October 16, 2020

October 23, 2020 ZackLeave a comment

The Struts – Strange Days (Interscope)

I am in love with this record.

Is it great? No, not really.

Is it profound? Oh, good lord, no!

Is it Kiss with a frontman who can sing? YES!

The title track opens the album and features Robbie Williams’s unbelievable pipes, and is the least Kiss-like track on the entire presentation. From that point on, Strange Days is a non-stop festival of power chords, wailing vocals, songs with almost no substance, and a whole lot of volume. IT MUST BE PLAYED LOUD. It loses so much if it’s not just ripping through the speakers.

And honestly, it’s just that kind of music. What kind of mole-person listens to Kiss softly? No one!

Oh, the icing on the cake of this leather-vested glam-rock magnum opus? A cover of “Do You Love Me”, by…oh, you get it by now.

There are plenty of other tracks to get your hair moving though. “All Dressed Up (With Nowhere To Go)” is reminiscent of “Hot Blooded”, “Wild Child” features Tom Morello, doing his thing, and “Cool” has elements of Jet and early Mooney Suzuki. There’s a whole lot of distortion to be had here, and none of the tracks are skip-worthy. Give yourself a party and jam this loud.

FFO: The Darkness, KISS, Jet

J-J-J-J-JR

October 9, 2020

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 ZackLeave a comment

Travis – 10 Songs (BMG)

As most bands that have been around for several decades, Scotland’s Travis’s has changed their sound quite a bit over the years. Or, to put it more appropriately, they have added to their various sounds. From their debut album, Good Feeling, to this release, 10 Songs, you can hear additional layers along the way. You’ll remember Travis from their big singles, “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” and “Sing”, but they have far more wrinkles than that – both literally and figuratively. If 10 Songs marked their final album, it would be a fitting culmination of all that they have learned and tried throughout the years.

You have noisy 90s-esque track “Valentine”, early-00’s piano rock tracks “A Million Hearts” and “No Love Lost”, and late-00’s indie jams “A Ghost” and “Kissing in the Wind”. It’s a pretty wide swath to cut through an album, but it works – thanks to an undeniable chemistry. Travis’s composition has remained unchanged since 1996, and it shows.

The four-piece has an effortless sound. They shine vocally, with Fran Healy leading the charge. The harmonies are few and far between, but perfect every time. As far as specific tracks, I was very fond of “A Ghost”, a track about seeing the spirit of what you once were, and how to get back to that. The ending track, “No Love Lost”, speaks on feeling like shit, but still getting after it nonetheless. Both songs – as well as several others – touch on that concept, getting through life even when life throws up roadblocks. In that way, it’s a very inspirational listen. And 10 Songs is a very, very good listen to boot.

10 Songs is the perfect pandemic record, which is amazing considering that most of it was written before the pandemic. Travis has proven that they can still strike a perfect chord with their music, some 23 years and change after their debut. Well done, Travis.

FFO: Coldplay, Keane, The Fray, Semisonic

Podcast: The Fourteenth – Monday Morning Songs

October 15, 2020December 4, 2020 ProducerLunchboxLeave a comment

It’s top five time again on the pod and things get weird as all three guys have a different definition of what a “Monday morning” song even is.

Jeremy’s Top 5 Monday Morning Songs:

5. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Come To Daddy

October 2, 2020

October 9, 2020October 16, 2020 ZackLeave a comment

Jonsi – Shiver (KRUNK)

A crystalline disc is placed on the spinning dais, diamond dagger poised to strike. Heedless of its fragility, awaiting death beneath the fangs of an insatiable predator, Shiver prepares for the torture of an endless cycle of surface cuts.

Sorry, I think I blacked out for a moment.

Simultaneously understated and heavily acclaimed, Icelandic experimentalist Jonsi is best known for his ambient walls of sonic beauty with Sigur Ros, as well as his soundtrack work.

For Shiver, he doesn’t stray too far from the relaxed tightrope of heartstrings that make up the Sigur Ros catalogue. The songs are fragile, held together only by the sheer strength of will engrained in every fiber. “Sumario sem aldrei kom” is a middle-of-the-album track that clearly expresses the ambient power that we’re used to from him.

