MUSIC! 'Mojo' by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

So this is Tom Petty. For a long time, this guy has been around. Now he's making another record. He really rips off a lot of people. The Strokes, he ripped them off for his song 'American Girl'. Also, the Red Hot Chili Peppers song he ripped off when he wrote 'Mary Jane's Last Dance'. He just not an originator I suppose. Still his hits are always a pleasure to my ear.

Now this record: you may recall sometime ago I tried to watch 'Phish 3D'. Some of this record reminds me of this type of band. The second song starts with a very nice guitar riff. Then it goes off into 'Free Burrito'-ville. You can almost picture the light show. I think Jerry Garcia himself may have taken the solo. Even this very talented guitarist I think now has dreadlocks, so you can see where this is going. The next song is called 'Running Man's Bible'. Now first of all, I did not know the AOL logo guy was religious. Having said that, the music sounds like something you might hear on a radio station in America that asks for money all the time. I'm getting a little sleepy I think.

Now I get to 'Candy' this song sounds like the riff from 'Sesame Street'. Can you tell me how to get... how to get to the next record I'm going to review?

'I Should Have Known It'. Now this is a rocking song. It's a bit angry. He sounds a little tougher. It's a big band sound. Still, it's a little lame I think. It sounds like... well it sounds like he's gotten old I guess. Not that this is a bad thing. But I think I'll listen to his older stuff maybe instead of this 'Mojo'. In fact maybe it's badly named I think. Or perhaps in calling it 'Mojo' he was asking for it to come back maybe.

'Taking my time... I'm slowing down a little bit' he sings.

Yes.

MUSIC! 'Deep Sea Treachery' by The Exeter Popes

There's a whale on the cover of this recording! Then I think I hear the whale at the beginning of the record! It is like the Moby Dick! The Exeter Popes recording 'Deep Sea Treachery' is like a very nice musical journey by sea. By track two 'New Moon' I am very into this. There is harmony vocals but not too sweetly. I believe they are talking about Vespas. My grand father often would drink a lot and ride a Vespa. He would have liked this Exeter Popes record after a few drinks and driving home poorly.

'Senegal Son' is much like most of the recording. There is very competent drumming and music. The singer is breathy and full of air and melody. There's a very cool drum like from the African places on this song. Just when I am in the middle of the journey, some mechanical beats and keyboards show up on the song 'idwgh'. I am not sure what word this is, and I cannot pronounce it without sounding like I have a mouth full of spettekaka! Never the less this song falls in line of the others even with the electronic flourishes. In fact I think the Exeter Popes should pursue this sound more often perhaps. It's very nice.

Everything on this record sounds very good for an indie band in fact very, very good. 'King Waltzer' is full of nice dancing feelings. The bass player is very smooth. The drumming then comes in on 'Hintorain' like the Phil Collins kind and is very powerful. This is something this band does very well which is put louder and more expanding elements together with more melodic and softer things on top. It is a successful mix of heavy and soft, which some bands cannot achieve without sounding very not so good and ballad.

I think the last song may be my favorite. It is a longer 'jam' type music with a bass line that reminds me of Jane's Addiction (big props to Eric Avery yes!) and the sound of it really makes you listen in like you are swimming in it a bit. By the time it gets louder I am hooked like the big whale grabbing a gigantic worm and being pulled up by a crane that shaped like huge fishing rod! It is the sea and I am swimming in The Exeter Popes!

MUSIC! 'I Don't Want To Dream' by The City & Horses

So I put this on. This is by the band The City & Horses from Brooklyn. It's breezy at first, there is some vocal octave melody. It's peppy! There's a sort of 1980's clean feel to it, maybe like Marshall Crenshaw or a more effeminate Elvis Costello, at first. Then the second song comes on, 'Little Finland'. I will say that I can't agree as I feel Finland is a small land mass, but this is not important! Ha ha! The music is sort of an R.E.M. with clean guitar and strums. Vocally, it's kind of more high. And there is a flute!

By song three it is a little bit of early Modern Lovers but a little lighter in delivering in the performance and singing. This singer is far better than The Modern Lovers. If maybe Gordon Gano and Jonathan Richman had taken vocal lessons. It's very pleasant to be sure. The rhythms are very 50's 'Peggy Sue'. The sound is very clean. 'I Love The Girls' is sort of more down the road of the aforementioned bands. Then there's a girl singing (maybe this is the girls about he is singing?) It is very competent, but it is also very smooth.

