A Dollop of D
Hey there everyone! I know it’s been a long time since my last music review, but
it’s not as if you people are waiting with baited breath to get them, so
whatever. I have been busy, though, so I guess I have an excuse.
My friend Tori visited from Florida for a while, and I also went down there for
a week. Also, I recently moved into a new apartment by myself, so it took a
while to get that whole process coordinated and then done. But the new place is
really nice, and it’s actually IN Boulder, within walking distance of a lot of
cool stuff. Also, the hospital is only two blocks away, in case I ever need to
use their courtesy phone or take part in their needle exchange program.
I was also delayed because I knew the review this time would be a bit confusing
and daunting, at least for me. For a while, I had four CDs that I intended on
reviewing, but the more I thought about it, I realized that a few might not
technically be “D” artists. Take, for example, the first CD that I got: “Man of
Leisure,” by Dario Rosa. The first problem with reviewing this CD was figuring
out whether it belonged under “D” or “R.” I would have initially put it under
“R” for “Rosa,” but then again, I happen to know that Dario Rosa is a persona,
and not the actual performer’s name.
I know this because I know the performer, a nice fellow from work named Darrin.
Since I know Darrin personally, I didn’t feel like I could give a balanced
review of his CD, so I decided to not officially review it. I will quickly say,
though, that I like it quite a lot. It’s a very chilled-out instrumental album
that it hard to describe to people. As it says on the notes on the back of the
CD (which alone are reason enough to buy this
album): “So, how do we classify this album, as today’s listeners are wont to do
ad nauseum? Call it psychedelic Muzak? Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass at an
acid-influenced pool party?” Good question. However you define its style,
though, you’re likely to enjoy something from this album. If you’re interested,
you can find this disc at Bart’s CD Cellar in Boulder, by the way.
After determining that it would probably be unfair to review Darrin’s CD, I
realized that another album I had bought was technically not a “D” disc.
The album is “Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone” by Harvey Danger. The first
time that I had heard reference to this CD was the first time I was living in
Germany, in 1998. My friend Josh from Pittsburgh and I were both exchange
students there and, being that we were exchange “students,” we sooner or later
found ourselves going to school. Josh referred to the song “Flagpole Sitta” on
the first day of school, saying, “Man, all these Germans looking at me reminds
me of that song where the guy sings ‘paranoia, paranoia, everyone’s coming to
get me…’” At the time, I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I said,
“Yeah,” because at that point he was my only friend in the country, and I was
afraid the friend count would drop to zero if I didn’t agree. But I digress…
The point is, I finally heard the song that he was talking about sometime last
year, and I decided to look into it. Finally, since the “D’s” were coming up, I
decided to get the album. The fact that the CD was in the “H”
section of Secondspin.com’s online catalog probably should have been my first
tip-off that “Harvey Danger” wasn’t a performer’s name, but rather the group’s
name. Then, when I got the CD and listened to it, I grew even less excited about
the whole thing. It’s an OK example of pop-rock music from the late 90s, but
other than “Flagpole Sitta,” there really isn’t a single track that stands out
from the rest. It’s OK to have playing in the background while you’re typing,
like now, for example, but if you play it while you’re driving or any other time
that you focus on what you’re listening to, you’re likely to be at least a bit
disappointed. My recommendation? Instead of this album, buy the soundtrack to
the movie “200 Cigarettes.” I have never seen the movie, and for all I know it’s
a hideous piece of crap, but I sure do like the soundtrack. By listening to this
album you can get your Harvey Danger fix in the form of “Save It For Later,”
which is quite good. Also, you get tracks by Blondie, The Cars, the Go-Go’s,
Roxy Music and Dire Straits, as well as songs like “Cruel To Be Kind,” “Ladies
Night,” and Elvis Costello’s amazing “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and
Understanding.”
So now I’ve NOT reviewed two albums but still wasted over a page of type.
Man, I suck at this. Can you see now why this review took so long to come out?
