10 ‚Äì “Like I Died (Remix)” by Tech N9ne featuring Krizz Kalico
From The Lost Scripts of K.O.D. [EP]
Krizz Kalico has been slowly forcing me to pay attention to him. With his work with the Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne, (along with KC sports writer Jason Whitlock constantly plugging his records whenever he hosts the Jim Rome Show), I’m finally ready to let these guys into my wheelhouse. Aside from my love for Busta Rhymes and Method Man, I usually prefer a less aggressive hip-hop. Not necessarily because I’m against rappers dropping their multiple N-bombs or my aversion to the Look-At-Me style of rap; I’m just more attuned to a funky back-beat and more involved music than guys like Dr. Dre and T.I. usually have time for. Give me K-os and Chali 2na anyday. (here’s the original for comparison’s sake)

09 – Love Reign O’er Me by Bettye Lavette
From Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
Frenchies take a decent pounding in my movie reviews. Mainly for being French. But they get my love here for keeping our icons alive. For whatever reasons, they really love our old jazz and Motown over there, and it’s allowed for a largely unsuccessful 60s Motown singer like Lavette to make a career out of her underappreciated music. Back in 2005 Bettye Lavette made her huge comeback with a covers album called I‚Äôve Got My Own Hell to Raise where she sang soulful, bluesy versions of an eclectic grouping of songs like Sinead O‚ÄôConnor‚Äôs ‚ÄúI Do Not Want What I Have Not Got‚Äù and Dolly Parton‚Äôs ‚ÄúLittle Sparrow.‚Äù (and especially Lucinda Williams’ “Joy”) Her version of The Who‚Äôs “Love Reign O‚Äôer Me‚Äù just continues her brand of ingenious interpretation.

08 – “Glitter Freeze” by Gorillaz
From Plastic Beach
I love this band. I love Damon Albarn. Everthing the dude does is perfect. I love Blur and Gorillaz, and The Good the Bad and the Queen (with DJ Dangermouse). I love the soundtrack to Ravenous. But, I didn‚Äôt love this album. When their self-titled record came out back in ‚Äô01, I wasn‚Äôt ready for it. I hated it in fact. I dug ‚ÄúClint Eastwood‚Äù with De La Soul, but I didn‚Äôt get what they were doing. In fact, I asked my parents for the new System of a Down instead. That was more my speed. I got a few cds for Christmas that year. Toxicity and DMX‚Äôs Great Depression and whatever was new from They Might Be Giants. You see where I was coming from? But I get it now. And I love it. Demon Days is one of my favorite records, and I‚Äôm hoping this is just a phase. We‚Äôre 40 years out now, but I hear it was difficult coming to terms with the new Beatles albums as they came out brand new. I‚Äôm not saying Damon Albarn is John Lennon (yes I am), but I‚Äôm betting I come around to eventually love the album. As it is, “Glitter Freeze” is hype and techno-y and fun.

07 – “This Too Shall Pass” (Marching Band Version) by OK GO
From Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
I‚Äôm not really a fan of OK GO. Not at all in fact ‚Äì too clever for their own good. It‚Äôs a theme I‚Äôm noticing with bands featuring dudes who shop at Hot Topic. No telling whether or not I‚Äôll like their music, but I‚Äôm betting they get too cutesy. But I‚Äôm a snob. So screw me. These dudes got famous for that cool treadmill vid, and have been doing their best to one-up themselves ever since, and they get my vote. Their videos are cool, and it‚Äôs damn near an event when they come out with a new one. The official video for the single ‚ÄúThis Too Shall Pass‚Äù is that¬†other cool vid with the giant Rube Goldberg machine. Check it. It’s awesome. And the machine is great. I just like the version with the horns more. Lionel would be proud.

06 – “Pain” by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse featuring Iggy Pop
From Dark Night of the Soul
I don’t know much about Sparklehorse; the wiki tells me they’re a two-man indie rock group with a  few albums. They sound interesting. I’ll check ‘em out in 2011. But for now, they only have my attention because of DJ Danger Mouse. I’ve been on Danger’s trail since the first Gnarls Barkley album. I backtracked a bit to get his collaboration with Brooklyn rapper Jemini, subsequently learned he produced the second Gorillaz album, Demon Days, and have been snapping up whatever he does (except Broken Bells – a collaboration between Danger and the lead singer of The Shins. Music is subjective, and lead vocals are a big indicator for me, and James Mercer just doesn’t do it for me. Much love to Broken Bells though, as they’ve had a great 2010.) So I stumble on this album with Sparklehorse and see they have a song with Strokes lead singer Julian Casablancas, and I’m all over it. But Iggy goes all David Bowie here and steals the show. And I always love noisy-ass guitars.

Break time!

2010 for me was also a year of catching up. So, it’s not 2010, but it’s new to me:
The Ting Tings performed on Saturday Night Live on January 16, 2010. So while their album actually came out in June 2008, I was outta the loop. They do that British pop sound pretty good, and I really dig Katie White’s vocals. And if it were valid, “That’s Not My Name” would totally be top 5 on this list.

Also Julian Casablancas! I just mentioned he‚Äôs the lead singer of The Strokes (who I just got into this year), and while the band has been taking time off since their 3rd LP in ‚Äô06, JC has been recording with various artists and dealing with alcoholism. Fun! And in November ‚Äô09 he released an 8-track solo album called Phrazes for the Young which I didn‚Äôt learn about til a month or 2 ago, and “4 Chords of the Apocalypse” is my favorite from it.

