Hot Sauce Committee Part Two Review!

I remember the first time I heard the Beastie Boys very well. My mom and I had driven to pick my brother up from his trumpet lesson, I was in middle school and was too young to be left at home to my own devices for small periods of time. However, I was allowed to be left in a Subaru Outback while my mom went inside and paid my brothers instructor and chatted for a moment. I’d usually dart the radio to Connecticut’s “alternative” rock station 104.1 and pray to hear some Linkin Park, Nirvana or whatever else I had heard on MTV2 that week. But one day, as I turned the dial I heard something unique. An alien-like voice rapping over a heavily layered and catchy beat, repeating one line over and over again. Fast forward to getting home and logging onto Napster, when I typed “Intergalactic” into the search bar, my view on music changed forever.



So, here I am, ten years later, and the Beastie Boys have become one of my favorite groups of all time. Over the years I have come to own all of their LP’s, even the awfully recorded punk rock demos Some Old Bullshit. And after their last two albums, my love and anticipation for new material has sort of stagnated, 2003’s To The 5 Boroughs was a step back in every aspect, it came off as a generic, run of the mill hip-hop record, from a group synonymous with changing the game, and 2007’s The Mix Up, while entertaning, did nothing to further the artistic vision of the Beastie Boys. So in 2009, when Adam “MCA” Yauch announced that an immediate need to treat lymph node cancer would put their forthcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part One on hold, I wasn’t all that upset (for the lack of an album, I was upset he was sick). I did enjoy the collabo-track “Too Many Rappers” that came out, featuring another prolific New York rapper, NaS. But even with that one new song, I wasn’t back on the “The Beastie Boys are the greatest group in hip-hop!” train.

Then, just a few weeks ago, the rumblings started. Amidst the obscene hype of new-coming hip-hoppers like Odd Future, Lil’ B, and the slew of other characters trying to catch my attention, the Beastie Boys released a trailer. It featured comedians Danny McBride, Seth Rogen and hobbit Elijah Wood in the same get-ups that the B-Boys wore in their iconic music video “Fight For Your Right” walking down the streets of New York crossing paths with the likes of Ted Dansen, Susan Sarandon, Orlando Bloom, Will Arnett and a load of other notable comedy names. Fast forward to the film’s release, and it is hilarious! But the music stood out between the a-list cameos and hijinks. There were a few tunes highlighted that were downright awesome. And with that, I was back.



Hot Sauce Committee Part Two picks up creatively where their iconic Hello Nasty ended. Within the first few moments of the album, we are given a new vision on the classic B-Boys sound. The first track, which is chopped up throughout their film, “Make Some Noise” is everything us Beastie fans have been without. Funky keyboards and live instruments reminiscent of Check Your Heads and The Mix-Up with the catchy and trademarked lyrical style that has made the group the icons they are. This song is a perfect opener, because it really sweeps the listener back into what the Beastie Boys are all about. While the chorus is a tad cliché (“Party on the left / Party on the right / Party for your mother fucking right to fight”) the sheer catchiness of the ordeal overshadows that. The next track features a bass line very similar stylistically to Herbie Hancock’s classic “Watermelon Man” over minimalist drums and tinny vocals. Mike D has a fun verse, but as the track goes on it gets a tad boring, especially when the vocal mix gets more and more tweaked. I mean, I understand stylistically this is something we’ve never really heard, but considering the beat is so minimal and the flow is laid back, that’s not necessary in my opinion.



The next track “Ok” kicks off with a more rock-feel, frequent collaborator Money Mark plays a simple keyboard lick and Mike D plays a straightforward rock beat. The verse lyrics are kind of boring, but in the chorus we see the Boys properly utilizing vocal effects, as a robot-like character gets soloed in a catchy and appropriate way. “Too Many Rappers” follows “Ok”, touting a ‘New Reactionaries Version’ following the title, and considering how much I loved the original version of this song, I am floored by this version. The easiest way to describe the remix would be inflated. It’s as if the 2009 version was stuck with a plug and pumped full of air. Everything is so much more resonant, the vocals echo from time to time and an added keyboard layer really adds a spacey dimension to this. My only problem with this track is minor, and it’s that NaS didn’t come in and spit a new verse. We hear changes from the boys, but NaS’s output is exactly the same as it was 2 years ago. His verse was good, so my complaint comes only as a super-fan.

A highlight follows “Too Many Rappers”, the song “Say It” feels like it belongs on Ill Communication. It’s dirty, features a punky guitar line and chorus. This fits very nicely next to their smash hit “Sabotage” and while that albums sound turns off some fans, I think it’s great, and this song is a nice throwback to that style. There’s a feel of angst and aggression that made me forget that these guys are in their mid 40’s. After a skit, the album changes pace with the reggae sounding “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” featuring Santigold. At first, I was really turned off to this song, it sort of sticks out like a sore thumb, but the more I listen to this album, the more I like this track. It’s really an area the Boys haven’t approached in this style. It’s got a catchy chorus from Santigold and the verses are solid. The next few tracks are more of what has been established on the first few tracks, “Long Burn the Fire” and “Funky Donkey” are both decent songs.

“Tadlock’s Glasses” follows another interlude and is one of the coolest beats on the album. This song was originally the title track of the album, and with good reason, it’s really unique. The samples are really cool, and the returning spacey vocals actually fit properly. “Lee Majors Comes Again” is another punky number that reminds me of their days as a legitimate punk rock band. It’s an odd track, and I can see it being something that the true hip-hop fans don’t like, but I think it’s pretty cool. They follow that with “Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament” a funky instrumental that acts as a nice cool down point following the loud and perhaps polarizing “Lee Majors”. The album ends with two decent tracks and a final skit, all of which entertain, but don’t do too much to make the album better or worse. Ending on a more bland note is a bit upsetting, but considering the bang of the first few tracks, it’s entirely forgivable.

At the end of the day there are visible errors with this album, problems that I can point at and say “I don’t like this thing” or “I wish they hadn’t done this,” but for every one of those moments there are two or three ones where I find myself going “That is really cool.” So the minor errors, ones that don’t have a truly negative effect on the songs, are entirely overshadowed by the unique, refreshing sound of the Beastie Boys. Having listened to this album several times, I can gladly say that it ranks among their best, and is sure to please true fans of the group. Also, I think it’s worth noting that this album has a much wider appeal, in the diversity of songs and beats, non-fans may find this album easier to dive into than say Check Your Head or even their debut. As of this moment, this is my favorite album of the year thus far. Will it hold onto that coveted title? Only time will tell.

Quick update.

