Three word review of the Remastered version of the Beatles “White Album”

So totally wicked!

Track Review: Japandroids, “Young Hearts Spark Fire”

Good for: Not much if you’re over 25 or have a girlfriend.

Chance of heavy rotation: 10%

Chance I’ll get the whole album now: 10%

Quick notes:

• I see the mid-90s, Chicago-style, Proto-Emo connection here, but I don’t think it succeeds.  It seems too calculated.
• What is with this trend of bass-less bands?  I just don’t get it.  It’s not just because I play bass, it’s because I don’t get why a band would be okay with completely lacking a bottom end.  You can double up the guitar line and turn the bass and flanger up all you want (and let the drummer go as crazy as he wants, too), but the song is going to lack that depth and the harmonic possibilities that a bass adds.

Track Review: “These Are My Twisted Words” by Radiohead

Go to radiohead.com to download the mp3 or torrent. Go here to see a list of music blogs that have the track for download.

Good for: Radiohead-philes, nodding your head, biting your fingernails in anticipation for some future Radiohead goodness.

Chance of heavy rotation: 25% right now, 100% come autumn

Chance of getting album: 100%

Quick Note:

• The sound is a step back to the challenge of “Kid A” but continuing in the guitar centric  approach that has resulted in the very good “Hail to the Thief” and “In Rainbow” albums.

Supergroups?

So I’m taking a break from all the new music I’m sifting through, and listening to the podcast of Sound Opinions, which features banter, reviews, and interviews by the rock critics of the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune.  The main topic: Supergroups.  You know, those bands of established artists, like the Traveling Wilburys, Temple of the Dog, or anything Jack White does these days.

It just got me thinking, Chuck, what’s your opinion on the supergroup?  Is it a whole greater than the sum of its parts, or just sonic masturbation that takes up time  a record label could use to develop a new artist?  Should the phenomenon be confined to one-off concerts, or do you consider them legitimate bands?

A few more examples:

• Them Crooked Vultures (Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones)
• Chickenfoot (Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony)
• And, um, Damn Yankees …

Not to mention Mad Season, Bad English, the Highwaymen, A Perfect Circle, and, arguably–though it’s probably more of a collective than a group–Broken Social Scene …

Track Review – “(If You Are Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” by Weezer

To check it out, click here to go to Tsururadio.

Good For: reminiscence on those days back in high school and college, indulging your sweet tooth, getting reaquainted with Rivers Cuomo singing, doing a frenetic happy dance.

Chance of Heavy Rotation: 50%

Chance of Getting Album: 0% – 50%

Quick Notes:

• Why the 0%? Well, I bought “Make Believe” and I tapped out in buying Weezer albums. I’ll wait for the critical reviews before deciding to check any more of new Weezer out.
• The new album out in October.

Chuck is listening to…Ting Tings concert on NPR

NPR’s All Songs Considered concert broadcast of Ting Tings show in Washington D.C. (go to NPR stream here or download podcast)

Sure, the set was only 45 minutes or so. Right, it is just indie dance music. O.K., they is no lyrical depth or challenge in the music. Still, the Ting Tings just make you want to move, in jagged, angular stomps. I was power walking with swagger down my office hallways with a big smile on my face. Check them out!

Dave is listening to …

Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool

Why has it taken me this long to get around to listening to Lupe Fiasco?  I’m not saying he’s the second coming of (big baby) Jesus, but I’m always surprised by myself when I take three years to get around to listening to a repsected artist or supposedly monumental album.  And I call myself a music fan.

Anyway, I’m about 15 tracks in, which in hip-hop terms is halfway.  So far, I give it about an 8.  I really like his flow, and it’s refreshing to hear some “message” hip-hop once in a while, to cleanse my normally Wu Tang-soaked pallate.  The production is Chicago all  the way, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.  I’ve always found Kanye’s beats to be overwrought, and I see the infulence (if not the actual mark) here.

Still, I see some tracks making it into my rotation.  It’s on pace to make about 30% into regular shuffling, which is really good for a hip-hop album.

My favorite line so far: “I’m from the city in the midwest best city in the whole wide wide world,” repeated rapidly in the song “Go Go Gadget Flow.”  (Also, great fucking title.)  Makes me miss Chicago.

Track Review: “Genesis 3:23″ by The Mountain Goats

You can download the mp3 at Powerpopulist or go to elbo.ws.

Good for: listening to and thinking about the Mountain Goats back when they were angrier, tapping your feet

Chance of heavy rotation: 40%

Chance of getting the album: 80%

Quick Notes:

• I’ve loved the Mountain Goats  for their spare instrumentation, emotional rawness, and catchy writing. This track is much more straight forward and less challenging than something like “Cubs in Five.” I kinda like it, but I also kinda don’t care. There’s something lost in the simplicity of this song that you can find in the older records.
• The yet-to-be-released album this track was taken from, “The Life of the World to Come,” has biblical verses for the names of each track. Read more about the album here.

#1 elbo Track Review: “Suicide” by the Raveonettes

You can download the mp3 at Suetkafa, or go directly to elbo.ws.

Good for: hipster parties, walking in trendy pants, next Joseph Gordon-Levitt soundtrack

Chance of heavy rotation: 10%

Chance I’ll get the whole album: 0%

Quick Notes:

• The mp3 making the music blog rounds is of terrible quality
• Things I like about the song: the guitar’s jangly sound, the sparseness of the verse
• Things I don’t like about the song: the weird synth chorus, the “ohhh” after “suicide”
• It sounds like a mix of a western movie soundtrack, a 90′s English pop song, and a John Hughes film track.

One of my favorite music blogs, Tsururadio

I’ve been a fan of this guy’s music blog for many years now: Tsururadio. He does vinyl rips, posts single mp3s, reviews albums, discusses biking (not my cup of tea), photography (yeah!), and crafting (unless it’s spelled with a K and is accompanied with cheese-flavored powder, it isn’t me). The highlight, for me, has been the mix CDs he posts…great introduction to new music. This is where I got hooked on Phoenix, Noah and the Whale, Yacht, etc. Check it out.