Bw’s Blog

A few weeks ago, Morrissey released his ninth solo album, Years of Refusal.  For those who don’t know, he was previsouly the singer for The Smiths. It’s great to see that he’s continued to make music for all these years.

The album is the last album ever produced by Jerry Finn before his untimely death last August. It was tracked live at Conway Studios in Los Angeles starting as early as November of 2007.

The first song on the album, Something Is Squeezing My Skull, is a fast paced number with a strong hook. I like this song, and it starts off the album in a fun and refreshing way. I can already tell that the musicians are great; although this should be expected from a man with this much musical history.

The next song, Mama Lay Softly On The River Bed, is alright. The choruses feature Morrissey calling out to his Mama…which is a little weird. As I said the song is alright, but I couldn’t really get into it.

 When I Last Spoke To Carol, is worth a second listen. The acoustic guitar strumming carries the song well, and it’s augmented by horns and percussion. It seems to be somewhat influenced by Spanish music, and it reminds me of Western movies for some reason.

I would also recommend I’m Throwing My Arms Around You, and You Were Good In Your Time. Although I’m not familiar with the other 8 Morrissey albums, I did like Years Of Refusal. It’s a good testament to the talent of both Morrissey and Jerry Finn.

Sincerely,

BW.

Instead of reviewing or talking about new music, today I want to take a step back in time and talk about one of my favorite bands: Fugazi.

Founded in 1987, the band quickly became known for the DIY attitude. They fought to maintain low ticket prices to their shows and low prices for their albums. Unfortunately, they’ve been on hiatus since 2002.

Hailing from Washington D.C, the band plays punk music that is full of energy and passion. Over their 15 year career the band released seven albums - most notably: Repeater, 13 songs, and The Argument.  

There’s not too much that I can say about these guys except that they were an incredible band. Hopefully they will be back one day soon. The following video is one of the best things I’ve ever seen on youtube and I strongly recommend that everyone watches it.

Fugazi performing one their song Turnover outdoors back in 1991:

Since gaining popularity with their first album, How To Save A Life, The Fray can be found on the iPods of people who watch awful dramatic television (Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, The OC, etc.)

They’ve recently released their second album (self-titled), and premiered their first single on a television promo for Lost…on a commercial break during Grey’s Anatomy. Evidence that generic-heartbroken-and-not-happy-about-it lightning can strike in the same place twice.

The album opener, Syndicate, isn’t terrible. The rhythm is somewhat unique, and the choruses are memorable - yet still a bit cheesy. The sound of the piano at the beginning sounds brittle and unnatural, which is a shame.

The first single, You Found Me, is the most moving of the ten songs. I wouldn’t say it’s as catchy as Over My Head or any of their other singles, but it still works. You won’t be able to resist singing the chorus, and even if you resist, it will catch up to you sooner or later. Unfortunately the lyrics are pure drivel…

This album is full of decent pop songs, but the only problem is that they all sound familiar. The Fray have successfully recorded an album of songs that are similar to their last album and are performed and recorded the same way - a failure in my books.

I encourage the band to break the mold! If they don’t, I’m sure we won’t be hearing them for much longer…probably about the same time it takes for Grey’s Anatomy to be canceled (soon please).

Sincerely,

BW.

Newly signed to Epitaph Records, Common Existence is the fifth full length album from the New-Jersey band Thursday.

Dave Fridmann (Weezer, The Flaming Lips, MGMT , etc.) did a great job producing this album.

Nothing sounds too shiny or overproduced, and the performances capture the live energy of the band. Each musician plays well and seems to be pushing themselves to the limit.

The first track, Resuscitation Of A Dead Man, was released early on the bands myspace page (myspace.com/thursday ). I can understand why they chose this song to introduce people to the album - it’s high energy, has a memorable chorus, and perfectly establishes the mood of the album.

 Friends In The Armed Forces is a song about conflicting opinions with friends of the band who are serving in Iraq. The subject matter is interesting although the song didn’t blow me away. Your friends are fighting a war you don’t believe in…so why not write a song about it?