I've discovered this website called Rate Your Music. It's a simple site that lets you sort your collections, create your own rating systems, and just RATE YOUR MUSIC! Check out my profile, make a page, friend me...it's all good!

http://rateyourmusic.com/~dwinch

Review: Gorillaz-Plastic Beach

Let us take a time machine back some years to 2001. I was in eighth grade and had heard about a cartoon band that played a song called “Clint Eastwood,” At the time I would listen to any rock band I was told to by my peers and the great Total Request Live, so I went on Napster and downloaded the song and liked it. I didn’t understand any of the lyrical content, but it was pretty cool. A few weeks later I went to the mall and bought the self titled album, reveling in the fact that a 13 year old managed to buy a CD with an Explicit Lyrics sticker without getting carded or thrown out of F.Y.E. (I still think that the two F bombs on that album don't warrant a sticker) I listened to “Clint” along with the other single “Rock The House” but never really appreciated the album as a whole; I mean lets look at what was in my CD collection at that juncture. I can literally tell you every CD I owned at that point and I will; I had Let it Be and Magical Mystery Tour, Sum 41’s All Killer No Filler, Weezer’s Green Album, U.K. industrial band Pitchshifter’s www.pitchshifter.com, and Cartoon Network’s Brak Presents the Brak Album Starring Brak. So of course at this point in time I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My young brain couldn’t fathom hip hop or Britpop, so I would skip to “Clint” and “Rock the House” and then eject the CD and carry on with my day. So as the years passed and I learned more about music in general, my appreciation for the Gorillaz as well as Damon Albarn’s other works grew exceedingly. Demon Days has been consistently in my driving only CD book since I’ve had my license and I was lucky enough to see Albarn alongside Paul Simonon and other famous people with The Good, The Bad and The Queen back in my freshman year of college. With all of that in mind, you can imagine the amount of joy I was in when I heard Plastic Beach was coming out...


The "Experience Edition"

The album’s “Orchestral Intro” does for this album what the grim “You are now entering the harmonic room...” did for Demon Days, it opens the door for the audience to enter into the artificially wonderful world of Plastic Beach. The next track, the aptly named “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach” shows just how uppity and over produced the Beach really is. Toting a prominent guest spot from Snoop Dogg, arguably one of our days most “plastic” rappers who doesn't have the price tag of a Jay-Z or Lil Wayne. To me Snoop’s appearance comes off as a bit forced, Albarn has connections to several great rappers, some of which appear later on the album, but really? Snoop Dogg? How great would it have been to start the album with a returning verse from Del Tha Funky Homosapien? Del’s voice lends itself well to the sound Albarn wants, not to mention the check would be much smaller than that of the multi-platinum Dogg. But Snoop aside, the tracks quirky synths and tweaked vocals from Albarn make for a great introduction.

“White Flag,” the next track, features a smoothly layered beat from The National Orchestra For Arab Music alongside rappers Bashy and Kano, with no lyrical contributions from Albarn himself. The synth-pop drum machine loops compliment the layers of strings and flutes incredibly well. Following “White Flag” is “Rhinestone Eyes,” which may be the best track on the album. Albarn resumes the role of lead singer while punchy drum kicks behind the catchiest synth line I’ve heard in a long time. This track truly encompasses Albarn’s desire to truly innovatively combine hip hop, pop and rock. While it doesn’t tote heavy guitars, rap, or a catchy chorus, the laid back vocals, head nodding musicals and heavy bass get the job done. The next two tracks had been leaked weeks earlier, and feel much more at home and relevant in the context of the album rather than standalone songs. Following “Rhinestone” the 80’s synthesized bass and drums of “Stylo” drone over and over. At first I found the song boring, especially considering the miniscule role Mos Def plays. However, the incredibly abstract Bobby Womack breathes life into the repetitive track. “Superfast Jellyfish” the next track, with “Feel Good Inc.” alums De La Soul reappearing, is another one of the albums highlights. The layers come in gradually and effectively, with Albarn singing a fun hook that is reminiscent of the aforementioned “Feel Good Inc.” and “Clint Eastwood” however talking about eating jellyfish is a tad awkward, even for the Gorillaz standards. “Empire Ants” is a relaxing next track, showing us another more serene side of the Beach. Even when the drums and bass kick two and a half minutes into the song, this track serves as a bit of a cool down, and a really funky one too.



“Glitter Freeze” starts thumping with a Muse-like bass line with jumpy keyboards and keeps on layering them over and over for the mostly instrumental track, which almost acts as a beginning to Act II of the album. “Some Kind of Nature” follows up with the lazy vocals of Lou Reed over happy instrumentals. While I’m not a fan of The Velvet Underground or Reed’s solo work, I must say that his vocals are rather underwhelming. He seems to trot along waiting for Albarn to come in and bring the hook in each chorus. When they finally start trading the vocals back and forth things get more interesting, but just as with Snoop Dogg, I feel as though the guest spot could’ve been shelled out to a more deserving, lesser-known name. The 80’s ballad-esque “On Melancholy Hill” is another fun track, although it is a bit forgettable. It’s a harmless track, but I can’t deny it’s catchy. The next song, “Broken,” is in the same vain. It’s not going to be one of the songs that goes down in the history books as one of Damon’s greatest, but it is good within the context of Plastic Beach.

The Mos Def driven “Sweepstakes” is another one of those tracks I can’t quite wrap my head around. I love the chaotic music, but I think Mos delivers some of the weakest stuff we’ve heard from him. The song pushes in at over 5 minutes, which is a bit of a feat for a rapper, and the constant repetition of the songs title is really off putting, especially at this point of the album. I don’t feel like a winner, regardless of how many times Mos Def says I am. However, following “Sweepstakes” is one of the albums greatest tracks. “Plastic Beach” features former Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon along with Damon delivering cool lyrics. While the musical contributiones don’t scream “THE CLASH WAS HERE!” the thumping bass is certainly reminiscent of The Good, The Bad and The Queen. “To Binge” is another one of those sort of forgettable tracks, good but not great.

“Cloud of Unknowing” brings back Bobby Womack, who seems so genuine when singing along to the slower track that for once doesn’t kick in with drums and bass. It is a truly unique point of the album that Womack more or less gives himself. And the albums closing track “Pirate Jet” contains all the elements that made the rest of the album great, synthesizers layered above dub style bass with Albarn singing harmonies over himself. It is a good closer, it’s a great sendoff to the over produced world of Plastic Beach.

So overall, the album is good. To say it’s as good as Demon Days is an overstatement, but as an album, there is certainly some purpose to what is going on. My problems come in three places here. Number one is the fact that while the synth lines are catchy and fun, they are abused to no end on this album. I understand it’s all part of the concept, but on both prior Gorillaz albums, there is no such repeating musical theme, and that’s what makes them two classic albums! My second complaint is the abundance of guest spots from big musical names. While they don’t entirely detract from the overall product, they don’t do much to add to it. The best guest spots are from prior collaborators and lesser known acts. What I loved about the prior records was the way the Albarn took lesser known people and put them on a pedestal, giving them the most exposure some of them have ever had. Del the Funky Homosapien and MF Doom have never seen such prominent sales numbers as on their Gorillaz tracks and Damon brought De La Soul back into the limelight after they had been underground for several years. I don’t listen to Gorillaz because of the guest stars, I listen because I love Damon Albarn’s songwriting. And while it is certainly very much sound on Plastic Beach, the overflow of big names detracts from the product. And while it can be argued that the guest list is meant to compliment the plastic theme of the album, I think it’s plastic enough musically. My last complaint is that on the prior two albums, I felt as though I was in the world of 2-D, Russel, Murdoch and Noodle, but on this I feel like I am alongside Damon Albarn. I don't feel as swept into the world of these 4 characters as I once did, maybe it's because I'm older and I watched the making of DVD, or maybe it's because the characterization isn't as important as it once was.

