I was standing in the music section of a Best Buy store the other day when I heard an irresistible new rock song playing over the PA system. When this happens to me I freak out and get frantic. It’s like passing a girl on the subway not knowing if you’ll ever run into her again. This might just be my new favorite song, but I need to get her name. When it happens I usually run around looking for a store employee to ask what song is playing. I’ll grab a pen and I’ll try to listen to the lyrics close enough to gather a snippet to plug into Google later. I’ve had this happen to me at coffee shops, at live shows when the soundboard guy is playing warm-up music, Hollister, even the Gap. When I hear something and it sounds great the first time I need to know what it is. If you’ve ever been with me you know I have a one-track mind. But I usually will get its name. I will get its digits. This particular song sounded like the The Killers or one of those really catchy new Christian rock songs that you wish weren’t Christian rock.
I got lucky this time as Best Buy radio came on the air and revealed the track as “Big Casino” by Jimmy Eat World. I immediately proceeded to the J section and grabbed their new disc Chase This Light. “Big Casino” is my kind of song from the signature guitar intro (you could put this one first on your mix CD right after the movie quite), the androgynous pretty vocal part Angels & Airwaves part Brandon Flowers. There was real pop sensibility to the glam guitar. This is my type of music. But “Big Casino” sounded like something, I couldn’t quite place it—but then it hit me. The story of “Big Casino” about the “New Jersey success story” sounds eerily familiar to ‘90s hit “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, but it’s in there.
I remember as a kid there were often situations where my two brothers and myself would all draw pictures or color the kids’ menu at the restaurant. We always asked my parents what the “best one” was. OF course they remained neutral always calling it a draw. That’s how I feel playing catch up on the blog this week. I had picked up three spankin’ new CDs. The plan was to mix genres and go from Jay-Z to VHS or Beta to Jimmy Eat World, which admittedly was pretty similar to Angels & Airwaves. Trouble was I wanted to listen to Jimmy Eat World. And I did. It quickly became my favorite, the teacher had a pet. It wasn’t a fair fight.
Randomly I just want to say I love CD stickers. I don’t know what it is, but I love all the multi colored shapes calling out the prices and the songs they think you’ll like. There’s something old school about it like the starburst graphic in PowerPoint. I just picture some rock guy saying to the band, “and then we’ll put a red circle here with “Big Casino” in it and wham, bam!” Good stuff.
Interesting that the sticker on Chase This Light called out 4 songs –and they just so happen to be the first 4 songs on the record. And they might have been right. Chase This Light starts in a three-point stance and really never slows down. The start explodes with “Big Casino,” and “Let It Happen” which adds a little more twinkle and head nod. Lyrics like “Could have been a night like any other one of us has to drive, one of us gets to think”—makes the music extremely accessible.
“Always Be” gets a little more girly—finger snaps and all. If there’s a knock on Jimmy Eat World it’s probably that Jim Adkin’s vocal is more delicate like Tim Booth from James –and whenever you call to mind the softer pop sensibility of “Breakfast of Tiffany’s” there’s a group of people who won’t engage. But for the girly boys like me Jimmy Eat World make damn fine music. It’s the stuff for the music video playing in your head and Chase This Light will have even married guys on their riding lawn mowers feeling like they were in high school again.
There’s a tremendous optimism to the pop rock of Jimmy Eat World. The music sounds like a sunrise. It sounds like something you and your girl could listen to. It sounds like bare feet on the dashboard with just a faint smell of Drakkar left over from the ‘80s.
“Carry You” adds more acoustic and maintains the love. On “Electable (Give it Up)” Jimmy Eat World take the sound to more black leather pants. The riffs are more Green Day and the “Oh oh oh oh oh” chorus is a joyous romp. Chase this Light is just damn fun and the whole album is this way. Makes me want to see a live show. My sense is Jimmy Eat World would shred as they may be at their apex like a Matchbox Twenty show back in 1997.
“Gotta be somebody’s blues” is more moody like “Bullet in the Blue Sky” with a whisper. It’s not my cup of tea but it’s not out of place. If this is the concert I’m reloading my beers during this one. And to be honest with the pace of the rest of the record you almost need the break.
The CD sticker missed one. I dare you to find a more infectious sing than “Here it Goes.” “Here it Goes” is like “Mr. Brightside” meets “The Electric Slide.” It’s absolutely fabulous. I can already see the pretty girls roller-skating to this one. Awesome stuff. It’s sound like “Here it Goes” and previously “The Middle” that make me think Jim Adkins has a real gift for melody in almost a Rob Thomas I write the songs that make the world sing type way. Downloard “Here it Goes.” If they made cotton candy Q-Tips this is what it would sound like.
The title track brings back the crescendo. Most of the songs on Chase this Light are built on glam guitar, sweet vocal and the Some Kind of Wonderful bang of Zach Lind on drums.
Another pocket rocket off the album is “Firefight.” Overall Jimmy Eat World brings a steady stream of upbeat melodic rock. I guess the fault of the record would be they tend to sound the same and maybe Adkin’s vocal will wear on you after a few spins but I doubt it. Jimmy Eat World’s new disc is one of the more satisfying music purchases I’ve made this year. And good enough to cut to the front of the line during a busy week.
Monday, December 10, 2007
If you want a Hank Williams Jr. record don't buy Kid Rock
Here’s my excuse. Kid Rock was interviewed on Larry King. He was engaging. He was rock n roll. He seemed smart. He seemed interesting. He’s slept with Pam.
I guess I always hoped there was a little more behind the curtain with Kid. A little touch of Skynyrd by way of Detroit. With singles like “Picture (with Sheryl Crow)” in the past I felt Kid Rock one day would put out a nice little Southern fried rock record.
The reviews on Kid’s new record Rock N Roll Jesus talked about monster AC/DC guitar riffs. Producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day) was prominently involved, and there were hints that Kid pulled out the bourbon and did his best Waylon and Willie impression. I was excited to check it out if for no other reason than hoping I’d find one nice little tune that no one else would know. Finding a sneaky little Kid Rock song to for your party play list, is a bit like finding a great shirt at Target boutique. The closest we get to this is probably “Amen” which is acoustic Kid at his best sounding like his head hurts after a hard night and singing about soldiers, lawyers, and pastors. He keeps the lyrics simple and it reminds of Tesla (think their cover of “Signs”) back in their heyday. “Amen” isn’t a great song, runs a bit too long, but it’s as good as we get on Rock N Roll Jesus. “Blue Jeans and a Rosary” would run a close second to “Amen” as the best effort on the album. Kid seems to be comfortable in his own skin on these two.
