DIRTY BRIEFS: CORDERO, ROBERT
POLLARD, CIRCUIT, MOMMY & DADDY, THE
88,THE NERVOUS RETURN, DEADLY
SNAKES, DEADSTRING BROTHERS, EELS,
REBECCA ZAPEN, SONIC YOUTH, THE
LOONS, DEVO, THE PLANET THE, INARA
GEORGE, MICHAEL ANDREWS & MIRANDA
JULY, UGLY THINGS...
POLLARD, CIRCUIT, MOMMY & DADDY, THE
88,THE NERVOUS RETURN, DEADLY
SNAKES, DEADSTRING BROTHERS, EELS,
REBECCA ZAPEN, SONIC YOUTH, THE
LOONS, DEVO, THE PLANET THE, INARA
GEORGE, MICHAEL ANDREWS & MIRANDA
JULY, UGLY THINGS...
CLICK ALBUM ARTWORK FOR LABEL LINK
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Show Your Bones
Interscope Records
The Yeah Yeah Yeah's tasty, treacle-pop sound burst its way into
my own conciousness with their 2003 debut album Fever to Tell.
Their admirable debut resonated with retro clad youngsters
throughout the globe, and earned them a Grammy nomination in the
process. Show Your Bones continues their legacy in the same art
punk style, but shows a second album blandness that can't be
forgiven in light of their previous vibrant triumphs. Show Your Bones
seems like an ironic title for this album. Rather than shedding the
affectations which characterize their genre, they seem to pile on
more layers of thrift store military clothing and thick make up in their
sound. One thing is for sure: if they are showing their bones in this
release, I can only hope for a bit of meat on the next one to sink my
teeth into. --Ciaran Murphy
Wilson Gil & the Willful Sinners
American Banned
Tinnitus Records
Here we have some blistering country punk worthy of your attention.
A little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, the Sinners kind of lose
me when they bring in the grungy guitars and hard rock solos, but
the great vocals keep me holding on. I hope this gang follows
American Banned up with a more traditional approach, (not
necessarily less intense; please see Silm Cessna’s Auto Club) on a
better recorded album.
Golab
Simplicity Banquet
Pretend
Twenty-nine inventive pop ditties accompanied by a barrage of Pong
era keyboards. Reminiscent of a romantic They Might Be Giants,
other times a bathetic Brainiac.
The Defilers
Metal Mountains
Dry Run Records
With brutal fuzz hooks and melodic vocal tantrums, The Defilers
bring to mind a sludgier, southern-fried Mudhoney.
Everchanging Nomad
Hero Today…Gone Tomorrow
Turner Records
At first listen I honestly thought this was Christian rock, but they sing
about evolution, so I guess not. I really don’t know what to make of
this, I suppose that in itself is an accomplishment.
Moth
Immune to Gravity
Hey Domingo!
When a modern band has a song called “Revolution” it’s likely you
will be hard pressed to find anything very revolutionary about their
music. (I checked All Music Guide and there are over 300 unique
songs with the title “Revolution.”) In the Moth press pack they are
pushing their influences as a selling point: “The Cars, Television,
Devo, Boomtown Rats and Archers of Loaf.” The major problem I
have with that is that these bands are all creative anomalies that
took risks and Moth is pretty safe here (and into recycling). That
said, there is some catchy, if imitative songwriting on this disc, but
much of it sounds formulaic to my ears. Moth seem to have one foot
in creative and one foot in lame (alternative radio); maybe for the
sixth album, they can click those heels together.
The Love Drunks
Alive Records
I’m digging this spirited roots punk. At one point Patrick A.’s
confessional lyrics brought to mind Jim Carroll’s Catholic Boy LP.
But, man, someone get that kid a hot cup of tea and a lozenge.
Todd
Comes To Your House
Southern Records
Todd is a cross between My Bloody Valentine and a jack hammer,
with some angry guys screaming about stuff (I’m not sure what their
problem is).
Le Volume Couzbe
I Killed My Best Friend
Honest Jon’s Records
Song one (“Harmony”) sounds like a muffled Bjork singing into a
micro cassette recorder…it’s rather nice when she sings in French,
but the guy purring in the background is getting on my nerves. As I
adjusted to this effortless, sometimes ethereal, seemingly
spontaneous songwriting “I Killed My Best Friend” grew on me
(maybe in me). These spooky lo-fi experiments bear repeating.
The Soledad Brothers
The Hardest Walk
Alive Records
There comes a time when a band tries to reach beyond its roots
(well, someone’s roots), and this is that time for The Soledad
Brothers. The good news is: it is working (for me*). It seems like the
entire Detroit garage cohort is reaching for higher ground; on this
walk the Brothers take successful stabs at Stonesy ballads, southern
rock and psychedelic pop with some forays back into the garage for
good measure.
*
>> Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 4:37 PM
>> ...Wondering if you got that new Soledad
>> Brothers and if you were up to a
>> short review of it? Otherwise I will.
Thu, 6 Apr 2006 20:59:21 -0400
>> Dude, I heard some of that Soledad Brothers on
>> 'Dog: The Bounty Hunter' and it was unbelievably awful.
>> Like “Made for TV music to be aired on the A-Team
>> awful.”
>> Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 9:52 PM
>> Is this your review?
Thu, 6 Apr 2006 22:33:26 -0400
>> Why yes, it is.
Latterman
Turn up the punk, we’ll be singing
Deep Elm Records
Boisterous, competent Fugazi-inspired punk. Lots of group vocals
shouting stuff like “…I don’t have the answers of what a perfect world
should be…we’ll start to find the answers when we find community.”
