CSS - Planta (2013)

For their fourth album, CSS is back without their songwriter, producer, and drummer.  (They're all one person... and the only guy who was in the band.)  Without him, they lean more towards the light dance/poppy sound, but retain some of their edge as well.  This album sounds like a poppy/super excited Suzanne Vega over electronica. It's more polished than their debut, less indie rock than their previous couple of offerings.

But ultimately... it's a little thin and one-note-ish on the whole.  It's a great note, mind you; it's just a lot of the same throughout.

CSS - "Dynamite" (My favorite song from the album)

Overall:  pleasant but not ground breaking. It's a fine, fine soundtrack for a sunny afternoon.  Well, most of it, at least.

CD Placement Rating:  Portable CD Case... as the album drags on, it slides into the CD Rack. 

- Snilch

New Music, 2007-2008 - Part 2

Part Two of our look at new music. Onward:

• The Black Watch - Icing the Snow Queen (2008). One of my all-time favorite groups -- it's just too bad that no one has ever heard of them. They have an amazing story, which will have to wait until their next album, but here's a quick synopsis: The Black Watch (essentially John Andrew Fredrick and J'Anna Jacoby) had ten releases over a 14-year period, before Jacoby left to tour with Rod Stewart (!), leaving Fredrick on his own to release four albums and one EP since 2003. It has felt like a bad breakup; of the four post-Jacoby albums, this is closest to the classic Black Watch sound. Think The Cure meets My Bloody Valentine with pop sensibilities. I may enjoy Tattermedallion a little more this one in the post-Jacoby era, but this album is really nice -- if you like your music a little folkier, this is a great place to start with your first Black Watch album. And if this were a breakup, I think Fredick has finally been able to push past it.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. This album, Amphetamines, The King of Good Intentions, Lime Green Girl, Tattermedallion... I just named five of my favorite albums. Get one of them if you can find them (although Lime Green Girl is probably the best place to start). Portable CD Case "with privileges."
  
  
• The B-52's - Funplex (2007). Hard to believe, but this is only their seventh album, and the first since 1992's Good Stuff. As usual,The B-52's bring incredible harmonies to the table to contrast with Fred Schneider's delivery (his best line: "I am a fully eroticized being!"). This does not feel like an album that they've been creating for 16 years, more like picking up where they left off with Cosmic Thing: danceable, poppy, quirky fun. No huge hits here, but enjoyable.
  Verdict: Recommended. CD Rack.
  
  
• CSS - Donkey (2008). Album #2 from everyone's favorite Brazilian dance troupe finds the band adding a little more musical oomph to their sound, with mixed results. My favorite song is "How I Became Paranoid," which properly marries indie rock sensibilities, pop harmonies, and a dance beat (I give it an 89, Dick!) into a great pop song. That's a really tough thing to create. If they continue on this trajectory, I would not be surprised if their next album was landmark in quality. Still, this album is very very good and quite a fun listen. Hop on while they're still incubating.
  Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.
  
  
• Nerf Herder - IV (2008). Most famous for writing the title theme for the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the nerd indie rock boys are back. They've always struck me as being on the cusp of something really great, but that promise has never translated into a great album. That's the case here once again -- bits and bobs are decent, but the songs themselves are just lacking. I think they want to be this generation's Devo; they need to be smarter both musically and lyrically to get there.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Pile of death.
  
  
• R.E.M. - Accelerate (2008). Let me start by stating that I am not an R.E.M. fan. I associate old R.E.M. (i.e.,1983-87, the I.R.S. records) with visiting my brother at Kenyon College in the early 90's -- that was the vibe of the campus and it seemed like we heard them everywhere we went. I associate Green (e.g., "Orange Crush," "Stand," "Pop Song '89") with my freshman year in college; when I hear anything from Out of Time (e.g., "Losing My Religion," "Shiny Happy People"), I think of my senior year in college. And when I hear anything else (1992-2007), I think of a band that lost its way (i.e., crap). This album makes me think of Kenyon. It's not quite as jangly as that era but it has that vibe. No real "hits" here, but I like this better than anything since Out of Time. Minus the regrettable last song, I think they've done what U2 has failed to do: recapture their magic from the 80's. (IMHO, of course!)
  Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.
  
  
• Sloan - Parallel Play (2008). Sloan was on a bit of a run: the career compilation A-Sides Win was fantastic, the follow-up Never Hear the End of It (reviewed here) was absolutely great -- the best, most consistent album they've ever done -- and the show that followed it was a great mix of their new and old material. Their show on this tour (reviewed here) was a step back; Parallel Play (reviewed... well, I guess right here) is a further drop-off. I would not be surprised if these were castoffs from the aforementioned NHTEOI sessions... two excellent songs, the rest completely pedestrian and sadly disappointing.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back pile 1.
  
  
• TV on the Radio - Dear Science (2008). When Scott and I saw these guys at the Boston Music Awards a few years ago, we were blown away by the first couple of songs, then not so much by the rest. And their Return to Cookie Mountain album (although it was universally praised) just didn't move me. But I heard something in their music that I liked, so when Chris Dahlen's review for Pitchfork said this was catchier than their previous albums, I felt I needed to take the plunge. And this is very good. It's like Bad Brains decided to mellow out and try to mimic Prince; at other times that have moments that recall Morphine, Hybrasil, or The Michael Stanley Band. (Okay, the latter is quite a stretch, but I couldn't resist the reference.) This may not be exactly up my alley, but it is really good. Headphones or big stereo listen for this one for sure.
  Verdict: Recommended. CD Rack.