Other stuff? I spent 2010 catching up on the 3 albums from The Strokes, and also learning what all the fuss has been about regarding Tom Waits. I knew Tom Waits from his acting. He‚Äôs badass in Domino, Coffee and Cigarettes, Wristcutters: A Love Story and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and what do ya know, his music is awesome too. Love his comp album Beautiful Maladies and just about everything else I can get my hands on. But shit happens right? The same day I finally find a “slightly used” copy of his 3-disc epic b-side release, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, is the exact same day my car stereo decides to eat the next cd I give it. That was in JUNE. Effing cd player still won‚Äôt eject it. I know, I‚Äôm lame and should just take it to someone less retarded than me, but if you‚Äôre thinking that, you obviously don‚Äôt know how lazy I am.

05 – “Sinister Kid” by The Black Keys
From Brothers
Take your pick man. Seriously. This is one of the best albums of the year, and just about any song on it could’ve made this list. The Black Keys do what they do, and what they do is release album after album with cool, cool tunes. They’re a couple of dudes from Akron who really seem to have a ton of fun making music. They get compared to The White Stripes a lot for the same reasons that Peyton Hillis gets compared to Mike Alstott a lot, but it’s sort of unfair to both bands. I go with “Sinister Kid” ‘cause I love that Sly and the Family Stone sound. I wish I had more to say about these guys. They’re awesome, and even though the Grammy’s haven’t been relevant since before MTV, here’s hoping they sweep.

04 – “When Universes Collide” by Gogol Bordello
From Transcontinental Hustle
The higher up this list I’m getting, the less and less I have to say. I’m learning that the more I love something, the worse I am at conveying my opinion of it. Yeh? So I’ll tell a story! I got lucky finding this band. Living in Rochester at the time (which was traumatic enough), I had a crazy fight with my wife. It was the one and only time we yelled at each other, and I just needed to take a drive man. I got in the car and started cooling off, and I turned a corner and there was a used music store. So I went in still a little pissed and ready to spend some vengeance money, and I picked up an Atari Teenage Riot [EP] and this bright yellow (ooh pretty colors!) album called Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike. I’m into punk, sounds angry, do it. And it was this awesome blend of eastern European folk music and punk rock, and all of a sudden, I’m feeling great and speeding home to put it on for my wife. Named after the Russian author Nikolai Gogol, they’re a totally awesome band out of NYC with crazy ass live shows, and I swear, every album is better than the last. In fact, if you like “When Universes Collide,” I’d almost advise you check out Gypsy Punks and Super Taranta! (their 2nd album) first in case those 2 lose their luster.

03 – “Fuck You” by Cee-Lo Green
From The Lady Killer
Like I mentioned, I’m not a big fan of pop, but dammit, sometimes they get it right. Cee-Lo’s classic use of Motown grooves knocked me on my butt the first time I heard it. Which was a whole lot later than everyone else I think. I don’t listen to the radio … ever. (<- that’s a lie. Diane Rehm and Jim Rome are two of my favorite people in the world) I don’t even remember why I heard this song for the first time anyway. My wife probably recommended it. But being a fan of Cee-Lo’s work with Danger Mouse in Gnarls Barkley (and even back to the Goodie Mob days) I checked it out on YouTube and must have watched the video a dozen times. He’s got that unique song-writing ability to take a horribly, unfair and tragic life experience and set it to music to dance and laugh about (see also “Last Kiss” by J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers). It’s cathartic as hell, and bubble-gummy and friggin awesome.

02 – “I’m New Here” by Gil Scott-Heron
From I’m New Here
I’ve got no real angle here, but just like with Bettye Lavette, it’s awesome to see a music veteran disappear for decades and then re-emerge with a bang. Gil Scott-Heron got semi-famous in the 70s and 80s with his political takes on his jazz/spoken word albums that were part rapping, part singing and part melodic talking. His best-known song is probably “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” and while he’s been fairly influential in the development of rap and hip-hop, has been largely ignored by the rest of the music world. In fact, the only reason I know anything about him at all is because of the British techno duo Underworld. Underworld put out a compilation album back in 2003 of songs influential to their style (as a part of the “Back to Mine” series) and included “B Movie” by GSH as the opening track. It’s 12 minutes of genius political satire, and it made me an immediate fan. This song sort of reminds me of Johnny Cash’s Rick Rubin produced cover of “Hurt” that came out just before Cash died (or even Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “Call Me Brujo” from the Best of the Bizarre Sessions in 2000). I’m not saying GSH is on death’s door, but it definitely has that “looking back” quality that kind of makes you wish you knew more about him.

01 – “Snow” by The Chemical Brothers
From Further
Call me biased. If it’s a year where the Chems release an album, there’s a pretty good chance that one of its songs will be my favorite of the year. So here you have it. The Chems have proven with every album that they really can do it all. In fact, they even contributed three songs to the Black Swan soundtrack. The movement and evolution from track to track on the new album is rhythmic and primal and yet still perfectly crafted and intricate. “Snow,” being the first track (borrowing from the immortal Jackie Wilson!), sets the ground work, and really, I understand if this doesn’t work for most people as a great song. But try to think of it the same way that I first heard it; I love this band; I take time off work to drive to Best Buy when a new Chems record hits the shelves; and hearing the first track off a new album is less like listening to music and more like reconnecting with a long-lost best friend. Further is just another example of greatness by the kings of big beat music. It features 8 songs that work perfectly as a unit, and are still awesome one at a time. I’m in danger of going all gushy here (yeah, even more than I already have), so I’ll just say, this is my favorite song of my favorite songs of the year, and I hope you like them!

