quick reviews for june. ambulance 3.5, l7 1, mitch easler 2

mitch should go back to producing or lets active. ambulance is now 2 bands the other being black gold.

i'll take queen,ginger and manics for 500

Funny how you mock my choices to discuss, alas does dylan always have to be a topic answer every month.

Holy Precoly- We Hads a Dag Gum Meeting

Yes, its true. We had 5 members all at one table this past Tuesday eve. The meeting began as a romantic dining experience for Mike M and Greg as I sheepishly entered the Spigot. As we regaled each other with stories of our flights of fancy Byron then shortly after D'Arcy appeared. We then all huzzahed and returned to our sausage hang quilting bee.

Not a great month for music except for The Mong who loved all but L7. Greg loved Witch, which had nothing to do with this month but didn't really love anything else except L7. His scores for not liking a disc starts at a 2.5 for those of you keeping score at home. Monsta went out of his way to dislike all the discs except L7- only kidding he hated that one the most of all. He did like Ambulance. I went with the step approach 4, 3, 2, 1. Ambulance, Sounds Like Violence, L7 and Mitch, respectively. D'Arcy was middle of the road this month but still found a way to get Queen, Ginger and Manic Street Preachers into the conversation. Byron was the most detailed in his reviews. Byron said of this month's disc, and I quote " " riveting. Jay- who hell knows. Watch the blog.

Next Meeting July 31st.

Schedule and items for next month will be updated shortly when I get all past reviews and what we are listenting.

Greg's June Reviews

Mitch Easter – Dynamico 2.5
Holy flashback Batman! This was a new release right? This a seriously retro band, classic WHO meets Strawberry Alarm Clock? I like the simple catchy tunes, but they wore on my nerves after a while. I don’t know where I’d listen to this CD unless I could have it playing as I ran in slow motion through a field on a hill with my arms waving while laughing with some long haired blonde. Although, come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind doing that without this music too.

L-7 3.5
At first I thought that this just stinks, and I wasn’t sure if Mike Patton might be the only thing that Jen and I have in common musically. But after a listen or two this really started growing on me. This is what “Raw” is. Riding with a movie star had a decidedly Munster’s feel. I kept thinking after a while that this was a Hole Cd, but this had much more depth than Courtney Love could ever muster.

Ambulance Ltd – LP 4
Is this D’Arcy’s CD or Byron’s. This has a great combination of strong emotional orchestration and laid back mellowness. I actually don’t know how I’d classify this band, but I found it easy to like even on the first listen. Strangely I felt like I was in a Chevy commercial when I listened to this CD. I really enjoyed “Yoga Means Union”. Overall I really liked this CD.
Sounds Like Violence – With Blood On My Hands 2.5
So many bands sound like My Chemical Romance and The Killers that I’m starting to think that all I need to do is Buy those bands because I know I like them. These songs were good but to me they might as well have been the latest from the aforementioned bands. I’m not saying that I don’t like this band and with my track record I’m not one to speak.

Tom Waits G.H.
What can I say, it’s Tom Waits!

THE “NEAR MISS” MONTH

“The Mong” – Music Group Commentary: June, 2006

AMBULANCE LTD – LP = 4 STARS
If only the rest of the album maintained the amazing strength of the first four tracks, this would have been a solid “5.” I was rooting for it, but it seemed to wander a bit too much and so, despite enjoying all the songs that would amount to great B-sides, LP just missed perfection.

MITCH EASTER – DYNAMICO = 4 STARS
Despite the singing sounding exactly like The Get Up Kids nasaly vocals, the melodies and guitar work are first rate. Too few “albums” are complete, fully realized works from start to finish but DYNAMICO’s peaks and valleys, from song to song, make it a near masterpiece of Jangle/Power Pop.

L7 – HUNGRY FOR STINK = 0.5 STAR
Maybe it’s just because grrrl bands almost always seem and sound gimmicky to me, I could never get onboard with L7. And, given the perspective of time, I still can’t: this stuff sounds even more tired and contrived than it did when they broke big after Nirvana and even less accomplished in general chops than I remembered. Seriously, learn something other than a bar chords and 4/4 beats if you’re going to be this unoriginal. One-half a star for “Stuck Here Again.”

SOUNDS LIKE VIOLENCE – WITH BLOOD ON MY HANDS = 4 STARS
Several songs and moments of pure genius, brilliant songwriting, and inspired playing and singing/shouting, sandwiched by just a little bit too much same-sounding filler. So close…Ugghh!

TOM WAITS – G’HITS
Genius. ’Nuff said.

