Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist

Fuzzy Bits:

Released July 10, 2007

Last Smashing Pumpkins Release: Machina/The Machines of God (2000)

Sounds Like: A once respectable band trying way too hard.

Overall Rating: 65

 

 

 

 

I’ve always tried to give Billy Corgan the benefit of the doubt. When he decided that he needed to go into his own direction, that was fine with me, even if the end result was a vapid Zwan album. “He just needed to get it out of his system” I would say to myself, so I also forgave him for the awkward point in time where Billy Corgan thought he could pull off being a poet– pretty interesting for a guy never really taken to be a great lyricist. I knew he’d come around and realize his wrongs, so when he put out that ad in the Chicago paper saying that he was looking to get back to doing music with the Pumpkins I was excited like anyone else. In retrospect, I really should’ve known better, Corgan’s pseudo-apologetic bull is just as annoying at this point as his nasal voice (which on a bad day can make a dog whimper). With as much time the band had to put together Zeitgeist it probably shouldn’t be surprising that it is so over the top. It’s as if the band finished the album to leave Billy to his own devices later on in the studio where he decided to take it upon himself to not only jack up the sound another ten decibels but also add unnecessary guitar solos to underscore his intent on making this the next great rock record. Well, it rocks alright, but it rocks like an angry three year-old kid throwing a tantrum in the supermarket cause they didn’t get the latest Elmo toy, not like the respectable rock outfit The Smashing Pumpkins supposedly are (and used to be). Sure, there are a few songs that manage to escape the pitfalls of the overall Zeitgeist experience, “Tarantula” is the one exemplary track that could survive on another Smashing Pumpkins album, and “That’s the Way (My Love Is)” as well as “Stellar” are also very fine songs. Everything else on the album ranges from decent to piss poor, which is too bad, because unlike other albums, when it’s bad, it tends to last for a while (see the 9 minute track, “United States”). I’m sure people that are just happy to have the Smashing Pumpkins back will be excited for this record, but there are the kids that we have to think about too. They’re the ones that are going to go into this album not knowing about what makes them so great. For them, the Smashing Pumpkins will be the self-important aging hipsters, and that’s too, too bad.

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New Review: Junior Senior Hey Hey My Yo Yo

Fuzzy Bits:

Released August 14, 2007

Last Release: D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat

Sounds Like: A beach party that never ends (or, all the fun of their debut without the filler)

Overall Rating: 89

 

 

 

 

Although “Move Your Feet” was pretty much a lightning-in-a-bottle kind of song for the Danish duo Junior Senior, they manage to have seemed to not let it define them, as Hey Hey My Yo Yo builds upon the success of the last album, leaving it feel more than a simple rehashing of previous material. While the dirt/cutesy antics of their debut ocassionally left me feeling more annoyed than thrill, there’s little of that happening here. Instead, there’s nothing but summery, sugary goodness– the kind of thing you want to listen to on a summer roadtrip to get you and your friends dancing. The introductory “Hello” which leads into “Hip Hop a Lula” is a fantastic opener, as is the single “Can I Get Get” and the faux-Earth Wind & Fire “Itch You Can’t Scratch. With only a little while to go before autumn hits us (how sad is that), listening to Junior Senior’s latest is a great way to spend the last few days of hot fun in the summertime.

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New Review: M.I.A. Kala

Fuzzy Bits:

Released August 21, 2007

Last Release: Arular (#33 on my 2005 Top 40 list)

Sounds Like: Arular on steroids.

