5 comments about Are You Ready for an Organ Solo?.

1. Quintron and Pussycat's shows are really fantastic live. If this were a collection of the exact songs live, I would certainly give it a 5.
   
   But this isn't a live album, or even the best of Quintron's work. It's solid, and sometimes has the same energy as on stage. But not often enough; the record falls a little flat.
   
   See them live; then pick up the record.



2. this is not the best quintron album. it is not my favorite quintron album. but it did change my life and has given me new inspirations and goals. honestly, this is a really great album to buy if you are someone who gets excited about brilliant things.



3. I don't love his albums like I love his shows. Quintron and miss pussycat play incredible shows. Probably the best duo I've seen since Pink & Brown broke up. But you can't have everything. Don't get me wrong, I love place unknown, cave formation, miniature breakdown.... as single songs. But the album as a whole, just doesn't come within miles of his live music.



4. IF YOU HAVE NOT EVER HEARD QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT BUY THIS AND THEN BUY EVERYTHING ELSE THEY HAVE EVER DONE.
   If there is a leading light of modern organ music it is Quintron. Not only does he play the organ but he invented his own drum/noise machine, "The Drum Buddy." His music sounds like nothing else out there and yet it in all of it's forms is the most danceable noise around. If you like "Wolf Eyes", "Bebe and Serge", "XBXRX", or any modern "Rock" band you should check this out because who can't love a man playing organ and a woman with puppets.



5. I saw Mr. Quintron and Miss PussyCat at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA, and they brought the house DOWN!! Most people who write reviews for Quintron have seen him live before getting an album, and I recommend doing the same. He has amazing energy, and is completely immersed in his sweaty-topless-skinny-white-boy jam. Anyway, this is the only album I have and I listen to it all the time. Some of the lyrics are just hysterical, and the funky organ gets me tingly. I was dissappointed that there's no actual organ solo on the album, even 'Organ Solo' the song is a teaser. Even so, I recommend this album whole heartedly, especially if you're a fan of John Spencer or you are a dork.

5 comments about Build a Nation.

1. I first heard the Bad Brains years ago in the metal/punk "crossover" years, and "I against I" was a favorite. Over 20 years later,the Bad Brains are even more powerful than ever,and they are still capable of delivering a heavy slammer like this, amazing! I really enjoy the reggae tunes also, and "Build A Nation" has a great hardcore edge, still with the metal influence. Most of the newer bands today just can't match the intensity of the Bad Brains. Hope they keep going for a long time!!!



2. There are three things you should know about the Bad Brains before listening or not listening to this album. Those three things are Rock For Light, I Against I , and Quickness which are all essential to any comprehensive music collection. I think there are two kinds of music, good and bad. Sadly, this Building a Nation falls into the bad category. It sounds like a band that has lost any form of relevence or cohesion. The Bad Brains burned bright when they were a band, as a revival they just don't cut it.



3. After a dozen or so listens, I'm pretty much convinced that I will never truly 'get into' this album. Compared to hardcore/dub-littered classics like Bad Brains, Rock For Light, and the archetypical Black Dots, this simply lacks the raw, punchy energy that made them so revolutionary (not to mention entertaining)in the first place.
   H.R.'s legendary vocals are afflicted with similar symptoms; indiscernible, low in the mix, and effect slathered. I wouldn't call it a colossal failure of a comeback, as their have been far worse - it just doesn't measure up, and certainly lacks relevance today.
   Hell, the best Build A Nation offers this time around seems to be the reggae. If the guys chose to reamp their I Against I sound (which I've never been a fan of, even), they'd probably flip a few more wigs than 'resurrecting' a sound that has been built upon and revived with relative consistentcy for the past 20 some years.



4. Bomba Clot!
   Are you kidding me?
   They are Back!
   After soooo many break ups, these brothers have come back to build a nation without missing a beat! To those out in space, LITERALLY, all of these little 'so called punk bands that don't know how it's done, grab your thesaurus and start to study. HR, Dr. Know, Darryl Jennifer and Earl set the standard of raw, relentless, in your face punk. Many can and WILL say that the Sex Pistols, the New York Dolls and many others have come before the Brains but they are ALL GONE! All we have of them are memories but we STILL have Bad Brains for those who love PUNK, SKA, REGGAE & THRASH from when it started this is for us. Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys (King AD Rock) produced this and he did a wonderful job. Let's keep punk moving in the >>>>>RIGHT>>>>> direction.
   
   BROOKLYN S T A N D U P!
   COOPER PARK
   50 DEBEVOISE AVE



5. I'm not a fan of the vocals/vocal effects at all. I've been trying to get into it and I can't. The music is rad and there are a couple songs I like, but all in all, I'm not digging the album as a whole. I bought this new and when I returned to the store the next day I saw 3 copies in the used section. I wouldn't sell it, but I don't think it'll be making my rotation as much as their older stuff.

