad place to get started.

CD Placement Rating: Car CD Changer for me, at least Portable CD Case for you.

- Snilch

120 Minutes Returns!

2011-08-11T09:20:00.008-04:00

The last great movement in rock happened in the early 90's. Grunge took the world by the throat, damning many a hair metal and hard rock act into early retirement. It even broke mainstream; for the first time in my life the radio was playing my music. I loved it.

And for most of these "alternative" bands, 120 Minutes on MTV was either where they broke out or where they wanted to break in. Between 1992 and 1999, I recorded about 14 hours of music (and still have the cassettes to prove it) from this show, from mainstream fare to one-off songs from bands never to be heard from again. It was the showcase for alternative music. And where would I be without Fossil's "Moon"? Grade's "A Year in the Past"? Cibo Matta's "Chicken?" I shudder to think.

My dirty little secret: this is where I used to find half the music no one else had heard of. It awed my music pals, but I was just taping this show and watching it. Simple as that.

The show, like grunge, started to peter out by the end of the 90's. It officially lost the plot when Matt Pinfield left in 1999. I watched a bit of the Dave Holmes era, but by then the show had no more zip on its fastball. It eventually migrated to MTV2 (which I didn't have at the time) and died an ignominious death in 2003.

That is, until it came back.

120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield now airs on the last Saturday every month on MTV2. Sure, Subterranean tried to fill the gap in the interim, but it came off as a soulless hour. I feel much better with the bald guru Pinfield behind the wheel again, even if it is only once a month.

So how did the first show back compare with the old show? Well, let's go to the videotape and identify some highlights:

Matt Pinfield. He's bald. He knows every band since the beginning of time (i.e., 1950), and even has research on a bunch that haven't formed yet. Some have not yet even been born. That's how on top of it he is.
First video: The Joy Formidable - "Whirring." An inspired choice. It's edgy but reflects the ethos of classic alternative. And it's a great guitar-grit power-pop song with soaring harmonies and a tempo change thrown in. I will definitely be checking this band out. Well played.
It appears that they've compiled about 38,000 hours of interview footage that they want to cram into each show. I have this weird thing about about wanting my "music" shows to be filled with music and my "talk" shows to be filled with conversation. I'm odd that way.
Second video: Jeff the Brotherhood - "U Got the Look." Following the rich tradition of Local H, The Black Keys, and The White Stripes, this duo packs some '60's retro punch. It's amazing how good a standard, by-the-numbers drum beat can sound in the right song.
There were 895 promos of the Dave Grohl interview during the show... which of course was aired in the final segment (last 10 minutes) of the show.
I don't really like Sleigh Bells. Sorry.
First "classic" video: Pearl Jam - "Jeremy." This was so mainstream back in the day that I felt this was cheating, until they decided to show the "uncensored" version MTV never aired. That's the one where Jeremy sticks his gun in his mouth at the end. Wow. Well, that effectively ends the speculation that he shot the rest of the class up at the end of the video. The show followed the video with a PSA on suicide prevention.
Zach Braff should be interviewed, but not on this show. I have nothing against the guy personally, but in the interview he says he "loves Coldplay." I just threw up in my mouth.
There was a lot of fast forwarding though the lesser light videos and interviews. As it should be.
Final tally: with two "classic" videos closing out the show, we ended up with 9 new videos and 3 "classic" videos. And one massively promoted Dave Grohl interview.

(This post was a lot longer originally. However, my browser crashed in the middle of the post, wiping most of it out. And I had already deleted the show from my DVR, so... this is what you get.)

Summary: 12 videos in 2 hours? Too few. And the ratio of 25% "classic" to new is crap. For a monthly show, there needs to be at least 2-4 more videos (so kill one or two of the 14 talking head/interview segments), and 1-2 less "classic" videos in the mix. Hopefully they are just working out the kinks. Even with the warts, though, it's still great to see this show back on the air. Pinfield!!!!!

- Snilch

Kraftwerk - Tour de France Soundtracks (2003)

2011-08-08T17:49:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Andrew for this one. With the Tour de France being over, I figured the best way to combat cycling withdrawal would be with this album, specifically written around the 2003 Tour de France. It starts with an actual Prologue, Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3... and then it gets more abstract, with songs like "Chrono," "Aero Dynamik," and "Elektro Kardiogramm."

It's interesting, but ultimately it doesn't capture the event from either the fan or the rider's point of view; it mainly seems to be an exercise in inspiring Kraftwerk to make a typical album with some touches from the event. In any event, it's a very subtle tribute: think 90% Kraftwerk, 9% cycling, 1% creepy vocals. It's a bit monotonous as well, taking 15 minutes in to change the melody. Perhaps that was their point?

That being said, the last song, "Tour de France" is the highlight of the album: the vocals make me cringe, but this is actually a very decent representation of the album concept. And clearly displays this band's love for the event.

CD Placement Rating: I might quite possibly never listen to this album ever again, but the novelty keeps it in my CD Rack.

Teachable Historical Moments

2011-08-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

This is a bit off the beaten path, but today's lesson is in history, as told to us by the bards. You have to love it when our musicians try to teach us about the Merrimac and the Monitor, Amelia Earhart, or why Kenny G sucks. Plus, we all know history students don't have any practical use for their majors, so this will make them feel like their education wasn't a complete waste.

Honorable mentions: there are too many to include here. (Seriously, I had 27 songs that did not make the cut. I started to list them all out, but that made this interminably long post twice as long.)

Here are my favorites. ("Favorites" being defined as what I wrote down/found in my music collection in the last week since I came up with this idea. Very scientific.)

Tesla - "Edison's Medicine." (1991) The band named themselves after Nikita Tesla for some reason; it seemed like just a cool band name from an 80's metal act until their 1991 release. Lyrics addressed to Edison such as "My jury finds you'll be doing time/When you go straight to hell" make it clear that the band is surprisingly passionate about their namesake. Historical lesson: 1) "They'll sell you on Marconi/Familiar but a phony." 2) Nikita Tesla: "(They) thought you was crazy/You was one of a kind...All along, world was wrong. You was right." 3) Band Tesla: they give a pretty good historical diss. Yes, they clearly skipped grammar in school (or as they call it, "twelve years of hard time"), but they did not skip the School of Hard Rawk.
Caroline's Spine - "Sullivan." (1997) This song tells the story of the five Sullivan brothers, who enlisted in the Navy in 1942 on the condition that they all serve together. The Navy complied, putting them all on the USS Juneau. It did not end well; in the battle of Guadalcanal, their ship sank and all five brothers were killed. This led directly to the policy that separates family members in the military and protects sole family survivors from service. Historical lesson: the song tells the story of the family tragedy eloquently, and I learned that "turning your blue star to gold" meant that your child had passed away. It's a well-told story with the emotional component intact.
Morrissey - "Irish Blood, English Heart." (2004) Now, I could have picked about twelve different Morrissey solo or Smiths songs, but I'm partial to this one. It's both personally and historically reflective. Describing his "Irish blood, English heart" immediately announces his heritage and nationality; singing "I've been dreaming of a time when/To be English is not to be baneful/To be standing by the flag not feeling shameful, racist or partial" announces that he won't be accepting it all with a blind eye. It's Morrissey at his best: both literate and indignant. He acknowledges his context while presenting his bonafides, then delivers the barbed, pointed conclusion. Historical lesson: "I've been been dreaming of a time when/The English/Are sick to death of Labour/And Tories/And spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell/And denounce this royal line that still salutes him/And will salute him forever." Well, that about sums it up.
Les Savy Fav - "The Year Before the Year 2000." (2007) This speaks to some recent history; as you might imagine, they're a bit condescending towards the "sky is falling" crowd. "If you fear, my dear, the end is near/Please do check your frontal hemisphere." Well said. Historical lesson: after the obligatory "I told you so" about Y2K, Les Savy Fav draws an interesting conclusion: there's something that was great about thinking the world was about to end, and something very disconcerting about the seemingly endless vista of time in front of us. "Everybody, please keep trying/Trying to party like it's 1999/Even though we've got so much time/We gotta spend it like it's 1999." Didn't think it was going that way, did you? Very well done, fellas.
Paul Hardcastle - "19." (1985) Classic. Summary: "In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26/In Vietnam he was 19." This song has a lot facts and figures, lots of different voices, and a beat you can dance to, all about that little conflict in Vietnam. Some will tell you their favorite line was the vet saying, "I wasn't really sure what was going on"; I've always been partial to the female chorus: "All those who remember the war/They won't forget what they've seen/Destruction of men in their prime/Whose average age was 19." It takes a lot of guts to try and pull off the "average age" line when: 1) you're carrying the only true singing part in the song; 2) you're trying to state a fact -- musically; and 3) you're trying to make this sound as if people are walking around actually talking like this. (It's part of the song's charm.) Historical lesson: none of them received a hero's welcome.
Culture Club – "I’ll Tumble 4 Ya." (1982) Just checking to see if you’re still reading.
Richard Thompson - "Alexander Graham Bell." (2003) I learned that Bell had 50 inventions other than the telephone – including x-rays, faxes, and respirators. And that he laid the groundwork for television. Historical lesson: “Edison was a thief, Tesla nuts beyond belief.” (Edison takes it on the chin quite a bit, doesn't he?) You'll learn a lot in 3 minutes and 23 seconds - it's literate, clever, and informative. (Thompson has a ton of such songs, including “My Daddy Was a Mummy,” "The Story of Hamlet," and “Madonna’s Wedding.” “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me,” a reference to Bagdad, is a future history lesson. On a completely unrelated note, here's Thompson covering "Oops! I Did It Again.")
U2 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday." (1983) A description of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry. British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders; Bono got righteous. Historical lesson: war sucks, we would prefer to not have it happen again. Thank you for your consideration. I'll wave a white flag and yell "No More War!" now.
Anthemic Pop Wonder - "How Great Was Hüsker Dü!" (2002) The answer: pretty damn good. Historical lesson: underappreciated.
Nerf Herder - "Mr. Spock." (2002) This not only vividly describes nerd romantic frustration by using science fiction (which is like trying to teach a dog to do tricks with trigonometry), but also completely summarizes the Star Trek episode "Arena" in the lyrics. There's a bit about destroying robots as well. Sci fi geeks will play this for their uncomprehending partners, most of whom are undoubtedly blissfully unaware that said geek considers them a "partner" in the first place. Historical lesson: you don't want a boyfriend. What you want is Mr. Spock. (See the song here; make sure you play it at 240p.)
Night Ranger - "Sister Christian." (1984) With its obscurely plausible religious overtones, this song is quite the mystery, especially when delivered by a band that is used to singing songs about drinkin', rockin', and datin'. Was this "Sister Christian" a nun? Some historical figure? Or should we focus on "Christian" -- does her religious choice matter? Could it be Sister Buddhist? Sister Hindu? Sister Agnostic? Alas... the truth is ultimately far less interesting. The song was originally called "Sister Christy" and written about the drummer's sister. Huh. Well, that sucks. Historical lesson: much like the Black Eyed Peas (whose "Let's Get Retarded" anthem about drinking was changed by an ad agency to the "Let's Get It Started" anthem about car commercials), the truth hurts. Lesson learned: try not to read too much into Night Ranger's lyrics.
Gang of Four - "History's Bunk!" The message here: “There are no lessons in the past.” They're smarter than I am, so I guess we'll leave it at that. Historical lesson: you say there are no lessons in the past, but if this is a lesson learned from the past, then you did learn it, but you could not have learned this truth except from the past... illogical! Illogical! Please explain! You are human; only humans can explain! Illogical! (Head explodes. This is a basic summary of the Star Trek episode "I, Mudd.")

- Snilch

Brakes - Give Blood (2005)

2011-07-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Andrew strikes again with a band beginning in the 92nd percentile of the alphabet. This album is the personification of the drunk at the end of a bar. (Well, if he were a musician, recorded only when he was mostly coherent, and Scottish.)

Lyrically, sometimes he's conversational, sometimes a total ripoff of others (like "Hear About Your Band", which sounds like an exact cross of The Silversun Pickups and The Frames). Sometimes he's very loud and other times eerily quiet. Sometimes he's capable of imparting incredible insight and humor; other times he simply recites mundane details. Sometimes you're kept at arms length, other times, he'll mentions the most revealing insight into his life as an aside. Sometimes he communicates in long diatribes, sometimes in short stacatto outbursts.   He can be the life of the party or the downer that brings everyone down. Mostly he's alone, but occasionally he'll have a lady friend along. But there is always an undercurrent of sadness, an inevitability of the weight of reality's yoke that he always slouches under. (Yes, this description could also apply to The Pogues.)   It's bar rock at its most interesting.

CD Placement Rating:  Car CD Changer.

What You Would Have Been Listing to in the Early 90's If You Were in School

2011-07-28T07:21:00.001-04:00

Okay, I'll admit it: there are at least three things in that title that are pretentious, assumptive, and/or flat out arrogant. At least it's not totally self-involved. That post would be titled something like "What You Would Have Been Listening to in 1992 If You Were at College in the Northeast and Attended One of Our Parties, Including a Mention of Every Roommate I Had at That Fine Institution of Higher Learning."

What You Would Have Been Listening to in 1992 If You Were at College in the Northeast and Attended One of Our Parties, Including a Mention of Every Roommate I Had at That Fine Institution of Higher Learning

2011-07-28T07:21:00.000-04:00

I have no shame.

So let's go in order of roommates from freshman to senior year, and reminisce:

Jimbo: Guns 'N Roses - "Sweet Child O' Mine." Jimbo was a man of planning and action: he came in with a plan to play Appetite for Destruction at least once, in is entirety, every day our freshman year. He succeeded. "Cause worry's a waste of my --- time." (Per Mr. Brownstone.)
Mac: Ziggy Marley - "Tomorrow People." Sean showed up at school with two music cassettes -- Ziggy Marley and 10,000 Maniacs -- and a Betamax VCR, with a Pete Townsend concert and 2/3 of Trading Places. (We found out the latter the hard way.) If you've never heard Mac crooning "Tomorrow Pee-pal" (Ziggy) or "Shiver in Me Bones Just Tinking About the Weathah" (10,000 Maniacs), then you've missed some serious 6'5" Milton (MA) Irish soul.
Paco: LL Cool J - "Mama Said Knock You Out." Paco was into a lot of current rap and hiphop at the time, which helped make the rest of us look a lot more well rounded than our Journey, Night Ranger, and Bon Jovi music collection might imply. He also had the audacity to buy a glass table for our dorm room, which we somehow managed not to break until we tried to move it into storage at the end of the year. Don't call it a comeback!
Jay: Sinead O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U." Jay had the best stereo I had ever seen, which I got to try out prior to living with him when a party was thrown on his floor my sophomore year. For some reason, most of the partygoers decided to hang outside the dorm; Bubba and I took the far more practical route of standing next to the keg and controlling the music. This was the hot song at the time and sounded great blasting through Jay's stereo. Classic night and a classic song.
Bean: Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Suck My Kiss." Ben's musical tastes started freshman year with Eric Clapton and The Grateful Dead; by senior year it had evolved into Lenny Kravitz and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. When freshmen stole Ben's hamsters, he figured out their voicemail password and horrified their parents; I think this song was playing in the background, but that could be a total lie. The final takeaway: partially thanks to said freshman parental horror, the hamsters were swiftly returned, and some of you learned a valuable life lesson: don't mess with seniors. This still puts me right back in my dorm room senior year.
Bubba: Anthrax - "Bring the Noise." This was a toss up between Anthrax, Nirvana, L.A. Guns, and the Go-Go's. If you know Bubba, you'll realize I'm not kidding. We used to slamdance to this tune in our dorm room. (But it was really cool, I assure you. Not dorky at all.) Our part of the dorm was torn down two years later due to "irreparable structural damage. Probably a coincidence.
BA: Naughty by Nature - "O.P.P." Besides being the object of adapted lyrics like "Ain't Gonna Hurt Brad's Mommy" or "I've Had Enough of Brad's Mom," BA turned his freshman obsession with Kool Moe Dee's "Go See the Doctor" into a senior year music infatuation with Naughty by Nature. It's timeless. Well, sort of. Just don't ask him to dance to it.
TC: The Police - "So Lonely." Besides bringing "Safety/Doorknob" to school, Tim introduced us to the song we played at every party we ever threw. Did it seem odd to see 10 guys chugging at a specific spot in a song that's all about loneliness? Probably not. Probably not.
Salami, er, Snilch: Bob Mould - "It's Too Late." If you read any of my reviews, this should not be a surprise. One of my favorite songs ever, and the one that really sparked my interest in finding great but obscure music. And I still love it as much today as I did when it came out 21 years ago.
Turner House: Seal - "Crazy." Our MWF schedule 2nd semester senior year staggered so that the five of ended up playing this album in its entirety five times a day. We could not figure out why everyone else who lived near us hated this album, until we figured out that this was how our schedule has magically settled. And that was in April. A self-described mutant, Seal provided the soundtrack for our senior year.

Appearances have been altered to protect the innocent

How does this soundtrack hold up today? Well, our focus group of three will find out this weekend. Early odds will be that the songs will hold up just fine. Our tolerance, on the other hand, is likely to be another matter entirely.

- Snilch

Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare (2010)

2011-07-25T06:44:00.001-04:00

When I played this for Mrs. Snilch Report, I asked, "Who do you think recommended this?" It took her about 5 seconds. This is a classic Bubba album for sure.

Think of some Metallica fan who watched a ton of Metalocalypse (on Cartoon Network, if you're not familiar), and wishes he could sound like the guy from Queensryche or Axl Rose. For as cheesy as this could be, it's really not; it's better than most of the current metal wanna-be's. But it's got a low ceiling, as it's more brute force than finesse. Best used for psyching up your frat for Keg Wars, getting back at your annoying neighbors, or torturing suspected insurgents in your basement.

CD Placement Rating: CD Rack.

Back... finally

2011-07-25T06:42:00.000-04:00

Yes, here we are at the start again at The Snilch Report. We're going to try something different this time around -- we'll be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until my attention wanes again (probably by Friday). The Whiskey Dregs is no more (at least for music reviews), so this is where you will see stuff from me for the time being.

Please adjust your social calendars accordingly.

- Snilch

Yes, I Got Your E-mail. Now Leave Me Alone. Part 1.

2011-02-11T16:50:00.008-05:00

I do (eventually) get around to most of what you recommend. I generally try not to publicly disparage you unless you really provoke or annoy me. Which most of you do.

In any case... here are your ~~feeble~~ well-intentioned efforts to expand my already prodigious musical vocabulary, and the details on how you all have failed me yet again.

