Be Here Now: New Album Snapshot Reviews For Week Of January 20th, 2014
Against Me! Album Of The Week
Transgender Dysphoria Blues – Against Me! – From the martial beats to open the album to the agit-prop declaiming “Osama Bin Laden As Crucified Christ” (“You’re gonna hang”), the lead singing changing her gender to a woman hasn’t changed Against Me! that much. A mixed blessing s but on the best songs, a definite blessing. The re-recording “Fuckmylife666” sounds great – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+
Is There Anybody Out There – A Great Big World – Former boy scouts write feel good nursery rhymes: “If you’re gay then you’re gay don’t pretend that you’re straight’ is not an anomaly. So this album cashes in on the Christina Aguilara duet and should do, and it has its market I’m sure, just not me – C+
Eject – Cazzette – Not Swedish House Mafia, but still pretty good house music which does its job without posturing itself out of the realm of dance – B+
Live 1965: Music From Charlie Is My Darling – The Rolling Stones – The documentary was excellent and the music is better. “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” is better than the recorded version, “Pain In My Heart” is resurrected once again, and not only does the riff to “The Last Time” have a freshness and immediacy it has never had before, but works as a gate to a future the Stones were only beginning to grasp – A
Mind Over Matter – Young The Giant – I wasn’t thrilled by “Cough Syrup” and the new album is more of the same intricate and tuneful indie rock – B
Beach House EP – Ty Dolla $ign – B.o.B. acolyte signed to Wiz Khalifa’s label, loves Auto-Tune – C+
Warpaint – Warpaint – All girl indie mooders, a little on the dowdy side – C+
The U.S. ALbums – The Beatles – I bought this when it came out on CD(s) a coupla years ago, 291 tracks including a spoken word album, stereo and mono, $118. I’m thinking, I’m thinking… – A+
