Review: Grinderman- Grinderman 2

The idea of Nick Cave making a doom metal album sounds silly, yet here we are with Grinderman. Grinderman is a side project consisting of Cave and the core of the past decade's Bad Seeds lineup minus Mick Harvey and unlike the Bad Seeds, it's heavy as FUUUUCCCKKKK! The first Grinderman album was a much needed can of whomp ass for anyone who thought Cave was losing it at his old age. Even Snoop Dogg admitted to liking "No Pussy Blues". So with one album done and Cave's "Dig Lazarus Dig!!!" album being Grinderman-lite, we get the much needed sequel, and while it's not entirely more of the same, it's still pretty damn awesome.

Album opener "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man" and first single "Heathen Child" are the expected straight forward "rawk" affairs that you'd come to expect. More than that, the band shows of more a blues style in this album than in the previous one. It's dirtier and grungier and the songs are as heavy as they could possibly be, evoking a Stones "Exile" like blues approach to an already distinct sound for a band. It's a ballsy and admirable move, and of course something that only Nick Cave and Warren Ellis could make work.

There's also no shortage of weird, druggy like tunes on this album too. "When My Baby Comes" is a down tuned affair with the perfect musicianship these middle aged guys should and have been putting together for quite some time now. "Evil" and "Kitchenette" while having a different sound from each other, best showcase Cave's magnetic wordplay with the dirty sound to match the equally dirty lyrical content of both songs. Not that Cave's ever had the friendliest or cleanest of lyrics. He's the dirty uncle writing about things that would make Donald Dagan and Walter Becker say he's a little fucked up.

Like every hard rock band, Grinderman mix in their share of ballads. "What I Know" and "Palaces of Montezuma" aren't traditional ballads in any sense, but it's as soft as the band gets. It doesn't last long, in fact, both songs are among the shortest of the album, leaving more time for ass kicking rock and roll. They're not throw away songs by any reason and if the whole album was as heavy as the rest, you wouldn't be able to stand up afterward.

Nick Cave is on the wrong side of 50, but of course if you've been paying attention, it doesn't matter, nor should you give a damn, because he obviously doesn't. Cave is as creepy and cryptic as he's ever been. The past decade of work is perhaps his best, and even when he's doing a completely different style than what we're used to, he's still knocking it out of the park. Musicians aren't supposed to age this gracefully, considering the amount of drugs this guy has taken. But who are we to complain, the music still rocks and that's all I'll ever ask.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Of Montreal- False Priest

First things first, as of right now, this may be the most satisfying album to any band's fanbase this year. Of Montreal have been popular in the indie community for the past decade, now taking their funky styles to new heights, the band has recorded what should be their breakthrough album. "False Priest" is an album with no dull moments, it lasts damn near an album but there is no filler, it's classic Of Montreal. The band has enlisted Solange Knowles, sister of megastar Beyonce, as well as Janelle Monae, who released the amazing "Archandroid" this year. It's a recipe for something great and it pays off.

"I Feel Ya' Strutter" is a opening funk jam with Kevin Barnes sounding like a coked up Donald Fagan. He talks through most of the song except when he's breaking into a falsetto, and it's teriffic. With its thumping bass and porn guitar, it would be right at home with Sly Stone. "Our Rioutous Defects" follows and has Barnes almost rapping and dueling with Monae into a mash of battle of the sexes who is more crazy? Apparently Monae is a "crazy girl".

"Godly Intersex" is a club banger that's sure to shake the asses. Less on the live insturments, heavy on the beats and ever surreal imagery, and heavy on the Bee Gee's like chorus. It stands to be one of the best songs of the year by far. "Hydra Fancies" is hokey and sounds like mid-80's R&B, but you can't help but get the feeling that they're trying to have fun with every other R&B style that isn't New Jack Swing on this album.

"Like A Tourist" goes back to that Sly Stone sound but reinvents it for a new sound that doesn't sound dated. Once again Barnes is singing silly for the hell of it and none of his words make much sense, but that's half the fun of listening to the band. "Sex Karma" is as awesome as it sounds, and with Beyonce's little sister taking some vocal calls, it would be silly to think that they weren't writing a single.

The ending of the album is just as fun as the start. It's a smartly sequenced album and songs like "Girl Named Hello" are basically a hangover from all the fun within the first half hour of listening to this album. "You Do Mutilate?" ends the album as three different songs, all unique and original to the band's sound in every way possible.

