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Them Crooked Vultures by Them Crooked Vultures

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

I must admit, I wasn’t entirely optimistic when Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), announced they would be joining forces to create another ill-conceived supergroup.

However, much to my surprise, Them Crooked Vultures aren’t nearly as bad as I originally imagined, and their self-titled debut (available on November 17) mixes enough new with old to hold the short attention spans of stoners and aging hippies alike.

Led Zeppelin they are not, but “Scumbag Blues” attempts to capture some of their Heavy Metal majesty, as a versatile Jones rocks the keyboards like no one else could.

Homme channels Paul Westerberg on the Replacements inspired single “Mind Eraser, No Chaser”, whose dated garage band sound is a welcome addition to an album teaming with seething blues licks.

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Raditude by Weezer

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Weezer have gotten progressively mainstream with each subsequent release, and latest effort Raditude does little to alter the bands current trajectory as Top 40 staples.

The rockabilly inspired first single “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” finds everyone’s favorite socially awkward anti-hero, Rivers Cuomo, pining over his lady love as he attempts to seduce her with late night viewings of Titanic and trips to the local Best Buy, “So make a move. Cause I ain’t got all night.”

“I’m Your Daddy” is about as generic as songs come, but then again so is the incredibly infectious “The Girl Got Hot”, which only shows that sh*tty and Power Pop don’t always go hand in hand.

Overall, the album is a bit of a disappointment, especially when compared to anything released prior to the abysmal Make Believe.

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Phrazes for the Young by Julian Casablancas

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

I can’t stress this enough, solo albums are almost always a terrible idea, especially when your entire professional identity has been linked to a relatively successful band.

Of course none of that seemed to stop Julian Casablancas from taking the inevitable leap of faith into Synth Pop mediocrity with the grammatically challenged Phrazes for the Young.

A routinely somber Casablancas trades in his melancholy for New Wave effervescence on the hopelessly optimistic “11th Dimension”, which exists on an alternate plane where nothing is as it seems, “We’re so quick to point out our own flaws in others/Complicated, man was on the wings of robots.”

“River of Brakelights” is one of a handful of tracks that could actually pass for a discarded Strokes B-side, but much like every other song on the album its potential is ultimately drowned out by Mike Mogis’ overproduction.

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The Fountain by Echo and the Bunnymen

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Echo and the Bunnymen have essentially lived off the critical acclaim of one album, but as brilliant as Ocean Rain may have been, Ian McCulloch has yet to write anything that comes even close to rivaling his 1984 magnum opus “The Killing Moon”.

The Fountain begins much like it ends, with a whimper.

Opening track “I Think I Need It Too” has the same generic mass appeal of every U2 and Coldplay song ever written, but lacks the social relevancy needed to inspire anyone under the age of 50.

“Shroud of Turin” is almost as unimpressive as its real world counterpart, as a beleaguered McCulloch questions the many limitations of a supposed omnipresent being, “Never happens when you want it to/Never does what it’s supposed to do/It’s never good enough to see me through.”

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Sainthood by Tegan and Sara

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Tegan and Sara have proven time and time again that their success as musicians and identity as a band extends beyond the novelty of watching identical lesbian twins perform unspeakable deeds.

However, while albums So Jealous and The Con helped establish the sister act as bonafide Indie Pop contenders, latest effort Sainthood (produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie fame) does little to advance their cause.

A smitten Sara struggles to maintain her composure (“Make those eyes at me/I lose my grip, I lose my focus.”) on the impossibly adorable “On Directing”, whose glittering Pop vibrancy is ultimately dulled by its own Post-Punk disillusionment.

Catchy as the “The Cure” may be, the song suffers from its stale lyrics and a fairly generic melody that ironically sounds like a bizarre mash-up of “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven”.

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What Will We Be by Devendra Banhart

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Devendra Banhart returns for another round of psychedelic fueled folk rhythms on seventh studio album What Will We Be.