Ozzy has a very devoted following.  I’m certain that I’ve angered some of them in the handful of sentences in that first paragraph up there.  I am honestly being as objective as I can here.  I have no agenda of hate against Ozzy Osbourne.  His work with Black Sabbath, as well as his first batch of solo records are absolutely untouchable.  They are the stuff legends are made of, which he most certainly is.  What upsets me is that he’s allowed himself to become a self-parody.  He’s content with continuing to produce records that are clearly just cash grabs.  Ozzy can’t possibly believe that what he’s doing is any good, can he?  When you’re surrounded with a bunch of yes men and perhaps the greediest, most disgustingly controlling marital counterpart in the history of metal, then it’s totally possible for him to actually believe that.

I could really go on forever about this.  I could rant about Sharon Osbourne deciding to re-record bass parts on older albums with cheaper hired guns with the sole intention being screwing the original members out of royalties.  I could piss and moan about his shitty tour that passes through every major city in the summer in which millions of teenagers throw away their parents money in exchange for the privilege to pay $7 (parental money also) for a bottle of water.  I could write 2500 words on why The Osbournes television show did nothing but cause cancer.  I’m not going to do that though.  I don’t have to.  The new album, ‘Scream’ is worse than all of that combined.  If there was ever an album that you should actively seek out in a record store, steal, and take a nice steaming dump on, then this would be it.  Seriously.  When Scream is released, take your ass down to the local Best Buy and commence with the defecation.  If you prefer to obtain your musical content digitally, then load up iTunes and do your thing.  Don’t do it on the family computer though.

So how does this shake out, you ask?  Let me begin with the only positive about it.  The album ENDS with the best track called, ‘I Love You All’.  Don’t get sentimental on me though, the only thing Ozzy really loves is the crack Sharon Osbourne dangles in front of his face to get him to go on stage.   Despite the heaping dose of cheese ’I Love You All’ lays on, it’s actually the best part of the entire album.  It’s Ozzy emulating The Beatles melodically speaking, and he really nails it.  ’For all these years you’ve stood by me/God bless, I love you all’, Ozzy says.  For a moment my hatred almost melted away.  But the damage had already been done.  The album starts with the irony train rolling loudly into fucking town in the form of ’Let it Die’.  ’I’m a rockstar/I’m a diva/I’m a servant/I’m a dealer’.  It’s got a heavy, plodding beat with a sort of electronic padding to it.  Then the chorus hits which features every major chord ever used in a metal chorus.  Did I fail to mention that Zakk Wylde is no longer the guitarist for Ozzy?  I did, didn’t I?  I have my own issues with Mr. Wylde, but there is no doubt he is the only fit for Ozzy.  Remember Down to Earth?  That was the last Zakk-less Ozzy record and it was a certified abomination.

I should clarify.  Down to Earth featured songs written by Zakk, just not performed by.  This album is an entirely different story.  Nothing is written or played by Zakk.  It’s all guitar virtuoso Gus G. doing the work here.  Gus G. is the current guitar player, and he instantly establishes that he has absolutely no musical identity.  Gus has been affiliated with Arch Enemy, Firewind and Dream Evil.  All complete garbage.  I understand that Ozzy wanted something different on this new record, being with Zakk so long.  But this guy?  The charming thing about Zakk Wylde was always the fact that he not only had the talent, but also the riffing chops.  Gus G.  has provided us with, without a doubt, the most generic riffing of any Ozzy album.  It’s flat out shameful.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Ozzy hooks back up with Zakk for the next 37 solo Ozzy records.  Mark my words.

And now we’re onto the title track, ‘Scream’.  Ozzy wants to ‘hear you scream like you want it/let me hear you yell like you mean it’.  Ozzy finally wrote a song (I use the term ‘wrote’ very fucking loosely) centered around how he acts on the stage.  It’s all the man does.  He runs around clapping his hands over his head begging the crowd to scream at him and shower him with praise.  These antics would almost be kind of cute and cuddly and rather endearing if Sharon Osbourne wasn’t offstage with a cattle prod with Ozzy’s name on it waiting to give him a good jolt if he didn’t continue prancing like a fucking idiot.

And just as quickly as the album starts, it’s already over.  The mixture of lame and well-worn territory it covers is enough to drive any metal fan that isn’t mildly retarded crazy.  I’d love to get into the rest of it with you here, but there’s really nothing to get into.  Listen for yourself, I’m not exaggerating here.  The album drones on and on with absolutely no highlights to speak of.  The rest is really a mix of power ballads and stock metal riffing.  It’s the biggest waste of time in the last decade of metal.  I’ve heard all of the scales, I’ve heard all of the progressions, I’ve heard all of the beats and I…..fuck.  This has all been done and it’s frighteningly repetitive.  Let me try and put this thing into perspective for you.  I’d rather listen to any Linkin Park CD on repeat until the day I fucking die than ever hear ’Scream’ again.  There is no redemption here.  It’s pure, unchecked, burning AIDS.

Please stop, Ozzy.

I like to believe I keep myself pretty current on most things pop-culture.  Problem is, I don’t really bother keeping up with actual ‘pop’ music.  That’s probably why this Justine Bieber came out of nowhere for me in the past few months.  Did I say Justine?  I apologize.  He’s a somewhat effeminate prepubescent little guy, easy mistake to make.  Actually, as of this review he’s probably hit puberty.  Congratulations Justin! Enjoy your newfound awkwardness! I’m sorry, I hope you don’t mind if I listen to this CD while I write this.  I’ve really got to keep the volume low though because I don’t exactly want to send the wrong message to those that reside in the apartment here with me.  I don’t want to spend half an hour explaining this shit.  The more I rationalize the creepier I’ll get.  Let’s move on.