The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You (2009). Al actually sent this to me to listen to, which is good because I probably wouldn’t have bought it on my own. Oddly enough, he chose this week to get all over me about listening to it as well. Normally I run screaming from this brand of light pop, but I have to say it’s decent. It’s very nice, light, and introspective, although I rarely sit down to listen to music on the porch rocker with my corncob pipe to watch lightning bugs. Nothing against that; I just don’t do it that often. But this is decent and well worth a listen.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
Adam Ezra Group - View from the Root (2008). Brian (via John S.) recommended this one, as a light powerpop album in the vein of Alanis Morrissette. As I listened to the opening track (“Vision”), I was more struck by a cross between the Dave Matthews Band and the Goo Goo Dolls, with the vocals reminiscent of the lead singer of the O.C. Supertones. Now, it is true that I’d like to like both Dave Matthews and the Goo Goo Dolls, but they both lack some indefinable something that ultimately sours me on both. Not here. Adam and the band play in that folk-rock vein that can very easily verge into the self-indulgent; they have a bit more substance than that and manage to stay on the correct side of the ledger throughout, even when they veer to the brink (like in “Basement Song”). Ultimately there’s less Goo Goo’s and more Dave Matthews, but the more authentic lyric quality and meticulously produced sound is ultimately undeniable. Now don’t turn into Train, guys.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
A Band of Bees - Free the Bees (2004). Andrew likes to recommend bands whose names start from A-L so he doesn't have to scroll too far down to see his name. This strategy plays off here in spades. A Band of Bees took a time warp directly from the 60's, and have refused to adapt past that musical technique, style, and production. Even the vocals make you think this is from 40-50 years ago. It's a pleasant listen, just not really my thing these days.
CD Placement rating: If you still listen to The Beach Boys or Herman's Hermits, this will be a Portable CD Case or Car CD Changer pick for you. For me, it's nice, but ends up in Sell-back Pile 1.
Miklós Rózsa - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (Soundtrack) (1982). Another Brian recommendation, who keeps trying to expand my musical vocabulary with soundtracks, and it must be working because I keep picking these things up. First impression: it’s orchestral. (Thanks, I’ll be here all week. Please try the roast beef, and tip your server generously.) It's very good, but I lack the musical vocabulary in this genre to explain exactly why.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Killing Joke - What's THIS for...! (1981, re-mastered/re-issued 2005). The mysterious uzine and its unidentifiable author posted a response to a 2007 post in August 2010 (!), claiming I had wrongfully represented Killing Joke's best album as their first, despite the statute of limitations on that review having long since run out. (Yes, these are the jokes.) I went back to Killing Joke source/"expert" Mark, who immediately backed down from his 2007 statements with a "well, I haven’t listened to EVERYTHING they’ve done," thus hanging me out to dry. So I now throw him under the bus in public. (Well, this blog really only qualifies as "semi-private.") Having listened to their sophomore follow-up, I find that it is really splitting hairs: they're both great albums. If I had to pick one, I'd probably give the edge to the first album over the second simply because the second doesn't have an equivalent to "Wardance" or "Complications." But this one is musically more mature; in two or three years I could easily see reversing my opinion. Or not.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
Plunderphonics - Plunderphonics 69/96 (2001). I had to pick this up off iTunes as I didn't want to plunk down the massive quid based on what I believed was a "blind" recommendation by Donna M. Quite simply, this whole album (all 60 tracks) is absolutely nuts. On the first disc it's sample after sample after sample -- the album starts with the final piano chord at the end of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life," and continues with Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Public Enemy, Dolly Parton, and everywhere in between. There's even a song that appears to be a career summary of The Doors. So it's all over the place with rock, rap, pop, etc., until the second half, which is spoken word and orchestral, which is also nuts, but different, and, much like this run-on sentence that seems like it will never end, in some ways you don't want the album to end either because you're not quite sure what's coming next. I didn't know what to call this music, but allmusic.com calls it "Avant-Garde," which is another way of saying "you will love this or despise this." Allmusic has a lot more prose, flowery language, and pointed descriptions of this album as well. My take is "Me likee."
CD Placement rating: This is a Car CD Changer worthy play for me, but could be Pile of Death for you. One word of warning: these songs most definitely are not shuffle friendly; play them as an album, it is an experience.
The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site (2003). Thanks to @gcn1 for this one. Somehow all Canadian bands (from Sloan to The Tragically Hip to Glass Tiger) all share a common tonality – I can’t put my finger on it, but I knew The Weakerthans were Canadian before I read the liner notes. (Okay, so the song “One Great City!” with the line “I hate Winnipeg” may have been a pretty obvious clue as well.) Overall, it’s excellent Canadian indie/garage power pop touched with a twang of Uncle Tupelo, with the standout track “The Reasons” occupying my T rides on repeat for the entire month of November. They’re fun, smart, self-depricating, and they rock. Great car drive fare.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack. Go get “The Reasons” on iTunes, jackass.

-Snilch

11 Songs I'm Playing Constantly These Days

2011-02-10T08:29:00.002-05:00

In no particular order:

The Weakerthans – "The Reasons"
Scott Bishop – "The Start (Again)"
The Wrens – "Rest Your Head"
Ride – "Time of Her Time"
Ride - "Furthest Sense"
Idlewild – "Little Discourage"
All – "She’s My Ex"
The Shiela Divine – "Like a Criminal"
Manic Street Preachers – "Marlon J.D."
Bob Mould - "Paralyzed" (yes, still)
The Big Sleep - "Pinkies"

- Snilch

What I Got Out of Record Store Day 2010

2010-10-19T08:09:00.004-04:00

Record Store Day, conceived in 2007 by a Bull Moose music employee in Maine, started as a full-fledged idea in 2008. What started as an attempt to throw a life preserver to independent record stores has become an international event the third Saturday of every April. Bands create releases exclusively for Record Store Day, primarily vinyl, both as giveaways and for sale.

I've been to the last two; after going in 2009 and getting shut out on some things, in 2010 I decided to get to the Newbury Comics in Norwood about a half an hour before the store opened.

I figured I'd be plenty early -- and I was wrong. I was about 30th in line. Yup, 28 guys and one woman ahead of me. And by the time the doors opened, the line had doubled.

It got ugly quickly. I grabbed the last Weezer freebie 7" just as an alpha nerd reached for it as well. Said alpha nerd already had one in hand, but he STILL gave me the "Fireball +20 damage" look. The geek tension was palpable.

Fortunately, no more shows of dorky one-upmanship occurred. In the end, I got a lot of music between the freebies, samplers, and limited edition items. (Confession: I did have to hit the Needham store on the way home to pick up some items that were already gone in Norwood. I have a problem.)

So how did it work out in the end? Pretty well. I've boiled down just the free compilation/sampler discs to 3 1/2 hours; I used two 7 hour flights to pare down the list to that point. Not bad for zero dollars.

As for the rest, all are singles on vinyl from 2010 unless otherwise noted:

Against Me! - "I Was a Teenage Anarchist." I've waxed eloquently (and at some length) about Against Me!, and I'd quote myself and link to said reviews if I weren't feeling quite so lazy at the moment. This is a great pop punk single. It's not like I wouldn't have bought the album without hearing the single, but it's great to hear on vinyl. And the "acoustic version" b-side is actually a re-recording, not just stripping out the bass, drums, and electric guitars. Good stuff.
Built to Spill - "Water Sleepers." This is actually worth the price of admission for the b-side, "Linus and Lucy (Live)," which is a cover of the "Peanuts" Schroeder song. But the a-side is no slouch either -- sounds like it's a throwback to the Keep It Like a Secret or Perfect from Now On era. Very spacey and slow, but in the classic BTS way. A really cool little single.
The Clash - At Shea Stadium. I am about to commit many acts of heresy, so please prepare yourself accordingly. 1) I don't like The Clash. 2) I don't like the legendary album London Calling. So why on earth would I pick up a vinyl single promoting a live album? Simply, because it was the most visually arresting item there. It's a picture disc and just looks damn cool. Now some more heresy. 3) I think this version of "London Calling" is better than the one on London Calling. And thus 4) At Shea Stadium is going to be a better album than London Calling. I thank you in advance for your hate mail and comments.
The Constellations - "Setback." Scott and I listened to this at 45 rpm (it is a single, after all), and found it to be quite interesting, although the woman's voice was way out there. At 33 rpm (correct speed), that dude and his lame sound really did nothing for me. Adding Cee-Lo to side 2 wasn't enough of a life-saver. Speed it up, kids.
Roky Erickson with Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil. I was truly shocked to see this in the store. Since seeing Roky Erickson's comeback in 2005 at Austin City Limits, I've picked up his compilation, but I did not know he was making new music. This is a combination of home recordings from over the years and new Roky performances, is all over the place and wacky, and is absolutely terrific. Car CD Changer material.
Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard - One Fast Move or I'm Gone (Music from Kerouac's Big Sur) (single). Jay Farrar (Wilco, Son Volt, Gob Iron) writes the music with Jack Kerouac's words, and trades vocals with Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service). It's really great sounding: not surprising, it's alt country. The two songs here definitely make me want to hear the whole album -- it's an ambitious project for sure, but they do a nice job paying it off.
Fly Leaf - "Chasm"/Paper Tongues - "Trinity." Fly Leaf's lead singer is a powerhouse. This song is right in the way that most of today's music is wrong: the vocal presentation is forceful, the lyrics are interesting, and the music has both power and tension. Paper Tongues, on the other half of the split single, show what's wrong with most of today's new music: the vocal presentation is soft, the lyrics are cliché, and the music is formulaic and generic; not bad, but not good either.
Gogol Bordello - "We Comin' Rougher (Immigranada)." A bit smoother than what I've previously heard from these guys (probably because it was produced by Rick Rubin), but with the same raw energy and wackiness you'd expect from gypsy punks. Very impressive. I will be checking out the full album (Trans-Continental Hustle) for sure.
Kasabian - "Fire." I was on the fence on this one (a bit dance-y for me), but it has a great riff and they really have something nice going on here.
John Lennon - Singles Bag. I picked this up as an afterthought, but the recaps of the event say this was the rarest piece out there. The three A-sides (despite what Ken might tell you) are classic: "Mother," "Imagine," and "Watching the Wheels." The three B-sides are terrible. I'm not that interested in the poster, the postcards, and custom adaptor hub, but collectors probably are.
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica (2000, re-released in 2010). One of my favorite albums, finally available on vinyl. And it sounds great. One of the best takeaways of the day.
Nada Surf - If I Had a Hi-Fi (CD). The primary reasons I made the second stop in Needham was for the Modest Mouse vinyl and for this CD. It's a covers album (and I love covers) by Nada Surf (and I love Nada Surf). Unfortunately, the covers are mostly of songs I'm not familiar with; the best covers are Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" (which was one of the ones I did know), Arthur Russell's "Janine," and Kate Bush's "Love and Anger." I guess I don't like the same groups these guys do; if I did I might like the album. But it's all about me, and thus became Sell-back Pile 1 material. The packaging is very nice, though.
Rogue Wave - "Lake Michigan." Of everything I got on Record Store Day, this was the best surprise. Think of Sunny Day Real Estate crossed with Glen Echo. Really excellent stuff. Not the most revolutionary, but there is something really nice about the sound of these guys. A check of this album is in order.
Weezer - "(If You're Wondering if I Want You to) I Want You to." After wrestling Golem for this puppy (see above), I felt like my expectations were not met with this one right off the bat. Besides an annoyingly long title for the A-side, I really did not like the song, which tends to be an issue. However, it has grown on me, and thus the yellow vinyl stays.

- Snilch

Putting The Whiskey Dregs Reviews into Perspective

2010-09-20T17:26:00.000-04:00

I've been doing some reviews for The Whiskey Dregs... however, they don't use my super-special ratings systems that have become the industry standard. Well, my standard, at least.

Here are links to my reviews and their corresponding CD Placement scores:

The Vaselines - Sex with an X: Portable CD Case.

The Thermals - Personal Life: Car CD Changer.

Superchunk - Majesty Shredding: Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

I Am a Sucker for Re-Issues

2010-08-09T08:37:00.006-04:00

The headline really needs no explaining.

The Beatles - Rubber Soul (1965), The Beatles (a.k.a., "The White Album") (1968; both re-issued 2009). Rubber Soul takes me back to grade school, playing Dungeons and Dragons and board games at Tom McBride's house. It's a great album, even after all these years: besides the classics "Nowhere Man," "Drive My Car, "Norwegian Wood," and "In My Life," there's the keyboard sound on "Think for Yourself," which is epic in itself. I used to spin sister Carrie around to "Run for Your Life" when she was four... which in retrospect is pretty disturbing. And as much as Sgt. Pepper's is credited as being a seminal album, Rubber Soul was truly The Beatles' transition album from complete pop to the deeper, more musically interesting experiments of Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's. The White Album takes me back to childhood as well (we played a lot of Beatles, Blondie, and Abba at the McBride's); this double album follow-up to Sgt. Pepper's still feels like a lot of odds and ends all jumbled together, but it's epic. As for the re-mastering itself: it sounds like you're listening to the original vinyl. And that's as high a compliment as I can give.
Verdict: Recommended if you don't have any/some Beatles albums on CD. They are still the best.
INXS - Kick (1987, re-issued 2002). One of the soundtracks to Smith Middle 2nd floor my freshman year in college. This re-issue sounds fine, although I really don't hear anything remarkable in the re-mastering. The four songs they added are really not necessary.
Verdict: No need unless you don't own the album, or you are an INXS completist.
Jawbox - For Your Own Special Sweetheart (1993, re-issued 2009). This is the original recording of the album, re-mastered, and was new material for me coming in. However, it turns out that at least "Savory" is a song I heard on the radio back in the day. It's very solid, with a couple of above average tracks (like "Reel"); the songs are a bit "same-y" sounding after awhile. But it's still quality stuff; think Sheila Divine (although not quite as good as them).
Verdict: On the border of the CD Rack/Portable CD Case territory. The extra songs probably aren't worth buying the album again if you already have it.
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979, re-issued 2007). This is part of the series of re-issues of Joy Division material, featuring deluxe packaging and a live CD in addition to the original album. From the opening of "Disorder," it's clear why Joy Division spawned so many copycats from the moment of their inception. The re-mastering really cleans up the recording as well. It's a great album, although I think I don't appreciate as much now as I probably will with more listens.
Verdict: Portable CD Case. Worth it for the re-mastering, I'd guess. The live bonus album is nice but not spectacular, and thus is really only for completists.
Pylon - Chomp More (1983, re-issued 2009). After Gyrate's re-issue, Chomp's re-issue was only a matter of time; I really hope they re-release their 1990 finale Chain as well, but I think the band has turned their back on that album. Summary: there's no R.E.M., or an Athens scene (with the notable exception of the B-52's) without Pylon; they're not famous because they were constantly at the wrong place at the wrong time in their career. This re-issue is spectacular and you should own it. Absolutely worth it for anyone; how did they leave some of these songs (like "Spider," "Gyrate," or the Pylon Mix of "Yo-Yo") off the compilation Hits? GO OUT AND GET THIS NOW.
Verdict: It's okay.
Sun Dial - Other Way Out (1990, re-issued 2006). (PV) at the once-defunct- but-recently-revived [uzine] online zine turned me on to these guys; they're the best psychedelic rock group you've never heard of. Mojo went as far to call this album "The greatest unheard psychedelic album ever." And if Mojo and I are on the same page... well, that actually means little to nothing. This re-issue (which expands the 2003 re-issue with eight additional tracks) is excellent as it's really an album you never want to see end. So this one works well.
Verdict: I'm throwing it (and Pylon) back into the car. They're both great.
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (1984, re-issued 2009). Others can wax poetic about The Unforgettable Fire; I will not. In my opinion, it's the worst pre-Rattle and Hum album (i.e., 1988) they released: I doubt many will argue it was outshone by both its predecessor (War) and successor (The Joshua Tree). What it does have is the best song U2 ever recorded: "Pride (In the Name of Love)." The re-mastering definitely helps put the shine back on this album and reveal the quality that is there. The bonus disc contains the entire excellent Wide Awake in America EP (including the classic live version of "Bad"), as well the single version of "Pride" and its three b-sides ("Boomerang I," "Boomerang II," and a longer version of "4th of July.") This may be a case where the bonus disc is better than the actual album.
Verdict: Despite all I've said above, U2 from 1980-1992 were one of my favorite bands, and thus this album (while flawed) is still excellent and a cut above the rest. A must if you are a U2 diehard, and even if you're not, the bonus disc makes the whole album worth it. An American-obsessed album by an American-obsessed band on the verge of becoming global superstars.
Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne (1993, re-issued 2003). My kind of alt-country. This is a great re-mastering of a tremendous album -- Uncle Tupelo's last before Jay Farrar founded Son Volt and Jeff Tweedy countered with Wilco. If there was acrimony between the two (and I've read that there was), it doesn't come through on the album. I hate country as a rule, but you can't argue with this album. It's great.
Verdict: Probably worth picking up for the five bonus tracks for the diehards. If you don't own it, you really should.
Yes - Close to the Edge (1972, re-issued 2003). One of my all-time favorites. I still remember playing this on vinyl: one song on Side 1, two on Side 2. It works because "Close to the Edge" is the best 20-minute song I've ever heard; "And You and I" is in the top five for 10-minute songs; and "Siberian Khatru" is no slouch either. All in all a great album. When you consider that in 1972 Yes released this album and the album Fragile, which many critics see as the two best albums of their career... well, that's a good year. It's actually shocking that Close to the Edge charted at #3 on the Billboard chart, while the much more poppy and easily consumable Fragile (with the single "Roundabout," no less) only made it to #4. I love their cover of "America" (one of the bonus tracks), although the other bonus tracks are nothing to write home about.
Verdict: I love Yes. There, I said it. You happy now?

- Snilch

New Music Roundup, Part 2

2010-07-13T16:27:00.000-04:00

"This first line is either going to say 'I hate LeBron' or 'I love LeBron'" is what I put in as a placeholder before last Thursday. (Context: I am a Cleveland native and lifelong Cavs fan.)

Then the one-hour special was announced, and I changed it to: "This first line is either going to say 'I hate LeBron' or 'What an ass. But at least LeBron made the right move.'"

As the reality of the farce approaches (I am writing this at 3PM on Thursday; I will not change it regardless of his decision tonight), I am struck by one thought: I really don't care anymore. This whole thing is an ego-massaging exercise by someone who has been coddled all his life. If he signs with the Cavs, he saves some face, but he has irrevocably changed the perception of him as a human being and an athlete. Does he not understand what a "team" is? This is as self-centered and vacuous as it gets.

It's 3:20 and I have music to listen to. As you read this, the moment has undoubtedly passed. I hope I had the intestinal fortitude to not watch it play out. But I will not re-write this either way.

