Japan Tin Drum

Japan Tin Drum

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Partially growing out of their success in the country they were named after, as well as growing friendship and affiliation with such bands as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Japan made their most unique, challenging, and striking album in Tin Drum. It was also the final full studio effort from the group, and what a way to bow out -- there was practically no resemblance to the trash-glam flailers on Adolescent Sex anymore. Rather than repeat the sheer restraint on Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Tin Drum is an album of energy, Sylvian's singing still the decadently joyful thing it is, but the arrangements and performances are tight, full, and active. The fusion of exquisite funk (courtesy of Karn and Jansen's joined-at-the-hip rhythm section) and a range of Asian music influences, from instrumentation to subject matter, combined with an even wider use of technological approaches to create the dramatic, sly songs on offer. Only the Talking Heads showed the same attempt at reach and variety at the time, at least in the Western rock world, but Japan arguably outstripped the New York band with their sheer sense of theatrical style. To top it all off, the group was more popular than ever, with "Ghosts" (an appropriately haunting ballad notable for its utterly minimal arrangement, almost entirely eschewing beats for Barbieri's textures and Jansen's work on marimba) becoming a Top Ten hit in the U.K. The wound-up dancefloor art grooves of "The Art of Parties" and especially "Visions of China" were also notable efforts, with the latter featuring what has to be Karn and Jansen's eternal highlight performance (check out Jansen's jaw-dropping drum break). Meanwhile, the evocation of Chinese culture in general continued with such songs as "Canton," a slightly martial, stately march with clear inspiration from the country's classical music tradition, and the concluding "Cantonese Boy."

Talking Heads Speaking In Tongue

Talking Heads Speaking In Tongues 

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Talking Heads found a way to open up the dense textures of the music they had developed with Brian Eno on their two previous studio albums for Speaking in Tongues, and were rewarded with their most popular album yet. Ten backup singers and musicians accompanied the original quartet, but somehow the sound was more spacious, and the music admitted aspects of gospel, notably in the call-and-response of "Slippery People," and John Lee Hooker-style blues, on "Swamp." As usual, David Byrne determinedly sang and chanted impressionistic, nonlinear lyrics, sometimes by mix-and-matching clichés ("No visible means of support and you have not seen nothin' yet," he declared on "Burning Down the House," the Heads' first Top Ten hit), and the songs' very lack of clear meaning was itself a lyrical subject. "Still don't make no sense," Byrne admitted in "Making Flippy Floppy," but by the next song, "Girlfriend Is Better," that had become an order -- "Stop making sense," he chanted over and over. Some of his charming goofiness had returned since the overly serious Remain in Light and Fear of Music, however, and the accompanying music, filled with odd percussive and synthesizer sounds, could be unusually light and bouncy. The album closer, "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)," even sounded hopeful. Well, sort of. Despite their formal power, Talking Heads' preceding two albums seemed to have painted them into a corner, which may be why it took them three years to craft a follow-up, but on Speaking in Tongues, they found an open window and flew out of it.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Into The Great Wide Open

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Into The Great Wide Open

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Petty re-upped with Lynne and reunited the Heartbreakers. The results are about what you’d expect: more retro-minded rock ’n’ roll songs presented with modern sheen and maybe a hair more oomph than fans got on Full Moon Fever. Despite the lack of monster pop singles like “Free Fallin’,” which became Petty’s calling card, Into the Great Wide Open isn’t an inferior sequel. Like so many entries in Petty’s catalog — Wildflowers, Highway Companion, perhaps even Hypnotic Eye — it’s an unassuming classic whose brilliance hides in plain sight.Petty is often described as workmanlike and dependable. As Into the Great Wide Open shows, he’s a profound storyteller with remarkable word economy. Relative to Full Moon Fever, the material is more somber and reflective, even as Petty returns to many of the same themes and locations. The title track, all about a Hollywood downfall, is this disc’s “Free Fallin’,” while “Learning to Fly” offers wobblier uplift than “I Won’t Back Down.” In the scorching-rocker department, “Makin’ Some Noise” is no “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” but it performs the necessary Heartbreakers alchemy of turning steering wheels to drum sets. After Into the Great Wide Open, Petty released what many casual fans consider his most essential LP: 1993’s Greatest Hits. On long drives, that collection should never be more than an aux chord or a glovebox reach away, and neither should Into the Great Wide Open. From lesser-known gems “Kings Highway” and “Two Gunslingers” to the Drifters-esque closer “Built to Last,” these dozen songs are among the finest he’s ever written.

Oasis Time Flies... 1994-2009

Oasis Time Flies... 1994-2009

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Wasting no time in the wake of the Gallagher brothers sudden 2009 implosion, Sony released the deluxe Time Flies 1994-2009 retrospective in the summer of 2010, just in time for the 15th anniversary of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The driving idea behind Time Flies is to collect all 27 of Oasis’ British A-sides, a simple idea that would seem to fit one of the great singles band, but sticking to the singles winds up leaving many great songs behind, including their manifesto “Rock & Roll Star,” “Champagne Supernova,” the lovely “Talk Tonight,” and Noel and Liam’s duet “Acquiesce,” among many tremendous B-sides, “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” and “Champagne Supernova,” to name a few. The latter is added to the U.S. version, since it was an actual hit in America (the U.S. version does not contain “Sunday Morning Call”), but it doesn’t change the fact that Time Flies winds up missing more staples than it should…enough to make it miss the definitive designation it should carry. Nevertheless, Time Flies is a better overview than 2006’s Stop the Clocks, of which it shares ten tracks (11 in the U.S. incarnation) and not just because it’s more generous by a measure of almost ten tracks. Time Flies does a better job of rounding up the highlights from their patchy turn-of-the-millennium albums -- actually, it emphasizes Heathen Chemistry almost a bit too much, with its five tracks outweighing the number of selections from Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory -- and has space for selections from their smashing final album Dig Out Your Soul, including sneaking on “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down,” which makes its album debut here along with the 1994 Christmas single “Whatever.” All that’s enough to make this the Oasis comp of choice until the definitive collection comes around. [Time Flies is improved considerably in its deluxe edition which is the U.K. double-disc expanded by a third disc containing a concert from The Roundhouse in London

