Oceansize "Everyone Into Position" (Beggars Banquet) Sounds Like: If Isis grew up with Maroon 5. C-
For all the verbose musical prophecies this band claims in its press release, Oceansize is hardly Moses.
On "Everyone Into Position," the new disc from British prog-rockers Oceansize, the band attempts to reconcile the beautiful soundscapes and icy guitars of bands like Red Sparrows, Isis and Neurosis with mainstream appeal. Too bad they come up considerably short. The nature of mainstream prog-rock entails that you do it without regard for what the average listener usually hears, and if you do it well, you'll be rewarded (see: Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Tool). Otherwise, you'll look foolish and insincere.
While the press release for EIP claims that Oceansize, "takes you on a voyage of mind, body, and soul," Oceansize comes off like a puddle in the middle of an intersection into which a small trickle of motor oil had leaked. The vocals are mumbly, the riffs are afraid to launch into a wall of distortion and the compositions sound much too structured for a band with eight-minute songs. At least Isis can be good NPR segment transition music.
-DAVE WILEZOL
The Minus Five The Minus Five ("The Gun Album") (Yep Roc) Sounds Like: Your new musical heroin.
The Minus Five write good rock 'n' roll songs, stripped of the pretension and the often cryptic, nonsensical lyrics that are exhaustive to indie rock. This is rare nowadays, especially when a band's roll call includes members of R.E.M. (Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey, the band's godfather), Wilco (Jeff Tweedy), the Decemberists (Colin Meloy) and John Wesley Harding.
The Minus Five take their pop songwriting seriously, but are capable of switching gears. The opening track, "Rifle Called Goodbye" hits a Sgt. Pepper-era Beatle nerve; but the next cut, "Aw Shit Man," could have easily been penned by Keith Morris or Greg Ginn in 1983. The gem, though, is "Out There on the Maroon," in which the vocalist (one can't really be sure who it is, since the band features over 15 rotating members) opines, "I've had six white Russians tonight/And two of them were people."
Overall, the almost universal accessibility of the music, thoughtful lyrics and musical pedigree of the band's members make this a great album to at least take a chance on. Highly recommended for fans of Paul Westerberg, Warren Zevon, My Morning Jacket, David Bowie and Wilco. This might be your album from 2006, or even your college years.
-D.W.
Various Artists "Different Strokes by Different Folks" (Legacy) Sounds like: Masochistic adventures in Nostalgialand.
For those who take pleasure in atrocious covers by obnoxious "superstars," boy is this tribute record for you!
Apparently, the idea of this album was to take old songs by Sly and the Family Stone and put them to lame, polished dance floor beats. Some take more liberties than others, as in the first track, "Dance to the Music." Re-imagined by rapper Will.I.Am, the only things left alone are the words to the chorus and bridge. The verses feature Will.I.Am flowing over a glorified sample of the original, spouting stupid lines about how awesome it to dance and be happy: "Ain't no fighting like Bush and Saddam up here." Are you joking? Next.
Some of the songs could stand on their own, which is pleasant enough. Put the Roots, who cover "Star," on any song and they'll do something interesting. Same goes for Big Boi (who actually does double duty, performing on "Runnin' Away" and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'."
But enough looking on the bright side - Steven Tyler ("I Want to Take You Higher") ruins everything he touches. John Legend ("Family Affair") is ridiculous alone, but paired with Joss "Fell in Love with a Boy" Stone, it's way too much lame for a song that's under four minutes.
There's so much more wrong with this record, but no one really cares much anyway.
-CHRIS DeWITT
Arab Strap "The Last Romance" (Chemikal Underground) Sounds like: A depressing pub-crawl with a Sean Connery impersonator. Filled with hints of greatness from the past but all together a major letdown. C
Sadly, the newest release from Scottish band Arab Strap evokes one of the oldest clich?s in the book: "Their old stuff was better."
Arab Strap's previous effort, "The Red Thread," which came out in 2001, is an apt combination of whip-smart sarcasm and truly romantic sensibilities while still being entirely atmospheric. It's good. Like someone taught the Scottish how to love. It's a solid addition to any collection and that's a hard feat to achieve.
This time around has not been so kind. Having been around since 1995, it seems as if this band has either gotten stuck in a ditch or just become bored. Rather than attending to their music as a "whole package" ordeal, Arab Strap's new release makes the grievous error of showcasing vocalist Aidan Moffatt just a little too much. For some reason, "The Red Thread" doesn't seem to be invaded with this almost intrusive Scottish-accented dude whining about sex and whatnot. Somehow Moffatt is completely incapable of not sounding like a caricature of Sean Connery. It becomes either laughable or grating by track three.
"Dream Sequence" is the record's leading single, laden with a droll, repetitive piano line and almost monotone vocals. It lacks the comforting, near-ambient qualities from the stuff found on "The Red Thread." Instead, it rather feels like a lame attempt at mainstreaming their work to a fault. It's kind of a bummer to remember that Belle & Sebastian loved these dudes so much they named an album after them.
Oh, it's not all bad. "There is No Ending," despite a twangy, dingy brass line that could have effectively been replaced by something neater (suggestions: singing saw, melodica, kazoo, whatever), is a driving anthem and probably the most fun on the record. Nonetheless it still feels like a huge departure from "the old stuff," and that has to be overlooked. "El Paso Song," evidently a hidden track, is Arab Strap's Scotland-meets-Tex-Mex tribute. It seems like it should be wildly upsetting at first, but the song is actually pretty listenable.
-JEN TURNER