On to the music:

American Music Club - The Golden Age (2008). I've heard only great things about Mark Eitzel and American Music Club; 1991's Everclear (featuring the epic "Rise") did nothing to dispel this notion. Their ninth full-length album (and second since reuniting in 2004) features original members Eitzel and guitarist Vudi plus a brand new rhythm section. The music is sparse; think a stripped-down Hybrasil. But it's really good low- to mid-tempo pop, well executed, intelligent, and earnest.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Built to Spill - There is No Enemy (2009). Based on this and 2006's You in Reverse, BTS has settled into a comfortable groove of sonically heavier, solidly built albums. They're sludgy and dirgey, but worth wading through. However, would I go back to these two albums or something like Ancient Melodies of the Future, which had three great songs and seven fair to good ones? I'm really not sure. The fact that I can't recall the last two albums until I play them is probably not good either. My guess is the next album will be bought based on a good review.
CD Placement rating: This is a tough one. CD Rack album gets into the Portable CD Case so I can make a better determination of where it fits into the cosmos.
Doves - Kingdom of Rust (2009). This sounds a lot like 2002's The Last Broadcast. Don't get me wrong; I like that album. I don't need two of the same, however.
CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1. Hopefully Andrew and Eric Lax will speak to me after this.
King's X - XV (2008). As the title suggests, this is their 15th album, which seems insane; I don't own anything past 1991 from them. Having seen them live with Scott and Dale, I was open to giving these guys a shot; reviews were good, so I did. XV: it's heavy, it's consistent, and it's good. No real surprises here, but no duds either. Great album by a very underrated band.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Scanners - Submarine (2010). It's taken this band four years, but they've finally come up with a follow-up to 2006's promising debut Violence is Golden. This is surprisingly much more restrained than their debut, sounding much more like a mix of Silversun Pickups, Love of Diagrams, and Architecture in Helsinki. And at times, even a little ABBA. Don't get excited, as this album does not quite measure up to any of those references. I'd like to see them go for it a bit more; honestly, it's a bit more boring than I had expected. It's still very decent alternative pop and very listenable.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.

- Snilch

New Music Roundup, Part 1

2010-07-08T07:40:00.001-04:00

We're skipping the preamble today.

Against Me! - White Crosses (2010). The promise of 2007's New Wave is fulfilled in this album. The "new punks" have slightly refined and smoother the rougher edges of their abrasive sound, but not at the expense of their energy or lyrical vitrol. "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" is a great single, and the rest of the album is solid to great. This is a band in their prime, making great music; that's tough to find those these days. Check them out if you haven't gotten too old to deal with pop punk.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat the Devil's Tattoo (2010). BRMC had a brilliant first two albums; their 5th album (a lot like their fourth, Baby 81) has moments of brilliance (like "Conscience Killer," "Shadow's Keeper") which break the mold, but mostly sounds exactly like the first two albums. (My guess is uber-fans Moira and Kevin will disagree with me here.) I'm more likely to return to the highlights as opposed to the album. But it stays in my collection for the time being (i.e., prior to the next culling).
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
The Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant (2009). I declared these brothers "to be approaching alternative rock at its logical extension" after 2007's brilliant Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever. And that was before they added Johnny Marr of The Smiths! On paper: a recipe for something sublime, perhaps even transcendent. In reality: a step back. It's a more pop-friendly approach, but lacks the bite and edge of their previous recordings. It's really pretty bland overall, actually. Maybe going back to a simpler approach might help. Hopefully they realize Maar is Dave Navarro to their Red Hot Chili Peppers: an excellent guitarist, but adding him to the mix does not make the band better.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack. Sad, really.
Charlotte Gainsbourg -- IRM (2009). After 2006's startling 5:55, Gainsbourg returns with help from Beck for her follow-up. I'm not a Beck fan, but his collaboration with Gainsbourg is solid and the production is excellent. This is a great album, as striking as 5:55 in many ways, although it lacks a true single. Let's compare her to Cat Power: You Are Free was a classic, but her follow-up (or follow-ups, for that matter) don't hold a candle to the original. Gainsbourg has followed one great album with another. Very impressive quiet, whispered pop.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
Jesu - Opiate Sun (2009). Paul H. convinced me to pick up 2006's Conqueror, and I'm pretty sure he recommended this as well. This picks up where Conqueror left off. Just great stuff, especially considering it's a genre ("heavy dirge") I'm really not into. For fun, here are words allmusic uses to describe Jesu: "Bleak," "Angst-Ridden," "Sad," "Suffocating," "Volatile," "Brooding," "Cerebral," "Visceral," "Wintry," "Gloomy," "Intense," "Somber," "Fierce," "Reflective," and "Unsettling." How awesome is that! (Is it bad that this music makes me smile? What happened to all the small animals that used to live around here?)
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
Kill Hannah - Wake Up the Sleepers (2009). One of my ongoing guilty pleasures, these guys are a cross between New Order and VHS or Beta; I'd describe them as "glam pop with splashes of dance and goth." I wouldn't describe this album as brilliant, but it's musically solid, with some albeit lyrically cliche moments. (Aside: I still can't believe that's a guy singing.) However, as with all Kill Hannah, I keep coming back for the brilliant moments they always tease me with. Oddly, it's their "ballad" on this album ("Why I Have My Grandma's Sad Eyes") that's my favorite -- and this is stylistically, lyrically, and musically off target with everything else they've done. Speaking as someone who is extremely suspicious of the whole "ballad" phenomenon that appeared in the mid- to late-80's, this is a first. Not only that, but it's a synth ballad, which is like finding out your scurvy has a case of polio. But I cannot deny it. "New York City Speed" and "Tokyo (Dance in the Dust)" (more typically my speed) would be hits in some other era.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Downloads Review (a.k.a. "My Bewildering Love of Golden Earring")

2010-06-24T11:36:00.016-04:00

I don't want to brag, but I get lots of downloads here. And some are even free! Here's a rundown of some of the digital-only items I've recently had the pleasure of listening to:

No, wait, looks like it will be preceded by a rant. (Yes, I've already ranted about this twice; think of this as the "trilogy that would not finish" ending from Lord of the Rings.)

I've recently been dragged kicking and screaming into the mp3 world. To my vocabulary this equates to "settling for crappy music that sounds about the same as AM radio." I will not settle for this -- but I need to recognize that convenience can be a good thing too.

My philosophy is quality over quantity; I'd rather have one great sounding track as opposed to ten that sound like they're coming from the inside of a closet. When you make a sound file so tiny in order to fit 10,000 of them on your 8GB iPod, you have to keep in mind that you are taking information out of the sound file to make the convenience factor work. In other words, it's smaller because it's compressed. Smaller size = greater convenience but (generally) significantly impaired quality.

With that, I've taken the following steps in preparing my digital library for iPod use:

Everything on CD is imported via the Apple Lossless codec. This is a setting on iTunes (Edit > Preferences > General (Tab) > Import Settings (button halfway down the page) > Import Using: [Select Apple Lossless Encoder]) for importing CD's. There are consequences to this you should be aware of:
Pros: This gives you near CD quality sound (I can't hear the difference) at half the size of .wav files.
Cons: Even at half the size, my music collection is almost 300GB. So it ain't all going on one iPod. Also, the .mp4a files that your tracks are compressed to are proprietary to Apple, and thus not editable by programs like Soundforge or Easy CD Creator.
I download everything at the highest possible quality. This is a no-brainer, but you can improve quality significantly at 256 kbps as opposed to the two previous download standards (64 and 128 kbps). Keep in mind that taking a track from CD and encoding it via Apple Lossless is five times higher quality than if you paid to download the same track at 256 kbps. That being said, you do the best you can with what you can. When you can. Sam I am. I will not eat green eggs and ham.

Thus endeth the rant. In alphabetical order:

Able and Baker - Forever is Fleeting (2008). I cannot remember where I saw this or who told me to pick this up, but they deserve a thank you. It's indie rock crossed with either My Bloody Valentine or Longwave. (Always dangerous to throw out MBV as a reference; those who might still be looking to avoid the genre of "college radio rock" might mistakenly give this a try. Even though that genre no longer really exists. But those people should avoid this. That's quite a long aside, which does not bode well, gentle reader.) This is excellent stuff from a band that does not appear to exist outside of this great EP; I hope they make more music. Very smart spacey guitar rock.
CD Placement rating: I'm not feeling particularly creative at the moment, so I'm not going to add yet another ratings system to this blog. So -- Virtual Portable CD Case. See, I added "Virtual"! HA HA HA! Sigh. Yes, I know that's lame.
Devo - Oh No! It's Devo (1982). After losing "King Nerd" status by admitting I just picked up my first Devo album last year, Ben suggested I pick this one up, as it's his favorite Devo album. (I look forward to the endless Devo suggestions that this is bound to produce.) I can't say that I like this more than Freedom of Choice, but I recognize that I really need to spend some quality time with this band. The more I listen to them, the more I recognize their wacky genius. Excelsior!
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Golden Earring - N.E.W.S. (1984). Sandwiched in the Golden Earring catalog between 1982's Cut (which features "Twilight Zone" but little else) and 1986's The Hole (which I bought for $1.99 on cassette in 1988, thinking it was Cut, and found it to be one of my all-time favorites), it's clear I have a softer spot for this band's 80's output than most Americans. "Clear Night Moonlight" is a great opening track, and I love the rest of the album. Should you buy it? Absolutely not. It's really not going to do anything for you except lower your opinion of me. Even I can't defend the the album's title track. But it doesn't matter. I c a n ' t h e l p i t. I have a problem.
CD Placement rating: For me, CD Rack (or its equivalent). For you, buying this would officially ruin any indie cred you ever gave me. If you did in the first place.
The Information - Natural Language EP (2007). One of my favorite local Boston bands (who I think have broken up). I own their first EP and album (each of which are great), but I never picked up their last release as it was available in three formats: flash drive, 8-track (seriously!), and digital download. This release has a different approach in stretching more towards the synth side of the band, but lead singer and primary songwriter Max Fresen's mix of pathos and vitrol is still there in spades. I'd call this less poppy than their previous two offerings, but it doesn't matter. It's great stuff.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case. Lame.
Golden Earring - Keeper of the Flame (1989). Following 1986's The Hole (which I bought for $1.99 on cassette in 1988, thinking it was Cut, and found it to be one of my all-time favorites)... wait, have I written this already? Wow, this is embarrassing. I actually got more than one Golden Earring album? (In my defense: they are out of print, you know.)
CD Placement rating: For me, CD Rack (or its equivalent). Once again, not for you.
Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke Special Edition (2009). This I got for free by following Amazon's Twitter postings. At some point I threw all the albums in this post onto my 8GB iPod and threw it on shuffle. After a few hours of listening, four songs made me stop what I was doing and take notice -- one by Able and Baker, and three by Ladyhawke. That's a good sign. They sound like a mashup of New Young Pony Club, VHS or Beta, Berlin, and Suzanne Vega. Songs like "My Delirium" are mid-to-up tempo guitar and synth dance perfection; others like "Love Don't Live Here" are smoother and poppier. There are seriously another 7 tunes which are excellent from this album. This album has an 80's feel to it, for sure, but doesn't drown itself in it.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer. Guess I'd better burn it to CD.
Golden Earring - Prisoner of the Night (1980). Wait, I actually downloaded THREE Golden Earring albums? And no "Twilight Zone" or "Radar Love" amongst the lot? I believe that Mrs. Snilch Report now has irrefutable grounds to become ex-Mrs. Snilch Report. If that were a legal name, of course.
CD Placement rating: Sigh.
Mojo Nixon - Bo-Day-Shus!!! (1987). "If you don't know Mojo Nixon/Your store could use some fixin'." That lyric by The Dead Milkmen was my only exposure to Mr. Nixon prior to Amazon (once again) supplying this album for free. Here's what I've learned: 1) he's a novelty act; 2) he's definitely an acquired taste; and 3) it's not one I'll be acquiring anytime soon. I'll take "Elvis is Everywhere" and dump the rest.
CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1. Although I didn't pay for it, so technically I couldn't sell it back, and I'm just deleting the files, so I couldn't even sell it. This ratings system is so 2002.
Revere - The Great City (2010). This is another free Amazon download (in fact, an "Amzon mp3 Exclusive"), and is full of toothless venom. They have effort, but it has no edge to it. Think a poppier, more sugary John Faye Power Trip. (I'm guessing only Denis will fully understand that reference.)
CD Placement rating: Pile of Digital Death.
The Upper Crust - Let Them Eat Rock (1995). Thanks to Sean for introducing me to this one. Where Mojo Nixon fails for me, Upper Crust does quite nicely. Sure, it seems silly that four guys should dress up as 17th (or 18th?) Century nobles, singing songs like "Let Them Eat Rock," which (as it suggests) is a play on "Let Them Eat Cake," but that's my kind of humor. They cross the lines in just great ways, but their music is actually great as well. I'd love to know if anyone else has picked up any of their other four (!) albums. These guys rule.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case. I am so inadequate.

- Snilch

Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers (2009)

2010-06-20T11:00:00.002-04:00

I normally like to hold my cards close to the vest when starting a review, but this album has defied my attempts to control it and has a will of its own. To be brief: this album sums 14 years of one band's journey that has included drama, mystery, and tragedy, into a concise musical statement that exceeds any expectations I had for it.

Now, the story: and what a crazy story it is. To sum up the Manics (I highly suggest reading the more detailed version here, if you are interested or want a refresher), you need to look at only two albums: The Holy Bible (1994), their third (and best) album as quartet, and its follow-up, Everything Must Go (1995), their best album as a trio. The transition element here was rhythm guitarist and principal lyricist Richey Edwards, who disappeared, never to be seen again, between albums. His vitrol fueled Holy Bible; what he left behind (including all the lyrics) inspired the other three to follow with EMG.

Since 1995, it's been an odyssey for the Manics; they've never recaptured the form of these two albums in their next four. They still have moments that remind you of their previous high water mark, but both the rate of their output and the overall consistency of their albums have suffered over time.

Fast forward to 2008. Edwards' family declared him legally dead; with the family's permission, the Manics went back to Edwards' remaining journals, which included lyrics for the album after EMG. I can't think of an equivalent scenario; it's equally sentimental, intriguing, and (on some level) macabre. Scott and I heard a few of the songs when we saw them live; they were clearly of quality, so I went out and picked up the album.

The result? Absolutely inspired. Not only is it consistently good from front to back, but "Peeled Apples," "Journal for Plague Lovers," "She Bathed Herself in a Bath of Bleach," and the standout "Marlon J.D." can stand on their own with any song in their catalog. Add in bassist and Edwards' lyric co-writer Nicky Wire's first ever Manic lead vocals on the song "William's Last Words" (which seem a little simple and unprofessional at first, but as the song goes on feel more and more haunting and sentimental)... it's the kitchen sink here.

When the Manics are at their best, they feature James Dean Bradfield screaming over a sensible but inspired Brit rock sound: it comes off as a beautiful cacophonous rage. It's insistent and inspiring. The hidden track (and why, for the love of God, do these things still exist on CD's? WHY?) is even great.

My conclusion, rightly or wrongly, is that The Manics were always best when Edwards lyrics fueled a cathartic musical reaction from his bandmates, and it's clear that remains true even today. They are a good band without him; they make a difference with him. Why? I have no idea. That's just the way it works with these guys.

Richey Edwards final gift to the The Manics was not wasted, and completes the trilogy of his (and their) best work. R.I.P. Richey. (Or, if you've somehow actually successfully hidden yourself for 15 years on some deserted island, enjoy a mojito on me.)

Merch rating:

CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.

It's Been a Long Time...

2010-06-14T11:15:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of bands that get lost along the way: they break up, go on hiatus, stop being relevant, change their sound... and there's too much good music out there to bother to reconnect.

All the bands in this post fit that bill -- some objectively, and others because I stopped caring long ago. We'll see what going back to the well one more time turns up. In alphabetical order:

Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue (2009). Hard to believe: Alice in Chains' fourth (yes, only fourth!) full-length album is their first since 1995. The two primary songwriters were not exactly prolific in the interim: Jerry Cantrell recorded two solo albums (the last released in 2002), and Layne Staley recorded one album as part of Mad Season in 1995 before dying as a result of a drug overdose in 2002. So this album is Alice in Chains Dirt lineup, with Staley-soundalike William Duvall in Staley's place. Not only does Duvall sound exactly like Staley (I literally had to check the liner notes to make sure it was not him), but this is a time machine back to 1994 for the band: it's classic AIC without being redundant. It definitely plays to Cantrell's more poppy sensibilities, but he's channeled some of Staley's angst as well; the autobiographical aspects of this album are impossible to miss. A definite if you loved grunge, or if you want to point out to that idiot who likes Puddle of Mudd that this is how it's really done. One other note: Elton John (!) makes a guest piano appearance on the title track (which is barely noticeable, to be honest).
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back (2010). Since releasing the pop blockbuster So in 1986 (his sixth album in nine years), Peter Gabriel has surprisingly released only two proper albums: 1992's Us and 2002's Up. (I'm not counting his soundtracks in 1989 and 2000.) So for album three (or five, if you're picky) in 24 years... he's released a covers album. Here's the twist: he covers 12 different artists on this album; these artists in turn record their own version of a Gabriel song for an album called I'll Scratch Yours (get it?). With David Bowie, David Byrne, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Radiohead, and Arcade Fire highlighting the artist list, this looked to be quite an idea. However, the second part of the project has proved to be a bit ambitious -- only three covers have been released; Bowie declined to participate, replaced by Brian Eno; and Arcade Fire's participation is still up in the air (more details here). Nevertheless, Gabriel has more than held up his end of the bargain. Orchestral covers with Gabriel's signature vocal delivery are can't miss. He could probably cover the alphabet and I'd be talking about how emotional the letter "M" sounded. I'm a sucker for covers, and this album works for me.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Grant Hart - Hot Wax (2009). This is Grant Hart's first album since 1999's Good News for Modern Man, and only his sixth album since the implosion of Hüsker Dü in 1987. (Basically the same pace as Peter Gabriel, but I'd bet PG can more afford to live off that kind of output than GH can.) Now, GNFMM was (IMHO) the best solo album Hart has recorded (outshone only by his band Nova Mob's Last Days of Pompeii in his post-HD catalog), and received a good deal of buzz and press... that he didn't capitalize on, unfortunately. A decade later, he has released an effort just a notch below his best offerings. This one did not work for me on the first few listens, but after a number of further attempts (it is Grant Hart, after all), I found a very good album. It's standard Grant: musically smart, poppy, but still generally misses ex-bandmate Bob Mould's guitar bridges. This is a fun, summertime album that could have been made anytime from 1970-2010.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Mötley Crüe - Saints of Los Angeles (2008). I only own Shout at the Devil, but I found a new appreciation for these guys after reading Nikki Sixx's autobiography (The Heroin Diaries) and listening to the accompanying Sixx: A.M. - The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack album. Both were excellent and startlingly honest. With the hopes that another tell-all catharsis could propel Sixx's songwriting to that same level with the Crüe, I gave SOLA a shot. I have to say, it's really an impressive album. Superbly mixed, their music sounds fresh, and Sixx really knows how to write for Vince Neil's unique vocal stylings. On the other hand, there's nothing completely surprising here, and they do tend to run the same path they always do. What separates this album from their others is their raw energy and the very personal edge to their lyrics. Nikki, as I'm sure you're reading this, send me an e-mail when you are looking for prime-time interview placement in an obscure blog.
CD Placement rating: It's on the borderline between the Portable CD Case and the Car CD Changer. (Yes, it's really that good.) Ultimately, it's the Portable CD Case.
Pearl Jam - Backspacer (2009). Eric Lax finally got through to me with this album, and it's a pleasant surprise. True confession time: I don't even own my favorite Pearl Jam album (Ten), although Mrs. Snilch Report does own Vitalogy. Eddie Vedder's vocals drive me nuts, and thus it's been about 15 years since I've felt the need to give PJ a try. But on the heels of Vedder's Into the Wild soundtrack, hearing "The Fixer" on the radio, and the persistent Mr. Lax, I gave this a shot. And it's very nice. "Gonna See My Friend" is an odd choice for a lead track, but that's really my only quibble here; "Amongst the Waves" has to be a great Brad track re-purposed for PJ, and it really hits the mark. It's a nice album that doesn't try to do too much. In a good way.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.

