Blogger issues

Sorry for the delay in posting, I've actually been having technical issues with Blogger. Since transferring to their new Beta service, my usual blogging publisher hasn't allowed me to publish any new articles. Consequentially, I'm in the process of figuring out a way to either get it (or another product) to play nice with Blogger Beta, or finding a way to write directly in Blogger that will work well as far as formatting is concerned.

"For relaxing times, make it Santori time..."

There are a number of other music reviews that I'd like to get through today. The theme this time around are albums that are perfect for the nighttime. Though not necessarily depressing, they're certainly introspective and evoke a certain kind of solitude that make you want to curl up and have a hot chocolate.

Greg Laswell Through Toledo

From the moment I heard "Sing, Theresa Says," I knew I had to have this album. I don't think any song has made such a personal first impression upon me since I heard Elliott Smith for the first time. The song is seriously perfect, and if it weren't for the strength of the majority of the tracks that follow, it would certainly overpower the rest of the album. However, there are other strengths in the songs "Amazed," the bittersweet mid-tempo rocker "Worthwhile," and the sleepy title track. Unfortunately, Through Toledo starts to drag by the end of the album, but for a debut album it is rare to see something so incredibly emotional (the songs were written right after Laswell's divorce) and focused on a debut album.

Through Toledo's rating 86

The Whitest Boy Alive Dreams

Erlend Øye continues to impress with his chameleon-like musical flexibility. The Kings of Convenience front-man first churned out a successful solo electronic pop album Unrest and now has come up with this side project that is some of the most stripped down rock music you'll ever hear. Although simplistic, Dreams is hardly ever boring, with particular highlights being the opening "Burning," the beautiful "Don't Give Up," and the steady rocker "Golden Cage." While it won't be nearly as popular, The Whitest Boy Alive seems to accomplish for rock what The Postal Service did for the indie-pop genre. Strip the atypical sound to its bare essentials, and despite the seemingly electronic roots, manage to make it accessible for most audiences. Once again, Øye manages to impress, Dreams is a very worthwhile album indeed.

Dreams' rating 85

Floyd the Locsmif Divine Designz #1.2: Re-Discovered

An almost entirely instrumental hip-hop album, Floyd the Locsmif lays down some pretty impressive beats here, especially on "Still Luv' Huh," "Speechless" and "One for the Fam." The couple tracks that do have vocals are also very good, and show Floyd the Locsmif's potential as being a producer, especially on "Always Bless." Overall this is a great late-night album, and while it does suffer from a bit of monotony (hardly a surprise for this kind of album), there's a lot to like about Divine Designz.

Divine Designz #1.2: Re-Discovered's rating 82

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Fuzzy Musings

Jamie Lidell- Most overdue breakthrough

Thanks in part to Grey's Anatomy & iTunes, "Multiply" has gone on to be a very successful single. The album goes far beyond Otis Redding-influenced blue eyed-soul, however, as "Multiply" might suggest. The "Purple Haze"-esque "The City" and the equally addicting "What's the Use" prove that Lidell is anything but a fluke. Sometimes Lidell suffers from going a little too crazy on the production end, to the point that you're not sure if an epileptic seizure is going to ensue from merely listening to his more abstract songs, but on the whole Multiply is a really fun record. Why it's taken me over six months to mention him is beyond my personal comprehension, but better late than never as they say-- definitely pick up Multiply.

Multiply's rating 83

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Easily one of, if not the feel good story of the year, Lupe Fiasco's debut album is pure gold. Take Kanye West and erase the now abrasive bravado and you get the hottest rapper around right now. Exquisitely conscious much like Common's Be was last year and the recently released Game Theory from the Roots, Food & Liquor doesn't try to do too much, and contains no filler whatsoever. Singles "Kick, Push" and "I Gotcha" (which is easily my favorite Pharell collaboration in recent memory) are immediate standouts. "Real," "Sunshine" (which features Jill Scott) and the politically loaded "American Terrorist" are also incredibly accomplished songs. Fiasco's strength is that he does not try to act out any sense of vibrato, and truly speaks from his heart. His introspective and provocative lyrics make for yet another outstanding hip-hop release to come out this year.

