Monday, November 29, 2010

Music Recommendation #3

11/21/10-11/27/10
Look at me getting two of these posts in back-to-back weeks!  Okay, so it's the 29th.  Shut up.  As most of you know, this past week was Thanksgiving, so I didn't get any music from the radio station.  Fortunately, I took it upon myself to get some music of my own accord.  One of the albums was inspired by an addiction and another by stupid catchy music bullshit.

My addiction: vidja game (aka video games).  The first album I want to talk about is the Fallout: New Vegas OST.  Now, for anyone who has ever played any of the Fallout games (or any game in the past 4 or 5 years) knows that in-game music is a big deal.  Fallout 3, Bioshock 1 and 2, Grand Theft Auto, Halo, and several others are known for having various licensed, independent, or orchestral scores.  Video game music has become a big deal and Obsidian is no ignant foo'.  Not only did Fallout 3 have an awesome soundtrack (featuring Billie Holiday, The Ink Spots, and Ella Fitzgerald among several others), but New Vegas possibly has a better soundtrack with artists such as Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra, just to name a few.  This music not only provides for an incredibly unique in-game mood, but also makes for an awesome OST.  The Fallout: New Vegas OST has a great number of tracks from the early '50s across several different genres and has a monster line-up with twenty-seven tracks.  I would definitely give the OST a listen even if you haven't played the game.  If you're interested in playing the game, check out my review for the game on my other blog, here.  Unfortunately, they're not selling it on Amazon, so I can't give you a sample of it, but if you really want it, let me know.

The second album I want to talk about will be the first album I've talked about so far in these "recommendations" that I absolutely want you to stay away from.  No joke.  Promise me.  Now, I'm sure several of you have heard of the song "Like A G6" (for those of you that haven't, turn on the radio, it will be on).  The track is on "Free Wired," an album released by Far East Movement.  I'll be the first to admit that the song isn't half bad and is damn catchy; if I hear it in the car I'm going all crunk and junk.  However, while "Like a G6" might be decent, the rest of the album is shit save for maybe two songs, which isn't much of a saving grace for the ten song album.  Also, note that I said "save for two songs" are not shit.  They are a couple steps above it, which is still nothing close to good.  I will listen to these songs for a couple of weeks, probably put them on a party play list, and then never ever touch them again.  The album is devoid of any sort of creativity and the depth of the lyrics stops at drunk girls, heartbreak, and hopeless romance.  In essence, Far East Movement is a generation late on the boy band movement with a dash of hip-hop.  What's more disappointing is that these guys are HUGE sellouts.  From what I've seen from various forums, these guys were great before they signed; after that all they were was foo-foo poppy bullshit.  I'm not kidding either, some people are seriously pissed about them signing to a big label: "Sold.fuck.ing.out.  That's what they did."  One positive thing about "Like a G6" is that it's led to a number of parodies, this one being my favorite.  Take a listen here.

On to music news for this upcoming week.  Justine Bieber (there is no typo) is unfortunately coming out with another album, "My Worlds Acoustic," which is, surprise surprise, a Walmart Exclusive *throws up*.  In better news, some chick named Jazmine Sullivan has an album that is getting surprisingly high reviews for a female vocalist in her genre (R&B, Pop/Rock), which may force me to listen to it.  God knows I might, the last time I did that I stumbled upon the lovely Janelle Monae.  Flo Rida is also coming out with another album, as is Soulja Boy, and both will most likely flop.  There's some really awesome stuff coming up next week, which I'm more than giddy about (I'm being serious about that too), but I'll save that for next week's post.  Let me know if you've come across any good music and stay tuned for a review of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" which is coming... RIGHT NOW!  And by "RIGHT NOW," I mean tomorrow.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Music Recommendation #2

11/14/10-11/20/10
Alright, time for another week of bringing you some new music and telling you what's going on in the world.  Sorry nothing was brought up last week, but I didn't get any new stuff, so... there ya go.  We're going to start off with what I got from the radio station.

