Welcome to the weekend. Het everyone...Bill Hunt's back from his jaunt into NYC where he had tons 'o fun and all the stuff that goes with it. He even stopped off at the age old bastion of post-punk, CGGB's. So..who had fun?! Regardless, he's back and has updated The Bits with a monstrous listing of upcoming stuff. Best get started...
We have a few reviews for you today with more coming on Monday. The first is from Dw Dunphy and is his review of Sam Phillips' Nonesuch release of A Boot and a Shoe. We also have John Dunphy's review of Vast and their latest, Nude. More Monday from Dw and John plus my finished review of Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana's Spirit Dome. We also have upcoming reviews from George Bennett. Told you we had a lot of them.
Here's the next Pit Stop from Duane. And he's got more pictures. He scares me, folks.
Hey, we got some SACD news way down there. Check 'em out.
George Bennett has written a missive concerning arguments of too many positive reviews. His stance on reviews are pretty much the same as the rest of the staff in that we just flat out don't have the time to dwell on bad music. We just ignore them. However, if something that is necessary to discuss begs it, we'll cover it; if it's bad, we'll say so. Here's George...
Dear Reader,
It has been brought to my attention (ie, the accusation has been put forth) that I seem to never have heard a piece of music I didn't like. Every review I write is positive, to a greater or lesser degree. I stand accused, and I plead guilty (to the only writing positive reviews part).
Believe me, I am very capable of writing the most scathing, rude, heartless reviews ever put to paper, BUT...I refuse to waste my time listening to music I dislike, scribbling listening notes for same, and then taking the time to construct a review from those notes. That, to me, is the ultimate waste of my time.
I could be spending that time enjoying and writing about music I like and want to turn other folks on to.
So that is, by choice, what I do.
Just to satisfy some of you that I absolutely don't like everything out there, I will make a short, but pertinent, list, with appropriate comments, about some releases I consider absolute turds. Let's start with two fairly recent critic's darlings (which the public also lapped up like so many Pavlov's Dogs).
The White Stripes 'Elephant'. I really tried to like it...really I did. I listened time and time again.
And then I realized why I didn't like it, even though it seemed every critic on earth was tripping over gushes of superb adjectives. Simply put, the album sucks! It's a plodding, dull, compressed affair offering about as much excitement (and mood) as paint drying!
Next, let's consider the almighty Radiohead. Man, were they the kings of musicland up through OK Computer! And I loved them. Then they decided to try something different (really different!) and released 'Kid A'. Now, understand, I have nothing against experimentation and/or new directions...I just didn't happen to like 'Kid A' (nor its leftovers). Which brings us to 'Hail to the Thief'. Here is where the group absolutely blew it...where the Radiohead train jumped the tracks. They tried to come up with something halfway in-between 'OK Computer' and 'Kid A'...which pretty much places 'Hail to the Thief' smack in the middle of nowhere. It didn't quite suck, but it was ambiguous, enigmatic twaddle!
Just a few more: The Strokes...ahh, The Strokes. How do I despise thee? Let me count the ways...posers, posers, and, oh yeah, posers! Both albums are barely rock'n'roll, much less authentic rock'n'roll! More like "hey, let's do the Velvet Underground and/or Lou Reed for the 2000s, but make it really lame!"
Plodding and pretending, plodding and pretending...
If they put as much time into their (supposed new New York rawk) music as they do into primping and playing the part, perhaps the band might be worth something.
And speaking of posers (and "supergroups", a subject which my colleague John Dunphy touches on in his latest column 'Experience' [very good, thought-provoking reading...check it out]), has anyone yet seen The Brides of Destruction (Tracii Guns and Nikki Sixx's newest endeavor, er, abortion)? Well, I have, and these guys absolutely suck, both musically and as posers. One could even see them trying their best to look all bad-ass, while at the same time just looking stupid, and sounding even worse! The gods of rock'n'roll will seek retribution from rockin' sins like this! (Audioslave, anyone...and here comes Velvet Revolver...)
Some newer groups I just don't like, no matter how much I listen or how good the press: British Sea Power's 'The Decline of British Sea Power'...they're different, but they still suck; the Brits were absolutely wetting themselves over The Doves and Elbow. Well, I've heard both discs by both bands numerous times (note: I do not form a final opinion on any disc without a minimum of six full listens, a habit I've learned over the years), and they are abominably sluggish and over-the-top emo, and meander to everywhere, except, anywhere near good! The Music is more aptly named The Noise (and not even good noise!). And take Oasis, PLEASE! They put out two good discs a long time ago and they have been over ever since. Deal with it! The Libertines' 'Up the Bracket'? Again, not long ago, the next big Brit thing. I'll tell 'em where to shove it up, and it ain't the bracket!
Now we have a new round of the-next-big-thing in Snow Patrol's latest, the new Modest Mouse disc, Franz Ferdinand, and the oh-so-interchangeable Switchfoot-Creed-Five for Fighting-Three Doors Down-Third Eye Blind-Train-Matchbox Twenty-ad infinitum battle of the mediocre all-stars. (PS: I liked Snow Patrol's last, and all previous Modest Mouse.)
So you see, dear reader, I am capable of writing negative reviews - very long screeds against any number of new releases, or old catalog stuff. I hope this explains why I do not choose to do so. Now, to the few of you who don't seem to get it...get off my back...please.
Now, please, hear our prayer: dear gods of rock'n roll, deliver us from mediocre groups playing really bad music while trying to look oh-so-good doing so, backed by the suits and bean-counters with nothing but the bottom line on their small, BMW-obsessed minds.
And save us from the negative review. Negative reviews waste everybody's time, and, like my mama said, "if you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything at all". A-frickin-men!
g bennett
Please direct your emails regarding this statement to George Bennett.
And there we go into the weekend.
We'll be back on Monday with lots, lots more. See you then.
Don't forget the reader reviews. If you have a single paragraph about a favourite current album that you have, share it with the world. Write me here and use READER REVIEW in the subject line.