All in all Plastic Beach is a good album, and at this point of the year, a contender for the best. But alongside Damon Albarn’s other works with Gorillaz, Blur and other side projects, this album isn’t the greatest.

My 2009 Playlist (thus far)

A lot of people have been asking me, “Dave, what’s the best album of the year?” and I gotta say, if you know me, I don’t judge until the end. I mean, I keep a quiet list in my head of good stuff, but I never really choose until I’m sitting down at my computer writing up the list. In fact, last year Vampire Weekend was my number one album until I sat down in a noisy Subaru dealership and realized just how great Atmosphere’s album was. But all of this aside, I won’t tell you what’s the best, but I will give you an idea of my favorite tracks of the year thus far. This is not in any order, it’s just a list of the songs that have held my attention for several plays...

1. Mos Def ft. Slick Rick-Auditorium
I’ve been talking about this track for the last week or two to people, but it’s been played a whole lot in said week. Up until The Ecstatic came out, I was against Mos, his last two albums were extremely disappointing, and his ego is completely out of whack. I saw him make a fool of himself on Bill Maher and remember just shaking my head in shame. But the new album is straight up classic Mos, and this track in particular shows that he still has a grasp of how to pull some strings to add credibility. Slick Rick hasn’t been “relevant” for a long time, but this track shows that unlike so many rappers that lose their lyrical game with age (Fat Joe, Snoop) he’s still got it and he’s not just glitzy chains and an eye patch. The beat is chill to the point of being haunting and the lyrics are nice.
2. The Cutoff Frequency-Danny pt. 2
Considering I know all of the members of this band very well, this song making the list shows something of its quality. I am a very harsh judge of local music, especially with people I’ve played with, and in the case of the Cutoff Frequency that’s every single member. But something about this song, the harmonies in the chorus, the synth line, it just hits the spot for me. And the mix is really dirty sounding, in a good way.
3. Eminem ft. Dr. Dre-Old Times Sake
Relapse is a lackluster album, if there is one thing I can forewarn you of my list for best of the year, it’s that unless #2 is a classic, Eminem won’t make it. But this song shows how good the album could’ve been. Granted the lyrics are hollow, but it’s Dre and Em showing they’ve still got the rhythm that made them so famous. I think this may be the closest we’ll get to the Eminem we all loved so much.
4. Kid Cudi ft. Ratatat and MGMT-Pursuit of Happiness
The first time I heard this track I thought it was pretentious, as I think Cudi’s ego exceeds his ability (my friend did sound for him and told me some horror stories) but the MGMT and Ratatat combo on this track really makes it. And I don’t dislike Kid Cudi, I like his slow moving delivery, he’s not trying to show you he’s the best lyricist in the game, because I think he’s aware he’s not. He’s more about cranking out decent jams that make you think for a little while. Ratatat’s signature sound just stinks up this track and it’s great.
5. Lily Allen-The Fear
By far the best pop track of the year. Lily is the anti-hero for pop music and that’s why I love her. Not only does she completely buy into the paparazzi, but she makes incredibly catchy, yet credible music. Since this is an early album I think a lot of critics will forget to put it on their lists, but it certainly deserves to be there.
6. Sneep Deepy ft. Mike Falzone-Better Than Me
I like hip-hop music. I like friends from my hometown. So this is a logical choice for this list. Mr. Deepy raps about things that are relevant to any CT townie, but at the same time speaks to people getting dirt from others who have no reason to lay it down. There’s a great line that where speaking on a beer pong game, he coldly taunts his opponent with, “Nice state school sweat shirt. You ain’t better than me.” DAMN!
7. RX Bandits- It’s Only Another Parsec...
Nice Star Wars reference first of all. Secondly this song rocks out hard. I was weary that without the horns RXB would lose their signature sound, but the sick nasty use of keyboards fills that void perfectly in this song. The heavy rocking of the tunes combined with the jam-friendly hands of guitarists Matt Embree and Steve Choi make this track a near perfect one of its genre.
8. Slaughterhouse-The One
Slaughterhouse is a “supergroup” of four underground emcee’s looking to break through to the mainstream, and this track is the one in which they tried the hardest. They spit about celebrities, drugs, alcohol and partying, but do it in a classy old school Slim Shady manner, showing that while they may talk smack, they are doing it intricately enough that you have to respect it. There’s a line where Royce Da 5’9” mentions old school icons Rod Stewart and Ozzy Osbourne, only to follow it up with witty lines about Keri Hilson and Paris Hilton. If only Joe Budden didn’t run his mouth and get knocked out by...
9. Raekwon ft. Inspektah Deck, Ghostface Killah and Method Man
At Rock The Bells in New York they were giving away free posters for Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II and I said to myself, “I’ll hang this up on my wall until the album comes out and if it’s good I’ll keep it up.” Little did I know just how good it would be. This track is reminiscent of classic Wu-Tang, the lyrics on point and the beat as kung fu influenced as you’d expect it to be. Awesome.
10. Mike Falzone & The Peppermint Trick-Leave a Little For the Fallout
I love Stratford CT’s king, Mike Falzone’s music, but in the past, I felt that it wasn’t complete. There was always something missing from it. On his album Fairview, it felt like the hip-hop beats were taking away from his songwriting, and on his next release Fun With Honesty, the music was there, but the band didn’t feel like it was truly a band of it’s own, rather an ensemble gathered to record the EP. On his newest release Do It For the Story, Falzone and new band The Peppermint Trick hit gold. This track is so well put together, it’s a great first track to the EP, and the layering of instruments into an extremely satisfying explosion of sound is awesome. The keyboards especially make me smile.
11. Spinal Tap-Stonehenge
The new Tap album is kind of pointless, a few new tracks and refreshed recordings of the old songs, most of which don’t sound as good as their originals. Stonehenge however, takes the greatness of the classic version and injects some modern ROCK into it. It’s the same song it once was, but it kicks so much harder now.
12. Dylan Connor- Breakaway and Burn
Wow, I love local music. Dylan Connor, the teacher by day, rock star by night, is somewhat comparable to Mike Falzone. On his last album Plug In, his songs were beautiful and well written, but they lacked the kick that would bring them up to classic level. On Breakaway Republic, his live band took to the studio and made this album, but specifically this track great. The way the slap bass smoothly layers in the chorus and the drums move the verse along is beautiful.
13. La Coka Nostra-That’s Coke
La Coka Nostra are a bunch of angry white middle-aged rappers who still grip onto their gangsta personas and pray that the public believes in them. The only catch is that it’s all entirely believable! They come off as scary dudes that seem like they may kill you. Made up of House of Pain (Everlast, DJ Lethal, Danny Boy O’Connor) and Ill Bill and Slaine, LCN are not afraid to scare you, but make you bob your head along for the ride.
14. Miley Cyrus-Party in the USA
If you consider the fact that a group of Disney pop songwriters crafted this song, tracked the instruments and came up with everything and then autotuned the hell out of Miley Cyrus’s voice, it’s really easy to get behind this track. It’s so catchy and the synth line in the chorus is awesome. Just put your hands up!
15. Drake ft. Lil’ Wayne, Kanye West, and Eminem-Forever
Wow, what a lineup. I think this song blew “Swagga Like Us” out of the water. The beat is instantly memorable, the clichéd airhorns adding to the power of it. Lyrically it’s none of these guys’ best verses, but it’s certainly worth listening to. The best part is the beat under Wayne’s verse, it gets so dark. And this also proves how good Relapse could’ve been had Eminem tried.
16. Chickenfoot-Sexy Little Thing
Something about this supergroup made up of Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith screams, “Stay away, we’re pure cheese!” but anyone who knows me I will dive head first in! It’s awesome! It’s fun, mindless and catchy.