The first album I got was a sampler of Orange Juice's "Coals to Newcastle."  The album is comprised of songs picked out across the epic seven disc (6 CDs & 1 DVD) set, which contains the band's complete discography.  The band played at the start of the '80s in Europe and presaged the coming of The Smiths and kickstarted a renaissance in Scottish pop music.  The compilation is being released under Domino Recording Company (US Division) and you can find the monster CD pack on Amazon.  Overall, Orange Juice is a fun band to listen to.  They're very up beat, very poppy, and VERY '80s.  The sampler I got only has 18 tracks, but the overall bundle consists of a DVD from a live performance and 124 individual tracks among the six CDs.  Orange Juice has a really good sound and is pretty versatile when it  comes to switching it up a bit.  "Rip it Up" is fast and up tempo, where as "Scaremonger" is slower and more swanky.  One thing every track has in it is the typical heavily synthesized '80s keyboard.  I'm not a huge fan of this sort of music, but I did enjoy the album a fair amount.  If you're interested in the epic album, take a listen here; if not, I'm sure you can find the sampler somewhere, which would be a lot easier on the pocket book.

The second album I got was Soft Circle's "Shore Obsessed."  This album has got to be one of the best album's I've gotten from the radio station so far; definitely in the Top 3, at least.  Soft Circle is a New York based band started up by Hisham Bharoocha and later joined by Ben Vida.  Bharoocha is known for using looped guitar riffs and repeated vocal sounds to create a trance like type of music.  "Shore Obsessed" is the third album released from Soft Circle, the second album released this year (2010), and the first album released under the duo.  The opening track to the album, "First Time," starts out with a repeated vocal track accompanied by a running base line which lead into some gentle guitar licks.  The overall feeling is similar to what you would find with Foals, but is a bit more hypnotic.  The song is light and energetic and has an overall calming feel to it.  However, what was more impressive for me from the album was how quickly the band can shift gears.  "Nerve of People" has a much darker, industrial feel to it.  The beat is heavy and metallic, the chant in the background is almost demonic, and the vocals are lamentations of society.  The feeling is much different from that of the opening track and almost reminds me of a NIN hybrid.  "Reaper," possibly my favorite track on the album, mixes the sounds of "First Time" and "Nerve of People" into an intense, fast moving, rhythmic song.  The sound is dynamic and hard hitting with the repetition on bass and keyboard.  I would definitely check out Soft Circle if you're looking for something new to listen to, they know how to rock.  Take a listen to them here.

Now, onto some stuff you can look forward to in the music world.  Kanye West is releasing his newest album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and is already receiving rave reviews, averaging a Metacritic score of 100 over seven reviewers.  In other hip-hop news, Nelly recently released his album "5.0" which is receiving decent reviews and already has a single, "Just A Dream," sitting at #5 on Billboard's Top 100 Singles.  Unfortunately, Billboard isn't much to go off of seeing as how Susan Boyle's new album, "The Gift," is currently sitting at the #1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 Albums.  Two things we can ALL look forward to in the upcoming week are the release of Ke$ha's (pronounced: Kay-ee-dollar-sign-haha) new EP "Cannibal" and My Chemical Romance's new album "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys" (Please don't think I'm serious).  Although, I will say, My Chemical Romance's new album is receiving positive reviews so far.  Alright, now that we have that out of the way, I will do my absolute best to keep you updated with new music I'm getting from the radio station and new music coming your way.  Thanks for reading, see you soon with a review for Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Lady Killer

"Love Gun!  Oh, you shot me baby!"
Cee-lo Green, better known for his work with Danger Mouse in the group Gnarls Barkley, released his third solo album, "The Lady Killer," yesterday, November 9, 2010.  The soulful singer gained popularity with the huge success of "St. Elsewhere" (2006), known for its hit single "Crazy," which he released under Gnarls Barkley.  His fame continued to climb with their 2008 release of "The Odd Couple."  However, before there was Gnarls Barkley, there was plain ol' Cee-lo Green.  In 2002 he released "Cee-lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections" and in 2004 released "Cee-lo Green... Is The Soul Machine," both of which climbed the charts successfully in the US and the UK.  Six years since his last solo release, "The Lady Killer" has received overall positive reviews from critics, averaging an 81 on Metacritic with scores of 80 from BBC Music and The Rolling Stone.

Now, onto a more personal note, I have been anticipating the release of this album since I heard of its release this summer.  Cee-lo has always fascinated me through Gnarls Barkley, but not until this year did I get into his solo work, mainly because I never thought of trying to find it.  Though I have never listened to "Cee-lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections," I haven't been able to put "Cee-lo Green... Is The Soul Machine" down for months.  Everyone knows Cee-lo is an incredible singer with and epic set of pipes, but what impressed me from "Soul Machine" was his vocal versatility and the variety of his works.  (The song "Sometimes" is performed in spoken word and is by far my favorite track.)  Cee-lo also manages to spread the album out in terms of mood, rapping/singing, and also has some notable guest appearances, Timbaland and Ludacris among them.  With the release of his new album, I was stoked and expected the same diversity.  I think you know where I'm going with this.

