http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 26 Sep 2005 15:33:33 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/26/153333.php Jim SchwabBrad Stine was nine years old when he found Christ. While that, in itself is not all that remarkable, what he does for a living is, when you take it into account. Stine is a politically conservative (just a tad to the right of George W. Bush, I'd say...), Evangelical Christian and a stand-up comic. A fairly sucessful one, at that. Several years ago, when his agent stopped booking him in the traditional comedy rooms, Stine switched gears and started doing shows in front of a more receptive audience. He gave up comedy clubs and started working in Church basements and auditoriums, which turned out to be a more comfortable and receptive outlet for his comedy/ministry. In 2004, he recorded a DVD caled Put A Helmet On! which garnered quite a bit of attention, particularly among the secular press. His second DVD (and accompanying CD), ...Tolerate THIS! was just released. Calling Stine's work comedy is only mainstreaming what others would call simple "spoken word." At times, he's hilarious and spot-on but most of the time he's just lecturing about truths as he sees them. A famous comic, George Carlin I bellieve, said that comedy is simply exaggeration in front of an audience. Stine fails to exaggerate much but since his audience is so receptive to what he's saying, he doesn't need to. What he calls comedy, most of us would simply call astute observation. Building his act around various rants against liberals, non-believers, pro-choice people and even Christians who do stupid things, he spends most of his time sermoning up to poignant and directed punchlines. Billed as the "clean" comic, he uses the word "stinkin'" a startling number of times in places a more mainstream comic would use more colorful language.Despite all of that, he comes across as honest, forthright and pretty damn funny. Particularly if you have a slight lean toward the right, I'd urge you to check out Stine's unique brand of comedy and observation. Although there are no particular "extras" on the DVD as opposed to the CD, it does help to be able to see his wild gesticulating and his looming stage presence.Rating: 3.5 of 5 Music36836@blogcritics.org Mon, 26 Sep 2005 15:33:33 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/31/173634.php Jim SchwabThis past weekend, guitarist Denis D'Amour (Piggy) of the band Voivod passed away due to complications of colon cancer. From Blabbermouth:VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour passed away Friday night (August 26) at approximately 11:45 p.m. due to complications from advanced colon cancer -- so advanced that the disease had spread to his liver. D'Amour slipped into a coma Thursday night and died less than 24 hours later in the palliative care unit of a Montreal hospital, surrounded by family and friends. He was 45 years old.I've been a fan for many, many years and was seriously impressed with the comeback album, Voivod as well as the deluxe reissue of War And Pain. I was eagerly anticpating the new material due out later this year as well. From Newstead's comments about how finished the demos were, we may yet hear Denis' final work:In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Newsted spoke about the material slated to appear on the group's next CD. "It's the most complete demos I've ever been involved in," he said. "[VOIVOD singer] Snake has already chosen his effects -- exact timing of milliseconds for delay. We've had a long time to develop the demos, so there's about 23 or 25 songs that are absolutely listenable right now."We'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, Godspeed to Denis and my condolences to his entire family.PUB: TAS minor edit: CMP Music35191@blogcritics.org Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:36:34 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/04/164626.php Jim SchwabIf Lemmy had done a collaboration with Stevie Ray Vaughn, I'd bet it would sound very, very similiar to Amplified Heat's debut album. Scorching blues riffs combined with pounding metal bass lines, double bass and steel drumming, all wrapped up in a loud and tight package.An enjoyable cross-genre trip, In For Sin has enough heaviness and speed to appeal to the metal crowd and enough reverence to the blues to appeal to the more traditional blues fans. Songs like "Reflections,"Drivin'" and "Trapped" show the bands love for traditional blues arrangements coupled with wicked drumming and a fantastic wailing blues guitar while "Roadrunner," "Fever" and "The Gunny" put the pedal to the metal while still holding true to the blues roots of this band. A fairly original sound combines with talented instrumentalization and above-average songwriting to produce a very solid debut album.Download samples from here. rating: 8 of 10 Music27734@blogcritics.org Mon, 4 Apr 2005 16:46:26 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/30/104248.php Jim SchwabFrench dance pop quartet Phoenix is back with the follow-up to 2000's widely acclaimed United. The best I can say is that it's exactly what you would expect from a bunch of self-proclaimed studio musicians. In an interview with Roman Coppola, Deck d'Arcy states, "We want to be more of a studio band than a live band." Mission accomplished. The luke-warm synth-pop contained on Alphabetical is just not all that enjoyable. While I don't expect anything groundbreaking or genre-changing, I just couldn't find anything even remotely INTERESTING on this CD. The best I can say for it is that it's not distracting as background music.It's not even a CD I can gather the passion to hate. It's probably the densest batch of middle-of the road, luke-warm pop music I've ever heard. There's really nothing compelling enough to love or to hate. There isn't even a standout sound anywhere