Overall Rating: 100

 

 

 

 

Remember back in the day, when Beck was doing his first few albums? Remember how it took the rest of the world a good few years to not only catch up, but really appreciate and understand how he was changing the way we see “pop” music? At the rate M.I.A. is going, that could be what’s happening here. I thought that after Arular, M.I.A. would pretty much never be heard from again, but not only is she on top of her game, but Kala is so amazingly good that it makes her accomplishments on Arular look like child’s play. The improvement is mainly evident on her productions, as she throws in so many genres and styles of music that it almost sounds other-worldly, but her lyrics are much more focused as well. Another component is M.I.A.’s unrelenting confidence, which at times borderlines on pure cockiness, that allows her to seemingly pierce through even the most densely layered beats. The singles “Bird Flu” and the absolute banger “Boyz,” are obvious highlights as are “World Town” and “Paper Planes.” Also, unlike M.I.A.’s Arular, Kala not only has no interludes but it also has zero filler (unless you count her track with Timbaland being thrown onto the album), which is quite a feat in itself. Now if only she’d been this good when I saw her at Lollapalooza.

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New Review: The New Pornographers Challengers

Fuzzy Bits:

Released August 21, 2007

Last Release: Twin Cinema (2005)

Sounds Like: The last album without the fun.

Overall Rating: 80

 

 

 

 

With New Pornographer albums now I almost feel bad for writing a review after the first couple of listens because I end up liking their effort a hell of a lot more later on. While I don’t see this being an exception, it has to be said that this is the coldest-sounding album I’ve heard from them. Oh, the elements that made their previous efforts so enjoyable are still there, in small doses, but beyond that, it was as if the band was trying so desperately hard for a more “mature” sound that they checked their fun-loving personalities at the door. When that happens, the awkward-phrasing and structures can no longer be regarded as quirky, but just bizarre. All that aside, there is plenty to be excited about, the New Pornographers start off the album so well with their first half-dozen or so tracks that you would think they had outdone themselves. Unfortunately, the album comes to a grinding halt by the half-way point and runs out of steam short of the end. That aside, the highlights include the opening “My Rights Versus Yours,” the title track and “Myriad Harbour.” “Failsafe” is also an intriguing piece, especially since it features Kathryn Calder (niece of A.C. Newman) on lead vocals, as it not only holds well on its on but leads way perfectly to the grandiose “Unguided.” While this album certainly isn’t bad, as indicated by the final rating, it is somewhat disappointing that Challengers can suddenly turn on its head and not deliver the promise that the earlier tracks would lead you to believe– that even though it’s not all fun and games anymore, we’ll still show you a good time. Maybe I’ll once again change my mind on this album in a few months time, but as of right now, the bad note that the album ends on leaves an equally bad taste in my mouth.

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New Review: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City

Fuzzy Bits:

Released August 14, 2007

Available on both CD, DVD and Blu-Ray

Features Three Previously Unreleased Songs

Overall Rating: 90

 

 

 

 

 

(Note: This review not only covers the album release, but also the DVD)

While everyone and their mother is all-too familiar with Dave Matthews Band, for better or worse, the much more intimate acoustic shows featuring the face of the band and virtuoso guitarist Tim Reynolds is something that is only particularly known in the world of “daveheads”– that is, the die-hard Dave Matthews Band fan. Ordinarily, the two play at smaller venues, more often than not at small clubs or college campuses, and will play up to two and a half hours (or longer) sets of stripped-down DMB (with a few songs by Tim Reynolds solo), with no filler outside of Dave Matthews’ banter. While Live at Luther College, the last Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds release, was well received, it was released way back in 1999. In that span of time, six DMB live albums have been released (fifteen if you include their Live Trax series!), yet nothing from the arguably better duo. With that in mind, it is easy to see why this release was heavily anticipated, especially since it marks the first time their performance is featured on DVD, and also marks the first time that we hear many of the newer songs in Dave Matthews’ library. First, I have to say that this is the best directed DVD that has come out of Dave’s camp to date, as it is slightly better than even the DMB Central Park disc (which for me is the gold standard of live sets). The audio and picture quality is great and, more importantly, there are not too many cuts– something that some of the DMB live DVDs have definitely suffered from. The DVD also features a worthwhile documentary and photo montage in addition to the full-fledged concert. The setlist is a great mix of new and old, with an outstanding opening rendition of “Bartender,” “Don’t Drink the Water,” “#41,” and a couple of songs from Matthews’ solo album– “Out of my Hands” features Matthews playing live on the piano for the first time in his career. There are also a number of new songs like “Eh Hee” (which is much cooler than the name would lead you to believe), the “Louisiana Bayou” redux “Cornbread,” and “Sister.” Tim Reynolds also shows off his talent with a couple of solo songs of his own (“Betrayal” and “You Are My Sanity”). Dave’s voice sounds great, which is something one can rarely say about him live (saving your voice and quitting smoking can make quite the improvement), and the chemistry between him and Reynolds makes the performance all the more interesting. One note for the daveheads is that for once you can actually hear Tim Reynolds speak as he and Dave both had mics on their shirt solely for the DVD.