Ok, so, back to the Bieb.  I call him that.  Work with me.  Everyone (but me until recently) pretty much knows the kid’s story.  He was discovered on YouTube, hooked up with Usher and then BAM he was cranking out the sweetest, sweet pop sweetness you’ve ever heard.  He’s pretty much the male answer to Miley Cyrus.  Now, the cool thing here is that he was not launched into stardom by American Idol, or some other asshat reality show talent search.  People liked his YouTube videos, and that got him his current gig.  I think that’s pretty awesome.  I can get on board with it.  His manager had him keep releasing intentionally crappy ‘homemade’ videos as a way to get him more pub before really breaking him wide open to the public.  That’s just a tad shady and dishonest, but that’s what managers do.

Shit, hold on.  My fucking SONG is on right now.  Yeah, Bieb.  Work that shit.  Oh, how rude of me.  Allow me to reprint the passage of this song that is moving me so.  It’s from, ‘Up’ and it fucking speaks to me, man:

We make the sun shine in the moonlight
We can make the gray clouds into blue skies
I know its hard
But baby believe me
That we can go

That is powerful, profound stuff, people.  We can go NOWHERE but up, guys.  Quit worrying about your stressful jobs or whether or not you‘re going to be able to pay the rent because you blew the last bit of cash you had on that 8-ball.  The Bieb knows that shit is going to be ok, and that should be all you need.   He’s also a relationship expert.  Ever feel like you just can’t get it right with your significant other?  Well so does Justin.  From ‘Stuck in the Moment’:

See like Adam & Eve
Tragedy was our destiny
Like Sonny & Cher
I don’t care I got you baby

I don’t know about you, but I’m not aware of anyone else on the current pop landscape that can namedrop Adam & Eve in a break-up tune.  If you’re not convinced at this point that J-Bieb is the real deal, then I don’t know what will convince you.  Oh, I get it.  Some of you don’t really care about his little pretty boy persona he’s got going and require a more ‘hardcore’ approach to music.  Well hold onto your dicks, people, because Beibs has what you need.  How about a track with Ludacris guesting on it?  Biebster says you are WELCOME:

Oh I was starstruck
She woke me up daily
Don’t need no Starbucks
She made my heart pound

Are you guys digesting any of this?  Ludacris doesn’t need fucking Starbucks because his woman is a substitute for caffeine!  I had something like that going with an old girlfriend once.  I didn’t drink coffee for like 2 whole days. I could sit here and just keep riffing on how great Justin Bieber is, honestly.  I’m not joking when I say that I’ve listened to My World 2.0 three times through just for the sake of this review.   That isn’t counting the time I’ve had it going while I’m writing this either.  If you’re not one of the 200 million Americans or Canadians that have already purchased My World or My World 2.0, then get your ass on iTunes and do yourself a favor.  The Bieb loves you, so show him some love back.  Unless of course you’re a jerk and you’re not into being enlightened by a 16 year old girl with a penis.

Mini Reviews!!

Taking Woodstock -

It’s got Demetri Martin as the kid who was apparently the catalyst for the original Woodstock happening where it did.  The movie is just ‘ok’.  It won’t anger you or anything, but it’s just so fucking middle of the road and really bland.  It certainly thinks it’s a lot deeper than it really ends up being.  Ang Lee directs so at least it looks pretty!  All the psychedelic shit is pretty rad, but other than…eh don’t bother.

Alice in Wonderland -

If you’ve seen some of my recent facebook or twitter updates you probably guessed that I hated this movie.  I’ve cooled off a little bit on it after thinking for the last few days.  Yes, the cgi is offensively bad most of the time and yes Tim Burton can suck a fat one, but I don’t outright hate it anymore.  It’s just too plain and boring to even be worth getting upset about.  It’s a harmless, stupid little movie.  SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT: Johnny Depp dances this silly little hip-hop inspired dance in the end.  Even if I were on board with this movie, that would’ve negated the entire thing.  I hate you, Tim Burton.  I still love you, Johnny Depp.  Even though that dance was really, really awful.

I’ve already filled my hyperbole quota for this write up but there’s more coming. ¬†Look I won’t beat around the bush, I’m a pretty big fan of this guy if you couldn’t tell. ¬†So needless to say, my expectations were riding ridiculously high. ¬†The show was at the recently renovated Austin Music Hall, which ended up being rather intimate. ¬†Opening for Conan was a gentleman named Reggie Watts. ¬†I’d never heard of the guy before and when he walked out, the wife and I looked at each with the same “is this guy for real?” expression. ¬†But I knew as soon as he mentioned smearing applesauce on titties, I was sold. ¬†Here’s a video for his song “Fuck-Shit Stack,” which I’ll add he performed ¬†including his own live dubs-

And then things went crazy as The Legally Prohibited Band performed two numbers, with La Bamba, Jerry Vivino and Mark Pender running through the crowd during the second one. ¬†Then we heard Andy Richter announce the man, and the house went crazy. ¬†What followed was a video of Conan, complete with a Gandalf length beard and huge distended belly, lying on his back with empty beer bottles and pizza boxes littered around him. ¬†The video went on to show a montage of Conan preparing for the tour. ¬†Conan then appeared on stage, donning a custom University of Texas Football jersey, and raising his hand to form a pair of longhorns. ¬†It was at this point in the evening I wish I had brought an extra pair of trousers. ¬†Need I remind you, this is maybe ten minutes into the show and I’d felt as if Mr. O’Brien had already made love to me. ¬†Ok, I’ll stop. ¬†My god he’s dreamy. ¬†Ok, seriously.

