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.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
La Posata Ristorante: A
User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars 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.
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.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond: C+
Music: 8/10 Vocals: 3/5 Lyrics: 4/5 Production: 1/5
Total: 16/25: C+
J. Mascis and the band reunite to produce Beyond. It is a mostly enjoyable romp down memory lane of '90s rock music. It stays true to its roots and produces great music with bad singing. One thing that can't be disputed is J can play the guitar. Not only are the rhythm parts excellent, but he can wail on lead guitar. This album features several 2+ minute solos that are melodic and ripping at the same time. It makes me remember that great guitarists are so few and far between in the 2000s.
Unfortunately, J continues to sing his barely legible lyrics. He's never been good and continues the streak. Yeah, if your a fan you love his quirky voice, but he'll never win over a main stream audience. It's a shame because this band behind a great singer could be extremely successful.
The worst part of the album is the production. There is no excuse to the quality of sound. I feel there is gauze in my ears and haze over the band's sound. Almost any decent home studio can produce a better sounding album. As with the recent Meat Puppets album, I'm astonished that studios can even produce something of this low quality.
If you liked Dinosaur Jr. 15 years ago, you'll love this album. And if you love great guitar solos, pick this up immediately. Everyone else should probably stay away.
Total: 16/25: C+
J. Mascis and the band reunite to produce Beyond. It is a mostly enjoyable romp down memory lane of '90s rock music. It stays true to its roots and produces great music with bad singing. One thing that can't be disputed is J can play the guitar. Not only are the rhythm parts excellent, but he can wail on lead guitar. This album features several 2+ minute solos that are melodic and ripping at the same time. It makes me remember that great guitarists are so few and far between in the 2000s.
Unfortunately, J continues to sing his barely legible lyrics. He's never been good and continues the streak. Yeah, if your a fan you love his quirky voice, but he'll never win over a main stream audience. It's a shame because this band behind a great singer could be extremely successful.
The worst part of the album is the production. There is no excuse to the quality of sound. I feel there is gauze in my ears and haze over the band's sound. Almost any decent home studio can produce a better sounding album. As with the recent Meat Puppets album, I'm astonished that studios can even produce something of this low quality.
If you liked Dinosaur Jr. 15 years ago, you'll love this album. And if you love great guitar solos, pick this up immediately. Everyone else should probably stay away.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Red Fox Grey Fox - From the Land of Bears, Ice and Rock: C-
Music: 8/10 Vocals: 1/5 Lyrics: 1/5 Production: 4/5
Total: 14 of 25: C-
This band totally confuses me. They sound like a female Irish woman singing in a very lush rhythmic band. In reality, it's a man singing in falsetto and their from Minnesota. Definitely changes the perception of what this band is about.
First the good side. The music is great. The drummer easily carries the band producing excellent rhythms and in many ways the direction of the music. The guitarist adds another depth of dimension by mostly complementing or amplifying the drums. There are keyboards to fill in the holes. The weakest link is the bass player who mostly fills in the root. Musically it's great. Part shoegazer, part rock.
The singer is where it all falls apart. When he sings melodically it's not too bad. Especially the songs and moments that leave the listener awash in sounds and musical movement. Unfortunately even then his voice warbles too much especially at the end of phrases. Where it really goes bad is when he tries to sing forcefully. Instead it comes out blaring and harsh. It becomes grating very quickly.
The lyrics also terrible. A chorus of "you are so strange" sung 50 times in a row is very annoying. And no song should start , "Billions of years ago, volcanoes and dinosaurs, creatures of that sort, were creeping and crawling and dying on the planet's floor." Not only is it factually wrong (millions not billions, and volcanoes are definitely not creatures), it's is just dumb lyrics. Who wants to listen to that?
Get rid of the singer, add a vocally talented female singer, and you've got a great band. Otherwise run very far away from Red Fox Grey Fox.
Total: 14 of 25: C-
This band totally confuses me. They sound like a female Irish woman singing in a very lush rhythmic band. In reality, it's a man singing in falsetto and their from Minnesota. Definitely changes the perception of what this band is about.
