Bw’s Blog

This Somalian/Canadian hip-hop artist brings a fresh sound to a genre that’s overflowing with generic garbage.

K’naan’s latest album, Troubadour, is worth a listen even if you don’t necessarily listen to hip-hop music.

The album starts off with T.I.A, which isn’t my favorite, but it’s still decent. The beat becomes a little repetitive after a while, but the chorus is easy to sing along with. Luckily, he manages to avoid repetitive beats on most of the other songs.

ABC’s (ft. Chubb Rock) is a fast-paced song that’s really fun to listen to. The chorus features gang vocals that sound like a group of teenagers. The lyrics, “They don’t teach us the ABC’s/all we got is life on the streets”, makes the message of this song quite clear.

My favorite song off the album is a softer one: Take A Minute. I’m a sucker for emotional songs, so I’m not surprised that this song stuck with me. The beat consists of a sweet sounding drum beat and some soft piano chords. The chorus is just awesome, and I’m shocked that this song hasn’t been released as a single yet.

Unfortunately (for some), I’m not one to analyze lyrics, so I can’t comment too much about the lyrical content of Troubadour. However, it’s pretty obvious that K’naan is a socially conscious artist who puts a lot of thought into his writing. You won’t find any bitches, glocks, booze, or cars in his rhymes.

This album is full of great songs, and one even features Kirk Hammett from Metallica! This album has everything, and I can honestly say that I’ll be listening to it long after I finish this review. Go to myspace.com/knaanmusic to hear some tracks.

Sincerely,

BW.

The 2009 Juno Awards took place in Vancouver last night, and the big news is Nickelback’s hat-trick. They took home awards for Album of the Year, Group of the Year, and Fan-Choice.

If you have been following this blog, you’ll know that I’m not fond of Nickelback (read about it here), so I’m a little disappointed with the results. Not all Canadians like this band! It still boggles my mind that so many people like their music.

Thankfully, people with taste can take solace in the fact that some great artists were also recognized for their talent. Dallas Green took home the award for Songwriter of the Year, for his solo project City and Colour. Lights was awarded the Best New Artist Juno, and I’m satisfied with that. If you haven’t heard her music before, I’d recommend taking a listen (myspace.com/lights).

So the night wasn’t a total loss, but maybe next year people will open their ears to some better Canadian music…just check out my blog, I write about it all the time!

Sincerely,

BW. 

This is the first album I’ve heard from Black Lips, but I’m a little behind the times because 200 Million Thousand is their fifth studio album.

The first thing I noticed about this album is the intentional lo-fi recordings. The album sounds like it could’ve been recorded in the 70s, but it definitely adds a cool vibe to the music. I’d guess that these guys are heavily influenced by music from previous decades.

There are some great songs on this album, and the first single, Short Fuse, is one of them. It carries a strong “classic rock” feel, and reminds me of the Rolling Stones. The drums are simple yet driving, and the guitar line is fuzzy and memorable. This is a very up-beat song, and I would’ve picked it for single as well.

Starting Over is one song that stood out for me. It has a great chorus, and a vocal melody that is quite fun to listen to. Other than this and Short Fuse, none of the other songs grabbed my attention, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good. This is one album that I could appreciate musically, despite it not being my taste.

If you want to check out Black Lips go to myspace.com/theblacklips , and if you want to witness their zany stage antics, go see them live.

Sincerely,

BW. 

If you’ve ever seen a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, you’ll have noticed that John Frusciante loves to sing, and he also plays a mean guitar. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll also have noticed that he’s released nine solo albums to date. The ninth album, The Empyrean, was released this January, and I’ve just gotten around to listening to it.

The album starts with the aptly titled, Before The Beginning. This nine minute masterpiece contains no vocals at all, but an intriguing build-up of bass, drums, guitar, and a constant solo. This solo contains the key of Frusciante’s guitar playing: he uses his strings as a direct connection to his soul. Everything he plays seems to transfer his message perfectly to the listeners ear. This is a great opener.