Now there are other albums I really like, and some of the tracks on this list are parts of a lesser whole, so don’t let this little mixtape give you assumptions of what’s number one or two or three!

DVD Review: Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan

dir: Gerard Barclay

The Wu-Tang Clan is in my top 5 musical groups of all time. I can't tell you why, I can't tell you exactly when, and I can't tell you for what reason, but about two years ago something in my head just clicked and told me, "This group will change the way you look at hip-hop music." I'd had Enter The Wu-Tang on my iTunes for some time, and most of it I'd listened to and liked, but none of it had really sunk in. I saw them on Rock the Bells 2007, co-headlining with Rage Against the Machine, both of whom had re-united for the tour, and I remember when they hit the stage there was a reverence. There was a level of respect between the members on stage and the percentage of the crowd that was into the music that I wish that I had for a group, and sure enough two years later, I have it for them.

With that in mind, I've spent my fair share of money on the Clan. I physically own 15 of their CD's, several from the group, several solo and a small handful of compilation albums, I have 2 t-shirts a hoody, a limited run poster on my wall, and I spent an entire afternoon in Barnes and Noble reading their first book The Wu-Manual (I didn't buy it because the cover was ripped nearly off). So for all I's and P's, I'm a big fan. So when BET went out and said they were airing a documentary to celebrate the group, I was ecstatic. It had been years since the Wu had received mainstream media attention, and with such a strong resumé since their last big commercial success, it was time. Unfortunately due to schedule conflicts (Damn you, Hofstra!) I didn't catch the doc on TV. So, thanks to the lovely people at Netflix, I finally got to watch the documentation of the Clan's career.

To sum it up, this documentary is not for Wu fans. It scratches the surface of their career, paying attention to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows of the CLAN, not of each of the 10 members. It can be more or less broken into five major segments:

1. The Rise
2. Enter the Wu-Tang/National Recognition
3. The fame/Wu-Tang Forever
4. Ol' Dirty Bastard's jailing and death
5. (a very brief look at) Modern Wu.

Now for those that don't know the music of the Clan, this may seem legitimate. But what the documentary skims over is just as, if not more important than some of the topics covered. Director Gerard Barclay chooses to omit the fact that two of the groups spawned solo albums, GZA's Liquid Swords and Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx influenced the hip hop game on comparable levels to their debut Enter the Wu-Tang. I read a review on the Internet Movie Database that said it was forgivable to skip over these because they weren't the entire Clan efforts. Well perhaps that's true, but all of the first round of Wu solo albums were produced by RZA, and all of them featured most of the Clan on several tracks, Raekwon's album "guest starring" Ghostface Killah on over half of the album. But even if these factors weren't involved in the solo albums, the documentary completely leaves out the groups other two albums, The W and Iron Flag the first of which was O.D.B.'s last album with the Clan.

And aside from the discography, the overall production of this documentary is highly flawed. The stock footage is shotty, and the audio is mostly overdubbed during live performances. Not to mention there are only two concerts used, one of which before Enter the Wu was released, the other after their massive success and release of Wu-Tang Forever. The interviews are very limited, mostly RZA and non-members such as Steve Rifkind of Loud Recrods. There are brief stock interviews of several members, and Raekwon, Cappadonna and affiliate Popa Wu are the only ones who were interviewed in 2008 for the documentary. This leaves out GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Inspektah Deck and Masta Killa, all of whom surely have stories of the Clan.

Another piece of the documentary that I found to be a bit frustrating was the amount of attention paid to O.D.B. I understand his passing was the moment the Clan re-grouped, but given the amount of time to cover the careers of all 10 members, Dirty's last days are treated as though he was the only important member of the group. There is enough material and footage of Ol' Dirty Bastard to make a documentary just on him, and it would be fascinating, but when I put in The Story of the Wu-Tang I expect to be given views on most of, if not all of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Director/Writer/Narrator Barclay also lacks motivation. When he speaks, it's as if he's reading a written script he's never heard before, lacking any emotion. His edits are weak, his stock footage of New York from the 1990's is non-existent, and his range as a director is incredibly low. I understand how he thought he was the right fit for the job, as he'd been the man behind the camera for a lot of memorable Wu-Tang moments, but his lack of any real filmmaking skill takes away that level of being the right fit.

In his last shots of the documentary, Barclay and his crew manage to spell Masta Killa's name wrong (Masta Killer) as well as the title of 8 Diagrams (calling it Diagram singular). He also summarizes the most famous members with their own frame, lumping the "lower-level" members all on one frame listing them, saying they "are recording new albums." However, it's fine for him to give himself a frame saying "I continue to direct". It's an insulting end to a lackluster documentary by an unqualified director.

I highly recommend the 2006 doc by Denis Hennelly and Casey Suchan Rock the Bells, the documentation of the Wu's first and last reunion before Dirty's death. It's an extremely deep and fascinating look into one concert that covers more about each Wu member than this entire waste of time did about the whole Clan.

Review: Swan Songs by Hollywood Undead

They were on sale at Sports Authority!


Let me begin by professing my love for nü- metal. I love nü-metal. A lot of people ask me why? I don’t know, it just hits the spot when I need it to, simple as that. Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other was the first CD I remember using my own money to buy, granted it was censored, but I was in the seventh grade.