The problem with Rock N Roll Jesus is at the end of the day Kid still has to pay the bills. He can do all the magazine interviews he wants claiming he’s done saying his name in every song – but there’s still plenty of bad Woodstock ’94 hick-hop on the new record. It’s clear Kid still has to pay homage to the 12 million people who bought Devil Without A Cause. And with lyrics like “I want to fuck your pussy ‘til it’s cold,” “fuck you in the nose” ⎯to name a few it’s pretty clear Mr. Rock is still sitting at the kids’ table.
“All Summer Long” basically takes a “Sweet Home Alabama” sample and tries unsuccessfully to turn it into an original song. The result while sweet to the taste has all the staying power of a stick of Fruit Stripe gum. Part “Crocodile Rock,” the result sounds corny. “All Summer Long” might sound decent at a Solo cup keg party, but Kid isn’t adding much here he’s basically leaning into a riff we already know. He’s cheatin’ and he still can’t win.
“Roll On” might be a decent track if it weren’t a complete theft of Jonny Lang’s “Breakin’ Me.” “Roll On” has that Todd Beamer, USO, American spirit that has become the Kid Rock brand. The backing vocal and piano are nice, but the similarities to the Lang track were too much for me to forgive. I’d suspect lawyers are involved here.
The rest of the album has Kid doing his metal meathead act on “So Hott,” “Sugar,” and his close circuit to his ex-wife Pam “Half Your Age.”
A lot of different Kid Rocks make an appearance on Rock N Roll Jesus and the result sounds like the audio equivalent of a major identity crisis. Some songs like “Sugar” even waver from an acoustic intro to rapping like Zack De La Rocha from Rage to dropping samples of “Cowboy” —all in one track. That’s a steep descent. Lyrics like “kiss my Anglo Saxon ass!” and “I’m watching porno on the TV” sound pretty junior varsity to my well trained thirty three year old ears.
I guess I can’t really blame Kid. He’s always been this way. He grew up a rich boy from Michigan who wanted to be Vanilla Ice. Next he wanted to be a hardcore rapper. Then he wanted to be Limp Bizkit. Now he wants to be Hank Williams Jr. After listening to Rock N Roll Jesus a few times I can assure you he’s nowhere close.
If I go back to the Larry King interview that lead to the unexpected appearance of Kid Rock on Music Martes I still think there’s something in the cupboard here. Trouble is Kid Rock needs to determine what type of artist he wants to be. He should either do the Southern acoustic thing in the vein of “Amen” and “Blue Jeans and a Rosary” for an entire album. If he did he might get some of the honky-tonk cred he clearly craves. He’s not going to be Hank Williams Jr., but he could probably pull off a sound like The Georgia Satellites or (maybe) even something like Guns N’ Roses Lies record.
Even with big ax tracks like “So Hott” I don’t think true hard rock in the spirit of AC/DC, White Zombie, or Buckcherry is realistic for Kid. There’s too much of a wink to him.
Another thought would be for Kid Rock to reinvent ZZ Top for a new generation and make some kick ass rock that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Might be a way for him to find a happy medium. He could sing about the girls, have the big riffs, and still live larger than the rest of us. At least he wouldn’t sound as confused as he does here.
I guess I always hoped there was a little more behind the curtain with Kid. A little touch of Skynyrd by way of Detroit. With singles like “Picture (with Sheryl Crow)” in the past I felt Kid Rock one day would put out a nice little Southern fried rock record.
The reviews on Kid’s new record Rock N Roll Jesus talked about monster AC/DC guitar riffs. Producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day) was prominently involved, and there were hints that Kid pulled out the bourbon and did his best Waylon and Willie impression. I was excited to check it out if for no other reason than hoping I’d find one nice little tune that no one else would know. Finding a sneaky little Kid Rock song to for your party play list, is a bit like finding a great shirt at Target boutique. The closest we get to this is probably “Amen” which is acoustic Kid at his best sounding like his head hurts after a hard night and singing about soldiers, lawyers, and pastors. He keeps the lyrics simple and it reminds of Tesla (think their cover of “Signs”) back in their heyday. “Amen” isn’t a great song, runs a bit too long, but it’s as good as we get on Rock N Roll Jesus. “Blue Jeans and a Rosary” would run a close second to “Amen” as the best effort on the album. Kid seems to be comfortable in his own skin on these two.
The problem with Rock N Roll Jesus is at the end of the day Kid still has to pay the bills. He can do all the magazine interviews he wants claiming he’s done saying his name in every song – but there’s still plenty of bad Woodstock ’94 hick-hop on the new record. It’s clear Kid still has to pay homage to the 12 million people who bought Devil Without A Cause. And with lyrics like “I want to fuck your pussy ‘til it’s cold,” “fuck you in the nose” ⎯to name a few it’s pretty clear Mr. Rock is still sitting at the kids’ table.
“All Summer Long” basically takes a “Sweet Home Alabama” sample and tries unsuccessfully to turn it into an original song. The result while sweet to the taste has all the staying power of a stick of Fruit Stripe gum. Part “Crocodile Rock,” the result sounds corny. “All Summer Long” might sound decent at a Solo cup keg party, but Kid isn’t adding much here he’s basically leaning into a riff we already know. He’s cheatin’ and he still can’t win.
“Roll On” might be a decent track if it weren’t a complete theft of Jonny Lang’s “Breakin’ Me.” “Roll On” has that Todd Beamer, USO, American spirit that has become the Kid Rock brand. The backing vocal and piano are nice, but the similarities to the Lang track were too much for me to forgive. I’d suspect lawyers are involved here.
The rest of the album has Kid doing his metal meathead act on “So Hott,” “Sugar,” and his close circuit to his ex-wife Pam “Half Your Age.”
A lot of different Kid Rocks make an appearance on Rock N Roll Jesus and the result sounds like the audio equivalent of a major identity crisis. Some songs like “Sugar” even waver from an acoustic intro to rapping like Zack De La Rocha from Rage to dropping samples of “Cowboy” —all in one track. That’s a steep descent. Lyrics like “kiss my Anglo Saxon ass!” and “I’m watching porno on the TV” sound pretty junior varsity to my well trained thirty three year old ears.