5 comments about Playing the Angel.

1. I really don't have much to say here, other than the fact that I think the members of Depeche Mode are geniuses. This CD is amazing, and every song on it is good. To be honest, there's probably not a lot of commentary I could offer that hasn't already been expressed or described by the other reviewers. This album is very dark, and very intense, and it probes very deeply into that festering cauldron of a cesspool that we call the mind. But just like a favorite drug addiction, you just can't say no to it. Definitely eerie stuff to be sure, but in a beautiful and breathtaking way. I also like the fact that there's a healthy mixture of tunes as far as tempo is concerned. My three favorite tracks: A Pain That I'm Used To, Precious, and Lilian (but don't worry, you won't find any bad ones).
   
   So it goes without saying that I "just can't get enough" of Playing the Angel (LOL, has somebody else already made that joke too?). This is a no-brainer if you are a Depeche Mode fan!



2. 'Playing the Angel' is a welcome return by Depeche Mode. The songwriting and direction is stronger than it has been in quite a few years. Dave Gahan's contributions with his co-writing partners are definitely highlights. The relevance of DM today cannot be compared with their cutting edge existence in the 80s including Violator. Many younger artists have taken the band's baton and run with it creating such a plethora of imitators, so you can be forgiven if DM today sounds like "we've heard it all before". But these guys have been such electronic-pop warriors, expanding the appeal of the genre for close to 30 years.
   
   This album adds to their initial vision begun decades back. I believe 'Playing the Angel' is superb. It cannot resemble earlier masterpieces without Alan Wilder, but it certainly has brought the band back into being a significant unit again. 'The Darkest Star' is my personal fave, 'Lilian' is a gorgeous slice of Depeche Mode '80s version, upgraded. Try it!



3. I've been a fan of Depeche Mode since they first came on the scene, and the last album of their that I really, truely enjoyed was "Songs of Faith & Devotion". This album is boring, flat and just plain depressing. I'd give it zero stars if I could.



4. Never liked the poppy upbeat depeche mode as much as the intellectual, sometimes dark and gloomy depeche mode. Much more suiting to Gahan's brooding vocal style.



5. There is too much rubbish on here, and that makes it an extremely inconsistent album. Gone are the days of 'black celebration' and 'violator'. I realy dislike 'john the revelator'. Tuneless and horrid. 'Nothing's impossible' is a meandering, boring mess and the instrumental 'Introspective' is pretty pointless, although it does sound a bit like the eerie music from 'the ring'. 'Sinner in me' is merely ok, with a protracted, unecessary fade out. I am a fan of Gore's vocal tracks, but, while 'Micro' begins well, it soon falters and is still Gore's worst solo spot on any album, since 'pipeline'.
   Some of the rest is very good indeed. 'Precious' is classic mode and has an instantly catchy and melodious hook. I like Gore's second vocal 'damaged people', good melody.
   Too much distorted voices everywhere. 'Lilian' is nice, but don't like a lot of the effects on the voices.

5 comments about It's Never Been Like That.

1. This CD is absolutely incredible. Phoenix has instantly become my favorite band. This CD coupled with Alphabetical are just amazing.



2. I dont know how they exactly did it but this band crafted a nearly perfect gem of pop songs. There's some punk and 80's influences but the band makes music that certainly stands on its own. There's also a mature sense of irony in several of the songs that makes replays of the CD fun if you're older than 16. Very impressive singing in a "rock/pop" style. The studio mixing brings out the strengths of the band.



3. I bought this C.D. for my birthday. Tried to load it into my car stereo and it it ended up jamming the unit and then it died.
   
   So while the C.D. was only $8.00 it will cost me hundreds to fix the car stereo. I blame the record manufacturers for putting in some type anti-copy protection which screwed up the unit.
   
   Therefore this is a must to avoid if you care about your equipment.



4. These guys never get it wrong. The second I heard this I got the words "its never been like that, its never been like that" running through my head non-stop (especially since it IS in the refrain of track #4). Pheonix is a French band with weird words, a lovely voice, and some nifty tunes. Pheonix is easy listening, yet catchy as heck, pop, yet still rock. They hold a delicate balance between smooth and sexy. But I must admit, for most Phenox is a guilty pleasure, you enjoy it until you actually try to understand the lyrics then find out that you are not crazy and that the lyics dont actually make sense. But you still heavily enjoy the music anyway and sing along. You must buy this album, or any Pheonix album!



5. No one's making comparisons to the Strokes. They should. There are similarities in influences, phrasing, rhythm.
   
   And if you've been disappointed in the Strokes recently, you'll be happy to know that Phoenix has no interest in emulating that downturn. They can't. They build better songs, they take more chances, they have a singer who can carry a tune. They have made an album here that holds up very well to repeated listening.
   