If you haven't checked out Of Montreal already, there's no better place to start. It's a classic album by a band who has deserved all the praise out outcry from their fans in the indie community. In a world where Lady Gaga is passing off as listenable pop music, it's refreshing as shit to hear a funky, pop album with balls that isn't pretentious and is enjoyable for all fronts. If this is any indication of the new decade for the band, I can't wait to go along for the ride.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Interpol- Interpol

The cover of the album says it all. It's the band logo being broken up. Ladies an gentleman, Interpol are broken. Once they were they were being hailed as the next Joy Division, they're now yesterday's news. But it's not all bad, there's some signs of life, just not enough to justify them being back. The band started beautifully with "Turn on the Bright Lights" and "Antics", a great one-two punch to the start of the career. They then released "Our Love to Admire" in which I'm in the minority for liking. Now having a chance to redeem themselves to their fanbase, they fizzle.

Musically the band is as good as they've ever been. Hard hitting drums, thumping bass lines and the usual kick ass guitar we've come to expect. "Success" followed by "Memory Serves" are a testament to that, and if you haven't gotten used to the weird vocal effects for Paul Banks by these two tracks, you won't enjoy this album at all. As unexciting as these songs sound, things start to pick up.

"Summer Well" through "Always Malaise (The Man That I Am)" are probably the best four sequenced songs in Interpol's canon. It's classic Intepol that channel the first two albums very well and helped earn them the new kings of post punk. First single "Barricade" is a chest thumper and as hard as a song as the band has written, it may be one of the best songs they've ever written.

Sadly, this album also contains one of the worst songs they've written. "Try It On" is one od the most boring turds of a song a rock band has written in years, it even makes me question if this was the same band that wrote "PDA". Luckily "All of the Ways" washes the taste out of our mouth, if only for a little while. "The Undoing" closes us out, and yet, we're stuck with another boring and weakly track that hust makes you scratch your head.

There's not much to say here. It's almost as if all the energy has been taken from the band in favor of piano and string sections. Not that that's a bad thing at all, but a band that had such fury and a knack for writing some of the best alt-rock songs of the past decade shouldn't flame out so quick like this. Maybe it's a drought and they can recapture the glory. But with former bassist and brainchild Carlos D leaving, we're left to wonder what could've been, but for right now, what was.

** out of *****

Review: Philip Selway- Familial

Phil Selway is the most underrated drummer around. He stands in the shadow in the world's biggest band playing fiddle to Thom Yorke, the world's greatest lyricist, and Johnny Greenwood, a guy who has found ways to get the most out of his guitar in a Kevin Shields like manner. Drumming for the generations most important band might be enough for some of us, for Selway, he deserves more and gets more.

Over the span of ten tracks and just over a half hour, "Familal" doesn't overstay its welcome. For a side project from a drummer not known for much else, it's a reminder of the talent of not just Selway, but the band he backs. If that wasn't enough, enlisted are Pat Sansone and Glenn Kotche (the second most underrated drummer) from Wilco, frequent session musician Lisa Germano, and Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg. Quite the murderer's row for a side project.

"By Some Miracle" opens the album and is a sign of things to come, following a simple formula that's shared on the rest of the tracks. Acoustic guitar, backing vocals, and Selway's great voice make it a tune that actually ranks up with the best that Radiohead has written. "Beyond Reason" follows and sounds more like Radiohead's "The Gloaming" with an acoustic guitar and no jazz breakdown, the band influence is there and pushes it to being the great track it is on the album.

"A Simple Life" and "All Eyes on You" are standard singer songwriter affairs, full with Nick Drake soft appeal and beautiful rich melody. "The Ties That Bind Us", originally featured on 7 Worlds Collide's "The Sun Came Out" last year is another highlight with stand up bass accompanying Selway's guitar and voice making it the stand out track on this album.

Unfortunately the album suffers from being top-heavy and the second half doesn't quite deliver to what preceeded it."Patron Saint" through "Don't Look Down" fall into each other without warning, making it hard to distinguish where one ends and begins. Album closer "The Witching Hour" all but makes up for it as it stands as a beautiful ballad and showcases the teriffic songwriting many of us did not know Selway was capable of.

"Familial" isn't anything we haven't heard before. It's standard acoustic affair, but rather than taint it, it's a nice surprise to find that the talents of the best band on the planet don't just lie on Mr. Yorke and Mr. Greenwood. In some ways, "Familal" is just as every bit satisfying as Yorke's "The Eraser" and Greenwood's soundtrack to "There Will Be Blood". It won't overshadow Selway's drumming, but maybe it'll make us appreciate it a little more.

