Archive | October, 2011

Day 225: Chicago – Chicago II

11 Oct

25 or 6 to 4

Oh, a double record.  Dad, you shouldn’t have.  Really.  You shouldn’t have.  I almost pulled out the Swole Ear Constitution on this one, but then I thought back to Wilco Week, where I willingly (w)listened to tWo double-whammies.  My only option is to stop whining and tough it out.  It’s also important to keep in mind that Chicago II was released in the wonderful era of shorter records.  All in all, the album’s time of an hour and four minutes isn’t too bad, and is even considerably shorter than other (single) records that I’ve covered.

In addition, it helps just a bit that Chicago II is actually a solid piece (pieces?) of music.  I know, I’m probably not supposed to like this album.  It’s old and it’s kind of jazz-filled.  Part of Fancy Colors sounds like it was ripped from an episode of Sesame Street, with its spastic flute action.  Maybe it’s got something to do with the (very late) time of day (night (early morning, actually)) that I’m listening to this.  Maybe I just don’t care any more and like everything.  I sure hope that is (not) the case.  (Parenthese(s)).

What the hell? I just got to 25 or 6 to 4, the album’s eighth track, and heard an all-too familiar guitar riff.  Chicago must have acquired a time machine and traveled to the early nineties, just to steal Green Day’s riff from Brain Stew for the first 15 seconds of this mid-record track.  Understandable.  It is extra catchy.

Well, I can’t possibly recommend this band now. They plagiarize. If high school has taught me one thing, it’s that plagiarism should earn you nothing less than life in prison.

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Day 224: Into It. Over It. – Proper

10 Oct

Midnight: Carroll Street

First of all, let’s establish who we’re dealing with here.  Even if I tried to dislike Evan Weiss (the man behind the awesomely named Into It. Over It.), I would be unsuccessful.  In 2007, he wrote and recorded a song a week, and then released the result as a double record.  Plus, he’s from Chicago, and has an EP of strictly Chi-Town neighborhood song titles.  The deadly combination of obsessive-compulsive scheduling tendencies, as well as the same hometown (kind of), means that Evan could be playing a washboard and a glockenspiel, and I’d still eat it up.

Fortunately, the man’s angry/depressed music is better than that.  Well, I think it is, at least.

Proper, Into It. Over It.’s latest release, is catchy, short, and emotive—pretty much exactly what a pop-punk album should be.  Strangely enough, I couldn’t stop thinking of early Fall Out Boy while listening to this record.  Normally, I’m sure that’d be quite the turn off, but, perhaps for reasons previously discussed, the whiny lyrics and not-special guitar playing hit the spot.

It’s not just FOB that comes to mind, though.  There’s definitely some Ben Gibbard in the vocals, some Manchester Orchestra in the instrumentation, and even a little bit of Telekinesis in the lyrics and delivery.

I only heard of this guy because he’ll be opening for Andrew Jackson Jihad (who will be opening for Frank Turner) at an upcoming Chicago show.  Based solely on Proper, that’ll be a fun concert.  Well, except for the headliner.

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Day 223: The Who – Tommy

9 Oct

Pinball Wizard

Nope, it’s not Tuesday, and my father did not pick this album.  Is it really so strange that I wanted to listen to a rock opera about a blind, deaf, and dumb kid with a knack for pinball, though?  That’s what I thought.

But, like a million monkeys on typewriters given enough time, my dad would have definitely picked this record for me at some point.  He’s not The Who’s biggest fan, but Dad-Rock Tuesday has become a bit of a weekly music history lesson.  As the first record to receive the label of “rock opera,” I’d say that Tommy is pretty significant.

But is it any good?  Let’s face it, based on pretty much everything that I’ve previously written for Swole Ear, this album should be considered one of the worst things to ever penetrate my ear canals.  In the form of a bullet-pointed list, I present why Tommy should suck:

  • It’s long (1 hour and 15 minutes);
  • It’s old (1969);
  • It’s a concept album taken to the extreme;
  • It was/is extremely hyped; and
  • It’s supposed to be an influential game-changer.

I usually can’t stand long albums because they make this website take up more time than I have available.  I have very little patience for old albums, as old people often let nostalgia get in the way of objectivity.  I can never follow the story in concept albums, usually because there isn’t that much of a story.  Hyped music rarely lives up to the hype, and when I hear the word “influential” in a description of certain music, I immediately think of In the Court of the Crimson King.  We’re not going there today.

Tommy is different.  Sure, it’s really long, but it’s got a story to tell, and a good one at that.  I actually understand the concept too, thanks to the prominent vocals, understandable lyrics, and, of course, Wikipedia.  And I must admit that sometimes, hyped records are hyped for a reason.  This is one of those rare occasions where the album lives up to its press.

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Day 222: Foxy Shazam – Introducing

8 Oct

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Foxy Shazam’s self-titled release, which is actually their third full length and most recent work, is nothing short of spectacular.  Regular readers may remember that it was good enough to earn the #2 spot on my First Half Top 5.  I love the approach to rock n’ roll that the guys take on that record.  It’s one of the most exhilarating pieces of music that I’ve ever heard, as the band throws out track after track of flashy Queen-inspired gold.  There’s also no denying that it has one of the best covers in history, one that currently holds the honor and distinction of serving as my desktop’s background.

