up2eleven

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Album Review: Danzig Sings Elvis

Why, Danzig, why?

Glenn Danzig, legendary frontman of bands Samhain and, perhaps more famously, The Misfits, just released an Elvis covers album. The question is, should he have? The attached gif image basically sums up the end result of this album.

This is, seriously, one of the worst albums I have ever heard, just how bad is it? Well, let’s jump in. Right off the bat, many of the problems that I have with this album are immediately present in the opening track “Is It So Strange?” The instrumentation is just awful, and the mixing and editing is atrocious. The piano work is some of the most rudimentary and basic piano playing I’ve listened to, the drumming is barely present, and the guitars are mixed so poorly they sound far away and quiet. Which brings us to Danzig’s performance. He is out of tune and off key throughout the whole album, he sounds drunk, or high, or on the verge of a stroke, his delivery is so bad, it’s insulting to hear him lazily slur his way through these songs. This isn’t a cover album, this is a bad karaoke album, I haven’t heard an album this bad since the Nostalgia Critic released his “parody” of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” but where Doug Walker’s album was actively attempting to disrespect “The Wall” as a work of art, Danzig wasn’t trying (I hope) to disrespect Elvis Presley.

Rest in Peace, Elvis, you deserved so much better than this.

Danzig Sings Elvis gets a 1 out of 5.

Tracks to check out

There aren’t any, this album is a dumpster fire.

#music #rock music #rock and roll #album review #Danzig #Glenn Danzig #Danzig Sings Elvis #Elvis

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Billie Joe Armstong of Green Day

"War Stories"

#rock music #music #alternative rock #rock and roll #no fun mondays #green day #billie joe armstrong #Youtube

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Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day with Susannah Hoffs of The Bangles.

"Manic Monday"

#alternative rock #rock and roll #rock music #music #punk #green day #the bangles #manic monday #No Fun Mondays #Rock Covers #Youtube

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ReVisited: The Strokes: First Impressions of Earth

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12706148

I’m just going to say it. This album is boring. It isn’t a bad album by any means, it’s just meh.  When I first heard the lead off single “Juicebox,,” I was excited. Stupid song title aside, with that introductory bass line, I was hooked, but that is the only standout song on the album. (Go on, tell me I’m wrong, tell me that there is another song on that album that stands out, I dare you).  This album isn’t “Room on Fire,” and if I may state my honest opinion, that album rips, seriously, “Room on Fire” is their best album.

First Impressions of Earth produced three singles, but people only remember ugh, “Juicebox,” (Ok, seriously? The title is super stupid!) Three singles, but I could only name one without looking it up because of the stupid title. The entire album feels just kind of phoned in, and for being released in 2006, (A great year for rock music, by the way). Julian Casablancas’ delivery just sounds dispassionate and the instrumentation on most of the tracks just feels generic. At fifty-five minutes, this was the longest record that The Strokes have put out to date, and I feel that that kind of works against it. This album has three singles and the rest of the album is just filler, almost as if this was just rejected material from their previous two albums that didn’t make the cut the first two times around.

It’s not entirely not worth listening to, the three singles are the songs worth listening to “You Only Live Once,” “Juicebox The song with the incredibly moronic title", and “Heart in a Cage,” are great tracks, but that’s really it for the most part, the rest of the album just falls flat with a loud thud and just never recovers (Vision of Division offers a glimmer of hope for this dull affair of an album and is a standout track outside of the three official singles, but after that is more filler). The best way to listen to this album is to just put it on while doing housework, have it playing just loud enough to be white noise while working on projects so that you don’t have to pay too much attention to it, real talk here, you aren’t missing much.

I rate “First Impressions of Earth” 2.5 out of 5. An album of mostly filler material, that is too long for its own good, I think I would be more forgiving if the album were about twenty minutes shorter.

