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Word From the Street: White Stripes, Linkin Park, Flaming Lips...
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May 13, 2003 - Brian "Street" Zeleny (Contributer)
Welcome back everyone! I know it hasn’t been too long and (as I write this) Brad hasn’t even posted my first column yet but I’ve just purchased, listened to and reviewed a bunch of new CD’s so you’re gonna get them anyway. You know you like it. March has been a busy month so far for new music after all of the push backs, delayed releases and such of January and February so lets get crackin’.
White Stripes: Elephant
On the follow up to their breakthrough album White Blood Cells the White Stripes only get better. The entire album was recorded on an eight track reel to reel. You hear that Lucas? No computers what so ever! The CD comes off a sounding raw, but that always was the charm about the Stripes. The bluesy guitar riffs are perfectly accented by the pounding drumbeats and Jack White’s vocals. They even bring in some bass for this one. This is definitely a must have for any music lover.
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9/10
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Linkin Park: Meteora
About eight months ago there was this huge buzz about a new Linkin Park album. When it finally came out it turned out that those clever guys simply went back and remixed their first album and added one new song that was remixed as well. You clever guys, you just doubled your money with only half of the effort. With their newest release they just did it again...wait what’s that? These are all new songs? Oh. With their brilliant blend of scream, mix, recycle, mix, scream, reuse, mix, regurgitate, and scream it’s easy to see why one could make that mistake. I’m about to break.
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4/10
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Flaming Lips: Fight Test EP
If you haven’t heard about these guys yet all I can do is sadly shake my head in your direction. They pack a blend of trance-like guitars, and out-there lyrics to create some truly unique music. I implore you to go buy their latest album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. You will not be disappointed. I promise. Like it says in the title this one is only an EP. It contains seven songs, and I only suggest it for the die-hard fanatics. There are two songs from the previous CD, two brand spanking’ new songs, and rounded out by three covers. The covers include a fun, but cringe worthy version of Can’t Get You Out of My Head. The third cover is a fantastic take on Knives Out by Radiohead, and almost makes the album worth it all by itself. The last song on the CD is an original tribute to the White Stripes titled Thank you Jack White (for that fiber-optic Jesus that you gave me). Again this one is a must have for fans, but for everyone else you might want to think about it first.
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7/10
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The Soundtrack of Our Lives: Behind the Music
This album was a weird one for me. I listened to it, not knowing what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. These guys bring a mix of Pink Floyd and some softer stuff (closest comparable thing being Cold Play). It really works well. The entire album is consistent and most of it could fit into Dark Side without missing much of a beat. Well except for that whole Wizard of Oz thing. (I’ve heard that really does work, but can anyone confirm this?) Anyway, it’s definitely worth a listen if not your hard earned thirteen to eighteen bucks. So swing by your local MP3 sharing site and check them out. Then go buy the album.
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7/10
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The Libertines: Up the Bracket
Upon picking up this album I was immediately promised the next Clash or Sex Pistols. Well never mind the bullocks 'cause these guys are neither of those bands. The band is from England so I can see why the comparisons were made, and the style is similar but it’s more reminiscent of The Stray Cats than anything else. Aside from faulty comparisons this album is nothing but good fun. Loud guitars and drums, with plenty of anti-"the man" lyrics and culture commentary make this album worth it. They even throw in a couple of ballads just for the ladies. A punkin’ good time will be had by all who partake.
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8/10
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Shoebox Album of the Month
Why call it that? Well in my quest for a clever title I was thinking that you put stuff in a shoebox to save as a keepsake, but don’t really think about or quite forget. It’s symbolic for that kind of music... yeah, new title next time. Total man.
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Live: The Distance to Here
This one is in anticipation for their new release, which is scheduled for the twentieth of May. Every once in a while a band creates something really special. This work pulls together everything that they have worked on into one super-album. It becomes the new standard, which not only judges the rest of their work but it is brought to bear on the entire music genre. This epic work is eclipsed by only the most ground-breaking of efforts and can often put said band on a pedestal from which it is hard to climb but easy to fall. This was that album for Live. It is a work that is beautiful, deep, and almost without peer. It had the best of everything that they had given us before, and yet expanded so well on it. Here's hoping for a return to the sound of Distance.
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10/10
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Briefly, how we rate the music we hear...
| 10 |
_Perfect
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| 9 |
_Excellent
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| 8 |
_Great
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| 7 |
_Very Good
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| 6 |
_Good
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| 5 |
_Not Bad
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| 4 |
_Not Good
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| 3 |
_Pretty Bad
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| 2 |
_Really Bad
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| 1 |
_Suck Ass
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| 0 |
_Feces
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DMLives@gmail.com
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