April 2006
Record
Massive Attack
The Flaming Lips
Secret Machines
Placebo
Morrissey
The Vines
David Waxman Presents
Nous Non Plus
Blondie
The Adored
Gram Rabbit
Soledad Brothers
The DFA Remixes
Dirty On Purpose
Reviews
Massive Attack
Collected
Virgin
Massive Attack was one of the bands that got me back into music in the 1990s.
Their album Mezzanine was one of my favorites of all time. They were all
about great soul bands like Soul II Soul, and new rap music, and Massive Attack
was one of the first bands to mix singing with rap. They only put four albums in
fifteen years. Tricky and Mushroom left. It's always been high quality. This
collection includes one disc of the singles, one disc of rare tracks, and all
the videos. There is not much from the early days. Only "Unfinished Symphony"
for the first groundbreaking record, Blue Lines. The video is also here. It
has the band walking around on the streets of Los Angeles. It influenced a lot
of British videos of people walking on streets (The Verve for instance). Of
course there is a lot from Mezzanine: "Angel," and "Teardrop" (the video is
hard to watch). Some of the best songs and videos are "Risingson" and "Inertia
Creeps." The "protection" video by Michel Gondry was a vision of what was to
come for him. Some of the early videos Robert Del Naja and company look pretty
funky, but it's funny how Del Naja has a better haircut in each successive
video. The bonus disc has all these weird alternate tracks with people like
Madonna, Mos Def, Elizabeth Frazier, and others. Only one track from Danny The Dog
shows up here, as an afterthought. And then there are the videos. Massive
Attack always had some interesting videos. Being in this collection is much
better than the release of the DVD a few years ago. It was in a clear piece of
plastic and I lost it. Massive Attack looks like they will be back in the public
eye with an appearance at Coachella, and a new album in 1997. Look forward to
it. If you never heard of these guys, this is where to start.
The Flaming Lips
At War With The Mystics
Warner Bros
The Flaming Lips have become one of the most loved American bands recently.
They have put out two really great albums and have done massive tours. They are
a very entertaining band to watch. So they have been working on a movie. In
the meantime, they have released this new album. It is a very big departure for
them. They have moved on from the sound of Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi. Wayne
Coyne even sounds better vocally on this opus. "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" comes
off as being very weird and cool sounding. "Free Radicals" sounds like early
Prince. "The Sound of Failure" goes back to a Neil Young type of song.
Halfway into this album, you realize that there is some Pet Sounds type of vibe.
Some other cool songs are "It Overtakes Me" and "Mr. Ambulance Driver." There
is a cool bass sound on "It Overtakes Me." It's not even a nice sounding
song. Some of these songs explore early weirdness and experimentation. This album
is stranger than the last two. "The W.A.N.D." is another favorite. This is a
record by a band at the height of their powers. It has already hit the
American top ten, so that is good news.
Secret Machines
Ten Silver Drops
Reprise
I have been looking forward to this album for a while. Secret Machines have
been one of the best bands of the New York scene. It's always been about the
music and the live shows. They have done many successful tours and have released
a few records in their six-year history. Some of the heaviness of their first
album is gone. Now we have some cool guitar riffs and magical sounds. This
album is more about songwriting and stories. Many of the songs are about
alienation and loss, such as in the slow ballad opener "Alone, Jealous and Stoned."
One of their best songs ever is "Lightning Blue Eyes." This hot rocker is
just blistering and moving. "Daddy's In The Doldrums" reminds of their obsession
with Led Zeppelin, and also German rock. Another highlight is "I hate
Pretending." It has interesting rhythm and memorable lyrics. "Faded Lines" reminds
me of some of their early songs. Not many songs on this album go over five
minutes. These songs are tight. "I Want To Know" is more like glam rock. Overall
a really great record. This is one of the best albums of the year so far.
Secret Machines are a major act.
