5 comments about Dare to Be Surprised.

1. Folk Implosion is made up of ex-Sebadoh singer/songwriter Lou Barlow and his partner John Davis. This obviously created a lot of hype. Thankfully, even with the album being arguably uneven (though that more has to do with the fact that it has 3 GREAT songs and the others are simply "good"), Folk Implosion managed to write some GREAT songs (these would be "Pole Position", "Insinuation" and "Checking In"). These songs are simply some of the best indie rock tunes that I have the pleasure of owning. These songs essentially make the album a classic as the rest are merely "good". It also seems pretty original for some reason, even though it sounds like it was influenced by many other bands. Lou Barlow is still a very good singer, and although he doesn't necessarily go for any high notes you won't care about that at all. The lyrics are surprisingly good here, and oftentimes they're pretty memorable (and catchy). The musicianship is also extremely good (and clear) here - it sounds like lo-fi indie rock. Basically, there's a lot one will like about this album. Lou Barlow and indie rock fans will love this album, and I think other people probably will too! Highly recommended!
   
   Highlights include:
   the entire album!



2. Like I thought of the "Take a look inside" CD.....these are really just the reference material which the later CDs have grown from. The better CD to buy is "One Part Lullaby" or even the "KIDS" soundtrack....where the beats and melodies are more compicated and interwoven....more mature sound.



3. Either that, or I can't tell what's cool anymore.Even at 30, I still think this is an unpolished alternative gem. Warm,lo-fi minimalist pluckings showcase introspective love bummer lyrics that chronicle the darker side of affection. Sure, it isn't radio friendly, but is that the measure of goodness? You'll get high mileage out of this CD-hard to tire of. Shoegazers take note, this is your record.



4. This is nice indie rock for teenagers as it gets. I mean, its not the Beatles, but it has its place and it does have some really good songs like Burning Paper (the best on the Cd in my opinion), Insinuation, and Checking In.

   Something about playing this album in Oct or Nov when it starts to get really chilly outside and you've just broken up with someone. That's how I first heard it. Not to say it cheered me up at all, but I listen to it now and I am instantly transported to walking home one late afternoon in November as the sun was starting to weaken out, and I had on a sweater, but I was still cold and I had just broken up with my girlfriend. And of course, I am listening to this thing in my walkman. So now, forever until the end of time, that is what I think of listening to this album. Arghhhh!!

   I don't have any of their other albums, except for that early one that says on the back: 20 songs in 14 minutes, or something like that. That one sounds like my ex-girlfriend's brother's band in the garage when they didn't have a bass player and they only knew three songs and the drummer couldn't keep in time!!

   Oh, gee, I've just put on the CD, and here it comes, the opening bars of Pole Position and there I am walking on that sidewalk with all those kids riding bikes and laughing, and there I was dwelling on a broken heart and this was my soundtrack.

   I hope you have better listening experiences than I did. Don't listen to ANY cd if you just broke up with your girlfriend. That CD will never make you think of anyone else but her.




5. Yes, definitely One Part Lullaby made use of more instruments, but that doesn't mean that it has a better sound. If you were already a fan of the Folk Implosion, you would get bored of One Part Lullaby easily; it sounds as if trying to go mainstream. I highly recommend Dare to be Surprised because it has more of an original and lo-fi sound. Great album.

5 comments about Information Highway Revisited.

1. I didn't think a band could follow up a 5 star release with what could possibly be...YET ANOTHER 5 STAR RELEASE?I don't know how they managed to do it,but The New Bomb Turks manage to follow up Destroy-Oh-Boy with another amazing album.Information Highway Revisited is exponentially more complex than their first outing,but somehow doesn't lose that punk brutality and honesty.Its not often that a band can compose two albums with not one bad song to be had,but the Turks serve up distorted perfection on both counts with enough gumption to fuel three bands for three albums.I have but one thing to say.....BUY IT,BUY IT NOW!!!



2. The New Bomb Turks along with a few other bands pioneered a major change in the sub-pop scene in the early to mid 90's--a new wave of 70's style garage rock. The sound has only just surfaced recently in the mainstream with bands like Jet and the Hives who owe homage to the Turks like the Turks owe it to Led Zepplin and Aerosmith.
   
   I had a hard time getting into this album when it first came out. Not that I ever disliked it, but I had not yet gotten over the novelty of the Turks' first album "Destroy-Oh-Boy." Ten years later, I have long since burnt myself out on Destroy.. and consider "Information Highway Revisited" one of my all-time favorite albums. This one never leaves my car.
   
   From beginning to end, this album is amazing. Jim Weber plays some of the best guitar leads I have ever heard--he never lets up on this one. It is unfortunate that the guitars often get lost in the complexity of later Turks releases. The hollow thumping of the drums compliment perfectly by adding punch to the driving chord progressions.
   
   The songs flow extremely well with an incredibly adrenalin inducing climax about three-quarters of the way through the album, then a pleasant finale. The buzz starts with the very Zepplin-sounding Grandpa Atomic. It keeps moving with the aggressive shredding of track 11 and hard-driving track 12; then the climax: Lyin' on our Backs (no pun intended).