As He Climbed The Dark Mountain is a song that’s complex at parts and has a dark tone that fits in well with the rest of the album. The ending has a great drum sound overlaid by a simple guitar solo, which concludes an awesome three minutes of music. Other notable songs are: Beyond The Visible Spectrum, Unintended Long Term Effects, and Love Has Led Us Astray.

Overall I was fairly impressed by this album. The songs are passionately composed, the performances are excellent, and the recordings are accurately engineered.  If you’re in need of a screamo/post-hardcore fix, go listen to Common Existence - it’s much better than Thursday’s previous work.

Sincerely,

BW.

So Brody Dalle is back from the dead. The dead Distillers that is…and I’m definitely not celebrating. This faux-punk-chick has been pestering the punk scene for a number of years, and she’s back with a new project called Spinnerette. Oh, and a four song EP called the Ghetto Love EP.

The first song, Ghetto Love, is not what I was expecting. The steady beat from drummer Jack Irons (WTF? An original Chili Pepper!) is simple yet energetic, and it fits in nicely with the super-distorted bass guitar. Dalle’s singing works with the song, and her lyrics aren’t overly annoying.

Valium Knights is up next, and blows it’s predesecor out of the water. The vocal melody is the best part of the song, and the singing is beautifully done. I can hear a little bit of the Distillers in this track - which isn’t a bad thing.

Distorting A Code is genuinely surprising. Brody Dalle actually sounds like a girl for once! The song is the most interesting one on the EP, and is worth listening to. There’s a cool little experimental part near the end that breaks the predictable structure of the song. Bury My Heart had a great guitar sound, but is the least memorable of the four.

This album is not what I expected at all. Although it’s not groundbreaking, it’s an enjoyable listen and could be the start of something worthwhile. I am, however, beginning to get tired of the title-track due to constant radio play. Nonetheless, good job Spinnerette.

Sincerely,

BW.

I first saw M.Ward playing live with his other band She and Him a while ago. I’d like to thank my friend Zach for inadvertently encouraging me to listen to this album.

Hold Time has an abundance of unique guitar tones, and each song is sonically different from the last. Somehow he still managed to maintain the flow of the album despite the differences.

His obvious guitar skill is a great selling point here, and it’s immediately obvious that he knows his way around a fretboard. His soft, breathy voice is an interesting complement to his instrument.

The opening track, For Beginners, eases the listener into the music and prepares them for what’s to come. From the 13 songs that follow, I can’t name one that doesn’t hold it’s own. I think I hear some Zooey Deschanel making an early appearance on track number two - I’m not too surprised to find her here.

The title-track marks a departure from it’s upbeat, guitar-driven brethren. Composed mainly of orchestral strings and piano, the song is the most relaxing moment on the album, giving the listeners a time to reflect on what they’ve heard so far.

Another song that stuck with me, was Epistemology. The drums provide a solid beat which is fairly prominent in the song, and the guitar work is simple yet appropriate.

Given M.Ward’s previous albums and his work with She and Him, he’s been responsible for some great music in the past few years. I’m interested to see what he comes up with next. Be sure to check out his website: mwardmusic.com 

Sincerely,

BW.

The Cancer Bats’ 2008 album, Hail Destroyer, has received some favorable press in the past, but now it’s my turn to talk.

Even though the band originated from my hometown (Toronto) in a time where I often went to see independent bands, I’ve never seen them live. From listening to this album, I’ve concluded that a live show would be pretty intense.

The album starts off with the title-track, a three minute hardcore masterpiece. The thrashing drums, edgy guitar, and half-screamed vocals set the bar high for the other 11 songs. It was easy to understand the mood of this song, and I enjoyed listening to it.

The last chorus repeats “Hail Destroyer!” over and over. Even sitting at home I can picture a crowd screaming their lungs out to this - perfect for a live show.

Deathsmarch is definitely worth mentioning. The song starts off a little differently, with a naked drum beat, before being joined by guitar and vocals. The gang-vocal choruses are again sing-a-long friendly (I sense a theme here). If you’re a fan of Alexisonfire, you might recognize a familiar voice - Wade MacNeil has his own verse.

