Brothers - The Black Keys

In short, the album really succeeds or fails depending on your mood at the time you're listening to it. Guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach's musical style makes Brothers sound nostalgic-blues cool or somewhat insipid. Fuzz guitar and Mississippi-Delta-influenced lyrics may sound appealing, but they are presented in a way that makes the songs sound repetitive and sometimes really white. It's almost like Auerbach might be that dirty-looking artsy guy with the dreadlocks and the poncho you sit behind in English class that plays blues at the coffee house every Wednesday for open mic night. This guy (meaning the English student) isn't a real musician; he probably has a trust fund. Not to say The Black Keys isn't a real band, but some of their songs give the same feeling of being disingenuous. Sometimes, your inner Randy Jackson (American Idol reference really? I know; I suck, but it serves a purpose) will start plaguing your membrane with "Look, dude ... It was OK ... I just didn't feel it on that one, dog? Y'knowwhatI'msayin' man? You're better than that."

The songs that sound the best is when the band acknowledges that they are two white dudes from Akron, Ohio, and drop the whole Gospel-sounding 2nd-generation sharecropper facade. To clarify this more, there just isn't enough soul to channel someone like Muddy Waters or an old blues legend like Stevie Ray Vaughn or even Eric Clapton could do, which they didn't do to excess. The legends who based their careers on R&B and Soul (Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Ray Charles) can pull off saying "Oh, mercy me" whenever they feel like it and make me feel it too. The Black Keys can not. Seriously, the audience that eats this band up are the musically enlightened high school/college kids and the folks who listen to university radio. Songs like "Everlasting Light," "Tighten Up" and "The Only One" sound awesome in this regard (Side note: "Tighten Up" and "The Only One" are played in the same key, so they sound pretty similar).

What gets the Keys into trouble are the examples in their songwriting as I listed above. Listen to "She's Long Gone" to see what I mean. Part of the chorus lyrics is "She's long gone / Like Moses through the corn." What the f*ck is this I thought when I first listened to it. Are you from the f*cking '20s? I just didn't think it worked the first time I listened to it, and I still don't after listening to it a few more times. It's just delivered so blandly. "Unknown Brother" gives the same feel. The song is about a guy whose older brother died before he was born. Yet, it lacks soul. When it comes down to it, I couldn't give a sh*t about a dead baby: I jumped to the next song on the album. Well, that song, "Never Give You Up" wasn't too great either. Auerbach uses a falsetto voice on the song, which does makes the lyrics sound better. The problem this time is actually the music. It just sounds like a sub-par Motown number.

However, the whole album isn't just a few good songs mixed among the mediocre. The album has some decent filler. They're not as good as the songs I mentioned first, but they're not songs that will tempt you to hit that right-arrow button. "Ten Cent Pistol" succeeds because the song tells a great story about a impassioned girl killing her cheating boyfriend and the other woman he's sleeping with. "Sinister Kid" gives the listener one of the better tempos on the album, having drummer Patrick Carney shine. Even "These Days," the most repentant of these Gospel-esque songs, works because it is sung with feeling.

Perhaps that asshole, Jack White, may be the cause of what might be perceived as an unfair review for the Black Keys. But I think I'm being fair, despite my previous biases. This album has some good songs. However, I also felt like there were way too many songs I felt like I was forced to sit through for the purpose of the review. Because of this, I'll give this album a fair, but not exemplary grade. I would figure out which songs you want before you buy this album. It's your money.

F*ck Jack White and everything he does.

4/5
For Your Consideration: "Everlasting Light," Tighten Up," "The Only One"
For Next Time: TBA

Don't Call It a Comeback!

Sup snitches,

I have been away for a while. As you can see, I was kidnapped by Madonna for some reason. No, not really. This is from a facebook group I made about a year ago.

In reality, I had to stay away from this because it was a "conflict of interest" with my music reporting position in my college publication. After a rewarding, but weary, semester (20 hr. week on average, not including class and schoolwork), I decided to take the rest of the school year off. I wanted to come back, but with only Ke$ha being the biggest thing in the biz, it's been hard to write about anything. But, now that it's summer, there are a few albums coming out that have piqued my curiosity. Expect a Bieber-less review in the next few days.

Holla.

Announcement

Hey everybody. I'm not sure who reads this, but I have some bittersweet news. As it turns out, in the first piece of good luck I've had in years, The Daily Collegian has announced that I will be the Senior Music Reporter. This is a terrific opportunity for me. However, this blog will probably be the one that suffers the most neglect, followed by sleep and then by social life. As of today, I will be unable to update my blog until my tenure is over because it could be viewed as a conflict of interest. Even so, if you want me to review something, I will definitely take it under consideration as a story idea for the Collegian or something to come back to when I return. Thanks for reading, and I will be sure to return.

