Moving Forward - Lots of Music in Very Little Time...

I've been sitting here this afternoon looking over my list of albums that either I want to review, or someone has requested I take a look at, and quite frankly... I just don't have time for all of them. Over the next few days/weeks I'm going to write a few articles in which we'll look at multiple albums, and instead of going track by track, I'll just highlight the good stuff and give you a letter grade. My goal is to have everything that is in my backlog taken care of so that I can give next weeks Day and Age by the Killers, Alone II by Rivers Cuomo, Prospekt's March EP by Coldplay (yes they have more music coming out!), and Chinese Democracy by (cough) Guns N' Roses (Axel Rose...) the time and attention they deserve.

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static

Being a huge Jack Johnson fan, this was probably by far one of my most anticipated albums this year. I'm sad to say it left me disappointed. Most of the initial press-releases regarding the album hyped the fact that Jack was going pluged-in, and this really got me excited. If anything, this "electrified" album is slower than the average Jack album.

Don't get me wrong though, there are a few great tracks, for example the album opener "All at Once." I love the drastic panning and slow bluesy guitar on this track, it definitely ranks up there with other great Jack songs.

I also love the ballad, "Angel," and the single "If I had Eyes." Both of which are outstanding tracks! There are a couple of other decent tracks, but nothing that really ads new dimensions to the Jack collection, most of them are more of the same. Overall I give this album a C+. It's slightly better than average, but won't be becoming my preferred Jack album anytime soon.

The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

I was introduced to the Raconteurs earlier this year by a good friend who was shocked to find out that I was somewhat of a White Stripes fan, but had never listened to the Raconteurs. I say "somewhat" of a White Stripes fan, because they have several songs that I absolutely love, but I find myself having a hard time making it through an entire album. The Raconteurs on the other hand are much better at delivering a complete album that is all listenable. With as much of the musical genius that Jack White is, I think it's good to have him working in a complete band environment where he has to give up a portion of his "creative control." Like I said, the White Stripes have a lot of great material, but some of their music just doesn't work for me, and I think when those songs/ideas come out, it's great to have someone telling Jack to put it on the shelf.

So back to the Raconteurs, these guys are one of the two bands in the world who are still delivering good, old fashion, down to earth Rock and Roll (the other being Jet). I love this album because it's gritty, it's raw, it's stripped down, I mean this is the real deal, this is what rock music is meant to sound like, the level of under-production is fabulous. It provides something special that we've heard very little of since the late 60's to early 70's. In fact, in many ways this album sounds like it's straight out of the 70's.

Some of the album highlights include the opener, "Consolers of the Lonely," which is just an amazing opener. "Salute Your Solution" which happens to be track two and is likewise powerful and fun. "Old Enough" has a late 60's folk sound to it, which is a great break from the heavy distortion of the other tracks. Honestly there really isn't a bad track on this album (although many of them do sound very similar).

In many ways this album is better than the Raconteurs first attempt Broken Boy Soldier (which is also a good album). I give it a B+, it's definitely not for everyone. On the other hand, if you're a fan of the White Stripes, love 70's hard rock, think loud distorted guitars are awesome, and anything else along those lines, you'll love this album. If that isn't your forte, this album probably isn't for you.

The Rentals - Last Little Life EP


I don't know how this little EP alluded me for as long as it did, seeing as it is over a year old, but some how I missed out on it. Fortunately, I ran across it by pure accident a few weeks back and am really happy I did.

For those of you who aren't familiar with The Rentals, they are a group that is fronted by former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp. The Rentals first album, "Return of the Rentals," came out between Weezer's first and second albums while Matt was still in Weezer. The Rentals second album "Seven More Minutes" came out two years later after Matt had left Weezer. Following this album, The Rentals disbanded for 7 or 8 years while Matt worked a few different solo projects.

Now that the history is out of the way, we find ourselves at the "Last Little Life" which is very promising! Although this little EP only has four tracks (one of which is a remake of the Rentals own track "Sweetness and Tenderness"), it gives a fresh, but reminiscent sound that in many ways reminds us of the Rentals first album. Of the four tracks, I'm particularly fond of "Life Without a Brain," both because the title is just awesome, and because it is a really fun track.

I'm going to give this one two grades. First, for existing Rentals fans, I give it and A! It gives us a lot of hope for what the future may bring. For the general masses I'm giving it a B... I think it has quite a bit of mass appeal, but at the same time I don't think most new comers are going to have near the appreciation for it that long time Rentals fans will.

So there you go, this has been the first installment of "Lots of Music in Very Little Time..." Hopefully I'll be able to crank out a few more of these over the next few weeks.