Tracks to Check Out

You Only Live Once

Juicebox

Heart in a Cage

Vision of Division

#Music #Rock Music #New York Rock #Garage Rock Revival #Post Punk Revival #The Strokes #First Impressions of Earth #Juicebox #Heart in a Cage #You Only Live Once #Vision of Division #Julian Casablancas

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The Strokes have a new album coming out in a few days! I'll be talking about that when it drops.

Here is the video for "Bad Decisions," the lead single off their forthcoming album, "The New Abnormal" out Friday, April 10.

#music #rock music #rock and roll #the strokes #alternative rock #garage rock revival #post punk revival

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I apologize for nothing.

#music #imagine dragons #sorry not sorry #i regret nothing

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Obligatory post. Two titans of Grunge passing away on the same day eight years apart from one another.

Rest in peace, Kurt

Rest in peace, Layne

#rock and roll #rock music #music #grunge #alternative rock #alice in chains #nirvana #layne staley #kurt cobain

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Damn, losing Adam Schlesinger yesterday sucked. Hard.

Here’s “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne.

Rest in Peace, Adam Schlesinger.

#Video #Music #Rock Music #Pop Rock #Powerpop #Stacy's Mom #fountains of wayne #Rock and Roll #Adam Schlesinger #RIP Adam Schlesinger #Fuck You COVID-19

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Weekly music video

"Do the Evolution" by Pearl Jam

I'm just going to put this out there, did this video terrify anyone else when they first saw it?

#rock music #music #alternative rock #grunge #grunge rock #pearl jam #do the evolution #yield #animation

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Rating Scale Breakdown

Breakdown of my rating scale for reviews as follows. Just so everyone is clear that a 3.5 rating is not at all a bad rating.

0-1: Awful

1.5-2: Bad

2.5-3: Mediocre

3.5-4: Good

4.5-5: Amazing

This is the grading rubric that I use for album reviews.

#rock music #alternative rock #music #ratings #album reviews #grading scale

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Album Review - Pearl Jam: Gigaton

Gigaton: Pearl Jam’s first new album in seven years, and their eleventh overall sees the band push their sound into new territories and experiment with different musical styles. The album has its hard-edged Pearl Jam moments that fans will remember from their early years, but a collection of experimental tracks mixed in as well. Pearl Jam is a band that is no stranger to openly displaying their political beliefs, but to say that this is an overtly political record would be doing it a disservice, the themes are there, but its subtle, only directly mentioning Trump twice throughout the album’s fifty-seven minute runtime.

The album opens with the furiously energetic “Who Ever Said,” a scorching indictment of politicians and media talking heads who are concerned with maintaining the status quo. It’s loud, anthemic, and in some spots, inspirational. The energy continues into “Superblood Wolfmoon.” This song was the second single released off the album, and its sound will surely please old fans of Pearl Jam. Then it slows down for the experimental “Dance of the Clairvoyants.” This track was the first single released to promote this album, and it is an interesting new sound from Pearl Jam, as the band in this track experiments more with electronic beats and synthesizers, having more of an electronica sound than the traditional rock format. When I first heard this song, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I am not going to say I love this song by any means, but I will admit that it is growing on me. By far, my favorite track on the album is “Quick Escape,” a story song that spins a tale in the style of an apocalyptic log from a future where Humanity is marooned on Mars.

“Buckle Up” and “Comes and Goes” for me, I felt were the low points of the album, to me both songs kind of overstay their welcome, the acoustic guitar paired with  Eddie Vedder’s graceful lilt, while beautiful, gets old incredibly fast. It has taken me a few plays, but I think I can appreciate Gigaton for what it is, lyrically and musically. The album itself is packed with beautiful and thought-provoking lines like this particular gem from Dance of the Clairvoyants: “Expecting perfection leaves a lot to ignore when the past is the present and the future’s no more.”

