Album Reviews: James Pants
»Album Reviews For Release Date: 12.08.09
by Joshua Krage
Still rather lean but at least this week has enough releases in it to warrant writing something. Stay tuned for a year-end recap later in the month (week?), but for now enjoy most of the rest of what 2009’s new music has to offer:
30 Seconds to Mars, This Is War – say what you want about the rock and roll credibility of a former Teen Beat poster boy who started his band by going with the Flock of Seagulls hair and space guitar look — on 30STM’s last album, Jared Leto realized there was a worldwide army of disenchanted fans for their sprawling, stratospheric brand of angst rock and he opened the throttle to ludicrous speed, never looking back. Some of the tracks dial back the tempo a bit on album #3 (maybe showing maturity? Enh.), but plenty of throaty yowls crowd these choruses, ensuring his fan base will be present at every show, fists a-pumping. I have to admit, predictable as it may be, their enormous sound is somewhat exhilarating…
AC/DC- DVD
Chris Brown, Graffiti- oh no you di’n't try to release an album while everyone still thinks you’re the poster-child for girlfriend abuse. Should’a taken the R. Kelly approach, lay low and then maybe write a 14-part saga about being trapped in tha locker or something…
Clipse
Cloud Cult
Creed DVD
Gucci Mane
LL Cool J – hits pt 2
Yngwie Malmsteen
George Michael- DVD
La Oreja de Van Gogh – a really good, female-fronted Latin rock band, if you’ve never heard them and enjoy that sort of thing.
OST – Glee: the Music vol. 2
James Pants, Seven Seals – rather eccentric vocalist/multi-instrumentalist and frequent Peanut Butter Wolf live DJ who sings and plays everything on his releases (this one included), for better (the playing) or worse (the singing). Inventive stuff which will mostly be appreciated by informed musicians; not mainstream by any standards, and still a bit odd by indie standards, but his beats and noises are definitely unique, either because no one else can sound like him or because no one else wants to. Out on Stones Throw Records.
Puddle of Mudd
Pulp – reissues
Seal – hits
Snoop Dogg
Timbaland, Shock Value: II – not a lot of chances left to take after tackling a full Chris Cornell album, so the guest list on SVII should be no shock, so to speak. Requisite appearances from known Timbassociates Justin Timberlake, OneRepublic, Nelly Furtado and Keri Hilson are well-joined by inventive turns from the likes of Drake, Chris Daughtry, The Fray, and wise re-discovery of obscure vocal talent Esthero. Interesting as these non-traditional pairings are, somebody really should inform Mr. Mosley that AutoTune isn’t helping convince anyone he should be singing, and painful big-name turns from Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus are probably doing more to injure his career than to help it. Volume two of Shock Value ends up shocking in some unpleasant ways, but accomplishes the same thing as volume one did: getting everyone to scratch their heads and maybe chocking up a throwaway Top 40 pop hit or two.
Tricky – Maxinquaye deluxe
We The Kings
Neil Young – live ‘92
… And only two more weeks until this trip around the sun wraps up and we’re on to the next one. As the year winds down, think about what’s been best about it for you, and we’ll be doing the same — with the results to be posted tout suite. TTYL, hope to hear from you soon, XOXO, and so on…
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