So he began the show with an extended monologue, much like the beginning of his shows. ¬†The difference was he had a lot of jokes written specifically for Austin, which I thought was pretty cool. ¬†The main one I recall was Coco poking fun at the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan. ¬†He argued that the very act of trying to make something weird or manufacturing strange directly contradicts the phrase. ¬†Conan tried to imagine the city council meeting where the main focus was to establish said weirdness and the struggles a city would find therein. ¬†I’m hacking the joke to bits here, but it ruled.

From there the show was littered with musical interludes from Conan and the band. ¬†Eventually Andy Richter shared the stage in his sidekick capacity and was completely awesome. ¬†Pretty much the first thing he said, in regards to Austin, was, “I’ve gotten really fucked up in this town.” ¬†Andy was extremely liberal with his use of the word “fuck” throughout the night. ¬†Not that I mind, but I’m sure there were some that were completely shocked.

I’ve come to the point in this write up where I can’t really remember the order of events but here were the remaining highlights from the show-

• Deon Cole, a writer for Conan’s Tonight Show, did a set of his jokes. ¬†Some of them were rehashed from his numerous appearances on TV but he was able to be a little more raw with his humor and really had the crowd going. ¬†I can only hope Deon joins Conan’s writing team when the show goes to TBS.
• The Masturbating Bear made an appearance but due to the fact that NBC may hold the intellectual rights to the character, he was quickly changed to The Self Pleasuring Panda. ¬†Chaos ensued on stage.
• I can’t believe I’m typing this, but holy shit, they brought out the Walker Texas Ranger Lever. ¬†They called it something else, but it was completely awesome. ¬†Clips of Mr. Norris kicking ass were played and then the segment ended with the famous Haley Joel Osment episode. ¬†If you haven’t seen it, you’re in luck as someone put it on YouTube-

The remaining items of interest involved more musical performances with Conan and the band, including a completely awesome inflatable bat (claimed by Coco to be from Meatloaf’s “Bat Out Of Hell Tour”), and Austin’s own Charlie Sexton took the stage to play a song. ¬†All in all, I had a complete blast for the entire two hours of the show. ¬†My face hurt something fierce from smiling so much. ¬†If you are afforded the chance to see this tour or any other live performance from Mr. O’Brien, please do yourself a favor and make it happen.

Based on a True Story is exactly what you would expect the band to do after roaring back with such a pissed off album as Death to Tyrants and is pound for pound, song for song, almost as good.  Who knows maybe a year from now I might consider it better.    As with any SOIA (which I’ll refer to them as from here on) album, there is no lack of aggression or anger.  While there is nothing particularly different about a hardcore band being aggressive and angry, they distinguish themselves by not sounding like a bunch of misguided punk-ass malcontents.   The message is justified.   They don’t whine about girls, they don’t generate some generic message about how they can never be stopped (see shitty faux hardcore band Hatebreed) and they will never waste your time with misogynistic, hateful bullshit that so many bands pride themselves on.  No, SOIA is here to remind you that although the world can be a pretty crappy place to  live, it’s still our world at the end of the day and it’s our responsibility to make it better.  That, ultimately, is the one thing this band wants you to walk away with.

While Death to Tyrants had a very heavy, almost suffocating amount of anti-Bush lyrical content, the new record is allowed to breathe a little more with Bush being gone.¬† Still, there‚Äôs a general sense of cautious optimism in the vibe.¬† This is reinforced by the band in interviews in which they‚Äôve stated that even though the previous guy is gone, the current savior is still working for the same assholes. ¬†¬†¬†This is probably best represented in the anthemic beast of a track, ‘Good Cop’ in which Lou states: ¬†A ruse, a hoax, a trojan horse/It’s the old guard with a new look/They made good cop man of the hour/They won’t ever let go of power.

The album opener,’ Death or Jail,’ rips open with a fat ride cymbal count-off and launches into just pure, classic SOIA fuck you-style aggression.  The song is the band pondering what exactly it is that makes people go down the dark or light paths in life.  Pete Koller (guitars) riffing is as huge as it’s ever been.  Producer Tue Madsen has really found this band’s sound and I’m glad the production hasn’t strayed from what Death to Tyrants established.  ‘Death or Jail’ will probably be the opening song on their current tour and I can’t wait to hear Lou shredding his vocal chords screaming  What evil force dragged them down/What demon singled them out?

‘The Divide,’ the second track, starts with a delicious little chunk of chugga riffing from Pete and quickly descends into a classic full-on fast punk beat   Lou implores to everyone that it’s time to smooth shit out and keep your cool with lines such as:   Making the best of this is such a challenge/Being ill at ease/Always learning how to act/To preserve the honesty. At the risk of sounding extremely corny, it’s pretty inspiring stuff.  This is one of those albums you put on when you wake up in the morning to forget about the shitty job you have to go to and remind yourself that you aren’t your fuckin’ khakis.

As the album wears on its pretty apparent that there is a healthy dose of sing-a-long style melodic punk that nearly matches the harder edged songs.¬† ‚ÄòA Month of Sundays,‚Äô which is the band’s tribute to the now extinct NYC club CBGBs is a perfect example of this:¬† We made friends for life/Yeah, there were fights/But we turned out alright. I‚Äôm sure some of you are giving me a sigh and an ‚Äòoh brother‚Äô at some of the lyrical content here, but when set to the fast-paced Oi! style melody with that typical SOIA rhythm it works and it works really well.