The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) - Black Eyed Peas

It's been a while. I would like to think my absence is purely due to work, but that would only be partially true. The other part has to do with reviewing this new album by The Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D. I planned on releasing the review a few weeks after the album dropped like with the newest U2 and Dave Matthews albums. However, I didn't have the time to listen to it all the way through until recently, or could even wrap my head it when I did.

So why have I been struggling for months trying to write this review? Well, I can't seem to tell if The Black Eyed Peas even a work of music or not. You mean like ... more than usual? Look, we can argue if Monkey Business had any aesthetic merit until the cows come home. Even so, I think this will put my frustration into words. When Billboard interviewed the band's leader, will.i.am, he said it would be breaking away from the concept of the album. He said to Billboard, "What is an album when you put 12 songs on iTunes and people can pick at it like scabs?" That is why this has been so hard. I mean, is there a point to me writing this? The way this album is constructed, all 14 songs are more or less the same song. They all are about five minutes in length. They all have some kind of moderately cool breakdown (listen to "Imma Be," in which the beat goes from the Kill Bill vol. 1 slow-mo-hallway scene to a jazzy breakdown sounding like A Tribe Called Quest Quest or Illmatic in a matter of seconds). They all have blatantly stupid lyrics, from which I will spare you from reading. They all have techno beats and Fergie singing auto-tune. The only difference is that some of these songs are better than others. How can this be? Just listen to "Boom Boom Pow" after you listen to "Alive." Yes, they are the same song. And yes, "Boom Boom Pow" sounds better for some reason. The parts of the formula above just come together for some songs better than others. The only exception to the rule is the harmonica-dominated "Generation Now," a welcomed change from the monotony of the rest of the album.

But will.i.am. gave us exactly what he promised. If this establishes a trend in the music industry, this will be the E.N.D. of the music album as we know it. We all know since iTunes burst onto the scene that there is very little need to download a whole album rather than just downloading the songs you want. Will.i.am. understands this. He understands that a song like "Ring-A-Ling" could have some appeal in small doses. However, if you listen to it on the album at track No. 8, it becomes so exasperating that you may want to throw your iPod out of the window of your car.

To sum this up, you cannot listen to The E.N.D. all the way through. Your ears will just not allow you to do so. Perhaps the individual parts are greater than the work taken as a whole, but the purpose of this blog is not to review singles. This is not an album; it's a paint by numbers kit ... and the picture doesn't match the one on the box.

1.5/5
For Your Consideration: "Boom Boom Pow," "Imma Be," "Generation Now"
For Next Time: TBA

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King - Dave Matthews Band

Remember the days when you and your high school buddies made the annual trip to the Campbells' Field parking lot for the Dave Matthews Band concert? Remember when in the middle of every pilgrimage you got so drunk that you threw up on the walk over to the Tweeter Center? Remember when you saw one of your friends get so drunk that he ran head first into one of those speaker poles, throw up on a couple on a blanket, and then fall down a flight of stairs? Remember when that made you feel a hell of a lot better about your drunken situation? But, do you remember any of the music that night? Probably not. In my experience with the Dave Matthews Band, it's never really been about the music. Instead, it's more about the sheer thrill of what the music represents: getting too drunk and getting away with it. I guess that's one of the reasons why Dave tried to create more diverse, heavier music. If anything, it will help the under-aged shake themselves out of their drunken stupor because they pause to ask themselves if they have stumbled to a Pearl Jam concert by accident.

The simple fact is that Big Whiskey is some of the heaviest stuff DMB has ever produced. One of the causes for this experimentation is the death of beloved saxophone player LeRoi Moore, who died in an ATV accident in June of last year during the pre-production of the album. Moore's sudden death deeply shook the band, who must now carry on without a friend and founding member of the group. Big Whiskey serves in part to pay tribute to this extraordinary musician whose presence was previously felt in nearly every song by DMB so far. In the title, the band immortalizes Moore's "Seussical" nickname, "GrooGrux King." Moore's ghost haunts the listener in the first track, "Grux," an instrumental saxophone solo, as well as in a hidden riff track on loop in "You & Me." For the rest of the album, Moore is replaced by Jeff Coffin. The band also added trumpet player Rashawn Ross and guitarist Tim Reynolds (a frequent collaborator with Matthews) to the its personnel. With the loss of Moore, the band needed to adapt to the strengths of the other musicians. In reality, Reynolds fills the void left by Moore with his electric guitar riffs.