on the album. Everywhere I look, though, this has gathered rave reviews but I just don't see what the attraction is.Rating: 5 of 10 Music27469@blogcritics.org Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:42:48 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/28/141843.php Jim SchwabWhile my rudimentary Spanish isn't quite good enough to keep up with the vocals on Apocalipsis, it doesn't really need to be. Even without fully comprehending the lyrics,it's very easy to understand why Tierra Santa is releasing their sixth album since 1998. They are quite simply a talented band of great songwriters. Strong, epic songs with swooning progressive metal vocals are the order of the day. Songs like "Nerón" and "El Grito de La Tierra" are awesome testaments to the power of metal to transcend language. They quickly remind me of Marillion, Dream Theater or more recent Helloween.Unlike many metal bands from Europe (see Blind Guardian, Helloween, Gamma-Ray, etc), Tierra Santa has chosen to stick to their native language and not sing in English in order to appeal to the United States audience. This pigeonholes them into a very narrow U.S. audience and keeps them strictly in the underground scene. Let's face it, how much of an audience is there for Spanish-language heavy metal in the U.S.? That minor quandry out of the way, if you delve beyond the lyrics and into the music, you'll find some really good power metal here.Apocalipsis, while a strong and pretty enjoyable CD, has limited appeal in the U.S. Since it's a strong CD from a talented band, it should get more recognition than it will. Rating: 6 of 10 Music27389@blogcritics.org Mon, 28 Mar 2005 14:18:43 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/23/101836.php Jim SchwabEmotional, airy star-influenced epic sounds are the order of the day for M83, the French duo of Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau (for the more recent, Before The Dawn Heals Us, Fromageau is gone, leaving Gonzalez as the sole helmsman for M83). Using a fairly basic template of melody and song structure, interweaving complex choral arrangements, often murmuring and incomprehensable and underlying the entire thing with high-mixed pipe-organs seems to be the template they use to create their sound. While the whole scheme comes across as not terribly ground-breaking or even original-sounding, it's often very enjoyable and presents a few very bright spots in an album that would otherwise just be background noise and filler. Particularly, gems like "Run Into Flowers," "On a White Lake, Near a Green Mountain," "Cyborg" and the aptly named "Birds" do exactly what they are supposed to do by invoking the images presented in the titles through sonic visualization. The best of the collection resides on the second disc, with the vivid and fast-paced title track and "In Church (Cyann & Ben Version)," an acoustic guitar and piano number. Alternatingly brilliant and boring, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts proves M83 to be very good at sculpting soundscapes through electronica without delving into new territory or exploring new sounds. The intention was to sculpt airy, epic spacy music to paint a visual, which is well accomplished at times and falls far short at others. Rating: 6 of 10 Music25892@blogcritics.org Wed, 23 Feb 2005 10:18:36 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/22/140918.php Jim SchwabANOTHER Mötley Crüe greatest hits package? Of course, my first reaction is WHY? First there was Decade of Decadence 81-91, which covered the first ten years. Then there was Greatest Hits, which covered up to the self-titled disaster that was John Corabi singing. Then they did the mysterious Supersonic & Demonic Relics. If that wasn't enough, in 2003, they finally released a 2-CD live set. In the last year or so, they've released two boxed sets with a third one due any day. In other words, Motley Crue has gotten really good at releasing old material over and over again. Judging from the most recent new material, New Tattoo, that's not a totally bad thing. However, this one was specifically put together for the reunited band to have something to tour behind on the upcoming "farewell" tour. Unlike all of the previous compilations, Red, White and Crüe is an absolute anthology, beginning-to-end, of the Mötley career of a band that shouldn't even have survived to HAVE a career, much less become influential and respected "elder statesmen of hard rock." The story is covered elsewhere, though (try The Dirt: Convessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band). This set is about the music that made them famous. You know, that perfect blend of pop, gritty rock 'n roll, punk and metal that other "hair bands" copied until grunge killed the style. It's all here, from the first Leathür records single, "Toast of the Town" to the three new tracks recorded specifically for this compilation. There's a generous selection from EVERY Crüe release including the previously mentioned compilations, the Quarternary sessions and every title track. Also included is the song "Black Widow" which you would have to buy the second boxed set to get elsewhere since it was never restored to it's rightful place on the Too Fast For Love album. The tracks are sequentially arranged by release and most fans will enjoy the first CD much more than the second since the first one covers the "classic" era of the band with such hits as "Shout At The Devil," (glaringly missing the "In The Beginning" intro!) "Smokin' In The Boy's Room," Wild Side," "Kickstart My Heart" and "Dr. Feelgood." Buried on the second disc one will find the excellent "Primal Scream" from Decade.. as well as the superior '91 remix of the classic power-ballad Home Sweet Home as well as many of the later hits like "Hooligan's Holiday" and "Hell On High Heels." The three new tracks, "If I Die Tommorow," "Sick Love