No Line On The Horizon Review

As a casual fan of the quote-unquote “World’s Biggest Band,” I have to admit I’m impressed U2 are still releasing quality music. I mean, how many other 80’s bands are still together and still recording (Duran Duran, I’m sorry but Red Carpet Massacre does not count as music). With that in mind, I bought No Line on the Horizon with a certain amount of skepticism, but some excitement, as I loved HTDAAB. Plus, I bought it off of Amazon for three dollars, which has got to be one of the best new ideas in a while…cheap music while it lasts. Props, Amazon.

Anyway, this album is…decent. I was extremely off-put by their first single “Get On Your Boots” (read scathing review here), and I’m a little surprised they’re still playing it so often in the media blitz. Thankfully, it’s not very representative of the album as a whole, and I will admit that I have come to like this song a little more since it first came out. It’s still a pretty crappy single, but maybe not quite as crappy as I first opined. I’ll call my own bluff and update my rating to a 6/10.

Songs like “Stand Up Comedy” and “No Line On The Horizon” are fairly good cuts; again, I must remind you: I am not a U2 disciple. I am a child of the 90’s, I did not grow up on U2. All of this is coming from a relative outsider of the U2-niverse. With that in mind, the two aforementioned tracks are relative rockers – “NLOTH” in particular sounds like it would sound fantastic in an arena full of 60,000 of your drunkest best friends. Great opportunities for sing-a-longs here.

The best song on this album (and second single) is “Magnificent,” the only (as far as I can tell) truly joyful song on the record. The rest of the songs feel conservative, and this one too feels somewhat restrained, but Brian Eno seems to have coaxed a little extra from the boys on this track – his work on this track is unmistakable and definitely welcome.

I also like the track “Breathe” a lot, particularly the sung-spoken vocals, but I’m kind of disappointed with duds like “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight,” which is decidedly NOT as crazy as the title would suggest. The other tracks are just boring – they’re not good or bad, they’re just…there. I can’t work up any enthusiasm for “White As Snow” or “Unknown Caller" either.

The refrain on this album seems to be Bono’s plea “Let me in the sound,” which is odd to me – I could have done with MORE sound on this record. For all intents and purposes, this is a very sparse record…I would have liked to see Eno bring more of the soundscapes he crafted so perfectly for Coldplay on VLV, and U2 really cut loose on this album.

The Bottom Line: I definitely don’t think this album is worth the rave 5 star review Rolling Stone gave it, but that’s why I started this blog in the first place. It’s good, not great, and deserves a listen.

Download: “Magnificent,” “Breathe,” “No Line On The Horizon”

Rating: 7/10

mood: sleep? what’s that?
tunes: halloweenhead – ryan adams – easy tiger

Zero Review

Finally, a decent single!

"Zero" is the first single off the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' third upcoming album, It's Blitz!, and the track is nothing short of a blitzkrieg on the ears...but in the best way possible. Not only is this the most ebullient that YYYs have EVER sounded, but it's good, which is perhaps the most surprising thing about this track. "Zero" is definitely a departure from their previous sound - they've ditched the stripped-down sound in favor of heavy dance beats, pulsing synths, and graceful strings. Karen O is especially in top form on this song - she sounds joyful and completely non-nasal, which has really bothered me in the past. It's a perfect, bouncy, blissful ode to losers trying to get attention in clubs, and it's one of those rare tracks that you never want to end.

The Bottom Line: Hey, Every Band Ever, this is what a first single is SUPPOSED to sound like. Take note, please.

Download: Do it NOW! And then preorder It's Blitz!

Rating: 9/10 (loses points for a so-so opening minute, and really creepy album artwork)

mood: excited to see you're welcome, america tomorrow on broadway...be jealous...
music: desire - ryan adams - demolition

Any CYHSY Fans Still Out There?

If there are any of you Clap Your Hands Say Yeah fans left out there in the universe, head over here for a free mp3 of the song they played on Jimmy Fallon last night (it's called Statues; I haven't listened to it yet, but I'll let you know what I think soon).

As always, you're welcome!

mood: way too much to do.
music: who the f**k are arctic monkeys? - arctic monkeys - who the f**k are arctic monkeys? ep

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand Review

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is Franz Ferdinand's 3rd album, following up their 2004 eponymous debut and 2005's You Could Have It So Much Better, both of which quickly established the Scottish quartet as a sort of post-punk revival dance indie rock group, if such a thing exists. T:FF doesn't really expand on that niche - you can dance to every single song on this album - and there's not a whole lot new here. But their formula of catchy, danceable indie punk rock still works five years after their debut, and they're certainly milking it.

This has been touted as a "concept album," following the band through a wild night out on the town and ending with a bittersweet, slightly painful morning (connecting hard-partying "No You Girls" with sweet album closer "Katherine Kiss Me")...but Arctic Monkeys did the same thing on their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, and they did it better, too. For a concept, it isn't exactly much of an earth-shattering one. I would have liked to see them put a new spin on the wild night out thing and give us something new.

First single and album opener "Ulysses" is catchy, but somewhat cold, and a little strange (see full review here). The rest of the album follows suit, for the most part. Likely second single "No You Girls" is the basis for Apple's newest iPod Touch commercial, and finds Alex Kapranos & Co. experimenting with a twangy, blues-y riff (and apparently using human bones as percussion) - it's easily the catchiest song they've put out since 2004's "Take Me Out." Other standouts include the space-y "Dream Again," the synth-y "Twilight Omens," and the 80's-tastic, stomp-y "Can't Stop Feeling."

The best song on this album, though, is the eight-minute epic "Lucid Dreams." FF released a version of this on iTunes as an early single a while ago, and it's really nice to see that they've completely re-tooled it into a space-y, hard rocking track complete with a four-and-a-half minute synth dance breakdown/jam session. I would have liked to see more songs like "Lucid Dreams" on the album, to fulfill the "reinvention" promises, but this song is a perfect enough gem for now. It's a really strange, nonsensical song - a rock song that melds into shamelessly danceable club music...but it works.

The Bottom Line: T:FF perfectly blends retro with cutting-edge with futuristic, and while it's not quite the sound overhaul we were promised, it's still a great third album and shows enough innovation to entice new fans while staying true to diehards. Like catchy, dance-able, well-produced, high quality, amazing music? Get this album NOW.

Download: The entire album if you can, but the key tracks are "No You Girls," "Ulysses," and "Lucid Dreams." (Available on iTunes)

Rating: 8.5/10

mood: it's sleepytime...or at least i wish it was
music: here i come - the roots - game theory

FREE MUSIC ALERT!

Here are a few tips for some new, legal, free songs courtesy of the interwebs:

Pete Doherty - New Love Grows on Trees

Mark Ronson does Kings of Leon

Our ratings:

The unfailingly immature Pete sounds surprisingly mature and sophisticated on this new solo track. Sounds...kind of like Oasis, actually. Rating? 7/10.

Mark Ronson does his thing yet again on this early KoL cut (from Aha Shake Heartbreak). Gotta love that tambourine. You may already have this track though - it was a bonus track on Ronson's album Version. Rating? 8/10.

Have more tips for free music? Leave 'em here.

mood: confused...
music: straight lines - silverchair - young modern

so sorry...

i'm so sorry i've been m.i.a. recently...to say that the last two weeks have been crazy would be a complete understatement.

i promise to be back up and running soon!


p.s. ...snow tomorrow? definitely a fan.

mood: way too busy.
tunes: radio nowhere - bruce springsteen - magic