Long story short, any other record by these guys has a whole lot to live up to.  Introducing, the group’s second record, doesn’t just come up short of the band’s latter magnum opus, it falls flat on its face.

It’s clear that Foxy front man Eric Nally was not quite comfortable with his sound while recording Introducing.  Bits and pieces of the flamboyant and flashy Eric that I’ve come to love make all-too-infrequent appearances, usually on the slower, piano-dominated tracks like A Black Man’s Breakfast (don’t ask me about that title).  The rest of the time, he’s just screaming over generic guitar chugs and a noticeably less-catchy keyboard, perhaps doing what he thought was expected of him.

Fortunately for the entire human population, these guys reined it in and became a little more self-confident in time for their next album.  Yes, Introducing is disappointing, but it is kind of interesting to hear the origins of such a good band.  Now, excuse me, I’m going to give Foxy Shazam another spin. I recommend that you do so as well.

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Day 221: Kasabian – Velociraptor!

7 Oct

Days Are Forgotten

Having heard one other record by Kasabian, this new release didn’t surprise me all that much.  They’re Kasabian—they’ve got their sound, and they’re sticking to it.  They haven’t quite become boring to me yet, but this band’s sound has got to have an expiration date.  Perhaps that date has already passed for some; these guys have been around since the early ’00s.  Listening to two records by this band is manageable, but I just don’t think that they’re interesting enough to warrant long-term, discography-memorizing fans.

Their music is interesting enough at first—there isn’t too much bass-heavy indie rock out there, and Tom Meighan’s heavy accent still maintains its charm for this American listener.  The 30-second handclap breakdowns are catchy, and the aura created is still that of a street in Chelsea after dark.

So yeah, for now, I remain a fan of Kasabian.  What worries me is that this album sounds exactly like everything else that I’ve heard by them.  I know that bands often stay within walking distance of a certain sound, but the most successful ones (in my book) mix it up every now and then.  Once again, I point to none other than the king of bands, Los Campesinos!.  Sure, I love their old vomiting-rainbows-and-puppies sound, but really, could one take 4 albums strictly of that much sweetness?  Recently, they’ve toned things down and gone with a darker aesthetic, and it has paid off beautifully.  This Kasabian rut could ultimately lead to their downfall.  But don’t get me wrong, if they ever play a show in town, I’ll be there.

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Day 220: Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children

6 Oct

Roygbiv

I don’t often call records “brilliant.”  Considering that I’ve listened to 218 of them in as many days, I’d say that I’ve become just a tad jaded.  An album has got to be really special in order to rise above the hours and hours of forgettable tunes that I’ve listened to since March.

Boards of Canada’s Music has the Right to Children does just that.  This record’s dark-yet-chill aura has been blowing me away for the past half hour or so, and I’m not even halfway done yet.  Instead of the usual dread that comes with the realization that I’ve only dealt with a portion of an hour-plus album, I’m actually excited, in a zoned out and relaxed kind of way.

Slow and intricate beats go on for what feels like eternity, yet every song seems to end too soon (considering that many songs go way past the 5-minute mark, this is a very strange remark coming from me).  Boards use a whole slew of sound effects and samples, and even support my theory that sampling little kids always works.  Dark, soft synth lines abound, and pull you further and further into this record with each note.  I couldn’t imagine listening to individual songs from this album—every track flows beautifully from one to the next.

Who knows what I would have thought had I been in an angry or hyperactive mood tonight.  Fortunately, my current calm and tired state of mind allows me to see the brilliance that is all up ons this record.

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Day 219: The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute

5 Oct

The Widow

Seven-plus months into this project, I figured that I had heard it all.  So either the airborne chlamydia that has infected me on its rampage through my school has gone to my head, or I really did just hear a guy belt out a song that can only be described as post-hard-indie-core, partially in Spanish.  I pray that it’s the latter.

Oh and don’t worry, airborne chlamydia is about the equivalent of a respiratory infection.  But, it’s not every day that one gets to say that their school gave them chlamydia.

Straight-up, this is one of the strangest records that I’ve heard recently.  The Mars Volta has apparently never heard the word “genre” before, as it would be impossible for one to come close to accurately classifying the music that they make.  The scary part is, I kind of like it.

Emphasis on the “kind of.”  When The Volta stops messing around, and actually get down to playing some music, Frances the Mute is very entertaining.  Unfortunately, as is to be expected from a band of this nature, there’s plenty of “artsy” static and feedback.  Two minutes of your front man doing his best birdcalls just doesn’t do much for me.  Sorry guys.

A distilled version of Frances the Mute would have the potential to be an awesome record.  There’s just so much going on when these guys get around to playing some music. It’s angry, it’s happy, it’s foreign, and it’s intriguing all at the same time—if Muse were a good band, this is what they would sound like.  However, I’m having trouble moving past the 30-minute jazz odysseys that find a home all too frequently within this record.

