White Lies review

OMG, how long has it been. A few years. Not that any of you were looking at this site back then. I'm hoping to create a small cult following though. If you want, place the link in your bookmarks and add a quick tab in your browser, cuz I'm back!!!

I promise to update this much more often. I'm going to try and cover everything from local bands in the Rochelle/Rockford/Dekalb area as well as many major and upcoming artists. I won't make any promises for now, but I will make the updates on a regular basis.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the latest review.

White Lies

One of the newest bands I've come across has been White Lies, a band from London, England. They're described as a post-punk/indie band. The very first thing I thought of when I heard the single "Death" was the band The Killers. After looking at their wiki page, I guess I wasn't the only one. Everyone else seems to have thought so too. And they were compared to a few other Brit bands I wasn't aware of, but will be sure to check out. I kind of like this genre of English indie/punk. I've never been huge on The Killers, but always respected what the brought to the table. I think I enjoy most of their singles for the first month or two and then they get old fast. I'm not quite as worried about that with White Lies. I'm not in love with everything they've recorded, but "Death" is fantastic.

Paul Lester of the Guardian says to file them next to Tears for Fears. The only reason I can agree to this is because maybe they will receive the same popularity, but I can't really compare the two types of music. Maybe I'm missing something.

The music video on their Myspace Web site is awesome too. It combines a bit of still imagery with a camera panning, creating a very cool eeriness uring the video.

Video production aside, the lyrics are pretty sweet too:

"i close my eyes as my hands shake and when i see a new day who’s driving this anyway i picture my own grave cause fears got a hold on me"

I just love something about those lyrics. Excellent transition from chorus, reprise and verse too. Love how the song crescendos. I do wish the ending didn't fade to black, but it's not the worst thing in the world.

I think "Death" received a lot more production value than "Unfinished Business" their only other single. I'll be honest Harry McVeigh isn't the greatest singer. "Unfinished Business" really shows that.

I'm anticipating buying the full album, "To Loose My Life Or Loose My Love." They're going to be in the U.S. for a few dates, so I'm hoping to catch them in Chicago on Oct. 28 at the Empty Bottle if I'm available.

One last note, I like the fan following they have. Seems to be a fairly intelligent lot. (That's Brit for group of people). I really think a lot is said about the kind of people who follow the band and comment on their sites as can be seen from one of my previous posts. It looks like most people are in their upper teens or early 20s. A great basis for a long following. It shows they're not too pop and hopefully won't fade into oblivion when someone newer comes on the scene.

All in all, I give them a 7.5 out of 11. Why does my scale go to 11? For when you need that little bit extra, you just go crank it to 11. I know what you might be saying out there, why don't you just make 10 a little louder.....well this one goes to 11!!!

New Breed of Synthpop

Allow me to introduce you to the new face of pop electronica music. Myspace decided to feature the new UK band Temposhark on their frontpage this week.

This band seems to encompass the mood of electronica music and the attitude many musicians have been taking in the recent years. This is in no way necessarily a good thing.

First of all, the band is self-proclaimed as 'dark.' (Whatever the hell that means!) If it's one thing I've learned about music over the years is that 'dark' is not something you proclaim yourself. 'Dark' is something that just is. You never talk about it to other people. It's mysterious and never completely definable. It's almost as if they wanted to be goth, but were just too pretty.

Speaking of which, just look at them. The whole crew looks like a cross between N'Sync and any number of pop rock bands to make it big in the past 3 years. Examination of their forum and myspace comments reveals their following of female teenie bops. Most of the comments on their site fail to even mention anything musically and generally talk about how hot the guys are.

The band says they've been compared to Depeche Mode, but believe me, they are no Depeche Mode. As a Depeche Mode fan, I'm insulted this knock off boy band with synthesizers would say such a thing or that anyone with good musical taste would dare to make the comparison.

Some of the songs are far too simple and leave you wondering when the intro will finish. The best song available on their website is "Blame," but that's not much, which is not 'dark' by any means, particularly the chorus.

As for the lyrics, I don't think they really matter either way. Electronica music has never relied heavily on the lyrical content of their songs. It's always about looped beats and remixes. I do somewhat find the lyrics a little pushy at times. Almost as if they laid the music track and then said, "Oh crap, we need words now."

All-in-all, I would say if you're over the age of 14 to avoid this band. I don't plan on hearing their stuff played widely anywhere yet.

The only saving grace for this band is that they continue to improve with each new single. Eventually they may have the experience and the talent to produce mature intelligible music, but they seem at least 3-4 years away from it.

Throwback of the Week #2

Time for this week's throwback of the week. Searching my catalog of old songs today I came across all my old "The Clash" music. This band was such an amazing band. I couldn't help but pick one from them. It has no particular significant meaning to me except it's one of my favorite sounding songs. "Lost in the Supermarket" is one of the catchiest tunes they've ever done. A very mellow song with a good beat. "The Clash" is just one of those bands that doesn't every sound old no matter what. Thirty years after they began making music they still know how to make me rock!

