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RSSShotgun CD Reviews: Cleaning Out the 2005 Leftovers
I just needed to get these listed so that I can leave 2005 behind and move onto something else. I think my latest phase is swinging more towards the independent artists. For the last week, I’ve been obsessively digging through myspace.com like I used to dig through dusty cardboard boxes for vinyl. Out with the old…
Lyrics Born - Later That Day (rap): LB is an indy rapper from Berkeley, CA that I first heard on Z-Trip’s Shifting Gears. He has clever samples and his style is different than what I’m used to. When LB is on, my feet are tappin’ right along with him. When I think of the tracks where he’s a little mumbly, I refrain from pulling the CD off the rack. This CD is like chocolate truffles: When I’m in the mood for it, I gorge myself sick, and then won’t go near it for a while. I also have to give this a little extra credit for being an indy release and having the only skits on a rap album that I actually found amusing. B
Lyrics Born - Same !@#$ Different Day (rap): This is essentially a remix of Later that Day with some new tracks thrown in. This is a little more upbeat than Later that Day, and got my feet moving. I’m generally not a fan of the remix, but I like these remixes and original versions equally well. B
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (pop): This is pop. You can put whatever crappy pop on the CD’s you send me without fear because you are protected with the knowledge that I intentionally bought a goddamn Kelly Clarkson album . On the first half of the album, she does contrived pop, written right out of the pop rule books. Then, somewhere around the middle of the album, the songs turn into something that could only have been written with the sole purpose of wooing American idol judges. C+
Cut Chemist - Litmus Test (hip-hop): The first time I heard Cut Chemist was on a CD called “Brain Freeze” which was a continuous mix of 45’s by Cut Chemist and DJ shadow, and I was blown away by his skill and track selection. When I accidentally discovered that Cut Chemist had his own CD out, I sought to pick it up. Unfortunately for me, the only place that I could find it was on Amazon for $15. After the high price and having to wait for delivery, I was a little peeved to find out that the CD was actually a 27 minute EP. After listening to it, though, I find it hard to argue with the quality. It’s worth the price of a full album. Maybe not $15, but at least $10-12. Fuck, I’m cheap. B+
Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon (METAL!): My friend Dan assumed that I had a copy of this that he could borrow, but alas, this was only available in my collection on cassette tape… until NOW. It’s not as great as I remembered back when we used to write “OZZY” on our knuckles, but it works. B-
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman (METAL!): Ok This is another CD that Dan asked for, and it is twice as good as I remembered. If I thought that you didn’t have enough things to make fun of me for, I’d write OZZY on my knuckles in pen in honor of this album. B+
Nelly - Nellyville (rap): I picked this up on my sister’s recommendation, and I enjoyed it despite its blatant pop uselessness. Even if you think that there is a way to argue against a statement like “It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes,” you will probably agree that there is something amusing about owning a CD containing a song called “Pimp Juice.” I wish I could use the phrase “pimp juice” correctly in a sentence without sounding like an a-hole. B
Mix Master Mike - Bangzilla (hip-hop): Mix Master Mike is the Beastie Boys DJ, and arguably one of the top technical DJ’s out there. I wouldn’t begin to say that he doesn’t know his way around a turntable, but he doesn’t seem to have a clue on how to get feet or asses moving. There used to be this heavy metal guitar player in the 80’s named Yngwie Malmsteen who could play guitar solos better than anyone else on the planet. He used to play all classical riffs in a heavy metal style. Despite his talent, his lack of intuition on what the audience wanted landed him in the same place that MMM seems to be headed: The $1.99 bin. D
Barry White - Best of Barry White (soul): I bought this solely to put a song on the cowbell collection, but #1GF! agrees that no matter where you might be listening to this one,you will inevitably develop the feeling that you should be making sweet love to something. B+
The Chemical Brothers - Push the Button (hip-hop): I’m not really into dance music, but I will admit to having a soft spot for turntablists like the Chemical Brothers. Like their other albums, I find that even though some tracks just sort of glide by without me noticing, there is always a couple on each disc that I really end up really loving. B
