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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | DanAbnrml9@aol.com |
| Subject | A few quick raves |
| Date | Mon, 3 May 2004 18:39:51 EDT |
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Here are a few things that have been REALLY rocking my world lately...
1) SPYMOB - SITTING AROUND KEEPING SCORE. Holy crap, this is the album of the
year so far, no questions asked. What are you waiting for? If you're into
pumpy power-pop a la Fountains of Wayne's more uptempo moments mixed with Ben
Folds' use of piano as a weapon and Steely Dan's funkiness (really), then this is
totally for you. Fun, clever, REALLY catchy. Just go find some sound samples
and find out for yourself... you can't go wrong with any of them. I personally
love the anthemic "2040", "It Gets Me Going", a pop song written from the
perspective of an underappreciated dog, and the funky title track. You know
what's more? These guys are the backing band for N.E.R.D.--aka the
semi-experimental recording project of mega-popular production duo the Neptunes. DON'T let
that color your expectations, though, as this is "audities"-style stuff through
and through.
2) THE DAVENPORTS - HI-TECH LOWLIFE. I can't decide if I like this album or
their 2000 debut better, but they're both totally AWESOME and I can't stop
listening to this new disc. It also sports a re-recorded version of the title
track, which was originally on the 2001 IPO CD.
3) MODEST MOUSE - GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS. If you've held off
before because they seemed too obtuse, this is the chance to check them out.
Don't get me wrong, some of this is still pretty angular and weird, but it's
definitely a pop album, exemplified by the infectious lead single "Float On",
which many of you have undoubtedly heard. The rest of the album is a bit all
over the place, including some moments that sound like Neil Young or Tom Waits,
and some that sound like Pavement. Good stuff.
4) FRANZ FERDINAND. Enough people have sung their praises. If you still
haven't checked them out, just try and listen to "Take Me Out" someplace. One of
the year's best singles.
5) CLIFF HILLIS - BETTER LIVING THROUGH COMPRESSION. Just got this today so I
haven't had much time with it yet, but it sounds as though our buddy Cliff
has done it again. The lead track, "So Much To Tell You" is more infectious and
radio-ready than anything on his debut, and most of the album is dressed up in
attractively crisp production. There's also a new version of the Starbelly
classic "Better Than Myself".
6) NOT LAME TEENAGE FANCLUB TRIBUTE. LOTS of good stuff here. If I have a
complaint it's only that this is the first time that one of these pop scene
tributes has been done for a band that's basically a contemporary of the
performers, and it sort of renders a few of the songs a bit bloodless. Still, with this
much volume there are gems to be had, and nothing is bad, just a few songs are
a bit indistinguished. My personal favorites are Splitsville's gorgeous take
on "Tears Are Cool" (the bit where the drum machine kicks in is heaven) and
The Anderson's mildly alt-country remake of the underrated "Fear of Flying".
--Jason
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