Overall, I liked Pearl Jam’s newest effort. I think it is a strong effort that tackles some complex and controversial themes. Not everyone is going to care for the political themes, but Pearl Jam has always been outspoken when it comes to their personal political beliefs.  While the overall lack of conventional Pearl Jam sounding songs may also turn some people off, there are a few tracks like the aforementioned “Superblood Wolfmoon,” “Quick Escape,” “Who Ever Said,” and “Never Destination,” that will get people’s fists pumping and feet stomping, but the album is more of a moody and pensive listen. This is not an album I would recommend to someone who is not familiar with Pearl Jam and is trying to get into their music, but it is by no means an album not worth listening to.

I give Gigaton by Pearl Jam a 3.5 out of 5.

Tracks to Check Out

Who Ever Said?

Superblood Wolfmoon

Dance of the Clairvoyants

Quick Escape

Seven O’ Clock

Never Destination

Retrograde

River Cross

#Music #Rock and Roll #Rock Music #Album Review #Pearl Jam #Gigaton #Grunge Music #Grunge

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ReVisited - Weezer: Pinkerton

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20845175

I’m going to be frank here, I was wrong about “Pinkerton.” This album rules.

I am going to be completely and totally honest with all of you reading this right now: when I first heard this album, I hated it. Hated it. Hated it so much, that it almost made me question whether I liked, or if I was just saying that I liked Weezer. Upon revisiting this album, I could not have been more wrongheaded. I feel sheepish, coming around on an album that is well over two decades old. So I would like to look Rivers Cuomo in the eye and sincerely offer my apologies. I am sorry, truly, I am. I am sorry that I was too stupid to understand what you were going through when you wrote this album. This is a beautiful piece of art, and I was wrong for holding your creativity against you.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about “Pinkerton,” the second album by Weezer. First, a little backstory. Back in 1995, Weezer went back to the studio to begin recording their follow-up to their wildly successful self-titled debut (colloquially referred to as “The Blue Album”). What Rivers and the rest of the band had written was an epic Space Opera called “Songs from the Black Hole,” this plan was scrapped when Rivers enrolled at Harvard. During this time, Rivers, who was born with one leg shorter than the other, and high on pain killers because of painful physical therapy that required a surgical breaking of his leg and having to endure “stretching sessions,” sank into a deep depression. The result of the recording sessions produced a dark and deeply personal album of songs that would come to be known as “Pinkerton.”

The album opens with the song “Tired of Sex,” in which Rivers details his decision to observe a vow of celibacy for two years due to being disillusioned with his fame.  The next track, “Getchoo,” a recycled and reworked track from “Songs from the Black Hole,” tells the story of a man named Jonas as he professes his love for another character. It’s a solid track with some great bass and guitars, and you are a liar if the chorus doesn’t get you pumped up and screaming “Getchoo, uh-huh” along with it. “No Other One” is another great track that is extremely relatable, dealing with harmful and abusive relationships. Other tracks deal with relationships, “Why Bother?” and “Pink Triangle,” the latter details Rivers’ frustration with falling for a girl, only to find out she was a Lesbian. “El Scorcho” is an interesting track with a bit of funky guitar work and an infectious chorus.

The most affecting and moving track, is perhaps, the album closer “Butterfly.” This song, just wow, it is impossible to describe it adequately in writing, but I will try. The song is a direct reference to the Puccini Opera “Madame Butterfly,” in which the main protagonist, a man named “Pinkerton” marries a fifteen-year-old Geisha, only for him to be completely unfaithful to his wife, which leads her to commit suicide by the end of the Opera. The story of Madame Butterfly traditionally tells the story from the Geisha’s point of view, but this song inverts it, telling the story of Madame Butterfly from Pinkerton’s perspective. with the song closing on Rivers singing “I’m sorry” over and over again until the track fades out, Suggesting that Pinkerton has come to see the error of his philandering, but is too late, and is utterly devastated by her suicide and the death of his unborn child. It is a somber acoustic ballad, and to this date remains the only solely acoustic song by Weezer that has been commercially released. I cannot say anymore how good this song is; if you must listen to one song off this album, listen to “Butterfly.” For an added challenge, listen to “Butterfly” and try not to cry!