'Russian Military Badges'. Now this I really like! A lot going on here, almost Beatle-esque, some nice changes and arrangement. It's got some edges to it, although there is the girl singing again! He loves the girls! Ha ha! These lyrics are very high. Overall, lyrically it is very strong, there's much whimsy. 'I Am Such A Drag' also has a nice flow, almost like a Reggae song in some way. 'Your Father's Factory' starts like some Culture Club, then it moves into a new zone. It is 80's too! In fact there's a lot of that decade around on this. 'Pierre the Arab' is a classic closing number that really reminds me of a better sounding Dead Milkmen.

Overall, this is a very pleasant recording. I must say, on second listen, the straight ahead songs with more pep are now more appealing to me. Sometimes there's a lot of instruments. I like the lower angrier type singing as well, but that doesn't mean the other high parts are not good. There's a few different bands in here, I would say, also not a bad thing overall.

It would be something to hear the band go stripped down and more sharp angle maybe. In fact, the album is a lot like one of the lyrics: 'I love coffee and I love tea!' Sometimes it is peppy and hot. Sometimes it is breezing and relaxing. Some records are very good like this.

There is a secret rocker in the singer Marc and he's got many of the awesome talent of some of the great 80's punk and indie musicians it seems. He also can write. So maybe on the next installment could be more coffee and let the caffeination do the talking!

MUSIC! 'Something For Everybody' by Devo

Oh No it's Devo! Before I begin this review I should full disclosure that I am a Devo fan. Some people just do not have the capacity of them. I understand this. Devo are somewhat different than many American rock bands in their presentation. This is because Devo is not a traditional band of its time wanting to talk about sexual intercourse and party things. This band came from an angle of commentary on the society of the United States.

They also were very visual first before MTV. Sometimes in art when something starts something that becomes popular it is overlooked as its originator. As the known Ghandi once said: 'First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win'. Of course he was portrayed by the excellent Ben Kingsley, and apparently he was not very nice to his woman, but as Ghandi isn't even perfect we can all breathe a little easier!

Now the first Devo record is still in my heaviest plays. It was recorded with the great Eno. It contained many songs that many people have secretly copied. This is a blueprint sort of record. In this way, many of the bands after it came in the 1980's in America were heavily influenced by it. This is important in the 'Devolution' of Devo, the band. In fact by the time album number three 'Freedom Of Choice' was arrived, they hit their commercialness with 'Whip It' which featured a video with an attractive Asian who was cross-eyed.

If we hit the switch to now, we have 'Something For Everybody'. This recording is the first Devo recording in 20 years. This is apparent. Some of this record tries very hard. Now, it's not a bad thing, and I have listened to this for many times already, which I do not always do before I write. Some of these songs are not only good they are great. So far, 'Fresh' and the very amazing 'Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)' are easily immediate classics. The singer and brain of the band Mark Mothersbaugh is writing the lyrics he is born to sing. The band is not too over the top.

The song 'Somethin' is that cynical but smart voice with the drums reminiscent of 'Whip It' provided by the newer drummer (although not so new it seems as he began the live show in 1995) Josh Freese. Josh is great. He was in the Nine Inch Nails and a friend is sending me a copy of his recording which I will review at later time. 'Later is Now' is also a quick classic for this band, which is written by the other brain of it Gerald Casale.

I would like to take a moment to discuss the cover art as well. It is a woman eating in a sexual manner a small blue version of the classic Devo hat. First of all, no one should ever judge an attractive woman negatively. Beauty should always be a celebration. Second of all, there is nothing about the cover that would let you know it is a Devo recording EXCEPT the hat. This to me says this album is for the fans, and those in the known about them. However, the other side of this is that it is a sexual picture. It does fit into the Devo philosophic angle of having both a pleasant and easy to approach flavor but still has some cryptic undertones.

The issue which it brings me to as I suggested above is this: so much of modern music in the dance times as computers and electronics became apparent was a natural and sometimes unnatural branch of the Devo tree. Here we are in 2010 and Devo is back with a recording and in some ways I think they wanted to say 'Hey, we started this stuff, and look here we are'.

There is nothing wrong with this. But on many of the songs, there is a lot of things that seem to be a little too put in their places. In fact, the singer Mark has his voice often sounding like a robot or perhaps like a GPS voice too often for what I would like to listen. Again, this is an album with a lot of depth, so I am going to let some of this embellishment take on its own place in the record because the songs and the lyrical themes are still amazing. Sometimes when a band has too much covered up on their vocals I am turned away. There is something that makes me feel it's just gimmick or insecurity. At some points on this record, there is that feeling of Oingo Boingo or Goldfrapp (I reviewed their record not long ago and it all sounds like a car commercial) and this is only because of the parts that seem to not be aligned with the core of what the message is. Perhaps this is a result of still being on a major label, or maybe because it is their first recording in so long, I don't know.

