Lent: The Musical [Albums 16-20]

16. The Raconteurs "Consolers of the Lonely" ★★★★1/2


New funk blues. That's how the title track strikes me. From there, things speed up with something a little more mainstream pop sounding. An even three minutes later, the guys get a little more sensitive and start tickling the ivories and sing of a dysfunctional relationship. By the fourth song, I'm bobbing my head and stomping -yes, stomping- my foot much like young Forrest dancing to pre-fame Elvis' guitar playing. Without realizing I'm doing it, I'm imagining a road trip. There's an out of place doo wop song tossed in the middle that throws me. But, before long, we're back on track. 


This is just a solid record. Honestly, it could have been a half dozen songs longer and I would have been just as happy, if not even more so.


17. The Avett Brothers "Mignonette" ★★★1/2


The setting as I listened to this record: 8:00 a.m., mostly cloudy, 39 degrees, and quiet.


This could quite possibly be the perfect setting in which to listen to this album. The somber melodies, two and three part harmonies, slow to mildly peppy tempos, everything just beckons for reflection and introspective thought. I'm willing to bet that anyone who listens to this record will wind up missing someone, but in a good way. This feeling of somber remembrance exits abruptly when "Hard Worker" plays. This song is massively out of place and should have been left off the record. Another song which should have been omitted from this album is "Causey Commentary". The former is such a harsh shift in feeling and sound from the previous songs and the latter has someone repeatedly shouting, "You just got sprayed with turkey shit!". The person doing the shouting sounds a great deal like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. The wickedly creepy laughter is strikingly similar. The last complaint I have about this album is the inclusion of a second version of a song already on the album.


Fun Fact: The album was named after an English yacht which sank off the Cape of Good Hope, leaving the crew of four stranded on a lifeboat. The cabin boy was killed and eaten by the others, two of whom were later put on trial and convicted of murder  


18. Coheed and Cambria "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" ★


The record begins with a ringing phone. This is not a good omen. Who in their right mind would ever think that is a good idea? Ringing phones and emergency sirens - why? Cut it out, artists. It's not clever.


Track two is heavy, complex, and well arranged. These guys really know what they're doing. Oops, I spoke too soon. After this song, the album goes pop. What plays is a trite, overused sound. Next, we get the pleasure of taking part in a sing and clap along session, a la Cindi Lauper. This worked for her, but it should be left at that. Amazingly, I made it to track seven and even more amazingly, it's actually listenable. Tricked again! I was too optimistic. Peppered all throughout the song, "coo, coo, cachoo" is said. That didn't make sense when The Beatles did it and it still doesn't make sense. 


Now, here's a the portion where I want the reader to wager a guess. Did I like the 11 tracks of silence or not? The answer: LOVED IT! Those 11 songs of silence actually gave be a break from listening to a terrible album. 


19. Megadeth "Risk" ★★


I've always been partial to Mustane's previous band. But to be honest, I've never given Megadeth a fair shake. Having had the Metallica / Megadeth debate several tmies in the past, one constant point of contention always emerges: Megadeth has always been heavier, faster, and never got soft. This album is the end of that point's truthfulness.


The opener has a distinct techno/synth vibe with self-repeated lyrics. ("Insomnia-nia-nia-nia") Have a listen to "Wanderlust" and tell me you aren't reminded of a similar song written by some boys from Jersey. Bringing the album to an end: REMIXES!


This just isn't what I've heard or expected from Megadeth. The title must have been in reference to making a widely accepted, radio friendly album for the masses. If so, "Risk" = reward.


20. Pearl Jam "Riot Act" ★★★


No pun intended, but this is a very decent jam record. There is some blues, rock, tiny bit of folk; a mixed bag of influences. It's very good, but for no specific reason. Being generally good isn't necessarily bad. Without the clout of Pearl Jam, Vedder's one-of-a-kind vibrato style of singing, and the song "I Am Mine", it's easy to assume no one would have heard of this album had it been released by any other band. It's just not unique for any specific reason. Well, the 1:05 song "Arc" is unique in that it is only Middle Eastern / African tribal sounding chorus. I don't think anyone would have expected that. I know I wasn't expecting to hear that. 

Lent: The Musical [Albums 11-15]

11: Temple of the Dog (Self-titled) ★★

Straight away, it's easy to hear the Soundgarden force behind the band. (In case you aren't aware of the 1992 happenings in Seattle, Temple of the Dog (TotD) is made up largely of Soundgarden members.) That's not meant to be a slight against TotD. But I do have to wonder why someone would even record an album as a different band (while using some members from their original band) and wind up having much of the same distinct sounds of the original band, Soundgarden. No, this isn't an exact copy but the similarities are impossible to ignore. Aside from the aforementioned (and obvious) influences, some SRV and Tool sounds find their way on this record. And maybe, just maybe there's a little Candlebox tossed in there, too. While not as rockin' as Cornell's main focus (at the time), this album is much more bluesy and melodic. It's certainly a foreshadowing of things to come in Chris' musical career.