TOPICS

A repeat from recently yet always worth re-exploring. For now, I guess it remains as it did in November of 2006:
Top five “island” discs: 1) Nirvana: Nevermind 2) Beatles: White Album 3) Guided By Voices: Bee Thousand 4) Green Day: American Idiot 5). Beastie Boys: Check Your Head
If only one: Probably Check Your Head

Most influential artist (not band) to other artists (not necessarily my favorites):
Songwriter’s songwriter(s): Lennon/McCartney
Singer’s singer: Mick Jaggar
Guitarist’s guitarist: Duane Allman
Bassist’s bassists: Chris Squire
Drummer’s drummer: Neil Peart

Catch-up for last month:
RANCID – AND OUT COME THE WOLVES = 4 STARS
Another band I never get onboard with in the heyday of Grunge, mostly due to their radio singles, which is really all I ever heard. Certainly more Green Day than Nirvana, getting lumped into that “Post Post Punk” wave is why I never gave them a seriously listen, despite their staying power. Well, now that I have, and I’m man enough to admit I was wrong. This album is tight, fun, and, even ten years after its release, fresh. It still bothers me that the singer is almost always about a half-step out of key but it is punk rock, after all.

How Dare....

Dear MikeH aka Monsta aka The Neck aka Lover of Portuguese Roast Beef and of women who shave;

For thou who doth not have to appear at such meetings to criticize our meeting haggles is oh so gauche. As a father of 5 I am quite positive that you would be the main culprit of such haggles if thou lived among the non-yuk yuks.

ps:
I propose we take the first half hour tonight to debate on when, where and what time the next meeting should be....

May Musings

Pleased to Meet Me – Probably the most discussed Replacements records among fans because there is considerable disagreement among fans and critics regarding what the record means. Is it the third leg in a historic trilogy of great records? Is it the beginning of the end for great band? Or is it a stilted piece of attempted commercial crap. I lean toward a combination of the first two. Hearing the record now, in a vacuum and ignoring the history, it sounds great, but it IS a step down from Let It Be and Tim. Those records both get 5 stars. Pleased to Meet me is not a 5 star record, but it seemed to sound even better now than the last time I picked it up. 4.5

Rush – Never really got Rush. Never offended me and the stuff like Tom Sawyer that you’d hear on the radio was pretty good. This, to me, just never goes anywhere. A couple of the songs seem to have the potential to turn into Rush epics, but they just stop without stretching it out. It does get better toward the end of the album, though. 2.5

Rancid – Best punk album recorded after the golden era. 5 or 6 bonafide classics and they all run together during the middle part of the album. They could have edited out a few songs and actually made the whole better, but this is just great hook laden punk. 4.5

Get Up Kids - Didn’t listen enough to get a real sense of it. Somewhat one dimensional first time out, but it deserves more of a chance and I’ll get to it in the next month and report back

Nine Inch Nails – It’s a shame that all of their guitars and drums got stolen halfway through the album. This would have been far superior with those two instruments. Unless that IS guitar making that weird electronic sound that the last three quarters of the album is built on. What ever it is, it is too bad because there are a number of really good musical ideas and beats here. Much more enjoyable than I thought it would be although it reaches a ridiculous level with the 9th or 10th song, which has so much electronic bullshit that it sounds like a parody song of themselves. And I’m not so sure he’s as smart as he thinks he is, but this was a surprising 3.5 for me.

Topic

Three that matter 25 years later - other than Neil - that's just a given.

Buzzcocks – Although their recorded output is not as strong as the glory days, it is serviceable punkish pop and live they still sound as good as ever and you’re reminded just how much better they were than nearly every band from that era except the Ramones and Clash.

Stones – When I saw them 2 summers ago, I approached the show with dread, thinking that there was no way they wouldn’t disappoint. Instead of being disappointed, there were times that I was actually thrilled. And their last record was better than just about anything they had released in the last 20 years.

Paul Westerberg – He’s the leader of one of the greatest 5 bands ever and he really hasn’t compromised much musically, only behaviorally, which he had to do if he wanted to live. Not all of his solo stuff clicks, but he takes chances and as evidenced by the two new tracks released last year, he still can write great rock and roll tunes. Sadly, a pretty bad accident with his hand has put the hopes of a reunion tour on hold, but we hold out hope.

Three who need to GET OUT NOW

Stones – They still matter because they can still rock and great songs are great songs, but age will do them in before they realize it has.

Rod Stewart – I guess technically, he has retired from singing rock and roll, but I really wish he would go away, because the sight and sound of him singing standards makes me cringe.

Allmans – Already jumped the shark for me and they merely sound and look like an Allman Brothers cover band without Dickie Betts in the band, but they refuse to quit touring. I used to love seeing them and now it bums me out every time I hear they are touring.

Inquiring Minds....What the hell are we reviewing this month?