The rest of the album acts as a departure from the conventional acoustic jams, mostly due to a greater influence from Tim Reynolds' expertise on guitar. "Shake Me Like a Monkey" does more than add to Dave Matthews' penchant to use the word "monkey" in his songs (wink wink Dave heads?). It's a refreshing change to the repertoire. Matthews shows the versatility of his voice in "Time Bomb," where critics more credible than myself have compared his voice to that of Eddie Vedder. Seems like an oxymoron, but I guess Dave Matthews can rock after all.

The two singles, "Funny the Way It Is," and "Why I Am," although flawed, have their moments. The music is friendly to the ears, but the lyrics seemed forced. "Funny the Way It Is" seems like it wasn't written by the band at all, but by the new lyricist team of Alanis Morisette and SNL's Debbie Downer. There's nothing like putting contrasting yet equally negative scenarios together to make me try and feel bad to make me laugh hysterically. "Funny the way it is, if you think about it / One kid walks 10 miles to school, another’s dropping out / Funny the way it is, not right or wrong / On a soldier’s last breath his baby’s being born." Wah wah ... Moving on. "Why I Am" also suffers from some uninspiring lyrics. This is the song that serves mostly as a direct tribute to Moore, but put together with a misplaced misanthropic commentary on human nature. In the song, humans are merely monkeys that came down from the trees to kill and enslave each other. The transition from denouncing humanity to eulogizing Moore is impossible to follow, so I'll spare you the lyrics.

But if you're looking for the DMB of old, there are plenty of tracks to meet your needs. In fact, one of the best tracks on the album is "You & Me," is a throwback to the pleasing acoustics you've come to know from Dave Matthews. Matthews sings in an inspiring serenade, "You and I, we're not tied to the ground / Not falling but rising like rolling around ... / Our arms wide as the sky / We gonna ride the blue all the way to the end of the world," as Boyd Tinsley's violin strings accompany acoustic guitars. Unfortunately, there are the monotonous songs that fit the past motif. "Spaceman" is a song that just goes nowhere in the style of "Proudest Monkey." True fans of the band would probably enjoy it, but to everyone else, it is predictable and bland. If you're looking for something novel, try listening to "Alligator Pie," the album's banjo track. It's cooler than it sounds, trust me.

For it's faults, particularly in its lyrics, Big Whiskey remains a solid album worth your time. It will be interesting to hear which tracks Dave decides to play on tour and if the kids are going to notice. But this is a major departure for Dave, and you need to decide if you like it or if it's too different for you. So if you plan on going to the concert at the beautiful Camden Waterfront this year, don't get too drunk. You may miss something if you get shitfaced beyond all recognition.

3.5/5
For Your Consideration: "Shake Me Like a Monkey," "Alligator Pie," "You & Me"
For Next Time: The E.N.D. - The Black Eyed Peas

Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear

If you need proof that the influence of indie-rock is growing at an alarming rate, one would only need to look at where Grizzly Bear's third album debuted on The Billboard 200. Although it took a tumble this week, Veckatimest debuted at No. 8, selling over 30,000 copies. That must say a lot about the Brooklyn-based quartet to have climbed to where so many of their contemporaries could not. After hours of musing, I think I might have figured out all the pieces that make this band so unique and interesting to hear. First, the acoustically driven band steers in and out of keys much like Crosby, Stills and Nash. Although the songs on Veckatimest keep their original tone, the key of the songs usually change, almost as if they have multiple bridges or are written in a classical mindset. Second, they are not afraid to be experimental like Radiohead. Grizzly Bear implements dissonance of neoclassical composition in their songs to walk a thin line between sounding aesthetic and nonsensical. In this way, they remind me of Radiohead, whom Grizzly Bear opened for on tour. Third, and most importantly, they hearken back to the harmonizing vocals of The Beach Boys. No one does this anymore, which puts Grizzly Bear in a place of their own. Perhaps this is why they were inspired to name this album after an uninhabited island off the coast of New England coast. Their music goes where no one has been before, at least in a while anyway.

The best track, bar none, is "Two Weeks." It is nothing short of stellar how the band uses their voices to propel the track to another level. One listen will leave a long lasting impression on you. It almost sounds like something lost tapes from Pet Sounds. Another track you should listen to "Ready, Able." It brings to mind a soundtrack from an early 60's movie as its chorus descends gracefully downward. Grizzly Bear seems to be reviving the baroque pop genre, something we haven't seen a lot of since the days of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's" era and, you guessed it, The Beach Boys.