There are many other great songs on this album, but the above mentioned were the only ones that really stood out to me. I enjoy hardcore/punk music, but the constant screaming and harsh distortion on Hail Destroyer tends to fatigue my ears after a few songs. Maybe that just means I’m a wimp though…

Check out Myspace.com/cancerbats for tour dates!

Sincerely,

BW.

In January, Bon Iver released a four song EP called the Blood Bank EP.

The first song, Blood Bank, is one of the most emotionally moving songs I’ve heard in a long time. The clean guitar tone is exquisite, and the subtlety of the percussion is extremely tasteful.

If you’re not touched by this song, you must be a robot of some sort who is incapable of feeling. Amazing song.

Song number two, Beach Baby, isn’t as impressive as the first. There’s acoustic guitar, there’s the vocals…all in all I just couldn’t get into this song no matter how hard I tried. It’s not nearly as captivating as the previous song.

Up next is an interesting song called Babys. This song starts off with some spooky sounding piano before the vocals begin. The highlight for me is near the ending when the piano begins to build up into an epic finish. The first time I listened to it, I was floored. Unfortunately, (much like abusing heroin) the feeling wasn’t quite the same the second time.

This is where things get weird. The final track, Woods, is made up entirely out of layered auto-tuned vocals. It’s oddly reminiscent of Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek. This song is interesting to listen to at first, but would I listen to it again? Probably not.

Even with a few weak spots, Bon Iver has created a magical collection of songs. If you do anything after reading this review, go to myspace.com/boniver and listen to Blood Bank.

Sincerely,

BW.

Coldplay’s new EP, The Prospekt’s March, contains several new songs, and three alternate versions of songs from their previous album, Viva La Vida.

The first track is Life in Technicolor ii, a remake of…you guessed it, Life in Technicolor. The original was one of my favorite songs from Viva La Vida, and I wasn’t to thrilled to hear that they added vocals.

The new version is almost two minutes longer, and the only noticeable difference is the addition of Chris Martin’s voice. Where the original song is beautifully subtle, the sequel isn’t as impressive.

Postcards From Far Away is a relaxing piano solo which is a great addition to the album. It flows right into the next song, Glass of Water, and the two tracks complement each other well.

The inclusion of Jay-Z on the new version of Lost (Lost +) doesn’t excite me in the least. The song is as boring as ever and Jay-Z’s lyrics are ludicrous. If you’ve ever heard the original piano version of this song, you’ll wonder why they ever added anything else.

I didn’t really enjoy the song Rainy Day, but the title-track is an obvious winner. The acoustic guitar/vocal beginning is moving and can really pull at your emotions. This song reminds me of the classic Coldplay songs we all know and love. The final song, Now My Feet Won’t Touch The Ground, is similar to the X&Y closer, Kingdom Come. It’s alright, but nothing spectacular.

Recent news has come out that the band will be releasing a live album for free on the internet. I’m sure that some of these songs will appear on that album. Be sure to check out my recent review of Viva La Vida (Click here) .

Sincerely,

BW.

Last night I ended up at the Sound Academy in downtown Toronto to see Flogging Molly headline their Green 17 tour.

The show started with a band called the Dub Trio, an instrumental band that plays dub/metal music. These guys really know their instruments. Even without vocals, I was steadily entertained and captivated by their performances.

Next up was the Aggrolites - well known for providing the instruments on Tim Armstrong’s solo album. Their brand of ska/dub music can really pump up a crowd, and last night was no exception. I wore myself out skanking by the end of their set.

When Flogging Molly took the stage you could tell they were on form. They ran through song after song without hesitation and the crowd repaid them by dancing up a storm - Irish style.

I’m not too familiar with their music, but I enjoyed the intensity and attitude that emerged from the stage. One song that I do remember is called Devil’s Dance Floor and it really got people to start doing a jig.

Unfortunately, halfway through the set my body gave in to the tremendous flogging of the circle-pit, and I had to stand back a bit and relax. This gave me a good perspective to watch a stage curtain mysteriously lower itself in front of the band. They seemed as confused as everyone else, as lead singer Dave King exclaimed: Do you think they’re trying to tell us something? 

For an intense punk show with an Irish flair, go see Flogging Molly the next time they’re in town. But be prepared to take a beating.

Sincerely,

BW.