12: Lamb of God "Wrath" ★★★1/2

What an amazing opener this album has. It's easy to assume that this record wouldn't appeal to a majority of listeners, but the first track would catch many folks pleasantly by surprise. But, the wait for the calm to end and the storm to begin isn't a long one. In less than two minutes, Lamb of God is playing at full force. The speed, complexity, and agression are fitting to my ear palate, but the vocals are just too throaty / shouty / non-musical for my personal taste. That's only me though. Overall, there is a very heavy, sinister feel throughout this album. The leads take on a Dragonforce sound from time to time, which isn't at all a bad thing. Toward the end of Wrath, a dungeon-esque Tool vibe creeps out.

13: The Black Keys "Attack & Release" ★★★1/2

There's a nice bluesy feel from the get. The best I can describe it is it sounds like the music of yesterday, made today. About 85% of that sound is great, but I get a sense of manufactured patina. The track "So He Won't Break" has to be on a soundtrack somewhere. And if it's not, it will be - it just has to be. Surprisingly, the longer the album plays, the more genuine the antique feel of the album sounds. I don't know exactly what made me turn the corner, but I got the sense that these fellas just really dig music of the days gone by.

14: White Zombie "Astro-Creep: 2000" ★★

For someone who seems to pride himself on raw, gritty, warts-and-all product and appearance, Rob Zombie has one helluva polished album in this. While I don't find that necessarily a point against him or the band, I do find it mildly incongruous. After listening to the first three songs, the droning metal-slide and guitar dj'ing become tiresome. As a pick-me-up, the orgasmic opener for "More Human Than Human" does the trick ... just like it did for me in high school, too. I do have one major complaint about this record, and all bands who do the same or similar thing on their own records: STOP putting long periods of silence between songs (and even worse) and between the beginning and end of the same song. It isn't clever and you're not fooling anyone into thinking that it is.


15: Slayer "Undisputed Attitude" ★★1/2


When I happened to glance at the song lengths, I began to already from a negative opinion of this album before even listening to a single cord. The longest song is 4:53 which happens to be nearly a minute and a half longer than the second longest song. "What kind of uninspired crap is Slayer trying to trick fans into buying?", was my first reaction. So, I did what all knowledge seeking, fact hungry people do, I did my research.


After reading what Wikipedia had to say about Undisputed Attitude, I changed my tone. This is an album of mostly punk covers, with one original Slayer song, "Gemini" (which has some strong momentary similarities to the Metallica song "...And Justice For All") and two songs from another band a member of Slayer was in. It's nice to see a very major band pay homage to the unknowns out there. 


So, if punk isn't fast enough, agressive enough, or rage-inducing enough for you, this album is exactly what you're looking for. But this record isn't for my tastes specifically. For starters, I'm not too much of a fan of the typical shouting that is Slayer's vocals. That, combined with not caring too much for punk music really excludes me from being a fan. However, the concept, execution, and production are all Aces 10.

Lent: The Musical [Albums 6-10]

6: Dropkick Murphys "The Gang's All Here" ★★★


Aside from the uptempo, get-yourself-ready-for-a-good-time music, the vocals set the mood for this album. Well, I say vocals. There isn't singing, per se. Rather, the vocal cords only transmit the sound that was first conjured from the bronchi and stomach contractions which results in a guttural explosion. As expected, listening to this record will lead to tachycardia and spastic limb movement. Both of which are widely accepted as perfectly normal reactions. One could either listen to this album as an eye-opener or a catalyst to start off the weekend. Other noteworthy aspects of The Gang's All Here are the 'Murphys' take on a horse-riding, cattle-driving Western song as well as "Amazing Grace" being played on bagpipes and a little more rockin' than how the song is traditionally heard or performed. Had it not been for ending the record with answering machine messages, I would have rated this album a little higher.


7: Queen "Hot Space" ★★1/2


Kicking off the Hot Space is a song that almost sounds like a parody or educational song similar to something on "Sesame Street". For my taste, the whole feel of the album as a little too post-dico / pre-pop sounding for me. Two songs really stand apart and everyone should have them in their collection. The first song being "Under Pressure". It's just a classic. It's been covered and sampled, stolen and tweaked. Also, David Bowie sings on it. (The importance of that being everyone should have known Freddy was a dandy man. There really shouldn't have been any surprise about that.) Lastly, every single person - especially every male above the age of consent - should have "Body Language" in their music library. Why? Just listen to it and feel the groove and then you'll know.