But I will say, if they ever were to read this review (Ha!), don't be afraid to be Devo! Life is too short to break the news to the people gently! However, overall, this is a far, far better recording than most new bands, and the music and words are still top notch. I would bet that live the songs are perfection without all the additional things that sound a bit odd. Who knows, this may be something I enjoy with each additional spin of it.

In fact, I will go make an Absolut cocktail and put on this record now, and for the future!

MUSIC! 'How To Destroy Angels' by How To Destroy Angels

Trent Reznor has gone and married a girl. After his band the Nine Inch Nails departed after a very great few years of tour, he had told his people he'd be making something sort of new and this is the first result. I will be completely honest it's not very common that I think it is good for a musician to create with his lover or wife. Some exceptions of course can be brought to brain (Sonny and Cher, WHAM!) but mostly these types of collaborations don't bring out the better of any of the artists.

The first time I listened to these 6 songs I was like 'It's musical like Trent but it's got this girl singing' and it was hard to get over this exit ramp. But then something happened about when I'm over the second way through: it was like wow. She is at first the sound of Nine Inch Nails on a chalkboard or some whining sorority babe, then it hit me that she wasn't either of those two. She has a lot of presence and is breathing longer than Trent Reznor would if he was the person on the microphone. More of a percussion type singer in the vein of a Phil Collins or even a Chuck D maybe, but she is actually holding out the notes longer and more appealing with the similar anger managed percussion and drum bass sounds underneath.

The second song is actually more like a NIN song with Trent and Kewpie Doll singing at the same moment, and it's pretty great. I found more that I listened the more I was drawn to listening in again like maybe later Neu! or mid-period Wire maybe? I don't really know. It's kind of it's own sound, something unusually in the times. 'Fur Lined' is a lot like the song by Trent called 'Only' in fact I'd bet he used the same drum box for the production sounds. She is growing on me. At seven minutes, the EP closer 'The Drowning' is exceptional on headphones and very closer in sound to some of Reznor's last few recordings. I think this is a great start for a 'new' band and I hope they don't get tired of fucking so they can make new music (rumor is a baby is next, that's kind of interesting! I hope it's 'Head Like a Hole! haha!)

MUSIC! 'This Is Happening' by LCD Soundsystem

For a brief moment at a younger time, I was very eager to learn to how to tame tigers. I think there was a show on Kunskapskanalen about the tamers of lions, bears and sea creatures at circus parks. There is something about being able to take something that is alive and wild and making it do things that you ask of it when you ask with no fear. When I listen to LCD Soundsystem, I feel a similar feeling that I felt about being a wild animal dominator: James Murphy takes things that seem wild and brings them into a way of being together in almost perfection.

The first song on this music album is really something. Some people say he is just a clever mimicry of The Talking Heads or David Bowie or some other greats, which hey that's pretty cool! What pop music isn't borrowed from it's other forefathers? LCD Soundsystem always makes me feel gay. And when I say makes me feel gay, I actually mean I would maybe have sex with a man. I don't ever feel this way. When I watched the men's diving of the Olympics I didn't even have any tingling. But when I listen to LCD Soundsystem I feel like having sex, and maybe with a tiger, a tame one I mean. I think it would be dangerous to attempt this with something in the jungle.

'This is Happening' has such a deep insertion of beats and wonderful melody. It's dancing but also is making you think. Parts of 'Drunk Girls' as much as one could say it's a throwaway part are extremely sweaty, heavily lubricated penetrations. I can only imagine the crowds of an NYC party just being really sexual all over each other as it plays.

'One Touch' has some great analog type sounds that start out being very out of synchronicity but take on a whole as the song climaxes. The lyrics are a meta way that is signature Murphy: 'I don't think that we will be pleased with this/we have waited a long time' it might be about Obama, or about the band itself waiting so long to make another song release, or maybe prolonging climax as the Asian says 'One Touch!' as well along with him. The song 'All I Want' reminds me a lot of Brian Eno 'Another Green World' album with longer guitar fedback girth.

On 'You Wanted A Hit' there's a feel of the Far East or a massage parlour maybe in the seedy underbelly of a city. It reminds me of the movie 'Big Trouble In Little China' in which Jack Burton is hilarious~! There's a lot of slow grind to the latter few tracks as in a pornographic or perhaps a club of strippers. If I were James Murphy and walked in a place with stripping and heard my own voice, I'd be so happy! haha!

Is that 'Nightclubbing' by Iggy Pop? Oh no it's track 8! 'Somebody's Calling Me'! Maybe somebody should call Iggy Pop's lawyers! ha ha! Overall though this is righteously great regardless of it's more obvious taking from other places. Life is too short to think that we're not all big tiger tamers!!!

MUSIC! 'Cold Dime' and 'Strawberry Told Me' by Peephole (EPs)

This is a Brooklyn NY band with nods to Prince, The Police and maybe disco stuff like The Bravery or The Killers. I have downloaded for no cost two of their EPs so I will discuss them here.