Song" and "Street Fighting Man" are terrible, somewhat adequate and tolerable in order. They are an obvious and failing attempt to recapture some of the old magic and are best ignored in favor of the stronger old material. Value priced as a single CD but including over 2&1/2 hours of music, including a taste of each Mötley album, this is an excellent anthology of their career. For those who don't want to shell out the $50+ apiece for the boxed sets just to get the highlights, this one is the right choice. It also makes an excellent companion to the live album giving you a collection of the best Crüe tunes both live and studio.Rating: 9 of 10 Music25852@blogcritics.org Tue, 22 Feb 2005 14:09:18 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/09/125319.php Jim SchwabM83, the brainchild of Anthony Gonzalez, is appropriately named after a spiral galaxy in the Hydra Constellation. Giving us spacy, trance-like techno music mixed with choral vocals and effects, Gonzalez manages to bring to life an epic soundscape which would feel right at home as the soundtrack to a sci-fi oddyssey. Former M83 partner Nicolas Fomageau has departed to pursue his own musical projects, so Gonzalez handled most of the recording himself, with only bass and drums recorded by others.The underlying organ background which is a prevalent sound throughout the album and a strong component of Gonzalez's style gives a strange, airy feel to the whole thing. Songs like "*" and the far-too short acoustic "I guess I'm Floating" stand out nicely since they break out of that mold and present the music without the background-ish white noise. In other songs, it fits perfectly with the dramatic theme and emotional feel Gonzalez is trying to bring out, such as with "Moonchild" and the oustanding "Don't save us from the flames," the first single (available for stream below). While never explicitly stated, either through the lyrics or the linear notes, the CD has a concept-type dramatic feel of a night of extreme terror such as running from a ghost or vampire or serial killer particularly when one gets to the strange spoken-word composition of "Car chase terror!" A good CD with some very bright moments, Before The Dawn Heals Us is a worthy follow-up to the acclaimed Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts.The permanent touring line up for M83, Anthony Gonzalez (guitar, keyboards) / Ludovic Morillon (drums) / Stephane Bouvier (bass) / Philippe Thiphaine (guitar), will tour North America in support of Before The Dawn Heals Us, including the 2005 Coachella Festival in Indio, CA.M83 2005 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES 04/12 Tue Boston Paradise 04/13 Wed New York Bowery Ballroom 04/14 Thu New York Bowery Ballroom 04/15 Fri Washington, DC Black Cat 04/16 Sat Philadelphia Trocadero 04/18 Mon Montreal Cabaret Music Hall 04/19 Tue Toronto Lee's Palace 04/20 Wed Columbus Wexner Center 04/21 Thu Chicago Empty Bottle 04/22 Fri Chicago Empty Bottle 04/23 Sat Minneapolis Triple Rock Club 04/26 Tue Seattle Chop Suey 04/27 Wed Portland Holocene 04/28 Thu San Francisco Bimbos 365 Club 04/30 Sat Indio, CA Coachella FestivalClick to listen to M83 Radio."Don't Save Us From The Flames" (Audio) Real Audio Hi | Med | LoWindows Media Hi | Med | Low"Don't Save Us From The Flames" (Video) RealPlayer Hi | Med | LowWindows Media Hi | Med | Lowrating: 7 of 10 Music25313@blogcritics.org Wed, 9 Feb 2005 12:53:19 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/08/160809.php Jim SchwabScott Sturgis (Pain Station, converter and notime) decided to try something new. So, when the opportunity was presented to open for friends Euphondisson at the Rendezvous in Seattle, WA on Januaury 8, 2004, he went for it. Sturgis wrote music specially for the event and recorded the audio portion of the event. The result is the six tracks that make up In A Haze.Exploring several genres, from tribal rhythms to textural ambience to down tempo beats and tossing in some industrial flavor for good measure, In A Haze is a thoroughly enjoyable journey through the different aspects of trance music. You can get this CD and all Positron! releases at Positron! Records or through the below Amazon links.Rating: 8 of 10 Music25271@blogcritics.org Tue, 8 Feb 2005 16:08:09 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/07/124112.php Jim SchwabSetting out to set down an emotive theme on their sophmore effort, Impossible Recording Machine's Matt Walker and Jim Dinou have created a soundscape of exploration through the finer points of electronic music. Alternatively exploring melodic pop, ambient sounds and dabbling in trance-like techno, they've incorporated ethereal vocals over their uniquely light and pleasing signature sound. They've managed to incorporate several sound layers without falling into the sameness trap that mires quite a few of the out-of-mainstream melodic pop bands out there today and managed to show off their songwriting skill on Echo The Moon. Songs like "Deceleration" show off their delicate side without sounding overly wimpy while the opening track, "Fearless" show off their edgier, heavier sound. The excellent title track highlights the offering by showing the true range of their songwriting and instrumental skills with a tendency to go from mellow to mad and back again. The quality of the sound recording more than compensates for the really irritating vertical and backwards print of the linear notes. They are absolutely unreadable and for a tracklisting, one is better off going to gracenote or the band's website. The music is fantastic but stay out of booklet for fear of confusing your mind so much you won't be able to read a book for a week.You can get the CD and all of IRM's releases direct from the band at ImpossibleRecordingMachine.com or their record label at Positron! Records.Rating: 9 of 10 Music25216@blogcritics.org Mon, 7 Feb 2005 12:41:12 EST