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Day 218: Squeeze – East Side Story

4 Oct

Tempted

I’ll admit it. I figured that this would be your typical Dad Rock Tuesday post.  I was expecting to once again fumble through 250 or so words about why old music just doesn’t speak to me or something.  Squeeze’s East Side Story is a little too good for that nonsense, though.

The weirdest thing about this album is that, off the top of my head, I can name quite a few modern bands that appear to be influenced by these guys.  This record’s usual carefree and upbeat sound reminds me a bit of the jittery treble guitars of Vampire Weekend.  Front man Glenn Tilbrook, strangely enough, sounds a bit like Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, especially in Someone Else’s Heart.  Both MGMT and Muse are called to mind as well on the synth-filled extra-new-wavy tracks.

I’m especially surprised by all of this because Squeeze isn’t usually thought of  as an extremely influential band.  They’re mainly known for their radio-friendly hits from the ’80s.  Speaking of which, about Tempted…I guess I never really sat down and listened to it before.  It’s not a bad song.

Now, I’m not one of those guys who hates everything that’s on the radio (I’d say it’s probably around 85% hate), but when I made the Squeeze/Tempted connection, that’s when I first figured that this would be another crappy DRT record.  I’m always glad to be proven wrong.

One final point: this band is versatile! From synth-pop to standard rock, Squeeze covers all of the radio-ready bases.  This all makes for a record that never gets boring, but somehow remains cohesive.  Now, I just need to get over that awful album art.

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Day 217: The Wombats – A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation

3 Oct

Kill the Director

I’ve been thinking a bit about yesterday’s post.  I ragged on politically charged records, maintaining that artist’s opinions, no matter how revolutionary, just aren’t that interesting when articulated in their music.  That’s all well and good, but today, I heard The Wombats’ A Guide to Love, Loss, & Desperation—another post-Camp! indie-pop record about love, love, and love.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  That got me questioning most of the music that I listen to.  What’s it all about? Love.  Why do I place a high value on homogenous music that revolves around a topic that’s been already beaten to death, and at the same time disregard music that might actually have something interesting to say?  In yesterday’s post, I chalked this phenomenon up to the artists that care more about their political ideals than the actual music, but I’m not sure that this is always true.  I’m going to try to convince myself that it is true for the moment, instead of facing what may actually be reality—at this point in life, I’m more interested in angsty, love-centric music than that boring political stuff.

The Wombats’ front man Matthew Murphy says it best in School Uniforms, “short skirts, long hair, my hormones flying everywhere.”  Or on the very next track, Here Comes the Anxiety, “I hope that no one leaves, because I don’t want to be alone with me.”

This is why I love me some whiny indie pop.  As much as I hate to admit it, I’m still an obnoxious teenager who responds well to vague, horoscope-ready lyrics and sunny, poppy synthesizers.  Maybe it’s just a phase that I’ll grow out of, but for now, haters gon’ hate.

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Day 216: Thievery Corporation – Radio Retaliation

2 Oct

The Numbers Game

Well, here’s some more of that trip-hop stuff.  Yup, some of it still sounds pretty cool.  My habitual preliminary research of this record (insert another Wikipedia joke) revealed that this album is pretty politically charged.  That ninja-looking dude on the cover is Subcomandante Marcos, a Zapatista who led a farmer uprising in Mexico 15 years ago or something.  Yeah, political albums usually bore me.  It’s usually a bad thing when artists get the idea that their opinions matter.  This can be seen across the board (with rock, at least).  Just ask American Idiot by Green Day or The Clash’s Sandinista.   This even applies to the lowly diy punk rockers—the ones who label themselves as “anarchists” and smash you over the head with their PC ideals.  Yes, artists are aloud to have opinions.  All I’m saying is that their music is not the best place to communicate them—as doing so takes the focus off of the music, which really should be the most important aspect of an album.

All of what I just wrote is fairly pointless, for I cannot figure out exactly how Radio Retaliation is “extremely politically charged”.  It got the “boring” aspect down pat, I’ll give it that, but for an album featuring a revolutionary on its cover and tagged as “political” all over last.fm, I’m not hearing too many radical ideals.  All I see are song titles…Blasting Through the City and Sound the Alarm can be viewed as somewhat political, but without the lyrics to back them up, they just kind of fall flat.  This is a trip-hop album, after all, so coherent lyrics are few and far between.  And when there are lyrics, they seem to me to be extremely vague, like the band itself isn’t too sure what it’s rallying against.

There’s something keeping me from liking this record, and it’s got nothing to do with the supposed politics behind it.  I love Sound the Alarm and Mandala, two exciting tracks with fast tempos, for a couple of reasons:  they’re exciting and fast.  I couldn’t find too much to love outside of those two songs though.  Everything else goes on for a couple of minutes too long.  But who knows?  Had this record not been branded as “political,” my blood would not have begun boiling before I pressed play, and I may have been in the relaxed state required to enjoy a piece like this.

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