The enemy is everywhere....

Hanson –The old “genre” problem again. On one hand, Hanson fits nicely with the rest of the innocuous Disney bubblegum pop favored by teenage girls (and apparently 45 year old sissified soccer coaches). Within those confines, its fine. But at face value, its just 45 minutes of inoffensive blandness, like a Kenny Loggins best-of. 2 stars

Icarus Himself – Right from the Adams Family-ish opening, I knew it was going to be a tough listen, and it was. These low-fi, DIY discs are tough for me to enjoy unless are some hooks, and on this disc there aren’t many. Best parts reminded me a little of Okkervil River, but this one doesn’t fly nearly close enough to the sun. 2.5 stars

Titus Andronicus – Audaciously conceived and brilliantly executed, “The Monitor” is the balls-iest record I’ve heard in years. Ties together several Civil Wars: the historical one, the one between the sexes, and the one within. Musically combines the thrash mentality of the Replacements with the emotive wails of Bright Eyes, and Springsteen’s presence looms throughout, literally and figuratively. From the opening Lincoln quote to those chill-inducing bagpipes at the end, a stone-cold masterpiece. 5 stars

Bash and Pop – Can’t believe I missed this one when it came out. A very good record that has the boozy, amateurish feel that a lot of the best Replacements records have. The disc shows that Stinson played no small part in creating the Replacements’ ragged glory. Can’t imagine why he gave this band up to be part of Axl’s ongoing train wreck. 4 stars

X – I’ve never been able to really connect with this band. Love the rockabilly meets punk guitar sound. The lyrics, when comprehensible, are well done and take on dark subjects. What keeps me from fully embracing them is Exene’s voice. Her range is non-existent and after a few songs she just grates on me. The tunes with Doe on lead vocals work fine, and I love the Doors cover. 3 stars

Blue Oyster Cult – This one really surprised me. I’ve always lumped them in with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc. as mindless sludge purveyors, and a little of that fits. However, these guys also incorporated some pop influences, some Southern boogie touches and a sense of humor as well. Significantly more good than bad on this disc, and “Joan Crawford” is a great one I hadn’t heard in forever.

Discussion Questions


1 & 2) Yes, and our public station, KDHX fits the bill more often than not. In my 40-minute commute this morning I heard Lou Reed, Miles Davis, Arcade Fire and Rush. That’s a pretty varied set of music.

3) Depends on the context and the song. Every once in a while, hearing a classic is fun, especially if I’m not expecting it. That stated, I no longer listen to the local classic rock station at all. Period. A man can only take so much Boston.

4) No. Oldies are still oldies, and almost anything recorded in the 80’s still sounds dated.

5) I’m assuming D’Arcy doesn’t mean something like “Cruel to Be Kind” or “Werewolves of London”, which were the only “hits” of what I consider artists of substance. Based on that assumption, I’ll vote for “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” by Elvin Bishop.