The Most Brilliant Synopsis Ever on Hold until Greg and Jen post their Reviews

Music Club
August 2007

Faith No More- Angel Dust
I am going on record that I refuse to listen to another Mike Patton recording. (0)

Buffalo Tom- three easy pieces
Nine years in the making and it sounds like they never left. Buffalo Tom is straight ahead Boston power pop and three easy pieces is exactly that. This is good and bad. Good in that they still have a big guitar sound for a trio with hook latent songs, and bad that there has been no growth or newness to make the recording fresh. (3)

John Doe-A Year in the Wilderness
My fave of the month. Once again an old, grizzled veteran puts out a smart, introspective disc that rocks as hard as it sways gently. Stark one moment then full at the next with lyrics drenched with experience. It’s all good (4).

Wire Train- No Soul, No Strain
Nice to get reacquainted with this one after so much time. No Soul, No Strain is safe pop, but not so safe that its sugary boredom. The first 4 tracks make the disc as it sputters a little after that with songs that just blend into the scenery. Fifteen years ago this one would have gotten a solid 4 from me but today it’s a little lite and gets a (3)

Brendan Benson- GHITS
Good mix of Benson with the majority coming from LaPalco, his best in my opinion. Benson is capable of writing unique pop/rock songs that are not totally conventional. That’s his appeal, except to the masses…. Great to have so I no longer need to buy up his catagogue.


Topics

Overrated Discs

Beach Boys – Pet Sounds- Okay, I guess the same argument can go for Sgt Pepper, but this is just an overproduced studio bore. No edge and gone is the beach rock n’ roll that actually made the Beach Boys the Beach Boys in the first place. It’s on such a pedestal more for its lore than anything else. I also don’t see the “concept”.
Police- Synchronicity- Critically acclaimed and considered their best by most writers, I think it is their least interesting and dull. This was the beginning of the downward spiral that was Sting’s vitality.
John Coltrane- Love Supreme- This one will fall on deaf ears, but this Coltrane release was considered ‘groundbreaking’ but every time I listen to it I fall into Mongillo’s camp of “excessive noodling”. There are great recorded Coltrane moments but I do not consider this one of them.
Cream- Disreli Gears- 5 stars around from every publication in the world. But has anyone actually listened to this in its entirety? Yikes! Talk about dated and talk about some very unrock godlike moments. Bleeeech.
Joni Mitchell-Blue- If I could stay awake to hear the entire recording there are probably some very good parts.