Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding

Possible Headlines:

"Oasis' lead singer leaves, band sticks together and makes a new (but blander) Oasis record."
"Former Oasis members make a record that is twice as long as it should be."
"You may have hated Noel Gallagher, but he brought some excitment to what has now become Beady Eye."
"Do you really need a song called 'Beatles and Stones'? I mean, we know you like them."


C-

Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

Only Radiohead can finish an record on Sunday, announce that they will release it the next Saturday, then actually release it via download on Friday. They don't need you, music press, and they're gonna make you scramble to keep up with them.

On their eighth album, the band has managed to keep up their trend of sounding like Radiohead while making a cycle of songs that sound unlike any that they've made before. That's not to say that The King Of Limbs is groundbreaking - its no "Ok Computer" - but it takes their signature sound and softens it up a bit. The staccato guitar/bass/drums are still combined with fitting ambiance from the digital era - blips, bleeps, beats, and old recycled textures are layered often and appropriately. Only this time, the whole combination adds up to something much more subtle that washes over you. It feels deeper in its subtlety - the instrumentation is less fragmented, and the mood is more singular. Many times during the record I feel as though I'm listening under water... or that state of half-awake and half-asleep. This is what makes this record stand out from their others.

The first half of the record has a singular mood, with the slightly dancy "Morning Mr. Magpie" and (the only song that sounds like it belongs on another Radiohead album) "Little By Little". There is a dynamic shift after the excellent first single "Lotus Flower" (video below): we dip into the depths with what seems to be many listeners' favorite track, "Codex". To me, its a bit too spacey, but it leads nicely into the slightly folky "Give Up The Ghost". The closer ties us back nicely to the slightly more uptempo beginning of the record with "Separator". Thom Yorke urges the listener to wake him up. We awake from this dream with a positive outlook...

Maybe this is a new Radiohead after all.

A+

Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer

When I first glanced at the tracklist for this disk, I saw the title 'Love Gun' waving and smiling and begging me to skip directly to it. Why would I be so excited about this track? Simple. Its a song by my guilty pleasure, favorite band ever (although I recodnize their cheezyness and embrace it), KISS. There it was, a love gun cover by cee-lo, what a cool idea. Should I do my normal full listen track one till the end, or skip to it? Tradition won over impulse and started at track one.
The first song is an intro that transitions into the smooth groove, 'Bright Lights, Big City'. Upon discovering this gem of a song, I pictured myself in the studio while they were writing the song. The bass player asks 'what should I play here?'
The producer, after looking up and placing his hand on his chin, pondering the query, responds with; 'You know Billie Jean by Michael Jackson?'
'Yeah'
'Play that bassline'
'The same one?'
'Well, sort of. Just change it so no one can notice. '

I noticed.

But I still love it.

Then comes the most catchy song of 2010 (the album came out last year), 'Forget You '. That is an alternate title for an explative that is the actual title. Its interesting that this song is the first song ever nominated for a grammy with a curse word in the title.
The song is like pure sugar. Audio candy that gets stuck in your head like taffy in your teeth. 'Forget You' rocks and rolls like a late fifties, early sixties doo wop smash.
After a few more highs and lows, I finally reached 'Love Gun'. Here it goes. Cee lo's love gun cover. The song begins with a gunshot. Nice. Then a woman singing 'baby baby'.
Weird. Not part of the original. The song continues and the woman (not cee lo) begins singing some more lyrics that were not part of Kiss' Original.
Still going, CeeLo comes in, also not singing Kiss lyrics. Now that I think of it, the music is way off too.
Then it hits me.

Its not a Kiss cover. Its just another ceelo song named 'Love Gun'

Oh well. After finishing the album I was fairly pleased. Some huge catchy hits, and like most major label releases these days, filler tracks sprinkled between them.

I would reccomend this for a few of their party hits. Just skip around and you will be pleased. Just don't expect any Kiss covers.

B+

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Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours

Anyone who knows me knows I have a special place in my heart for 90s alternative music. Primarily the early portion - I talk a lot about the magic of 1991 / 92 (more about that at a later date)... but there was also something special about those mid-90's 'post-grunge' bands. For those of us who grew up with this music, any band that can capture that spirit without being a lame copy (Creed, anyone?) is always appreciated. I never really thought about Cold War Kids like this until their most recent album. They are taking the energy and vibe of the music they/I grew up with and filtering it through the indie rock sensibilities of bands like Arcade Fire.