'Cold Dime': this one is particularly appealing. It's very laid back even though there's a lot of dancing type drumming. 'Black Topaz' has a very Duran Duran sax sound with a really nice guitar part. Some of the arrangements might be a nod to Bryan Ferry type music, or maybe mid-period Robert Palmer. I picture the singer with a tie and suit that is maybe just a little oversized, not in a way that's like David Byrne is known. 'Good Luck Mikey' is like post-Revolution Prince period when he had that thing on his face. 'Guilty Boat' sounds like 'Obsession' song in the 80's but then gets murky.

'Strawberry Told Me' This EP is the sexier of the three. The singer is cooing and sounding somewhat African American in his delivery. This could be a good album to put on after a night out with a lady once you've done the conviction to get her to come back for you to put it on with some white wine or maybe lower lighting. There are some moments where this singer maybe could put a little more into it, but that's either here or there. 'Rita Done Me Wrong' is a groovy number with a cool bass line also reminiscent of John Taylor. The lyrics sound like maybe he's had some issues after being with a woman sexually and is mad at her or at least annoyed a bit. It's hard to say. I hope it's fictitious, but sometimes I know New York gets a little crazy. 'Club Agoraphobia' shows a nice shake with haunting words about being afraid.

This is a nice band with good instincts of arrangement and melody and rhythms. It might be worth staying in touch with them for new things.

MUSIC! 'Stone Temple Pilots' by Stone Temple Pilots

My girlfriend things the singer of the band is sexual. It is easy to see, I guess, if it was 1992 or maybe even 1993. However now that we're years into the end of grunge, Stone Template Pilots must be taken at the value of their face. Some have viled the band of being an inexpensive and vacant version of 70's classic rockers. It could be said. Some of their songs since their beginning could be said to be classic: 'Sour Girl' with the fuckable Sarah Michelle Gellar video or the 'Insertate Love Song' which is easily as classic as A Rolling Stones song could be said to be the last classic rock band?

Let's listen to this new record!

It's familiar on first listen, not always the best thing. But the first two tracks are appealing in their nods to great bands like Led Zeppelin and maybe even some Beach Boys or Beatles accusations. The music has a classic sound and keeps my ears. 'Take A Load Off' actually has a Jimmy Page riff Jimmy Page would probably like. Sometimes bands like STP can be sounding too harsh in their production. This isn't the case here. There are good layers to Weiland's vocals but not in a distraction or in an obvious way. Some of this record I'm finding I like. There is quite a bit to eat, but most of it seems very delicious. Of course, haters will find the same cliche's that this band embraced to be honed to razor's edge on this, but why is this a bad thing?

Halfway through the album 'Cinnamon' comes in like a breezy California breeze. It's maybe the more pandering of the tracks, but it's still sincere in its banality. Perhaps the band isn't afraid to say 'here we are, and here is the music we love to rip off in our own ways'. I can dig that. 'Bagman' is a great nod to 70's Van Halen or maybe 'Diver Down' time.

Most bands will come up with a story of how the things that before weren't affecting them - I'm thinking of Jack White in a magazine exclaiming that Led Zeppelin didn't really ingrain in him, which is a laugh! If you listen to The White Stripes, it is obtuse that Jack White listened to a ship load of Robert Paint.

I regress. This Stone Temple Pilots is amazing in its inability to innovate, and this is something some bands could educate themselves about.

MUSIC! 'Head First' by Goldfrapp

First off, it is very hard to take seriously a band with a name sounding like coffee drinks. My girlfriend has been asking me to write sometimes about music that she finds good, so she gave me this record. I am sorry it sounds like a bad TV show theme on song one 'Rocket'. I am half waiting to see a private detective come out around the corner of my room while it is playing with his name appearing under him, which would be actually quite cool if it happened I think.

The second track is called 'Believer' and has some promising Kraftwerk (yes!) sounds to it until the singer starts to sing. She sounds like a white version of Paula Abdul (I am sorry if Paula Abdul is white: it's hard to tell and we watch American Idol on my girlfriends' black and white TV). Some of the chorus of this song is kind of nice like if I were to be shopping. Honestly though I'm mostly bored here. Song three (really it seems like I've been listening for a long time already) is like a song by Billy Joel for that funny show about the guys that dressed as girls to get there flat! That show was so good when I was little. If this song were the theme to it though I probably wouldn't have liked it as good.

The next song is called 'Dreaming' and I'm dreaming of changing the CD! Haha. It's funny because the music starts out very German and turns quickly into a car commercial, but maybe that's the point. Some bands with girls can do this better (Portishead, Everything Has the Girl) but something is missing in the Goldfrapp: it's too latte!