As one of the shorter songs on the album, God, doesn’t fall short of the others. It features John’s trademark falsetto, and some weird sounding keyboards. This is one instance where he decided to go easy on the amount of delay/reverb that coats the voice on most of the songs. The song actually gets pretty “rock ‘n roll” towards the end, which isn’t typical from what I’ve heard of his previous albums.

If you’re looking for some unique music recorded in an atypical way, you won’t be disappointed with The Empyrean. The song writing is excellent, and the guitar playing is what you would expect from one of the world’s greatest guitar players.

I just realized that it’s earth hour, so I’m going to cut this review short so I can turn off the lights! Go check out this album, if you liked any of John Frusciante’s previous work, you’ll love it.

Sincerely,

BW.

I’m going to be reviewing the new album by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker - USS for short - called Questamation. The album was released on March 10th, 2009, and is the band’s second album.

The music sounds like 90s electro mixed with cock-rock (not a pleasing combination). Although the vocals sound decent at times, vocalist Ash Buchholz often uses an edgier tone that makes me cringe. It reminds me of Nickelback, or something equally awful.

Don’t get me wrong, this album isn’t completely terrible, it’s just mostly terrible. I came close to enjoying the opening track, Cloudboy, but it’s so closely followed by crap like P.S I Can Change - which is just plain bad.

Do you remember Econoline Crush? I didn’t think so, and I bet that in a couple years no one will remember USS either. When someone asks me about USS in the future (no one will), I will grudgingly respond: “Ooh, that’s just something that happened in 2009…don’t worry, they’re gone now.”

And we will all collectively sigh with relief. That’s all folks!

BW.

After listening to this album through once, I knew that it was something special. Yeah Yeah Yeahs have put out yet another album that combines beautiful songwriting with unique sonic textures.

Produced by Nick Launay and Tv On The Radio’s Dave Sitek, It’s Blitz! seems a little cleaner than previous albums. There are a lot more synthesizer tracks, and the guitar is less prominent on most songs. Don’t worry, these are all good things.

The first single, Zero, is full of distortion, yet the vocals remain pristine and in-your-face. The song didn’t stick at first, but after a few listens it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. The “dance” beat and epic synths almost sound reminiscent of the 80s (if a decade can have a sound), and the vocal melodies slide around nicely. I can see why they chose this song to introduce the album to the masses.

Skeletons is an exquisite example of Yeah Yeah Yeahs ability to play softly. The vibe of this song is sad and moody, so if you don’t like overly emotional songs, you might not enjoy it. But, if you appreciate music’s ability to penetrate your feelings, you’ll automatically tune in to this track. Karen O’s voice is perfectly soft and clear while singing these relatively simple lyrics. This song stuck out more than any other song on the album.

There are many great songs on this album, and I would highly recommend listening to it all the way through. Along with Zero and Skeletons, you should listen to Shame and Fortune, Hysteric, and Runaway - I really can’t see anyone being disappointed. The digital version has been available since March 9th, but you’re going to have to wait until the 31st if you want the CD.

In the meantime, go to myspace.com/yeahyeahyeahs to hear Zero.

Sincerely,

BW.

I was just recently introduced to a band from Milton, Ontario, called The Most Serene Republic. This band is signed to Arts & Crafts, a record label which brought us Stars, Broken Social Scene, and many other great artists. They certainly haven’t let us down this time.

The band is similar in style to the other bands on the label - which is to be expected - but they’re the most interesting I’ve heard yet. The Most Serene Republic uses odd time signatures, fast tempos, and eclectic sounds to bring us their unique music.

I haven’t gotten a hold of their 2007 album, Population, but they have a few songs up on their myspace page which gives me a good idea of what it’s like. These songs have a strong emotional value that’s immediately apparent, and the use of many different instruments gives the music an orchestral sound that’s nothing short of epic.

The drum playing on this album is fantastic. The rhythms are highly creative, and the drummer obviously knows what he’s doing. This band is a refreshing addition to indie music. I can’t wait to hear the full album, and according to their website, they’re working on a new album right now.  Go to their myspace to see what I mean!

