Phil Collins - Face Value

Phil Collins - Face Value (1981)

Genre: Art Rock, R&B

Phil Collins was one of the first English musicians I was turned on to since loving the Tarzan soundtrack as a kid. Believe it or not, this is my first time properly listening to one of his solo albums all the way through. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

As a huge fan of Peter Gabriel's Genesis, I don't discredit Phil completely in evolving Genesis into primarily a pop rock band. They made some big stinkers for sure, but there were always plenty of catchy tunes to be found among their later discography. With that said, I guess the reason I never delved into Phil's solo material was because In The Air Tonight is so overplayed on the radio, that I lost motivation. And I'll admit, it took a little while to grow on me, but I did enjoy this record more than I thought I would.

As I said, I have grown pretty tired of In The Air Tonight, but I can't deny how great of a song it is; one that gave rise to many aspiring drummers for its awesome drum fills. Really though, most of the tracks on here show that they're a product of their time. Mostly lovey-dovey songs with the occasional upbeat dance type groove, but mostly slow, ballad-like instrumentals and the occasional seductive sax playing, which is most prominent on the track If Leaving Me Is Easy. It's easily one of my favorites on the album. I don't know what it is, really, but I just love the sax playing and Phil's voice on that one. Behind The Lines, a song that Phil sings on the Genesis record Duke makes an appearance here, but arranged in more of a funk style, which I can't vouch for in terms of superiority, but it's still quite catchy.

Droned and Hand in Hand are the two instrumentals that play at the end of Side A. Droned was amazingly infectious, bringing about African-inspired beats and an almost tropical sort of vibe at times. Hand in Hand however, happens to easily be my least favorite on this record, and it's funny that I say that, because it is one of the more sonically interesting ones. There's lots of brass and an undeniably upbeat dance-like quality about it, but I just personally feel like it's way too overblown, and as an instrumental, it often sounds more like something you would hear in the background of a Spanish music festival.

While I didn't think there were many standout tracks to be found here, most of them were quite pleasant. This is definitely an album I would only really play when I'm in a summery, easy-going mood, though I guess that's how I've felt about a lot of 80's R&B records. One song I want to point out as an anomaly is the cover of The Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows. While still holding back on the heavy experimentation that was used in the original, it still sounds odd within the context of this record, but it's nevertheless a pretty solid cover, in my opinion. Overall, there's good vibes here, even if it's somewhat clichéd at times. 

B+

Favorite Tracks: In The Air Tonight, The Roof Is Leaking, Droned, If Leaving Me Is Easy, Tomorrow Never Knows

Least Favorite Track: Hand in Hand

Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'n' Place

Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'n' Place (2018)

Genre: Dream Pop, Twee Pop, Synth Pop, Noise Pop

As much as I loved their debut for its bubblegum-like, upbeat and catchy tunes, their sophomore effort brings about a new sound that I have eagerly embraced. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

Figuratively, I think I'm falling in love with this group. Never in recent memory has a group managed to divert from their original sound as much as KKB have done and still manage to be every bit as good in my ears. On this sophomore effort, the group seems to embrace a much more mature and experimental sound, with some songs like Outside and Only Acting making use of some very tasty distorted guitar riffs. The later song also demonstrates the group's willingness to approach noise music, as there's lots of off-handed breaks and aggressive synth use near the end of it.

Even though there has been a shift in style, there's some qualities to be found here that are still very much standard of KKB. For one, the synth use is still very much prominent here, and while it is more heavily used in more experimental contexts, it's still used quite well in more mellow songs such as Dump and more upbeat tracks like Make Believe. And while J-pop influences seem to be rather non-existent for the most part, the spirit of their debut's cheerfulness it still aplenty here. 

Personally, a huge part of this trio's charm comes from their lyrics, which have always seemed to deal with many of the simple things in life. This is no exception here, as we get some very sweet and cutesy songwriting with themes ranging from how busy one's life can be, thinking back on missed opportunities, and picking yourself up when you're done. The latter is the theme of Sometimes, which almost plays out like a campfire song, upbeat acoustic guitar playing and all. It's incredibly sweet and infectious.

Many fans may not exactly enjoy the new switch in style that KKB have demonstrated on this project, but I for one find it a welcome one. The fun and insanely catchy songs on here, some of which transition very smoothly into each other, all resonating with a mixture of interesting instrumentation and Sarah Bonito's pleasing voice, make this one incredibly satisfying record. I guess if I had to nitpick, the closing track Rest Stop was maybe a bit too experimental for its own good, as halfway through it just seemed like Sarah was quietly singing over some seemingly random noises. It certainly doesn't bring down the album's overall quality though, especially considering that this only plays out for about a minute at the very end. With that said, I still very much believe that this was one of the best albums of 2018, period.