I had high expectations going into "The Lady Killer."  Not only had I been incredibly satisfied with Gnarls Barkley as a whole and "Soul Machine," but I had also been incredibly enticed by the release of Cee-lo's single from the album, "Fuck You."  I have to say, unfortunately, that I'm a little let down by the album as a whole.  Let me reiterate that, just to clarify: as a whole.  The album, overall, pretty good;  half of the album, excellent.  Where "The Lady Killer" falls short is with its versatility and creativeness.  The overall production of the album is incredible and each and every song is well worth a listen.  However, where "Soul Machine"'s songs ranged from harder rap ("Glockapella") to spoken word ("Sometimes") to romantic songs ("All Day Love Affair") to club hits ("I'll Be Around feat. Timbaland"), just to name a few, "The Lady Killer" seems to consist of a much narrower variety of song.  This may be more of a personal issue, but, with the amount of creativity Cee-lo has expressed both in his past solo work and with Gnarls Barkley, I was expecting more.

Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, onto why the album is still worth a listen.  The album starts off with a bang and really sucks you in.  By far one of the best tracks on the album, "Bright Lights Bigger City" has a big, sexy sound and subject matter.  As mentioned before, the production is great and Cee-lo sounds fantastic.  Other song shave the same quality of grandeur, such as "Love Gun," "Fuck You," and "Bodies."  Unfortunately, all of these songs are within the first half of the album.  As the album progresses, it seems to lose it's direction and falls into a bit of monotony.  The second half of the album, while still a good listen, seems to be a constant drone of hopeless romanticism as can easily be seen from the song titles: "I Want You," "Cry Baby," "Fool For You," "No One's Gonna Love You," etc. (hardly "The Lady Killer" I was anticipating).  However, that's not to say that these aren't great tracks.  "I Want You" is sure to get stuck in your head and definitely has the sexy, yet dark mood I've always associated with Cee-lo.  Possibly the strongest song in the second half of the album is "Fool For You," which has a heavier feel than several of the other songs on the album and is quite possibly the most soul filled song on the entire album, in particular when Cee-lo belts "Oh, sweet sugar, I surrender/ I don't want no other woman, oh baby you win!"

"The Lady Killer" definitely isn't Cee-lo's strongest album to date, however, that doesn't mean it isn't great in and of itself.  "Fuck You" will undeniably be a hit both in the independent and popular music scenes.  The grandeur and sexiness of "Bright Lights Bigger City" and "Love Gun" stand out as the best tracks on the album, while "Fool For You" and "Bodies" show that Cee-lo is still a master of emotion and knows how to bring out his more serious side as well as his darker side.  The lyrics of the entire album are without doubt a work of are and show that Cee-lo is still a lyrical genius and poet at heart.  The beats are fantastic and each song has it's own character, mood, and story to it.  While "The Lady Killer" doesn't express the same versatility as "Cee-lo Green... Is The Soul Machine" it manages to stand on its own as a great album that will undoubtedly be successful.  In the end, there's no way I can be mad at Cee-lo.  I just love him too god damn much.  So, go on.  Listen to it.  Now.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Music Recommendation #1

Alright, so, in order to get me writing on my blog a bit more and to actually utilize the music I'm getting from 1190, I thought I would start a new (hopefully weekly) segment.  In reviewing a brand new album or two every week, while I can't really seem to motivate myself to write an entire review for the album(s), the least I can do is share with you what I'm listening to and maybe spread around some other music news that I've been stumbling upon.  With that being said, here we go.