Like any live album, the core audience is definitely going to be the hardcore fan, but I think this release will particularly intrigue fringe or casual fans who want to see another side of the Dave Matthews experience. The album is surprisingly tight for a 25-song setlist with very few dull moments, whether the entertainment be provided by Matthews’ famed “Davespeak” or the music itself. A very rewarding experience that will make you feel like you’re there.

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Lollapalooza 2007 Recap, Day 3

Finally, here’s the conclusion of my Lollapalooza recap. The last day proved to be the hottest by far, but also was the most enjoyable. In retrospect, I’m mad at myself for missing out on most of the Cribs and the White Rabbits, but I’m sure I’ll catch them both in concert again soon.

Day 3

The first top of the day was at the PlayStation stage to see Dios, sometimes known Dios (Malos), or whatever combination of words you’d like to use. It was pretty safe to say that almost no one there was familiar with the Hawthorne, CA group, which made the performance all the more interesting. While their studio antics are certainly quirky, on stage they proved to be a bit like a drugged-out Grandaddy (which might sound redundant, but trust me it isn’t). While they definitely had their moments, they managed to make even a 45 minute set start to feel long– maybe it was the number of juvenile speeches dedicated to over-the-counter cold medicines and jail-time by lead singer Joel Morales that did it.

The uplifting performance of Lupe Fiasco quickly cured any bad tastes, as he managed to not only put on a great performance with a ton of energy despite the 90+ heat, but he also gave fans a great preview of future works. The first of said projects was the song “Us Placers” which is by Lupe, Kanye West, and Pharrell, collectively known as CRS (perhaps the first major rap supergroup in a while?). Lupe also brought out his label-mate Gemini (not to be confused with Jemini who famously worked with Danger Mouse on an album), in a scene which played out very similarly to when Kanye called Lupe Fiasco out to perform “Kick, Push.” Bringing out a fellow rapper, especially if they’re new or relatively unknown is tough to do, but Gemini, as well as Matthew Santos, both had a good enough stage presence to get by, and Gemini’s “We On” should be every bit as much of a hit as “Kick, Push” was. Overall, very good show, although Lupe perhaps should’ve paced himself a bit as he tired himself out before the set even ended.

That wasn’t true at all for the Kings of Leon, however. After having seen them perform live previously, I thought they would put on a good show, but they manage to even exceed my high expectations. One of the few acts that managed to balance the amount of new songs played compared to old songs, they essentially played what any fan would want to hear, and played them really well. Highlights for me to see live were “Knocked Up,” “McFearless,” “Molly’s Chambers,” and “The Bucket.”

With the crowd continuing to flood over in preparation for Pearl Jam, it was impossible to even have a chance of getting over to see, let alone appreciate Yo La Tengo’s set, so instead a disappointing !!! set had to do until My Morning Jacket came on stage. Fighting through crowds of people who were camping out for Pearl Jam, I was able to get a decent spot to see MMJ, and they were somehow able to not only beat out their performance from last year, but after previously performing an encore with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, it seems that the playlist with the kids went even more smoothly. Even cooler, the fans were encouraged to photograph and/or record the footage so that it could be edited into a performance film for TV. Jim James and crew were dead on as usual, and if there is any complaint it would be that at times it was darn near impossible to hear the kids playing along with the band– so either it was a matter of poor mixing or the songs should have been arranged in a more appropriate manner. Furthermore, I was shocked that My Morning Jacket closed out with a cover song (Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up”) rather than a song of their own. I’m not sure if it was a timing mistake, but it seemed that “Mahgeeta” would have been much more fitting. That notwithstanding, only the heat managed to keep me from jumping up and down in time to the jams that MMJ was churning out.

If there was one glaring issue with the schedule today, it would be TV on the Radio’s absolutely worthless time slot. Not only did it not make sense to have them perform for a mere 45 minutes right up til the time of the headline performance, but it also makes no sense for the band to be performing directly opposite of Pearl Jam because just about anyone that wanted to get there had to fight their way out. That being said, TVOTR put on a good show, although some of their stuff didn’t seem to translate live as well as I had hoped. Finally, Pearl Jam was, well, Pearl Jam. It was painfully obvious that this entire weekend was all about Eddie Vedder as he seemed to randomly appear wherever I went (well, really only twice– with Ben Harper and Kings of Leon– but who needs a celebrity guest tamborine-man?), and the headlining performance was no different as Vedder went on a number of political diatribes that could only be matched by U2’s Bono in long-windedness. While admirable at first, particularly Vedder’s stance against BP Amoco for their decision to dump much of their waste into Lake Michigan, cheeky song (“Don’t go to BP Amoco!”) notwithstanding, there comes a point in time when people just want to hear music, and Pearl Jam didn’t really deliver. What they did perform was relatively solid with most of their standards covered such as “Daughter,” “Even Flow,” and “Alive,” but I know a number of fans felt shafted that “Jeremy” among others weren’t played, and many left after the bands initial set, despite them coming out for an encore a few minutes later.

Looking back, it’s been a fun three days, lots of good music, good company and good food. As always, the crowd was great, if a bit rambunctious at times (*cough* Muse *cough*), and the only real room for improvement would be in the music quality category– there were just too many lower-tier bands still this year, and while the headliners are much improved, the rest has to follow suit.

That’s all for now, as I said before, check back in a few days for a lot of music news and reviews as well as a a review for the Bourne Ultimatum. Pictures from day 3 are below.

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Lollapalooza 2007 Recap, Day 2

Here is part two of my Lollapalooza recap. Day 3 should be covered as well by tomorrow with a couple of movie and lots of cd reviews coming as well.

Day 2

While LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture saved the day yesterday, today turned out to be a much more balanced day in terms of performances. Day 2 began with an absolutely superb show from Pete Yorn, who definitely made the best of the adidas Stage (which is essentially the Petrillo Bandshell). Following that were a couple of off shows from Stephen Marley (who really couldn’t muster the attention of fans unless he performed one of his fathers songs) and Rhymefest. Rhymefest in particular was disappointing as he couldn’t even manage to get the show started until nearly 4pm, and took far to long to get warmed up and going. After leaving Rhymefest early, the next stop was the Bud Light stage to witness the Roots, not only the most dynamic hip-hop band to ever grace this Earth, but also one of the most talented bands period to come in the last twenty years. I still cannot understand how they failed to receive the main billing, but did they ever make the most of their one hour performance, playing not only a nice handful of fan favorites but also plowing through a smart and well-timed medley of old-school hip-hop jams. The crowd was way too difficult to get through so I wasn’t able to catch the Hold Steady until the very end of their show, but everyone did seem to enjoy themselves. The biggest disappointment of the day goes to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, as Karen O’s dominatrix outfit (sans whip), was not enough to make up for her incoherent screams while the rest of the band rattled on behind her. I think perhaps YYY is better suited still for smaller venues. The last two acts, Spoon and Muse, more than made up for the poor performance of YYY, with Muse in particular putting on a hell of a show. Spoon was solid, but could’ve done a lot better had they not played so many mid-tempo new songs that it caused many to head off to see one of the headliners. Muse on the other hand, if they had any holes in their performances, it was that they seemed to go on for a bit too long with their set– which is mainly a fault of the scheduling rather than the band. I just felt that Muse would’ve been better suited having an hour long set rather than an hour and a half, as they didn’t seem to even know what to do with the extra time by ending early and then doing an encore some eight minutes later. All in all it was a very good day of Lollapalooza, and much more consistent than yesterday. Personal highlights for me were The Roots, Pete Yorn and Muse. As always, pictures are below.