The grizzled Hipster messiah is swept up by love’s punch drunk embrace (and quite possibly Natalie Portman’s a**) on first single “Baby”, whose breezy island groove and insipid lyrics recall every Jack Johnson song ever written, “Holy moley, you’re so funny/You crack me up.”

On the other hand, “Angelika” shines as the album’s stand out track, seamlessly blending soothing folk melodies with lush Latin orchestration, to create a mood worthy of a Pedro Almodovar movie or something equally as pretentious.

Despite my seething hatred for all people from Topanga Canyon, California, Banhart’s latest effort manages to differentiate itself enough from the rest of the pack to consider picking up.

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Cosmic Egg by Wolfmother

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

As far as debut albums go, Wolfmother’s 2005 self-titled effort was a competent worthwhile listen, but I can’t exactly say the same for their watered down follow-up Cosmic Egg.

Andrew Stockdale lost more than a drummer and bass player when Myles Heskett and Chris Ross decided to leave, because now he’s left with nothing more than a mediocre Hard Rock band that pays little tribute to the classic Heavy Metal sound he helped revive.

Stockdale attempts to mature on first single “New Moon Rising”, but instead finds himself retreading familiar ground, as he once again fends off his uncontrollable libido, “He’s got to find his way now/Gotta find himself a woman.”

The Australian frontman may sound a great deal like his Led Zeppelin idol on “White Feather”, but even Robert Plant was nothing without Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham.

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This Is It by Michael Jackson

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

It was only a matter of time before people started exploiting Michael Jackson’s death for profit, making AEG Live’s decision to release rehearsal footage in the form of a two hour long documentary all the less shocking.

Let’s face it, if they or any other business person could find a way to make money off the current Rwandan genocide, you’d be seeing hand numbered commemorative lithographs on the Home Shopping Network as we speak, and available on flex pay for just three easy payments of $19.99.

Needless to say, why just release a film when you can double down on a two disc movie soundtrack comprised of album masters, alternate takes, and a spoken poem written by the King of Pop himself.

This Is It may have been your final chance to see Jackson perform live, but it won’t be the last time money hungry opportunists use his name and likeness.

Speaking of which, don’t forget to check out our large selection of Michael Jackson paraphernalia at store.rock.com!

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Embryonic by The Flaming Lips

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Wayne Coyne has always been a bit left of center from the rest of the musical spectrum, but on twelfth studio album Embryonic, the eccentric Flaming Lips frontman drifts even further from the status quo into Frank Zappa and/or Plastic Ono Band territory.

The incredibly surreal “Silver Trembling Hands” shines as the albums stand out track, but beneath its lush orchestration and other worldly ambience, beats the heart of a tortured post-punk soul, as Coyne’s distorted howls conjure up images of teary-eyed Native Americans standing amidst the unrecyclable rubble of another failed relationship.

By contrast, a far more restrained Coyne makes an appearance on the folksy “Enthusiasm for Life”, whose simple yet sincere melody pierces through the fog of existential angst, revealing a world full of sunshine and rainbows, “Last night I had a horrible dream/But the sunrise in the morning/Came and burned it all away.”

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In and Out of Control by The Raveonettes

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

If I could use only one word to describe the Raveonettes latest effort, it would have to be the harsh indifference of “meh”.

It’s not that In and Out of Control isn’t any good; I’ve just heard it all before and done to better execution on each of their previous albums.

Nonetheless, the Danish duo maintains their Rebel Without a Cause allegiances on first single “Last Dance”, as an ever nostalgic Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo alter the white picket fence sterility of 50’s era Americana to better suite their brooding hostility, “And every time you overdose/I rust to intensive care/Another said I stare/Before you disappear.”

“Boys Who Rape” attempts to capture the unrelenting brutality of sexual predators (“They rip you to shreds/Make you feel useless/You’ll never forget/Those f*ckers stay in your head”), only to see its after school special moment spoiled by its own delightfully inappropriate exuberance.

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