31. The Decemberists "Picaresque" ★★1/2
Let me start by asking you a few questions. Do you like that song by The Proclaimers about walking 500 miles? What do you think about REM? Answering those two questions will help you get a picture of what this record is similar to.
The diversity on this record ranges from polka, gypsy music, folk, funeral dirge...it's really all over the place. But honestly, it's all been done before, time and time again. That's not to say that The Decemberists do it poorly. Rather, indie music is just over saturated with similar albums.
32. The Dead Weather "Sea of Cowards" ★★★1/2
I can appreciate a vintage sound. And I can even dig it when young folks want to achieve a particular antique sound, say, Memphis or Delta blues. While this vibe is captured on Sea of Cowards, I can't help but think this was all done a little too well. There is plenty of heavy and fat tones laid over distorted blues riffs with the occasional delay tossed in here and there. This "old" sound just doesn't sound old. To put it another way, this album sounds the same as brand new pair of jeans that are pre-ripped and pre-stained look; unearned and unauthentic. The song "Jawbreaker" is a near copy of a Wolfmother song, which doesn't bode well for the authenticity of the band.
Overall, it's a pretty good album. But that doesn't really mean anything. Most records fall right into that meaty part of a Bell curve.
33. AC/DC "The Razors Edge" ★★★1/2
One song alone is worth listening to this full album even if everything else is pure crap. (Which it isn't, I should say.) That one song? "Thunderstruck". Lucky for us, we get a bit more. Songs such as "Moneytalks" and the title track "The Razors Edge" (which happens to be a sleeper song I've never heard anyone mention) as well as the aforementioned rock 'n' roll anthem "Thunderstruck" are all in the first 1/3 of the album. And this record happens to be unusually long for these Aussies, racking up a whopping 12 tracks.
While this is a solid rock album, the remainder of the songs all blend together and reside in the background, not really making themselves distinguishable or unique. My final complaint about this record: where's the apostrophe in the album title?
34. "Weird Al" Yankovic "Poodle Hat" ★★1/2
Al takes the piss out on Limp Bizkit, N*SYNC, Avril Levigne, Disturbed, System of a Down, Papa Roach, Bob Dylan and loads more. Unlike other "Weird Al" records, nothing really stands out from this album, but that's not to suggest that there's no entertainment to be had from Poodle Hat. The record's finale, "Genius in France" runs a little long at nearly nine minutes. I figured it would be tough to ruin a good joke on the French, but I was mistaken.
35. Voivod "Rrröööaaarrr" ★★
Wow. These guys must be under the impression that every song has to be finished as quickly as possible. Just in case there is any confusion, I do enjoy a song that causes excessive amounts of adrenalin to be released. But I do tend to enjoy those songs when there is some complexity and structure to them. This album leans more to the droning, frantic, panic inducing, 100 mph nonstop, from start to finish while tossing musicianship to the wayside. It's not terrible, it's just not talent-ful.
Please, click on a star rating and/or one of the check boxes. Would it really kill you?