The Slits - Trapped Animal (2009). Scott and I saw this band (which is currently original members Ari Up, Tessa Pollitt, and four new bandmates) play at Great Scott in 2006. Before we move any further: if you don't own 1979's Cut, it turns out you have a hole in your life you weren't aware of. I really don't like reggae, much less reggae punk, but you cannot deny Cut. (If you don't have it, go buy it, consume it, and then continue reading. It's okay, the internet is not going anywhere.)

Well, they blew us away at Great Scott's, and I had high expectations for their first full length release in 28 years, especially after the three song teaser from 2006, the Revenge of the Killer Slits EP. I'm not sure whether this meets those expectations, but I can't stop playing it. I seriously want to say I don't like it, but I guess the continual plays means that I actually like it quite a lot. Revival grrrrrrrrrrl reggae punk music is often like that, or so I'm told. Plays great on the big stereo.
CD Placement rating: Who am I to argue with compulsion? Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

CD Labeling Software

2010-04-07T10:44:00.004-04:00

For the remaining 12 minutes that CD's are around, I intend to label my mixes when I make them. I have for over 10 years, so why stop now? It makes my creations look more professional. And purty.

So, when my CD labeling software would no longer work with Windows Vista or 7, I went online to see what reviewers judged to be the best software. The pickings were slim, and the opinions I did see did not appear to be completely unbiased; in the end, there really aren't good reviews of this kind of software.

Hmmm... what to do? The answer seemed obvious: I'll just test them out myself.

My criteria is pretty straightforward:

Ability to read information off CD's automatically
Ease of use
Flexibility of printing options
Graphic options
Text options
Amount of pre-loaded backgrounds

Our guinea pigs are as follows:

Acoustica CD Label Maker
AMF CD and DVD Label Maker
CyberLink Label Maker
Dataland CD Label Designer
Discus
Disketch CD Label Software
Droppix Label Maker
Easy CD and DVD Cover Creator
Kronen Design
MediaFACE CD Label Creator
Roxio Easy CD Label Creator
SureThing CD Creator

I've been using SureThing for the last few years, and have used MediaFACE, Roxio, and Easy CD in the past. Now, I could completely demo each one... but who wants to spend 30 days with every piece of software? I'm just too lazy. Let's see if I can thin the field here.

1. Ability to read information off CD's automatically

This is a simple pass/fail test: if the software can't even do this, it's inevitably got a lot of other issues I'll find out about later. For this, I used the 2008 Snilch Report Hits (Volume 1) and the 2009 Snilch Report Favorites (Volume 2). (And to those promised these discs -- yes, they are now finally moving into production.) The former was burned with Roxio's Easy Media Creator and the latter straight from iTunes.

Pass:

Acoustica
AMF
Droppix
Roxio
SureThing

FAIL:

CyberLink Label Maker
Dataland CD Label Designer (which was complicated without being flexible or robust)
Discus
Disktech (which was was easy to use but it is not robust at all)
Easy CD (which was very limited)
Kronen Design
MediaFACE (which was a shock)

And then there were five.

2. Ease of use

3. Flexibility of printing options

Very easy to use: Acoustica, AMF. All pass here, but Roxio just barely.

Flexibility: Acoustica has lots of options here, although it's unclear from the demo exactly how easy it would be to duplicate label images to fit certain templates. Droppix and Sure Thing all have plenty of options; AMF has fewer but passes.

Roxio, however, does not. It's already lagging behind, and clearly has issues moving forward; so we'll cut our losses here.

4. Graphic options

Acoustica is limited, but passes here. Droppix and Sure Thing have lots of easily accessible options.

AMF is extremely intuitive and easy to use... but that's partially because your options are so limited. This is your stop, AMF.

And then there were three.

5. Text options

Ease of use extends to text options for Acoustica. Droppix seems to be limited in terms of templates, but that just may be the fact that this is a trial. Lots of LiteScribe options, though. Sure Thing cruises through.

6. Amount of pre-loaded backgrounds

Acoustica has a very limited number of pre-loaded backgrounds, although you can download a lot more from their website for free. However, it will cost you a $10 each for the six sets of the coolest art they have. FAIL.

Sure Thing and Droppix have a ton of cool options. They both look good.

Conclusions: For overall robustness, flexibility, and ease of use, both Droppix and Sure Thing are great choices. Sure Thing runs at $24.95 for a download, $29.99 for a physical disc; Droppix costs the same for a download but an extra six bucks for the physical disc. You can't really go wrong either way. I will ultimately choose Sure Thing, as it's the one "big name" (i.e., company that's been around for ten years) that's fully featured and looks to be around for at least another five.

It's all so simple when you go to the tale of the tape....

- Snilch

Bad Lieutenant - Never Cry Another Tear (2009)

2010-03-11T07:57:00.003-05:00

It's not often I get suckered at Newbury Comics anymore. I've learned my lesson: I go in with a list, and that's pretty much what I look for.

However (and these stories inevitably have a "However" or a "But" in them), my eye caught Bad Lieutenant's Never Cry Another Tear with the promo sticker: "Featuring Members of New Order and Joy Division!" And it was on sale for $7.99. Nah, I don't have a problem.

First revelation: it's really New Order's Bernard Sumner and Phil Cunningham, along with some guy named Jake Evans (from the band Rambo and Leroy, which I've never heard of). The only Joy Division link is Sumner, which is cheating. Now, the sessions were aided by Stephen Morris, who was in both Joy Division and New Order... but it's still cheesy to promote the album that way. With Morris in the mix, it's more like: "New Order without Peter Hook and Gillian Gilbert, but with some guy you've never heard of who sings half the songs!" Not as pithy, but more accurate. Ex-Blur bassist Alex James comes along for the ride for the recording sessions.

Confession: I do love Joy Division (thanks to Yves, Scott, and Sean), but I really have never gotten into New Order; this definitely verges towards the latter.

That being said, it's the way I want New Order to sound. BL is still a pop entity, but with more guitar influences than NO. "Sink or Swim" is a great leadoff track, but it's the second track that sells the album: "Twist of Fate." This is an 80's hit that's 25 years late in being released; it's one of the three songs (Manic Street Preacher's "Marlon J.D." and Idlewild's "Little Discourage" being the others) that I am constantly playing these days. Truly a gem, with Bernard Sumner at his absolute crooning best. It's fantastic.

In fact, after the first five songs, it's pretty clear this is safe, well-adjusted 80's revivalist pop with some interesting musical twists, and very listenable. The issue with the album is its length, and that when I hear Rambo, er, Jake Evans sing, they start to sound like Coldplay. And not in any good way. They should have stopped at between eight and ten tracks; that would be a tight, strong album. Instead they decided to release fourteen tracks, which just drags the plot out way too far.

In the end, this is a must-buy for New Order fans, and is a should-buy for everyone else, as it is an excellent album. It loses steam along the way, but that just means the front half is safe and interesting while the back half is inoffensive and bland.

Merch Rating: I'd buy their next album, no questions asked. Normally I'd look for additional tracks, but I feel like the kitchen sink is already included on the album. I'd go see them if it was convenient; merch buying at the venue would be based on performance but the album is good enough to think I'd at least buy a t-shirt.

CD Placement Rating: On its way to the gold (Car CD Changer), the back half of the event means only silver -- Portable CD Player.

MP3 Recommendations: "Twist of Fate," "Sink or Swim." And MSP's "Marlon J.D." and Idlewild's "Little Discourage."

- Snilch

Pitchfork: Judgement Day

2010-02-08T12:57:00.003-05:00

Generally, I don't read reviews prior to listening to music. And if I do, I tend to skim. I've had bad experiences of letting the reviewer's opinion shape my own, rather than complement it. I remember reading a blurb about Bob Mould's 1996 self-titled release, which complained to no end about the use of a drum machine on the album. To this day, I can't get past the drums when I listen to it. Lesson learned.

One exception for me over the years has been Pitchfork. They introduced me to Les Savy Fav, The Go! Team, Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Jay Reatard (RIP), British Sea Power, Enon, Iron and Wine, The Fall, and countless others. They've steered me right with their reviews, and gave me a lot of great music which has made my collection that much better. Amongst other review sites, their historical place (well, internet historical place, at least) has been the home to the best music you've never heard of. Their ear has always been on the ground.

Are there haters out there? Sure. You can find them out there (and no, I'm not doing your research for you), and they love to jump all over Pitchfork. Not me. The proof has always been in the pudding, and a Pitchfork 8.0 rating or better has generally resulted in a 60-75% success rate in my keeping the album, year after year.

However, I've had a bad, bad run with Pitchfork over the last two to three years; the metric is now more of a 10-20% rate, which is quite alarming. In fact, I've had to revise my own formula: now I won't touch an album unless it's rated 9.0 or better.

So at this point, I need to decide whether this has been a lull, a trend, or if Pitchfork and I no longer see eye to eye in terms of what is good to great music. Here are the albums I listened to, and their respective Pitchfork ratings:

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009): 9.6
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity (2007): 8.9
Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Continued (2008): 9.2
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (2009): 9.2
Girls - Album (2009): 9.1
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009): 9.0
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair (2008): 9.1
Max Tundra - Mastered by Guy at the Exchange (2002): 9.3
M83 - Saturdays = Youth (2008): 8.5
No Age - Nouns (2008): 9.2
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (2009): 8.4
TV on the Radio - Dear Science (2008): 9.2

Out of these twelve albums, I expect the following breakdown:

3-4 Car CD Changer albums
5-6 Portable CD case albums
2 CD Rack albums
1 Sell-back 1 /Pile of death

In other words, nine out of twelve above average; two that are not necessarily my speed but so good I need to keep them; and one that just misses the mark entirely. I'm being kind here; really, all nine 9.0's should be at least above average, and three 8.0's should be average or above average.

To be fair, I included 3 "best new music" albums I have reviewed here previously (Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio, and M83), and probably would have bought regardless of review; the rest were acquired strictly on Pitchfork's review.

The results? Here's how they broke down:

Car CD Changer
Projected: 3-4
Actual: 2

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009): 9.6
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (2009): 8.4

- Not a good start -- only two CD's makes it here, oddly the best and worst-rated of the bunch. Animal Collective is borderline CD Rack/Portable, but gets the nod to this level because its so well produced; ultimately it lacks some soul to be rated higher. I hear a little Howard Jones and The Beach Boys here, oddly -- and it's a little boring at times, but not terribly so. For The Pains, the updated shoegazer vibe here is great.

Portable CD Case
Projected: 5-6
Actual: 4

Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Continued (2008): 9.2
Girls - Album (2009): 9.1
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009): 9.0
M83 - Saturdays = Youth (2008): 8.5

- Strike two. Not only are we still running behind, but M83 and Grizzly Bear were already known to me. Deerhunter is quite good, although Microcastle is the strong swimmer of the double album. The Girls album grew on me, despite the odd vocals (see the trend continue below); here they work.

CD Rack
Projected: 2
Actual:1

TV on the Radio - Dear Science (2008): 9.2

- TV on the Radio was also part of my previous experience. So of the seven albums I liked enough to keep, I would have bought three anyways. We all see where this is going.

Sell-back Pile 1/Pile of Death

Projected: 0-1
Actual: 5

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (2009): 9.2
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity (2007): 8.9
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair (2008): 9.1
Max Tundra - Mastered by Guy at the Exchange (2002): 9.3
No Age - Nouns (2008): 9.2

- What is it with these odd vocals? To put it kindly, all of these groups have very, er, "non-traditional rock voices." (Not so kindly: stop singing.) And every damn vocalist sounds exactly the same! All weird falsetto male voices. Dirty Projectors is a perfect example: one of those "really trying to be quirky" bands that were failed by their ambition -- if you can buy the vocals, you might love these guys. I didn't. Meanwhile Hercules and Love Affair wishes for the return of disco in a way that I really don't. No Age does try hard to rock it out, but I don't believe they understand how to. Max Tundra was so terrible one of my CD players refused to even read it. I think I'd rather gouge my eyes out that listen to Deerhoof's broken English warblings ever again.

Conclusions: I would have accepted nine above average and two average albums; I ended up with six and one respectively. Five albums that don't make the cut is not acceptable. So their rate of success here is 63% - that's an F where I went to school. It's even worse if you look at just the 9+ albums -- it's only 5 out of 9! Dismal.

My final verdict is that I cannot trust these guys any more. Sure, there are some gems here, but I'll need more than just their word to go get an album these days. It was fun while it lasted.

- Snilch

Some Old, Some New

2009-11-27T14:15:00.002-05:00

Let's get right to it, shall we?

The Black Keys - Rubber Factory (2004). Thanks to Brian for recommending these guys. They're a two-man group, ala Local H or The White Stripes. Whereas Local H is more grungy and The White Stripes more crunchy alternative guitar/Jack White's vocals, The Black Keys are more deeply rooted in the blues. (Yes, I know The White Stripes visit the blues neighborhood, but The Black Keys live there.) It's pretty clear that the two musicians play multiple parts; what makes it most interesting is that they still retain the charm of a two-person approach. It's really quite ingenious. Apparently they opened for Sleater-Kinney in 2003, but I must have missed that tour. (Aside: has there ever been a band that has remained as below the radar as S-K that broke so many other acts? The White Stripes, The Gossip, and Yeah Yeah Yeah's immediately come to mind.) These guys are fierce and write amazing songs. Great stuff from Akron, OH. Who knew?
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
The Cribs - The Cribs (2004). The Cribs scoreboard stands at 1 up, 1 way way up. Their debut is the worst of their efforts thus far, but it's a Bob Mould scale: their "below average" is a B+ in any other book. There are still some gems here (like "The Lights Went Out," "Direction," and "Another Number"). New one is out now (with Johnny Marr on lead guitar) and I can't wait.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Merle Haggard - Country Roads (2007). Thanks to Tim for recommending this. Unfortunately, it appears I really, really don't like country (except for Johnny Cash), even if it's done very well (like it is here). I'll take a couple of tracks and move on.
CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1.
Mayfield - Mayfield (1998). Curt Smith's Halfway, Pleased was so good, I felt compelled to go back into his back catalog. This album is the product of a brief '90's project, and it does not disappoint. I'm not sure how I (and apparently, everyone else) missed the boat on a truly gifted artist, but I can't help to be continue to be impressed with his work. Unfortunately, (besides Halfway) his two other earlier solo albums and this one are almost impossible to track down. An aside: Curt, please come to Boston.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
The Proletariat - Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies (1998). Thanks to Paul for recommending these long-gone (and mostly forgotten) Boston legends. They sound a bit like an Americanized, slightly more mainstream poppy, slightly more politically pointed version of Gang of Four. At 45 songs, you get pretty much all you'll ever need to hear of these guys; they were definitely ahead of their time and this is a very nice compilation.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD case.
Ride - Going Blank Again (1992). Dan had recommended the band Ride when I reviewed them here. However, I got the actual album he was recommending wrong -- I believe what he was referring to was Going Blank Again. (Well, at least I think it's the right album this time.) This is tremendous shoegazer pop, think a lighter/poppier My Bloody Valentine. The 8+ minute opener ("Leave Them All Behind") does not feel long by any means, which said it all for me right off the bat. Yawning guitars, a strong rhythm section, and lofty vocals on the more shoegazer numbers: all tremendous. Jangly guitars, that same strong rhythm section, echoey but more down-to earth vocals on the more poppy numbers: also tremendous. When they come together (like "Time of Her Time"), it's even better. Eclipsed by MBV at the time, these guys are absolutely fantastic. How did I miss them the first time around?
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues (1988). Thanks to Scott for this one. The Waterboys are your favorite Irish pub band, just a lot better. A very pleasant, upbeat, melodic Celtic folk-rock disc. At times it's bouncy, others it's tranquil; it's always complexly arranged and very well produced. It's purely speculation on my part, but I could definitely see them being an influence on The Frames.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.