3. O.K. folks, this be the rock'n'roll album of the century! The Turks got me into buyin' music again after a self imposed exile from rock'n'roll caused by grunge in the early 90's ( this "new" garage revival is gettin' me down too by the way!)I simply can't describe how I felt when the raw, heart-felt and rockin' sounds of this album came blastin' from my hi-fi set. This stuff makes ya' feel all angry, sad and really darn happy all at the same time. The Turks walk a fine line between pure rage and absolute enthusiasm and it is impossible not to get wrapped up in the moment! The best part is that these guys create totally IRONY FREE rock'n'roll,they really mean it and it shows. No matching red and white outfits, no cute shaggy hair, no matching Blues Brothers-like suits and NO marketing strategy. You WILL buy this. You WILL love it. Trust me would ya'?



4. If you don't like these guys, you might as well give up on rock all together. Seriously. These guys turn out fifteen tracks of lightning fast, energetic and noisy rock and roll. The music is characteristically abrasive and non-radio friendly, but there are some extremely catchy riffs and vocal hooks. The New Bomb Turks aren't about sophistication, depth or beauty, they're about SONIC FORCE. Buy this album. If you don't like it, go listen to Dave Matthews, pansy.

   This album is not without its flaws, though. While there many great songs on this album, it's somewhat unbalanced and the tracks don't cohere to one another as well as they could. Also, I don't think I've ever listened to the whole thing in one sitting; it can become repetive and tiring (Of course, it might be tiring because I jump around like a maniac whenever I play it).

   In short, it's a great album, and the Turks are a glimmering beacon of hope in an otherwise bland 90's/2000 punk scene. The album is best in short bursts, as it's speed-like effects can tire you out.

   Play it loud.




5. The New Bomb Turks really know how to combine the snotty attitude of 70's punk with the heart and soul of every primitive sound that ever blasted out of an American garage. This record was just the kick in the a** that this horrible world needed after the lame-as-hell grunge scene of the early 90's. This record should have caused Eddie Vedder to kill himself!

4 comments about Tadpoles.

1. Never has any group built their entire career upon the wacky nonsense of the Bonzo Dog Band (formerly Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band). When a song's lyrics include phrases like "The Shirt Event" and "The Electric Shirt Collar" you know it's something you just have to hear whether you really want to or not.



2. Noone knows more about nor appreciates more than do I The Bonzo Dog (Doo-Dah) Band. Noone. I first became aware of the Bonzos when they made a cameo appearance in the Beatle's feature Magical Mystery Tour. I was disappointed to learn that John Lennon had objected to their inclusion, but, thankfully, Paul McCartney, who had "discovered" them, prevailed, and the Bonzos made it to the otherwise unimportant film's final cut. I had purchased all of the Bonzos' to-date released albums by the summer of 1971, when I was just 16 years old. I learned more of the Bonzos thanks to the eclectic programming of our local free-form FM radio station in Sacramento, CA, KZAP, and I attended their only concert tour of the US in 1969 when they opened for Led Zeppelin. Well after the band's breakup, I had the privilage of attending intimate performances by both Neil Innes and Vivian Stanshall during tours of their solo acts. I sat front row during a concert date on Elton John's US tour following the release of Honky Chateau when Elton featured "Legs" Larry Smith tap-dancing in ski boots atop the grand piano. I was a huge fan especially of Stanshall's, and in later years attended an exclusive Tokyo screening of the film version of Rawlinson's End, starring Trevor Howard as jolly, bucolic, old Sir Geoffrey. And for all of this, it is my highly informed opinion that of the Bonzos' many and extravagantly produced albums, Tadpoles is their finest work. Among the many gems on this album is the best-ever cover of a one-hit-wonder's hit, Billy "Boris" Pickett's Monster Mash, featuring Stanshall both out-Borising Pickett and out-Borising Boris Karloff, the original object of Pickett's impersonation. Typical of the genius of the Bonzos' their cover vastly surpassed the original--and featured the additional line "Igor! Have you watered the brains today, Igor?"--much as their musical parody of the Beatles on their final album, Let's Make Up and Be Friendly, vastly surpassed the Beatles. In fact, it is my unimpeachable opinion that the Bonzos were the original Beatles and that only after discovering the Bonzos, the Beatles were inspired to make their career-transforming leap from Mersey Beat to Psychedelia. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an auto da fe to attend in my tent.