Pinkerton was a critical and commercial failure when first released, and it really is a shame. This album is one of the best things that Weezer has put out, and Rivers Cuomo pours his heart out into each of the ten tracks. Is it as good as the Blue album? No. But this album should not be compared to the success of its predecessor. “Pinkerton” stands up on its own as a beautiful piece of art and many fans (myself included) are starting to realize that, we were wrong. In 2016, twenty years after its initial release, “Pinkerton” was officially certified platinum by the RIAA, and I can only hope that this encourages Weezer to finally get up the courage to release “Songs from the Black Hole,” as initially intended.

#music #Rock Music #Weezer #Pinkerton #Revisited #Pink Triangle #El Scorcho #Butterfly #Rock and Roll #Getchoo

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Album Review - The Flytraps: Wild Card

Wow, Riot Grrrl music isn’t dead!

“Wild Card,” the debut album from Orange County Riot Grrrl band, the Flytraps. There is a lot to like here. This album moves at a breakneck pace, clocking in at just under thirty minutes; it is manic, explosive, and tons of fun. There really isn’t much else to say, so let’s dig into the album.

The album explodes into life with the searing title track “Wild Card,” in which the lead singer expresses how she’s, well, a wild card. It quickly goes into “Baby’s a Freak,” where the frontwoman explains her kinks. The third track, titled “Female of the Species” is a highlight on the album, the machine gun drum work and the fuzzy guitars are loud, lightning-quick, and just smack you right in the face with their attitude, quieting down just enough for the frontwoman to warn the listener that the female of the species is more deadly than the male. There are twelve tracks to sift through on this album, but it’s a punk record, you know what you’re getting, most of the songs bleed into one another, and it is a bit difficult to tell them apart from one another, but like I said, it’s an album full of energy and this album goes from zero to sixty and doesn’t stop to let you catch your breath.

I want to shift focus and discuss the overall sound of this album. This album is deeply rooted in its nineties riot grrrl aesthetic, drawing influence from bands such as L7, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, The Slits, and Sleater-Kinney, to name a few. I wish the Flytraps would have done more to differentiate themselves from said bands, instead of sounding like a tribute act, but this is a debut album, and I am interested to see where they go and how they evolve in sound and as a band.

“Wild Card” is a solid punk album that is dripping with nostalgia and will easily take you back down memory lane. I can’t really find anything terribly wrong with it other than that it leans too heavily into its influences, to the point where they don’t really move the needle and push the sound forward. If this is the kind of music that speaks to you, go ahead and give this album a listen. Some tracks are worth checking out more than others, but it is a fun, scrappy punk record.

Overall, “Wild Card” by the Flytraps gets a solid 3.5 rotations out of 5. A bit derivative and over-reliant on nostalgia for its influences, but a solid first effort and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Tracks to check out

Wild Card

Female of the Species

Third Eye

Sunset Strip R.I.P.

Takin’ It Back

#music #album review #new artist #riot grrrl #the flytraps #wild card #burger records #oc punk #rock music #punk rock

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Underrated Gems: The Bravery

Is it a bit of a cop-out if I start my “Such-and-such is an underrated album” feature by saying that the artist’s entire catalog merits your attention?

No?

Good!

Because, if there is any artist that warrants your attention, It’s The Bravery. Formed in 2003 in New York during the height of the state’s post-punk revival that would spawn similar bands like The Strokes (I’ll talk about them in another post). In 2004, they released their first EP titled the Unconditional EP and regularly played late-night shows at several clubs in New York that regularly sold out and garnered the attention of many record labels.