I’m down with the DIY, anti-corporate, anti-facist messages here, but
I burned out on preachy punk in the early 90s; buy it for your little
sister.
Placebo
Meds
Astralwerks
90s sounding electro rock pop with enough odd musical moments to
prove interesting at times. The melodramatic lyrics and over the top
production are typical of radio-ready alternative rock but the David
Bowie on American Idol vocals are what really kill it for me.
--Craig Campbell
DIRTY BRIEFS
Show Your Bones
Interscope Records
The Yeah Yeah Yeah's tasty, treacle-pop sound burst its way into
my own conciousness with their 2003 debut album Fever to Tell.
Their admirable debut resonated with retro clad youngsters
throughout the globe, and earned them a Grammy nomination in the
process. Show Your Bones continues their legacy in the same art
punk style, but shows a second album blandness that can't be
forgiven in light of their previous vibrant triumphs. Show Your Bones
seems like an ironic title for this album. Rather than shedding the
affectations which characterize their genre, they seem to pile on
more layers of thrift store military clothing and thick make up in their
sound. One thing is for sure: if they are showing their bones in this
release, I can only hope for a bit of meat on the next one to sink my
teeth into. --Ciaran Murphy
Wilson Gil & the Willful Sinners
American Banned
Tinnitus Records
Here we have some blistering country punk worthy of your attention.
A little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, the Sinners kind of lose
me when they bring in the grungy guitars and hard rock solos, but
the great vocals keep me holding on. I hope this gang follows
American Banned up with a more traditional approach, (not
necessarily less intense; please see Silm Cessna’s Auto Club) on a
better recorded album.
Golab
Simplicity Banquet
Pretend
Twenty-nine inventive pop ditties accompanied by a barrage of Pong
era keyboards. Reminiscent of a romantic They Might Be Giants,
other times a bathetic Brainiac.
The Defilers
Metal Mountains
Dry Run Records
With brutal fuzz hooks and melodic vocal tantrums, The Defilers
bring to mind a sludgier, southern-fried Mudhoney.
Everchanging Nomad
Hero Today…Gone Tomorrow
Turner Records
At first listen I honestly thought this was Christian rock, but they sing
about evolution, so I guess not. I really don’t know what to make of
this, I suppose that in itself is an accomplishment.
Moth
Immune to Gravity
Hey Domingo!
When a modern band has a song called “Revolution” it’s likely you
will be hard pressed to find anything very revolutionary about their
music. (I checked All Music Guide and there are over 300 unique
songs with the title “Revolution.”) In the Moth press pack they are
pushing their influences as a selling point: “The Cars, Television,
Devo, Boomtown Rats and Archers of Loaf.” The major problem I
have with that is that these bands are all creative anomalies that
took risks and Moth is pretty safe here (and into recycling). That
said, there is some catchy, if imitative songwriting on this disc, but
much of it sounds formulaic to my ears. Moth seem to have one foot
in creative and one foot in lame (alternative radio); maybe for the
sixth album, they can click those heels together.
The Love Drunks
Alive Records
I’m digging this spirited roots punk. At one point Patrick A.’s
confessional lyrics brought to mind Jim Carroll’s Catholic Boy LP.
But, man, someone get that kid a hot cup of tea and a lozenge.
Todd
Comes To Your House
Southern Records
Todd is a cross between My Bloody Valentine and a jack hammer,
with some angry guys screaming about stuff (I’m not sure what their
problem is).
Le Volume Couzbe
I Killed My Best Friend
Honest Jon’s Records
Song one (“Harmony”) sounds like a muffled Bjork singing into a
micro cassette recorder…it’s rather nice when she sings in French,
but the guy purring in the background is getting on my nerves. As I
adjusted to this effortless, sometimes ethereal, seemingly
spontaneous songwriting “I Killed My Best Friend” grew on me
(maybe in me). These spooky lo-fi experiments bear repeating.
The Soledad Brothers
The Hardest Walk
Alive Records
There comes a time when a band tries to reach beyond its roots
(well, someone’s roots), and this is that time for The Soledad
Brothers. The good news is: it is working (for me*). It seems like the
entire Detroit garage cohort is reaching for higher ground; on this
walk the Brothers take successful stabs at Stonesy ballads, southern
rock and psychedelic pop with some forays back into the garage for
good measure.
*
>> Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 4:37 PM
>> ...Wondering if you got that new Soledad
>> Brothers and if you were up to a
>> short review of it? Otherwise I will.
Thu, 6 Apr 2006 20:59:21 -0400
>> Dude, I heard some of that Soledad Brothers on
>> 'Dog: The Bounty Hunter' and it was unbelievably awful.
>> Like “Made for TV music to be aired on the A-Team
>> awful.”
>> Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 9:52 PM
>> Is this your review?
Thu, 6 Apr 2006 22:33:26 -0400
>> Why yes, it is.
Latterman
Turn up the punk, we’ll be singing
Deep Elm Records
Boisterous, competent Fugazi-inspired punk. Lots of group vocals
shouting stuff like “…I don’t have the answers of what a perfect world
should be…we’ll start to find the answers when we find community.”
I’m down with the DIY, anti-corporate, anti-facist messages here, but
I burned out on preachy punk in the early 90s; buy it for your little
sister.
Placebo
Meds
Astralwerks
90s sounding electro rock pop with enough odd musical moments to
prove interesting at times. The melodramatic lyrics and over the top
production are typical of radio-ready alternative rock but the David
Bowie on American Idol vocals are what really kill it for me.
--Craig Campbell
DIRTY BRIEFS