DirtBombs - If You Don’t Already Have a Look (garage): If you like the Dirtbombs, this is over 50 Dirtbombs tracks spread over 2 CDs. Half of the collection are covers and the other half are original tracks. Even if you are only mildly interested in the Dirtbombs, you are bound to find a normal album’s worth of tracks to enjoy in this set. For Dirtbombs fans: It’s 50 tracks. B+
System of a Down - Hypnotize (metal): I really loved SOAD’s first 2 albums, but this release shows absolutely zero growth or effort. There is an adage in today’s music market that it’s rare for a band to put out 3 solid albums, and I really thought SOAD would end up being successful exception. Unfortunately, even willing myself to like this album didn’t do it any good. It’s so annoying that I wanted to invent a bigger insult than “pile of shit.” All I came up with was “pile of fuck,” which is not only lame, but vastly more thought-provoking than this entire album. D
Avril Lavigne - Let Go (pop): This album came out in 2002, and the only reason that I never bought it, was that there was no fucking way I was going to pay $10+ for an Avril Lavigne CD. If you don’t know what she sounds like, turn on the radio. She’ll be on there within 2 minutes. I feel dirty admitting this one. B
Kanye West - Late Registration (rap): I’m not really sure why this album was peppered all over the “Best of 2005″ lists that have come out in the last few months, but those lists suckered me right in. Had I not wandered by this CD while in possession of a not only a BestBuy gift card but an ear worm of “Gold Digger”, this would’ve stayed right on the shelf. It was a perfect storm. That’s not to say it’s a bad album. In fact, when it’s on, it’s on. When it’s not, I can say that it doesn’t suck enough to repeatedly hit the skip button (barring those stupid ass skits that rap albums seem to be so fond of these days). Although my head might unconsciously bump around during it, I don’t hear anything groundbreaking enough that would cause me to put it on a “Best of 2005″ list. B
Various Artists - Funk Masters & Ultimate Funk (funk): These were actually a pair of ten dollar discs that I picked up at BestBuy on a whim because I thought that #1GF! might like them. Together, they make a pretty kick ass pair of 70’s funk party albums. There’s plenty of Cowbell in there, too.
A
Nelly - Sweatsuit (rap): It’s Nelly. It’s not quality, but I find it puts a smile on my face. It’s immature enough in both style and attitude to be reminiscent of a talented 13 year old with a drum machine. It’s pop. I can’t really give it much more than that. C+
The Donnas - Gold Medal (rock): Shit man, I’ve been following the Donnas since they were teenage girls touring the country playing Ramones-style pop with half the stink and twice the sweet. Gold Medal is nothing new. It’s just the next step forward for them after their last album, “Up All Night.” There is no real deviation from their solid pop/rock formula, so it’s guaranteed good, but not really ground breaking. B
The Detroit Cobras - Mink, Rat or Rabbit (garage): I think I found the Detroit Cobras via the Dirtbombs. They’re a very 60’s garage band fronted by a woman singer who has a vocal style that’s slightly tough and sweet at the same time. There’s something indistinctly smoldering and sexy about the combination of the two that I can’t put my finger on. Crap. Sometimes around the middle of the album I wonder, “Now, where the hell are my pants?” B
Dirtbombs - Ultraglide in Black (garage): Years ago, I had seen Mick Collins (lead voc.) at a club when he was in a band called Blacktop. The band was minimalist garage, but Mick sang from the soles of his feet. After that show, I bought and subsequently wore out those Blacktop albums. Then, Mick faded slowly back into my collection until a few weeks ago when one of the CD’s from the CD challenge featured a track that sounded like it featured Collins on vocals. I later found out that the track was by The Dirtbombs. Like BlackTop, the Dirtbombs are minimal garage fronted by Collins’ soul vocals, so I ran out and picked it up very soon after. Ultraglide in Black is wall to wall classic soul covers and really serves as a showcase for the band’s style. Classic soul purists might not like the sloppy garage liberties that have rendered some of these tracks indistinguishable from the originals, but others should find this to be a good introduction to the band. B+
January 18th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
first even jenny says your gay for the kelly clarkson. second the Dirtbombs rule and if any of your readers get a chance to see em i would strongly suggest it!!! their bassist is a little asian chick whose bass seems absolutly humungus and she rocks!!!! two friggin drummers. oh and still that is SoAD’s 4th album. the third was mezmerize (almost the same cover as hypnotize) and it was great.
January 18th, 2006 at 7:16 pm
Actually, you’re wrong. It’s their 5th. I was saying that they have yet to put out 3 good ones.
1. Self-Titled: Great
2. Toxicity: Great
3. Steal this Album: Leftover Crap
4. Mezmerize: crap
5. Hypnotize: crap
P.S. Lala la la la Bonito.