A+

Favorite Tracks: Only Acting, Flyway, Make Believe, Dear Future Self, Visiting Hours, If I'd Known, Sometimes

Least Favorite Track: Rest Stop

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? (2003)

Genre: Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Lo-Fi

The Unicorns' sole studio album release in a mish-mash of goofy and creative ideas that makes for a fun and at times comedic listen. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

I appreciate the obvious fun that this band had in compiling this record. While not often classified as psychedelic, I can't help but hear traces of it throughout. Tuff Ghost features a prominent eerie bass and synth groove that brings to mind acid rock influences of the late 60's. The aforementioned fun I spoke of derives not only from the cool rhythms and creative music ideas being mended together, but also from the often zany lyrics that paint an absurd, but captivating story.

The title track I Don't Wanna Die and the closing track Ready to Die loosely tries to make of this a concept album, but is most surely done for simple comedic purposes. I couldn't help but actually laugh out loud at the ending track's abrupt ending, where the singer seems to choke, obviously indicating his sudden death. This kind of cleverness is only present in more subtle doses throughout, but it's silly all the same. Perhaps the most nonsensical lyrics come in the form of the song Jellybones, which from the title alone should be a good enough indication of what I mean.

For having a lo-fi aesthetic, the group still manages to sound completely confident in their craft, coming out very forward with their sound. It doesn't feel like a debut, but more so like a group who has had some experience under their belt, and so I applaud them for that. And on a completely unrelated note, I can't help but notice the sizeable number of times that ghosts are referenced throughout. It's ironically bittersweet how an album that heavily pushes the theme of death and imagery of ghosts happened to be the first and final album to be released by the band.

It's a shame that they haven't reunited with the purpose of creating a new album, because I would certainly be up for a listen. The band has a flurry of creative ideas that blend relatively well with their goofy style of songwriting and dream-like aesthetic. As an obscure footnote in indie rock history, I'm glad that someone recommended I check this out. It definitely deserves some more love and appreciation.

A-

Favorite Songs: Tuff Ghost, Sea Ghost, The Clap, I Was Born (A Unicorn), Tuff Luff, Ready to Die

Least Favorite Track: Inoculate the Innocuous

Dream Wife - Dream Wife

Dream Wife - Dream Wife (2018)

Genre: Punk Rock, Indie Rock

I'm glad to have casually stumbled upon this. An awesome debut punk record with tons of feminist spunk released in 2018. Not something I expected, but I'll take it. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

In an age where mainstream rock has mostly subverted to acoustic and synth applications, it's always refreshing to hear the raw sounds of a new punk record. I would have never expected that one of the more memorable punk albums of 2018 would be a product of a female trio. It's amazing how much raw aggression and energy these three provide here, exploring themes of gender stereotypes, lust, and even rape culture in the track Somebody. While there's not a whole lot of depth in these themes, the catchy and abbrasive hooks still makes for an enthralling punk delight.

The opening track Let's Make Out makes for quite an impression and let's you know exactly what you're getting into. This is back to basics indie punk, drawing on influences like The Slits and other post-punk bands. The closing track F.U.U. is the one that sticks out the most from the formula, even including Icelandic rapper Fever Dream dropping some bars in their native language. It's incredibly tongue-in-cheek, and while admittedly my least favorite track, I can't deny that it does well in capturing the unadulterated "F U" attitude of punk.

Among the rest of the track listing, you get more of the same, really. As I stated, this album isn't here to reinvent the wheel. For the purpose that it serves, it serves it well. I wasn't originally going to review this, as I honestly find it difficult to expand my thoughts on this record too much. But I still wanted to give this album some exposure, as for the most part, it was fun, catchy, and I can't help but applaud a great female punk group when I come across them. Definitely give this album a listen if you're into any of the punk-rock revival groups of the late 90's and early 2000's, especially.

A-

Favorite Tracks: Let's Make Out, Hey Heartbreaker, Somebody, Taste, Fire

Least Favorite Track: F.U.U.

The Doors - The Doors

The Doors - The Doors (1967)

Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock

Often hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, it's a wonder why I never properly heard it all the way through until recently... This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

One thing I always found unique about this group is their decision to mix in some prominent organ playing in nearly their music. It's honestly one of the reasons that I couldn't get into them for years. When I was younger, I just found the organ playing to be irritating at times, especially on Light My Fire, which incorporates a hefty jam session in between that seems to drag for a bit too long. As I've grown, I've come to enjoy that track and the organ playing more though, and now I view it as an integral part of the band's style.

I especially love Manzarek's organ performance on the track Soul Kitchen, which starts off front and center, and later subverts itself to subtly driving the song along on an infectious groove. Twentieth Century Fox and The End are other highlights for me. The former is simply fun and catchy, with its prominent blues influence. The latter is a near 12-minute Magnus Opus, which may not be big on extravagant music ideas, but is a grower, progressively showcasing the beauty in its general simplicity.