Aside from what I’ve mentioned a few of the other standout tracks would be, ‘Dirty Money’ ‘Bent Outta Shape.’ ‘Lowest Common Denominator.’ and ‘Watch it Burn’.  ‘Bent Outta Shape’ is a pretty modestly upbeat SOIA song until the end of it just goes completely off the rails in one of the most manic and fastest song outros I’ve ever heard them do.  When I heard Lou describing the song a month ago he likened it to Slayer and I think he undersold it to be honest.  It’s just so fucking vicious and fast and raw- it makes Slayer sound a little tame to put it bluntly.   I love me some Slayer, but Lou Koller has fucking conviction in his voice, folks.  Something lacking from other by-the-numbers outfits these days.  ‘Watch it Burn,’ musically speaking, is really just so-so.  It’s Lou’s performance on here that sells the damn thing.  While listening to this I could only imagine the vocal takes in the studio and assume that he severely damaged his vocal chords.  I don’t think I’ve ever, and I mean ever, heard Lou be that loud or that vocally coarse.

I’d really love to keep on going here, but I think you get the point.  This album is good.  It’s really good.   Tue Madsen’s production doesn’t just highlight Pete and Lou, but also lends a thunderous sound to Armand Majidi (drums) that he most definitely deserves.  All of these tracks are nothing without Armand.  It’s a no-brainer to call the drummer the foundation of a band, but in this case it’s the absolute truth.   There is no other punk/hardcore drummer that mixes styles so fluidly and brilliantly as this dude does, and now you get to hear it all in superb clarity with Madsen’s incredible production skills.  Easily lost in the mix on any album is the bass player, but thankfully Craig Setari’s bass is loud and clear and as solid as it always has been.  He’s tightly locked in with Armand and rumbling just underneath things at all times so you know he’s there.

If you’re into punk and/or hardcore and you don’t know who this band is then shame on you.  If you’re curious, then this is a good album to start with.  It’s on iTunes, their website and most likely in those antiquated CD shops right now.  Put down your coffee/veggie burger/vibrator or whatever it is and get it done.  If you’re anything like me, you need this band and this album to issue a reminder that no matter what is going on, shit is going to be alright.

Don’t you wish your favorite musician was this goofy?

I fall somewhere in the middle of all of that.  This band is on the short list of my very favorite bands, and I absolutely love them.  This love hasn’t blinded me to the fact that they have sort of lost their way just a bit amidst the complicated sci-fi story that fuels the band’s lyrics.  I won’t defend them when someone tells me that they’re just a little ridiculous these days with the production and the really thick, layered and complex structures of their newer tunes.  I can’t argue against that.  I will say though, that I don’t mind it at all.  I’ve enjoyed watching the band evolve and get more intense in the songwriting and just generally a little harder to crack.  A new album from a band that I love that isn’t super easy to get into is a double-edged sword.  Of course it’s nice for the band to deliver what is expected, but those usually end up leaving me longing for a little bit more substance.  With each new Coheed record, there are more layers to peel back, and they become harder to get into.  But ultimately it’s more rewarding when you’re on that 10^th time through and you say to yourself, “Holy shit!  I get it now!  This fucking rules.”

Coheed & Cambria’s new album, Year of the Black Rainbow is being touted as a lead-in or a prequel if you will to the band’s first album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade.  I’m not going to spend time in the review to go over what exactly the story is all about in every Coheed album, but this info is readily available on this amazing internet thing we all have access to.  I will say this, if you are a comic and movie geek, you will definitely enjoy it lyrically.  I can’t say all of you will like the music.  Those of you that are Coheed fans reading this know what I’m getting at here, more on that later.  So non-Coheed fans who are curious, stick with me here and I’ll explain I promise.

The album opens with the usual staple of the band, which would be the instrumental track.¬† A haunting piano, accompanied by some funky electronic noises brings us into the first real track, ‚ÄòThe Broken‚Äô.¬†¬† It‚Äôs a slow and plodding number, featuring Claudio in his midrange voice belting out, Divided We Must/Pray for the broken/No one can fix us.¬† It‚Äôs sort of reminiscent of the epic and lumbering track ‚ÄòWelcome Home‚Äô, the opener from the Good Apollo I‚Äôm Burning Star IV album.¬† While not quite as grandiose or as remarkable as that, it does a nice job setting the tone for the record.¬† ¬†‚ÄòThe Broken‚Äô flows directly into ‚ÄòGuns of Summer‚Äô which as of this review is probably my favorite song on the record.¬† It features some of the most insane guitar work by guitarists Claudio Sanchez and Travis Stever in the band‚Äôs history.¬† It‚Äôs very noodly and meedly weedly all over the place.¬† Not to be shown up, semi-new drummer, Chris Pennie also shows his chops on this track.¬† This is Pennie’s first CD and he puts to rest any fears fans may have had about how he gels with the band.¬† ‘Guns of Summer’ is easily the most progressive sounding thing on the record, and the chorus actually sounds like it almost could‚Äôve been off the Second Stage album.

A few of the other standout tracks on the album are, ‘Here We Are Juggernaut,’ ‘Made out of Nothing,’ and ‘Pearl of the Stars.’  Juggernaut has this funky electric feel to the beat in the beginning that gives away to this huge guitar driven and amazingly melodic chorus.  There must be at least 4 or 5 Claudio’s doing harmony during that chorus, singing, This is not your playground it’s my heart/We were stupid we got caught/Nothing matters anymore, so what/Here we are Juggernaut.  Made out of Nothing follows the rest of the album’s lead in being really melodic, which is a Coheed necessity of course but is really everywhere you look on this album.  Pearl of the Stars is one of the most interesting tracks, being a somewhat softer and quieter song that features pretty much every vocal trick in Claudio’s book.  He’s hitting everything in his range on this album and to be honest, this is the best he’s ever sounded.