- Snilch

What I've Been Listening to Lately

2009-10-24T10:17:00.001-04:00

Besides all of the other albums I've been reviewing... here are a few more I've been listening to lately:

Against Me! - Searching for a Former Clarity (2005). The Against Me! scoreboard stands at 1 up, 1 down. This was clearly another win from the start, insisting through all of the other clutter in my life and grabbing my attention. They scream intelligently, telling stories of despair, longing, loss, and addiction that ring true. Next album will be a must-buy; they are the new punks.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
The Big Sleep - Son of the Tiger (2006). This is not quite as good as 2008's Sleep Forever, but it's damn impressive. Sprawling mid-to-lo tempo indie rock, with a soothing, pleasant tone that somehow drives all the way through the album. Me likee.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
John Cale - Hobo Sapiens (2003). Having seen former Velvet Underground founder John Cale rocking out on Later...with Jools Holland, I went in search of the song I saw him play. I bought two albums; this is the first. He has definitely transitioned to a smoother, pop pock-ish sound on this album, which is quite a departure for him. It's quiet, but still quirky, and a great listen. He's really an underrated solo artist.
CD Placement Rating: Portable CD Case.
Dropkick Murphys - The Warrior's Code (2005). Boston hardcore punk/Celtic icons, immortalized by the movie The Departed, is some people's cup of tea... not mine. This is a decent album, but at some point it all just runs together.
CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1.
Shelby Lynne - Love, Shelby (2001). Andrew has been pushing me towards Lynne's work; Part 1 was successful, so I decided to follow along on Part 2. She's ridiculously poppy (normally not a good thing), but in this case it really works. Lots of parental references and religious themes -- you can't help but think of Shelby at age 17, in her driveway, watching as her alcoholic father shot her mother dead, and then turned the gun on himself; the haunting cover of "Mother" makes your skin crawl. There's real depth here in all of the songs, and her voice is absolutely tremendous.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Pseudo Echo - Long Plays 83-87 (1990). Most of you have more self-respect than to admit to buying this, but apparently I have no shame. It was $2.99, I had fond fuzzy memories of their sound... sigh. What a disaster.
CD Placement rating: Even "Funky Town" failed to hold up. Pile of Death. Sigh.
The Sheila Divine - New Parade (1999). Despite living in Boston for more than ten years, my first exposure to this Boston band was with Moira and Kevin... in Ohio. They've long since broken up (The Shelila Divine, not Moira and Kevin), but this album is undeniable for a few unbelievable tracks, a bunch of good ones, and a few yawners. Overall, I'm guessing it's their best album.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
David Shire - The Hindenburg Original Soundtrack (1975). My friend and soundtrack junkie Brian presented me with an irresistible paradox here: a long-lost, all-time great soundtrack by one of his favorite composers, buried and virtually impossible to find. (It's easier now, although the latest release is still limited to 3,000 copies.) Soundtracks are not my thing, but Brian did not steer me wrong here. I wish I had the musical vocabulary and background to say something intelligent about this... but honestly, I don't. I can say that it was a great listen; the spoken word portions of the soundtrack really added to the overall experience. Very cool stuff.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Re-issue Special

2009-10-13T13:08:00.000-04:00

Ah, the re-mastered re-issue. The younger, scraggly cousin of the compilation, this record-company double-dip revenue generator can be a long overdue overhaul, or a minor redux to soak the fan base for more cash. An example of the latter would be Modest Mouse's The Moon & Antarctica, which was released in 2000. Sony had the gall to re-release the album four years later, a month before their next album of new material. Disgusting. I have still not bought the re-master, despite the fact that it's an all-time great album. Losers.

Not that I hold a grudge.

The following re-releases are 14+ years after the fact (almost 30, in one case), which is acceptable in my book. In alphabetical order:

The Cult - Love (2009; originally released in 1985). This release includes a full disc of extras, comprising the b-sides from the album. Two oddities: it's the 24th anniversary of the release (why not wait a year?) and the re-release is about 20 seconds shorter than the original CD. I'd describe the re-mastering (besides the obvious volume boost) as "Windex": it gets rid of a layer of muddiness you weren't even aware was there. This separates the treble above the rest of the mix and boosts the bass significantly. The end result is that I enjoy the album a lot more. The bonus disc has some good stuff on it (the long version of "She Sells Sanctuary" is very interesting) and is actually longer than the album itself; if you own the Rare Cult box set (and you are lucky if you do), then you already have everything on it.
- Why you should get it: It makes Love sound like the best album in The Cult's discography, and I've firmly been in the Electric camp for 23 years. That plus the bonus disc, all for under $15 -- a must have for casual fans or ones who've had the disc for 20+ years. It's a classic.
- Why you shouldn't bother: You hate The Cult. You pathetic freak.
Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth (2009; originally released in 1984). Thomas Dolby's sophomore effort, after "She Blinded Me With Science" had transported him into the stratosphere of "one hit wonders," was recommended by Jamie. Now I knew Dolby's career arc did not go straight down; he actually continued to release albums as a cult act well into the 90's. What I didn't know was that his biggest hit in the UK was actually "Hyperactive," found on this release. This album is well worth picking up. I can't speak to how significant the re-mastering was, but the extras are all excellent. It's not as quirky as the "Science" single; it does show the class of musician that Dolby was back in the day.
- Why you should get it: You don't own it -- you should. You do and you love it -- you'll like the extras. You are a Dolby freak -- you'll want the live version of "Marseille," which Dolby's liner notes calls "possibly the rarest Dolby song ever."
- Why you shouldn't bother: You don't like '80's music. My follow-up: why again are you reading this blog? You really don't need to. Seriously, I won't be offended.
Joy Division - Still (2007; originally released in 1981). Well, a re-release of a compilation just beats all, doesn't it? I bought this because Yves gave me my CDR copy to evaluate and it's good enough to own. This re-issue includes the re-mastered album plus a live CD from 2/20/80 (including six songs from the soundcheck).
- Why you should get it: You don't own the album already. Or you don't mind spending $20 for a live Joy Division performance and a minor re-mastering.
- Why you shouldn't bother: You own the album and really don't need yet another live performance from Joy Division.
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville (2008; originally released in 1993). This landmark album's re-release includes three additional tracks and a DVD. The re-mastering here we'll describe as "Pledge": it really restores the sound to another level, probably what it sounded like in the studio. It's really great, a re-master that seems worth the exercise. The three bonus tracks don't add much. The DVD, which reflects on the album and is produced and directed by Phair, is not really a professional product: for example, the basic requirement of interview audio is to actually mic the interview subjects. The story is strung together in order but is ultimately boring and primarily full of Phair navel-gazing. Also, she hints throughout that she can prove that the album is a song-by-song response to The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street... but she never actually does. By the time it got interesting an hour in, it was already beyond redemption.
- Why you should get it: You don't already own it. Your life is not currently complete, please go get it immediately. And it's still worth picking up if you own it; I'd suggest buying the vinyl, as it comes with the CD and worth the tradeoff versus getting the worthless DVD.
- Why you shouldn't bother: I really can't see why.
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (2009; originally released in 1989). My brother really liked these guys when he was in college, but for unknown reasons I never went out and got this album. That was a mistake. I can't speak to the re-mastering or the "deluxe edition," although I've read that longtime fans will want to dig into that version. The album is great and it's a shame that I somehow failed to get into it for twenty years.
- Why you should get it: You don't own it. You won't be disappointed. Or you are a fan and want to get the Deluxe Edition.
- Why you shouldn't bother: You own the album and don't feel passionate enough about it to get the Deluxe Edition.
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary, LP2 (2009; originally released in 1994, 1995). Confession time: when they came out, I loved Diary and sold back LP2. This seminal grunge band has re-formed with its original lineup for its first tour in fifteen years. In the interim, SDRE's subsequent releases (with different lineup configurations) and lead singer Jeremy Enigk's various solo/band projects have proved to be among my all-time favorites. For the tour, there's no new studio material; the only option for the record company to make a buck was to re-release the two albums the original band recorded. This is a straight re-issue; no re-mastering, but each come with two bonus tracks (which are excellent) and extensive liner notes. Diary is great; LP2 is surprisingly great, too. I think the single "Seven" overshadowed both albums in my mind back then; now I'm ready to embrace both albums. These albums are a must-listen for young drummers.
- Why you should get it: You don't own either album. Start with Diary, and get LP2 if you like it. You should own at least one -- this is a great, underrated grunge band that is and isn't grunge. Haunting vocals, incomprehensible lyrics, great guitars and a tremendous rhythm section.
- Why you shouldn't bother: You own the albums, and they're still pristine. Buy the bonus tracks on iTunes and I'll lend you the liner notes.
U2 - Boy, October, War (2008; originally released in 1980, 1981, 1983). These are all great. Each album is worth getting whether you already own them or not, for the careful remastering and the fantastic book of liner notes (both by The Edge) that accompany each. Boy is my all-time favorite U2 album; the extras are here are very nice (there are six unreleased mixes/tracks here), with "Saturday Night" (an early version of "Fire" from October) and the live "Cartoon World" the highlights. October (which I've always loved) actually doesn't hold up over the years -- I now hear the flaws that other fans and even The Edge acknowledge. But the extras are great: the single "A Celebration" finally appears on a U2 CD, which makes this a must-buy in itself, and the live tracks are really cool. War ultimately has the least interesting extras, although you do get a chance to hear "Adam's first and only solo vocal on a U2 record"; but I don't need four mixes of "New Year's Day" and three of "Two Hearts Beat as One." All in all, I like these re-releases better than the 1980's/1990's b-sides compilations.
- Why you should get it: You're a big U2 fan, or are looking to complete your past with their early material. You will not be disappointed by the extras and will enjoy the albums all over again.
- Why you shouldn't bother: You think Zooropa or Pop were where U2 went right. You won't like these, and you're wrong.

- Snilch

Three Nights, Three Shows

2009-10-10T14:46:00.001-04:00

I used to get out and watch many more shows than I do now; age, responsibility, and the economy have curtailed that in the past few years.

Inevitably, every band I want to see comes to town in the same two week span. For example, this week I had to pass on Jay Reatard, The Beatings, and Grizzly Bear because of show conflicts, and work is probably going to rule out jumping down to New York to see The Black Watch in two weeks at CMJ (I am still holding out hope, though!).

The shows I did go to see were "must-see" shows. Lots of compatriots over the three days, although Scott was the only one brave enough to hit the trifecta with me (and he threw in a fourth show Thursday -- show-off). Let's start with Wednesday.

Bob Mould, The Paradise - Wednesday, October 7
I've seen Bob ten or fifteen times since 1995; this show was the noisiest of the bunch, and that's saying something. I've complained that Bob doesn't vary his setlist enough; he responded with a show that included six songs (by my count) he hasn't performed with a band in fifteen to twenty-five years. I counted only three missteps the whole night -- one new song and both songs of the encore -- but otherwise A to A+ stuff. Overall, this was more a noise and effort tour de force than a musical one, but in the best possible way. Bob was in a great mood, gave lots of energy to the crowd, and played his butt off. Hearing "Something I Learned Today," "In a Free Land," and "Poison Years" with this band was epic. Jon Wurster of Superchunk on drums: phenomenal technically and smiling the whole set. His positive energy was palpable, much like watching Matt and Kim. Jason Narducy of Verbow on bass, backup vocals, and the e-bow for "Sinners and Their Repentances": a pro all the way, a great compliment to Bob's vocals, and a luxury to have someone of that talent in this band. The (typically lethargic) Boston crowd: as enthused as I've ever seen at one of his shows; Bob really should have come out for a second encore, the crowd was really ready to stay all night. Lots of great energy being passed back and forth. I left with my ears ringing (despite wearing plugs) and I couldn't care less.
Merch rating: I bought a CD on the way out, and would have bought more if I didn't everything already. He's still the best.

The Manic Street Preachers, The Paradise - Thursday, October 8
The Manics' first show in Boston since 1992 (they didn't make it this way in 1995, canceled last minute in 1999, and haven't come to the U.S. since) also did not disappoint. Despite James Dean Bradfield complaining of a cold and this being the last night of the tour (which, for any band, is typically a toss-up between total brilliance and utter disaster), the Manics started strong and stayed strong. I was surprised how few songs I knew; the new songs sounded great. They started with "Motorcycle Emptiness," which seemed to go on for ten minutes; they could have continued for another thirty. They were ferocious, they gave everything they had, and the crowd responded in kind. A great show.
Merch rating: The merch table was pretty empty, as these are the final pickings of the tour, but I would have bought a t-shirt or album if one had been there. I will definitely be picking up the new album and reviewing it.

Built to Spill, Middle East Downstairs - Friday, October 9
This was the first of three shows in Boston, supporting their new album (which I've seen very favorably reviewed but have not picked up yet). BTS has the potential for all-time great shows (I've seen them put on a few) and for pretty average shows (I've seen them put on a few), as well as anywhere in between; but I've never seen them put on a bad show. Until last night, that is. We actually walked out 2/3 of the way through their set, and we weren't the only ones. Something was wrong with Doug Martsch's voice -- he was slurring his words and had some weird head motions throughout the show. I was happy to see him play some more of the leads (as he should) as opposed to old shows; he was giving it his all, but the rest of the band was very flat. When Scott and I agreed we'd prefer sleep to watching any more, that was it for us.
Merch rating: Technically, the merch rating for this show should be that "I'll turn my back on them," but I've got too much of a history with this band to not give them a second chance. I will pick up the new album, but not because of this odd mis-step by a great band.

- Snilch

New Music Roundup, Part 2

2009-09-23T14:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a bunch of new music I've been listening to:

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug (2009). The Arctic Monkeys came on to the scene as UK teenagers in 2005 with Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which was an album that actually lived up to the tremendous hype that preceded it. 2007's Favourite Worst Nightmare was a step back but still had good stuff. This album... wow. It's very rare that I don't listen to an album all the way through before giving up on it, but I did with this one. I couldn't help but think of Aztec Camera as I listened to this: UK teenager Roddy Frame wrote the brilliant High Land, Hard Rain in 1983, only to spend the rest of his professional career (which continues to this day, at 45) chasing that elusive brilliance while bristling at the characterization of "child prodigy, adult failure" at every turn. Roddy created seven albums as Aztec Camera; after being unable to escape the shadow of that name, he released three solo albums. He never quite found his way back to the start; lots of good, decent material, but nothing comparable to his inspired debut. I fear the Arctic Monkeys are in the same boat. They have lost their mojo or their edge, or both. This is uninspired, and that saddens me.
CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1.
The Black Watch - After the Gold Room (2008). We love The Black Watch. I could point out numerous reviews or just let our readers (like Scott and Yves, for example) talk about how great some of their stuff is. I wish they'd tour out this way (i.e., East Coast), but that appears not meant to be, at least for the moment. Their latest offering is an EP, which feels like leftovers from their 2008 album Icing the Snow Queen (reviewed here), as there are only four new songs here. But it's still The Black Watch, and that means that it's still very, very good.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008). Thanks to Donna and Jim for recommending this one. I have to admit -- I'm not a Talking Heads/David Byrne fan, so I was very skeptical. A car listen did not help dissuade me of that skepticism; but listening to it on my computer did. Eno really smooths out Byrne's rough edges while retaining his quirkiness. Kind of reminds me of Peter Gabriel's Ovo album, although I'm not entirely clear why. Very sophisticated pop with Byrne's distinct voice, and really nice stuff. Highly recommended.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career (2009). Their 2006 album, Let's Get Out of This Country, was understated but brilliant. This tries to copy that formula, but it's more of the same while not quite being as good. It's kind of boring, actually.
CD Placement rating: This is not a fair rating, but for me it goes in the Pile of Death. Objectively, it's CD Rack-worthy CD I'd never listen to again.
Duchess Says - Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs (2008). Described as "new wave revivalists," I heard them first on a mix and had to check out the whole album. This is definitely NOT for everyone, but if you're looking for jangly and weird retro lo-fi indie rock/quasi electronica that ranges from low- to high-tempo with quirky cool instrument sounds, this may just be for you. (Who IS looking for that?) It's some crazy mashup of Team Robespierre, CSS, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Nine Inch Nails, The Dresden Dolls, Madonna, and The Young Marble Giants. (Don't believe me? Listen to all those artists, absorb them, then listen to this album, and we can discuss how Rush might be a very small part of the equation as well.) I can't decide if it's inspired, insipid, or insane; it vacillates between just noise and composed, frenetic confusion. Of course, that means I cannot resist it.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer. Buyer beware, it may be Pile of Death for you.
The Fireman - Electric Arguments (2008). As The Beatles release two new box sets and Rock Band, it 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. 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.
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009). Let's recap Franz Ferdinand's career:
- 2004: Self-titled debut. Great stuff.
- 2005: The follow-up, You Could Have It So Much Better. Quite... quite terrible. Pile of Death.
- 2009: Four years later, album #3: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. Good news: better than 2005. Bad news: still nowhere near 2004.
- Conclusion: steer clear. Nice knowing you, FF.
CD Placement rating: Pile of Death.
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (2009). This is a great up-and-coming band; and this album has been universally hailed as great. It's tough to pigeonhole their music -- poppy folk? Folky pop? 70's retro? "Alt folk"? (Okay, I made one up.) It doesn't matter what you call them -- they're just really really cool. I wasn't in a "lower-tempo" mood today, but it simply did not matter; this album cannot be denied. This group is just plain good.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
The Lost Fingers - Lost in the 80's (2009). Got this recommendation from Twitter. Imagine 80's covers from a Canadian jazz trio. Now imagine the song lineup includes Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Wham!, and Paula Abdul. The result? Well, it's hit or miss. However, the audacity of this album is totally worth the price of admission. Songs like "Pump Up the Jam" are genius; "You Give Love a Bad Name" is surprisingly not. I am a sucker for cover albums, and this one is unique. Definitely a keeper.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
Red Red Meat - Bunny Gets Paid (2009). Pitchfork gave this re-issue album a rating of 8.9 and filed it under "Best New Music." I completely, thoroughly disagree.
CD Placement rating: Sell-back Pile 1.

- Snilch

New Music Roundup

2009-09-15T18:58:00.000-04:00

After many moons, it's that time again... here's a bunch of new music I've been listening to:

Blitzen Trapper - Furr (2008). For some reason, when Carrie Brownstein recommended this album from her Monitor Mix blog, I was under the impression that this album was much more edgy and upbeat. I'm not sure whether that expectation spoiled the album, or that this album just wasn't up my alley. In either case, it just didn't do it for me.
CD Placement rating: Pile of death.
Longwave - Secrets Are Sinister (2008). Longwave's 2003's The Strangest Things was absolutely tremendous - it still is in my CD Changer (I may even review it someday, like I've been planning for the last three years). Their 2005 followup, There's a Fire, made it to Sell-back Pile 1. Not so good. This one is not quite The Strangest Things, but it's still pretty damn good. Dreamy shoegazer pop with shimmering guitars. Gets better with more listens.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Morrissey - Years of Refusal (2009). My buddy Gavin first properly introduced me to The Smiths, long after they had broken up. It seems Smith fans are broken into two camps about Morrissey's solo career: to them it's either genius or folly. I see it as more of the latter, to be honest, and this really does nothing to dissuade me. Unlike other albums, there isn't a standout track here either.
CD Placement rating: Pile of death.
Screaming Blue Messiahs - Live at the BBC (2009). Reviewed previously here and here, it appears the Screaming Blue Messiahs may, at long last, have been revived as proper re-issues. Wounded Bird Records is re-issuing Gun Shy and Bikini Red this year, and BBC/Hux Records released this live recording this year as well. It's not as good as their 1987 live album release, but it's a nice document of a band that left the scene long before it should have.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
The Sea and Cake - Car Alarm (2008). I've been looking for a way into these guys since E-rock recommended them, and this fits the bill. It's low-tempo indie rock with Santana-effected guitar sounds; not something I have gotten into right off the bat, but it's one of those albums I sense I'll get into more and more as time goes on. It's odd when that happens, but nice when it does.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Silversun Pickups - Swoon (2009). Let's be clear: this is not as good as 2006's Carnavas (reviewed here). Once you get past that, it's still quite good and definitely worth checking out. It's a little more mellow, with a little less of their "fat" guitar sound, which makes it a little worse than its predecessor. But they are 3-for-3 in my book (including 2005's Pikul), which matches only The Cribs among newer bands. I hope they both keep it up.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.
Paul Weller - 22 Dreams (2008). Thanks to Donna for recommending this one. At first, I was ready to call her out for not telling me just how good this album is; in the end, I was glad she didn't, as it made the whole album and experience a complete surprise. It sounds like a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm not a fan of The Jam or The Style Council, but maybe I should be. This is just great.
CD Placement rating: Car CD Changer.

