Despite suffering from the same faults as most other double-album releases, this is still one of Ben Harper's best efforts.
Ben Harper's always been known as an artist whose capability has seemingly evolved into the mastering two types of music. For one, Harper has written some incredibly beautiful ballads and heartbreaking songs over the course of his career. Likewise, he has also improved greatly in his writing of more uptempo folk/rock songs and more recently funk-infused rock songs. Both Sides of the Gun capitalizes on this as disc one is full of slow songs while disc two is nothing but mid- to uptempo goodness. Granted, like any other double-album (with the only recent exception being Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below), Ben Harper runs into the problem of redundancy, as he could have easily taken the best tracks of each of the discs and made what very well would've been his pinnacle record, rather than yet another solid yet imperfect release. While the first half of the slow side (disc one) is incredible as "Never Leave Lonely Alone" is the most haunting song Ben Harper's ever done and if it weren't for the vocals could almost be seen as an Elliott Smith B-Side; It is the second half that falters badly, with the closing trio of "More Than Sorry," "Crying Won't Help You Now," and particularly "Happy Everafter In Your Eyes" all but erase the high points that were experienced earlier in the album. Once getting to disc two, there's a much better balance of good and bad songs. The opener and single "Better Way" is a very inspiring song and leads into the equally good "Both Sides of the Gun." The title track is an interesting experience as many of Ben Harper's previous attempts at funk-rock have been relatively poor to say the least (the tacky "Bring the Funk" from the last album comes to mind). On this track though as well as "Black Rain," it doesn't seem like Ben Harper is forcing the issue, but rather taking his already hard-edged lyrics and allowing them to do the work themselves while his band pumps out the funk to match the piece. "Black Rain" in particular smartly uses orchestration to emphasize the political message of Harper's piece. Other highlights include the classic rock stomper "Get It Like You Like It"-- horrible reference of the Red Sox winning the World Series aside-- and the awesome closer "Serve Your Soul" which really show off the talent of Ben Harper's backing band, The Innocent Criminals. While it's great to see such a strong showing from Ben Harper, it's slightly disappointing that he decided to go the dreaded double-album route. Despite that, this is a recommended album for fans and outsiders alike, with 18 tracks, you're bound to find something you like.
Overall Rating: 82
J Dilla (aka Jay Dee) Donuts
Simply put, Donuts is a genius' curtain call.
To be honest, I was at first very skeptical about this album. While Jay Dee has always been one of my favorite producers, I didn't see how 31 tracks of one-minute songs could amount to anything substantial, and if it weren't for the tragic circumstances immediately following the release it probably wouldn't be so highly acclaimed. While the last point is certainly up for debate, there is simply no denying the great effort put into this album. Jay Dee implements and toys with old-school soul and R&B to perfection, crafting an album that stands almost like a curtain call of sorts. Tracks like "The Diff'rence," "Stop," and "Two Can Win" take you for a trip down memory lane, with a sense of breezy nostalgia unheard of since The Avalanches released Since I Left You, while "Mash" and "Time: The Donut of the Heart" truly show off Jay Dee's ability to take various elements of both instrumentals and vocals (spoken and sung) and combine them to make it his own sound. An album any fan will love, and should be held close specifically for any inspiring DJs. It's really too bad that we'll never get to hear the talent of Jay Dee again.Overall Rating: 91
Shout Out Louds Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
Fuzzy Vaults Review
An impressive debut, but not for everyone.
Shout Out Louds are a quirky indie rock outfit from Sweden that, based on the debut, appear to specialize in crafting bittersweet songs in which the somewhat dreary lyrics are heightened by beautiful and/or inspiring melodies. Perfect examples of this can be seen in the single "The Comeback" as well as "A Track and a Train." Much like earlier Belle & Sebastian, the sound of Shout Out Louds is one that will either immediately click or its bright, poppy vocals will be somewhat off-putting. Shout Out Louds do have a couple of very well done upbeat songs in "100ยบ" and "Hurry Up Let's Go," both of which should lead to serious head bopping or toe tapping if nothing else. Another highlight is the closer "Seagull," which is probably the greatest departure for the band in terms of sound. While maintaining the semi-quirkiness that defines the other songs on the album, there's a much more apparent connection to the atmospheric psychadelia that serves as one of the bands sonic influences. This combination makes for a very engaging, and wholly entertaining eight and a half minutes. Overall, this is a noteworthy debut from a talented band well worth keeping an eye on.Overall Rating: 84
The Walkmen Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone
Fuzzy Vaults Review
Better after each listen, Everyone Who Pretended... is quite possibly one of the most subtly outstanding since 2000.
From the transition of the opening intro of sorts "They're Winning" to the song "Wake Up" there's a sense of discovery in a band that, while possibly not easily accessible, is almost wickedly talented. The dissonant piano offsets the guitar riff perfectly, creating a sharp, haunting sound that's become the staple of The Walkmen's music. Dissimilar to their follow up Bows + Arrows, the finest moments don't come from their brash, hard-hitting tracks-- as a matter of fact, you'd be hard pressed to find anything to liken to "The Rat"-- but rather their involved, and sometimes endearingly tedious songs that really bring the album together as a whole. Each track contributes in its own manner to the entire puzzle of the album, adding in textures while taking away others, and all in all creating such a wonderfully solemn atmosphere that you feel as if you're being taken into a world created specifically by the band. Appropriately enough the biggest highlight of the album sits comfortably in the middle of the record entitled "We've Been Had." With the lush toy piano fading in, and vocals perfectly swaggering along without ever overpowering the hushed-yet-rough feeling of the song, the song creates an amazingly balanced dynamic-- in the same way the album does-- by molding together seemingly dissimilar elements and making them not only sound good, but also making you want more. While it will almost certainly take repeated listens to settle into the record, this is certainly a worthwhile album that is all the more impressive considering it's a debut effort.Overall Rating: 96
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