Normally I
don’t review “samplers” from an album. In this case, however, the sampler I was
sent contains seven of the eleven tracks from CKY’s new album, ‘An Answer Can Be
Found’. Which of course begs the question, if you’re going to include almost
all the tracks on the sampler, why not just send the full disc? But I digress,
on to the music. CKY is one of the few bands today who play straight forward
melodic hard rock. They’re rooted in tradition but add enough modern elements
to avoid sounding even remotely retro. Unlike so many guitar oriented bands
these days, CKY isn’t afraid to show they actually know how to play those six
strings. No boring “chunk-a chunk-a” riffs, and honest to goodness guitar
solos. Real singing, too. All these elements were there on the band’s last
album, ‘Infiltrate, Destroy, Rebuild’, which I liked quite a bit. There still
present on this new album, but something seems to be missing. Songs like
“Suddenly Tragic” and “Dressed in Decay” are well written and feature some great
playing, but they just don’t have that oomph they need. I really have to lay
most of the blame on the production, which is so slick you could ice skate on
it. The guitars sound thin, while at the same time there must be like 30 vocal
tracks layered on some of these songs. The band could have stood to change up
the tempo a little bit, too. Every track moves along at about the same
mid-tempo pace. The only time the album really came alive for me was on the
more aggressive “Sniped” and during the solos. I’m hoping it’ll grow on me, but
at this point I couldn’t recommend it. (Bob Ignizio)
While it’s been a while since
The Driven High first started playing around Cleveland (originally under the
moniker The Hot Damn), this is their first official release. The band has a
sound that incorporates stoner rock with an emphasis on vocal harmonies courtesy
of twin sisters Karen and Michelle. Although The Driven High features a double
axe attack, self indulgent jamming is nowhere to be found on this disc. Lead
guitarist Pete is more about nice little accent licks than showing off how good
he can play his scales in a solo. The production avoids excessive overdubbing,
resulting in a very live sounding record with sort of a late sixties/early
seventies feel. Songs like “Whiskey”, “Give Me Back”, “SFE”, and “Jump in the
Fire” (not a Metallica cover but an original) are well crafted and show what
this band is capable of at their best. While not every track on here is as good
as those, enough are to make this a promising and worthwhile debut. For more
info, visit
http://www.thedrivenhigh.com. (Bob Ignizio)
Electronic
artists B. Fleischmann and Herbert Wixelbaum join forces in a collaboration
called duo 505, where they make good use of their 505 machines. I was completely
immersed in this disc. The opener is so damn sweet, with it's emotionally driven
synth line and bleepy drums. The drums on this record are so old school, and
that's what makes them rock. These 2 guys are solid geniuses. The only problem I
have with this record, is that it's too short, with only 7 tracks. I could use a
double CD of this. I'd suggest you pick this up, and listen to it, start to
finish. Go Germans. (Eddie Fleisher)
Columbus,
Ohio’s electric grandmother has been making audiences laugh and sing along for a
while now. Now it's the rest of the world's turn to experience "sitcom core".
This is the title Electric Grandmother picked for his music, which is a sort of
synth-pop with lyrics mostly about old television shows, mostly from the 80's.
It's a schtick that totally works for him. He can somehow manage to make songs
about TV characters relate to emotions. You sometimes forget the song is about
Urkel or Theo from the Cosby show. This latest disc is a whopping 32 tracks, and
well, all of them kick ass. The recording is top notch, EG has never sounded
better. There are some songs on here that I could totally see kids digging.
Anyone who likes Wesley Willis, Har Mar Superstar, Casiotone For The Painfully
Alone, Little Pocketknife, or other acts in that vein will enjoy this CD. The
thing I really dug about this latest record is the more serious songs that
aren't even about sitcoms, like the song about meeting his wife ("96"), and the
sad tune about friends who don't come through ("They Don't Call You"). And for
those who want to indulge in the sweet, sweet world of sitcom core, there's
awesome new stuff here like "Hanging Out With Mr. Cooper Sucks" (this could be a
single) and the hilarious "Depend on Balki". After you listen to this CD, be
sure to see EG live. EG, you rock. For more info go to
www.electricgrandmother.com.