"Lost in the Supermarket" was written by the late Joe Strummer from the perspective of Mick Jones. Jones apparently had to move in with his mom and grandmother and Strummer wrote the song as if he himself was in Mick's position. Translation of the lyrics is a little skewed depending on who you talk to, but the song either deals with mass commercialism or is about losing your identity in suburban life.

It was released on 1979's "London Calling." Songs like this are exactly what make "The Clash" the best late 1970s and 1980's band and close to one of the best bands ever. I'm not sure where "The Clash" ranked in the top 500 in "Rollingstone," but I'll have to check on that. I would be very surprised if there was an 80's band above them on the list.

I'm not even going to attempt to decode them myself, but if you're interested in more information regarding the lyrics check out the Song Meanings website. Some of the discussion is rambling by young punk rockers with nothing better to do, but there is a little useful information there.

And for a little fun note, check out the "What Clash Song Are You?" quiz. I'm apparently "Washington Bullets."

'Time of the Season' for a Live Album

I have to admit my skepticism when I found this new Dave Matthews Band cd/dvd combo sitting on the shelf of the Champaign Public Library early last week. The newest double cd and single dvd live release "Weekend on the Rocks" from the touring juggernaut Dave Matthews Band spans a 4-day-weekend in September 2005 (Sept. 9-12) at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO.

The reason for my initial skepticism is because the 1997 release of "Dave Matthews Band: Live at Red Rocks" from August of 1995 is still my favorite live Dave albums. Even though it did not include many of the outstanding songs he now performs, the fluidity of the album and the mood that it brought were both absolutely amazing. I felt this album needed to be amazing or I wouldn't like it.

I was not disappointed with this album, but I do have to say it's not as good as the first. I wasn't disappointed because this album was good in it's own way. My bias of live albums may have gotten the best of me in this situation, but the performances on this album leave a lasting impression.

The album begins with a version of "The Stone" that slowly turns into the crowd's rendition of "(Can't Help) Falling In Love With You." As far as I can tell, someone in the crowd just started singing the song and people around him or her must have just joined in. It really confused me the first couple of times I listened to it. I know Dave covers it occasionally, but just can't figure out what exactly was going on. There's really only 3 other significant parts on this first disc. The first being the deep dark vocals on "American Baby." It's almost haunting to listen to and makes a much better song than the studio album.

I loved the next track of "Time of the Season" by The Zombies. Definitely a great added track and something a little different for hardcore Dave fans. Finally, Dave ends this album with an extended version of "Bartender." I'm not sure how I feel about this song. I love the length and improvisation of the song, but I also like the original lyrics. This one seemed a little repetitive to me.

All other tracks didn't have anything remarkable to comment on except that I would have left off the 5 minute instrumental of "#34." All in all this first cd wasn't impressive and seemed very calm.

The second disc however, makes up the mediocrity of the first. "Don't Burn the Pig," is a great song to start off the disc and if I'm correct I believe started off the set of the third day at Red Rocks.

The drums on this second album were fantastic. This disc audibly explains why Carter Beauford is a percussion god. The beginning of "You Never Know" sounds beautiful and he continues the rhythmic onslaught in the rest of this disc. I'm not sure if the album arrangers meant to do this or not, but it almost seems like the second album is a much more exciting and upbeat album than the first. You can always tell when the band is having fun through Beauford's timing.

"Smooth Rider" is another good song for the second album. This, along with "Don't Burn the Pig" is the first time I've ever heard them do these songs. Some may feel the 15-minute "#41" may have been a little too long, however I disagree. I really enjoyed this track.

"Louisianna Bayou" and "Everyday" close out this album. Both of these were two of my favorites off their respective albums and thought they were nicely done. I'm not sure if I would have used them to wrap up a live album though. A live album should be treated like a live show. Think encore. I would have settled for an awesome version of "Ants Marching" or one of the other encores from weekend.

One thing showing who this album is targeted for is the lack of songs like "Crash." This album is not intended to sell to a mass audience. It's mostly targeted Dave heads and live show efficianados. Just one more reason for me to like it. The overall sound quality from the show is amazing except for the crowd involvement. Hard to hear or understand what's going on in the crowd sometimes and at the same time it keeps from hearing too much crowd noise. Had it not been for the mellow first disc I could have listed this as a 4 to 4.25 out 5, but I can only give it a 3.75 out of 5.

Definitely not bad for $21.99 at Amazon.com

Though it's not Monday it's time to pick my "Throwback of the Week." This week's "Throwback of the Week" goes to Van Morrison's "And It Stoned Me." With my computer on random play last night I was listening to this and forgot I even had any good Van Morrison on my computer. Morrison's opening track on his heralded 1970 sophomore album "Moondance," is just the beginning to Van Morrison's beautiful collaboration. There's no real significant thing to point out in this song that you can find yourself.