In the case of the three kings of nü-metal, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and Korn, the common factor is the strong musicianship backing up the somewhat lackluster lyricists of Mike Shinoda, Fred Durst, and Jonathon Davis respectively. But in the genre, the lyrics don’t exactly matter, they’re not channeling great MC’s like NaS or Talib Kweli, they’re screaming about driving their cars and doing things their way and telling people to shut up when they talk. But not once, not ever, have I taken these bands seriously. I love the musicians in Limp Bizkit and Korn, and I admit that Linkin Park can hold their own, but I completely understand how some consider the genre to be a skid mark on rock and roll’s history. I don’t, but I understand if you do.

So with my love for the genre in mind, you can imagine that when I heard about California’s Hollywood Undead, I was excited. A new nü-metal band? It seemed too good to be true. I’d seen some critics trash them, but that’s to be expected. Limp Bizkit’s classic Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water got butchered by critics. “Whatever,” I said, “No big deal, I’m sure if they have their heads in the right place, they’ll make fun music.” So with that I dove into their debut LP Swan Songs, excited for the genres regeneration. And to add to Songs’ credibility, Don Gilmore, producer of Linkin Park’s first two album, put his producer stamp on this. A passing of the torch perhaps?

The album starts with the steady rockin’ “Undead” which samples The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” while layering gang vocals and mindless rap. What struck me instantly on the first track, is that while the music kicked some serious behind, the lyrics weren’t like that of the great gods of Durst, Shinoda and Davis, but more along the lines of Lil’ John. They were actually trying to rap over the mildly good metal grooves. It took a moment to set in, but I got over the ridiculousness of that. I said to myself, “I can get behind this if it gets better musically throughout the album.”


Slipknot doesn't wear scene clothes!

Little did I know that Hollywood Undead had absolutely no clue what they wanted there sound to be when they made this album. They spend most of the it jumping back and forth between somewhat heavy tracks and goofy party rock tracks. I thought I was going to be listening to a new age Linkin Park, but instead I was getting a stupidly bad-ass LMFAO. The “rappers” Charlie Scene, J-Dog, Johnny 3 Tears, Funny Man and Da Kurlzz have absolutely no idea how to construct lyrics without coming off like complete and utter morons. I said only a few paragraphs up that even the iconic nü-metal singers couldn’t write decent lyrics, but they never went out and tried to make songs that read like real radio rap music. In the albums low point, “Everywhere I Go”, one of the rappers (I can’t tell the difference most of the time) spits the lyric “Gotta get drunk before my mom wakes up / Break-up with my girlfriend so I can bang sluts.” And did I mention that the chorus of the song Charlie Scene makes several references to his “weenie” in the same song?

What also makes “Everywhere” a terrible song is the way it’s rapped. Charlie Scene, or whomever it is, channels Eminem incredibly poorly. Trying to be that Slim Shady-esque character made famous in tracks like “My Name Is” before kicking the chorus with a Fall Out Boy like whine, again, referring to his “weenie” more than once during every chorus.

The band also reminds me of another similar band, Chronic Future, the only difference being that Chronic Future makes pop-punk infused rap music, not heavy metal. There’s some uppity vibe sent out by Chronic Future that makes their happy music generally work, while Hollywood Undead talk about having meaningless sex, drinking and smoking marijuana while trying to layer keyboards and drum machines. My advice; if you want to make this music work, don’t overdo the novelty instruments. In this case, the keys are certainly novelty. Very, very much so. Most of the album is overly layered with this stuff.

And just when they appear to have done everything in their power to make me dislike them, the band goes back into a sad rock song about why life is meaningless, or something along those lines. While the albums most popular single, “Young” does convey a decent amount of competence on the part of the musicians and the singers, that and the first track alone don’t have nearly enough power to keep the album stable.

With that being said, Hollywood Undead is a hopeless cause. Garbed in their hockey masks, but rapping about how everyone knows who they are, talking about how hardcore they are and then singing about taking their clothes off in the club and wearing scene clothes, Hollywood Undead are just a musical contradiction. I don’t recommend this album to anyone, unless you find the masterful work of LMFAO to be not hardcore enough, but on the right track.

Summer Movie On Point INSANITY

Yeah no updates in mad long. Clearly working full time all summer and being of legal age to attend bars has gotten in the way of my posting. But alas, I am here once again at my computer, sitting in the comforts of my nice new Hofstra University dormitory. People have asked me what I thought of the summer movies, and it's tough because I saw quite a few of them. And I am bored on my last day of summer, so I would love to go and give you ON POINT REVIEWS for all of them!

Star Trek
A re-boot of the classic Sci-Fi franchise. The Lost and Cloverfield icon J.J. Abrams took the helm, and the question was posed; Can you take the geekiest thing in the world and make the world love it?




Pros
-The action was great, sci-fi space battles are a hard thing to make truly unique, but the ship designs really made this a sight to see. The man to man (or man to Vulcan, man to Romulan, you know what I mean) were good too.
-The ensemble was great, Zach Quinto and Chris Pine leading perfectly as Spock and Kirk respectively. John Cho, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana and Anton Yelchin filled out the Enterprise near perfectly as well. Not to mention Eric Bana was near unrecognizable as Captain Nero.
-It was fun, it never took itself too seriously and really made for a great experience.
Cons
-Leonard Nimoy, while a pleasure to have in the film, sort of lingered around. He didn't do much to advance the story after his initial scene, but he just kept coming back to offer more wisdom.
-There wasn't enough time to let the secondary characters bloom. It seemed as though they were brought in for one scene (Sulu's swordfight for instance) and then tossed back for some supporting lines here and there. But since this was the first in what will surely be a franchise, it's forgiveable.


The Hangover
The sleeper hit of the summer, four friends go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party and much chaos ensues.



Pros
-The ensemble worked well together. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifinakis bounced off of each other very well. While Zach clearly stole the show with his awkwardness, Cooper's overexcited schoolteacher was my favorite.
-Visually, the movie was really good. There were some instances where I forgot I was watching a comedy because the shots of Vegas were so good.
-The whole "crazy stuff happens in Vegas" thing worked out to the movies' advantage. It was a bit cliché, but the movie didn't aim to challenge.
-Mike Tyson. Enough said.
Cons
-Galifinakis seemed to constantly push the limit of what he was doing, and several times, his character cracked incredibly dumb jokes, that even in context were just stupid.
-It got a lot of hype to be the next iconic comedy of this generation, and I feel as though it isn't at all. It's a fun, thoughtless comedy that is just around for laughs.
-It teetered between serious and over-the-top too much. Ed Helms falling for the stripper, while Ken Jeong hops out of the trunk of a car naked...two complete opposites that made the pacing a tad awkward.


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Robots blow things up, Megan Fox walks around all hot and stuff. Shia Labeof spits out quirky one liners.