10/31/10-11/6/10

This week I managed to get my hands on a couple of different bands that were a little more out there.  Every time I get an artist I've never heard of, my Music Director always says, "Well, you've heard of these guys, right?  Well, they did this before they did that."  Sometimes I actually know what she's talking about, but other times I just sort of nod my head; her knowledge of independent music never ceases to amaze me.  The first thing I got a hold of was K.C. Accidental's "Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub" and "Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills," both of which are EPs released by the band in 1997 in a two disc pack.  Now, I don't know if they re-released them or what, but when I looked up the original release of the EPs, it was '97, so... there ya go.  The recordings are from Kevin Drew, founder, vocalist, and guitarist for Broken Social Scene.  However, before Broken Social Scene there was K.C. Accidental.  Partnering up with Charles Spearin,  “Anthems For The Could’ve Bin Pills” was in essence the blue print for Broken Social Scene.  Both EPs are essentially entirely instrumentals, but each one has a different feel to it. "Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub" is a bit lighter and "Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills" feels a bit more developed and industrial.  I would have to say that I enjoyed the former more than the latter, but each were interesting to listen to.  Being EPs as well, each is only six songs long, so if you want to just check something new out, there isn't a whole lot of commitment.  Take a listen here.

The second album I got a hold of was Brian Eno's "Small Craft on a Milk Sea," which, to my surprise, has actually been getting very impressive reviews on Metacritic averaging a 77 overall.  This is Eno's first album with Warp and the artist/producer/visionary teamed up with Jon Hopkins (Domino Records) and Leo Abrahams to create the album.  Eno has been releasing music since 1974 with his debut solo album "Here Come the Warm Jets" as well as releasing collaborative albums with artists such as Robert Fripp and David Byrne.  The feeling of the album, on a grand scale, is pretty impressive.  A number of the songs are ambient and wrought with tense melodies and sounds.  Other songs definitely consist of almost nothingness and aren't incredibly entertaining.  However, some of the more energetic songs such as "Flint March" and "Dust Shuffle" are incredibly dynamic and really get your pulse racing.  This album requires a bit more of a time commitment, but I don't think you'll be disappointed when you pick it up.  Take a listen here.  (Fun fact: Brian Eno's full name is Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno.  Win.)

In other news, some new music I've been looking forward to is actually coming out!  Possibly my most anticipated album of the year, "Lady Killer" by Cee-lo Green, is being released on November 2nd.  I've been looking forward to this album for some time and since I've gotten my hands on it early, I should have a review ready for the release date.  On to other things, Good Charlotte's new album, "Cardiology," has received lack luster reviews (surprise, surprise) and Neil Diamond's album of covers, "Dreams," has been receiving high reviews, averaging a 74 on Metacritic.  Some other albums to look forward to this week are Kid Cudi's "Man on the Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager" and Susan Boyle's "The Gift"... oh wait, don't look forward to that.

In closing, hopefully I can keep this segment running and keep you guys up-to-date with what I'm listening to with the radio.  Let me know what you think about this segment, your words will give me strength.  Look for the Cee-lo review and I will see you with new albums and music news next week!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Friends vs. Lovers

Alright, I'm on a roll, let's give you something else.

"I just wanna have sex with you!"
It's time to bring you that artist you're not listening to!  For a while, I haven't really been able to pick up something brand new and immediately start grooving to it.  And I'm not talking just plain grooving, we're talking funky grooving here.  Casxio's "Friends vs. Lovers" really surprised me.  Not only is it funky, but it's soulful, passionate, endearing, and down right sexy!  I mean, their front man, Lucas Guerin, is from France, how could this album NOT be sexy?  Guerin holds down lead vocals and bass and is accompanied by Saez (guitar), Choe (keyboard), and Schrock (drums) all of whom are from our side of the Atlantic.  "Friends vs. Lovers" is the first album released by the band and is also self-released.  Not only are they sexy, but they're hard working.

What really gets me going on about this album is that, while some of the songs may sound very similar, each and every song has its own sort of emotion.  The entire album can be summed up with a broad definition of "love," whether it be sex, heart ache, infatuation, or friendship.  However, there's deeper meaning to several of the songs, such as "Counting Squares" and "No Chance," which really tosses a wrench in the gears of the album, switching it up for listeners.  Some of the songs are a bit more straight forward, such as "I Just Wanna Have Sex With You," which is by far my favorite track, in particular because of how blunt and sexy it is.  The most impressive song on the album has to be "Counting Squares" which, while still following the general layout of the entire album, really manages to stand out because of its more rock oriented feel and the desperation in Guerin's voice as he shouts "This is my hand upon your waist! Oh, you still can't look me in the face!"

"Friends vs. Lovers" is definitely a great success for Casxio, especially considering that it's their self-released debut album.  While at first it may seem as though many of the songs sound incredibly similar and meld together, each song has its own flavor.  The songs do have a recurring theme, but rather than creating monotony, they create an epic story of funk, anguish, love, and sex.  Take a listen here.