   So, my point: "It's Never Been Like That" will go down well with fans of the Strokes.
   
   If you're not a fan, you'll like this Phoenix that much more. It's great pop songs without the rumpled expensive suits. The attitude is in the right place: in the songs.

5 comments about RIGHT ON TIME.

1. This is what I'm talking about! Hepcat is a great 'ska' band and this is one of their better albums. This albums grooves from the openning intro right through the closing number. The band is tight, the vocal harmonies are great, and they mix of styles from ska to rock steady to Carribean to whatever. If you have to label them then label them really really good.
   
   This is one of those CD's that defined a summer for me. I just could not get it out of the CD from the moment I bought it until several months later. Ska fans, music fans, anyone with a pulse will enjoy this album.



2. Having had the pleasure of seeing the band live in Amsterdam I can honestly say they are the best ska band in the world and deserve worldwide recognition.



3. Great music to listen to any time and anywhere!!!



4. I was flipping through the channels one night and flipped past a Music Video. Something about it made me switch back. It was the Video for Hepcat's "No Worries". By the end of the Video I was hooked on the song. I spent the next several days trying to find the CD. I finally found a record shop in Redbank New Jersey that had the CD.
   I was shocked they even knew who Hepcat was. I soon found out that this was one great band. I'm still addicted to "No Worries", and can't help dancing and singing when I hear it, but the rest of the CD is excellent also. This is one Cd that is well worth it's price.



5. This album is definitely my favorite out of my collection. Its soulful melodies, talented instrumentals and lighthearted lyrics will brighten up your day. This album also has many instrumentals, which is my favorite aspect of Hepcat's music. Tommy's Song, Pharoahs Dream, and Baby Blues are the ultimate relaxation songs! So go and get this album, play it on a sunny day and drift away to the shores of Kingston and Montego Bay!

No comments about Kicking Against the Pricks.

5 comments about 1000 HURTS.

1. Shellac and Steve Albini treated this venture as an experiment and that's what you get here. There is no goal to this record other than to ramble and really test your patience.
   While some people may find in this album as its saving solace and claim to be minimilist, eccentric, or otherwise, you will not listen to this album much. I can find no real use for it other than background music for a drunken party.
   This was money poorly spent and I should have listened to clips first, though the band won't release clips on their website.
   Better recommendations might be found in work done by Hermano, Om, Boris, or Cog. Give them a go instead.



2. Huh, That was the only word that I could muster and not in a stunned way but rather a sigh. I have been a long time fan of albini and have enjoyed many albums from the days of big black, rapeman, on through to shellac. This album, seems consumed by its own sarcasm. It seems like steve may be a bit board and lacking much enthusiasm for "it" anymore and it comes through. It left me feeling drained...which is not a feeling I am fond of these days, regardless of his goals. I do not expect people/bands to always put out 10's each release, but I am also not interested in paying to listen to someone else's disinterest. Anyway, I will always give steve a listen down the road, but this album is definitely not for me, and not worth buying.



3. Some of their weaker material present here with Albini at his most lyrically jaded and the band generally rumbling along with a dislocated punch. Muted and predictable, the group's once hard-hitting, influential sound had mostly run it's limited range, usually exacerbating their fuzzed out distortion to hide the relatively clean produced and semi-safe sound. Sometimes though, their budding pop personas shine through the cynically detached studio vets mechanical pace, offering a pleasant enough diversion from the sludgy repetition. Thankfully there is enough here done right to justify a purchase from fans, but a lousy and lazy starting point for anyone looking at checking out Shellac. As cruddy as some of it may sound though, (thankfully picking up a bit in the 2nd half) it is still heads and tails above so many newer, "edgier", indie rock acts, simply due to an inherent competence from Albini and company to take any mildly developed musical riff and transform it into a sloppily hypnotic mess, complete with ultra-cynical rants.



4. To the pr*ck who gave this one star, i suggest you go f*ck yourself and never review anything again. everything steve albini has released(when it's one of his bands, not one that he produced, though most of his recording work has been for good bands, with a few exceptions(bush)) is perfect. the one true punk musician that still exists.



5. Everyone's got an opinion. Most people either fall on the side of loving Shellac or hating them because of Albini. Todd Trainer turns in a great series of tracks that really challenge you to listen to what he is doing. Weston is weston and there is very little room for him to shine. But that is what Albini's mastery is - a perfectly balanced album that gives equal weight amongst the band. If you have never picked up any Shellac, I would suggest starting at the beginning and working your way up to 1000 hurts as a means to gain an understanding of how the band has progressed over time.

5 comments about BLACKOUT (EP) 10" PICTURE DISC.

1. Many people seem to slate this album because it is seen as a departure from Do or Die. While that album was by for a more raw Oi!punk sound this album does have its merits.
   