'I Wanna Life' is the same sound as 'I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight' from the 1980's. In fact most of this record is in the 80's. She even says 'too much, too little, too late' like the song from the 80's, and now that I think about it, I think I'm going to go '86' these files and listen to some Motörhead just to heal my ears!

MUSIC! 'Horehound' by The Dead Weather

This is a band for Jack White to play drums. Some of it is quite good. I must say I'm sorry because there was a show last night in Linkoping of bands that were not that loud. Somehow there was a lot of Absolut being drank and I had my share of the bottle. 'Horehound' is the kind of recording to play the day after just such an evening. It plays out as an ideal cure for the hangover.

There's much to like in the old sound of this recording. Jack White sings only on some of the tracks but the woman singer is pleasant. Some of the songs have a more hip hop flavor which is interesting as there are no African American members of the group. Some of this is reminiscent of the other works of White including The Ranconteurs (which makes sense since the bass player of Dead Weather is also in that band). Some of this is to be expected as Jack White can get funky evidenced in his work with The White Stripes.

Overall as I am hungover I am not very cognitive but I will say I like this record and will probably like it more as time goes on.

MUSIC! 'Contra' by Vampire Weekend

Everyday there is something new related to blood sucking. Granted Eastern Europe may be to be blamed for this, however the obsequiousness of vampires in the last few years has caused me nausea. This band is hailing from New York City. The first listen it was amazing how loud this record is. The singer sings so quickly and seems to be talking to me but he doesn't know me at all. Odd.

Further in the disc it became apparent that these were in fact pop songwriting. Unfortunately, things changed so quickly in the arrangements that barely could I keep up! Strings, then drum machine sounds, then guitar, then drums, then a bass, and on and on. If this is a 4 piece band, they must drink an awful lot of coffee or maybe something stronger perhaps espresso or Red Bull and Vodkas that are popular in New York.

It is difficult to put into words how this recording affects me because it goes by so fast that I'm having a hard time understanding any of it. The song 'Cousins' in pretty good I suppose. A lot of it makes me think of Peter Gabriel's late 80's work, or Paul Simon's 'Graceland', both records by two of the whitest guys to ever make music playing African rhythms for a white audience. This may bode well for Vampire Weekend, as vampires are some of the palest of the species for sure.

BOOK! 'Fargo Rock City' by Chuck Klosterman

This American tale of growing up with 1980's music with hair has a level of extraordinary! More people of this age might not understand Klosterman's eyes. In it, the protagonist feels that the music of power hair has magic and is not fully greeted with integrity by the critical consumers of the time. The book has enlightening on being of an age to be satisfied with very little culture outside of 'strip malls' and the anticipation of the glam of new music recordings by the likes of Motley Crue and Cinderella.

The novel is sometimes uneven but the writer's indefatigable belief that hair music be considered seriously caries the reader through. Often Chuck discloses his love of alcoholic drink as a parallel to which band the writer is hearing. Much discussion of Guns N Roses amalgamation of punk and hair is thoughtfully presented. Overall, the author makes a significant angle for the inclusion of metal of hair for serious consideration, and since publishing much more metal has been at the forefront of media (VH1, movies called 'Rock Star' with Marky Mark), so Klosterman was ahead of the bend. Rumor is out on a movie version of the tome, though it may not be the academic sort as this book.

MOVIE! 'Phish 3D' by Phish

My friend Valfrid whose music favorites are not essentially the same as me got a copy of 'PHISH 3D'movie from a friend on his internet. Now generally speaking I am not too hot on bands that play the sort of clean drug mish mash that a band like this might embrace, but Valfrid knows and reads AWESOME SUPER WOW and so seeing as it is not only a movie but a movie about a band, it makes sense from a viewpoint of efficient writing to watch this with him.

I arrived at Valfrid's and several of his fellow non-music music loving friends were also there. He had made a pizza consisting of isterband with particular mushrooms and his girlfriend Lotta had baked kladdkaka brownie with dark chocolate she had received in Switzerland from her aunt. Now, although I was not hungry as I'd stopped for smörgåsbord with a friend from tennis camp, the pizza and brownies were both smelling very appealing.

Valfrid had even rented a larger television to watch the movie, and the eager fans of Phish gathered around the pizza and the brownies and the television and we pressed play.

Well, first of all, it was obvious within a few minutes that the DVD copy Valfrid had recieved from his mailing list of Phish fans had something wrong. The stage and players in this band were all weirdly blurry. Soon it became apparent we needed a special sort of eye wear to enjoy it's third dimensional promises. We had a good laugh and ate a few slices. I was not aware at this juncture of the mental changes the mushroom Valfrid and Lotta had put on the pizza. It was not like my mother's svampsoppa as I'd never had her soup and felt my hands turning into gum bands! On top of this the Phish band was looking weird and they sounded like cats stuck on windmill blades. Suddenly I did not feel so well.