- Snilch

I've Got a Lot of Time on My Hands, Apparently

Unemployment, meet blog activity.

Here's an update before I jump into the reviews: on first listen, I'm pretty impressed with the new albums from M83 (Saturdays = Youth), Millencolin (Machine 15), R.E.M. (Accelerate), The Roots (Rising Down), and Thalia Zedek Band (Liars and Prayers). I'll have more detailed impressions later. The obvious conclusion is that bands alphabetized from A-L are just mailing it in this year.

• Ken Andrews – Secrets of the Lost Satellite (2007). This took a number of listens to get into, primarily because it’s well produced, but there's no tension. For the frontman for Year of the Rabbit, On, and Failure, this is a disappointment simply because it’s not great like everything else he’s ever done. But it’s still very good. I’ll keep it, although it’s just not quite as good as his other stuff.
  Verdict: Recommended, but get familiar with Failure first. CD Rack.

• Armalite – Armalite (2006). The first track (“Entitled”) is fast, punky, and musically excellent. The rest of the album is more of the same, not quite as good but there is a lot here to like – nice hooks and lots of potential from the kids. Think Sum 41 if they had paid more attention to Sleater-Kinney. Of course, a song like “Husker Dave” (which starts with a riff from “Celebrated Summer” by Hüsker Dü) doesn’t hurt either. Their lyrics are both ironic and intelligent… there’s even a little Dead Milkmen here. I like these guys better and better the more I listen to them.
  Verict: Highly recommended. This is my 5^th or 6^th listen: I originally penciled this in as “Sell-back Pile 1” when I started this review… upon further listens this has moved up to Portable CD Case and may even have an outside shot of hitting the Car CD Changer.

• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Baby 81 (2007). Black Rebel Motorcycle Club returns with a very typical BRMC album, and “Weapon of Choice” is a classic BMRC single. I love the guitar and vocal sound; they’re just not treading any new ground here. This is fine for long-time fans but I’d start earlier in their catalog first.
  Verdict: Recommended. CD Rack.

• CSS – Cansei de ser Sexy (2006). The album opens with a simple lyric: “C… S… S… sucks.” This continues for the entire first minute of the album. Any group who can be that self-effacing will always have a place in my heart. This is definitely driving material – they’re a better vocabularied, electronicized, mid-tempo dancepop version of The Donnas. Not every song is great, and the album is not monumental, but it's a lot of fun. Want to hear them? You probably already have – they did that commercial with the lyrics “Music is my boyfriend,” which is on this album. Thanks for the recommendation, Andrew!
  Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.

• Idlewild – Make Another World (2007). Another "first line truism": any album that starts with “In competition for the worst first line I could use” is already three steps ahead of the game. This album is a little grungy, a little heavy, a little poppy, and definitely enjoyable. “In Competition for Worst Time” is a great start; the second song (“Everything (As It Moves)”) did not strike me until I had a dream where it was the soundtrack, where I was James Bond or something silly like that. (Note to reader: my maturity has not reached that of a teenager yet.) And of course “No Emotion” is just an all-time great – worth the price of admission all by itself. Great album.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.

• Nada Surf – North 6^th Street (1999). This is a collection of demos and alternate takes, which I’m normally not keen on – but these are excellent. If you’re like me and own everything Nada Surf has ever recorded, this is a must-have. If you don’t, this holds up even as a bizarro greatest hits album, truth be told. I was really surprised at how much I liked this album and how good the alternate/demo takes actually are. And yes, it’s got “Popular.”
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.

• Street Dogs – Fading American Dream (2006). Local Boston products with a lot of rage – a more slightly melodic Dropkick Murphy’s combined with a less lyrically interesting Against Me! “Fatty” is a great song of high school angst. And you have to respect them attempting a Billy Bragg cover (“There Is Power in a Union”). I want to like them more, but I just don’t.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back Pile 1.

• Team Robespierre – Everything's Perfect (2008). The group has the manic energy of The Go! Team wrapped into a dual synthesizer attack. Not as musically diverse but you really cannot deny the force of these guys. More mid-tempo than 10 songs in 18 minutes would suggest. A guilty pleasure for sure, but I love it! “88^th Precinct” is a great single – if you like that, you’ll like the album as all the songs sound the same. In a good way.
  Verdict: Recommended. I keep flipping back and forth on whether it belongs in the Car Cd Changer or the Portable CD Case… who am I kidding, Car CD Changer.

• Wire – Read and Burn 03 (2007). Following their return with the brilliant Read and Burn 01 and 02 (consolidated into the album Send in 2003), we get the latest offering from Elastica’s favorite musical inspiration, Wire. This is a four-song EP that is very solid overall. The EP may not be the best initial entry point to get into Wire, but if you're a fan and/or liked Send/Read and Burn as much as I did, you should definitely pick this up. These guys are just great.
  Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.

- Snilch