I promised you non-Coheed fans an explanation as to why it‚Äôs a 50/50 shot on you actually liking this.¬† Claudio Sanchez has one of the most diverse and insane voices I‚Äôve ever heard.¬† There are times when he makes Geddy Lee sound like Barry White, and then there are times when he can be the exact opposite of that, or when he can feel comfortable right in the middle of all of that.¬† Despite the band’s success, Claudio still really isn’t mentioned much amongst modern guitar heros like Jack White, and that baffles me.¬† I’m not going to get off on a rant here, but Sanchez is one of the most interesting and unique guitar player/vocalists out there right now and I dare someone to find anything remotely similar to what the guy can do.¬†¬†¬† I love the shit out of his voice, so there.¬† So if you‚Äôre not a fan of really high vocal performances, you may not dig it or if you don‚Äôt like that vocal style combined with a defiantly strange prog-rockish sound‚Ķ.it just may turn you off.¬† I urge you all to give it a chance though, but start with the first two albums and go from there if you‚Äôve never heard them.

While Year of the Black Rainbow continues on the path the band has blazed since the second album, I don‚Äôt think it‚Äôs going to be quite as polarizing.¬† It‚Äôs a good mixture of the last few albums and doesn‚Äôt overstay its welcome or run on too long like Good Apollo was definitely guilty of doing.¬† It does start to run out of gas near the last couple of tracks, but that may also be because the first 7 or 8 are so solid.¬†¬† The production is again top notch and Atticus Ross (NIN) and Joe Baressi (Tool) have brought out a little more of the dynamics of the band and added more nuance than has been present on the last couple albums.¬† The guitars sound more like proper Coheed guitars than they did on the last album, No World For Tomorrow, in which I think they had just a little too much cut and buzz on them.¬† Ross and Baressi have kept the band sounding ‘produced’ while not letting the album sound so slick that it’s sterile like the last 2 releases have been.

This is a good album.¬† If you sleep with your copy of Second Stage under your pillow, then you might not like it.¬† That isn’t to say that you won’t, and is also not a knock at all on those of you that prefer the earlier stuff, not at all. ¬† If you‚Äôre looking for new music than I would say this is absolutely something cool for you to pick up, but I‚Äôd also urge you to dig into the band‚Äôs earlier entries in the catalog first. ¬†Should you decide to pick up Black Rainbow, it’s in stores right this very moment. ¬†Look at this; I went the entire review without mentioning boners or cursing at you like a madman.¬† You fucking boners should be proud of my fuckin‚Äô ass.

Word.

So perhaps you have no idea who Lemmy is. ¬†Great, here’s what I got from the documentary- Lemmy has been the singer and bass guitarist for Motorhead the better part of 30 years. ¬†Shockingly, he lives a rather simple life in a small apartment in LA. ¬†Each room is cluttered with gold and platinum records, Nazi memorabilia, video games, and movies. ¬†The movie basically just follows Lemmy as he lives.

We gain insight with interviews from many icons in the music industry, including Nikki Sixx, Sebastian Bach, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, and Slash. ¬†Sadly, a lot of these interviewees also participated in Anvil and heap similar praise. ¬†Also unfortunate is no insight from Dio. ¬†But that’s neither here nor there. ¬†The interviews were still great. ¬†I literally got excited every time I saw a new artist show up. ¬†The most ironic sound byte comes courtesy of Ozzy, who exclaims with disbelief that Lemmy drinks so much.

Sadly though, the movie doesn’t come away smelling like roses. ¬†The first hour is great. ¬†It’s funny, touching, and just opens you up to Lemmy’s world. ¬†The last hour (yes, this thing runs 120 minutes) really drags. ¬† ¬†particularly the final 30 minutes turn into a Lemmy love fest. ¬†And rightfully so given the many accolades he’s acquired throughout his career. ¬†But there are three song performances we sit through in that 30 minutes and not to sound like a party pooper, but we really only need one. ¬†The fact is though, I completely understand why the filmmakers chose to keep all of it the movie. ¬†I guess that if I had a superfulous 8 minute sequence with Lemmy learning a song with Metallica and then playing it at a concert, I’d have a hard time sacrificing that footage to the supplement material on the DVD. ¬†And I’m sure that anyone who is a huge Lemmy fan won’t have this same fault with the movie. ¬†But from a critical documentary standpoint, it falls apart and lost me.

I guess that’s really my recommendation then- if you are a huge Lemmy fan, this is the movie you’ve been waiting for. ¬†If you’re a huge documentary fan, Lemmy is still worth watching but could use a little tightening in the edit bay.

So since this is the first review I’ve ever written for one of his albums, and likely the first or second time you’ve ever heard of him, let’s start of with a little Walker 101. ¬†In the early 90s, a young Butch Walker, fresh from Cartersville, Georgia joined a group called Southgang as a guitar player/song writer/back up vocalist. ¬†In the album I’ll be referring to in a moment, Butch refers to this band as a “hair band” but I would also add a dash of “cock rock” to that moniker. ¬†Southgang toured the world and eventually dissolved somewhere around the mid-90s. ¬†Butch took two of the members from that band and formed The Marvelous 3, a power/pop rock band. ¬†Their second album, titled Hey! Album, had a little hit in 1999 called Freak of the Week that propelled them into minor stardom. ¬†They¬†then released a third album, ReadySexGo, that served up a good amount of songs condemning the record industry for the mishandling of their promotions. ¬†Not able to get out of their contract with Elektra records, they once again dissolved the band and went their separate ways.