The Killers Hot Fuss

The Killers Hot Fuss 

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There are so many garage rock/dance-rock tunes perfectly stylized and glamorous for the pop kids in the city and in the suburbs of new-millennium America. What's nice about these the bands producing these songs is how they strive so desperately to individualize themselves. On a commercial level, they do quite well in delivering catchy pop hooks. When it comes to having actual talent, a select few actually do possess attention-worthy integrity. But there are others who don't, and they disappear from the American consciousness after a brief flirtation with success. Such theories, however, are left up to the individual music fan, so let's put that aside for a moment to experience the decadent pop world of the Killers. The Las Vegas foursome introduce a perfectly tailored new wave-induced art rock sound on their debut, Hot Fuss. They wooed MTV audiences and modern rock followers with the success of "Somebody Told Me" during summer 2004. This chunky-riffed single loaded with androgynous mystery and a dalliance with new romantic energy captures the infectious delivery of the Killers as a band. Vocalist/keyboardist Brandon Flowers does his best Simon LeBon imitation; the sex appeal and the boyish charm are perfectly in place as the rest of the band accents his rich, red-hotness just so. "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" and "Mr. Brightside" are equally as foxy as the album's first single, affirming that a formula is indeed in motion. It's hard to deny the sparkle of Depeche Mode beats and the sensual allure of Duran Duran. After 25 years, those sounds still hold up; by 2004, however, it's an incredible task to pull this kind of thing off without selling yourself to the tastes of the masses. Interpol and the Walkmen have pulled it off; Franz Ferdinand and Hot Hot Heat have potential. The difference with the Killers is that the dynamic doesn't firmly hold together. The gospel/rock jaunt of "All These Things That I've Done" doesn't quit fit around the Cure-inspired synth reveries of "Everything Will Be Alright" and "Believe Me Natalie." "Midnight Show," as much as it plucks from Duran Duran's "Planet Earth" and "Is There Something I Should Know?," does show promise for the Killers. Hot Fuss came at the right time because the pop kids needed something to savor the summer with, and "Somebody Told Me" served that purpose. Now pull out your Duran Duran records and dance like no one is watching.

Kasabian Empire Japanese Edition

Kasabian Empire Japanese Edition

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This is an improvement of Kasabians first album: 'Kasabian.' Some nice guitar riffs are in this one and I'd say It's got more packed in than their first. But Club Foot is still a really awesome song. They have a great sound, listening to classic songs like 'Shoot The Runner' up loud or playing it on an electric guitar is so much fun. You here all these songs several times and you don't know at all who the song's by until they say it on the radio. Then you hear all these other songs and you realise they are from the same band. This happened with me with 'Club Foot' and 'Shoot The Runner' (definately one of their two best songs. There is some good keyboard stuff on some of the tracks, for example: 'Seek and Destory'. They are very good at rocking the crowds with their music, good drumming. I'd advise you to go and see these guys live at some festivel or other because they're nailing those frets! You'll probably find that the lyrics are actually quite better than your first impressions of them even though you may not know the story or even what the hell he's actually talking about! He says the lyrics with pure attitude towards them, they suit how they perform. Speaking of performing Kasabian got nominated for 'Best British Live Act' which they lost out on at the Brits but still are one of the few best. The lyrics suit the music very well, good compliance between the two. There's some great slow singing. He's definately a singer-songwriter you can learn from. But I still think the lyrics need that extra edge, I just don't know why. It's sounds a bit live when you listen to some of the songs. I think Apnoea sounds weird and a song you can't really get used to and also the verse of 'By My Side'. Kasabian's lyrics are sung diffrently from other bands in that there's a lot of words sung over a few seconds. But I have to say that he's got all the musical elements you really need.

Cast Magic Hour

Cast Magic Hour

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Magic Hour's songwriting rises way above 1997's Mother Nature Calls, especially on tracks such as "Alien" and "Chasing the Day." But it's "Beat Mama's effusive pop flow and well-suited guitar and vocal partnership that gave Cast a Top Ten hit in the U.K., brandishing a firm, streamlined sound in the same vein as Paul Weller, but only to a certain extent. John Power, the La's former bass player, is extremely sharp throughout, giving "Dreamer" and "Company Man" added depth in both his guitar playing and his singing. Overall, though, Peter Wilkinson gains the most attention, sounding more professional and more focused than he did while he was with Shack and Supercharge. Magic Hour's attributes are created in the congenialness of the tracks and how they unfold, not gaining attention right away but emitting a subtle but sturdy English pop/rock charm as the album progresses. Even though none of the songs can match the strength of "Guiding Star" from the All Change album, Magic Hour still stands up as the group's second best recording.

The Hives Veni Vidi Vicious

The Hives Veni Vidi Vicious

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Rousing, stompin' garage rock from these Swedes, with plenty of mod and frantic punk energy to keep you grooving along. "Party party!," they seem to be saying, and you just want to join. This is a definite change-up from the usual hyper-speed pop ska-punk dross offered on Epitaph. Perhaps this arises from the fact that these guys are only distributed on Epitaph and yet are actually on the Burning Heart imprint. Plenty of fuzzed, struttin', propulsive guitar work on this disc to assault your ears. Well-worth your time to take a spin. More records like this need to exist. [The Japanese edition adds three songs taken from the A.K.A I-D-I-O-T EP.]