From the get-go, Mine Is Yours pulls you in with plenty of vocal hooks and great melodies - augmented by your typical guitar/bass/drums lineup. The album really sank in with track 3; Royal Blue. It is based around a conga drum and bass loop, and builds from there. Its these moments - when their penchant for great melody combines with a solid beat and stripped down instrumentals - that the album shines, and makes it stand out as something more than just a rock cd. Sensitive Kid and its looped backbeat is another highlight for this same reason.

There is a great dynamic flow that runs through this album. There are great sing-alongs, solid guitar hooks, and more introspective moments. Unfortunately, the album falls off after track 8 into more generic guitar rock. Luckily, its easy to hit the fast forward button three times and arrive back at track 1.

If you too have your musical roots layed in the sensitive, ethereal bombast of the early and mid-90's, I think you'll like this release.

B+

The Decemberists - The King is Dead

This album is not for everyone, as I realized the other day. On first listen, the vocal hook of "Don't Carry it All" was enough to get my attention. I decided to put the album on in an after school session in my classroom. After a song or two went by, I heard; "Ugh. WHAT IS THIS?" My teen pop conneseuer, had weighed in.
The second track "calamity song" glows in the wake of R.E.M. with hints of Neil Young. Their previous album, The Crane Wife, was decent, but the seven minute songs left my short attention span wanting more.
Again, this album is not for everyone, just don't put me on that list. Plenty of catchy vocal male + female vocal harmonies to keep this on repeat for a while.

B+

Glassjaw - Our Color Green

In 1997, I heard about a band that were self proclaimed "jewish metal." Being just a year out of high school from a town that had maybe two jewish students, this was obviosly intriging.
The Sons of Abraham, were all 18-19 year old kids who could seriously shred. Double bass gallops, wild leads. Eventally, they retired their dradels and broke up.
The phoenix that rose from the ashes of their yamicas was a band called Glassjaw.
Glassjaw had the technical proficiency of "the sons" but added the element of melody. They also had the swagger of a wild frontman who had a unique voice, taking cues from Mike Patton and Chino Moreno.
After a few 7"s and eps, they released two solid full lengths. Then took a long break. That is obviously a majorly abriviated career summary.
A recently reunited Glassjaw, minus one guitarist, bringing them to a four piece, has recenly released an ep. This release has all the elements you would expect from glassjaw. The ep seems a little less serious and more about having fun and jamming than blowing minds. The songs are less catchy vocally, and based more on jams.
The ep also has an interesting audio mix. The bass is equal if not louder than the guitar, creating a fuzzier, more experimental sound. This seems like a good progression for the band. An element I appreciate from a new release.
Overall the songs are a nice breath of fresh air from the long haitus from one of the founders of the disgustungly misnamed emocore genre. Worth checking out. Not a groundbreaking release but worth a few listens.

B

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Iron & Wine "Kiss Each Other Clean"

I recently got the new album from Sam Beam and Iron & Wine, entitled "Kiss Each Other Clean". I want to publicly thank him for continually challenging me as a listener.

Throughout his discography, each album grows from the last to places that I would not have expected ("The Creek Drank The Cradle" -> "Our Endless Numbered Days" -> "The Shepard's Dog" -> "Kiss Each Other Clean")... Upon first listen(s) I don't love it, but the more I listen to it, it starts to grow and grow. This newest album is a challenging listen because there are so many different elements ("Me And Lazarus" employs acoustic guitar, saxophone, vibraphones, and DJ scratching, among others). These elements seem disparate at first, but once you hear it all a few times (headphones were especially nice) it all makes sense and becomes an amazingly creative collage. The only misstep is "Big Burned Hand", which is a bit too Dave Matthews-ey for me. It could have easily been replaced by any of the B-sides I've heard from the sessions.

This album is not what I would consider great 'quiet in the background' music (my first few listens were while doing other things). This record demands your attention and I love it.

Get it at your local record shop or online at iTunes or Amazon with stellar bonus tracks. For more great songs from these sessions, check out the "Walking Far From Home" EP.

I highly recommend it to anyone who loves good music and wants something that wont just wash over you then disappear into the ever present noise of life.

grade: A-