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Music Roundup 09/2006 (Thanks for the Insomnia)

October 01, 2006

This is a review of the music that I've purchased during the month of September. We have 9 items to cover, let's keep it short. Shall we?

Bedouin Soundclash - 12:59 Lullaby Single

BS is releasing an album sometime in the near future, I don't recall the exact date. Either way, they released this single to whet the audio appetite. There are only three songs on the single, so it's short and sweet. The title cut features Money Mark (of Beastie Boys fame) on the keys. This is some really soulful stuff, these guys never cease to amaze me. I'm not sure if you can get this in any old record store; I picked it up on eMusic. And if you're not on eMusic, and you're into independent music, get with it, son. But e-mail me first. I get 50 free downloads if you I refer you.

The Draft - In a Million Pieces

I mentioned this album in an earlier post, but I just can't say enough about it. I'll admit I'm a little biased in my view of this album. I'm a HUGE Hot Water Music fan, and I loved the Crow(s) project Chris Wollard did. Since this band is comprised of 3/4 of HWM, it's a no brainer. The music of the Draft isn't a drastic departure from HWM; All of the elements that I loved are still there. But they've definitely broken out of the shackles that kept them within the constraints of their previous band, and in a good way. These songs are a bit more catchy and well structured. There are more sing-along choruses and even horns, organs, and synth worked into the songs. It's subtle, none of those elements are overpowering. I've listened to this album at least once a day since I bought it nearly a month ago. I think that pretty much says it.

Drag the River - It's Crazy

I've been trying to get this album for a while, and finally picked it up at the local record store a couple weeks ago. This is alt-country, and I've found myself listening to this stuff quite a bit lately. I have my father and mother to thank for that. This is ALT country however, none of that slick, mainstream “I love god, my truck, my country, and just cheated on my wife after my dog died” bullshit that's pumped out through the airwaves. Surprisingly, this band is comprised of members of ALL, the Nobodys, Hot Rod Circuit, Pinhead Circus, and probably one other that I'm missing. Hailing from Colorado, they're dubbing it Country and MID-Western. Both kinds of music, as far as some people are concerned. It needs no description as far as I'm concerned, it's just good. If you play the last track of the CD in a juke box, it will play the entire album beginning to end. That's awesome, but I highly doubt I'll ever find it in a jukebox in these parts.

Drive Like Jehu - S/T

Ah, the good old days. I have been looking for this album at every record store I've been to for the past few years. Sure, it's available on Amazon, but I hate waiting. So instead I waited three years until I found a tangible copy. This album was released in 1992, and man, it takes me back. My friend Mike and I got into this album in high school. We found out that DLJ was playing at a Women's Club in Hillcrest, so we got our collective asses down to Off the Record and picked up some tickets for the show. They were playing with some band we'd never heard of called Green Apple Quickstep. Little did I know that band contained members of the Briefs, a band that I'd adore later in life upon moving to Seattle. It didn't really matter, DLJ had John Reis of Rocket from the Crypt fame. Incidentally, John Reis was in DLJ prior to RFTC, in case you were keeping score. I'm sure by now none of this makes sense, so I'll let go of my little nostalgia trip. Long story short (too late) this music has a special place in my heart. Although I own it, I never got into their second album, Yank Crime. Great stuff, the San Diego music scene at it's finest.

Envy - Insomniac Doze

I'm not quite sure how to describe Envy if you've never heard them. They're one of those great, atmospheric rock bands along the lines of ISIS, Pelican, and Mogwai, except they make Mogwai sound like a pop band (they have a fifteen minute song for chrisakes). They sing purely in Japanese, but with this type of music that doesn't make a difference. Vocals exist solely to express emotion, it doesn't matter if you understand them or not. These guys have been around for quite some time, but this is only the second album of theirs that I own. Insomniac Doze says it all. This is music for a gray and rainy day. Spend a winter in the Northwest, and you'll appreciate it.

Hank III - Straight to Hell

Ah, Hank. I'll at least give him this: At least he's following in the footsteps of his granddad, as opposed to his dad. His voice is great, he's got a great band backing him, and I generally enjoy his music. The thing that gets me though, is his lyrical content tends to be a bit canned. Don't get me wrong, I love a good country song about drugs, booze, guns, damnation, and heartache as much as the next guy. But this stuff gets a bit repetitive for my tastes. Drag the River, Old Crow Medicine Show, Split Lip Rayfield, Lucero, all do this stuff way better, they just don't have a legendary name holdin em high. If you get the chance, see Hank live, it's a great show. I just haven't had much luck with his recordings.

Heavens - Patent Pending

I told a friend of mine, “Anything Matt Skiba sings on is gold as far as I'm concerned”. Heavens features Skiba on vocal duty, and well, hell I don't even know about the guy that actually wrote this material. It's a little darker than Alkaline Trio, a little more electronic. Some songs almost sound like somebody beat the crap out of AK3 and the Faint and forced them to write a song together. That may sound negative, but I really like this album. I keep two albums on my phone to listen to on the bus ride to and from work. At the moment I rotate between this album and the Draft.

The Lemonheads - It's a Shame We Couldn't Come Up with a Title

Yet another band that takes me back to my youth. This time, however, it's fresh material from not only Evan Dando, but musicians on the album include members of the Descendents, and the almighty guitar god J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. You just can't go wrong with the Lemonheads. If your like me and loved their music in the past, you won't be disappointed. Nothing groundbreaking, but I didn't really want or expect that. Plus, J Mascis wailing on these songs is just awesome. That old fart can still bring it. I'm really surprised that this album was released by Vagrant. I guess they never really got that big though, now that I think about it.

Sainte Catherines - Dancing for Decadence

I saw these guys a few months ago opening up for None More Black. I had no expectations going in, but I really enjoyed their set. Being that they were a bunch of all-black-clothed-anarcho-punk-French-Canadians, I was quite surprised to see that their album was released by Fat. It actually works though. This band reminds me a lot of the (OKC) Roustabouts for some reason. I don't know if it was seeing them live or what. Dirty, gritty, bearded, bastards, rocking my ass off. Even as I write this, I'm picking up hints of the Hollowpoints. That guy that sings for Against Me! sings on one of the songs, if you're into that stuff.

I haven't been posting mp3s with the reviews because, hot damn, it takes forever to arrange all of the links, copy the files to my server, etc. This post alone took a couple of hours, so you better enjoy it.

Posted by Aaron on October 1, 2006 11:47 PM| Permalink