- Snilch

It's a Roundup!

2009-06-28T13:41:00.020-04:00

Here are a bunch of albums that I've checked out recently. In alphabetical order:

Arrested Development - The Best of Arrested Development (2005). This is one of those "oh, they did that song too?" albums. I bought this cheap for "Tennessee," lucked into "Mr. Wendal" and "Revolution," and ended up with a nice collection of songs from a talented and long-forgotten rap/soul group from the early 90's. I'll get more out of this than I paid for it. Not worth it for fans, great if you want an overview of the band.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
Brendan Boogie Band - Disposable Pop (2008). Once again, if you send me your CD, I will review it. (Perhaps not in a timely fashion, but I will eventually get to it.) First of all -- the CD design and concept (it looks like a Bazooka Joe Gum CD sleeve) is one of the most eye-catching ones you'll see. Very cool. And the songs live up to the album title: it is "disposable pop" in many ways. It's got good harmonies, smart melodies, and pop-smart lyrics, and a good bit of self-effacing humor to boot, plus, it's always helpful to have a standout tune, and "Pharmaceuticals" fits the bill. I'd like some more variety in their sound, and they can be a little paint-by-numbers at times, but in the end it's still fun pop, and better than just "disposable." That's good enough for me to keep it.
CD Placement rating: CD Rack.
Devo - Freedom of Choice (1980). Now despite the fact that my man Sean has "D-E-V-O" tattooed to his fingers... sadly, I had never listened to this album before I went to pick him up at the airport en route to our buddy Scott's surprise 40th birthday party. (My indie cred just took a serious hit, I know.) This is a great album; but "Whip It" and "Girl U Want" alone are worth the price of admission. I'm glad I picked up this old chestnut from Akron's finest.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Buddy Holly - The Definitive Collection (2006). We all know that Buddy Holly died in the plane crash that also killed the Big Bopper and Richie Valens in 1959. Even though I've been listening to him since I was six, I never realized his "career" lasted a little under 18 months, and that he was 22 (and Valens 17) when they died. Despite that, his creative influence on rock n' roll was huge in that very short period of time -- allmusic.com calls Holly "the single most influential creative force in early rock & roll." This is a great retrospective or introduction.
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.
Parts & Labor - Receiver (2008). This one was recommended by Dan. I first heard this in the car and couldn't see what he was talking about, other than "Nowhere's Nigh." The big stereo revealed "The Ceasing Now" and "Wedding in a Wasteland"... and a good, low-to-mid tempo, layered indie rock offering with a lot of interesting sounds. As much as I was ready to kick this to the curb, it turns out I can't. Thanks, Dan!
CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case. Who knew?
U2 - No Line on the Horizon (2008). Full disclosure: I have not been a fan of any album by U2 since Achtung Baby. They do remain one of my all-time favorites, and I have really liked some of their songs in the interim; they just moved in one direction while I moved in another. After listening to this in the car, I came to the conclusion that this one was doing nothing to change my opinion. I even wrote the review prior to the final big stereo listen -- conclusion: Pile of Death. Midway through the opening track on the home speakers, Mrs. Snilch and I had the same thought: this is much better than either of us had heard on the radio or in the car. I love surprises like this. This will not make you forget The Joshua Tree -- it definitely has its flaws -- but it is a good album. I'll take that, and keep it.
CD Placement rating: Rises out of the Pile of Death and into the CD Rack.

- Snilch

Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008)

2009-06-28T13:25:00.000-04:00

Oh, you had to know this was coming.

When this album finally got released, it looked like the perfect target: a bloated turkey crossing the road, iconic in its dalliance. (I know what some of those words mean.) I bought this, with high hopes to blow this ridiculous, bombastic journey to Mecca through rock's desert to pieces as I rained my sarcastic machete down on its undoubtedly subpar musical gizzard.

Let's put this in perspective: when Use Your Illusion I & II were released in 1991, Guns N' Roses was the biggest band in the world. After Appetite for Destruction and Lies (which were both in the Top 5 in 1988, the only band in the 80's to be able to say that), there were people sleeping out on sidewalks to buy the double album... er, two individual albums. Now that's gumption. And they debuted at #1 and #2 on the charts, the first band ever to see that happen.

17 years later, this is their next album of original material. Think about that. Four #1 or #2 albums to start a career... followed by 17 years off. We will never see anything like this again in our lifetime, I'll wager.

And this album... 14 years in the making. All original members except Axl Rose gone as of 1997, with multiple, wild lineup changes (18 band members total) throughout the process. The album got an official name 10 years ago. The timeline:

1999: song "Oh My God" released from "the forthcoming album." Axl tells reporters he has re-recorded almost the entire Appetite for Destruction album with his new band.
2001: GNR shows include songs from "the forthcoming album."
2002: GNR tour scheduled to support "the forthcoming album." Most of the dates are canceled.
2006: Axl tells reporters that the new album will be out before the end of the year. European and US tours happen. In December, new release date announced: March 6, 2007.
2007: Band announces mixing will delay release date. Australian, Mexican, and Japanese "Chinese Democracy World Tour" dates happen.
2008: Dr. Pepper announces plan to give everyone in America free can of Dr. Pepper if the band releases Chinese Democracy before the end of the year. Except to former guitarists Slash and Buckethead.

The most surprising thing of all was that Dr. Pepper had to pay up.

So after all of this time, all this hype, all these stops and starts, the reported $13 million spent in the studio, it finally has arrived: probably the most dissected, longest produced, most legendarily anticipated album we will see in our lifetimes. The question is: after all that, exactly how good is it?

It all depends on your perspective. If you look at this as Axl Rose's masterpiece, an album 14 years in the making, the successor to the GNR legacy... you are going to be disappointed. Very disappointed. There are very few albums that could ever live up to that kind of standard, and this one ain't it. There are no hits here, no transcendental tunes, no timeless classics. It just does not justify the amount of time spent to create it. And at times Rose's lower range sounds like a dead-on impression of the lead singer from Queensryche.

However, if you listen to this as an album by "some guy" with a revolving cast of thousands, who has a voice that still has fantastic range (possibly unparalleled for male vocalists even to today), that is meticulously produced, recorded, and mixed, it's quite good. It's a very good, well produced album.

Rose's main disadvantage here is that this album was begun before the internet, Napster, or ipods, and it sounds like he chose to ignore that trend we like to refer to as "mp3's." In the car, it sounds terrible; but loud and on the big speakers, you can hear the nuances he was going for. Unfortunately, that's not the way most people listen to music these days... and my guess is that Rose has been listening to this album in big studios, from well-appointed stereos, and in car speaker systems that cost as much as my house does.

In the end, even if this album were terrible I'd keep it -- it's a piece of history. As it is, it's good enough that I'll listen to it as well. As much as I would like to wind up and just blow this album to hell, I can't. Damn.

CD Placement Rating: This is a borderline call, but I have to acknowledge this album objectively -- it goes into the Portable CD Case. Nicely done, Axl.

- Snilch

Send To Phone

Bob Mould - Life and Times (2009)

2009-06-25T17:05:00.002-04:00

It's a pretty quick turnaround for another album by Bob Mould -- after all, District Line was released just last year. Prior to that, it's three years back to Body of Song, then three years back to Modulate, then four years back to The Last Dog and Pony Show. (Of course, if you count his album under the name Loudbomb or his collaboration with Rich Morel for Blowoff, that throws this math off. So we won't count either.)

This album shares much in common with District Line, which is also a departure from the last 15 years -- each album since the breakup of Sugar in 1995 has been a bit different from the last. As you may remember, District Line confounded me for quite awhile, but I basically couldn't put it away. And it still sits in my CD Changer -- er, visor. As for Life and Times, I can sum up the pro and con views fairly quickly:

Pro - This is a very solid album.
Con - This is a very solid album.

It's that type of cogent analysis that keeps you people coming back here.

There's a fine line between endorsement and damning with faint praise. The real issue here lies in Mould's body of work. From Hüsker Dü to solo to Sugar to solo again, I count 17 studio albums and an EP in 27 years; of those, I only count two I don't go back and listen to. And those two albums STILL have three absolutely great songs each, as well as being better than most of the music that came out that year. Not bad for your two "worst outings"; in reality, there's not a bad apple in the bunch. That's going to make any future album evaluation pretty damn tough -- and that's why some fans would equate a "very solid album" with "failure."

So how does L & T stack up? All the tracks are solid -- it's consistently good front to back, and grows on you over time. The first four tracks are solid, and "Wasted World" and "Spiraling Down" anchor the back half of the album. The only thing the album is missing is a truly great track like on his previous 17 -- but maybe I'm just not hearing it yet. In any case, I'd highly recommend it as a starting point to listening to his work, or for someone who is a longtime fan. It's really... well, it's very solid.

CD Placement Rating: Where the rubber meets the road -- this goes into the Car CD Changer. I'm sticking with that term for my rating; "CD Visor" doesn't have the same ring.

Merch Rating: I always buy Mould's CD's when they come out, so that isn't fair; I'd love to see him release some b-sides on a single or two which I'd buy. (This hasn't happened since 1996, so I'm not holding my breath here.) I'll buy whatever is at the show in October in Boston; at the last show I bought a numbered and signed print by a then-unknown Shepherd Fairey. That worked out pretty well.

- Snilch

Send To Phone

Car CD Changer: R.I.P. (1998-2009)

2009-06-15T19:26:00.002-04:00

Any of you familiar with my respective ratings systems understands the key role my Car CD Changer has played in my ratings process. Sadly, it is no more.

To be fair, this changer has not lasted 11 years -- this is the 2nd one I've owned. Number 1 lasted six years, number 2 lasted five. Number 2, though, was plagued with cabling and playback issues over its brief existence. And once the original head unit, a radio/tape player, had to be replaced with a radio/single CD player, my tolerance for the CD Changer's idiosyncrasies reached its limit.

So when I was told Number 2 had gone rather meekly into that good night, I reluctantly decided to simply move on rather than replace it. It's a sad day. Instead, I'll have a 20-CD sleeve holder on my visor... but it won't be the same.

Feel free to pay your own homage to my late, great Car CD Changer via any comments. We both thank you.

- Snilch

Scott Bishop - New Lights (2009)

2009-05-16T14:32:00.002-04:00

Full disclosure to start: Scott Bishop is one of my best friends, and I've heard many of these songs in one form or another over the last ten years. So I'm going to be as objective as possible in this review. Of course, he didn't bother to thank ME, just that ridiculous alter-ego that he always ends up with at The Field or Bison County. Bastard.

Scott and I first met about 10 years ago at a porno theater in Portland, Maine. Okay, so it was a converted porno theater (only in the previous few weeks... it was pretty disgusting, actually) the owners were trying to turn into a music venue, and he was playing on a bill with Baby Ray and Ross Phasor. When I look back on it, that was also the first time I met Sean Hennessey, Ken Lafler, Paul Hilcoff, and Eric Groat as well, which actually is pretty epic considering the amount of time/shows/trips/basketball that resulted. Well, Scott was on fire that night, and I can honestly say I was first a fan and later a friend. Before getting back to Boston, I got both Scott's original demo tape (Detour on the Way to Being Human), and his Slippy Keane demo tape, and I was sold.

So as the years have moved along, Scott has gone solo, into Aura Phase, then back solo. I kept listening to his demo tapes and encouraging him to release something. And thus we come to New Lights. (Yes, I just condensed approximately ten years into three sentences.)

Objectively, I am happy to say that this album is excellent. Great pop songs, smart lyrics, and happiness, sadness, and angst. Quiet and loud, it offers a little for all and plenty for most. And it's got singles: "Dinner 1," "Number 16," and one of the best songs you've never heard, "Kitten's Got Curves."

If I was going to criticize something here, it would have to be the track order. The album works, but in this order it plays better:

DC -- very versatile, nice vocals, previews acoustic and electric for the album
Dinner 1
Cable Knit
Kitten's Got Curves -- 'nuff said
Dinner 2 -- after the high of Kitten, this works very nicely and wraps up the narrative of D1/D2
Sky Blue and Black -- to this point, tonally, 1 & 4 are "upbeat", 3 & 5 are "downers", and 2 is "neutral-upbeat"; so a "lighter" works nicely right here
New Lights -- keeping the balance, we go softer again
#16 -- needs some space from "Kitten" and really punches up the energy here; the anchor for the back half
Temporary Condition -- works great off "#16"
Blind Spot
Other Explorations
Ultra-violet -- REALLY works as the last song: a little whimsical, and very interesting musically; even the first note

I just wish someone had told Scott this before the album was completed. Wait, perhaps someone did, and perhaps Scott ignored him anyways. This may or may not have led to an inordinate amount of focus in his album review on the subject, as some form of "last word revenge." But no one knows.

In the end: get this album at CD Baby or iTunes. I've had it for two years and if anything I love it more now than I did when I got it. Friend or not, I can objectively say Scott's album is great.

Merch Rating: I would buy the single with b-sides that's never going to be released, as well as the entire box set I'll never get a hold of. I'll also buy the vinyl he's never going to press, the poster he's never going to commission Sheppard Fairey to create, and the t-shirt he's never going to send to Taiwainese laborers to sell for $10 a pop. It's a rich, wonderful, and totally spend-free world I live in.

CD Placement Rating: This has sat in my car CD changer through many a culling, and unfortunately still sits there as the damn thing is now broken. It will remain there for quite some time even after I fix it.

- Snilch

Scott Bishop and Pie Factor Five will be appearing on May 21st at Porter Belly's in Brighton at 9PM.

Send To Phone

Curt Smith - Halfway, Pleased (2008)

2009-03-06T14:30:00.004-05:00

When last we left Tears for Fears, the boys (Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith) had kissed and made up for a strong return to form with 2004's Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (which is part of this post).

The post-script was Smith's solo effort Halfway, Pleased. I was not really sure what to expect with this album. TFF was Smith and Orzabal's band, but the songs were primarily written by Orzabal; his main co-writer on Songs from the Big Chair was actually keyboardist Ian Stanley. This album is all Smith and co-writer Charlton Pettus (who also wrote with Smith and Orzabal on ELAHE).

Given that, I decided this album deserved the full workout, as described here. First listen: on the commuter rail. I went old school with my CD Walkman. My first impression was actually the CD artwork -- normally this is not a conscious factor (in fact, almost never), but it did strike me in this case. The artwork is simple: photos over white, with black italicized "wedding-type" font. (I'm sure it could be described more articulately than that, but that's all the cultcha I got.) The front picture (included above) is from behind, with Smith and his daughters. My immediate thoughts and impression are: a reflective, mature, sedate album. It may even be a kids' album, for all I know.

First song ("Perfect Day"), first verse: light, poppy, tuneful; Smith has a crooner's sensibility in his vocals and it sounds like I expected. Nice, safe, not terribly edgy; a little slower and more laid back than I thought. It's a song about a perfect day -- well told, but a traveled path. Dandelions. Sunshine. Puppies. No global warming. An economy not in total freefall. Then we hit the chorus. "It's a perfect day/to blow myself away."

Huh.

I rewind to make sure I heard that right. Yup, that's exactly what he said. This was the listening equivalent of sizing your opponent up in a boxing ring and getting sucker-punched in the back of the head by a previously unannounced third combatant. And right there, I knew this was not going to be what I expected. I wanted to see if this was just my reaction, so I tried the song out on Scott, without telling him what was up. Without prompting, he did the same double-take I did, and said, "What did he just say?" Yup, that's exactly what he said.

This album, throughout, mixes a child-like wonder with experienced cynicism. Smith deceptively combines gut-punch twists on children's nursery rhymes alternating with the aged wisdom of a one-legged sailor. And all with classic, pitch-perfect delivery on top of absolutely beautiful music. To make "low-key and sparse" work (at least in my book) is a tightrope-thin line between genius and inane. I generally don't like low-key at all, actually, but I just cannot deny this album. It's great.

Not only that, but it actually works in the car, even at low tempo. It defies logic AND my own personal opinion that car albums need to be at least mid-tempo. On the big stereo it sounds gorgeous. Absolutely great low-key pop -- Curt's superb voice with meticulously placed instrumentation. It's fabulous.

Merch Rating: We're slightly re-defining the Merch rating, starting with this album. At this point I'm collecting my favorite albums on vinyl when I can find them. Yes, I'm buying this on vinyl, assuming an album version was created. It's that good. Were I in LA in March on a Wednesday, there is NO DOUBT I'd be going to The Cactus Lounge to see him play. He is playing there for free. FREE. If you are there and not going, you are out of your mind. I hear that reservations are strongly recommended as the lounge books up quickly, which is not surprising given the price. FREE. Anyways, I'd definitely buy a T-shirt, vinyl (clearly), and any extras from this album. I'd buy his older solo stuff as well if he had it there. Hell, I'd pretty much buy anything at the merch table as he was playing for free, and probably even if he wasn't. Hopefully he'll be in Boston soon; if not, I'll just go to his website and buy some stuff there.

CD Placement Rating: You want to guess? Car CD Changer.

- Snilch

Randy Bewley, 1955-2009

2009-02-27T11:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was a very sad day: Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley passed away. Most of the obits run like this one, but I don't think they come close to encapsulating the kind of impact his playing, or his band, had on rock music.

I got to know Pylon after they had broken up the first time, when I was in college. I bought a cassette of Hits, which compiled 90% of their entire recorded output at that point (two albums and an EP) into one cassette. Serendipity intervened, as at almost exactly the same time the band re-formed and released their third (and final) album, Chain. I later went out and got Hits on CD as well. I rarely listen to this album, as Mrs. Snilch Report long ago hijacked it for her music collection (and there is no higher praise of my musical taste than that); it remains a thoroughly underrated pop gem. As a band, Pylon consistently remains one of my all-time favorites, despite such a small recorded output of material.

Pylon made their bones in the Athens, GA, scene in the late 70's/early 80's, breaking up just before Athens became ground zero for the next wave of music. Without them, R.E.M. is not R.E.M. - the B-52's and Pylon shaped the scene, and the rest followed. And when they re-formed, R.E.M. returned the favor, putting them on as the opening act for the Green tour. After that tour, Pylon broke up again; their final re-formation came a few years ago (after a 15-year hiatus), when they played the occasional show here and there, and re-released Gyrate. I never saw them live, and wish I had.

