Lucky for you, it's only my review- no Amy Winehouse

Music Club

May 2008

Enon-High Society

I defy you to categorize this band. First they’re rock then artsy and experimental then pop. Each song has a hook and each is different from next and they keep them short and succinct which keeps them interesting. Their influences are all over the map and intertwined in every song. I stumbled on Enon a few years back from a CMJ compilation and got reeled in. Earlier releases lean more on the experimental but as they have matured they have learned how to keep the creativity without losing “the song”. I hope you all liked this as it is a favorite of mine. (4.0)

REM- Accelerate

I was very surprised that this didn’t resolutely suck. It isn’t on par with their best but it was definitely better than anything they have released since Monster. While Stipe’s voice is unmistakably REM (though a little more throaty) I thought Buck’s guitar work occasionally delved out of their norm. Put another voice on “Accelerate”, “Horse to Water” or “I’m Gonna DJ” and you got a different band (“Accelerate” could have been on Sonic Youth’s Goo- think “Disappearer”). Thank Mary and Joseph that we haven’t lost another great band to adult-contemporary purgatory though “Until the Day is Done” and “Mr. Richard” have fallen into that abyss. (3.5)

Jimmy Eat World

I loved “The Middle” the first 2,348 times I heard it. I did run out and get Bleed American. I found as time went on I got continually bored by their sound. D’Arcy gave me their next one and again I was bored. Now that I have been removed from them somewhat this mix is just enough Jimmy. Just the good songs and not in any order that forces me to listen to all 20 songs at one sitting. Good mix to hold onto when I need to listen to “The Middle” for the 2,349^th time.

The Kills- Midnight Boom

I’m amazed how much Midnight Boom sounds like Mendoza Line’s 30 Year Low. It’s uncanny that their first song also had Will Sheff guest appearing and how each song sounded like a miserable break up. It’s also eerie that when I play Midnight Boom and 30 Year Low simultaneously, they blend perfectly together. Since I gave 30 Year Low a 4.0 I have no choice but to give Midnight Boom a 4.0 since it is the same fucking disc. Thank you and goodnight.

Topic

Are "social networking" sites like Myspace and Facebook helping the demise of the music industry?

In my opinion, no. Myspace is where I go to find a band I have heard of or read of in a review. Because of MySpace I will go out and buy discs or check out if a show is nearby. Of course I can’t speak for the masses but I think more people use MySpace in this way. I think it allows a band with little or no budget to at least get heard and peddle discs, shows and the single song download. There are even pages from deceased artists that allow younger ears to discover them. So I guess I feel Myspace and their ilk are a positive to industry.

Because of this and downloads...where do you think the music industry will be in 5 or 10 years?

We are going back to the early days of rock n’ roll where distributors drove around and distributed singles. The single is starting to become the shit again with the ‘album’ being filler. While I don’t think it is industry wide it is definitely taken over the pop, rap, and urban genres. Kids want just the songs they hear on the radio or who their friends think are cool. The album means nothing. They don’t care about the concept. It is creating an industry that is teeming with “artists” – like the 50-60s, the one hit wonders.

We are also losing album art and liner notes which used to provide me with almost as much enjoyment as the album itself.

Unfortunately we are moving away from creativity. With the advent of everything digital many artists are unable to play live or be spontaneous but they can easily mimic a sound that sold big which saps the creative spirit. This leads to concerts evolving into these 2 hour performances from a cast of characters who will each come out and do their 2 to 5 hits and then leave. Many not playing or singing every part live.

The end.