Ears To The Music Boys- It's a new decade!!

Them Crooked Vultures 2.5

Another Super-Group disappointment. Maybe there was too much excitement for Them Crooked Vultures. Maybe the expectations of the much-talked-about alliance of Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, Nirvana/Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones, who once played bass for this band called Led Zeppelin were too lofty. The musicianship is there- for sure. The songs are just ok, however. Nothing special. Nothing really memorable. I’m underwhelmed. Sorry TCV- you’re no Tinted Windows - you get a take it or leave it 2.5.

The Avett Brothers- 4.5

Sorry D’Arcy. These guys are great! In fact, Emotionalism is one of my favorite cd’s of the decade. It’s the kind of cd that makes me want to pick up the phone and call D’Arcy or Kaiser just to see how they’re doing. No, I mean see how they’re really doing. Alright, maybe not, but I love the lyrics, the energy, and the honesty of there music. The brothers just cram a lot of stuff into each and every song- great harmonies- fun banjo romps- and a little schizophrenia here and there. I just never tire of their music. A solid 4.5 for sure.

Lucero- 3.5

Since I’m a huge Reckless Kelly fan and Lucero sounds very much like RK with horns, albeit a little over-produced, I’ve got to say I really enjoyed this cd. Especially if you tune out the horns a little. A lot of critics think the cd would be better without the horns- I'm afraid I agree. Cody Braun and Ben Nichols could be the same person. Their vocals are that similar. The few misses on this cd are when Lucero try’s a little too hard to channel Springsteen and the E- Street horns- something RK will never do. The hits for me here are when Lucero sticks to that Reckless Kelly Texas swagger, gritty guitar, bar-room brawl, eat shit buddy attitude. And there’s plenty of tunes here that have that.

Cheap Trick- 3.0

What’s not to like here? Zander is in good voice, Nielsen’s guitar playing is consistently strong and fluid and there’s plenty of solid, well-crafted songs. The opener is a miss as far as I’m concerned but the rest of the cd is a great band staying true to their spirit. Songs like Sick Man Of Europe, California Girl, and especially Everybody Knows are as good as anything CT has done in many years. 3.0

Fastball- 4.0

If you like power pop- you’ll like fastball. You would think that because the album starts with the biggest hit the band has ever known that it can only go down from there. You would be wrong. "Fire Escape", "Warm Fuzzy Feeling", and "Outta my Head" carry you through the landscape of great guitar driven pop. No collection can be complete without it. They definitely have a flair for that mid-60’s pop sound. What’s not to like? 4.0

Discussion: Music makes everything better- including “the holidays”. I love Christmas music. Sandor’s top 10:

1. Hey Parker, It’s Christmas- Ryan Adams
2. The Mods of Christmastown – Zumpano
3. Another Christmas (Old Borego)- Switchfoot
4. All That I Want - The Weepies
5. 25th December- Everything But The Girl
6. The Lights And Buzz- Jack's Mannequin
7. Christmastime- The db’s
8. Christmastime Is Here- Thad Cockrel
9. Christmas Must Be Tonight- The Band
10. Fairytale Of New York- Pogues w/Kirsty MacColl