I guess I can’t really blame Kid. He’s always been this way. He grew up a rich boy from Michigan who wanted to be Vanilla Ice. Next he wanted to be a hardcore rapper. Then he wanted to be Limp Bizkit. Now he wants to be Hank Williams Jr. After listening to Rock N Roll Jesus a few times I can assure you he’s nowhere close.
If I go back to the Larry King interview that lead to the unexpected appearance of Kid Rock on Music Martes I still think there’s something in the cupboard here. Trouble is Kid Rock needs to determine what type of artist he wants to be. He should either do the Southern acoustic thing in the vein of “Amen” and “Blue Jeans and a Rosary” for an entire album. If he did he might get some of the honky-tonk cred he clearly craves. He’s not going to be Hank Williams Jr., but he could probably pull off a sound like The Georgia Satellites or (maybe) even something like Guns N’ Roses Lies record.
Even with big ax tracks like “So Hott” I don’t think true hard rock in the spirit of AC/DC, White Zombie, or Buckcherry is realistic for Kid. There’s too much of a wink to him.
Another thought would be for Kid Rock to reinvent ZZ Top for a new generation and make some kick ass rock that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Might be a way for him to find a happy medium. He could sing about the girls, have the big riffs, and still live larger than the rest of us. At least he wouldn’t sound as confused as he does here.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tom DeLonge Needs To Get Out More
I’ve followed the career of Tom Delonge ever since he extracted all of the talent from Blink 182 and went his own way. I enjoyed his first side project, Boxcar Racer, and would call myself a fan of his latest band Angels & Airwaves. When DeLonge got married and had kids it didn’t bother me either because I knew this guy was determined to make the big planetarium rock that would fit in a John Hughes teen drama. Angels & Airwaves is like “Salisbury Hill” with better guitar. And the newly minted family man DeLonge was bound to hit some themes I could get into.
Angels & Airwaves is starry sky rock at its best and when Tom has the guitars frothing at the mouth it can be pure bliss. Angels & Airwaves make the sort of music that scares the crap out of you when you turn on your car because you can’t believe how loud you let it get the last time you were in there. The trouble with Angels & Airwaves is Tom seems to have lost his ability to taper the music. He’s become indulgent and perhaps a bit out of touch. The music sounds like it comes from a guy who has a studio in his house and doesn’t have to answer to anyone –there’s no fit or finish. Case in point “True Love” is a nifty little song that takes two minutes just to get going.
Many of the songs on I-Empire include two-minute intros and lots of meandering guitar twinkle. If I was playing a video game and this was the score-it’d be fine. But I’m not. I bought an album and I expect the songs to have a little more discipline.
DeLonge always has killer pedals going on his guitar. The opener “Call to Arms” is classic, cinematic Angels & Airwaves and a good way to start. Track two “Everything’s Magic” adds some sound effects and a little pace to take us closer to a single.
A big problem with I-Empire is the first three tracks don’t bring much to the cake mix. It’s mostly whiney vocal, sound effects, and just a tease of guitar. “Breathe” has some cool 1980’s drum effect, but it sounds too unfinished.
“Love Like Rockets” starts the countdown as we hear the familiar walkie-talkie crackle and get closer to what makes Angels & Airwaves one of my favorite new bands. When DeLonge gets the guitar going like a helicopter, Angels & Airwaves music can have all the drama of Cape Canaveral. “Love Like Rockets” should get points for the title alone and is a fun little song. It sounds like the sort of thing you’d want playing on a hot summer night in a convertible. “The stars in your eyes light up the skies” chorus even has a little Bono thing going on. Angels & Airwaves has a heavy U2 influence from DeLonge’s guitar to the “oh ay oh” sing-a-long choruses.
But unlike the last Angels & Airwaves record We Don’t Need to Whisper which gave us “The Adventure,” “The War (theme from MTV’s Two-A-Days),” and “Distraction” –the only must have track off I-Empire is “Secret Crowds.” After a somewhat needless thirty-second intro, “Secret Crowds” leaves the atmosphere on the back of DeLonge’s power chords. This is a massive pump up song for your collection. “Secret Crowds” is straight up black t-shirt rock. The core idea of the album is here as DeLonge talks about his I-Empire (“If I had my own world”) where he world “spread love like violence.” And the “Let me feel you carry you higher . . .secret crowds rise up and gather” even has a little “We Will Rock You” beat that had me banging the roof of the Wrangler. This is the sort of song Jack Black’s character would have broke a piece of chalk telling the kids about in School of Rock. It’s simply that good.
Trouble is there isn’t much else here on I-Empire. “Secret Crowds” craps bigger than the rest of the record. Overall I worry about Angels & Airwaves. The music is so out of touch that I think DeLonge might be fading. We’ve reached the true fan-stage of his career. The hardcore like myself will be able to pull a great song out of every album, and not much more. And until Delonge hooks up with some other talent I don’t see much more happening. But with the right supporting cast DeLonge could make a big dent on the scene. Selfishly I’d love to see Delonge get picked up in some sort of rock and roll super group in the spirit of Audioslave and Velvet Revolver for his guitar and his mind. The man gets music. Otherwise he’ll just make six-minute songs like “Heaven” which sound like the distortion pedal version of a guy watching his life projected in Super 8 on the wall in the dark.
“Lifeline” is an interesting song if for no other reason that it makes the best use of DeLonge’s eternally 17 angst ridden vocal and pulls it across a nice wingspan. “If you wish it wish it now. If you wish it wish it loud” and the familiar “yo oh oh oh” anthem is solid. “Rite of Spring” starts out like a Poison guitar riff but ultimately disappoints as the glam is quickly replaced with melancholy. But it is a nice personal story and his “chance for a better life” gives a glimpse of a genuine nice guy in rock and roll.
The Target version of the CD comes with two bonus tracks including an acoustic version of Angel & Airwaves first hit “The Adventure.” It’s painful to listen to and I can’t imagine how this version made it onto the record. My only explanation is someone has Punk’d DeLonge. All it does is reinforce how much help DeLonge needs with his vocal in post-production because the raw track sounds horrible. It’s like tone deaf Violent Femmes, it’s truly awful stuff.
In summary, I’m a fan of Mr. Delonge. His music makes music videos in my head. But if the man doesn’t get some help I worry that’s about as far as Angels & Airwaves will go.