I can't deny that front man Jim Morrison comes off as slightly snobbish and self-conceited, not only in his lyrics, but also in his vocal performances. On the other hand, he's got some pipes. Often cited as one of the greatest front men in rock history, it's simple to discredit this as simple popularity among women, but I can agree that he's a damn good vocalist that fits well within this group. As future albums would prove, he was certainly the man for the job.

Is the praise that this record receives warranted? While I do believe it's certainly an accomplished piece of work, some of the weaker songs on here drag down the momentum just a bit, personally. The Crystal Ship and the cover Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) are by no means unpleasant, but still quite short on energy and fun as other popular standouts like Break On Through (To the Other Side) and Light my Fire. Overall, an excellent album within the realms for late 60's acid rock, if only slightly overrated by the masses.

A-

Favorite Songs: Soul Kitchen, Twentieth Century Fox, Light My Fire, Take It As It Comes, The End

Least Favorite Track: Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)

Daughters - Canada Songs

Daughters - Canada Songs (2003)

Genre: Grindcore, Mathcore

Daughters have come a long way in developing their sound and straying from their hyper-aggressive style that can be found on this debut. And oh boy, is it really aggressive. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

Up to this point, I have never come across something as short as this that still qualifies as an album. This is a measly 11 minutes in length, but man, does it pack a punch within that timeframe. None of the ten songs on here go past the 2-minute mark, and nearly half of them don't even go past the 1-minute mark. Within the context of the musical style presented here, I can fully understand why that is the case, though. This record isn't so much about melody, because honestly, you'd be hard-pressed to find any on here, but more about disgustingly fast riffs and tempos.

I was initially put-off by the lack of a general structure, as the amount of distortion, fast instrumentation and wailing vocals don't exactly add up to create much variation on a surface level. I find it incredibly easy to go through this album and end up feeling like you just heard one long continuous song that was simply chopped up at parts. Upon further listening though, I found it a bit easier to focus on the distinct riffs hidden underneath the chaos. I still couldn't find a strong enough difference between tracks to immediately pick out any favorites or least favorites, though.

Really, this is one of those albums I can't really recommend for anyone who isn't already a fan of grind or hardcore and abrasive sounds. More so, I wouldn't consider this a bad album by any means, but it takes a certain level of appreciation for the genre and an open-mind to more extreme forms of musical expression to really get much enjoyment out of it. I admit, as you'll see by my score, that it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. However, for what it is, 11-minutes of runtime certainly prevents it from overstaying its welcome, and I certainly enjoyed this album to an extent from a technical standpoint. As a quick side note, the titles of some of these songs really made some of these songs that much more quirky, that I couldn't help but chuckle, even if the lyrics themselves were at times masochist or sexist.

C+

Favorite Tracks: Nurse, Would You Please Prep the Patient for Sexual Doctor, The Ghost with the Most

Least Favorite Track: Hard to say, really.

Jack White - Blunderbuss

Jack White - Blunderbuss (2012)

Genre: Blues Rock, Garage Rock

Among the biggest icons in 21st century rock music lies Jack White, who's first proper solo album may not exactly tread completely new ground, is still an excellent demonstration of blues rock... with spunk. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

Up to this point in his career, I believe it wasn't since The White Stripes' Elephant that White cranked out an album as consistently great as this. This is pure blues rock revival, with that touch of charisma that is undeniable of Jack White. He roars through the track list with such conviction, and at times, even angst, that you can't help but keep up with these storylines of disturbed emotions and troubled love that he sings about. My first exposure to this album was upon hearing Sixteen Saltines while I was playing Rocksmith back in my younger teenage years, and I immediately feel in love with it.

While Sixteen Saltines is certainly one of my favorites, there are no shortage of other great tracks here. Freedom at 21, plays like an anthem of young rebellion, and I can't help but feel hooked by Jack's borderline rapping here. Love Interruption is a favorite among many, it seems, and it's easy to see its appeal among its subtle abrasiveness. Likewise, Trash Tongue Talker is another abrasive track that seems to draw on some soul influence. Its aggressive piano riffs and Jack's evident anger in his voice drives this song amazingly well and is certainly one of the funkier songs on here. 

As much praise as I'm giving this album, there's still a few songs here that don't necessarily live up to standard. The title track, while still effective in its subtle country influences, didn't exactly hook me all that much. Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy seemed to be among the more upbeat tracks, and it certainly succeeds in its more happy aesthetic, but I can't help but feel that it sounds a bit out of place on the album. Still, these two tracks don't really detract much from the rest of the album's appeal.

Overall, Jack's brilliance in creating stellar rock tracks shines through on this record. What this album lacks in innovation, it makes up for it with a sizeable number of infectiously moody and catchy songs, with only the occasionally small hiccup. For lovers of blues rock or anyone that was a fan of The White Stripes, this is a must listen. If anything, it serves as a prime example of why Jack White is such a revered figure among the rock community today.

A

Favorite Tracks: Missing Pieces, Sixteen Saltines, Freedom at 21, Love Interruption, I'm Shakin', Trash Tongue Talker

Least Favorite Track: Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy