Midwest Mike Aug Reviews (a little dated)

Possum Dixon –A little gem of a disc. Nothing fancy, just straightforward, no-frills rock. The opening trio of “Nerves”, “Buildings” and “Watch That Girl Destroy Me” gets this one out of the box quickly. Sound is slightly dated, but in a fun way. 3 ½ stars

The Gravel Pit – Pretty run of the mill garage-like rock. I like the organ sound on several of the tracks, and some of the lyrics are pretty clever (“Enemy”). Unfortunately, some of the songs just aren’t real strong (“Best Friend” “Get Rough”). It feels like there is too much filler for a 37-minute disc. A rare group selection that I seemed to like less the more I listened to it. 2 ½ stars

Somerdale – Painfully bad. Testically challenged. Lyrically vapid, vocals are hair-band territory and the guitar work is average at best. The rare moments that rise above the monotony (”Mrs. Henderson’s Call”, “Overload It”) just aren’t worth wading through the rest of the sludge. 1 star.

Matisyahu – Oy vey. This schmuck acting like a schvartze drove me mishugganah. The disc is certainly an original melding of styles. Original, but nonetheless crappy. Call me narrow-minded (I’m sure Ken will), but absolutely none of it made any kind of positive impression on me. As reggae, its too lightweight, overproduced and repetitive (even by Reggae standards). The rapping just grates. I couldn’t listen to this fershtunke tuchus-head twice. Bupkus

Radiohead – I was looking forward to ripping this disc, as I’ve thought Radiohead is an extremely overrated band. Surprisingly, I liked almost all of it. “Creep” is one of the greatest singles of the 90’s, but there are several other gems on this collection as well. The earlier material stood out to me a little more than the more recent stuff, but there really wasn’t a bad cut on here. I still think the band is somewhat overrated, but the disc is a good one, a keeper for sure.


Discussion Topic –

I recently attended a wedding and the music was off the charts bad. My wife asked me how I liked the band, and I told her that if I go to hell, that will be what it sounds like. Every song on my “bad” list was played. Hard for me to come up with good songs in the sense that I suspect Jen is not a fan of most of the artists I listed…

Good - Fun:
Lovesong & Just Like Heaven – The Cure
Double Shot of My Baby’s Love – Swinging Medallions
Pretty Woman – Roy Orbison
I Wanna Be Sedated – Ramones
Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye

Good - Sappy
To Make You Feel My Love – Bob Dylan
If I Should Fall Behind – Bruce Springsteen
Naïve Melody (This Must Be the Place) – Talking Heads
Don’t Let Us Get Sick – Warren Zevon

Bad:
Any song by Journey
Just the Way You Are – Billy Joel
Celebrate – Kool & the Gang
Wonderful Tonight - Clapton
Endless Love – Diana Ross (?)
Anything I Do – Bryan Adams
Unforgettable – Natalie Cole