Pros
-The first 45 minutes retained the fun over the original Transformers. It was fun, light hearted and didn't take itself seriously.
-The CGI is incredible, truly a sight to see.
-John Turturro, while spitting out terrible dialogue, manages to be funny against all odds.
-Megan Fox is incredible, truly a sight to see.
Cons
-After the first 45 minutes, the movie gets completely random, too hard to follow and downright stupid, and not in a good way like the first one.
-Too many robots! The first one was good because you could keep track of what Autobots and Decepticons were on the front line. The motorcycle trio, the Fallen, the old man...to many!
-Too much pointless action. Now I like things blowing up like any living male, but I'd like there to be a reason. It seemed that every chance Bay was given to blow something up he did.
-Megan Fox can't act. But did you really go to see her act?

Bruno
The guy who grew a dirty mustache to play Borat brings his third Ali G show character to the U.S.A. in this homophobe targeting flick.



Pros
-There is a lot of shock humor in here. Unexpected stuff left and right.
-Bruno really pushes some people to their brink and it's hilarious. A scene when he interviews parents about their babies modeling for him shows just how irrational some people can be.
-Larry Charles (director) has a knack for good timing. He lets the awkwardness settle in when it needs to, and he cuts away to accentuate a joke that doesn't need anything at all.
-The final "real" bit is fantastic, I laughed for a long time.
-One celebrity cameo is so funny that it lingers around the whole film, and at points you find yourself saying "Remember when that famous person made that great line?" and started chuckling again.
-They get the "fashionisto" bits out the way early. Those were his worst parts on the TV show. Putting him out of his element is much funnier than keeping him in it.
Cons
-The staged bits in this weren't as effective as they were in Borat. They seemed to just make too many awkward gay jokes, whereas in Borat, they actually developed the "story."
-While Borat pointed out the racism and ignorance in Americans while they let their guard down around him, Bruno merely pointed out the homophobia in people. While that was certainly funny, it didn't offer that same look at society that Bruno did.
-Male nudity urks me. And there is one scene of excessive male nudity.


Funny People
Judd Apatow directs this flick about a dying comedian who employs a young up-and-comer to help him organize his life.




Pros
-Sandler plays his best dramatic role to date, and perhaps that can be attributed to the fact that he plays a darker version of himself.
-The ensemble cast is good. Schwartsman and Hill especially compliment each other and Rogen. Bit parts from RZA and Aziz Ansari are good too.
-The stand-up comedy is really funny.
-Eric Bana's arrival is great, and he is hysterical.
-The cameos are for the most part great, Eminem, Ray Romano, Sarah Silverman, Dave Attell, Norm MacDonald, James Taylor, Justin Long. It added a little flare to the flick.
Cons
-It was too long and poorly paced. Had it flowed in the optimal way, it could have been his best movie, and an award contender for sure.
-Rogen didn't do much. In Knocked Up he showed us that he could put some heart to his slacker, here he's just a guy who wants to make it.
-Not enough of the bit parts from RZA and Aziz Ansari.
-The relationship between Rogen's character and Aubrey Plaza's was kind of forced. It could have been a real focal point of the movie.
-It was promoted as a comedy when really it was a drama. A bit more comedy couldn't have hurt it, but it was a real bad job on the PR part.


District 9
Aliens who are stuck on earth are treated like dirt.



Pros
-The small budget is used fatastically. The special effects are really good and real looking.
-All of the weapons used by the aliens are awesome and innovative. It's good to see new things in a movie like this.
-Sharlto Coply is a very convincing lead. Considering this was his first acting role, I think he deserves much kudos.
-The fights are great, they are subdued and minimal, but when stuff goes down, it goes down hardcore.
-The plot takes some strange archs, as characters turn their back on each other left and right.
Cons
-The flick segways from a mockumentary to a movie poorly. It keeps going back and forth.
-In the end, the film comes to a bit of a ragtag action ending. While most of the story is logical and proves points socially, the end does nothing more than showboat the CG, which is great.


Inglorious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino kills Hitler.




Pros
-Tarantino's dialogue is great, the first scene in which "The Jew Hunter" interviews a farmer who may or may not be housing Nazi's is superb. He builds tension so well and delivers in the release.
-Pitt plays his best character since Snatch. Aldo Raine is a hilariously brutal individual.
-The brief action sequences are satisfying to no end.
-The interweaving plots are interesting. To see them connect at the end is cool.
-Christopher Waltz was fantastic, he played the manipulative Nazi so well.
Cons
-Not enough of the Basterds. They were on screen for only a brief period of time.
-The pacing was off at times, while not as bad as in Funny People, it could have had a few minutes trimmed and it would have been fine.
-The secondary Basterds weren't given enough time, B.J. Novak and Samm Levine especially. That's just cause I'm a comedy geek.
-Mike Myers served no real purpose, he may have been good, but he didn't do anything.


ALRIGHT that about wraps it up. I'm seeing Up this weekend! Finally!

WWE Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View Review

Before I begin let me say that I'm not 100% on the match order, but all the matches are there.

I’ve never written a review for a pay-per-view before so I’m going to do this as follows: Give my pre-show thoughts, rate each match individually, and then give my overall thoughts. Okay? Good.




PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS:
I was mildly interested in watching this show. The card was underwhelming, and the fact that WWE has cut so much “extreme” stuff like bleeding and dangerous moves from their now TV-PG rated programming really lead me to believe that this show was going to be a really weak representation of what “extreme” truly is. And with the recent release of Mr. Kennedy, I’ve been down on the company. So the odds were definitely stacked against the ol’ WWE for this event.

MATCH #1:
FATAL FOUR WAY for the UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
MONTEL VONTAVIOUS PORTER vs. MATT HARDY vs. WILLIAM REGAL vs. (c) KOFI KINGSTON
What urked me about this match initially is that somehow putting four guys in a match all of a sudden makes it “extreme.” They really didn’t let any of the guys show off their stuff, as each of these four truly are fantastic performers. Kofi hit a few good moves, Matt kind of bummed around, MVP was way over and Regal was very clearly the man to hate, regardless of his immense skill. I thought Kofi botched the finishing kick on Regal, but then I realized that Kofi’s finisher just sucks.
2/5


MATCH #2
NO HOLDS BARRED for the INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Chris Jericho vs. (c) Rey Mysterio
Should have been prior to the first heavyweight title match. This feud has been a fun one to watch, and while Jericho is playing the stereotypical angry-at-the-world heel right now, he was really selling his dislike for Rey as a whole leading into this match. But like so much of the WWE’s product in recent years, this didn’t live up to expectations at all. There were a couple of good moments, mostly Jericho jumping out of the way of Mysterio’s now overly clichéd cruiserweight moves and countering them. A great spot with Jericho hitting the Code Breaker against Rey’s West Coast Pop. The end of the match was good, and when I realized that Jericho was holding Rey’s mask I went crazy. This match is definitely a great way to re-ignite this fed and have Rey come off as a lot more menacing. Jericho seems to be used to rejuvenate stars that really need to get over stars that have faded over the years, and right now he is doing a fine job.
3/5

