Although
this is labeled a remix album, that’s not entirely true. Most of these tracks
have either been altered beyond all recognition or else were never truly based
on the originals in the first place. Apparently Richard D. James, the man
behind the Aphex Twin moniker, gets so many remix requests that he often just
saves time by pulling out whatever leftover originals he has and turns them in
as remixes. Certainly his “remix” of Jesus Jones’ “Zeroes and Ones” falls into
this category. For the most part ’26 Mixes for Cash’ is a pretty laid back
affair, although most of the tracks do at least have some kind of beat. For
those not familiar with this artist, that’s not always the case with James. His
‘Ambient Works II’ consisted mainly of percussionless soundscapes. This
collection also tends to favor light and airy numbers over the dark and sinister
compositions Aphex Twin sometimes indulges in. Overall not much really stands
out on this for me, but it’s not bad. Recommended for fans only. (Bob Ignizio)
These guys kicked ass when I caught ‘em at The Grog Shop
recently, so I gladly forked over a ten spot at the merch table for this self
titled CD. While the band’s performance and songwriting abilities still shine
through, I’m a bit disappointed in Jack Endino’s production. The band comes off
sounding a bit like Soundgarden here which was not the case with their live
performance. By no means does this ruin the album, most of the songs are too
good for that. It’s just not what I expected. The three tracks which open
‘Camarosmith’ are probably my favorites. The sing along uptempo rockers “It’s
Alright” and “S.O.S.” get you groovin’ and movin’ while “714” is a slow and
sludgy slab o’ doom. “Sellout” is another strong uptempo number with some nice
roadhouse style harmonica for sonic flavoring. “This Need” is one of those
mellow verse/heavy chorus kinda’ songs, and a good one at that. “Sonic
Colonic” is a cool fuzz bass intro that leads into “Running Free”, which starts
off slow and bluesy and builds to an anthemic outro. The rest of the stuff on
here isn’t bad either, but doesn’t quite stand out as much. Overall lots of
killer guitar work and soulful vocals that should please fans of heavy seventies
rock. Great cover, too. (Bob Ignizio)
Supersuckers – ‘Motherfuckers Be Trippin’ (Mid Fi)
Glad the ‘suckers got that country thing out of their
systems. Not that I have anything against old school country, I just don’t
think the Supersuckers did it very well. The country influence is still
apparent (it’s always been a part of the band’s sound) but ‘Motherfuckers Be
Trippin’ is definitely a rock album. ‘Motherfuckers Be Trippin’ is chock full
of catchy barnburners like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Records (Ain’t Selling This Year)” ,
“Rock Your Ass”, “Bruises to Prove It”, and “A Good Night For Drinkin’”.
“Pretty Fucked Up” is a good semi-ballad while “The Fight Song” is a smokin’
anthem with one of those gang vocal choruses like old AC/DC and “Sleepy Vampire”
is a nice minor key lament. There are a few so-so tracks towards the end of the
album, but closing number “Goodbye” brings the disc to a fine conclusion. While
there isn’t one track that stands out like the classic “Born With a Tail”,
overall this may be the group’s best album. The emphasis of the songwriting is
on vocal melodies and clever lyrics, the riffs being fairly basic and
straightforward with just enough tasty lead work to keep things interesting.
(Bob Ignizio)
The Unknown – ‘Radio Lied To Me’ (Boss Tuneage Records)
Ugh. Maybe it's just me, but this well has run dry. The
whole pop-punk formula is a pretty shallow pool for this many people to be
wading around in. It's a genre in rock'n'roll that has been almost completely
reduced to a pretty boys only formula and you had better be young and cute to
survive. I'll admit that I don't follow the Cleveland local music scene
closely, but one would think that after being together for the past 10+ years I
would have at least heard of The Unknown! They've toured Europe aand their record label, Boss Tuneage, is located in the UK and
Japan. That means that they have some sort of following somewhere, right?