Nothing

"Oh you're so perfect, don't you ignore me girl"
Well, unfortunately, October was a dry month.  I had good reason though, I promise!  Well... sort of.  School was killer and there wasn't a TON of music I was interested in.  Alright, a good portion of it was laziness.  However, here I come to give a new review!  Today, N.E.R.D. released their new album "Nothing," a follow up to their 2008 release "Seeing Sounds."  The band's iconic front man Pharrell Williams has been seen as a featured artist across popular music performing with artists such as Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Cee-lo Green among many others.  However, Pharrell came from humble beginnings with N.E.R.D. in 2001 with their highly rated debut album "In Search Of..."  Since then, N.E.R.D. has always been able to come up with sexy club thumping songs, as well as some more deep, meaningful songs.  However, while on the surface "Nothing" may seem to have the same formula, it lacks the depth their past albums have.

"Nothing" starts of with an up tempo song, "Party People," which reminds listeners of their trademark sound.  Other songs on here have this same sort of flavor, especially "Nothing On You" and the album's debut single "Hot-n-Fun."  However, the more "deep" songs lack the lyrical depth that Pharrell has been able to convey on past albums.  In particular, when thinking about N.E.R.D.'s more lyrically profound songs, "Stay Together" from "In Search Of..." comes to mind.  While it's a typical heart ache sort of song, its content is funky and playful.  However, the same type of songs on "Nothing" don't seem to carry the same meaning.  On the surface they seem a bit more heart felt, but only because the pace is more slowed down and Pharrell belts a few notes.  The lyrics aren't nearly as complex and don't really convey as much emotion as their past albums.

The one thing N.E.R.D. has never forgotten how to do though is how to make a club hit.  Several songs on this record can undoubtedly be on any DJ's play list and get people moving.  In particular, my favorite song on the album, "Perfect Defect," is a curious juxtaposition of their more heart felt and their more aggressive songs.  The beat is fast and rhythmic with a bit of a Latin flair, but then transitions into a sound that is reminiscent of several songs off of  "In Search Of...," such as "Baby Doll" and "Run to the Sun."  The lyrics are also a bit more complex due to the fact that for a good portion of the song Pharrell is rapping as opposed to serenading his female audience.  While N.E.R.D. still knows how to make a club hit, there's two essential elements they've lost from this album: their funny bone and their aggressive spirit.

One of the first thing I loved about N.E.R.D. when I listened to them back in the day was how pumped up they got me;  their songs "Lap Dance," "Truth Or Dare," and particularly "Rock Star Poser" (check out the link to see the music video.  It's pretty incredible) off of "In Search Of..." always got me ready to go start a fight and pick up some chicks.  When I started listening to their 2004 release "Fly Or Die" the same tone carried over with songs like "Thrasher" and "Don't Worry About It."  When they came out with "Seeing Sounds" in 2008 I was particularly impressed because they kept it going with songs such as "Anti Matter" and "Spaz."  Unfortunately, "Nothing" seems almost entirely void of this aggressive, sexy nature.  The closest they get to anything like that is with "Hot-n-Fun" which, honestly, I want to like, but I just can't; I really have a problem with Nelly Fertardo ever since she decided she was "sexy."  Oh, sorry, Nelly Furtado.  N.E.R.D. also seems to have lost their comedic element.  While it never stood out in the foreground of their music, they always managed to poke fun at themselves for being Star Trek fans and for how big Pharrell's nose was (At the end of "Stay Together" Pharrell calls a dating agency and describes himself as: "Three feet high, but I'm growing an Afro which makes me six feet.  I have a big nose, I have a pair of underwear, Fruit of the Looms, pulled all the way up to my chest, with a size 17 Chuck Taylor on." "17?!" "That's what I said.  17 mother fucker!  And that shit's gonna be turned up!").

While N.E.R.D. doesn't necessarily produce a bad album, they definitely don't live up to the standard of  their past albums.  I can't say there's nothing on the album I don't like because there are a good handful of songs I enjoy.  N.E.R.D. also always manages to be a master of walking the fine line between catchy and annoying beats.  But, they always manage to get stuck in my head and I end up loving it.  "Nothing" is definitely my least favorite of all of their albums so far, however, that could change.  When I first picked up "Seeing Sounds" I hated it.  Now, I find myself listening to it regularly.  Take a listen here.