MATCH #3
SAMOAN STAP MATCH
C.M. Punk vs. Umaga
I had no desire to see this match. Up until last month I thought Umaga was garbage, and although he has definitely stepped up in the ring, I still think he’s not a good fit for Punk. But this match exceeded all of my expectations. I had no idea the point was to hit all four corners in succession to win the match, as the only strap matches I have seen have just involved guys chained together. Umaga definitely sold Punk as winning, which is good, as many big guys never seem to be able to put over smaller, more technical guys. Punk won with a good spot and solidified his place as the good guy...
2.5/5


MATCH #4
HOG PEN MATCH for the MISS WRESTLEMANIA TITLE
Santina Marella vs. Vicki Guerrero w/ Chavo Guerrero
Santino is by far the funniest guy in the WWE right now, and his stuff is generally good. But once this SantinA gimmick started, I really started hating the writing team. It’s stupid and it’s not over and it’s not making anyone involved in the feud look at all credible. A year and a half ago Chavo was in a great feud with C.M. Punk for the ECW belt, and now he’s been reduced to having mud thrown at him since his widow Aunt wants her honor defended. Where’s the honor in booking a Hog Pen Match?
.5/5

MATCH #5
EXTREME RULES MATCH for the ECW TITLE
Tommy Dreamer vs. Jack Swagger vs. (c) Christian
As I said in my pre-show comments, any and all remnants of “extreme” are more or less gone from the WWE right now and this match really nailed the coffin shut in my mind. The stipulation that if Dreamer lost, he’d have to retire clearly failed, as everyone had seemed to forget that was the case until a few weeks ago when they tried to re-ignite the feud between him and Swagger. The reason he was only ECW champion for like 15 minutes back in the comapny’s prime was because he doesn’t really work in the “main event,” and while he tossed Christian and Swagger into garbage cans, he definitely didn’t come off as all that extreme here. We’ll see how he does in the future, but this match didn’t give off it’s desired effect, and the crowd was not into Tommy at all, so that really took away from the ending of the match.
2.5/5


MATCH #6
CAGE MATCH for the WWETITLE
Batista vs. (c) Randy Orton
Cage matches suck. To non-fans they seem appealing, but to anyone who has watched wrestling for over a year, they know that there are only so many ways you can toss someone into a steel fence. And the match played out so poorly too, it was like neither men had ever watched (mind you, both have been in several) a cage match in their entire career. Batista winning, while dumb and illogical considering he has a torn tricep, really will open the door for Orton to do things aside from chase the belt, as his character really has a lot that he can do.
1/5

MATCH #7
SUBMISSION MATCH
John Cena vs. The Big Show
When I think of a great submission bout, these two men don’t even enter into my brain one bit. There are so many good technical wrestlers on the card who could’ve taken this and made it interesting, but they had to sell the fact that even though Cena has taken Show out a hundred times, he still had to win an uphill battle. And the finish was stupid, the fact that Cena used the ropes to get Show to tap is bogus, as in any match, when someone reaches the ropes the hold must be broken. It was predictable and lame, but recently, all of Cena’s work has been such.
1.5/5

MATCH #8
LADDER MATCH for the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Jeff Hardy vs. (c) EDGE
The bit before this match about how these guys have been throwing each other off ladders for ten years was good and gave some true meaning to this match. And overall it was great. I’m not too big on Jeff Hardy to be honest, and judging him by a spot-fest ladder match is certainly unfair to the great technical guys like Regal and Finlay, but he entertained the hell out of me. Edge took the spots better than Jeff most of the time, and the bump that broke the ladder was really awesome. The way the match ended was great too. Jeff stuck Edge between rungs of the ladder, and Edge flailed around as Jeff snatched the belt. It was badass.
4/5

BUT WAIT...
MATCH #9
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
C.M. Punk vs. (c) Jeff Hardy
Me and my friends had jokingly foreshadowed Punk coming out to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase, but we literally went nuts when it actually happened. The music hit and Punk looked like he was ready to become a heel. Jeff was all battered and Punk was just smirking staring at him, it was tense. He quickly hit the Go To Sleep, but when Jeff kicked out it really seemed like Punk was actually going to lose, but thankfully they played it out realistically and Jeff couldn’t take any more of the fresh faced Punk after a second GTS. I was skeptical about how they would make Punk react, as he might apologize to Jeff and stay face, but when he started strutting around the ring playing the belt like it were a guitar, you could just tell how good of a bad guy he’s going to be.
3/5 (for a match, 5/5 for a shock)



OVERALL THOUGHTS:
The show was wildly inconsistent and way too short. There were four great matches, one of which was based entirely on shock value.

On Point Review: I Love You, Man

I liked the style I used for the Watchmen review I did, so I am going to reprise them with my second ON POINT REVIEW, this time of bromantic comedy, I Love You, Man!


I Love You, Man director John Hamburg

PROS
-I laughed a lot. I judge comedies on two levels, 1 is the basic critical outlook, you know "Is it an original story? Good performances?" etc. etc. and 2 is how much I laughed, because generally I don't laugh out loud even during some really hilarious movies (I only laughed twice during Wedding Crashers). This movie had me chuckling several times, often for the entire run time of a scene. So that's great.
-Paul Rudd and Jason Segel have great chemistry together, while this is no surprise, making them the leads is awesome, as their brief scenes together in both Forgetting Sarah Marshall and their very short exchange in Knocked Up were both hilarious.
-The women are funny too! Rashida Jones, Jamie Pressly and Sarah Burns are really good at weighing this comedy down from being a total testosterone trip. While it's not as relevant as it is in Knocked Up, the girly comedy is a nice touch. No homo.
-There are several supporting performances that make this great, Andy Samberg, John Favreau (he directed Iron Man????), Human Giant's Aziz Ansari and Rob Heubal, J.K. Simmons, Thomas Lennon and the indian guy from Broken Lizard all pop up for a few laughs. Oh and Lou Ferrigno is hilarious too.
-The soundtrack! While it's not over the top, there are always funky tunes playing in the background from the likes of Vampire Weekend and Cake. And not to mention Rush is a big part of the movie, similar to KISS's involvement in Role Models.
-It tones down the raunchiness which is almost necessary at this point. We've all seen the dicks (literally in Walk Hard and Sarah Marshall), and the stoner/gay jokes got pushed a bit too far in the Apatow flicks. Not to say they are bad, it's just good to step away from that. And it's not like it's entirely clean, it's jut not going to get that raunchy label all the other ones get.

