MUSIC REVIEW - We Landed On The Moon

WE LANDED ON THE MOON - These Little Wars
this was highly enjoyable. The vocals are remaniscent of The Pretenders, and the band is highly capable pop-punk, but not the shitty kind. The RIYL they give is Rilo Kiley and Dressy Bessy, but I wouldn't quite say that - they are a little bit less ethereal, and more grounded, focused on music fundamentals. I recommend it. Strongly. Will I play it on my show? Yessir! RIYL - Pretenders, Go Betty Go.

EDIT (12/21/08) - Crap! I just missed seeing these guys in Columbia, MO. Now I'll have to actually search for a concert of theirs...

MUSIC REVIEW - Soft Targets

SOFT TARGETS - Soft Targets Must Be DESTROYED!
Unmemorable. Will I play it on my show? If I do, I won't recall doing so the next day. RIYL - pop stuff?

MUSIC REVIEW - The Get-Rites

THE GET-RITES - Tin Roof Sky
I didn't really like this. It was folk, but he has a neato voice. Will I play it on my show? No. RIYL - um, Americana?

MUSIC REVIEW - Pudding Attack!

PUDDING ATTACK! - Miniskirt Cash Machine
The first song shows that these guys have some serious jazz chops - it should be played at least twice a week forever. From here on, the album turns, as they describe, into "retro-mod dance violence". There's a lot of synth, bass, fuzz, and vox box, ad most of it is good stuff. They sound like they're pretty cool guys, to boot. Will I play it on my show? Yep yep. RIYL - DEVO, shaking your scrawny white butt.

MUSIC REVIEW - The Knux

THE KNUX - Remind Me in 3 Days
When it comes to the hippity-hop I much prefer a good beatsmith to a good rapper. Fortunately, The Knux features two great beatsmiths - the first 5 or 6 tracks in particular are excellent. They weave some very cool guitar riffs into their intricate basssssss work. It's also nice to find a group that doesn't mind completely changing the sound of a record with each song. Each track operates in it's own little world, not beholden to any one theme or tone. This isn't to say the album comes off schizophrenic - it is a cohesive unit, but no one song could ever be confused for another. I do so hate it when bands make cookie-cutter songs. Will I play it on my show? Yes. RIYL - Outkast, X-ecutoners.


EDIT - I ended up purchasing this album the day it came out, 'cuz it's THAT GOOD.

MUSIC REVIEW - Kaiser Cheifs

THE KAISER CHIEFS - Cut Off Their Heads
The Kaiser Chiefs came from the same musical movement as Franz Ferdinand, and followed a similar pattern - Good first album, bad second. The Kaiser Chiefs took a while to work on this third one, and it shows - starting around track 4, it gets to be quite fun, and keeps going up through the end. I think tracks 4, 6, 8, and 9 will see some KMNR radio time, and deservedly so. Will I play it on my show? Yes. RIYL - white people dancing, Supergrass.

MUSIC REVIEW - That Handsome Devil

THAT HANDSOME DEVIL - A City Dressed in Dynamite
Well crap - here’s another CD I need to buy. It’s like Beck and Andre 3000 decided to make a music baby. And it’s awesome. That Handsome Devil is rappity hip-hop, but they don’t fit solely into that genre.; “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” is more rock-a-billy than rap (rap-a-billy?), “Damn Door” has an intense 1920’s vibe, and "Viva Discordia" is channeling some dead Eastern European dude.. These guys have a serious ear for sound mixing. This is really f***ing cool. Will I play it on my show? Yeah, baby. RIYL - Outkast, good music.

MUSIC REVIEW - My Federation

MY FEDERATION - I Don’t Wanna Die
This is really good. Really. Good. It’s synth-pop from somewhere abroad, and is insanely fun. Track one is definitely going to be charting at KMNR, as are probably 3 other tracks off this infectious album. . There’s lots of harmonizing and distorted keyboards, but (rare for this style of music) the singers actually have decent voices. Overall, it’s awesome. Will I play it on my show? Mo-def. RIYL - The Flaming Lips, Supergrass, good music.

MUSIC REVIEW - Burn Up And Shine

BURN UP AND SHINE - Gladshot.
It's pop-y. Kinda sorta mediocre. Will I play it on my show? No. RIYL - mediocre pop.

MUSIC REVIEW - Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apacolypse

JESUS H. CHRIST AND THE FOUR HORNSMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE - Happier Than You
This is the best band name of all time. They are pop, through and through, and their songs are hilarious. The songs are like sing-along for adults, with a full horn accompaniment. Rather than a full review, you get the best lines from each track:
#1 - “She wouldn’t get involved, she was afraid of getting hurt / But cocktails were expensive, so she knew she had to flirt.”
#2 - “When I’m feeling insecure I’ll call / You can stroke my ego, but that’s all.”
#3 - “Jill used to be normal, now she’s a freak.”
#4 - Nothing really funny on this song ....
#5 - “Just like a stripper needs a pole, you’ve gotta have a goal.”
#6 - “”Staying out of the burning sun, we’re at our desks and we’re having fun, it’s a special kind of masturbation!” - about google searching yourself.
#7 - “Are you home? ‘Cuz I can see you, your lights on. Callmeokaybye!”
#8 - No words, but good, modern surf track.
#9 - “I miss your hair, but if I never see your face again I wouldn’t care”
#10 - “I hope you’re happy, just not happier than me.”
#11 - The title of the track sums it up; “Alcoholics In My Town”. WIN.
#12 - Singer 1: “Do you hate me for asking if you hate me? ” Everyone else sings: “You’re pa-THE-tic!”
#13 - “Carnal knowledge has made the girl a sage.”
Will I play it on my show? Hell, I’m thinking of doing an Artist Feature. RIYL - Stephen Lynch.