And this is just the beginning. OK, let’s just get this done, eh? My first CD
I’ll review is:
DR. DRE – “THE CHRONIC”
After looking through my past three reviews, it came to my attention that almost
all of the albums that I had reviewed could be considered either rock/pop or
soundtracks. In an attempt to diversify my music reviews for you, Dear Reader, I
made a deliberate effort to try to find something different for the “D” review.
The main result of that effort was this CD, and I’m not entirely sure it was a
good idea. It’s not that I don’t like the CD; on the contrary, I think it’s
pretty interesting. However, I don’t really know much about hip-hop music in
general, and even less about this branch of rap music. I am open to new sounds
and all, but my lack of knowledge in this area makes for an uninformed review.
So keep that in mind as you read this particular review.
OK. So this is a “classic” rap album, inasmuch as a rap album can be considered
classic. Once again, it’s not that I dislike rap music, it’s just hard for me to
refer to something that came out in 1992 as a “classic.”
However, it is interesting to see where rap and hip-hop has gone since the days
when this album came out.
Man, I’m just talking shit. I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.
Here’s the truth: I don’t like this album, but I don’t dislike it, either.
It just is. For some reason, I can’t wrap my mind around it and form an opinion.
I can understand that, if you like gangster rap, you’d like this album. But I’m
not too into the whole shit-talking, braggadocio thing.
When I hear hip-hop, I prefer its less-violent strains, like A Tribe Called
Quest, The Roots, or Blackalicious. Plus, it seems like this album is reflective
of the time when making rap became more about the hype than the music. And when
I think of all the east/west coast rap rivalry that flared up in the late 1990s,
I am just a bit confused and saddened. Come on, it’s just music. But maybe
there’s a deeper macho element to it all that I just can’t comprehend.
So how does the album sound? Well, it sounds good, at least musically.
I really like the beats and the little tunes that overlay them. The lyrics,
though, are often disappointing and at worse annoying. Mainly, it’s just Dre or
Snoop talking about how much better they are than another gangsta.
I’d give a few examples, but most are even too profane for me, given that this
is a family newsletter. How about we say this: If you like rap or are interested
in rap, you probably already have this album, so don’t worry about my opinion.
And if you don’t like rap, there’s probably little I could say to convince you
to get this album anyhow. And what is MY final opinion? Unfortunately, this
album probably won’t find itself in my player too often. If I didn’t understand
English, though, I would probably enjoy it a lot more. So, give me a heads-up if
they ever release an instrumental version of this album, especially if it’s
remixed by prominent techno artists. The heads-up will also be my warning to get
my jacket, though, as hell should probably be well on its way to freezing over
at that point.
SOUNDTRACK – “DEAD MAN WALKING”
If you have seen the movie “Dead Man Walking” then, like many people, you may
have been turned off by the film’s politics or--more likely--by Sean Penn’s
appalling array of facial hair. If that is the case, I would like you to attempt
to suspend your skepticism for a few moments while you read this review, since
this CD is actually quite good. I got this album based on a recommendation from
my friend Brian in Munich (By the way, if you ever want to have a great
conversation about music without all the pretense, then talk to Brian. He’s got
a sweet collection and he’s great for recommending new musical directions).
If you think about it, it’s pretty impressive that an album from a movie about a
prisoner who’s about to be executed can be called “quite good.”
We’re not dealing with youthful love or fields of daisies or any pleasant crap
like that. Just death. With that in mind, it’s not too surprising that many of
the songs deal with incarceration, regret and, of course, death. The album kicks
off with Bruce Springsteen’s “Dead Man Walkin’.”
It’s a relatively short song and I was unfortunately a bit disappointed.
Usually The Boss pulls through flawlessly, but this song is quiet and relatively
uninteresting, and it gets lost in the crowd. Fortunately the second track by a
reliable veteran, “In Your Mind” by Johnny Cash, is wonderful. It’s piano
conveys an almost ragtime feeling at points, and the music is peppered liberally
with interesting percussion and a backup choir.
Then out of nowhere comes “Woman On The Tier (I’ll See You Through)” by Suzanne
Vega. After the first two songs, this is an industrial-sounding piece that
sounds like something from Garbage. At first I didn’t like it, but it’s growing
on me quickly. Then we have “Promises” by Lyle Lovett. I have to admit that
before I bought this album, I’d only heard one song by Lyle Lovett, and it was
called something like “My Baby Don’t Dominate.” It was overplayed on KBCO,
probably in an attempt to be hip, but the point was that that song sucked.