CONS
-The plot is entirely cliché. You can almost pinpoint exactly when each tone change is going to happen. While that's not entirely bad since it's a comedy, it kind of takes away from the impact of the events.
-You kind of forget Rashida Jones amidst all of the Jason Segel/Paul Rudd fun times. She is really good and she deserved more screen time as did her friends.
-Some of the run on jokes run on a bit too long. Paul Rudd's awkward silences keep coming back again and again and by the last time they're not all that funny.
-I feel like it tries a bit too hard at some points to be a blueprint Apatow comedy.


Okay that's it. My second TNA rant is on the way, about halfway done.

Watchmen review-NEW STYLE!

My problem with reviewing movies is I start the review and then forget all the details and when I go back I've lost them. That is the case with Watchmen, I started it and now I forget what I had planned on writing so I'd like to debut the ON POINT REVIEW, a quick run down of the movie, points I found good and points I found bad. Let's dance.


Watchmen, director Zack Snyder


PROS
-There were multiple moments when I was absolutely wowed by the visuals, especially having read the GN, it came to life vividly more than once.
-The costumes were good, the periods all felt justified and nothing looked awkward.
-The fights (I'll mention that later as well) were well choreographed, and while unnecessary, entertained.
-Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jackie Earle Haley were both phenomenal in their roles, probably the two best in terms of overall effect and loyalty to the source material.
-The opening credits are godly.


CONS
-Billy Crudup, while a good actor, didn't do Dr. Manhattan justice, he seems to human to be this almost divine being.
-The new ending is malarky, it negates the meaning of the ending in the GN. I won't spoil anything.
-The movie overall proves nothing aside from the fact that you can adapt a classic GN. The changes are miniscule aside from the ending, and Snyder doesn't make this movie his seeing of Watchmen, he makes it his reading of the GN.
-The soundtrack, while historically and contextually relevant, oftentimes fluctuates the mood to a point where it takes a sincere, life changing moment, and makes it a comedy.
-The fights serve little purpose outside of just being fights.
-Snyder basically blurts out plot points that are (easily) left for the reader to figure out. I won't say spoilers but they are stupid.
-It's hard to get invested in many of the characters as they come in and out so frequently. Even Rorschach isn't nearly as developed as he should be.
-It tried way too hard to channel The Dark Knight, and it failed.
-The blue penis moved, and that was weird.

Okay that's it?

Franz Ferdinand: Tonight-CHERRY POPPIN' REVIEW!

Before I begin this let me explain what I’m doing. I purchased this album and have yet to listen to it. I’ve been into Franz Ferdinand since the “Take Me Out” video came out in my Junior(?) year of high school. Through criticism from my friends that they were too simple and sounded like Modest Mouse (who was blowing up at the same time), I fought hard for my right to listen to simple, fun music. And now here I am, using them as guinea pigs for my newest idea. I have never listened to this album, and as I do for the first time, I will give you my first impression on each song. Maybe this style will work, maybe it will fail miserably, we shall soon see!



1. Ulysses- Very fitting introductory track. Layers slowly, which got my foot tapping pretty quickly. The synthesizer that comes in really makes the track, something that Franz has never really done before. The vocals have a bit of Bowie inflected in them, but that really doesn’t take away from the overall song. I really liked this one. Fantastic start to the album.
2. Turn it On-The bass and guitar line in the first few seconds is nice, very complimentary. The music seems a bit more intense and aware than on their prior albums, or maybe it’s the mixing. I like the lyrics here, kind of a biting love song from Alex Kapranos. It’s a slight shift in tone from the first track, which is always good. Decent track, might get a bit more memorable with a few more plays. I liked the gang vocals in the chorus.
3. No You Girls- This track is pretty funky. The vocal melody is a little weak, but the bass and rhythm guitar more than make up for it. Nice kick in the chorus too. I like the lyrics and she gender shift in the last chorus. Seems reminiscent of prior FF. but I’m not minding too much.
4. Send Him Away- More really cool synth. Kind of has a dense Booker T and the M.G.’s feel. It’s pretty mellow, which is a nice tone change. Another good bassline walking around in the back. The change about halfway through the song is really cool. Nice rhythm from the drums. This song seems to go through phases more than anything else, a jazzy beginning, a real funky middle and a latin-shaker-esque ending. Nice.
5. Twilight Omens- This one is okay, the lowest point on the album thus far. Too much synth, if there’s one thing I don’t like it’s when bands that don’t overuse instruments at all throughout most of their discography have a track or two where it’s just overkill. If the guitar was doing some of the lead lines it would make this track better. Not bad, just not that good.
6. Bite Hard- This starts off like a ballad, and I thought it was an okay one, and then it kicks in and I was like “Whoa this is cool!” Very nice dueling guitar licks, and the synth comes back in a nice accentual form. I like the lead guitar licks under the vocals and bass. The double layered guitar and synth line is really cool, culminating in a guitar solo, something I don’t think the boys have ever tried before. The synth reminds me of Wolfmother. Nice comeback from that last track.
7. The bass is a bit tired at this point, but I’m still tapping my foot. Nice guitar effects, or keys layer in. The gang vocals in the chorus are okay, I prefer them to be used more sparingly, but they’re not bad. The thrashy ending is pretty cool, just not loud enough. If the song sort of crescendo’d into that it may have worked better.
8. Kind of disco-y. It works, but it’s another weaker point on the album. Too much synth, again. The drums are what holds it together. I’m not a big fan.
9. Can’t Stop Feeling- eThe lower octave synth is a nice change. The bass also seems a bit rejuvenated, he’s clearly playing a fresh rhythm. The drum and synth line are very complimentary of each other, and the way it goes in and out is really cool. A nice twist on their formula, I dig it.
10. Lucid Dreams-This is the biggest undertaking of the album. It clocks in at a little less than 8 minutes, which is unheard of for a band a simple as Franz Ferdinand. It’s their epic. And it works, I applaud them for taking a chance. The synth gets a tad tiring after it’s been going for over a minute, but it’s still cool.
11. Dream Again- A nice slower song. Nice percussion in the background, a lot of triangle or glock or something. The simple synth line comes in very nicely. A sweet little number, a nice way to bring it down before the album ends.
12. Katherine Kiss Me- A downer ending. While I expected a bit more of a punch, the band sort of lulls out the fans rather than returning to the same upbeat, poppy stuff on the entire album. Not a bad move at all. Kind of makes me excited for the next album they put out.

Overall Feelings: The album is good, after one play I don’t feel it’s their best, but it is easily their most experimental. The addition of synthesizers to their trademark sound yielded both good and bad results, but with a little work, I’m sure they can hone in on the perfect use of the instrument. The album hit a lot more moods than their prior catalogue, which is good, as they can’t be labeled one trick pony’s anymore. Maybe their lyrical content is similar throughout, but the music is good enough that I didn’t always mind. I’m impressed by the musicianship as well, as every part of the band stood out at one point or another. The weaker points on the album weren’t even that weak, I mean there wasn’t a downright bad song on the album. So I will wrap this up with a few summary words: Experimental fun that works.