8: Saul Williams "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!" ★1/2


I'll just use my notes, verbatim:


Kicks off with a vox mash-up of Reznor & Busta Rhymes. Not having listend to Saul, I didn't know what to expect. This wouldn't have been my 1st guess. Turns out, Trent's not only on the album, he produced it. Simply put, it's a NIN record with guest mail vox. Finally, deep into the album, something different emerges: A san-Reznor track! This change doesn't last though.


9: Anvil "Metal on Metal" ★★★★


The title track is a fairly hefty tune. Buttressing up against that, is the following track, "Mothra". A silly title, but the speed, timing, and complexity is more than serious enough to make up for the song's title. While there are obvious nods to the previous two decades of rock 'n' roll clearly ringing throughout the record, pulling from influences such as Zep, BOC, Cream, Sabbath, and the like, Anvil has morphed their musical heritage into something of their own. Even more impressive is Anvil's influence that bleeds into early thrash bands like Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica and even in more modern bands such as Coheed and Cambria. My ears immediately perked up when "Scenery" started playing. Why? Well, it is dangerously close to being a near copy of another metal song from a much more well known band. But, I'll let you decide that for yourself.


10: Eminem "Recovery" ★★


With lyrics such as "Blows, b-b-blows, o-o-ows" being bad enough on its own, not to mention the boy band-ish sound and delivery, Recovery isn't very promising from the start. The next two tracks are supporting Kanye West and are very self-serving. But, by song four, Mr. Mathers, the way we're used to him being, is back. Em' gets angry, poetic, and clever with his lyrics as opposed to the three impotent songs previous. In the songs that follow, there is a unique volume tweak, some Kanye, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and LL Cool J influences. There's even a Haddaway throw-back. Durring "No Love", some sleepy sounding, dopey faux-thug dominates the vocals. He, who ever he may be, shows off his lyrical prowess by tossing in the obligatory "ugh" a few time over the course of the song. But, by the end of the record, Eminem finally gives us what we all want: songs with some balls behind it rather than the neutered crap that came in the earlier tracks.

Lent: The Musical [Albums 1-5]

Rather than giving up something negative for Lent, I decided to add something positive to my life for the next 40 days. So, I'm listening to one new (to me) album every day for the next 40 days. Here are the first five albums I listened to:


1: AFI "Decemberunderground" ★★★★


All around, this is a solid rock album. It's heavy enough to help you drive a little faster but not quite having the weight that would allow you to non-verbally end a dispute you have with the world via a random stranger's face and your fist. This record is flawlessly produced without being over-polished. Yes, the vocals are often in a higher register, which some may find off-putting. But all I have to say is Bruce Dickinson. Sometimes rock 'n' roll and higher vocals just works.


2: Temper Trap "Conditions" ★★


First impression: Fairly common method for today's hipster / indie rock. Constant strumming (most likely on a Telecaster) with a moderate - fast tempo coupled with a peppy snare drum ringing in frequently. No effort goes in to hiding the early and late U2 influences. Mix all that in with some brass, layered backing vocals, some "la la la" lyrics and the occasional falsetto, and you almost have a complete picture of this record.


3: Radiohead "King of Limbs" ★


Sigur Rós did this album already. Radiohead tried to copy the Icelandic band's style with their own melodic, hyper-droning soundscapes. A Bob Dylan-esque method of mumbled, unintelligibly sung lyrics is commonplace on "King of Limbs". As background music, it's a great album. But it's bland in the content and effort department.


4: Jimi Hendrix "Are You Experienced" ★★★★★ 


From the start, Jimi gets things rocking. Following the now classic opener, the listener goes on a blues trip then off to a rockin' tune or two. We get to hear the softer side of Jimi when he actually sings in a very atypical (for him), softer, melodic style. There could have been a spinoff band called "Hendrix and the Heartstrings" by the way he can sing on the slower songs. Typical of the time, there's plenty of trip-out guitar sounds, droning bass lines, chaotic drums, and echo chamber vox. Things come back to sanity and slow down toward the end with "The Wind Cries Mary". I didn't even have to finish listening to the entire album to five-star rate it. (But I did make sure to listen to the whole thing.)


5: Gary Jules "Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets" ★★1/2


Nothing about this album is groundbreaking, while at the same time, it isn't something that's been done a thousand times over. There's a little blues, some old-time western saloon tunes, some folk, and Eagles influences. An interesting hodgepodge of sorts. The record is easy to consume but it's also easily forgotten. Most people actually know one track, "Mad World", from this album. While it's easily the best song on the record, it's completely out of place.