Fuzzy Briefs: Marh 7, 2005

Unfortunately I don't have a complete Oscar editorial written yet, school has been pretty hectic lately, so my apologies for that. Rather than waiting though and posting everything at once, I thought I would post a review for an outstanding album that was just released today, as well as a single that's worth noting and some other news. Also, it's been called to my attention that comments may or may not be working. I'm trying to do what I can to get this fixed, so if you continue to experience problems please let me know and I'll do what I can. So, without further adieu, here are the news/reviews:

Nightmares on Wax In a Space Outta Sound


2006 is strangely becoming the year of electronica.

Surprisingly enough, some of the albums that have been most impressive so far this year have been electronica albums. Even more surprising is that these albums aren't being churned out by the more recognizable names such as the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, or Basement Jaxx. Instead, they've been released by relative newcomers or in the case of Nightmares on Wax, an artist that has maintained a somewhat muted underground presence for the past 15 years. Getting back to today's electronica scene however, there was the recent release of Mylo's Destroy Rock & Roll, that was superb to say the least, and the same can be said for Vitalic's OK Cowboy which also just recently arrived on US shores. Like the two aforementioned albums, In a Space Outta Sound is an extremely well-executed album. Rooted in a perfect fusion of reggae and old-school funk with a touch of atmospheric practicality, the album manages to always be intriguing and engaging without ever reaching the point of seeming tedious or boring. The loose jam of "Pudpots" would make a perfect platform for James Brown, while tracks like "Flip Ya Lid" recall some of Massive Attack's finer moments on their Blue Lines album. This is an album that begs to be played from start to finish, and as such it's difficult to pinpoint any particular highlights for the album, as they all flow so perfectly that it's almost like an entire, winding journey rather than a linear effort. That said, this is once again one of the most complete electronica albums I've heard, and if I must make a comparison I would call it the late-night chill version of The Avalanches' Since I Left You, and that's quite the compliment.

Rating: 95

Buckcherry "Crazy Bitch" - Single
Also released today was Buckcherry's latest single for their upcoming album 15. While Buckcherry was, to me, pretty much a novelty band since their breakthrough single "Lit Up" back in 1999, it appears that if their single is any indication whatsoever this may not be true. Once again following in the tradition of the mid to late 80's heavy rock bands (think Van Halen and Motley Crue at their respective bests), "Crazy Bitch" is an undoubtedly classic rock tune with it's sheer cockiness (yes, it's also misogynistic) and straightforward but effective pop sensibility. I would personally argue that this song manages to outdo "Lit Up" as the best single the band has ever released, and while they've never been a favorite of mine, that once again could change if the rest of the album follows suit in being as equally surprising (in the good sense) as this song is.

Rating: 90

News!
The Raconteurs releases tracklist for upcoming album
Slated as being one of the albums to look forward to most this year, The Raconteurs released the list of songs that will be appearing on their May 16th released album entitled Broken Boy Soldiers. While tour dates haven't yet been officialized yet, it's almost guaranteed that we'll be seeing a tour here in the states possibly starting as early as April, after their UK tour is over, and also once the White Stripes are done in Japan. Here is the track listing:

01 Steady, As She Goes
02 Hands
03 Broken Boy Soldier
04 Intimate Secretary
05 Together
06 Level
07 Store Bought Bones
08 Yellow Sun
09 Call It A Day
10 Blue Veins

Gnarls Barkley releases track listing for St. Elsewhere
Another highly anticipated album is this collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, and it looks like it's going to be a good one folks. The release date for the album is May 2, while the single Crazy will be released on April 10. Here is the listing:

01 Go-Go Gadget Gospel
02 Crazy
03 St. Elsewhere
04 Gone Daddy Gone
05 Smiley Faces
06 The Boogie Monster
07 Feng Shui
08 Just A Thought
09 Transformer
10 Who Cares?
11 On-Line
12 Necromancer
13 Storm Coming
14 The Last Time

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah kick off US tour starting tonight
After a superb performance on David Letterman a little over a week ago, CYHSY is ready to do their US tour, and while most of the shows have sold out there is still hope for those of you who can't make it but would like nothing better than to at least listen to one of their live performances. All you have to do is go to NPR's website (www.npr.org) tomorrow at 9:30 EST and you'll find that the entire Washington DC concert will indeed be aired. For those of you that'd like a refresher on the tour dates they are as follows:

03-07 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
03-08 Washington DC - 9:30 Club
03-09 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
03-10 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
03-12 Sunrise, FL - Markham Park (Langerado Festival)
03-15 Ft. Worth, TX - Ridglea Theater
03-16 Austin, TX - Eternal (SXSW)
03-17 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-18 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-21 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
03-22 San Diego, CA - The Casbah
03-23 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
03-24 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
03-25 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
03-28 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
03-30 Lawrance, KS - The Bottleneck
03-31 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
04-01 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
04-03 Chicago, IL - Metro
04-05 Newport, KY - Southgate House
04-06 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
04-07 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
04-08 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
04-10 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe
04-11 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
04-12 Boston, MA - Paradise
04-14 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
04-15 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
04-29 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella Festival)
05-28 George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch! Festival)
06-16 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

One final note regarding DMB's Summer tour
It appears that Robert Randolph & The Family Band will be the opener for all but one of the shows that had the opening artist TBD. The one exception is the show on the 28th of July which still does not have a confirmed opening act. Also, to update you all on the rumor mill it appears that there is growing speculation in DMB playing a free show at Grant Park much like the Central Park and Golden Gate concerts in previous years. If that plan does not work out it seems that the back up plan is to play at Soldier Field, with the newly named First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (formerly known as the Tweeter Center, formerly known as the New World Music Theatre, you get the idea) in Tinley Park thankfully scrapped altogether. In regards to the Fenway Park rumors, while there's still been no official releases stating it, it appears that the pieces are falling in place to where a DMB show there could conceivably happen.