At the time the best course of agenda seemed to cleanse my palette with a piece of Lotta's kladdkaka. The chocolate was excellent and I ate it to the crumb. Unfortunately once again I was not told these baked goods contained drugs as well.

At this point, Phish in 3D was the least of my problems. I had managed to hold unto the rug for what seemed like a day as I feared falling off the earth. Someone handed me some water in a plastic cup but all I could appetite was the plastic on my mouth. I believe I did hear Phish play 'Happy' by The Rolling Stones but I was far from it. I awoke in the morning with my hand in my pants and large bag of Svenska Lantchips strewn around my head. The others had passed out in similar way, with Valfrid and Lotta passing out with each other's tongues touching.

MUSIC! 'Them Crooked Vultures' by Them Crooked Vultures

Sometimes, the added up is greater than just the things by themselves. Is that the case with Them Crooked Vultures? It is a great cocktail! Mix one part Led Zeppelin in the amazing John Paul Jones, add two parts Dave Grohl as the former member of Nirvana and the Foo Fighter on drums, add a splash or two of Josh Homme the guitarist and vocalist of The King of Queens and what happens is sometimes amazing, and never ever uninteresting. Many on the websites have complained that more should be assumed with the resumes of these three fellows but rest assured this is not a recording for the short attention span.

First off is 'No One Loves Me...' with a groovy slimy ZZ Top like feeling. Their are cowbell type sounds to augment reminicient of 'Goin' Crazy' by David Lee Roth (I'm dating myself agewise with that!). There's a lot of depth to this record, but track one lays out the map of the rest of the songs: strong foundations of deep bass and head bobbing drum thumps, topped with sexual guitar and Josh Homme's boyschool tenor vocal. 'New Fang' is a pure Zeppelin homage replete with 'Rock N Roll' type drums slowed down to a more love making tempo. Look no further for pure Zeppelin echos than 'Elephants', sounding like an outtake from 'Houses Of The Holy'.

'Bandoliers' and 'Reptiles' are more stomp affairs, recalling Homme's other bread-winner, while 'Caligulove' is a hand clapping sort with wonderful carnival organ flourishs and deeply panned guitar stabs. 'Spinning in Daffodills' has the obligatory LSD like harmonies and arrangement. 'In A Gadda Da Vultures!' Overall, this album did not smack me initially but as the plays continue I find myself coming back and enjoying it even better. If they make it to Sweden soon I'm hoping to secure a seat!

MUSIC! 'II' by Snailface

WOWIE ZOWIE Yowie! This is the band I like. A friend in the U.S.A. tipped me towards the link to obtain this recording at no cost. Apparently, this is a band that once a year makes a recording for a month. This is no throw away! First off, the music is a theme of the YETI! Some people of my readership may recall the Swedish Yeti legend involving Leif Pettersson's movie which I remember reading of which in school. However, Snailface this band is approaching the legendary Yeti with an amazing musical tribute! Awesome!

Track one is 'Yowie Wants a Piece', and it's so many good things at once I may explode. The singer's voice is reminiscent of the great 70's bands like BTO or maybe a baritone Grand Funk. The music is distinctively amazing. The guitars are like progressively Eagles or a more bluesy and slower Iron Maiden. Drumming is out of the country! Wow. Song one is so amazing that the rest of the album could have been a lot of Yeti howls and I'd still think this is a classic.

Track two is 'The Almasty (Kelermes Mirror)' the riff starts like a Queens of the Stoneate and then the vocals are like Kyuss. Sometimes it's very Josh Homme (a good thing!) They swirl around in the mix with nice Billy Gibbons flourishes accompanying. There a few tracks of a sinister sounding person reading things about the Yeti and their flock of Zemu and great treasures.

Musically it's got some Black Sabbath, maybe some Jane's Addiction even in some times, all in all though it becomes its own accompanyment and is not deriving from any one thing. 'Momo, the Missouri Monster' is very classic American rock with hints of Thin Lizzy and maybe some Whitesnake (NOT the Steve Vai recording of Whitesnake: that is not very good!) but there's a lot of grooving. Like its subject matter, 'Snailface II' is mysterious, out of time, yet completely large and animalistic. The close is VERY ZZ Top, never a bad thing in this person's estimate, with more nods to Phil Lynott, the greatest African American Irish bass player of all time.

There are many recordings for far more people and money that are nowhere close to this amazing. I have been listening to this non-stop all day and would suggest you do the same thing. It is rare I put links to the musical groups I cover but go download this right now!!! Here cause you ain't heard nothing Yeti!!!!

