Aesop Rock - Float

kurtkurtkurt:
This is pretty mediocre. Definitely very okay. I'm not really big into rap or hip-hop so I'm probably not the best judge of it. There were beats I guess?

Stuckski:
Aesop Rock just doesn't work as a straight-up rapper, he needs to have a singer alongside him to complement his jumbled and somewhat incomprehensible vocals. His rapping style is simply not powerful enough to stand on it's own.
This is a pity because his music features great beats, and utilizes samples masterfully ( the jazzy overtones in Commencement at the Obedience Academy are delightful).
I get the feeling that the rapper really doesn't have anything particular to say, and that may be why the vocals fall so flat. Directionless verbosity works fine when it isn't the sole focal point of the music ...but it doesn't work here.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 3/10
Stuckski: 4/10

Cake - Prolonging the Magic

kurtkurtkurt:

When I lived in Colorado 93.3 KTCL loved to play Let Me Go. Since then I have been forever a fan of Cake. I love when they do Rock, I love when they do Country, I love their trumpet. Pretty much I'm pretty big into the band. Something about his half talking half singing always was appealing to me. They were definitely one of those defining "Alt Rock" 90s band.

Stuckski:

It's hard to categorize Cake's music. At it's core are the the basic drum and bass beats, and the singer rambling his way through surreal lyrics, almost a strange, slow, melodic version of 90's hip-hop. Around this core you have the guitar and horns wandering aimlessly in and out of the compositions. Add to this a pinch of electronica here and there and you've got a prime recipe for Cake. Taken separately, nothing being done is especially groundbreaking or different, but once it all comes together the result is a kind of gestalt music, almost a genre of it's own.
Guess I like it.


RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 8/10
Stuckski: 8/10

Leon Redbone - Champagne Charlie

kurtkurtkurt:

I first heard Leon Redbone when I found his album On the Track in my parents record collection. He has a deep voice and is usually recognized as that guy who sang a duet with Zoe Deschanel for that one movie about Christmas. He has an old time-y jazz feel, moving into dixieland in some of his stuff. Unfortunately Champagne Charlie doesn't have the same flare as the one my parents had. It feels toned down and kinda who cares. It's alright I suppose though.

Stuckski:

Well that's better, Kurt. In some ways Redbone is similar to Hank Williams, but whereas Hank is decidedly country, Leon opts for more of a jazzy sound. The guitar- and even the vocals- of both share many characteristics ( although Redbone does a much better job at avoiding -for the most part- the whole 'cracking voice syndrome' that seems so popular with crooners). It's amazing what the addition of some brass instruments can do for a song.
On the downside, this is very much an album that is eminently forgettable, the quintessential 'background music'. I've listened to it twice, and I still don't think I would be able to pick out any of the tracks by name. Champagne Charlie is destined to forever be lost amidst the sea of jazzy albums that I play on random when I'm feeling moody.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 6/10
Stuckski: 5/10

Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams (Disc 2)

kurtkurtkurt:
Pretty much you can probably look at the last review and get the just of what I think of the album. It's fantastic (go us for differing in opinions recently!) My Bucket's Got A Hole In It is probably one of Hank's most recognizable songs (it's well deserved.) Quite frankly I still love this.

Stuckski:

Gee Willikers, thanks Kurt, another Hank Williams album!
        We reviewed one of the other discs in this collection earlier, and I managed to somehow avoid being negative about an album in a genre that I have little patience for. Those halcyon days of tolerance are now irrevocably over however,  as I'm rapidly losing patience with ol' Hank's country twang. There are still some 'islandy' guitar riffs that remind me of the beach and warmer climes, but it no longer makes up for all the other little irritants.
         Every time Hanks voice cracks while singing I want to reach down his throat and punch his vocal chords. Every time the fiddle starts into it's infuriatingly predictable bits, I  just want to.....HOLY SHIT IS THAT CHRISTIAN BALE ON THE COVER, WHAT THE FUCK!?


RATINGS:


kurtkurtkurt: 9/10 (it's all good)
Stuckski: 3/10 (guitar's still good)

Anti-Flag - The Terror State

kurtkurtkurt:
Politically driven punk is their game and they aren't afraid to shy away from it. Several of their songs, Mind the G.A.T.T. and Operation Iraqi Liberation (O.I.L.), even use some of President Bush's speeches riddle throughout them. As a punk band I've always admired that they kept a healthy mixture of aggressive vocals and harmonizing. Overall pretty solid.

Stuckski:
 I've always been pretty suspicious of politically charged bands, mostly because I think that limiting yourself to writing about just one topic restricts the kind music you can create. I don't mind political songs, but I think NOFX is an example of a band that does manage to address politics without getting pigeonholed as purely political punk: for every Murder the Government there's a Bob, if you will.
So when I saw this album popping up on the review list, my first thought was: "Oh fuck, here we go, another boring hour of somebody screaming angrily". Thankfully my fears where misplaced, and The Terror State is a hugely enjoyable album. I can't vouch for the lyrics, as I never really pay attention to them, but the music exceeded my expectations at every turn. Well, honestly it didn't start out all peachy; after the comparatively weak first two tracks  (Death of A Nation and Fuck the Flag), I was about ready to throw in the flag myself. They seemed to confirm my fears: no one was quite screaming yet, but it wasn't much more than shouting over a generic punk beat, nothing new there. However, I reminded myself of my sacred duties as a reviewer and pushed on... and to my great surprise encountered Mind the G.A.T.T.; The musical progressions were switched up to something a little less predictable and the band actually started singing and even harmonizing. It was lovely. The album continued to switch it up between shouting, visceral punk and some more subdued tracks, even throwing in the acoustic Protest Song.
Twelve short songs later I was disappointed not to have any more of the album to listen to.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 8/10
Stuckski: 9/10

Yann Tiersen - Goodbye, Lenin! OST

kurtkurtkurt:
This is a quaint little soundtrack. I absolutely love all of the songs with the strong woodwind and brass sections. Birthday Preparation and The Dutch Mark is Coming were both gorgeous, the latter of which seemed to have an orchestra as well. Unfortunately the piano driven pieces were all kinda boring to me. You had such power and intrigue with the woodwinds (you don't get to hear them used as much nowadays) but the piano was made strictly for the backing up the movie I suppose. Whatevs still pretty cool.