First the good side. The music is great. The drummer easily carries the band producing excellent rhythms and in many ways the direction of the music. The guitarist adds another depth of dimension by mostly complementing or amplifying the drums. There are keyboards to fill in the holes. The weakest link is the bass player who mostly fills in the root. Musically it's great. Part shoegazer, part rock.
The singer is where it all falls apart. When he sings melodically it's not too bad. Especially the songs and moments that leave the listener awash in sounds and musical movement. Unfortunately even then his voice warbles too much especially at the end of phrases. Where it really goes bad is when he tries to sing forcefully. Instead it comes out blaring and harsh. It becomes grating very quickly.
The lyrics also terrible. A chorus of "you are so strange" sung 50 times in a row is very annoying. And no song should start , "Billions of years ago, volcanoes and dinosaurs, creatures of that sort, were creeping and crawling and dying on the planet's floor." Not only is it factually wrong (millions not billions, and volcanoes are definitely not creatures), it's is just dumb lyrics. Who wants to listen to that?
Get rid of the singer, add a vocally talented female singer, and you've got a great band. Otherwise run very far away from Red Fox Grey Fox.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Toadies - No Deliverance: B
Music: 7/10 Vocals: 4/5 Lyrics: 4/5 Production: 4/5
Total: 19/25 = B
Toadies reunite after many years to put one more album out. They've always been a macabre band singing songs about serial killers, murders, ghosts, and plane crashes. But it's masked behind good but somewhat vague lyrics. Their new album is no different. Perhaps the best track is "One More" which states "she turns the lock on her bedroom door/she finds the answer/she takes one more/and one more". One more what? Pill? Is she a cutter? Who cares, it's absolutely haunting.
The album has many highs but unfortunately as more than a few plodders that don't have the same punch. It takes the energy out of an otherwise good album. It's around a 50/50 mix of good to fair.
Vaden Todd Lewis' voice is as strong and angry as ever. One the good tracks the guitars are loud and bite often. The rhythm section booms and keeps it all driving.
Overall, it's well worth the price of admission. I just wish they culled a couple more off the album and replaced them with better tunes.
Total: 19/25 = B
Toadies reunite after many years to put one more album out. They've always been a macabre band singing songs about serial killers, murders, ghosts, and plane crashes. But it's masked behind good but somewhat vague lyrics. Their new album is no different. Perhaps the best track is "One More" which states "she turns the lock on her bedroom door/she finds the answer/she takes one more/and one more". One more what? Pill? Is she a cutter? Who cares, it's absolutely haunting.
The album has many highs but unfortunately as more than a few plodders that don't have the same punch. It takes the energy out of an otherwise good album. It's around a 50/50 mix of good to fair.
Vaden Todd Lewis' voice is as strong and angry as ever. One the good tracks the guitars are loud and bite often. The rhythm section booms and keeps it all driving.
Overall, it's well worth the price of admission. I just wish they culled a couple more off the album and replaced them with better tunes.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia: A
Music: 8/10 Vocals: 5/5 Lyrics: 5/5 Production: 4/5
Total: 22/25 = A
The Gutter Twins is a collaboration of the singers from Screaming Trees and The Afghan Whigs. I'm a huge Mark Lanegan fan so I was eager to get this. And it did not disappoint.
One thing is for certain. God is coming for these two. And from the sounds of it, God may not be pleased! This makes Saturnalia a very dark and heavy album. But redemption requires facing one's demons and perhaps that's what this is all about. Certainly not to be missed is the Eastern-influenced Idle Hands which is perhaps one of the best songs of the year. Get this and repent.
Total: 22/25 = A
The Gutter Twins is a collaboration of the singers from Screaming Trees and The Afghan Whigs. I'm a huge Mark Lanegan fan so I was eager to get this. And it did not disappoint.
One thing is for certain. God is coming for these two. And from the sounds of it, God may not be pleased! This makes Saturnalia a very dark and heavy album. But redemption requires facing one's demons and perhaps that's what this is all about. Certainly not to be missed is the Eastern-influenced Idle Hands which is perhaps one of the best songs of the year. Get this and repent.
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