Although it may not be right for everybody, I can't find anything mediocre on this album. Perhaps someone with more mainstream tastes would think is sounds too eclectic or too slow. But, one of Veckatimest's best features is that moves along slowly, giving the music time to breathe for the listener. If this was left unrecognized by the band, then the impact it would leave would be minimal at best. But the mesmerizing, languid effect of the music puts the listener in a peaceful, dreamy mood, making the band once again stand apart. This feeling should definitely place Grizzly Bear into growing circle of popular indie rock bands that have crossed over into the mainstream like Death Cub for Cutie, The Decemberists, and Vampire Weekend. I hope to hear more from them in the future.

4/5
For Your Consideration: "Two Weeks," "Ready, Able"

21st Century Breakdown - Green Day

Although in their late 30's, no one can connect with Generation Y's angst like Green Day. The Bush Administration has left the spirit of the country in shambles and Obama is not (yet, anyway) the Superman who could make things go back to the way they were in the Clinton years. In 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day gets angry and goes on the offensive, attacking the government, the religious right and the sensationalist media en mode de Rock Opera. Now, one may think this all sounds similar to American Idiot, but this new effort is a lot better both lyrically and musically.

There is a reason why critics everywhere are calling Green Day the new Who, Rock Opera's pioneers. Billy Joe Armstrong — the guitarist, lead singer and lyricist of the band — is the turn of the century's Pete Townshend, seamlessly weaving the story of two Detroit kids struggling in the post-Bush era. The teen couple named Christian, a semi-neoconservative churchgoer, and Gloria, an emotionally guarded anarchist, begin to change each other and themselves as the world crumbles around them because of the myopic views of religion, the media and the government. On the album's eponymous track, "21st Century Breakdown," Armstrong sings, "We are the cries of the class of 13 / Born in the era of humility/ We are the desperate in the decline / Raised by the bastards of 1969." I don't know about you, but this is the way I feel as a young American. Suddenly, because of the mistakes of these "old heads," we have to live with the plethora of possibilities that could cause Judgment Day? Now, the quacks claiming Nostradamus prophesied the world's end in three years (around 2012-13) sound more and more convincing.

To add to The Who comparison, the music on Breakdown displays so much more depth and variety than American Idiot. The latter album had only two kinds of songs — hard anthems and soft anthems. However, every song on Breakdown is different and, for the most part, exciting. One song in particular, "Horseshoes and Handgrenades" reminded me a lot of The MC5's "Kick out the Jams." If people doubt that Green Day can rock out anymore, I would suggest that they listen to this track. To add to that, another favorite of mine was "Peacemaker" just because there is no way that the Green Day of 2004 could write this song. It sounds almost like Armstrong's playing a Spanish classical guitar, blending a melody that displays both Southwestern/Mexican and North African/Arabian styles. I think it's symbolic in that both these fundamentalist Christian and Muslim ideologies have the same goal in eradicating the infidels of the opposing faiths. This might be a long shot, but maybe you'll notice it, too, if you listen to it that way. And, thankfully, Mike Dirnt (pop-punk's greatest bassist imo) plays much more of a role than he did in the previous album. And I like the motif of static-radio sound producer Butch Vig put on some tracks. It almost sounds like America's conscience is trying to get through to us in our new technological age we've created for ourselves. In summary, Green Day in Breakdown plays the role of both the angel and devil on our shoulders telling us we should feel ashamed of ourselves for letting this happen, and that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.

So here's the ruling, and it's going to sound strange: I like this album but I don't think I'm going to put it on my iTunes. First, I liked American Idiot when it came out a few years ago, but now I think it's kind of lame. Second, I also am not really a fan of Rock Operas in general. Besides for "Pinball Wizard," Tommy can't really keep my attention. And third, and most importantly, I've accepted that the Green Day of Dookie is gone. It's sad, but they've moved on, I've moved on, and so should you. Green Day is not the same band we grew up with. They're now appealing to kids younger than us ... think emo ... think weird hair. Everybody keeps telling me, "Green Day sucks! I liked them when they put out Dookie." Ok. Remember when most of the people reading this were in Kindergarten when that album came out? I don't even want to go into the years between Insomniac and American Idiot, when the only thing keeping Green Day relevant was the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink-182. This doesn't mean that Breakdown is a bad album. The effort the band put into this album, and the quality of the songs they produced makes this a good effort, if not really good. This certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea, and I don't think this is the album we necessarily want for a summer of fun. But I think it urges the American public to examine how much optimism we can afford to feign right now. Although Green Day leaves room for the ubiquitous "hope" in the last track, "See the Light," I think Green Day's true sentiments lie in the rest of the album. As in "American Eulogy," I think the band would rather not "live in the modern world." To reiterate, judge this album on what it was compared to the band's last effort and not on Dookie's standards nearly 15 years old. Are you seriously going to cry over something released when you were under 10 at the time? No. Shut up.

4/5