Angels & Airwaves is starry sky rock at its best and when Tom has the guitars frothing at the mouth it can be pure bliss. Angels & Airwaves make the sort of music that scares the crap out of you when you turn on your car because you can’t believe how loud you let it get the last time you were in there. The trouble with Angels & Airwaves is Tom seems to have lost his ability to taper the music. He’s become indulgent and perhaps a bit out of touch. The music sounds like it comes from a guy who has a studio in his house and doesn’t have to answer to anyone –there’s no fit or finish. Case in point “True Love” is a nifty little song that takes two minutes just to get going.
Many of the songs on I-Empire include two-minute intros and lots of meandering guitar twinkle. If I was playing a video game and this was the score-it’d be fine. But I’m not. I bought an album and I expect the songs to have a little more discipline.
DeLonge always has killer pedals going on his guitar. The opener “Call to Arms” is classic, cinematic Angels & Airwaves and a good way to start. Track two “Everything’s Magic” adds some sound effects and a little pace to take us closer to a single.
A big problem with I-Empire is the first three tracks don’t bring much to the cake mix. It’s mostly whiney vocal, sound effects, and just a tease of guitar. “Breathe” has some cool 1980’s drum effect, but it sounds too unfinished.
“Love Like Rockets” starts the countdown as we hear the familiar walkie-talkie crackle and get closer to what makes Angels & Airwaves one of my favorite new bands. When DeLonge gets the guitar going like a helicopter, Angels & Airwaves music can have all the drama of Cape Canaveral. “Love Like Rockets” should get points for the title alone and is a fun little song. It sounds like the sort of thing you’d want playing on a hot summer night in a convertible. “The stars in your eyes light up the skies” chorus even has a little Bono thing going on. Angels & Airwaves has a heavy U2 influence from DeLonge’s guitar to the “oh ay oh” sing-a-long choruses.
But unlike the last Angels & Airwaves record We Don’t Need to Whisper which gave us “The Adventure,” “The War (theme from MTV’s Two-A-Days),” and “Distraction” –the only must have track off I-Empire is “Secret Crowds.” After a somewhat needless thirty-second intro, “Secret Crowds” leaves the atmosphere on the back of DeLonge’s power chords. This is a massive pump up song for your collection. “Secret Crowds” is straight up black t-shirt rock. The core idea of the album is here as DeLonge talks about his I-Empire (“If I had my own world”) where he world “spread love like violence.” And the “Let me feel you carry you higher . . .secret crowds rise up and gather” even has a little “We Will Rock You” beat that had me banging the roof of the Wrangler. This is the sort of song Jack Black’s character would have broke a piece of chalk telling the kids about in School of Rock. It’s simply that good.
Trouble is there isn’t much else here on I-Empire. “Secret Crowds” craps bigger than the rest of the record. Overall I worry about Angels & Airwaves. The music is so out of touch that I think DeLonge might be fading. We’ve reached the true fan-stage of his career. The hardcore like myself will be able to pull a great song out of every album, and not much more. And until Delonge hooks up with some other talent I don’t see much more happening. But with the right supporting cast DeLonge could make a big dent on the scene. Selfishly I’d love to see Delonge get picked up in some sort of rock and roll super group in the spirit of Audioslave and Velvet Revolver for his guitar and his mind. The man gets music. Otherwise he’ll just make six-minute songs like “Heaven” which sound like the distortion pedal version of a guy watching his life projected in Super 8 on the wall in the dark.
“Lifeline” is an interesting song if for no other reason that it makes the best use of DeLonge’s eternally 17 angst ridden vocal and pulls it across a nice wingspan. “If you wish it wish it now. If you wish it wish it loud” and the familiar “yo oh oh oh” anthem is solid. “Rite of Spring” starts out like a Poison guitar riff but ultimately disappoints as the glam is quickly replaced with melancholy. But it is a nice personal story and his “chance for a better life” gives a glimpse of a genuine nice guy in rock and roll.
The Target version of the CD comes with two bonus tracks including an acoustic version of Angel & Airwaves first hit “The Adventure.” It’s painful to listen to and I can’t imagine how this version made it onto the record. My only explanation is someone has Punk’d DeLonge. All it does is reinforce how much help DeLonge needs with his vocal in post-production because the raw track sounds horrible. It’s like tone deaf Violent Femmes, it’s truly awful stuff.
In summary, I’m a fan of Mr. Delonge. His music makes music videos in my head. But if the man doesn’t get some help I worry that’s about as far as Angels & Airwaves will go.
Friday, November 9, 2007
I’ll take $10 on Band of Horses to Show.
As it turns out the band I was hearing good things about was Iron & Wine, not Band of Horses. But I stuck with the BOH review assuming it was akin to accidentally betting on the wrong horse at the track. When that happens you never, ever take the ticket back to the counter. You roll with the destiny.
Funny thing happened, my ticket was a winner. I like Band of Horses. I don’t love them. I’m not running around telling people to buy them or adding icons to my facebook page. But BOH has a nice little sound about them.
When I explained to a buddy here at work that I was accidentally reviewing BOH he assured me I would like them. Turns out he had an Amazon box on his desk with the same Cease to Begin CD. He described BOH’s sound as Southern, more specifically “Southern dudes with beards” ⎯which is never wrong.
This was all starting to sound promising. For starters my music was going back into the barrel, A lot of my favorite music is a little gamey, has a little woods in it, you need to check for bones before you consumer—Kings of Leon had that in spades and sadly seem to have gone away from it a bit recently.
The first track on Cease to Begin “Is There a Ghost.” reminds me a bit of “MLK” from U2. Even though it clocks in at nearly 3 minutes it’s not as much a song as it is a sleepy time vibe. But to their credit, it’s a nice album opener with a little rock guitar thump and an introduction to lead vocalist Ben Bridwell’s pretty voice.
One of the things I found a bit distracting about BOH was going from “Southern guys with beards” to the lovely vocal of Bridwell. I mean this guy doesn’t sound like a cowboy he sounds like the “you sure got a purdy mouth” guy the cowboys would want to share a cell with.
Track two “Ode to LRC” had me worried. The album was starting to sound like everything and nothing. This track reminds me of bands like Athlete that get the critics all excited and when you listed to them it’s just a good solid C+. Personally I’d rather listen to the best or the worst, the middle is what really hurts your ears and wastes your time.
