Weeeee're Baaaack

October 2014
Music Club

Lloyd Cole & Commotion

Lloyd Cole writes good songs, performs them well but in the end does nothing for me. This is not a negative review because there is nothing bad to say, except maybe his vocal intonations are sketchy.  (2.5)

Moody Blues- Long Distance Voyager

In high school I was totally into the Blues. Had all the albums, got into the philosophical ponderings, thought the classical-rock fusion was cool and then poof; I lost all interest. I saw the LDV tour and it was a decent show and I have to admit it was a nice little nostalgic walk to revisit this album again. There a few songs that held up for me (“The Voice”, “22,000 Days”) and a few I still like though a little corny (“Veteran Cosmic Rocker”) but the rest were, let’s say, schmaltzy.  (2.0)

Hold Steady- Teeth Dreams

Since Boys and Girls In America I have been losing interest in Hold Steady. They’ve gotten glossier and less edgy and more and more like the E-Street band. That isn’t necessarily bad but we have enough bands trying to clone the Springsteen sound. Many bands get more polished as they mature. Some are successful (Against Me) and others not so much (Black Keys). Hold Steady are in the middle and I’m waiting for them to get back to spitting borderline punk. (1.5)

Kinks- GH

Nice collection of pseudo hits.

Wait, D'Arcy Posted before I did?

Hold Steady – It has its moments, notably “Spinners” which may be my favorite song of the year.  That said, the band may have peaked on “Stay Positive” (yes Ken, its better than “Boys and Girls in America”).  I don’t know that I can put a finger on it, but the songs on the last two albums just aren’t as good as the two that preceeded them.  Nonetheless, plenty of crunchy guitars, some great lines from Finn and 3-4 songs that I’d put on a Best of Hold Steady playlist.  3.5 stars

U2 – They’re 34 years in now.  When the Stones were at that point they released “Bridges to Babylon”.  Can anyone name a track off of that one?  Didn’t think so. Like almost all the musical heroes of our youth they are irrelevant from a new release standpoint.  Aside from “Vertigo”, I couldn’t hum another song they’ve done since “All That You Cant Leave Behind” which was 15 years ago. Not horrible, just…..there. 2 stars

Lloyd Cole – I always confuse him with Nick Cave, for reasons I can’t explain.  This was a very nice little slice of 80’s Britpop that went down easy and was just as easily forgotten.  A little too ornamental for me at times, he’s better when the band is stripped down to the basics.  Parts of it reminded me of Simple Minds.  Lyrically, slightly pretentious, but weren’t we all in the 80’s??  3 stars

Moody Blues – I associate the Moody Blues with their pompous, heavily orchestrated b.s. like “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon”, so I was taken aback that this album was pretty good.  I now realize its because this sounds just like an ELO record from the 80’s.  Replace their lead singer’s voice with Jeff Lynne’s and this is vintage ELO.  In fact, I’m not sure “Talkin’ Out of Turn” isn’t ELO.  Didn’t wanna like it, but I did.  3.5 stars

Kinks – One of those bands that you cant do justice to in 20 songs.  “Rock and Roll Fantasy”, “Waterloo Sunset” and “Misfits” are certainly necessities for any Kinks collection.  Conversely, “Black Messiah” and “Im On an Island” wouldn’t make the list of my top 100 Kinks songs.  I’d be curious to hear the rationale behind the selections.  Nonetheless, a grossly underrated band whom I love.  God save the Kinks.

Is there anybody out there?

The Hold Steady – Teeth Dreams - 5

Bob Mould”ish”, and even a little Airbourne Toxic Event.  The catchiness was infectious.  I couldn’t get enough of this cd.  Excellent with headphones, the mixing was awesome, but it’s even better cranked in the car, no driving the speed limit when this is on.  I’m not sure why I didn’t get it when they were on one of our old lists.  Only the 10^th time in group history that I’ve issued a 5. I know that someone might hate this, Mong, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this was a top 10.  You nailed this one Jay

The Moody Blues – Long Distance Voyager - 4

In my opinion, the catchiest and best flowing Moody Blues album.  Not a bad song on this disk.  I know that the keyboard sounds cheesy by today’s standards, but it is what it is and I can’t say I’d change it. By far one of the best vocal harmonies.  I think that only Journey with Greg Rollie did a better job of harmonizing.