3. While this is not The Bonzo's greatest work (that title belongs to URBAN SPACEMAN, also known as THE DOUGHNUT IN GRANNY'S GREENHOUSE), it is, along with their GORILLA, among some of most innovative and hilarious musical satire ever produced. After all these years, this is not only still funny, it's actually quite enjoyable as music. The musicianship is deceptively complex and accomplished, while the lyrics rival anything to come out of British comedy, Monty Python included (various members of The Python and the Bonzo's worked on each other's projects). Although most of the songs are originals, there is one cover, 'Monster Mash,' which will be more familiar to some listeners (of a certain age) than the Bobby Pickett version. The eclectic range of music here, inspired by several decades of changing styles, makes this recording endlessly entertaining: We are transported to the Late 20's/early 30's ('Tubas In The Moonlight,' 'By A Waterfall,' 'Doctor Jazz') the late 50's/early 60's ('Monster Mash,' 'Canyons Of Your Mind,' the latter a cheeky Elvis send-up), and on towards the age of heavy metal (the guitar work on 'Mr. Apollo'). The Spirits of Spike Jones and His City Slickers are invoked by zany ditties such as 'Hunting Tigers Out In India' and 'Ali-Baba's Camel,' complete with sound effects and vocal asides. 'Shirt' pokes fun at man-on-the-street interviews, and 'Ready-Mades' would be at home on any number of '60's psychedelic rock albums (a strange combination of Bee Gees, Beatles and early Pink Floyd). Songs like 'Tubas' and 'Waterfall' seem to anticipate the rise of the more serious, reverential careers of Ry Cooder (his JAZZ album), John Fahey (OLD-FASHIONED LOVE and AFTER THE BALL), and Leon Redbone (his entire catalog). For fans of important memorabilia from the '60's and early '70's, British comedy up to the present, and musical parody of any kind, this is indispensible. It is becoming hard-to-find, so get it soon!



4. This album by the extremely English dada jazz-rock outfit contains some of their shiniest gems. This cover of the "Monster Mash" is probably the one that most people know, in which Igor is asked if he's watered the brains, and Viv laughs wonderfully demonically in the fade-out. The last two tracks are in a class of their own. Particularly if you can get anyone to air-guitar the solo on "Canyons"... (Thanks, Roj!).

No comments about The Official Ironmen Rally Song [Maxi Single].

No comments about It's All You.

1 comments about The Mekons Story.

1. Don't be confused by the title Amazon assigns, mystifyingly, to this "EP." It is not a reissue of the 1986 four-song vinyl EP, "Crime and Punishment" (three songs from which appear on the "Original Sin" compilation CD).
   
   In actuality this CD is "It Falleth Like the Gentle Rain from Heaven - The Mekons Story," the CD reissue of the band's third LP from 1982. (The title picks up from that of their first LP, "The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen.") Apparently the only difference is the substitution of "Byron" (featuring Sally Timms) for the mistakenly included demo of same on the vinyl version.
   
   This is vintage Mekons, displaying the range of their abilities, from hard-edged live tunes to dub-tinged studio treats. Some cuts have appeared in the same or different forms on 12"s/LPs/CDs before and since, but why not hear them in this particular context, strung together with David Spencer's apparently unrehearsed reading of a fanciful narration? The LP cover declared: "20 Great Songs/ Over 60 Minutes Playing Time!" -- actually 61:37, including narration -- so there's bound to be something here for every taste.
   
   In addition to its sonic delights, this CD includes the LP's original essay by Lester Bangs, which also was reprinted in the still-available book "Mekons United" as well as on mekons.com.

No comments about Lullabies for the New....

No comments about White Tales.

2 comments about Polka Party with Brave Combo: Live and Wild!.

1. Some of the album has a definite polka sound, but a few tracks have such a heavy rock influence it doesn't barely sound like polka at all. "Come Back to Me" and "Pretty Dancing Girl" are examples, and two fine songs. The "Polka Medley" is great. I wish they would do some of those songs individually. Some of the record even sounds vaguely like ska music. I would highly recommend this to any younger listener of polka, and anyone who likes to dance polka. It may even appeal to some listeners of lighter core ska.



2. This is a fine example of a robust live performance by a superb, energetic modern polka band. Renditions of the High Bounce Polka and the Peanuts Polka are true classics in the fast tempo "Eastern Style" of polka. This collection could possibly be the best example in its appeal to the modern polka listener of the future.

1 comments about Modern Age Ep.

1. This Ep contains three well-written,catchy,and tightly arranged songs from the band we've all come to either love or hate as "The Strokes". "Barely Legal" is a spontaneous and blissfully energetic tune with Julian's distorted delivery sounding sexier than ever. "Last Nite" is an irresistible tune with Julian's voice taking on a tone of reckless despair. The guitar solo is simple, but within this simplicity lies its complexity, in the fact that the band manages to grab the listeners' attention with such a simple riff. Finally, "The Modern Age" is an awesome song with pounding verses and a catchy chorus. Once again, the instrumentation is very simple, and doesn't seem require much technique, but it manages to grab one's attention immediately. "The Strokes" aren't the saviours of rock and roll. And you know something, it was Spin magazine or whatever that quoted them as such. "The Strokes" have never claimed to be anything except for a group of young, dedicated musicians who are here to entertain and please their fans.That, they manage to do due to Julian's (I'll say it again) distorted delivery, the simple, groovy guitar arrangements, and the tight drum beats. You cannot help but nod your head, and even at their most energetic, "The Strokes" manage to keep their low-key, chilled vibe that adds to their originality.
   
   P.S. I want to f*c* Julian