Sincerely,

BW.

So Chris Cornell finally teamed up with Timbaland. I saw this coming sooo long ago….wait…no this is all wrong. This actually happened? And this is not a joke? I see…

Well, the album is called Scream, and it’s Cornell’s third solo album to date. If you’re a fan of Cornell’s previous band, Soundgarden, this one will piss you off way more than the other two.

So the music is pretty weird. The first song, Part Of Me, is five minutes of weird music that isn’t all that pleasant. The vocals don’t seem to mesh with the music at all, and the guitar solo at the end is quite lame. This isn’t looking good so far.

Things pick up a little when you get to Sweet Revenge. The song contains some interesting layered vocals, and a melody that actually works with the song. There are also some cool, heavily effected, vocals that fit in well with the electronic backing track.

Never Far Away immediately jumped out at me when it came on. This song is much more melodic than the others, and I feel that it works a lot better with the vocals. I was a little disappointed with the chorus though, as it falls short from the rest of the song. After initial doubt and a few listens, I grew to like the first single, Scream. This song has the nicest sounding beat on the album, and the chorus is undoubtedly catchy. If you just want to listen to one song off this album, make it the title-track.

Timbaland makes an appearance on Long Gone, which is one of my favorites from the album. It’s another slower song, yet this one has an impressive chorus. Timbaland’s vocals overlap Cornell’s, and aren’t too prominent in the mix, but they do work in the song. The guitar parts in this song are a lot more significant than any of the others.

If you’re used to hearing Cornell’s voice in a rock setting it can be difficult to make the adjustment to this new style. Once you do, you’ll find that it’s not all that bad - although, it’s not all that good either. Timbaland’s production is what you would expect from him.

Check out Chris’ website to hear some of his new songs.

Sincerely,

BW.

The Gaslight Anthem is a band from New Jersey who have been making a huge impact these days. Their new album, 59 Sound, was released this August and they’ve been touring relentlessly since then.

The album opens with an upbeat song with a lot of emotion. Great Expectations combines honest lyrics with traditional punk chords and fast drums. The vocal melody carries the song and makes it a worth while listen.

The title-track is another popular one. Again, the vocal melody tantalizes my eardrums and keeps me interested. The chorus is what really stands out, and the honest lyrics that appeared on track number one are back again - I’m sensing a theme.

Things go a bit “sounds like the Killers” on track number three, Old White Lincoln. It’s still a great song with a catchy chorus, but things became a lot less punk compared to the first two songs. This relaxed feel tends to hang out for a lot of remaining songs on 59 Sound.  

This album is definitely worth listening to, but it certainly isn’t pushing any boundaries. If you’re into punk-rock and you have a softer side, I’d highly recommend 59 Sound.  If you want to listen to a few songs, check out gaslightanthem.com

Sincerely,

BW.

New Found Glory has been around for quite a while, and they aint giving up yet. Their new album, Not Without A Fight, is yet another example of their pop-punk skills. Original? No. Fun to listen to? Possibly.

The album is the sixth studio album from the band, and was produced by the least talented member of Blink 182: Mark Hoppus. The songs emit a certain amount of energy and are tightly performed, but there’s definitely something missing here. The lack of progression is plain to see as the music sounds almost identical to their previous work.

The instrumentation is obvious and lame, while the lyrics are as immature as ever - despite the fact that the band members are nearing 30. The first single, Listen To Your Friends, is actually one of my least favorite songs from the album. The music is generic to say the least, and the lyrics are just pitiful.

There are some good moments on the album, such as Heartless At Best and Reasons, but most of the album is uninspiring. There are no songs on this album that stick out like Hit Or Miss, or Head On Collision (singles from previous albums).

So if you like pop-punk and you’ve never listened to any of New Found Glory’s previous albums, I’d suggest listening to Not Without A Fight. If you’ve heard their older albums or like original music, you can skip this one.

Sincerely,

BW.