Placebo
Meds
Astralwerks
It's back to basics for Placebo. They have done a record like their first
two, raw and punk, and with the knowledge of having done the second two, which
were more electronic and heavily produced. Placebo have been around for ten
years, sold millions of records, and have an international following, but are
still a curiosity in America, where they have done five major tours. It's not so
much that they don't have fans here. They do. It's just that they put out
records and do one American tour and then disappear for a few years. Obviously
they are focusing on parts of Europe and South America where they have become one
of the biggest British bands of recent memory. Plus they have recently
released a lot of DVDs that show the band playing shows in France and elsewhere,
which are pretty impressive. MEDS might be their most accessible album ever.
"Meds" and "Infra-Red" are great songs that sure to be big singles. Alison
Mosshart of The Kills sings on "Meds." The third song "Drag" reminds me of songs
on their second album, Without You I'm Nothing. A departure is "Space Monkeys"
which sounds nothing like they have done before. "Follow The Cops Back Home"
is one of their ballads. One of the best songs is "Because I Want You."
Michael Stipe sings on "Broken Promise." It is a very moving song. Much better
than the Bowie collaboration from a few years ago. This is a pretty good record.
The last two somehow left you wanting more, but this one is right on. There
is also the special edition that includes a documentary about making the album.
There are a few live songs. A few demos are included. A very good package.
Morrissey
Ringleader of the Tormentors
Attack Records
It's good to see Morrissey back with an album so soon. He just had a live DVD
out. He has recently curated the Meltdown and bringing the New York Dolls
together was classic. While this album is not as good as You Are The Quarry,
it's pretty interesting. Yes, there are more songs about religion and how America
sucks. But there are a few standout tracks like "You Have Killed Me." The
song "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" reminds me of stuff from Viva Hate. I
can hear some T-Rex in "In The Future When All's Well." One of my favorites is
"The Father Who Must Be Killed." Yes, there is a lot of murder in this album.
Things get very dark on "Life Is A Pigsty." Bono doesn't seem to be writing
songs like this. I also love "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy." This is a
great song. This album therefore is four really great songs and some okay
moments. I am not sure how Tony Visconti figured into this record. He has been doing
some interesting records in the past. I feel that Morrissey is on a journey,
even though this album has feelings are finality to it. We want more.
The Vines
Vision Valley
Capitol
The Vines might have been the hottest band of 2002. They were among the
groups that started the new rock revolution: The White Stripes and The Strokes. And
to a lesser extent there was also the Hives and BRMC. The Vines toured
heavily and got burned out quickly. People were wondering about Craig Nicholls for
some time. Was he mentally damaged? Well, it's been a few years since their
lame second album and the band's meltdown. If you look around at the new crop of
British bands, they are not much like The White Stripes. The Arctic Monkeys
and The Cribs, and others, are like The Vines. They have been inspired by the
vision of Craig Nicholls. Songs like "Anysound" and "Fuck Yeh" have more in
tune with bands like Nine Black Alps than anything else. Those bands may be
neo-grunge, but they are also Vines worshippers. It's that don't give a fuck
attitude that Nicholls and company had. While the last album was a dud, the new
one here is quite refreshing. Many of the songs work in that Beatles or Nirvana
workshop. There are hard rock songs like "Gross Out" and soft ballads like
"Going Gone." I am glad The Vines are back.
David Waxman Presents
Ultra Electro
Ultra
Ultra has put out cool record for years. It is sometimes hard to talk about
them. Being a big fan of Electro, this one stands out of the pack for me. Sure
you have some great bands like Depeche Mode, Gorillaz, Ladytron, Goldfrapp,
and Moby. But you also have some new acts like Shiny Toy Guns and Daisy Daisy.
You also have some of the best remixers like DFA and Tommie Sunshine. Of course
Mylo and Jacques Lu Cont is on here as well. This is a jamming party mix.
It's two CDs and is full of surprises.
Nous Non Plus
Nous Non Plus
Aeronaut Records
This is a new band from France who did really well at Noise Pop. They used to
be called Les Sans Culottes. Out of the ashes of that band, we start this new
revolution. I caught the end of their set and wrongly thought that they were
a band that did a lot of cover songs like Stereo Total. I saw them do a song
by The Unicorns, and thought that this was their bag. But I find this record,
which has been out for a few months, and find the opposite is true. Nous Non
Plus has plenty of original songs. This is the best French band in a long while.
