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Ugh, this debut is a little late but better late than never. vApathyv never sent in his Plastic Beach review. I don't know why and I'll try not to bitch too much until I do. In the meantime here's me reviewing Plastic Beach.


Album: Plastic Beach
Artist: Gorillaz
Label: Parlophone, Virgin
Released: March 3, 2010
Genre: Hip-Hop
*Sub-genres Trip-Hop, Experimental hip-hop, alternative, pop-hop
Sounds like: Pink Floyd and David Bowie had a white baby that thought he was black.

Okay so I have no fucking idea where vApathyv is, He was originally scheduled to review this album and it's 9:00 PM so I'm gonna officially say he missed his deadline. If he wants to he can delete this and post his review. Actually I'd prefer that. In the mean time here's my super short review. Enjoy:

Plastic Beach is a good album. It has it's dull moments that make it hard to get through. It's also way too long for it's own good. I liked the intro. Overall I'd say buy it.

Personal favorite tracks: Stylo, Superfeast Jellyfish

-Xzyliac




Album: White Pony
Artist: Deftones
Label: Maverick
Released: 06/20/2000
Genre: Nu-Metal
Sounds like: A digitally modernized version of The Cure at their peak

Being a pessimistic 26 year old, it's hard to take a look at the up and coming youth of today with disgust without realizing that the young adults back in my prepubescent days would have viewed me with the same disregard.

From my understanding it seems that the minority quickly become the majority in the hopes to find their place in the world. Smirking packs of individuals in tight black jeans, blinding fringes and sleeve tattoos that mostly hold no meaning other than to just look good...it's like watching a Michael Bay film consisting of all the wrong stereotypes, but then again, what is the right stereotype? But back when I was discovering the full advantages of masturbation when I really should have been endeavoring on the opposite sex in its ripest form, I was also opening my ears to the Nu-Metal scene, but then again, who the fuck wasn't? Korn, Limp Bizkit, (hed) PE, System of a Down and so on, but most importantly (in my opinion)...Deftones.


Digital Promo for White Pony (Warning: Contains burn victims having sex...which is awesome!)

Hard to believe that it has been a decade since its release but White Pony presented the world with a different sound during the hype of Nu-Metal, which ended as quickly as it came. So much so, that many refused to label Pony under the late 90's sub genre for the listening of juvenile delinquents wearing baggy jeans and backwards hats, but being the band that they are, Deftones didn't want to be anything but. Somewhere within these short sighted skaters and rockers was an element of depth and the band produced an art form that spoke to it.



Addictive guitar threats open what builds through smashing snare cracks into an opening track that is second to none in terms of demanding attention; Feiticeira. Catchy yet some-what progressive it is a testament to what is to come throughout further listening in other highlight tracks, such as the mass of decibels and distortion that is Elite and the euphorically erotic Digital Bath. The album then takes a different form in the heart rising RX Queen, the somehow nostalgic Change (in the house of flies) and especially the eerie electrics of Knife Prty which are...quite simply put; songs that make a couple of strangers want to fuck. To top it off the production work is perfectly balanced somewhere between polished and raw and is cut together / mastered by none other than Terry Date, who has worked with so many A List bands he has become a house hold name. Throw in a masterpiece; Passenger (Featuring Tool / A Perfect Circle vocalist Maynard James Keenan), and in my opinion you have one very worthy serving on music that is indeed worth respecting if not enthralling.


Studio Rehearsal of 'Elite'

Look, I know I sound bias and some of you may think this album is a piece of shit. But having sold millions of copies world wide, assisting in many orgasms (mine included) and hitting mainstream charts while still remaining respected within the independent music community...I think you'd be wrong.

Track Listing:

1. "Feiticeira" – 3:09
2. "Digital Bath" – 4:15
3. "Elite" – 4:01
4. "RX Queen" – 4:27
5. "Street Carp" – 2:41
6. "Teenager" – 3:20
7. "Knife Party" – 4:49
8. "Korea" – 3:23
9. "Passenger" – 6:07
10. "Change (In the House of Flies)" – 5:00
11. "Pink Maggit" – 7:32

P.S - You will get laid if you listen to this album with ANYBODY! Hell, you might even fall in love! You have been warned.



Lean more about Deftones here.


-Mr DIllinger



Album: Broken Bells
Artist: Broken Bells
Label: Columbia Records
Released: 2010
Genre: Indie Rock
Sounds like: The Beatles + Gnarls Barkley

I’m a big fan of Danger Mouse. I’m somewhat a fan of indie rock done right, without all the pretentiousness and asshattery. I never really liked The Shins. That being said, the collaboration between The Shins lead vocalist James Russell Mercer and Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) is a pretty good mix of everything I like in album.

Describing Broken Bells is hard though. Tracks all follow the same sort of genre structure, and then again do not. You’ve got haunting stuff such as “The Mall and Misery”, with ghostly vocals from Mercer (and a high pitched backing that gives me the creeps) that’s got a strong steady indie rock feel, but you could literally replace Mercer with MF Doom, and the song would still be really good, just with MF Doom spilling rhymes like a mofo over the track.

Then there’s the lighter “The High Road”, which does a lot of the same things “The Mall and Misery” does, but you don’t get that same “this would be good if it was rap instead of indie” feeling; it just sounds like an indie rock song, almost European if you think really hard about it.
In all though, the sound is something to be admired, if you’ve ever listened to anything Danger Mouse has touched, you’ll automatically recognize the his “This Makes Me Feel Cool” beats, and if you’ve ever listened to The Shins, man, Mercer can sing. Highs are crisp, lyrics can be clearly understood, and it’s all very listenable.