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Rattlesnakes - 2

This is what Billy Idol would sound like if he wasn’t a punk with a bad attitude or if he had Nick Lowe as his producer.  Go back and listen to it again and tell me I’m wrong.  This was an easy cd to listen to, but not my thing.  Too vanilla for my taste, I can see why they’d have a place in the books in the 80’s but I also see how they’d struggle to stand the test of time.     

U2 – Songs of Innocence – 2.5

 I like U2 a lot and love how they try to never do the same thing twice.  I felt that on this cd they kept some sounds from their past albums, but kept this one fresh too.  I heard a little more Cold Play and Jack White in this album than I would have expected from a band that should be setting the standard.  I wish that Bono would stay away from his falsetto voice.  If it wasn’t for “California’s” silly beginning and the fake rain sounds I felt it was one of the stranger potential hits.      

Kinks – GH

Once I knew a girl who’s favorite band was the Kinks.  She’s the only person in the world, and she died.  I love the Kinks and think that Ray Davies was probably the Dave Grohl of his day.   I got a kick out of the stereo effects they used.  Good headphone music.  It’s impressive how they either influences the Who, Beach Boys and Stones or vice versa.  And only one from Come Dancing??  

Given enough time even I can post a review.

Moody Blues

It was the summer between my junior and senior years of high school when this album came out.  I had heard of the moody blues and knew a couple of songs, but Long Distance Voyager was the first time I stopped and listened.  Let’s face it the Voice was being played everywhere and all the time.  Well I remember this being a great album and listening to quite a lot that summer, and opening me up to their catalog as whole which was great.  Now thirty plus years later I can’t tell you the last time I played anything by the moody blues.  The voice is still a great song.  So is Gemini Dream and 22000 days.  In fact nothing is bad here.  But like their catalog it’s nice to visit but nothing I would go out of my way to play.  The songs quickly disappear to an easy listening safe background that you may hum along or tap your feet to but also may not pay any attention to at all.  3

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

The only two albums that are better jingle jangle pop cd than this one are the first two REM albums.  This impressive debut has all the tools that made it great, should have made it huge and caused it to become a cult classic.  Great lyrics that make you think about the references dropped and places in life and space being described.  Great fluid guitar that create songs such as  Are you ready to be heartbroken, four fights up,  perfect ski n, forest fire and 6 other  near classics.  All the things that will get you played on small college radio stations and ignored everywhere else.  Also within forest fire the album contains one of the smoothest, guitar solos this side of comfortably numb.  This is Lloyd Coles best cd amongst a catalog of many a great pop tune, especially the period when after he dismantled the commotions in favor of a band that contained a pre girlfriend Mathew Sweet on bass.  An impressive debut that stands the test of time as all well-crafted pop tunes usually do 4.5

Hold Steady

Great another down your nose favorite that I know is just not my cup of tea.  Yes I have heard of and heard them, and no I have found no reason ever to play them.  That is until now.  Not sure why but this cd hit a chord with me.  Just some great rock songs sung/spoke in that tried but never true weary rock star voice that when called for can still rock.  The guitar work and the band as a whole seems to have really stepped up on this cd.  I read there was some new blood to the band but not being familiar with their catalog couldn’t tell you if it was the difference.  What I can say is this is a cd I enjoyed from the crashing guitar beginning to the drawn out solo at the end.

The Kinks

As with the moody blues there is one song that opened the Kinks to my musical library.  It was Rock and Roll Fantasy.  I was still listening to top 40 stations and just thought this song was incredible.  Then a few years later Low budget was released and I was hooked.  That is what I like about this collection.  It shows their early brit pop beginnings to where they became arena rock gods with Dave truly plugging in and showed off his chops. Its schoolboys in disgrace and after.  Yes I think the early stuff is great but if it was me take a couple of songs out before Disgrace add a couple from low budget and add Do It Again and State Of Confusion.  Still it’s the kinks and a couple of hours of that is never a bad thing.