*** 1/2 out of *****

Review: The Sword- Warp Riders

The Sword are a band you either get or not. If you don't like retro metal that Sabbath and Priest would be proud of, you can leave now. However if this is the thing you can jive with, and if you get pass goofy Rush-like concepts and J. D. Cronise's less than stellar voice, welcome home. Austinites have taken notice as well as huge metal outlets like Ozzfest and those dudes in Metallica have professed their liking for the quartet and expanded the band's fanbase with each album. On their third album, the band finally makes a name for themselves, taking a gamble and succeeding...kind of.

Warp Riders is the type of album you can release deep into your catalog, just three albumsin, it's a gutsy move to release a concept album that's a hell of a lot heavier than we've come to expect. Warp Rides is heavier than the first two albums, but the band has taken strides to make their sound better by being heavier. In this case, bigger is better.

The album kicks off with "Acheron/Unearthing The Orb" which is complete with no vocals, displaying just the type of sound that'll be revisited throughout the album. It's loud, it's clean, but it'll knock you off your ass with how fresh it sounds when you put it up against most metal band gaining popularity. The first single off the album. "Tres Brujas" follows with two guitar solos at the same time that's utter mayehm. Ignore the lyrical content, and it's one of the best rock songs of the year.

"Arrows in the Dark" doesn't display better lyric writing, but it's hard to deny the musicianship and talent with the band. All four members show their cards and everything is top notch because they actually sound like the give a shit about what they're playing, something most young bands forget. Following "Arrows" is "The Chronomancer I: The Hubris", the longest song on the album, but also the highlight. In nearly eight minutes, they tackle rock from Sabbath and Zeppelin to Metallica all in one swift kick to the ass, it's all here, and it's all done right.

The album's second half is a little dreary unfortunately. "Astraea's Dream" isn't anything we haven't heard from the album's opener and almost crosses into wankery territory, but almost into crappy New Wave of American Metal territory, something the band is way better than. The title track that follows more than makes up for that lapse and shows Cronise doing his best Ozzy impression. It's a song so heavy even the Ozzman Cometh would be proud.

The album closes with "(The Night The Sky Cried) Tears of Fire" which much like "Chronomancer I", has the band going harder than anything while displaying their talents of rocking the fuck out, it's a closer worty of praise for an album that has this young band ready to take the next step of being arena gods.

Warp Riders may not be a mainstream breakthrough for the band, they're one album away from that, but don't say I didn't warn you. With a growing fanbase, a heavier sound showcasing 70's heavy metal with a cleaner production, and the band's constant touring, The Sword are going to make a name for themselves. Making Warp Riders is a huge step and a challenging one, but the lesson learned here is that the band doesn't fear anything and just wants to rock, and that should be a creed for many bands to follow.

**** out of *****

Review: Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan- Hawk

Three albums in, this collaboration of Belle and Sebastian heavyweight Isobel Campbell and Screaming Trees ass kicker Mark Lanegan would seem to have run its course. After all, how many songs can you write with Campbell's beautiful and soft voice with Lanegan's whisky soaked mumbles? Apparently you can write many, and not only is this the third chapter, it's probably the best. It's a nice formula that reinvents itself here after "Sunday at Devil Dirt" left many people wondering if it had indeed been one too many.

Campbell is indie rock royalty and for the most part, the choices she makes in putting these songs together works. She's not just a great female vocalist, she's a great vocalist, and not only is she a great vocalist, she's a damn good musician who knows how to arrange these songs well. Lanegan on the other hand has spent much of the decade appearing with Queens of the Stone Age and Soulsavers using his gravely voice is a fine tuned insturment, and boy is it always powerful.

Opener "We Die and See Beauty Reign" is a classic example of the duo hard at work. Slow music with both voices lapping each other through a slow ballad is exactly why we loved the duo in the first place. It's depressing, dark, heartbreaking, but enjoyable. It's quickly followed by "You Won't Let Me Down Again" where Lanegan is heard loud and clear over a kick ass blues rocker, it's a song that was tailor made for him.

Standouts on this album include "Come Undone", backed by a 50's soul sound, the song is exactly the type of drown your sorrows song that would probably hit you hard in the gut with its poetic honesty and almost perfect timing on vocals by both Campbell and Lanegan. "Get Behind Me" is a jolt to the diner, dance off rocker filled with riffs and solos that were absent from the first two albums that rears its head here. It's probably the most fun song on the album and sees Lanegan almost by himself as Campbell's voice are almost gone from the mix.