This song is not about actually being stoned as some people may have you believe. The song, according to The Van Morrison Website (unofficial), is about "being stoned" on nature. The song is actually Van's childhood fishing and swimming days. As far as can be seen it kind of picks apart one particular day where he and his friend asked a local man for some water and being as thirsty as they were "It Stoned" him. He also references the late great jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton in the piece. Morton, considered the first great jazz composer, must be considered a great influence to Van as he later references the musician in two other songs, "On Hynford Street" and "The Healing Game."

So there's you're very first "Throwback of the Week." A new one to come on Monday so this is technically you're "Throwback of the Weekend." I will have the first installment of cd reviews this coming weekend. My first review will be the newest live Red Rocks album from Dave Matthews Band. As soon as I've listened a few more times I'll get the review in. Possibly even tonight.

Enjoy, and have a great St. Patrick's Day you Irish bums.

Introducing Musictopia Review

This new blog is my attempt at being a music critic. All views are mine and mine alone. I am solely responsible for all my unnecessary comments, incomplete thoughts, utter ramblings and crude jokes. If you don't like my opinion then form your own. This blog is dedicated to reviewing new music, old music, shows, concerts and music dvds. I will hopefully be able to keep up about once a week with this. Unfortunately my previous blog "The Chambana Scene" did not produce as I would have liked do in most part to my lack of funding as well as my overt laziness.

I will try to maintain a level of consistency in blogging each week with a few special posts coming each week. One thing I will always try to do is blog about a new cd that I find. I will try to keep you the reader current on good bands to check out whether they be local or not so local. Another weekly feature many of you may like to check each Monday will be "Throwback of the Week". "Throwback of the Week" is a section inspired by my friend Jeff Lapsansky who I went to college with. Each week I will pick one song as the "Throwback of the Week."

The only rule for "Throwback of the Week" is it must be older than 10 years old. Throughout the week I will try to keep current on music news and provide links to bands and artists or article about bands and artists I feel are important. If yourself would like me to review your work or your band's work please feel free to email me for my address and you can send me a cd or some files.

I will also give you a preview each week as to what to expect the next week. This way I'm maintaining a schedule and some organization to this.

Lastly, let me fill you in a little on myself so you know where I'm coming from. I'm 23-years-old. I live in Champaign, Ill., temporarily. I am a journalist/photojournalist who just graduated from Eastern Illinois University. I have been a fan of music since my first cd player and cds my grandmother bought me when I was 11-years-old. If you must know, my grandmother purchased 3 cds of my choice at the time. The small collection of cds included "Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream," "Pearl Jam: Vs." and "Tag Team: Whoomp There It Is." It's a wierd combination I know, but let me explain. "Tag Team" is pretty easy to understand. It was popular with the kids around my age at the time and being a normal American child I wanted what everyone else had. There was this form of music becoming really popular called rap and everyone I hung around loved it so I bought the album. The other two were bands that my older cousin apparently liked because I watched him by them. I later would see the video for "Today" by the Smashing Pumpkins and would fall in love with it. Pearl Jam I had never heard of except for seeing a kid at school that had a shirt with the band's name on it. "Vs." was good album. Not nearly as good as "Ten," but what did I know. I was 11. I mostly just wanted to impress my cousin by pretending we had similar tastes. My early music years were filled with a large majority of top 40 radio as well as crappy cds like Phil Collins' "No Jacket Required" that my dad would get me thinking I would like. It was mostly his attempt at straying me away from the "Satan" music scene (read heavy metal) that had actually faded significantly by this point unbeknownst to him. Luckily, circa 1994 my other cousins introduced me to a band called "Weezer." I would not immediately be impressed as I was still young and persuaded easily by my other peers, but this band to this day still remains as an early seperation from the norm for me. Yes, I still like some popular music. There's a reason it's popular. It's generally catchy and sticks in your mind. I'm not here to tell you everything on the radio sucks. My job as a music critic is to weave you through a jungle of mass produced music into what will hopefully be your own exodus from everything bland and unoriginal.

I am a fan of nearly every genre of music in some form or another. I do not have expertise in all the genre's, but any questions or discussions will be researched indepth and I will try to leave as few stones unturned as possible along the way.


User comments are highly encouraged here. You do not have to be a member of blogger to leave a message. You may leave one anonymously. If you would please sign your name or leave an email address so I can contact you again later or reply to your own comment. You may not agree with my opinions or my reviews. I encourage you to argue, name call, and spite me at will and I only ask one thing of you the user. Please be respectful of the other users and posters here. I will remove any comments deemed inappropriate for discussion on this website at my will if they are about or directed towards someone other than me. Some may call this censorship, but I feel you deter users from commenting when they are called names or berated for their views. Basically I'm trying to say that this is an intelligent forum, not the bathroom stall at a highway gas station.

Feel free to email me anytime at dropjaw83@yahoo.com. I can't guarantee an extremely responsive time, but generally I am obsessive-compulsive about checking my mail. I believe my record is somewhere around 45-50 times in one day. Anyway, enjoy.