Pylon's music has be described as danceable pop tunes with simplistic lyrics. But it was more than that: musically, their songs had a strong sense of urgency, and were brilliant in a simple, understated way. They knew how to write a pop song with a edge to it. And their music did not grow tired after repeated listens.

Randy Bewley's guitar was at the heart of their sound. His playing was laden with hooks -- deceptively simple, consistently smart, and always interesting. A lot of guitar players owe a lot to him. He's an underappreciated legend and a genius, and he will be missed forever.

Here is a much more thorough and well-written tribute, with videos to boot. Godspeed, Randy.

- Snilch

mp3 Albums, Part Two

2009-01-25T18:25:00.003-05:00

As promised... Part two of two:

Editors - An End Has a Start (2007). Eric Lax contribution number two. On this one, I hear a poppier Joy Division, as opposed to Interpol, which was my other touchstone for this one: the distinction lies in that they hit the higher notes vocally and musically, so the music is a little more uplifting, much like JD. I found four tracks I'd call great, and the rest I'd call solid. Very nice stuff.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
The Frames - Here Comes the Night (2001). Eric Lax contribution number three. This live double album, recorded on New Year's Eve, 2001, at Ireland's TodayFM studios, is a low-key acoustic effort that has a lot of charm (and a lot of covers). It's also a great snapshot of The Frames after they "made it big" the first time (i.e., before Glen Hansard really "made it big" with the movie Once). It's a great show for Frames fans.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
Klark Kent -Kollected Works (1995). Now, I'd happily buy this, but it's $50+ for this long out of print item... which is simply too much for any single album. So I'm stuck with a posted download instead. This is Stuart Copeland's one-man band side project while he was with The Police -- I still have the 1980 release Music Madness from the Kinetic Kid on green vinyl, with the album jacket cut into the letter "K." (It's truly unfortunate that the logo on the front is designed as "KlarK Kent" -- yup, KKK.) Despite what I will assume was a design "guffaw," I've always loved this album -- it sounds like an extension of the experimentation and wackiness from his songs on Regatta de Blanc. So I've been hunting this down, which is the CD version of the first album PLUS everything else he did as Klark Kent. I have to say, though, that something got lost in the translation from vinyl to CD. Think of this as a companion to work by The Police ("Police-lite," perhaps?), a piece of history that shows Copeland flexing his creative muscles at a very raw phase. This album is way too long, and not for everyone -- it fails when it teeters from quirky into self-indulgence. And it does, somewhat often. Also, I like his vocal style, which will not be everyone's cup of tea.
Verdict: Recommended for Police completists. It will live in my CD Rack.
Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007). Eric Lax's final going-away gift. He did not know that I hate OK Computer, and pretty much everything I've heard from these guys since I fell in love with the song "Creep." I tried this first in the car... not a good start. I then played it on the small stereo in my office (JVC, decent fidelity) and I have to admit... it is pretty darn good. This will be my first successful entry into the Radiohead arena; is this the opening to the rest of their library or a one-off? Only time will tell.
Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.
The Suffocation Keep - A Few Minor Modifications of the Stars (2004). A free download, but this one I would have happily paid for. The brainchild of Built to Spill's Brett Nelson, this is just a great album. The vocals are a bit off at times, but I'll forgive them for that. They wear their influences are on their sleeves: the keyboardist clearly listened to a lot of Rick Wakeman (Yes), the guitarist loved Billy Duffy (The Cult), the drummer emulated Stuart Copeland (The Police), the vocalist wished he had the range of Tony Lewis (The Outfield), and the bass player... well, what bass player wouldn't emulate Chris Squire (Yes) or John Entwistle (The Who)? It all sounds great together... I'll have to find their commercially available release as well. I've been wavering on the vocals (I have to bring that up again, because they are a major factor here) between "great" and "off-key"... it changes from day to day. I still think it's great stuff.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Go to their website and decide for yourself -- the link to the free album is available at their myspace page. Car CD Changer for me.

- Snilch

mp3 Albums, Part One

2009-01-18T12:25:00.000-05:00

I think I've made it clear I'm not a big fan of mp3's, as they encourage a further degradation of sound quality from CD's (which, to start with, are higher fidelity but still really samples themselves) and vinyl. These albums I am reviewing here are as high-quality as I could find; sometimes, downloads are all you have to work with.

So I'll clear off the hard drive and go through these albums. Part one of two:

Faunts - Faunts (2007). This is actually an mp3-only album, so this forced me into a corner; a true full mix would be interesting to hear. High Expectations, Low Results went over like a lead balloon; this one features "M4," the soundtrack to the Mass Effect videogame. This is very relaxing... and I'm not sure if that's good or not. Pet peeve: track one is "M4 (Part II)"; track three is "M4 (Part I)." Either put them back to back (which I think would work in this case) or spread them out, but put them IN ORDER please. Annoying. I also wish this had more vocals. The songs don't go anywhere, which (I think) is more of a problem with the genre than these guys.
Verdict: listen to "M4 (Part II)"; the rest I'm on the fence on. CD Rack for now.
Al Hotchkiss - From the Dark and Bloody Ground (2007). This was a free download. In this case, however, "free" did not mean that there was not "a cost," which would equate to "a portion of my life I will never get back."
Verdict: Don't eat yellow snow. Pile of Death.
Keith Lubrant - Searching for Signal (2007). Thanks to Pandora for this one. Lubrant kind of reminds me of the John Faye Power Trip (which I loved and Denis hated) as very pleasant pop. The album goes on forever -- and not in a good way. "Disconnected" and "Too Late" are standouts.
Verdict: Lightly recommended. CD Rack.
Really Red - New Strings for Old Puppets (1982). Believe it or not, this actually finally wraps up one of my first posts from two years ago. For melodic hardcore, this was surprisingly not great in the car, but I still heard what I needed to. I really love this. I would love to hear more stuff by them... but everything else is long out of print. "I Was a Teenage F@$#up" is not for the kids, but is a great song.
Verdict: Recommended to download for free here. Portable CD Case for me.
Sleater-Kinney - BBC Sessions (1998, 1999, 2000). This is a compilation of three BBC sessions, and surprisingly good for live recordings. It's a good set list and a great snapshot of one of my all-time favorite bands.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild soundtrack (2007). On his way out the door from Mrs. Snilch Report's place of employment, faithful reader Eric Lax (not to be confused with Eric Salt), dropped a few albums on The Snilch Report's doorstep. He may or may not know that I'm not really a Pearl Jam fan; I respect them but simply don't listen to them all that much. I did not have high expectations for Eddie, and I generally don't like soundtracks, so this was a big surprise. Think Eddie Vedder reigned in (which is a good thing) -- it's a controlled burn. It's listenable in a non-self-indulgent way, which was the opposite of what I WAS expecting. I'm honestly surprised at how good this is (did I say that already?). This will get some more spins for sure.
Verdict: Surprisingly recommended. Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Just the Stats, Ma'am

2009-01-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

We've reached the end of year two. I figured it's about time to quantify and tabulate this sucker.

So I did some research; if you are interested, here are a lot of numbers:

In 2007, there were 19 posts, 17 of which were posts that included album reviews.
In 2008, there were 28 posts, 20 of which were posts that included album reviews.

In 2007, I reviewed 40 albums. They broke down like this:

8 (20%) Car Changer
10 (25%) Portable
4 (10%) CD Rack
9 (22.5%) Sell-back 1
9 (22.5%) Pile of Death

In 2008, I reviewed 148 (!) albums, which is insane - that's a 370% increase in production! (I think I need to talk to the auto makers.) They broke down like this:

23 (16%) Car Changer
55 (37%) Portable
36 (24%) CD Rack
23 (16%) Sell-back 1
11 (7%) Pile of Death

In terms of the ratings:

Both years, most albums (35% overall) went into the Portable CD Case. Now, if I were reviewing all albums and albums "cold" (i.e., with no reviews or recommendations), I'd expect that number to shift downward towards the CD Rack or Sell-back 1; because I'm selective to begin with, the CD Rack or Portable CD Case would be what I expected in terms of landing spots. Conclusion: I like good music. (This is a self-fulfilling prophesy.)
The percentage of "bad" albums (Sell-back 1 & The Peaches Pile/Pile of Death) dropped almost exactly in half between 2007 and 2008 -- from 45 to 23%. The primary beneficiary was the CD Rack, which jumped from 10% to 24% of albums reviewed. Conclusion: I listened to Pitchfork less this year.
I've reviewed 96 albums I'd call very good to great in the last two years. That is WAY too much. Conclusion: I listen to WAY too much music.

Prior to this post, I had never actually posted in either January or April, for whatever reason.

And that's The Snilch Report, by the numbers. Good night, and good luck.

- Snilch

Year-End Roundup, Part 3

2008-12-29T09:00:00.007-05:00

Thank God for 10-12 hour car rides. Final installment for 2008.

The Cribs - The New Fellas (2005). After declaring these guys the next big thing on my radar, I felt a strong need to go back to check this album out. It's not as good as Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, but it is a solid, decent effort; there are more dead spots here, but it's still very good.
Verdict: Recommended. It's a CD Rack-quality album that gets into the Portable CD Case based on their 2008 effort.
James - Pleased to Meet You (2001). Reviewed here, after their Greatest Hits compilation it seemed like the chapter was closed on these guys. This, their "spectacular" return to form (quoted from allmmusic.com), is not as rock oriented as their previous efforts; lead singer Tim Booth has a great voice, but the previous successes of the band were based on contrasting his voice with the music. Here, they blend his voice with the music, which is fine, but just not as interesting to me. There's no song that reaches out and grabs you, which is what James is all about in my book; this is thus more consistent in a bad way. It needs more bite and a hit single.
Verdict: Slightly recommended. This goes into the CD Rack for now, but I'd be surprised if the album is still there five years from now.
LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (2006). This was commissioned by Nike to be a long-form song suitable for a 45 minute workout, which intrigued me. Here's what I read at Wikipedia (after I had bought and listened to the album): "The track is, strangely, 45 minutes and 58 seconds long, and was claimed to 'reward and push at good intervals of a run.' However it was later revealed that this was not the case, but that [LCD Soundsystem songwriter and frontman James] Murphy merely wanted the opportunity to create a long piece of music." Thanks for nothing then. In fact, the "track" is boring, monotonous, and plodding. (Hey, isn't that what we're trying to escape from during a workout?) I didn't like LCD Soundsystem before, and this effort and deception does them no favors with me for the future.
Verdict: Not recommended. Run away (get it? get it? WOW I am clever). Pile of death.
Naked Raygun - Jettison (1988). Here's what you need to know about Naked Raygun: they know how to write a heavy guitar riff. It's old school, aggressive, viciously effective guitar play. This album includes four bonus tracks, which are well worth it: the cover of Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device" is absolutely great. If it were more consistent, it'd be in the Car CD Changer... but it's not. Still damn fine punk/rock 'n roll.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
Ride - Nowhere (1990). Ride was a significant shoegazer band in the early 90's, but history swallowed them up (like most of the other bands in the genre) in the mighty wake of shoegazer geniuses My Bloody Valentine. This is a great second place to MBV; time and the rock canon appear to have conspired to allow this one to fall through the cracks. It shouldn't be. It's not as layered and flowing as Loveless, but it's great in its own right.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.
Tears for Fears - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (2004). This is a reunion I doubt anyone saw coming. Childhood friends Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith hadn't spoken since an acrimonious breakup of their songwriting partnership in 1992; Orzabal even made two more albums as TFF without Smith. In 2000, they were forced to communicate with each other for the first time since the break over some legal matters; they patched things up and decided to give it another go. Now, this is no Songs from the Big Chair (their 5x Platinum breakthrough), but it is a nice, pleasant, poppy, Beatles-esque album. It's listenable throughout, and a more mature sound, but "Quiet Ones"... well, that separates this reunion from others. It's classic TFF, and an absolutely sky-searing pop tune. Phenomenal. That song alone is worth the price of admission -- if they have more like this left in the tank, I hope they come back for at least one more rodeo.
Verdict: Highly recommended. "Quiet Ones" takes this album on its shoulders and moves it from the CD Rack into the Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Year-End Roundup, Part 2

2008-12-23T09:00:00.004-05:00

Our year-end cleanup, part deux.

Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose (2002). As indicated here, I did in fact decide to look at Against Me!'s back catalog; when I saw this title I knew that was the one to try. "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" was a good start, but the rest is a bit raw; this experience dictates that I won't venture back into the rest of their catalog but will continue with them forward.
Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back Pile 1.
John Cale - Close Watch: An Introduction to John Cale (1999). After seeing him perform on Later with Jules Holland, I was intrigued. This album was less rock-oriented than the live effort, but nevertheless enjoyable. Think David Byrne meets Pink Floyd and Discipline-era King Crimson, with a dash of Arcade Fire and The Alan Parsons Project. Very sparse, very cool, sophisticated, and jazzy; at times the music is almost pristine, and at others it's very rough. I'll need a lot more time with this one -- it's complicated.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case. Great for the casual fan; for the hardcore fan, it's not worth the money.
Faunts - High Expectations, Low Results (2005). An aptly named album. After hearing the 2007 epic track "M4 (Part II)," I went back and found this album. I had high expectations. I experienced low results.
Verdict: Not recommended. Pile of Death.
Haircut 100 - Pelican Brief (1982). I had never really had these guys on my radar until I saw their reunion as part of VH1's Bands Reunited (a canceled show that I am still obsessed with). Any band that can take the stage for the first time in 20+ years and make it sound like they had been playing together all along gets at least a listen from me. This album is so poppy it almost makes me sick listening to it. Yet... I find it really compelling. There's definitely something cool happening here. So, despite their terrible videos and occasional "teeny-bop" moments, I have to conclude that this album is excellent, fun pop that is well-produced; their songwriting and musicianship is too good to dismiss. It's too bad lead singer Nick Heyward had a nervous breakdown after the first album and this is their only group effort with him; there are solid foundations here that indicate this group could have gone on to do something great.
Verdict: Highly recommended for a trip down cultural memory lane. Portable CD Case.
The Moonbabies - At the Ballroom (2007). I love The Moonbabies sound -- a little retro, a little ultra-modern, with great harmonies. The one problem I have with them is that they have dragged out the song "War on Sound" (granted, a fantastic song) around for three years, as its appeared on at least there (!) official releases. They have other strong songs as well, and this album is great; time to find another cow to milk, though.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
The Outfield - Any Time Now (2006). After the commercial blockbuster Play Deep in 1985, The Outfield actually released five more albums from 1986-1999; I still feel 1986's Bangin' was the only album of theirs worth owning (including Play Deep). This one, written over a four year period, is the second. It sounds like they wrote it in 1987 -- no surprises musically, although the subject matter (which is more political and religious than their early material) is a bit more mature. There are even a few excellent tunes here (like "No Fear"). They have no pretense of changing their formula, which is fine by me. The second half drags a bit, but it's a nice listen overall.
Verdict: Recommended. CD Rack.

- Snilch

Year-End Roundup, Part 1

2008-12-19T09:00:00.005-05:00

My goal: to get through all of my outstanding CD reviews before the end of the year. Here's part one of three.

Big Wheel - Slowtown (1993). Peter Searcy's first post-Squirrel Bait project. This band is simply not edgy enough for Peter's voice; it has potential to be much better but unfortunately is not. Too much sickly sweetness throughout. I'll take a few tracks and call it a day.
Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back Pile 1.
Eric Matthews - It's Heavy in Here (1995). I went out and found Eric Matthews' 1997 album The Lateness of the Hour, which I find to be absolutely fantastic. It's Heavy in Here is the (allegedly) breakout debut, which is well crafted, low tempo, orchestral, crooner pop. It's a great offering, but at the moment I'm really stuck thinking the second album is better, which might be due solely to the order I listened to the two albums. After this album, he stuck his head in the sand until 2005, and has released three albums since -- any Matthews fans here listened to them? The reviews were not great so I've shied away.
Verdict: Still processing, but recommended. Despite the hesitation, it's good enough to hit the Portable CD Case.
Me'Shell Ndegéocello - Peace Beyond Passion (1996). Eh.
Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back Pile 1.
Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway (2002). This was suggested to me on the Sugarlist (a.k.a., the Hüsker Dü/Sugar/Bob Mould e-mail list) in a thread as a driving disc. When I listened to it in the house, it sounded really soft, so I was not that encouraged. I was therefore extremely surprised when I played this in the car -- it is not only absolutely a great car album, but a great album period. Who knew? It's beautifully sparse. Think Uncle Tupelo without the country conventions, fronted by Nick Drake. Occasionally I even hear Christopher Cross when listening to this. And still like it. Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.
Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead (2007). The first question I have: Why is this necessary? Why not just make this another System of a Down record (a guilty pleasure I openly admit)? SOAD is better than this. Collaborate and get it right! In the end, though, despite the fact that it sounds just like SOAD, despite the fact that SOAD is better than this, and despite the fact that it does drag in a couple of places, Tankian is such an excellent artist that even this mis-step has its moments of brilliance, and is worth keeping.
Verdict: Recommended. CD Rack.
Various - The Baxter Soundtrack (2005). This is an eclectic indie soundtrack with a few really strong songs; "Put" by Amy Miles is a real standout.
Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back Pile 1.
Year of the Rabbit - Hunted EP (2003). Containing two album tracks from their Car CD Changer-worthy full length self-titled album and two non-LP tracks, this one is for completists only. Yes, I am one of those people.
Verdict: Recommended (completists only). CD Rack.

- Snilch

Face-Off!

2008-12-14T10:15:00.011-05:00

Well, I just made this format up, so we'll see how it goes. The premise here is that I've recently listened to two albums by either the same band or bands that have something in common, and I'll tell you which one is better, worse, or just lame out and push. (I'm good like that.)