The second half of the album is just as strong as the first. The title track has no vocals at all, instead it's a kick ass jam filled with sax and blistering guitar, it's the type of track that a higher end bar band would break into and it's probably the best song on the album. "Eyes of Green" is backed by flutes and accordian in a sort of celtic like tune. It's beautiful and enchanting and a perfect way to describe the bulk of the work done by the duo throughout their efforts.

"Lately" closes out the album with Lanegan being backed with bongos and a gospel choir. Americana in its own unique way and quite different from all the heavy norms most of us are used to hearing from Mark, it's pretty much the exact opposite from anything he's done with Queens or Screaming Trees, but serves as a reminder of how powerful his voice is because it works well with damn near anything.

It's safe to say we can go ahead and order another helping of this, because it's simply great music. It works and just when you think it isn't going to work anymore, we're all caught blind-sided by how fresh it sounds each time. And while I'm praying that Mark gets together with Queens again in the near future (look no further than his work on Rated R and Songs for the Deaf), his work with Campbell stands alone and is worthy of the input he's been on of the past two decade. As for Campbell, let's just say she's sorely missed in Belle and Sebastian, but has managed to pass her old band in making teriffic music.

**** out of *****

Review: Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

Canadian Indie Rock kings Arcade Fire have probably benifitted the most from being a buzzband. Their 2004 debut "Funeral" caught they eye of every hipster, A&R guy, and mainstream cool guy to the point where the damn thing was out of print. It is a landmark album and changed the way that music was going to be marketed for alt rock as we see it now. As if that wasn't enough, 2007's "Neon Bible" was a sophomore jump of an album. Loud, anthematic, and warm, it showed us that they weren't a flash in the pan, but in fact, the next great band. Sadly, "The Suburbs" is a mess. Slow, boring, and as bland as indie rock can get, it's almost hard to believe that they were nearly fighting Radiohead for most important band in the world.

"The Suburbs" is poorly sequenced, it's not top or bottom heavy, hell it's just not heavy, it's a collection of auto pilot songs sprinkled with some of the best material the band has ever done. The opening title track continues the band's winning streak of awesome openers. Like "Neighborhood #1" and "Black Mirror", "The Suburbs" is a track worty of your attention with Win Butler's voice mowing over a near rockabilly tune, it's not anthem, but it's a great song that ranks up there with the band's best work and starts the album on a high note. Oddly enough, it's about as high of a note this album has, and the next few songs that follow are painful to endure.

"Ready to Start", "Modern Man", and "Rococo" are little more than dreary, there's really nothing new here to add that the band hasn't expanded on and done much better on their first two albums. The tracks lack of the Springsteen like sound that defined "Neon Bible" and made it such an enjoyable album, instead it sounds flat and hurried with a sense of "what can we say now?" or "what should we play?". "Empty Room" follows which sounds like a track off of Owen Pallett's "Heartland" on crack, stringy and fast, it washes out the bad taste of the previous three songs.

"Empty Room" is way too short and we're again bombarded with more boring tracks that are grey and less interesting than what they've showed. It's all forgiven though once "Month of May" hits you with it's heavy as thunder, rock and roll, ballsy, Queens of the Stone Age riffage. This song is what the band should sound like, it's not only the best song off the album, but probably the best of the entire year. With Win and the misses dueling on vocals, it's shows the strength of what made them a big fucking deal in the first place. It's a track that wouldn't sound out of place on "Neon Bible", exactly the type of song to play to get the crowd ready to get excited and have fun, something the band can't seem to accomplish.

"Month of May" ends and again, we're attacked with pellets until the surprisingly dancy "Sprawl II" comes up. With it's synthpop hooks and female vox, it's a nice surprise to end an album that is nothing else but a failure in execution. "Sprawl II" utilizes Régine Chassagne's voice which is a hidden treasure for the band, making it an enjoyable end to an album that's not a breeze to sit through.

One thing striking about the album is even in Obama's USA, Butler still writes songs because he has a chip on his shoulder. He's a bitter guy who comes off as someone who can't have fun. This time around he's taking pot shots at suburban life and hipster, two things that made this band matter. Call it a matter of biting the hand that feeds, but listening to Butler croon about how miserable he is is exhausting and just plain silly at this point.

Like The Strokes with "First Impressions of Earth", Arcade fire have hit a slump on their third album, making us fail to see what's so special about them. Even though they had blood bad last year, Win Butler can take some hits from Wayne Coyne on how to have fun and not be self serious being in a band that can do so much more. It's a swing and a miss and proves what we feared, these kids aren't ready for the torch yet.

** out of *****