In 2005 they released their self-titled debut album

This is a damn good album, and still, in my opinion, the band’s best album. Everything on this album is wonderful, the production, the sound, the lyrics, you name it, there isn’t a single flaw that drags this album down. The album opens with the song “An Honest Mistake” and if you’ve never heard the song, please click here for the music video, because, though the song itself is great, the music video elevates it to a whole new level.

They followed that single up with the swaggering “Fearless” again, bolstered with a slick music video, this song is brash, ballsy, and in your face. Let me reiterate: this song rules, even with the blunt reference to oral sex, a tad on the nose, but the moment is fleeting, and honestly, it fits with the overall boastful and braggadocious tone of the track, I dig it! Another highlight on the album is the follow-up track, “Tyrant.” While this song was not an official single, this song is a nearly five-minute slow-burn of a track that is heavy on the synths and electronic beats and merits a listen based on the lyrics alone “Every time you come around There's another bouquet for me A corsage of promises and I am pinned Like a butterfly on a card Now I'm naked and I'm scarred And you're so perfect to me”

The final single that the album produced was “Unconditional.” The ninth track on the album, this song is kind of a buried gem, the pitched-up and fuzzed-out keyboard effects in the opening are a bit jarring (especially if you listen at top volume), but then the song kicks in with a thick and meaty bass line that grabs hold of you by the throat and doesn’t let you go until the song is over. The song also came with a video, it is definitely worth checking out.

I can go on and on about this album and just how wonderful it is, and it truly is wonderful. However, they have two more albums in their discography that need to be addressed, so let’s move on. In 2007, they released their follow-up to their debut, titled “The Sun and the Moon.”

This album was honestly a bit of a letdown. I hate to say it, “The Sun and the Moon” just isn’t that good. It is by no means a terrible album, it’s just forgettable. This isn’t to say that it isn’t without its songs worth checking out, and I’ll get to that in a minute, but the reason why it isn’t as good as its predecessor has to do with the creative direction the band took. They moved away from the synth-heavy new wave sound present in their debut and opted for a more stripped-down garage sound. While not necessarily a bad thing, change is good, and the band wanted to try new things and expand upon their creativity.

That being said, this album still warrants a listen, it’s just there are a lot more songs that can be skipped on this album, but some songs that are worth checking out are “Believe,” “Time Won’t Let Me Go,” and “Angelina.” That last song, in my opinion, is the best song on the album simply because it’s so damn relatable. Who here can honestly say that they haven’t taken a significant other for granted? Exactly, no one. The chorus is just so powerful and packs an emotional punch about a love lost and earnest regret.

“Nothing’s ever set in stone Nothing’s ever set in stone Everything I have someday  Will fall apart and fade away.”

Outside of those three stand-out tracks, there really isn’t much for this album to offer. It’s just kind of there. They did release a remix album titled “The Sun and the Moon: Complete” a year later, which had alternate “moon versions” of each of the tracks, but at that point, it felt redundant and unnecessary, Thankfully, they returned to form in their 2009 album “Stir the Blood.”

This album, while still not as good as their debut, and again, I really hate to compare new efforts to their predecessors, was better than “The Sun and the Moon.” One, it brought back the new wave aspects that were sorely missed in the previous album, and in some ways, even expanded into dream-pop territory with songs like “Slow Poison” and  the electropop sounding “I Want to Be Your Skin.” They even got a little political in their song “Adored” where they directly reference the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Fourth track, on the album, is by far, the darkest song they have ever written. Simply titled “Hatefuck,” yeah, three guesses as to what that song is about.

Overall, the album is a pretty good spin, even if it wasn’t as good as their debut album. Unfortunately, the Bravery got into the music scene during a crowded period, alongside bands like The White Stripes, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, and others, and well, people just kind of wrote them off as generic and forgettable and the Bravery ultimately disbanded and went their separate ways in 2012. I think that will go down as one of the biggest crimes in rock music during the early aughts (aside from giving Nickelback a career, but I digress), they deserved way better than what they got, and that is why I say, wholeheartedly and sincerely, The Bravery deserves your attention and are worth listening to.