Food & Liquor's rating 95

Other artists worth listening to-

Sound Team

Ever since I saw them at Lollapalooza, I haven't been able to stop listening to their Movie Monster release. "Born to Please" and "No More Birthdays" in particular paint incredibly dense yet beautiful soundscapes that are seldom heard in today's rock music, particularly when it comes to American bands.

Movie Monster's rating 89

Under The Influence of Giants

Take the BeeGees and ABBA and mix them up, throw them in a time machine to the 21st century and leave the result a little rough around the edges for good measure. That, in a nutshell, is what Under the Influence of Giants' sound is like. Granted, they're not as overtly pop-- so sweet that you get cavities just from listening to their songs-- but they do indeed seem to have a knack for making 70's pop rock music rather catchy. Take a listen to the opening "Ah Ha," "Got Nothing," or the surreally sweet "I Love You" to find evidence of such talent, as the band not only manages to make catchy pop music, but also meaningful pop.

Under the Influence of Giants' rating 90

The Village Green

Crank up your speakers and turn on "Wrap Your Love Around Me" and witness an incredibly underrated band at their best. If they had come out a few years ago they probably would've stolen some of the thunder from bands like JET and The Vines, both of which have faltered miserably since their debut albums. Instead of relying on raucous balls to the wall rock for kicks though, The Village Green know how to write good garage rock songs, as the single shows. Other highlights include "Bullet to the Head," "Country Road," and "Rosa Glynn." The album isn't perfect, but the band shows a ton of promise.

Feeling The Fall's rating 86

Random Covers

As all of you know (or should know) by now, I have a bit of a cover song fetish. The reason for that is long and complicated, but to put it in the most simplistic terms, cover songs generally find artists at their most vulnerable. It is their declaration of admiration for the artist they're covering, and consequentially, seeing that they know that inevitably their version of said song is going to be immediately compared to the original version, it provides an opportunity of personalization. Long story short, artists almost always show their true colors when they perform a cover. In honor of that, I have a few cover songs that I've recently come across for one reason or another that I'd like to share.

The White Stripes- "Walking With a Ghost" (originally by Tegan and Sara)

If you've ever listened to the original version of this song, you're probably already starting to unconsciously rub your ears in pain. No, Jack White's falsetto is never pretty I know, but this is an interesting cover regardless. I can't say I recommend it based on the quality of the performance, just for the fact that it's really interesting to hear.

The Flaming Lips- "Knives Out" (Radiohead cover)

It should be well noted that The Flaming Lips are really, really good at cover songs (take one listen to their version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" or countless others that they've performed to find that out), but taking on Radiohead-- especially note for note-- is a whole 'nother animal. Somehow, Wayne Coyne is able to put his Thom Yorke face on and pull off an outstanding cover, that's almost as haunting as the original-- that's pretty scary.

Nickel Creek- "Toxic" and "Just" (originally done by Britney Spears and Radiohead, respectively

I'm really going to miss Nickel Creek, although I was glad I did have a chance to see them live at Lollapalooza before they broke up. Despite that, they managed to perform a few of their ever famous covers when I saw them-- "The Weight" by The Band, "Toxic" by Britney Spears and "(Nice Dream)" by Radiohead. Obviously fans of The Bends album by Radiohead, it seems that Nickel Creek also do a smashing cover of "Just" which is one of my all-time favorite Radiohead songs, and actually do it justice without the crunching electric guitar solos. "Toxic," on the other hand, is just plain fun in the purest sense. Nevermind the fact that it's simply mindblowing that Chris Thile is able to sing high enough to even hit half the notes, but the fact that you've got a bluegrass trio with enough chops (and balls for that matter) to perform a production-based wonder like "Toxic" is amazing.

Nickel Creek- Just (Radiohead Cover)

Nickel Creek- Toxic (Britney Spears Cover)

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