Walker had done a little music producing, most notably on ReadySexGo, and was looking to get into more. ¬†In 2002, he cut a solo record, Left of Self-Centered, that showcased a wide range of his musical talents including, rock, rock rap, power ballads, and a stripped down, semi-acoustic song titled Far Away From Close that seems to echo the path his solo career has now taken. ¬†He still produces a good amount of albums or songs for other bands. ¬†The most recent thing that comes to mind is the first single off Weezer’s new album titled (If You’re Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To. He’s also worked with Avril Lavigne, Pink, Sevendust, Puffy Ami Yumi,¬†Fall Out Boy, Bowling For Soup, Lindsay Lohan, and Midtown. ¬†So even if you haven’t heard of him, you’ve likely heard him somewhere.

Ok, history lesson/grand scheme to show off my Butch Walker trivia done, let’s get to what is Walker’s fifth “solo” album: Butch Walker and the Black Widows: I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart. ¬†I say “solo” because he’s had a core band with him for roughly three albums now. ¬†It’s rather difficult to place the genre for this kind of sound but that can be said for the majority of music these days. ¬†If I had to peg it, I’d say it’s retro, rock, country, and pop. ¬†Oh, and there’s some great piano and strings work throughout. ¬†Does that make sense? ¬†No? ¬†Well… ¬†Here, choose¬†She Likes Hair Bands below and see if it’s up your alley-

Ok, so if you want, you can actually stream the whole album while I continue. ¬†Are you still with me? ¬†For the record, I listened to the digital version of the album through a two channel stereo on my home theater system. ¬†I know purists probably think I’m crazy for reviewing a compressed version of an album but I was still impressed with the production even on this scale. ¬†Here are the tracks that really stood out to me:

Track 2: Pretty Melody-

It only took two listens for me to be sold on this one. ¬†The hook is a little unconventional but the chorus, ironically with a very pretty melody, is in one word delightful. ¬†I hate using that word but it’s the only one that fits the bill here. ¬†The use of strings throughout the song are just fantastic and the effect of the sound getting “swallowed” after each chorus works.

Track 6: Temporary Title-

I love, love ,love the chorus for this song. ¬†The track begins with a great deal of energy and never falters. ¬†It also helps that singing “Whoa, Whoa” is relatively easy to do. ¬†I can see this becoming an audience participation tune during Butch’s concerts. ¬†Oh, and the little funky interlude towards the middle just plain rules. ¬†Hands down, this is my favorite track on the album.

Track 7: She Likes Hair Bands-

This one isn’t as easy to sing as Temporary Title but it’s almost as much fun (do I sound like a fifteen year-old girl yet? GOOD!). ¬†It has a mellow start that transitions into a fast talkin’ chorus. ¬†It probably helps that I’ve been listening to this song, as opposed to the rest of the album, for over a month but the lyrics stand out here as well. ¬†One thing I failed to mention in my biography for Butch is that there’s usually some sort of story behind his tunes. ¬†I don’t know the details behind this one, but there’s certainly a picture painted for you.

Track 10: Days/Months/Years-

This was the most challenging song for me the first time through the album. ¬†But upon repeat listenings, I really dig it. There’s a bluesy motif to the whole thing that just works. ¬†And the fact that there are jingle bells throughout makes you think it would be a mess but in the end, it’s great. ¬†Add to that the distorted guitar solo and you’ve got a real mish-mash of rock genres blending here. ¬†Bottom-line, it’s fun. ¬†Plus Butch talks about pissing in a gas tank and syphoning it out to spit in some dude’s face. ¬†Righteous!

Track 11: Be Good Until Then-

Walker likes to end his albums with what you might call “a ballad.” ¬†The cool thing is that most of the time, these are uplifting songs as opposed to love scorned diatribes and Be Good Until Then is no exception. ¬†In fact, the meaning behind the lyrics is similar to the last song on his first solo album, Take Tomorrow. ¬†Walker has mentioned in concerts that when he first recorded Take Tomorrow, it was just him and his acoustic guitar but that he added a fully produced rendition for the album. ¬†He admits that he was never satisfied with that version and even now when he plays the song in concert, he’s been known to eschew his band, amp, and microphone to play the song down on the dance floor with his fans. ¬†That song, like Be Good Until Then, is a song of hope. ¬†And no surprise here- he recorded it with just his acoustic and vocals. ¬†¬†¬†It even sounds like it was recorded in a slightly crude manner to give it that “caught in the moment” sound. ¬†I love that he ends the album with this sort of message.

Ok, so I’ve written enough now that you likely believe I’m crazy. ¬†I know my friends and family have grown tired of my undying devotion to this man’s music but I just can’t help myself. ¬†I’ve said this a hundred times and I hope I get to say it another thousand: if you ask me my favorite movie I’ll likely struggle to determine if it’s Jaws, Empire Strikes Back, or 13 Going on 30. ¬†But if you ask me my favorite band/musician, I’ll answer without hesitation. ¬†His name is Butch Walker and yes, I would let him violate me should the opportunity present itself.

Butch Walker and the Black Widows: I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart is already available on vinyl and will release on CD and iTunes this Tuesday, February 23rd.

For an extra bonus, here’s a video of Butch on the local news in Atlanta introducing his new album and playing Trash Day.

]]> http://mediabreach.com/2010/02/22/butch-walker-and-the-black-widows-i-like-it-better-when-you-had-no-heart/feed/ 4