Saturday, November 22, 2008

Happy Hollows - Imaginary: C-

Music: 6/10 Vocals: 3/5 Lyrics: 2/5 Production: 3/5
Total: 14/25 = C-

I loved the Happy Hollows first album, even with a C rating. It was raw. Energetic. Immature. And fun. "Imaginary" shows some maturity in the music writing but somehow misses the mark on the energy they brought the first time. Lieutenant, which clocks in at 5:06, is a rambling mess. It has probably 4 songs in it all mashed together. Tambourine tries to be clever but instead is just kind of dumb. Fortunately, Labyrinth and Colors return to their roots with fun music and nonsensical lyrics. The lyrics in Colors are just the band members yelling out colors. No message. Just fun. But I'm disappointed by their second EP and hope they do better on their third outing.

La Posata Ristorante: A

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
by Tom
11/22/2008
I just hosted an office party of 20 people at La Posata.They handled it perfectly. Service was spot on. And they kept things moving smoothly. The food was fantastic. We started with a simple antipasto. I've never had the cheese that was included but it was simply one of the best cheeses I've had. My main entree was crab cakes with two grilled shrimp. The shrimp was perfectly flavorful. The crab cakes were very interesting. They were very light and airy. It wasn't from too much filler. They were very good. My wife ordered the swordfish covered in sauteed scallions. It was amazingly good. For dessert the tiiramisu was homemade, light, and yet rich. Everyone else at the dinner party enjoyed their meals.

La Possata sits perfectly between mass produced Italian food and the top tier restaurants in the area. And it's priced perfectly. Dinner including appetizer, soup/salad, entree, and dessert ran $90 a couple. It is BYOB. I highly recommend this place.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Metallica - Death Magnetic: B-

Music: 7/10 Vocals: 4/5 Lyrics: 3/5 Production: 4/5
Total: 18/25: B-

Metallica returns after their horrible "St. Anger" which angered many fans. Luckily, "Death Magnetic" delivers. This album essentially erases the past 20 years of hard rock music and firmly places them back into metal. This album would fit perfectly after "and Justice for All". In fact, I'd say it's a tad better. But even though the shredding is back and blistering solos take their place front and center, it still is lacking compared to "Master of Puppets" and "Ride the Lightning". And this isn't pining for the past. None of the songs have the instantly memorable beginning like "Master of Puppets". There is no classic solo. But overall it's a terrific effort but it shows a bit of their age. The lyrics just don't bite the same way coming out of a 40+ year old. But it rocks and shreds and heck, that's what we've been wait for, for about 20 years.