Not everything is in quite as familiar territory, however. “Korall” combines the techniques with a newfound love of static-based life forms and chaos demons, while “Wildeye” and “Salt Licorice (w/ Robyn)” give in to the recesses of an unhinged state of mind.

As much as I love Sigur Ros, this is much more my speed. With no expectation of sticking to a particular aesthetic, Jonsi is letting his personal idioms do whatever the hell they want.

FFO: AWOLNATION, Thom Yorke, Sigur Ros

-JR

September 25, 2020

October 2, 2020October 16, 2020 ZackLeave a comment

Deftones – Ohms (Reprise)

On their 9th studio album, Chino, Abe, Frank, Sergio, and Stephen have decided to maintain the persona they carefully crafted in 1995 with Adrenaline. I’m not sure how much I’m going to be able to say about them at this point, but it’s worth a shot.

Here’s the biggest thing: you know what you’re going to get when you buy a new Deftones record. The tone is set before songwriting even begins, piling on the anger, angst, and disgust in equal measure. Stephen’s signature style of riffing with no flourish and crushing drops is going to give you new meanings to the word juxtaposition. The drums are going to plod along until the moments where the oddball fill jolts him awake and makes a 45 degree turn on the downbeat. Chino’s voice is going to be filtered through as many effects as they can find before finally settling on “tin can at the end of a garden hose” as the desired output.

Oh, did I forget to point out that it’s amazing? I did? Dammit, I buried the lead again. Let’s start fresh.

There’s a good reason Deftones has outlived the majority of Nu-metal. They never fail to deliver. The angst on Ohms is in the nature of calling for resistance (get it? Ohms = resistance?) Whether that’s fighting against internal demons (most of the record) or struggling against unnamed forces (“Urantia”, “Radiant City”), they connect with the emotions of battle.

It’s also super-rare that the bassist, any bassist, gets to provide more melodic movement than any other member of the band, including the vocalist. So, if for no other reason, check it out.

Oh, look! I found things to say.

FFO: Glassjaw, Chevelle, Chore

-JR

Podcast the Thirteenth: September 2020 in Review

October 1, 2020October 15, 2020 ProducerLunchboxLeave a comment

Another month, another batch of music to review and/or lampoon.

Zack’s Top 3 Albums of the Month

3. Tim Heidecker – Fear of Death
2. Big Sean – Detroit 2

Detroit 2 was released nearly 8 years to the day of the release of Big Sean’s fourth mixtape, Detroit. Back then, Sean was doing it: his first studio album, Finally Famous, had dropped the year prior. A week after Detroit would be the release of Cruel Summer, a compilation album showcasing several G.O.O.D. Music artist, including Sean on two smashers: Clique and Mercy. He was still with his high-school sweetheart too.

Fast-forward to today: Detroit 2 is Big Sean’s sixth studio album, and he hasn’t slowed down a lick. He’s quietly made a name for himself as one of the best rappers in the game. And, like all the greats do, he spans a variety of topics on Detroit 2, without holding anything back. Whether it’s the diagnosis of his heart condition on “Lucky Me”, the squashing of the apparent non-beef with Kendrick Lamar on “Deep Reverence”, or the vulnerable matters-of-the-heart jam “Guard Your Heart”, Sean puts it all out on the table.

The Hit Songs of September 2020

October 1, 2020 ProducerLunchboxLeave a comment

This was a better than expected month for chart debuts. Don’t get me wrong, there was still some bad, but less than normal and the bad all have the same thing in common: they’re boring as hell.

15. Internet Money ft. Don Tolliver, Gunna and Nav – Lemonade
Have you heard a hip hop song before? Are you familiar with all the clichés about all the riches that these rappers that you’ve never heard of brag about on their songs? Good, you’ve got the content of this one covered. They mention drugs a lot too, which makes sense because the track sounds like someone fed Ableton all the Quaaludes then told it to spit out an acoustic guitar backed beat. There’s seriously not much to this song and even less when you factor in how damn boring the beat is.

The Best Hit Songs of 1991

September 25, 2020September 24, 2020 ProducerLunchboxLeave a comment

Hopefully, you’ve returned to day with the promise of some good music from 1991. Not one to disappoint, that’s what we’re here to do.