#music #rock music #post punk revival #new wave revival #the bravery #garage rock revival #the strokes #the killers #stir the blood #the sun and the moon #underrated gems

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Album Review: “E.P.” by Alkaline Trio

We are in uncertain times, tours are being canceled, not the least of which, Alkaline Trio's co-headlining tour with fellow punk veterans, Bad Religion. But fear not, Alkaline Trio has released a new, surprise three-track EP, simply titled "E.P."

It goes without saying, Alkaline Trio are no strangers to wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and they pull no punches here. Dan Andriano's vocals are just as sharp and cutting as ever, tackling themes like his alcoholism and depression with a macabre self-awareness.

The album opens up with the quick punk track "Mind Like a Minefield" dealing with the conflict of a toxic friendship and the destruction that follows, it's a great song that many can relate to. The record quickly goes into the middle track "Radio Violence," another quick punk song with a great hook in the first verse that really grabs you and doesn't let go for the entire three-minute runtime. Perhaps my favorite track on the entire E.P. is the closing song "Smokestack," an introspective acoustic number that finds Dan reminiscing of a life that he could have had had he not been asked by guitarist, Matt Skiba about joining Alkaline Trio.

Coming just two years after their 2018 full-length album "Is This Thing Cursed?" "E.P." is a short, 9-minute spin, short that one might question if it was even necessary at all, but the songs are just so personal, and it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and expose aspects of yourself that others might be too ashamed to do. I feel that every album that Alkaline Trio put out is a form of therapy, not just for the band members, but for anyone who is listening that might also be going through tough times, or experiencing the same problems.

With searing guitar work, machine-gun drums, and Dan's ragged vocals, "E.P." is worth checking out. If you are a fan of Alkaline Trio, I highly recommend listening to "E.P." It is also a great jumping-on point for anyone who may be new to their music and are otherwise unfamiliar with their catalog.

I give "E.P." by Alkaline Trio 4.5 out 5 rotations.

#music #rock music #rock #alternative rock #punk rock #alkaline trio #ep #album review

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ReVisited: Switchfoot: The Beautiful Letdown

I don’t normally listen to Christian Rock, but I’ve always had a special place for this album. Recently, I revisited this LP and spun it from front to back, and I am ashamed to admit how good this album is. First released in 2003, Switchfoot’s third album, “The Beautiful Letdown” is forty-four minutes of pure feel-good rock music.

The Lead-off track “Meant to Live” is straight-up fire. Right away, the song hooks you with that opening riff and its bombastic chorus that dares to assert that we are meant for so much more. It is the best way to open an album with a mid-tempo song, it sets the mood and lets you know what you are in for.

By far the most poetic song on the album is the title track, “The Beautiful Letdown.” With lyrics like 

“ We're still chasing our tails and the rising sun

And our dark water planet's

Still spinning in a race

Where no one wins and no one's won.”

This song speaks volumes on the matter of finding hope in an imperfect world.

There is so much that I can say, but really there isn’t a terrible song on this album, the mixing and sound engineering are all really well-done, with Jon Foreman’s voice sounding crystal clear, with just the right amount of grit without falling into familiar butt-rock tropes that were present in the early aughts.

For a genre of music peppered with negative thematic elements, Switchfoot’s “The Beautiful Letdown” is a rare exception that speaks to the good in all of us, and even if the world is a dark and tragic place, there will always be a light if you take the time to really look for it.

#Music #Rock Music #alternative rock #switchfoot #the beautiful letdown #throwback #give it a listen

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Since St. Patrick's Day falls on a Monday, here is a special St. Patrick's Day Music Monday with Flogging Molly.

"Drunken Lullabies"

Flogging Molly

#music #alternative rock #hard rock #rock #punk rock #flogging molly #st. patrick's day #music monday