Here we go, in completely arbitrary order:

King Crimson: Beat (1982) VS Thrak (1995). In this corner, in the blue and pink trunks, we have Beat -- part two of the three part Discipline/Beat/Three of a Perfect Pair troika that King Crimson offered from 1981-1984 as part of a re-found identity of progressive rock meeting industrial pop. In the other corner, in the midnight blue and gunmetal grey trunks, is Thrak -- their first album since 1984 and ostensibly the part four continuation of the three part series. At its simplest level, the comparison is as easy as their one-word titles: Beat is a real word; Thrak is made up. Beat sounds like a band in their prime making vital music; Thrak sounds like a band imitating their former selves. Beat is self-indulgence with a means to an end; Thrak is just self-indulgence.
Verdict: TKO. Beat goes into the Portable CD Case; Thrak goes into Sell-back Pile 1. (Note: If I had never heard TOAPP or Beat, I'd keep Thrak; I've just heard them do better than this album.)
Billy Duffy side projects: Circus Diablo - Circus Diablo VS Coloursøund - Coloursøund (1999). We match The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy's side projects: both self-titled offerings that begin with the letter 'C.' Circus Diablo (which includes The Cult and Guns 'N Roses' Matt Sorum) sounds like it was intended to blow off steam more than anything; it's literally The Cult meets mainstream pop. It's a pretty safe attempt musically, harmless and inoffensive but fun. Coloursøund (which includes The Alarm's Mike Peters) sounds like it was intended to blow off steam more than anything; it's literally The Cult meets The Alarm meets unbelievably clichéd lyrics. It's a pretty safe attempt musically, harmless and inoffensive but fun; the lyrics really hold this album back.
Verdict: There are no winners here, only a reviewer who has wasted time and money. Coloursøund wins a split decision over virtually identical twin Circus Diablo, but we stopped caring long ago. Better lyrics would keep Coloursøund in the CD Rack; instead it crumbles to Sell-Back Pile 1.
J Church: Nostalgic for Nothing (1995) VS Arbor Vitae (1995). The late, great Lance Hahn (who I reviewed here) will never get his due. He passed away a little over a year ago, and it's too bad that the music he brought to the world (as J Church is really just Lance with various rotating band members) still resides in virtual obscurity -- he really added a great melodic element to hardcore, or a nice hardcore edge to grunge, however you want to slice it. These two albums are a couple of his best efforts (although 2000's One Mississippi is [IMHO] his opus) but have very different approaches. Nostalgic for Nothing is consistently good for all 26 tracks; Lance tells weird off-kilter stories throughout an album that does not have his typical highs and lows (although "Hypothesis" is a standout). But a consistently excellent album with covers of Nick Lowe, Duran Duran, and Morrissey is a formidable beast. Arbor Vitae, on the other hand, exposes one of Lance's pet writing tricks: start with a typical 3-chord riff, then throw in an unbelievable hook and/or harmony waist-deep into the song. You go from generic to transcendent in 3.2 seconds -- I've never quite heard anything like it done so successfully AND repeatedly. "Church on Fire" is epic; "Waiting on the Ground" and "Sinking Seas" are also great. But the album is also good overall; not as consistent as NFN, but a good album nonetheless.
Verdict: One ring, two champions. You really can't go wrong either way (or with One Mississippi), but the edge (and controversial Don King-influenced decision) goes to NFN. Both go into the Portable CD Case.
Rich Hopkins and Luminarios: Devolver (2000) VS The Best and Worst of the Luminarios (2004). Now it may seem odd to pit an individual album against that same band's greatest hits, but I think it's justified in this case. Devolver is supposed to be Rich Hopkins' (former Sand Rubies lead guitarist) opus -- so both should be equally good. The first three songs of Devolver start off with a lot of promise, but at this point the album could still go either way. Track four ("Elaine") is not a good turning point: Rich Hopkins' pet trick is a guitar lick that I've heard him use a dozen times on a dozen different albums. I draw one of two conclusions for this: 1) he wrote this lick when he was eight, and has been trying to (unsuccessfully) write the perfect song for it ever since, or 2) he includes a song with it on every album as his "signature." Either way... it's not very interesting or inspired to hear it over and over again. By track eight ("Tres Amigos") it's clear the album is not a great one; it's all fallen apart by this point. By the time The Best and Worst enters the arena, Devolver has collapsed in the corner as a self-indulgent puddle of gelatin. The Best and Worst is all you'll ever need.
Verdict: The Best and Worst wins without throwing a punch. It ends up in the CD Rack; Devolver in the pile of death.

- Snilch

Yo Ho Ho

2008-12-05T09:31:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year, kids! Here are a few suggestions on what to listen to as we hit the holiday season -- in other words, here are all the holiday albums I own:

The Carpenters - Christmas Collection (1996 - 2 CDs). The late, great Karen Carpenter could sing Coors Light commercials and make them sound classy. This collection contains their 1974 and 1978 Christmas releases, and they both are really top notch.
Various - Now That's What I Call Christmas! (2001 - 2 CDs). I feel like a complete fraud for owning this, but you just can't argue with the songs on this comp: Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Burl Ives... and those are (in order) tracks 1-10 of 36 total! There are some clunker artists/tacks (*NSYNC, Britney Spears), but it's otherwise an absolute classic and a great collection.
The Reverend Horton Heat - We Three Kings (2005). This one is tough to find but worth the effort if you are a fan of the good Reverend. Rockabilly Christmas, surprisingly conservative in their covers overall, but definitely off the beaten path. Throwing the riff from the "Batman" TV show theme into "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" borders on pure genius.
Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas (2006 - 5 CDs). As with all Sujan albums, there's brilliance and peculiarity here, often all wrapped up in the same song. 42 songs, containing Stevens' five Christmas albums from 2001-2006. You're sure to get the same amount of big fans as well as quizzical looks with this one. I love it, although it does have its up and down moments.
Various - A Very Special Christmas (Vol. 1 - 1987, Vol. 3 - 1997). Volume 1 is a classic -- with Bruce Springsteen's "Merry Christmas Baby," Run D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis," and U2's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," how could you go wrong? A must-have for the 80's hipster or alt-reveler. Volume 3 -- well, I really got it for No Doubt's "Oi to the World," but the rest of the album is surprisingly decent and definitely worth a listen.

Happy Holidays!

- Snilch

Compilate Me

2008-12-02T17:12:00.010-05:00

Yes! More long lists of albums I'm catching up on! Terrible for you (the reader), great for me (the blogger). The beat goes on, in semi-alphabetical order:

Big Dipper - Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology (2008 - 3 CDs). Denis gave me Heavens and Craps to listen to, which led to this. This anthology is almost everything they ever recorded (the two albums mentioned above plus the EP Boo-Boo; only the album Slam is not included), plus bonus tracks, PLUS an entire unreleased album! All for under $20 as well. If you're a big fan like Denis, you get Boo-Boo, bonus tracks, plus the unreleased album that you never owned: quite a good deal. If you're just getting to know them, like me (although I did know The Embarrassment, Bill Goffrier's former band), you get most of the band's output, including gems like "She's Fetching," "All Going Out Together," "Man O' War," "Loch Ness Monster," "Younger Bums," and the epic "Faith Healer." Incidentally, those are just the highlights for Disc One (!). This collection grows on you as you give it more listens.
Verdict: Highly recommended. As I wrote this review and listened to this album, it climbed from the CD Rack into my Portable CD Case, and eventually Disc 1 (Boo-Boo/Heavens) ended up in my Car CD Changer. Compilation index rating is high value: low on the longtime fan ripoff because of the price point versus the amount of rare/unreleased material AND the extensive liner notes (they have band comments on every song as well as commentary on the unreleased album), extremely high on the casual fan rating. Three CD's for $18... that is simply perhaps the best deal ever. Take them up on the deal, assuming there are any left (there were only 5,000 copies made).
The Godfathers - Birth, School, Work, Death: The Best of the Godfathers (1996 - 1 CD). The title track is what brought me here; they don't stray far from it with their other songs. I like the sound, although it is a bit repetitive. Less edgy rockabilly indie rock. I'll listen to it in the future.
Verdict: Recommended if you like "Birth, School, Work, Death." Compilation index is low value for the collector, high for the average fan -- it's all the latter will ever want or need. CD Rack.
Guided by Voices - Human Amusements at Hourly Rates (The Best of) (2003 - 1 CD). Thanks for Scott for this one. Matador blows up the Compilation Index again (they are responsible for the Big Dipper anthology too) with this "Best of" CD, released at the same time as the "Best of" box set. This is what I am sure the record business calls a "worst practice": by giving consumers a choice, you immediately split your potential buying audience, as well as instigate the process of actual thought. For example, let's say Fred hears that GBV is releasing a greatest hits album. Fred's a "completist" (i.e., must own everything Bob Pollard and GBV have ever done, including things like one of the 200 vinyl singles they gave to friends in 1983, or copies of a "bootleg" of Pollard's piano recital at age 11), and thus his salivary glands are immediately activated; typical record policy is to keep him in this frothy, frenzied state until he and his hard-earned cash are soon parted. The "box set vs. single CD" options interrupts this state -- confused, Fred looks at the actual merits and tracklists of each and begins to use that part of the brain that controls rational thought as part of this process. Fred will then actually consider not only whether to get the box set or the single CD, but also the possibility that (gasp!) it's not worth the money because he has everything already. For me, this CD is just my speed: great overview with some tasty tunes. (As for Fred, he reluctantly give in to rational thought: it really wasn't worth it to get the either the single CD or the box set. However, in a moment of weakness, impulse control once again clubbed rational thought over the head with the notion that he needed all of GBV's music in ONE place [how convenient!], that he needed to support the band [how altruistic!], that he needed the 35-page deluxe booklet [how nerdy!]... basically, that he needed it. Six months later, he sits staring at the dusty box set, wondering what he was thinking.)
Verdict: Recommended. High value for the casual fan; the hardcore fan will want the box set. CD Rack.
John Lennon - Lennon Legend (2007, 2003, 1997 - CD, DVD). What I want out of a John Lennon compilation is the best of the best of his solo work plus his half of Double Fantasy. I'm in luck! This is exactly that. It is TERRIBLE, however, that they are selling essentially the same compilation for the third time in the last ten years; undoubtedly they will sell a slightly repackaged version again in 2013.
Verdict: Recommended if you fit my criteria. Compilation ripoff factor is off the charts on this one -- any time you keep trotting out the same horse with a different colored saddle you know it's not right. The DVD clips are cool.
Orange Juice - The Glasgow School (2005 - 1 CD). Edwyn Collins' old band. Things I liked associated with this album: 1) Collins' song "A Girl Like You," which he did solo; 2) the sentiment of the title The Glasgow School; 3) the joke that "O.J." is short for guilty. Things I liked on this album:

Verdict: Not recommended. Pile of Death, which (as you might of guess) means the Compilation Index is pretty much at 0.
Jay Reatard - Singles 06-07 (2008 - CD, DVD). I mentioned Jay Reatard here, but this is a better starting point. It's more consistent yet more varied musically, and it's catchier yet darker. It's where I'd start -- a very nice compilation.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case. Compilation index is assumed to be high value, as I believe that only four tracks are available on CD at the moment, while at the same time it's a good overview.
Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees (2002 - 1 CD). Ron got me back into Siouxsie after declaring "Dear Prudence" better than the original version by The Beatles (heresy!) and "Cities in the Dust" to also be "desert island CD worthy." Then I began taping 120 Minutes on VH1 Classic (not the original shows, which is too bad, but pop-alternative "hits" from the 80's and 90's) and realized there are actually a ton of tunes I really like by them.
Verdict: Highly recommended. High on the ripoff scale for hardcore fans, but great for an overview of some excellent songs. A few mis-steps ("Peek-a-Boo" comes immediately to mind) keep this out of the Car CD Changer, and instead in the Portable CD Case.
Linda Thompson - Dreams Fly Away (1996 - 1 CD). Linda Thompson has an unbelievable voice. This compilation showcases that for sure, and it's the best album I've heard of hers. I was shocked at the amount of content that was unreleased on this compilation; that gives it value for completists and casual fans.
Verdict: Recommended, and scores great on the compilation index. CD Rack.
Elliott Smith - New Moon (2007 - 2 CDs). There are certain artists that, on principle, I hate. Not dislike, not grudgingly acknowledge as "great, but," not "willing to listen to but not really into." Hate. I fundamentally hated Elliott Smith and his approach to music. Would politely listen while quietly seething underneath the surface. Hate. And the only way I even was willing to listen to this album was because of Sean -- he forced it down my throat. Bought a copy for me (and one for Scott), packaged it up, and sent it our way because it moved him so much. Love. I open the package. Hate. I listened to it. Confusion. Then again. Grudging acceptance -- no, more than that. I cannot bring myself to say it -- it's... it's... sigh. Alright, I can't deny it. It's... love. Love. Love, love, love. If I can love it, so can you.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Would be a Car CD Changer album if it were a little more up tempo. Love.

- Snilch

You Asked, So I Listened

2008-11-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Any of you who asked me to listen to albums may think you were shouting into a void, but, yes, I was indeed listening. Since I'm still clearing my backlog, I thought I'd acknowledge a bunch in one fell swoop. If yours isn't here, fell free to a) e-mail me and b) prepare to be further ignored. (I probably just forgot.) I do appreciate the suggestions, so feel free to keep them coming.

The list:

Bitch Alert - I Can Feel Your Bones (2006). This is from Andrew, who I think was legitimately shocked that I actually bought something by this band. I'd called it homogenized Finnish punk. "Skeleton" is an amazing tune - well, in a simple, catchy, well-harmonized, broken English sort of way. This album is decent, but it's more a novelty in terms of the way the album comes off. The ladies have some chops but it doesn't completely work. I really hope they didn't try and write this in English, because if they did, start digging for bodies in the backyard now. Maybe they were low on cash and just had Babelfish translate the album, although I'm not sure what you input (in Finnish) to output (in English) themes like stealing money from widows who just killed their abusive boyfriends, peeling skin and "feeling" bones, and asking to get beat up by your drug dealer, if you started with lyrics of, say, peace, love, and understanding. Not sold yet? Example one: they try to rhyme "star" with "star" in one song. Eight times. (To be fair, it's almost the same as trying to rhyme "orange.") Example two: they try to rhyme "worry" with "sorry." Example three: they have songs called "Would You Be My Mental Big Sister, June?" and "Please Let Me Die First." And I didn't even talk about the song told through the eyes of a stuffed bear that comes to life after hours and watches television. I am running away screaming.
Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back pile 1.
Donna the Buffalo - Sliverlined (2008). This was suggested by Dave, whose meetings and videos we produce. I was surprised to find out Donna the Buffalo has been around for 20 years - and Dave tells me they've got a rabid fanbase called "The Herd." I picked this album as the reviews indicated this was a good reflection of both their past and present. Now I'm admittedly not a huge jam band fan (as they were described online), which scared me, but I think that's an inadequate and facile description. They actually compare more favorably as a folk-rock (as opposed to country-rock) Drive-by Truckers - excellent musicians, multiple writers, different voices and styles on different songs, but all the while remaining true to their band's sound. I'm not sure what I was expecting; it was not something this fun, relaxing, and light. That does not mean they can't play, or that the songs don't have depth (they do); it just sounds like... well, like "summer." In the end, more poppy than I was prepared for (in a good way), and there are a few duds, but overall it's a great listen and well worth my time. And yours.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
Shelby Lynne - I Am Shelby Lynne (2000). Another Andrew suggestion, who clearly feels I need some country music "cultcha." Very vocally aggressive -- it surprised me from the start -- and more soulful than I expected. It's pretty eclectic and it's very, very good. I'm glad I did not go in with any preconceptions; it was a much nicer surprise that way. Definitely worth a listen; I'd compare her voice to Bonnie Raitt, with a much wider range and more effortless delivery. If you're like me, you'll be hooked by the time you hit "Why Can't You Be?" And by the time you hit "Dreamsome," you'll realize why: it's her world, and you're just listening to it.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2007). This one was not requested by Andrew, but he instigated the process by sending me a video for the single "Time to Pretend," which is a spectacular throwback track that vaguely reminds me of The Stone Roses (in vibe more so than music). I took a shot that the album would follow suit.; unfortunately, the rest of the album is pretty boring and a little full of itself. At times, it's an unfortunate mishmash of what sounds like spectacularly talented musicians all playing against each other. I'm not sure I can declare a winner of that battle, but I can declare the loser: me, for having bought the album.
Verdict: Find an mp3 of "Time to Pretend". Pass on the album. Sell-back pile 1.
Motörhead - Overkill (1979). Yes, yet another Motörhead post. This one was suggested by Dirt Mall's Johnny Anguish. I had decided going in I only needed one Motörhead album; and at first, it did sound too much like Ace of Spades for me, so it looked like I was off the hook. But by the time I hit the end of the album I couldn't rightfully put it in Sell-back pile 1; the b-sides (included on the re-mastered version, along with two (!) versions of their cover of "Louie, Louie") hooked me. I am a sucker. This one is a keeper.
Verdict: Recommended after Ace of Spades. CD Rack.
The Screaming Blue Messiahs - Bikini Red (1987), Totally Religious (1989). Liz lent me some tapes from the late '70's and early '80's, and thought I'd be into these guys. She was right. My much more clever comments on the band are here; these albums are both very good. The Messiahs are a UK band obsessed with America... so think of them as a rockabilly, remarkably less successful U2. And without the longevity of the Irish boys. These are fun albums that a niche audience will love.
Verdict: Recommended, but these are long out of print; Bikini Red is better but tougher to find. I wouldn't go overboard to pay for either unless you've heard/love the band - hopefully the albums will be re-released someday. Both go into the Portable CD Case.
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis (1969). Well, Andrew certainly has a lot of suggestions, now doesn't he? Of course, he has excellent musical taste, so it's tough to go wrong with them. Sadly, going in I knew the name Dusty Springfield (born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien), but couldn't tell you a thing she ever did. This album is not my cup of tea; that should not necessarily discourage you. Clearly she has a great voice and the songs are well put together... I'm just not into it. I didn't realize she sang "Son of a Preacher Man," which is a great song. If you liked the original, you'll probably be interested in the Rhino re-release, which includes 14 additional tracks, 10 of which were "previously unissued."
Verdict: I can't recommend it, but you may love it. For me, Sell-back pile 1.
Prinzhorn Dance School - Prinzhorn Dance School (2007). The only reason I'm writing this blog is Yves' challenge to me at his going-away party, and thus when he makes a request I am honor-bound to respect it. Plus he introduced me to Love of Diagrams, who I love. The liner notes state: "This record is meant to be played loud." When you hear the album, you understand why. It's minimalist in the tradition of Young Marble Giants, which would be the only minimalist album I own. Well, before listening to this album at least. I am not a minimalist fan, but this is truly, truly outstanding. IMHO, they are the best pretenders to the YMG throne in the 30 years since Collossal Youth came out. This is not for everyone, but don't be scared by the minimalist tag: it's a great album.
Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer album.
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (2007). BFF Becky told me to check this one out. She does not know I am not a Wilco fan at all, despite a) numerous attempts to get into them, b) prodding by Sean, AND 3) liking both Uncle Tupelo and Gob Iron. Well, this is an interesting album - I have to admit that I did enjoy it. There still is something here I just can't come to grips with and totally embrace, but it's my first "in" with this band; we'll have to see if repeated listens opens that up even further. Good call, Becky!
Verdict: Recommended, and I'd like to hear what Wilco fans think. CD Rack.

- Snilch