Recovery was one song away with “No One’s Gonna Love You” where the boys got to me. “No One’s Gonna Love You” is a song about the phantom pains of love feeling like “a limb torn off.” You can hear the hurt in his voice as Bridwell goes out of his way to say “no one is ever going to love you like I do” to someone who has clearly moved on. “No One’s Gonna Love You” has a haunting effect as Bridwell pens one more love letter to the “ghost of what once was.” This one has all the moodiness it needs to toss it on top of the last 5 minutes of a Grey’s Anatomy episode.
I’m always going to be a sucker for the wind chime twinkle of a guitar because I grew up worshipping the Edge and U2. Band of Horses have some guitar chops featuring a guitar instrumental “Lamb on the Lam (In the City).” Bridwell’s vocal grew on me as well as at times he has a little Perry Farrell and he’s a real singer-which I appreciate.
Overall Band of Horses make lovely like the bell choir visiting your church around Christmas. What BOH lack in Adam’s apple grit, they make up for in gorgeous melody. The music tends to be a little bit too shoe gazer sleepy for my liking as it sort of wants to fade into a starry sky. But I think the band is capable of more. They have the guitar chops, but I’d like to see a little less twinkle twinkle and a little more asteroid coming from him.
Where BOH really won me over was by putting the belt buckle on and showing their range on “The General Specific” and “Marry Song.” “The General Specific” is a saloon stomp and a hot little song. It’s odd in sort of White Stripes way, at times sounding like a different band. The guitar is gone replaced with piano and a strong bass buzz. The eyes are no longer on the floor, and the feet are tapping. Bridwell’s voice changes, but it doesn’t sound forced. It’s almost as if the boys from South Carolina wanted to show us they could do it just to check the box. “Marry Song” is whiney whiskey country at its best. The sort of southern fried country that makes you want to drink until the sun hurts your eyes the next morning. It’s not for everyone, but if you like a good Western movie you’ll likely enjoy this 3:23 seat next to the organ. The keyboard work is key to both of these departure songs. Is there anything better than the sound of rock guys singing country?!
In short Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin ranks ahead of many other critical darlings (Interpol, Radiohead) I’ve reviewed in this space. I’d keep my eye on them. If they can stop counting sheep and get some of the music out of the evening and into the morning or afternoon—I think they could stick around for a while. I think they have too much personality not to do something interesting. Any band who can write a gorgeous ballad and name it “Detlef Schrempf” after the former 7’ awkward pasty German white basketball star has to be capable of making their mark.
Funny thing happened, my ticket was a winner. I like Band of Horses. I don’t love them. I’m not running around telling people to buy them or adding icons to my facebook page. But BOH has a nice little sound about them.
When I explained to a buddy here at work that I was accidentally reviewing BOH he assured me I would like them. Turns out he had an Amazon box on his desk with the same Cease to Begin CD. He described BOH’s sound as Southern, more specifically “Southern dudes with beards” ⎯which is never wrong.
This was all starting to sound promising. For starters my music was going back into the barrel, A lot of my favorite music is a little gamey, has a little woods in it, you need to check for bones before you consumer—Kings of Leon had that in spades and sadly seem to have gone away from it a bit recently.
The first track on Cease to Begin “Is There a Ghost.” reminds me a bit of “MLK” from U2. Even though it clocks in at nearly 3 minutes it’s not as much a song as it is a sleepy time vibe. But to their credit, it’s a nice album opener with a little rock guitar thump and an introduction to lead vocalist Ben Bridwell’s pretty voice.
One of the things I found a bit distracting about BOH was going from “Southern guys with beards” to the lovely vocal of Bridwell. I mean this guy doesn’t sound like a cowboy he sounds like the “you sure got a purdy mouth” guy the cowboys would want to share a cell with.
Track two “Ode to LRC” had me worried. The album was starting to sound like everything and nothing. This track reminds me of bands like Athlete that get the critics all excited and when you listed to them it’s just a good solid C+. Personally I’d rather listen to the best or the worst, the middle is what really hurts your ears and wastes your time.
Recovery was one song away with “No One’s Gonna Love You” where the boys got to me. “No One’s Gonna Love You” is a song about the phantom pains of love feeling like “a limb torn off.” You can hear the hurt in his voice as Bridwell goes out of his way to say “no one is ever going to love you like I do” to someone who has clearly moved on. “No One’s Gonna Love You” has a haunting effect as Bridwell pens one more love letter to the “ghost of what once was.” This one has all the moodiness it needs to toss it on top of the last 5 minutes of a Grey’s Anatomy episode.
I’m always going to be a sucker for the wind chime twinkle of a guitar because I grew up worshipping the Edge and U2. Band of Horses have some guitar chops featuring a guitar instrumental “Lamb on the Lam (In the City).” Bridwell’s vocal grew on me as well as at times he has a little Perry Farrell and he’s a real singer-which I appreciate.
Overall Band of Horses make lovely like the bell choir visiting your church around Christmas. What BOH lack in Adam’s apple grit, they make up for in gorgeous melody. The music tends to be a little bit too shoe gazer sleepy for my liking as it sort of wants to fade into a starry sky. But I think the band is capable of more. They have the guitar chops, but I’d like to see a little less twinkle twinkle and a little more asteroid coming from him.
Where BOH really won me over was by putting the belt buckle on and showing their range on “The General Specific” and “Marry Song.” “The General Specific” is a saloon stomp and a hot little song. It’s odd in sort of White Stripes way, at times sounding like a different band. The guitar is gone replaced with piano and a strong bass buzz. The eyes are no longer on the floor, and the feet are tapping. Bridwell’s voice changes, but it doesn’t sound forced. It’s almost as if the boys from South Carolina wanted to show us they could do it just to check the box. “Marry Song” is whiney whiskey country at its best. The sort of southern fried country that makes you want to drink until the sun hurts your eyes the next morning. It’s not for everyone, but if you like a good Western movie you’ll likely enjoy this 3:23 seat next to the organ. The keyboard work is key to both of these departure songs. Is there anything better than the sound of rock guys singing country?!
In short Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin ranks ahead of many other critical darlings (Interpol, Radiohead) I’ve reviewed in this space. I’d keep my eye on them. If they can stop counting sheep and get some of the music out of the evening and into the morning or afternoon—I think they could stick around for a while. I think they have too much personality not to do something interesting. Any band who can write a gorgeous ballad and name it “Detlef Schrempf” after the former 7’ awkward pasty German white basketball star has to be capable of making their mark.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Raise a glass to the Dropkick Murphys! Hey!