They have some cool songs like "One Night In Paris" and "Monokini." There
is a little jazz and a little punk, and a lot of rock and roll. This is le
bonne temps roulŽ. They have names like Celine Dijon and Jean-Luc Retard. This
band is sexy and entertaining. It is a great experience.
Blondie
Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision
Capitol
Blondie is one of the great bands from the NYC scene of the late 1970s. They
had a cool retro underground sound, but they were also capable of hits. They
hit the top of the charts several times in the US and UK. For five years they
were one of the biggest American bands. They were also one of the first rock
bands to artfully move into the reggae, disco, and rap genres. I first saw them
on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1976. When I moved to NYC twenty years
later, I used to see various members of the band hanging out downtown. It was a
surreal experience. Just last week I saw Frank Infante at a club. This was one of
the first cool bands that I got into before my brothers. There have been a
few greatest hits records from Blondie. This one celebrates their controversial
induction into the Hall of Fame. This one collects all their hit singles. Plus
in has the "In The Flesh" remix. This sounds like an Electroclash tune. It
also includes some newer material like "Maria" and "Good Boys." One of the
best tracks is the Blondie vs. The Doors mashup "Rapture Riders." This is
pretty good.
The Adored
A New Language
V2 Records
This is one of the big albums of the year. The Adored started out as an
aggressive pop-punk band. They were really into The Jam and The Buzzcocks. They
played a lot of shows supporting the Buzzcocks recently. They are cool looking as
band. On the album they have fleshed out the sound. They sound very full on
this. "Tell Me Tell Me" is a great single full of catchy hooks. There is a
range of songs and sounds. Ryan George has never been better as a singer. Some of
the best songs are "The Window" and "Weak Spot." It is very captivating and
appealing. The Adored are one of the best bands now going. They have the
stuff to make it to the top. I have seen them play several times in the past year
and they have one of the bets live shows.
Gram Rabbit
Cultivation
Stinky Records
Gram Rabbit are one of these strange bands that have popped up in the past
few years. I think they played Coachella last year. They are a talented bunch.
Many cool songs about life, death, Charles Manson, and bunnies. They have two
singers, both male and female. It's a little folk and a little psychedelic.
There is an electronic side to them too. Many songs sound like nursery rhymes.
There is a lot of cool atmosphere on these records. This is their second
release.
Soledad Brothers
The Hardest Walk
Alive Records
I remember their last record. I think it was a live record. It was pretty
good, but not a proper recording. Finally we have what I am talking about.
Soledad Brothers are one of the best bands from Detroit. Now they are reaching out
to the rest of the world. It's a lot of good old rock and roll. One of the best
songs is "Downtown Paranoia Blues." This record is a trip. It goes back and
forth between intensity and relaxation. It is a great album of roots rock and
powerful emotions.
The DFA Remixes
Chapter One
Astralwerks
The DFA is one of the most sought after production teams. I have been into
their stuff for quite a while. I have been playing these tracks for many years.
I sometimes moonlight as a DJ. Any of these tracks always go down well. Even
more exciting is LCD Soundsystem. That was my favorite record of last year. I
am not a big fan of Le Tigre, but this remix of "Deceptacon" is great. Other
things by Blues Explosion and Soulwax are interesting choices. Shows a little
range. The Chemical Brothers and Fischerspooner are some of my favorite groups.
Their remix of "Emerge" is very tight. Of course I have the 12-inch. Most of
these tracks are long. The most well known track here is "Dare" by Gorillaz.
There is also a bit by the new group Hot Chip. Excellent stuff.
Dirty On Purpose
Hallelujah Sirens
North Street Records
Dirty On Purpose are this cool band from Brooklyn. I saw the lead singer
walking around my old neighborhood of Williamsburg. They came out with an EP a few
years ago. It was promising. But now we have the full album. They are this
New York rock band that is sometimes psychedelic and sometimes into shoegazer
stuff. "No Radio" reminds me of Belle & Sebastian. "Always Looking" is one of
the best songs here. Sometimes they get spaced out like Mogwai on a few songs.
Dirty On Purpose are an original band, and this is their strongest record
yet. I look forward to their live show.
Alexander Laurence
