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.]

Duran Duran Rio

Duran Duran Rio

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From its Nagel cover to the haircuts and overall design -- and first and foremost the music -- Rio is as representative of the '80s at its best as it gets. The original Duran Duran's high point, and just as likely the band's as a whole, its fusion of style and substance ensures that even two decades after its release it remains as listenable and danceable as ever. The quintet integrates its sound near-perfectly throughout, the John and Roger Taylor rhythm section providing both driving propulsion and subtle pacing. For the latter, consider the lush, semi-tropical sway of "Save a Prayer," or the closing paranoid creep of "The Chauffeur," a descendant of Roxy Music's equally affecting dark groover "The Bogus Man." Andy Taylor's muscular riffs provide fine rock crunch throughout, Rhodes' synth wash adds perfect sheen, and Le Bon tops it off with sometimes overly cryptic lyrics that still always sound just fine in context, courtesy of his strong delivery. Rio's two biggest smashes burst open the door in America for the New Romantic/synth rock crossover. "Hungry Like the Wolf" blended a tight, guitar-heavy groove with electronic production and a series of instant hooks, while the title track was even more anthemic, with a great sax break from guest Andy Hamilton adding to the soaring atmosphere. Lesser known cuts like "Lonely in Your Nightmare" and "Last Chance on the Stairway" still have pop thrills a-plenty, while "Hold Back the Rain" is the sleeper hit on Rio, an invigorating blast of feedback, keyboards and beat that doesn't let up. From start to finish, a great album that has outlasted its era. [The 2009 Collector's Edition contains both the original U.K. release of Rio and the U.S. album mixes, as well as a bonus disc of demos, B-sides, and remixes.]

Front 242 05:22:09:12 Off

Front 242 05:22:09:12 Off

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 A combination remix collection and wholly separate album, 05:22:09:12 Off (aka Evil Off) is a semi-sequel to 06:21:03:11 Up Evil, appearing about six months after the release of the first disc. Not only is it a fine companion piece to the earlier disc, it easily stands on its own, finding the band thoroughly engaged in some of its most extreme, experimental music ever. A fair amount of the record is given over to darker plunges, with grinding industrial noise and moody, rumbling sonics used as the basis for many a composition, while other songs explicitly flirt with hardcore techno via hyperactive rhythms. More than a few compositions -- the rhythms on "GenEcide" being a great example -- sound like they're forecasting a lot of subsequent avant techno work on Warp Records and elsewhere. Another radical departure involves the use of female vocals throughout; no direct credits are given for the singer or singers, unfortunately, but contemporary interviews referred to a New York-based trio that would be appearing on the album. Combined with Daniel Bressanutti and Patrick Codenys' thrilling reinvention of their sound throughout -- little here sounds like the "typical" Front 242 familiar from Front by Front or the like -- the vocals make 05:22:09:12 Off a fascinating listen. The key tracks are "Animal" and "Angel," both of which crop up in a variety of different forms throughout 05:22:09:12 Off. "Animal" itself appears in three radically different versions at the start of the disc, ranging from understated minimalism to crisp but oddly distanced rhythms, as well at least one other take later on. "Angel," meanwhile, surfaces as both "Modern Angel," with the female singer delivering her lines with sheer threat and command over the acid-touched forward crunch of the music, and the appropriately titled "Speed Angel." Three songs reappear from 06:21:03:11 Up Evil in remix form, including a fair take on "Melt" and a wonderful mix of "Crapage" called "Junkdrome."