MUSIC! 'Transference' by Spoon

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MUSIC! 'The Empyrean' by John Frusciante

This is a tremendous work. This is the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers solo long play. Sometimes a recording is a mood, and this is one. The music is bittersweet. Frusciante's voice is fragile and inviting. The first track is a long opus of guitar yearning called 'Before the Beginning'. This sets the mood of the entire work about creation and longing.

If you are looking for a party record, this is not it. There is a heavy Beatles/John Lennon/Pink Floyd feel to many of these tracks: I am reminded me a bit of Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter' if it were a whole record! Things pick up a bit on the third song, 'Unreachable', but still its lyrics are full of deep. There is a yearning to this music. I would think he's a very spiritual person. He sings in a falsetto on 'God' over a wash of melody and electric piano. Still there is movement. His voice is like Art Garfunkel on many tracks, but utilizing backwards echos and reverberations. Something very soulful. I am sure he was raised on 70's American radio.

'Enough of Me' is a whimsical journey, eyes opening around a very sweet melody. There is much gospel leanings. The album carries this feel throughout. Perhaps he is a Christian. This is an interesting tidbit.

There is nothing commercial here: this is an artist. Congratulations.

MUSIC! 'No Line On The Horizon' by U2

(I am posting now reviews planned for the zine but now I have moved online, so some of these reviews are older and I'm just putting them digital now).

Bono! The Edge! The other guys! This band is been around a long time and for good reasons. These songs are very thought out. In fact, this is a deep recording for such a popular music group, maybe the most popular. There's a lot of things in the far away parts of the songs that can be discovered as the more the listener is into it. Challenging perhaps for those that 'I Will Follow' or even 'Vertigo'.

Let me say this is a band that seems to have a heart. This is difficult, especially at a level of what they have achieved. This goof ball shows up in sunglasses and puts them on the pope! What can you say to this? Not much!~ They say John Lennon said The Beatles were bigger than Jesus, but John Lennon did not have his sunglasses on the Pope!

So in listening to this album, I have a lot of thoughts. They are hard to all put down but I will put an attempt in. I will deal with this album as if it was a record as it seems to be in two parts: the first part is a little more challenging and though provocative. The second part is a little more pop and dance oriented (most of it), so I will address these both here.

First the album begins with the track as the title. This song is very different for this band. It has a lot of left and right going on. Bono comes in with simple lyrics, but sung very high up in his singing range. This is a good thing. Remember the song 'With Or With Out You', one of their most popular, and Bono is singing very high. This is something he continues often on the record. It is a demonstration of sincerity, I believe. He is not wimping out. I have read reviews of their last recordings of Bono being the weakest person on them. Maybe this is a reaction? On track two he sings 'Only love can leave such a mark.' It is his passionate voice that takes this line into the metaphorical and not the literally, unless he is maybe discussing physically abusive relationships or perhaps rough sexual intercourse. The band is in top form. The layers are all in the right places. I am popping my head, too.

The third song 'Moment of Surrender' is reminiscent of older U2 track 'Trying to Throw Your Arms Around The World'. It's string and claps are perfect. Again Bono is singing very high. Sometimes his lines are very cliched, actually a lot, but somehow his delivery makes them work. Other singers would be laughed at I am sure! Reading these lines would be silly. On 'Unknown Caller' I think I hear the great Brian Eno singing. Maybe this is just my want. This song is goose bumps. One thing I do not like is the line 'ATM Machine' which is a redundancy. Sometimes even a minor mistake slips by the editor I suppose!

'I'll Go Crazy' is a bad song. I skip it every time!

Next is part two as I see the album, beginning with the song 'Get On Your Boots'. Here is the fun U2! What is interesting is that this is not the first song on the album. This alone shows awareness that this band means it. Because if this song was first, it's like 'Vertigo' on the last record. Now, this is a great pop song. It's got many amazing elements, simple lyrics, and great beats. No one can get away with this as a rock band except this band anymore I don't think. You can't fault the groove, babe!

'Stand Up Comedy' is like Achtung Baby era sounds. It reminds me of that time. It's got standard arrangement and harmonies with Edge's cool guitar not guitar sounds. He really is an underrated musician I think. The rest of the record is a mixed version. 'Breathe' has lots of nice things in a waltz. 'Cedars Of Lebanon' is too dramatic for this listener but I am sure it is well meaning. Bono needs an editor sometimes as I said. But hey, perfection is relative!

The bonus is an alternate version of the title track, which is raw and sounds like it could have been recorded during 'War' or 'Boy' with its energy and sounds. Awesome! Overall this keeps U2 in its place as the 'World's Rock Band'. Let's see what comes next.