We’ll start out with a group of songs that just missed out on a spot in the top 10. There was quite a log jam of scores just outside the top 10, further proving what I said before that 1991 was an odd year of a lot of decent:
– Wilson Philips – You’re in Love – I put it to you that this is a better track than their more well known “Hold On”.
– Bonnie Raitt – Something To Talk About – A classic bluesy rock track, Raitt’s voice is so smooth, its the butter on top of this song.
– Sting – All This Time – A reflection on the passing of his farther, this track is quite upbeat given the subject and is driven by a solid Hammond organ piece.
– Roxette – Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave) – Great guitarwork in the background of a powerhouse piece of pop.
– Extreme – Hole Hearted – Great piece of acoustic rock, punctuated with vocal and instrumental harmonies.
And after all those we are finally into the countdown.

10. Oleta Adams – Get Here – Year-end: #80, Peak: #5

September 18, 2020

September 25, 2020October 16, 2020 ZackLeave a comment

Napalm Death – Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Destruction (Century Media)

The inventor-creators of Grindcore have come back. The 5 years since their last release had a number of enthusiasts concerned about their well-being, seeing as how this is the longest gap between albums since they first published Scum in 1987.

If you are unfamiliar with Napalm Death, clearly you are new to metal. But that’s okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. They have been admired and respected by all in the industry for over 30 years. The best way I can describe their unique style and delivery is: semi-melodic, quasi-demonic, febrile chaos. While sounding positively evil, the most recent release is taking furious, amphetamine-laced punches at the current social and political state of things.

As one of only 2 bands I can think of that has a song that clocks in at less than 1 second (the other one is The Electro Hippies), it is sort of refreshing to witness them doing an entire LP with reasonable-lengthed songs. 15 songs – 51 minutes. That’s downright radio-friendly! Let’s get these guys on the charts.

Song length aside, Napalm Death has kept their signature, iconic grind intact. Fast-moving guitar riffage with little to no lead work, utterly devilish vocals that would rip a lesser throat to shreds, and drums that are so relentlessly punishing that my gut hurts just thinking about it.

A strange point on the record is the surprisingly accessible and straightforward “Amoral”, a middle-of-the-album banger that displays their ability to create. It stands out because it has more in common with acts like The Melvins. It has…structure and…melody.

Whoah, it felt weird to write that. Oh, good. We’re okay. The title track follows it up with blistered corpse-fire and demonic torture.

While this might be one of their most accessible recordings lo’ these 34 years, it isn’t their best and it is far from their worst. Actually, if you ARE new to them, this is a perfect place to start. If you’re an OG Grindcore fan, first take a shower before your neighbor thinks you’re dead, then crank this up.

FFO: Terrorizer, Carcass, The Locust

-JR

The 10 Worst Hit Songs of 1991

September 24, 2020September 24, 2020 ProducerLunchboxLeave a comment

The next installment of my project to review the year-end Hot 100’s of every year of my existence takes us to a kind of K-T line for pop music. 1991 was a very interesting year in that music is on the brink of a major shift, so the rules are kind of different. Dance pop rules the airwaves, hair metal is making its last gasps at life and soft rock is king. The charts are just kind of… weird. After listening to the top 100 songs on the charts from that year I think the best way to describe 1991 is meh. There were few songs that I would term “bad”, but there’s not a ton of “great” either. The middle ground, however, is packed with singles of all stripes. With that in mind, here’s how the bottom of my rankings shaped up. If you want to see Billboard’s full list, you can click here.

Before we really dive into the list, here’s a few tracks that were just good enough to miss the bottom 10:
– The Escape Club – I’ll Be There – Some shaky vocals on an otherwise lifeless track, even for an early 90’s ballad.
– UB40 – Here I Am (Come and Take Me) – Pretty standard reggae cover that manages to drain all the soul and feeling from the original.
– Warrant – I Saw Red – Written after the lead singer caught his girlfriend in bed with Richie Sambora, it’s weak sauce given the subject. It takes two-and-a-half minutes to get to any shred of a passion in the vocals.
– Paula Abdul – The Promise of a New Day – Man, are the back-up vocals distracting and not in a good way. Add the weird synth bells and you a track musically trying way too hard.