It’s usually a good sign when the first time you hear about a band you’re eating a peanut butter burger while sitting at a bar.
It doesn’t’ hurt that the next thing you hear about them is they contributed to the Departed soundtrack.
And the trifecta is complete when a rock & roll gal from work (let’s call her Carol), who you’ve had arguments about the specific definition of “punk” with over the ears recommends them. Yes, with Dropkick Murphys all the letters of recommendation were in before I even started listening.
The Dropkick Murphys had me from the school bell on opener “Famous for Nothing,” It’s the tale of St. Mary’s school where the only common ground between cliques is basketball and alcohol. “Famous for Nothing” is messy rock just how this high school mash up would likely turn out. “It wasn’t pretty at all” the lads go on to say.
When I first held the new Dropkick Murphys’ CD The Meanest of Times, I was excited. The pleather album cover look combined with the Celtic cross on the front album art felt provocative. The Meanest of Times felt like an album college guys would lift weight to. More importantly it felt like something absent from the world right now, some good punchy punk.
The music reminds me of a college roommate I had named Sam. I think he’s a lawyer now, but back in the day no one was more fun then Sammy. He was the guy you wanted to stand and scream through the sunroof and do shots of Jameson late night with. Sammy was straight up Boston, straight up passion.
The brief description I had on Dropkick Murphys going in was “Celtic punk.” And I guess that’s about right. Dropkick Murphy sound like Green Day with bagpipes. They sound like bloody knuckles with claddagh rings on. But mostly the music sounds like a big sweaty club filled with people raising their glasses to toast. Lead singer Al Barr has plenty of memorable one-line screams like “God willing,” “sailor coming home,” and “You said we’d die alone” that add to this effect.
The Irish stuff does come through loud and clear on songs like “The State of Massachusetts” and “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya.” There are plenty of fist pumping “heys!” throughout, and the entire record moves at a blistering pace. What I like most about The Meanest of Times are the stories. They sing about characters like Billy and Flannigan. And they sing about whiskey, war, suicide, and guns.
But it’s not the Irish thing I like best about Dropkick Murphys. While I think that’s a reason to check them out, my two favorite tracks “Echoes on ‘A’ Street” and “Surrender” have a lot more guitar than they do shamrock shake. “Echoes on ‘A’ Street” is an epic track with a vocal that sounds like Neil Diamond at the start (a good thing by the way) before turning into a cinematic stomp down the block. The “Sailor Coming Home!!” chorus is the sort of thing to have you screaming alone in your car. Great rock & roll indeed. “Surrender” is more guitar hero with monster riffs that remind me of the best of Green Day, Blink 182, and Angels and Airwaves. “Surrender’ is leaner and more of a single. The guitar is kick ass especially when James Lynch melts your mind about two minutes in. The last track on the record rounds out my medal stand, as “Never Forget” is an anthem about the importance of love and family.
“(F)lannigan’s Ball” almost sounds like a continuation of “Surrender.” While not as strong a track, I’m glad we’re still rocking. While most of Dropkick Murphy’s songs are similar to the punk of Green Day, on “I’ll Begin Again” they show they’re capable of a more straight ahead big rock sound.
Guitarist James Lynch can straight shred and he pops off for the first time on “Tomorrow’s Industry” as does drummer Matt Kelley. “Tomorrow’s Industry” is a nice little band showcase, if not a great song.
In many ways Dropkick Murphys are the opposite of the other band I reviewed this week, Radiohead. If Radiohead sounds like a synthetic, empty, urban apartment –Dropkick Murphys are more like one of those little bars on the shore where the crab fisherman drink all night after getting off the boat for the entire summer.
I can only imagine how great Dropkick Murphys would be live. I picture a crowd full of brothers swaying back and forth, arm and arm, raising their glasses. The Meanest of Times is a nice little record with a half dozen promising tracks. Now if I could only find Sammy and some Jameson.
It doesn’t’ hurt that the next thing you hear about them is they contributed to the Departed soundtrack.
And the trifecta is complete when a rock & roll gal from work (let’s call her Carol), who you’ve had arguments about the specific definition of “punk” with over the ears recommends them. Yes, with Dropkick Murphys all the letters of recommendation were in before I even started listening.
The Dropkick Murphys had me from the school bell on opener “Famous for Nothing,” It’s the tale of St. Mary’s school where the only common ground between cliques is basketball and alcohol. “Famous for Nothing” is messy rock just how this high school mash up would likely turn out. “It wasn’t pretty at all” the lads go on to say.
When I first held the new Dropkick Murphys’ CD The Meanest of Times, I was excited. The pleather album cover look combined with the Celtic cross on the front album art felt provocative. The Meanest of Times felt like an album college guys would lift weight to. More importantly it felt like something absent from the world right now, some good punchy punk.
The music reminds me of a college roommate I had named Sam. I think he’s a lawyer now, but back in the day no one was more fun then Sammy. He was the guy you wanted to stand and scream through the sunroof and do shots of Jameson late night with. Sammy was straight up Boston, straight up passion.
The brief description I had on Dropkick Murphys going in was “Celtic punk.” And I guess that’s about right. Dropkick Murphy sound like Green Day with bagpipes. They sound like bloody knuckles with claddagh rings on. But mostly the music sounds like a big sweaty club filled with people raising their glasses to toast. Lead singer Al Barr has plenty of memorable one-line screams like “God willing,” “sailor coming home,” and “You said we’d die alone” that add to this effect.
The Irish stuff does come through loud and clear on songs like “The State of Massachusetts” and “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya.” There are plenty of fist pumping “heys!” throughout, and the entire record moves at a blistering pace. What I like most about The Meanest of Times are the stories. They sing about characters like Billy and Flannigan. And they sing about whiskey, war, suicide, and guns.
But it’s not the Irish thing I like best about Dropkick Murphys. While I think that’s a reason to check them out, my two favorite tracks “Echoes on ‘A’ Street” and “Surrender” have a lot more guitar than they do shamrock shake. “Echoes on ‘A’ Street” is an epic track with a vocal that sounds like Neil Diamond at the start (a good thing by the way) before turning into a cinematic stomp down the block. The “Sailor Coming Home!!” chorus is the sort of thing to have you screaming alone in your car. Great rock & roll indeed. “Surrender” is more guitar hero with monster riffs that remind me of the best of Green Day, Blink 182, and Angels and Airwaves. “Surrender’ is leaner and more of a single. The guitar is kick ass especially when James Lynch melts your mind about two minutes in. The last track on the record rounds out my medal stand, as “Never Forget” is an anthem about the importance of love and family.