(Eddie Fleisher)
Normally I
don’t review “samplers” from an album. In this case, however, the sampler I was
sent contains seven of the eleven tracks from CKY’s new album, ‘An Answer Can Be
Found’. Which of course begs the question, if you’re going to include almost
all the tracks on the sampler, why not just send the full disc? But I digress,
on to the music. CKY is one of the few bands today who play straight forward
melodic hard rock. They’re rooted in tradition but add enough modern elements
to avoid sounding even remotely retro. Unlike so many guitar oriented bands
these days, CKY isn’t afraid to show they actually know how to play those six
strings. No boring “chunk-a chunk-a” riffs, and honest to goodness guitar
solos. Real singing, too. All these elements were there on the band’s last
album, ‘Infiltrate, Destroy, Rebuild’, which I liked quite a bit. There still
present on this new album, but something seems to be missing. Songs like
“Suddenly Tragic” and “Dressed in Decay” are well written and feature some great
playing, but they just don’t have that oomph they need. I really have to lay
most of the blame on the production, which is so slick you could ice skate on
it. The guitars sound thin, while at the same time there must be like 30 vocal
tracks layered on some of these songs. The band could have stood to change up
the tempo a little bit, too. Every track moves along at about the same
mid-tempo pace. The only time the album really came alive for me was on the
more aggressive “Sniped” and during the solos. I’m hoping it’ll grow on me, but
at this point I couldn’t recommend it. (Bob Ignizio)
While it’s been a while since
The Driven High first started playing around Cleveland (originally under the
moniker The Hot Damn), this is their first official release. The band has a
sound that incorporates stoner rock with an emphasis on vocal harmonies courtesy
of twin sisters Karen and Michelle. Although The Driven High features a double
axe attack, self indulgent jamming is nowhere to be found on this disc. Lead
guitarist Pete is more about nice little accent licks than showing off how good
he can play his scales in a solo. The production avoids excessive overdubbing,
resulting in a very live sounding record with sort of a late sixties/early
seventies feel. Songs like “Whiskey”, “Give Me Back”, “SFE”, and “Jump in the
Fire” (not a Metallica cover but an original) are well crafted and show what
this band is capable of at their best. While not every track on here is as good
as those, enough are to make this a promising and worthwhile debut. For more
info, visit
Electronic
artists B. Fleischmann and Herbert Wixelbaum join forces in a collaboration
called duo 505, where they make good use of their 505 machines. I was completely
immersed in this disc. The opener is so damn sweet, with it's emotionally driven
synth line and bleepy drums. The drums on this record are so old school, and
that's what makes them rock. These 2 guys are solid geniuses. The only problem I
have with this record, is that it's too short, with only 7 tracks. I could use a
double CD of this. I'd suggest you pick this up, and listen to it, start to
finish. Go Germans. (Eddie Fleisher) 
Columbus,
Ohio’s electric grandmother has been making audiences laugh and sing along for a
while now. Now it's the rest of the world's turn to experience "sitcom core".
This is the title Electric Grandmother picked for his music, which is a sort of
synth-pop with lyrics mostly about old television shows, mostly from the 80's.
It's a schtick that totally works for him. He can somehow manage to make songs
about TV characters relate to emotions. You sometimes forget the song is about
Urkel or Theo from the Cosby show. This latest disc is a whopping 32 tracks, and
well, all of them kick ass. The recording is top notch, EG has never sounded
better. There are some songs on here that I could totally see kids digging.
Anyone who likes Wesley Willis, Har Mar Superstar, Casiotone For The Painfully
Alone, Little Pocketknife, or other acts in that vein will enjoy this CD. The
thing I really dug about this latest record is the more serious songs that
aren't even about sitcoms, like the song about meeting his wife ("96"), and the
sad tune about friends who don't come through ("They Don't Call You"). And for
those who want to indulge in the sweet, sweet world of sitcom core, there's
awesome new stuff here like "Hanging Out With Mr. Cooper Sucks" (this could be a
single) and the hilarious "Depend on Balki". After you listen to this CD, be
sure to see EG live. EG, you rock. For more info go to