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MUSIC REVIEW - The Inferno Merchants

THE INFERNO MERCHANTS - Warchild's Play
These guys sound a lot like Collective Soul, but not quite as pop oriented. They are quite good musicians, and have a clearly defined sound for themselves that they can play consistently and well. If you like Collective Soul, you’ll like them. Will I play it on my show? Maybe - I kinda liked track two. RIYL Collective Soul, of course.

MUSIC REVIEW - Jeni and Billy

JENI AND BILLY - Jewell Ridge Coal
This album is a very slow, 1920’s country / Appalachian style music (think of a mellower “O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack). If you like this kind of music, this is definately a worthwhile album to look into, otherwise steer clear. Will I play it on my show? Very likely not. RIYL - John Prine.

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MUSIC REVIEW - Black Gold

BLACK GOLD - Tragedy and Legacy
Catchy, poppy EP that is fun and short, but not really all that great. Reminiscent of the band members’ other / previous bands (Panic! at the Disco and Ambulance Ltd). RIYL those bands, but this is clearly a side project. Will I play it on my show? Maybe tracks 1 or 2, to stave off dead air.

MUSIC REVIEW - Woodward

WOODWARD - But Your Kids Are Going To Love It
I’m mostly certain that my kids (hypothetical or otherwise) would love it. Woodward rely on simple, hook-and-harmony based songs which are enjoyable in the “I’d listen to that on the summer radio” sense, but are not major, life-changing opuses. I don’t really see this charting. Would I play it on my show? No, probably not. RIYL - mediocre retro-rock.

MUSIC REVIEW - Sleeping in the Aviary

SLEEPING IN THE AVIARY - Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Motel
The blurb that the promotions agency put on this album compares them to Neutral Milk Hotel, The Buzzcocks, and The Violent Femmes. Whether these are appropriate comparisons or not is a matter for debate, but Sleeping in the Aviary are most definitely on that level of musicianship. The songs are both complex and easily followed, and feature the type of song-writing that conjures specific memories from the listeners life while speaking to a general audience. The music itself is rooted in garage rock, but seems to have taken an indie detour somewhere along the way - the promotions agency claim this is a departure from their previous albums, but I cannot speak to that. These guys deserve to be charted by us. Will I play it on my show? Hell yes. RIYL - Tilly and the Wall (minus the tap dancing), old White Stripes, Neutral Milk Hotel.

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MUSIC REVIEW - Marykate O'Neil

MARYKATE O'NEIL - mk-Ultra
Very coffee shop singer-songwriter-y. This album is very good, if you like sitting around with your espresso based drink listening to somebody play songs that seem to be instilled with an inordinate amount of ‘meaning’. This is merely an EP, and another, full length album will be out later this month, should you need more Marykate O’Neil in your life. Will I play it on my show? No. RIYL - music and Starbucks ... together.

MUSIC REVIEW - Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts

JOSEPH ARTHUR AND THE LONELY ASTRONAUTS - Temporary People
Nice album. Would I play it on my show? Maybe track four. RIYL - Jeff Buckley

MUSIC REVIEW - Tail Swallower and Dove

TAIL SWALLOWER AND DOVE - These Arms are Snakes
This album is the bridge between melody and anger. It’s intricate musical structure and delicate song layering is juxtaposed directly with vitriol from the band members and a need to play loudly with complete disregard to traditional composition. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like it. Would I play it on my show? No. RIYL - some honey and sugar with your Metallica.

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MUSIC REVIEW - Esbjorn Svensson Trio

ESBJORN SVENSSON TRIO - Leucocyte.
This album of experimental modern jazz is named after the white blood cells which attack foreign pathogens. I don’t think I have the spiritual or emotional depth to fully comprehend such an opus - it just made me want to play Sim City 3000. Will I play it on my show? Likely not. RIYL - being the mayor of fictional towns.

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MUSIC REVIEW - Acorn Project

ACORN PROJECT - We’ll Be Fine
These guys are trying really hard to sound like their top 5 favorite bands from 1977 all at once. Each song sounds like a chimera of Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and Black Sabbeth, but they never amount to anything near what these bands accomplished individually. The album itself might be a concept album, as they made damn sure that each song flowed straight into the next. Overall, it’s fairly good, but this might just be due to their desire to imitate their influences more than anything else. Will I play it on my show? Probably not, but somebody should. RIYL - saxophones and Pink Floyd-style guitar.

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MUSIC REVIEW - Andrew Belle

ANDREW BELLE - all those pretty lights e.p.
This is soft pop-rock, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Belle has a melodic, sing-song style of singing that is placed over simplistic piano or guitar and drums in a very methodical, hook-laden pattern. The songs are catchy in a late-’90’s soft-rock sense, but are not entirely distinguishable from one another. The damnable thing is that none of the songs are bad, just none are very good. Will I be playing it on my show? No. RIYL - Billboard’s top 50 from 1999.


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MUSIC REVIEW - Jenny Lewis

JENNY LEWIS - Acid Tongue
I liked this. Jenny Lewis (the lead singer from Rilo Kiley) takes a bluesy, southern-style rock approach to the normally saccharine genre of singer-songwriter. Her singing sounds earnest and emotive, rather than glossed and produced. While a couple songs (including the title track) venture more into the realm of country, songs like ‘The Next Messiah’ and ‘See Fernando’ make this an album worth further investigation. Will I play it on my show? Yes. RIYL - some of the slower Heart songs or Sun Records.

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