“(F)lannigan’s Ball” almost sounds like a continuation of “Surrender.” While not as strong a track, I’m glad we’re still rocking. While most of Dropkick Murphy’s songs are similar to the punk of Green Day, on “I’ll Begin Again” they show they’re capable of a more straight ahead big rock sound.
Guitarist James Lynch can straight shred and he pops off for the first time on “Tomorrow’s Industry” as does drummer Matt Kelley. “Tomorrow’s Industry” is a nice little band showcase, if not a great song.
In many ways Dropkick Murphys are the opposite of the other band I reviewed this week, Radiohead. If Radiohead sounds like a synthetic, empty, urban apartment –Dropkick Murphys are more like one of those little bars on the shore where the crab fisherman drink all night after getting off the boat for the entire summer.
I can only imagine how great Dropkick Murphys would be live. I picture a crowd full of brothers swaying back and forth, arm and arm, raising their glasses. The Meanest of Times is a nice little record with a half dozen promising tracks. Now if I could only find Sammy and some Jameson.
I paid too much for the new Radiohead
I love the innovation of Radiohead. Their pay what you want online distribution deal was killer for their new record In Rainbows. Despite the technology involved what I really loved about it was at the core it’s the exact same premise as the street musician playing with an open guitar case for people to put in what they think the music is worth. While there have been all sorts of rumors (1.2 Million sold, $10 average price) regarding the success of the new model – none have been verified. One thing is for certain, Radiohead are trailblazers. And with Madonna and Nine Inch Nails following suit and opting out of their own major label deals expect to see all sorts of creative ideas for music distribution in the near future. Frankly, I’m excited.
Here’s my deal with Radiohead. I think people want to like Radiohead and I think more people like the idea of Radiohead then actually dig the music. If you put In Rainbows to the test, it’s not really much of an album. A promising start with the up-tempo “15 Step” and “Bodysnatchers” meanders into the ether. There’s no warmth to Radiohead. The sound is all zeroes and ones. I want my Rock & Roll to be a lot more whiskey and beer – to spend some time in a barrel someplace. Instead Radiohead’s sound appears to marinate on the motherboard inside a computer.
A couple guys here at work recently did a presentation on Virtuality featuring web environments like Second Life and World of Warcraft. As people assembled for the presentation they played some tracks from In Rainbows over a loop of Second Life imagery playing on the big screen. It was the perfect soundtrack; equal parts pretty, haunting, synthetic and sterile.
Radiohead’s music purchase site www.inrainbows.com had a very retro MS DOS feel to it with text boxes seemingly in the wrong places and nearly no explanation as to how the purchase process was supposed to work. The entire time I was punching in my info I wondered if it was going to work or if I was even on the “official” site. I decided to pay 5 British Sterling (or about $10 U.S.) what I thought was a fair price for In Rainbows
Having listened to In Rainbows, I’ll say the album for me is worth less than half that. “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi,” a trippy little space coaster of a song held together with strumming and falsetto is the high point of the disc. While most of the music I review in this space is rollercoaster straight, Radiohead’s sound is more like a Tilt a Whirl . . .on morphine. But what works on “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” is the song actually spins enough to leave the ground. It sounds like something that could have been on U2’s Pop, or maybe their side project Passengers. “Reckoner” is similar in sound but lacks the structure of “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and the result is forgettable.
In Rainbows just doesn’t seem to have enough blood running through its veins. It sounds like a stack of Wired magazines in an impeccable urban apartment. It sounds like a stylish place, a catalog, but without people. The main problem with In Rainbows is it sounds like no one lives there.
It’s hard for me to even talk about specific songs, as there wouldn’t appear to be a single on here. While In Rainbows may sound good blasting from the speakers of a downtown advertising agency, I’m at a loss as to where I would ever listen to this CD on my own? I can’t listen to it in my car because In Rainbows is way too moody for that. I’d have to drive around flexing my jaw muscles and sliding my sunglasses up and down my nose making faces in the rearview if In Rainbows was in the Wrangler’s 6-disc changer.
Radiohead are able to warm up their morgue table sound to room temperature on a few tracks. “15 Step” has a nice little guitar riff and intro before giving way to sound effects and drum machines. “Faust Arp” is folksy and “Videotape” starts with big promise and an actual piano intro but fails to build to anything but noises. Overall, In Rainbow sounds like an album the machines will make once they figure out how to be smarter than us humans. And I suppose that’s part of the appeal. While In Rainbows does have some nice Verve-like vocals and a few cool guitar riffs – I’m afraid I wouldn’t throw much change in the guitar case.
Here’s my deal with Radiohead. I think people want to like Radiohead and I think more people like the idea of Radiohead then actually dig the music. If you put In Rainbows to the test, it’s not really much of an album. A promising start with the up-tempo “15 Step” and “Bodysnatchers” meanders into the ether. There’s no warmth to Radiohead. The sound is all zeroes and ones. I want my Rock & Roll to be a lot more whiskey and beer – to spend some time in a barrel someplace. Instead Radiohead’s sound appears to marinate on the motherboard inside a computer.
A couple guys here at work recently did a presentation on Virtuality featuring web environments like Second Life and World of Warcraft. As people assembled for the presentation they played some tracks from In Rainbows over a loop of Second Life imagery playing on the big screen. It was the perfect soundtrack; equal parts pretty, haunting, synthetic and sterile.
Radiohead’s music purchase site www.inrainbows.com had a very retro MS DOS feel to it with text boxes seemingly in the wrong places and nearly no explanation as to how the purchase process was supposed to work. The entire time I was punching in my info I wondered if it was going to work or if I was even on the “official” site. I decided to pay 5 British Sterling (or about $10 U.S.) what I thought was a fair price for In Rainbows
Having listened to In Rainbows, I’ll say the album for me is worth less than half that. “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi,” a trippy little space coaster of a song held together with strumming and falsetto is the high point of the disc. While most of the music I review in this space is rollercoaster straight, Radiohead’s sound is more like a Tilt a Whirl . . .on morphine. But what works on “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” is the song actually spins enough to leave the ground. It sounds like something that could have been on U2’s Pop, or maybe their side project Passengers. “Reckoner” is similar in sound but lacks the structure of “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and the result is forgettable.