“They're big in Europe!” is kind of like saying you have a girlfriend who lives
in Canada. But I digress. “Radio Lied To Me” is the fifth(!) album for
Cleveland's The Unknown. The album itself really isn't bad, but then again, it
really isn't good, either. It's pretty generic pop-punk. A few hooks, some
whiny-boy vocals, forgettable melodies, songs about girls and loss, decent
production, more songs about girls, rinse and repeat. All this makes for a
pretty blah album. I wish I could say that some songs stand out from the
others, but that would be a lie. Nothing really stood out for me. If this
review seems to be a bit terse and negative, it's because it is. Opinions are
sometimes like that! (Mr. Lee)
Although
this is labeled a remix album, that’s not entirely true. Most of these tracks
have either been altered beyond all recognition or else were never truly based
on the originals in the first place. Apparently Richard D. James, the man
behind the Aphex Twin moniker, gets so many remix requests that he often just
saves time by pulling out whatever leftover originals he has and turns them in
as remixes. Certainly his “remix” of Jesus Jones’ “Zeroes and Ones” falls into
this category. For the most part ’26 Mixes for Cash’ is a pretty laid back
affair, although most of the tracks do at least have some kind of beat. For
those not familiar with this artist, that’s not always the case with James. His
‘Ambient Works II’ consisted mainly of percussionless soundscapes. This
collection also tends to favor light and airy numbers over the dark and sinister
compositions Aphex Twin sometimes indulges in. Overall not much really stands
out on this for me, but it’s not bad. Recommended for fans only. (Bob Ignizio)
These guys kicked ass when I caught ‘em at The Grog Shop
recently, so I gladly forked over a ten spot at the merch table for this self
titled CD. While the band’s performance and songwriting abilities still shine
through, I’m a bit disappointed in Jack Endino’s production. The band comes off
sounding a bit like Soundgarden here which was not the case with their live
performance. By no means does this ruin the album, most of the songs are too
good for that. It’s just not what I expected. The three tracks which open
‘Camarosmith’ are probably my favorites. The sing along uptempo rockers “It’s
Alright” and “S.O.S.” get you groovin’ and movin’ while “714” is a slow and
sludgy slab o’ doom. “Sellout” is another strong uptempo number with some nice
roadhouse style harmonica for sonic flavoring. “This Need” is one of those
mellow verse/heavy chorus kinda’ songs, and a good one at that. “Sonic
Colonic” is a cool fuzz bass intro that leads into “Running Free”, which starts
off slow and bluesy and builds to an anthemic outro. The rest of the stuff on
here isn’t bad either, but doesn’t quite stand out as much. Overall lots of
killer guitar work and soulful vocals that should please fans of heavy seventies
rock. Great cover, too. (Bob Ignizio)
Glad the ‘suckers got that country thing out of their
systems. Not that I have anything against old school country, I just don’t
think the Supersuckers did it very well. The country influence is still
apparent (it’s always been a part of the band’s sound) but ‘Motherfuckers Be
Trippin’ is definitely a rock album. ‘Motherfuckers Be Trippin’ is chock full
of catchy barnburners like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Records (Ain’t Selling This Year)” ,
“Rock Your Ass”, “Bruises to Prove It”, and “A Good Night For Drinkin’”.
“Pretty Fucked Up” is a good semi-ballad while “The Fight Song” is a smokin’
anthem with one of those gang vocal choruses like old AC/DC and “Sleepy Vampire”
is a nice minor key lament. There are a few so-so tracks towards the end of the
album, but closing number “Goodbye” brings the disc to a fine conclusion. While
there isn’t one track that stands out like the classic “Born With a Tail”,
overall this may be the group’s best album. The emphasis of the songwriting is
on vocal melodies and clever lyrics, the riffs being fairly basic and
straightforward with just enough tasty lead work to keep things interesting.
(Bob Ignizio)
Ugh. Maybe it's just me, but this well has run dry. The
whole pop-punk formula is a pretty shallow pool for this many people to be
wading around in. It's a genre in rock'n'roll that has been almost completely
reduced to a pretty boys only formula and you had better be young and cute to
survive. I'll admit that I don't follow the Cleveland local music scene
closely, but one would think that after being together for the past 10+ years I
would have at least heard of The Unknown! They've toured Europe aand their record label, Boss Tuneage, is located in the UK and
Japan. That means that they have some sort of following somewhere, right?
“They're big in Europe!” is kind of like saying you have a girlfriend who lives
in Canada. But I digress. “Radio Lied To Me” is the fifth(!) album for
Cleveland's The Unknown. The album itself really isn't bad, but then again, it
really isn't good, either. It's pretty generic pop-punk. A few hooks, some
whiny-boy vocals, forgettable melodies, songs about girls and loss, decent
production, more songs about girls, rinse and repeat. All this makes for a
pretty blah album. I wish I could say that some songs stand out from the
others, but that would be a lie. Nothing really stood out for me. If this
review seems to be a bit terse and negative, it's because it is. Opinions are
sometimes like that! (Mr. Lee)