“Promises” doesn’t. It’s very basic and it simply sounds good. Maybe this lends
us a bit of insight into why Julia Roberts married Lyle, because it sure as hell
wasn’t for his roguish good looks.
There are also two songs on this album by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan. I prefer the one in which Vedder is more prominent, called “The
Long Road.” As for the other song, I’m going to go out on a limb here and call
it annoying. To me, at least. I am definitely appreciative of the music of other
cultures, but I don’t feel obligated to LIKE it, and most of what I’ve heard
from the Indian Subcontinent really hasn’t lit a fire under my ass. I’m sorry if
I’ve offended any Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan fans out there.
Lightning Round for the rest of the CD: Tom Waits has two songs that are really
good, but he himself is kind of creepy. I don’t like the song by Michelle
Shocked; it seems like an imitation of something better. I can dig Mary Chapin
Carpenter, but it’s weird when she says “tattoos” for some reason. Steve Earle’s
song “Ellis Unit One” is really good, and I’m thinking of finding one of his CDs
for the “E” review. And finally, the Patti Smith song “Walkin Blind” makes me
tired.
On the whole, this is a good CD, but I think you have to be in the right mood
for it, though. I’d recommend it for the Johnny Cash song alone. I’m going to go
out on a limb once again and say that this is THE preeminent soundtrack from a
capital punishment-related movie out there. But before you buy it, listen to it
in the store and make sure it’s right for you.
THE DARKNESS – “PERMISSION TO LAND”
Finally! That is all I can think of to write about this album. Finally!
Finally a CD in this review that I can really get into!
Finally a CD that rocks hard!
Finally a band that is not afraid to wear zebra-print spandex jumpsuits!
I know that this CD is from last year, and that the craze around this band may
have already passed, but perhaps it is best to evaluate this album without the
craze so we can see it for what it really is: awesome! Although this album was
released in 2003, it sounds like 1989. It sort of revives what I believe the
kids call “cock rock” (For the sake of this somewhat family-friendly email,
let’s just pretend that term has something to do with roosters). This style of
rock is often criticized for being more about style than substance, but I do not
agree with that assertion at all. That’s how I’d describe some of the Eurotrash
girly-pop that I listen to, but not The Darkness. These guys can play their
instruments, and when they do, they play them LOUD. And when lead singer Justin
Hawkins sings, he sings HIGH.
I challenge you to find a better falsetto rock album out there.
Let’s talk about the music a bit more, lest this review be condemned for being
more about style than substance. There were a few popular songs from this album,
such as “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and “I Believe In A Thing Called Love.”
Those two songs are great, and the rest of the album kind of falls into line
with the composition of old hard rock albums (There is even a naked woman’s butt
and a spaceship on the cover). There are mostly hard-rockin’ songs, but there
are also a couple of cheesy monster ballads with screaming guitars. There are a
few songs with Zeppelin-esque mythology nerd moments. The one requisite cock
rock thing that this album seems to be missing, though, is the band singing
about how much they rock, how hard they will rock you, or what they came here to
do (ie, rock). Basically, though, The Darkness “rocks steady.” At least I think
that’s what I’m supposed to say.
The one thing that confuses me a bit about this album is this: how seriously do
The Darkness take themselves? A few times I was reminded of Jack Black’s band
Tenacious D. Tenacious D also rock hard at times, but it is obvious that they
are winking at an entire genre of music when they do.
The Darkness may be doing that as well, but it’s not immediately apparent from
their music. They may honestly just want to breathe life into an old style of
rock that has been neglected for far too long, and if that’s the case, then I
say more power to them, and KEEP ON ROCKIN’!
So guys, that’s it for this time. Sorry I was so slow in getting it out to you.
I’ll try to be a bit more prompt with the E review, but with school starting in
a week, I’m not sure how realistic that is. They say that grad school is “hard.”
Anyhow, take care, and listen to some music for me!
--Ryan