In Rainbows just doesn’t seem to have enough blood running through its veins. It sounds like a stack of Wired magazines in an impeccable urban apartment. It sounds like a stylish place, a catalog, but without people. The main problem with In Rainbows is it sounds like no one lives there.
It’s hard for me to even talk about specific songs, as there wouldn’t appear to be a single on here. While In Rainbows may sound good blasting from the speakers of a downtown advertising agency, I’m at a loss as to where I would ever listen to this CD on my own? I can’t listen to it in my car because In Rainbows is way too moody for that. I’d have to drive around flexing my jaw muscles and sliding my sunglasses up and down my nose making faces in the rearview if In Rainbows was in the Wrangler’s 6-disc changer.
Radiohead are able to warm up their morgue table sound to room temperature on a few tracks. “15 Step” has a nice little guitar riff and intro before giving way to sound effects and drum machines. “Faust Arp” is folksy and “Videotape” starts with big promise and an actual piano intro but fails to build to anything but noises. Overall, In Rainbow sounds like an album the machines will make once they figure out how to be smarter than us humans. And I suppose that’s part of the appeal. While In Rainbows does have some nice Verve-like vocals and a few cool guitar riffs – I’m afraid I wouldn’t throw much change in the guitar case.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Let’s Make Eric Hutchinson Famous.
I’m a music scout. I love following the breadcrumbs to the next big thing. I love leaving in the morning with my spear to discover new music and bring it back to the tribe. Through the years I’ve asked plenty of baristas, bartenders, busboys, etc. “What song is this playing right now?” A question usually met with “Would you like me to go in back and check.” Of course I would.
I’m particularly excited about my latest find, Maryland singer songwriter Eric Hutchinson. I can’t take all the credit as I first noticed him when he had a cup of coffee atop the iTunes charts (thanks to a Perez Hilton mention) before returning to obscurity. I can speak firsthand that his CD Sounds Like This is not an easy find. You won’t find it at Target, Best Buy, or the bookstores. If you’re interested (and you should be) check www.awarestore.com as they have the CD for $10.
Yes, Eric Hutchinson is a major score. Sounds Like This is one of those CDs that is immediately familiar. At first listen most people will suspect they already know the songs. What is that Terence Trendt Darby? J Timberlake? Michael Jackson? New Jamiroquai?
Hutchinson emerges on the music scene like Bo Jackson did on the sports scene a few years back – with the patience of a comet. A “just because I can” attitude abounds on the album with Hutchinson playing the confident chameleon throughout the entire record. If you’re looking for Maroon 5 without the radio saturation, check “Outside Villanova.” If you want something Clive Davis can tap his wand to? Check the Gavin DeGraw like opener “OK, It’s Alright With Me.” Or maybe you want to get your Bill Cosby dance on with something that sounds like vintage Stevie Wonder –check “You Don’t Have to Believe Me” for some power pudding pop.
If that wasn’t enough range, Hutchinson dresses up a Jason Mraz-like sound in a grass skirt with a groovy little island beat in “Rock & Roll” complete with sing-a-long “nah nah nahs.” Or maybe it’s a little Jack Johnson sex wax you’re after, hit play on “Back to Where I was” just before you slide the lime down the neck of your Corona.
Simply put Eric Hutchinson’s Sounds Like This is a rock solid blue-eyed soul debut. Nearly all of the ten tracks are extremely radio friendly and completely listenable. More than that, the entire record has soulfulness you wouldn’t expect from a 27-year-old suburbanite.
Yes I dig the Hutchinson, and my sense is this is a CD that will slowly find its way into your wives and girlfriends’ cars. My favorite track on the record is the haunting “All Over Now” which sounds like something off Flight of the Concords if it was a Zach Braff show. “Rock & Roll” is also infectious. Even the stuff I didn’t specifically call out earlier like “Food Chain” are well crafted little tunes.
Buy stock in Eric Hutchinson immediately, this kid is going places. Get the disc.
I’m particularly excited about my latest find, Maryland singer songwriter Eric Hutchinson. I can’t take all the credit as I first noticed him when he had a cup of coffee atop the iTunes charts (thanks to a Perez Hilton mention) before returning to obscurity. I can speak firsthand that his CD Sounds Like This is not an easy find. You won’t find it at Target, Best Buy, or the bookstores. If you’re interested (and you should be) check www.awarestore.com as they have the CD for $10.
Yes, Eric Hutchinson is a major score. Sounds Like This is one of those CDs that is immediately familiar. At first listen most people will suspect they already know the songs. What is that Terence Trendt Darby? J Timberlake? Michael Jackson? New Jamiroquai?
Hutchinson emerges on the music scene like Bo Jackson did on the sports scene a few years back – with the patience of a comet. A “just because I can” attitude abounds on the album with Hutchinson playing the confident chameleon throughout the entire record. If you’re looking for Maroon 5 without the radio saturation, check “Outside Villanova.” If you want something Clive Davis can tap his wand to? Check the Gavin DeGraw like opener “OK, It’s Alright With Me.” Or maybe you want to get your Bill Cosby dance on with something that sounds like vintage Stevie Wonder –check “You Don’t Have to Believe Me” for some power pudding pop.
If that wasn’t enough range, Hutchinson dresses up a Jason Mraz-like sound in a grass skirt with a groovy little island beat in “Rock & Roll” complete with sing-a-long “nah nah nahs.” Or maybe it’s a little Jack Johnson sex wax you’re after, hit play on “Back to Where I was” just before you slide the lime down the neck of your Corona.
Simply put Eric Hutchinson’s Sounds Like This is a rock solid blue-eyed soul debut. Nearly all of the ten tracks are extremely radio friendly and completely listenable. More than that, the entire record has soulfulness you wouldn’t expect from a 27-year-old suburbanite.
Yes I dig the Hutchinson, and my sense is this is a CD that will slowly find its way into your wives and girlfriends’ cars. My favorite track on the record is the haunting “All Over Now” which sounds like something off Flight of the Concords if it was a Zach Braff show. “Rock & Roll” is also infectious. Even the stuff I didn’t specifically call out earlier like “Food Chain” are well crafted little tunes.
Buy stock in Eric Hutchinson immediately, this kid is going places. Get the disc.
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