MOVIE! Avatar by James Cameron

Clearly this is a large release. Many scholars on the web have predated its unleashing by posts about the talented James Cameron working under quiet lock down on this epic tale. Sometimes when so much noise is about before a movie's final incubation, the film will not be able to bring the weight of its making to its finality. In some cases it is better for a more hushed reaction leading up to the months before its coming (Matrix) with viral and words on the street for a movie to become a blockbuster. Cameron made this movie over many years and invented a lot of new technological approaches in its creation, and it shows. In some ways it is a parallel to George Lucas and his innovations when making the first 'Star Wars' film and look at what happened with that.

'Avatar' is familiar to most story knowers, but its termination in a 3D effect is what really makes it go farther. The people of the moon Pandora are being targeted because they live on a very profitable mineral underneath. This is not unlike many of the stories right now about Apple and its use of the Congo peoples to explode parts for their iPhones. Not to regress. The movie is stellar for being so familiar. It is very difficult to find error when so many pieces feel put in the right place. The argument of some critical circles against 3D film is valid: however, not every film shot with this will be on the size of 'Avatar'. Most people forget that in any genre of art there are those innovators few and in between and many, many duplicators riding the wave of these at the top of the mountain.

Cameron has been an outsider for years even as a person driving large trucks before deciding to become a maker of films. Perhaps it is this gritty outness that salutes so highly for his works. Many users of movies don't like a chance taker coming in to show them what's to be done with their products. The actors of this movie are twice to be commended for working with each other and the technology so successfully! Some of the actors in past roles have put down the process of digitizing the backgrounds (notable is the 'Star Wars' newest 3 in which Liam Neeson had said acting to green screens was not acting: note his career roles were not offered for long after this, and now he is starring in movies like 'Taken' Oh brother! Don't bad mouth the boss!) but in this case it all is put together so well that no one can take away its impact.

3D may be a passing fad as it was in the older days but 'Avatar' has perfected the art of coming at you in ways no film may ever outrun.

DRINK! Absolut Berry Açaí

So it is one of our best known products, which is up there with the Volvo and Ikea in the states: Absolut Vodka. This was released just recently I believe but we just got a bottle this week. Normally it's unusual to be writing a review of an alcoholic drink but why not?! It is music to your mouth!

What is best about this is that I got the bottle for no cost! A friend of my girl friends friend told a friend that works for the company about AWESOME SUPER WOW! and they send me a very nice electronic mail asking if I'd like a bottle to review! Wow! Who would say no to this? The press sheet included says that “We have combined the smoothness of açaí with fresh pomegranate and blueberry notes, to create a new, modern flavor." I will tell you as I am on my third glass of this stuff that is worth every peeny! Readers of my blog (and my no-longer published print zine ZAM-POW!) know that when it comes to having some cocktail or two vodka is generally my cup of choice. It is with great zest for drink that I recommend you get a bottle or 2 of Absolut Berry Açaí, which seems particularly well fit to mix with orange and some lime juice.

Funny story: when the bottle opened, some spilled on my girlfriend's wrist and like an instinct she immediately slurp licked it off right into her mouth. Her eyes lit up like diamonds on fire! 'So gud!' and this is someone that generally speaking likes more spritzer than alcohol in all her cocktails, so this should tell you something.

MUSIC! 'Hot Wax' by Grant Hart

I am late to the event on this release but it is worth reviewing. In case you aren't up to schooled, Grant Hart was in the American punk band Hüsker Dü (awesome for those ü's alone!) which also included the singer Bob Moüld. (HA HA! He doesn't use a ü but he should! Dümmy!) This band was very unknown but played a lot in vans around the country early in the punk movement. They have some very good recordings one of which I really enjoy called 'Metal Circus' a very great record. But other records of theirs are also worth your time.

'Hot Wax' is an interesting mix of styles and melodies but I find myself liking it very much. Some of it is even Beatles quality such as 'Barbara' which is a motif of marching drum and piano. The opener is a jam of the 60's pop/psych/garage variety. The album is very pleasant and approachable. Hart's vocals hint at some Beach Boys influence. Ironically, Hart was the drummer in his former band but here the drums are more of a Ringo style, supporting great arrangements and melodies. In fact, again the Beach Boys are probably the best type of thing to point out as an influence. If the Flaming Lips ever stopped making albums that are way too loud, it might sound like this. 'Schoolbuses Are For Children' is a David Bowie nod with great loud drumming. In fact, the song 'Sailor Jack' is easily one of the greatest rock songs ever committed to tape. It reminds me of Robert Pollard meeting up with T Rex in a bar for a pint of lager! And a shanty hum along! 'Oh oh oh ooooh ooooh!'

This is a well-to-be discovered gem that most people will overlook but they shouldn't.