Speaking of listenable, I tend have trouble listening to full albums all the way through. Sometimes there are just songs on certain albums that I think don’t jive well, or were placed awkwardly in the track listing, or are just bad. Broken Bells seems to strive away from this, with every track from beginning to end fitting in perfectly, all of them sounding familiar, but different enough that you don’t get bored. You can tell Danger put a lot of work in making the sound work with Mercer’s style of singing.
Speaking of Mercer’s style, it seems he could sing about anything and it would give off philosophical vibes. Creepy.

Anyways, Broken Bells is definitely one to chalk up to Danger Mouse’s successful collaborations. Go Mouse…and that Shins guy too.

Personal favorite tracks: The Ghost Inside (live), Mongrel Heart (live)

Summary for lazy people: It’s a nice, good, clean, calm indie fun. Listen To It.

Also, I’ve said indie way too much. Indie.

-Daxelman


Album: The Optimist
Artist: New Young Pony Club
Label: The Numbers (UK)
Released: March 8, 2010 (UK)
Genre: New Wave
*Sub-genres New Rave, Synthpop
Sounds like: Scissor Sisters, Klaxons, Datarock, Ladyhawke

This week saw a bevy of brilliant releases, from unreleased Hendrix tracks to the Gorillaz’ hip-hop epic Plastic Beach, but personally I was holding out for one little album titled The Optimist by one little band named New Young Pony Club. If you don’t know by now NYPC is one of my favorite bands of all time and in my opinion the greatest New Wave/New Rave band ever. Their cold, sexy, sound fused with the creativity of their lyrics and the powerful and demanding voice of the beautiful Tahita “Ty” Bulmer just floors me every time. Now with so much praise you might think NYPC has a library of incredible tracks. Well, not so much. Actually until this week NYPC only had one album: 2007’s critically acclaimed Fantastic Playroom.

Before I get to the review I’ll preface with what the hell NYPC has been doing the last 3 years and specifically Tahita Bulmer. Bulmer announced the album was in the works the same year that Fantastic Playroom was released, 2007. In between that time Bulmer has shown she’s done some real growing up. Rough relationships and a busy lifestyle have affected the band leader and it shows in every interview and obviously in The Optimist. Imagine something like a playful sexy teenager becoming a playful sexy woman The band has changed a bit as well which is particularly of note because the members of NYPC have always been characters to say the least. Sarah Jones, while still a member, did quite a bit of in between work which has definitely influenced her drumming. There’s a new bassist in the cards as well laying down the groups ever prominent bass lines. All in all the NYPC in The Optimist is a different NYPC then we’ve seen before.

And it shows in the album. Gone is the sexiness of Ice Cream or the playfulness of Grey. The new New Young Pony Club is definitely more grown up and more serious. The question is does it help or hurt the album?

My first impression upon hearing the album was pretty negative I’ll admit. It sounded a bit like a hot mess. The guitars were heavier, the drums were louder, everything was just too…complicated. One of the reasons I loved Fantastic Playroom was because it was so simple and fun. However I kept drudging through and somewhere between track 5, We Want To, and track 6, Doll, I was completely hooked all over again. In the words of Foreigner “It feels like the first time.” It wasn’t that anything about the band had changed. I was doing it wrong. The band had evolved and I guess I just wasn’t ready for it upon first listen. That changed pretty quickly and I fell in love with every track front to back and back to front.

The composition of the album is a sure fire victory. The drums, the synth, the guitar, and the bass all mesh really well. There’s absolutely no holding back in this album. Even Bulmer, known for pretty much hanging out in her comfortable vocal range, goes out of her way in this album and it really pays off. Tracks like the aforementioned Dolls and Chaos really benefit from Bulmer’s vocals. If I had to call out one more member for excellence it would be Sarah Jones’ drumming which has gotten a considerable upgrade over the last 3 years. Everything she hits sounds just as intentional and perfect as it did on Fantastic Playroom but everything has become much more complex and as a result meshes beautifully with each instrument laid down. Particular tracks of note are Lost A Girl and The Optimist. The production values have gotten a facelift as well, although I wouldn’t call it an upgrade per se, the loop and mastering techniques, handled by Bulmer and guitarist Spence are nothing short of amazing. The two really have produced a masterpiece. That new bassist ain’t too shabby either and of course Lou Hayter’s sexy keyboard be rockin’.

Lyrically the album is a success in most areas. Songs like Stone, Dolls, and Architect Of Love display the fun lovableness we’ve come to expect from Bulmer & Co. while Lost A Girl and Oh Cherie show the new more serious side of NYPC pretty well. The lyrics and the style of the lyrics are varied and for the most accomplish what they set out to do. I say mostly because I felt it doesn’t meet the bar that Fantastic Playroom set with it’s incredible imagery.

Overall The Optimist is easily rising up into the ranks of my favorite albums of all time and as a huge fan who was being extremely critical in every listen (18 as of this week alone) I think it certainly meets my high expectations for a sophomore album 3 years in the making. Personally I actually had to force myself to listen to something else. And this being the same week that Plastic Beach came out. What? You want me to say it? Fine I will.

The Optimist is better than Plastic Beach.


The Optimist proves that New Young Pony Club can do anything they want. If nothing else it’ll be the album that kept the group from getting locked into that “Cutesy popsy” phase that so many New Rave artist get trapped in. Let’s pray that the third doesn’t take another 3 years but hey! NYPC albums now have a reputation for being timeless in my eyes. I doubt I’ll get bored with The Optimist anytime soon.

Personal favorite tracks: Stone, Dolls, Oh Cherie, all of them

Summary for lazy people: 3 years in the making, The Optimist lives up to the hype. A stunning album and easily a personal contender for Album of the Year.

-Xzyliac
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