Stuckski:

 All I have to say that I love the piano piece, perhaps because it always amazes me how one instrument can be used to evoke such a wide variety of moods. The tracks utilize pretty basic chord progressions and melodies, but combine to create the perfect accompaniment for the moments in the film. Watching Lara is a beautiful example of that. Not that the wind and brass tracks aren't great either! Decant is brief but evocative and reminds me of those old Disney cartoon soundtracks where the music follows the action (think of the rainy day intro to Bambi). I guess I just felt the need to come out strongly for the piano. Because Kurt.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 6/10
stuckski: 9/10

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message

kurtkurtkurt:
I want to like this album more than I do. I know they're important and all, but I'm pretty bored listening to it. Songs could have been cut waaaaay down. Props to  The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on The Wheels of Steel though, I liked hearing all the samples.

Stuckski:
I like it when the bass goes a little crazy in She's fresh . Other than that though the beats in these songs are a little simplistic for my tastes.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 3/10
Stuckski: 4/10

Squirrel Nut Zippers - The Inevitable

kurtkurtkurt:

I love me some Squirrel Nut Zippers! The inevitable was one of their first albums I believe, I know it was before 'Hot' at least. Anyways these guys play kinda an old timey jazz that warms your heart. They're not nearly as chaotic on this album as other releases but they still got songs like Good Enough for Grandad that bring on the crazy or La Grippe that has a tango? flair to it. Overall this is enjoyable for sure.

Stuckski:

I don't actually own this album, so I just went through all the Squirrel Nut Zipper songs I have. It's pretty...different. This is one of those cases where I don't really have anything bad to say about the music, it's just not for me. I've had bad experiences with swing music, and some of this stuff hits too close to home, y'know?

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 7/10
Stuckski: 3/10

Five Iron Frenzy - Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo

kurtkurtkurt:
It's unfortunate that the first Five Iron Frenzy album I have to review is my least favorite. This is after they decided they didn't really want to play Ska anymore and they turned into kinda a harder rock with Horns sort of group. While Reese still has an amazing voice (and lyrics) the music lost the sound I loved from the previous albums. I guess it all seemed pretty generic to me.

Stuckski:
I never got the appeal of Five Iron. Still don't.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 5/10
Stuckski: 3/10

Mashin' Up The Nation: The Best Of American Ska - Volumes I And II

kurtkurtkurt:

I have no idea where this album came from but it's pretty fun. It's a bunch of ska from the U.S. made in the late 80s most of which I was completely unfamiliar with. There's a few bigger names, however, Bim Skala Bim, The Bosstones and Gangster Fun to name a few. For the most part everything has a strong Two-Tone feel to it. Very, very danceable. The upside is that, although there are a few mediocre songs, The songs as a whole aren't bad.

Stuckski:

This album is a chill pill for the ears. I've heard that it was once standard practice for the police to respond to  calls about domestic disturbances by playing this to the couple in question. Soon everybody would be dancing and the whole incident would be forgotten.
Problem was, as soon as the police left with the music, it was forgotten and the couples just started arguing again.
All of this is a pretty pointless metaphor about an album that manages to be catchy and forgettable at the same time.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 7/10
Stuckski: 6/10

The Best of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

kurtkurtkurt:

Ella Fitzgerald Is probably my favorite female vocalist. The contrast between Armstrongs' gruff gravely voice and her clean beautiful voice really brings out how absolutely wonderful it is. I'm a bigger fan of earlier "Hot Jazz," traditionally, but this album still has a lot of good content in it. I Got my Love to Keep me Warm gives us a great taste of a true duet between the two of them and probably is my favorite song of the album.

Stuckski: 

I don't actually have this album, and since Kurt moved away I can't listen to his, so instead I listened to the various songs I have of Ella and Louis collaborating. Essentially the same thing, right? The only thought I really have is that these two fit together. Everything they do in a song sounds completely natural and unaffected. That said, I prefer Louis' trumpet to his voice so there could be a little more of that. Rating it a bit lower because Jazz really isn't my usual thing, I really have to be in the mood to listen to it.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 7/10

Stuckski: 6/10

Operation Ivy - Energy

kurtkurtkurt:

This is gonna be so cliché for me to give this album a perfect rating but I can't help it. This album fucking rocks. These guys essentially made ska/punk sound like it does today. There really aren't any songs that I don't like on this album. I never want to skip a single song when it comes onto my playlist. Stuckski might remember, but we covered Knowledge (poorly) the first time we ever played a show. I guess at the end of the day whenever Energy comes on I have to stop and smile. Everything seems like it's gonna be okay.

Stuckski:

It's good in that it led to many awesome things, but I'm going to say for pure enjoyment of the album, and setting aside any thoughts of what it did for the music scene as a whole, this album rates a solid 7 for me. After they forged the way for ska/punk other bands came and did it a bit better. However, they are forever a legend for being the ones to do it first.


RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 10/10
Stuckski: 7/10