Camper Van Beethoven Telephone Free Landslide Victory

Camper Van Beethoven Telephone Free Landslide Victory

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Camper Van Beethoven were one of the great, pioneering indie rock bands. When Spinart released the Cigarettes & Carrot Juice box in 2002, legions of Camper fans probably rushed out to pick up remastered versions of great albums that had been out of print for years. Two years later, when Spinart made the individual albums available again, this time augmented by bonus tracks (the box set contained just the original albums, as issued), those who bought the box most likely felt like they were being taken advantage of. After all, it was the dedicated fans who rushed out to buy the box, the same fans who would most desire bonus tracks. Telephone Free Landslide Victory is their first, and probably goofiest album, with its pervasive faux ethnicity and Dada lyrics. For this latest version, Spinart has tacked on an outtake entitled "Wasting All Your Time," as well as the B-side of the hard to find Take the Skinheads Bowling EP, which contains five more songs (first time on CD). The bonus material fits perfectly with the tone of the album, having been cut around the same time. There was nothing quite like Telephone Free Landslide Victory when it came out in 1985, and it still sounds great.

Billy Idol Rebel Yell (1999 Expanded Edition)

Billy Idol Rebel Yell (1999 Expanded Edition)

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Rebel Yell is Billy Idol's high-water mark, the place where he spun his breakthrough hit "White Wedding" into a full-blown rock & roll lifestyle. Maintaining the synth-drenched New Wave stance of his eponymous 1982 debut -- the album is lousy with synths; they set the pace and color the margins -- Idol ramps up the heavy metal guitar of his accomplice Steve Stevens, pushing solo pyrotechnics as hard as power chords. The slick, cavernous sound provides the perfect setting for Idol's evolution into a cartoon rocker, one who sings every song as if he were Jim Morrison attempting an Elvis Presley impression. Idol's strokes may be broad but they're effective: he's as comfortable pounding his fist to "Rebel Yell" as he is indulging in the goth fantasia of "Flesh for Fantasy" or crooning "Eyes Without a Face," a power ballad with a melody so dreamy it launched the former punk into the Billboard Top Ten. Those three singles anchor an album that also finds space for undiluted new wave ("Daytime Drama," "Crank Call"), sax-boosted pop ("Catch My Fall"), gilded hard rock ("Blue Highway"), and nocturnal neon synth-rock ("The Dead Next Door"). Each stylistic turn is distinguished by Idol's gusto. He's unafraid to be gloriously, shameless tacky, a quality that separated him from his new wave peers then and continues to give Rebel Yell a trashy kick years after its release.

Galaxie 500 On Fire

Galaxie 500 On Fire

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Having already made a fine account of themselves on Today, the three members of Galaxie 500 got even better with On Fire, recording another lovely classic of late '80s rock. As with all the band's work, Kramer once again handles the production, the perfect person to bring out Galaxie 500's particular approach. The combination of his continued use of reverb and the sudden, dramatic shifts in the music -- never exploding, just delivering enough of a change -- makes for fine results. Consider "Snowstorm," with Krukowski's soft-then-strong drums and Wareham's liquid solo and how they're placed in the mix, leading without dominating. Yang's vocals became more prominent and her bass work more quietly narcotic than before, while Krukowski adds more heft to his playing without running roughshod over everything, even at the band's loudest. Wareham in contrast more or less continues along, his glazed, haunting voice simply a joy to hear, while adding subtle touches in the arrangements -- acoustic guitar is often prominent -- to contrast his beautifully frazzled soloing. Leadoff track "Blue Thunder" is the most well-known song and deservedly so, another instance of the trio's ability to combine subtle uplift with blissed-out melancholia, building to an inspiring ending. There's more overt variety throughout On Fire, from the more direct loner-in-the-crowd sentiments and musical punch of "Strange" to the Yang-sung "Another Day," a chance for her to shine individually before Wareham joins in at the end. Again, a cover makes a nod to past inspirations, with George Harrison being the songwriter of choice; his "Isn't It a Pity" closes out the album wonderfully, Kramer adding vocals and "cheap organ." Inspired guest appearance -- Ralph Carney, Tom Waits' horn player of choice, adding some great tenor sax to the increasing volume and drive of "Decomposing Trees." Later CD pressings included the bonus tracks from the Blue Thunder EP