   DM give us the same Oi! chants, Irish heritage and lyrics about drinking that have made them popular. Track that stands out for me is "Fields of Athenry" Great to hear it rendered into an Oi! track (Wonder if the DM know it is a popular terrace song of Liverpool fans (all be it with the lyrics changed to "Fields of Anfield Road"))
   
   Outside the Shankly Gates
   I heard a Kopite calling
   Shankly they have taken you away
   But you left a great eleven
   Before you went to heaven
   Now it's glory round the Fields of Anfield Road.
   
   All round the Fields of Anfield Road
   Where once we watched the King Kenny play (and he could play)
   We had Heighway on the wing
   We had dreams and songs to sing
   Of the glory round the Fields of Anfield Road
   
   Outside the Paisley Gates
   I heard a Kopite calling
   Paisley they have taken you away
   You led the great 11
   Back in Rome in 77
   And the Redmen they are still playing the same way
   All round the Fields of Anfield Road
   Where once we watched the King Kenny play (and he could play)
   We had Heighway on the wing
   We had dreams and songs to sing
   Of the glory round the Fields of Anfield Road
   
   The DM have often been compared to Cock Sparrar and Sham 69 and that would probably be a fair comparaison. Don't know why anyone would have a problem with the DM celebrating their Irish heritage this is a pretty good album.
   
   Well worth a listen.



2. In my mind, alot the people that hated this album are just mad at the fact that the Dropkick Murphys aren't your little underground punk rockers anymore. Seriously, I don't see why this is as hated as it is. It's actually really good if you actually open your mind and give it a chance. But, I guess the kiddies want their punk and nothing more.
   Apparently people say that this album is filled with "gimmicky Irish songs". First of all, apparently anything besides punk is "gimmicky" to you people. Second, alot of these songs don't have Irish folk roots. The bagpipes are hardly ever used in Irish folk. Just because it's a melodic song with bagpipes doesn't mean it's an Irish jig. Look for Flogging Molly or The Tossers if you want that (or the Dropkick's previous album, SLSP).
   Second, people complain that Al Barr is losing his voice on this album. No, he's improving on this album. But I see you punk whiners only want cookie monster vocals instead of people with any talent. Go listen to your casualties albums and leave this alone.
   
   Look, I might come off as mean, but this album is so unfairly slashed that I feel the need to defend it. I just really like it, and I don't care if you don't, but some people's statements have just been idiotic.



3. I'll admit, I was disappointed with this album, but all in all it's still a decent buy. But I'd equate this album with the BossTones' album "Let's Face It"... An attempt to go 'mainstream' that results in a loss of that raw sound that made them such a pleasure to listen to.



4. Ah, the Dropkick Murphys. If you are reading this review or thinking of buying this CD because you want some mellow but witty pub songs, and a stirring mandolin cover of "Wild Rover" or "Lessie Lindsey" to enjoy while you gaze upon your Brookstone cork Shamrock coasters in your handcrafted home bar while drinking expensive neatly brewed import beer, maybe later watching a nice program about the Emerald Isle on PBS, this is not the CD for you. Stop reading this review.
   
   Witty as it may be, this is not quiet pub music. Nay, the Dropkick Murphys are and have been for as long as I can remember the forerunners in absolutely rowdy drunken barroom Irish/American rock music. They play their instruments about as well as any punk rock band, albiet alittle better than most, and the vocals are gravely and rough. However there is absolutely nobody who can match the energy found in any Dropkick Murphys album (or live show... however we will not get into that). The songs are filled with fire. They are filled with pride, loyalty, and a strong identity that is so lacking in this grey society these days. The Dropkick Murphys are absolutely not politically correct, they are whole-heartedly Irish and American and they embrace it in the face of accusations of closed-mindedness. I guess it's tough embracing your heritage and identity these days.
   
   Blackout is a thuroughly solid record. Easily their most polished album. They seem to have buffed the presentation, and rounded out some of the rough edges, mainly in their guitar sound and vocals. Really the only song I would give the thumbs down to is their cover of Woody Guthrie's "There's Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight" which sounds somewhat forced and unnatural. The other tracks however have the classic Dropkick flow to them. "Dirty Glass" in particular is a great track that doccuments a wonderful love-hate relationship between Al and his bartender Darcy. The song really captures the progression of a night of drinking, it starts off kinda tipsy, and by the end the lyrics are slurred and insults are being hurled freely. The energy level is still fantastic through out.
   
   Again this is beer swilling fighting-good-time music for those who embrace their Irish roots, or those who are just Irish on St. Patty's Day. Either way, if you're a fan of completely unique mayhem, the Dropkick Murphys are for you, and Blackout is a great place to start.



5. "Time to Go" is awesome even I don't know a thing about the Boston Bruins. Other highlights include "Walk Away", "This is your Life" and "Bastards on Parade". Just Awesome

No comments about Meat Is Murder.

No comments about Mother's Milk.