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Lollapalooza 2007 recap, Day 1

“It’s been a long time coming…”

Wow guys, sorry for the long delay. With a long list of unforeseen events going in the last couple of months I’ve had no time to dedicate to this blog. That aside however, I am back with a recap of Lollapalooza so huge that it’s going to require three separate entries to cover each of the days.

Day 1

The first day of these festivals always feel like the longest, and with a number of disappointing sets on day one, the first day this year particular felt like forever. Despite this, coming into the festival with high expectations, I was immediately rewarded with a very solid opening set from Soulive. Eric Krasno in particular was impressive on guitars and the bands general energy definitely got the day started on the right foot. From there I went to see Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, a band that admittedly has never been my cup of tea, and in seeing them live it essentially confirmed that they are better in studio. While I love the enthusiasm with which they play, Ted Leo’s vocals come off more like rants than anything else. After a few minutes I took a break and retreated to the much lauded cooling oasis nearby, which was filled with leather chairs and sofas, wi-fi connected laptops, flat screen tvs and PS3’s. After spending a good amount of time in there cooling off, the next stop was M.I.A. with a short stop at Electric Six along the way. The non-surprising news was that Electric Six was pretty god-awful in their performance, the more surprising news is that M.I.A. wasn’t much better. While she did her best to make up for her lack of vocal chops– apparently she “left [her] voice in L.A.”– by dancing around on the stage with her back up vocalist, she really lost a good amount of the crowd after a few songs. While I was sad that I wasn’t able to see her perform her next big hit “Boyz,” I was in desperate need of a pick up. After M.I.A., I headed over to see the Rapture who put on the best show of the day in my opinion. Not only did they get everyone dancing along to their cowbell-tinged beats, but absolutely everyone, including myself, left with a huge grin on their face. The highlight for me was that they essentially anchored their set with “Whoo! Alright, Yeah… Uh Huh” and their breakthrough hit “House of Jealous Lovers” played back to back. While I really wanted to catch Blonde Redhead again this year, I was unable to make it over to see them in time, and after a bit of a break I went over to see Akron, Ohio’s finest, the Black Keys. I did see them the first year they performed at Lollapalooza and they were every bit as good this year, if not better. They played all the fan favorites and had an extremely tight setlist, with ample opportunity for Dan Auerbach to show off his guitar playing ability. LCD Soundsystem was even better, and was more than I could’ve hoped for. Always keeping the energy above a 10/10, James Murphy and his crew always kept things extremely interesting, even on the longer songs. Finally, for my bonehead move of the night, I went off to see Ben Harper rather than stick around for Daft Punk (although I did manage to hear a few of their songs on the way over). The only real highlight of Ben Harper’s performance wasn’t even Ben Harper, but seeing Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder surprise the hell out of everyone and show up to perform a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War.” Other than that, Harper’s set was so mellow that it could’ve put a 13 year-old kid hopped up on ritalin to sleep– the six minute rendition of “Diamonds on the Inside” complete with a 45 second timespan to give shout outs is an example of such overkill. That aside, the first day all in all was quite enjoyable, and it only gets better from here. Lots of pictures to be found below and check back for the Day 2 recap shortly.

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