Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Spinning Platters album reviews category. Click here to see all album reviews from the Bay Area Music Nerds.
The immediate reaction to the opener on Yeasayer’s upcoming release Odd Blood, “The Children,” is that it sounds like the band decided to play a joke on downloaders by starting with a song designed to make the listener feel as uncomfortable as possible. It’s a weird cacophony of bells and creepy vocal processing, all played at a lumbering pace, seemingly built to frighten. What the heck happened to Yeasayer? Continue reading “Album Review: Yeasayer — Odd Blood”
Pouria took advantage of my being away, and saved up 50 albums over two weeks of the lowest profile albums in the entire world (with a few exceptions). That means you get FIFTY album reviews in ONE column! Who else can provide you such value? Read on! Continue reading “New Release Round Up for 12/8-12/15 — 50 Instant Album Reviews”
Pouria didn’t write an intro, so I get to. I don’t know how he found 30 actual new release albums to review among the few records that trickle out each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but he is an adventurous type. Read on to see his thoughts on many bands I didn’t even know existed. Continue reading “New Release Round Up 12/1/09 — 30 Instant Album Reviews”
With Turkey day here. my mind is focused on cooking two heritage turkeys. Lucky for you I still listen to music during this intense focusing. Continue reading “New Release Round Up 11/24/09 — 20 Instant Album Reviews”
As soon as you push play on The Bloodsugars new album, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, you know you’re listening to something really good. The bass line comes direct from The Turtles’ “Happy Together” and the vocals use the old fashioned reverb, like the kind you’d hear in The Zombies’ “The Way I Feel Inside.” Those are some pretty impressive touchstones to start an album off, and this record doesn’t disappoint. Let me talk about some of the joy you’ll find within. Continue reading “Album Review: The Bloodsugars — I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On”
Chances are, if you are an American, Robbie Williams is the most famous singer you’ve never heard of. Not to say you haven’t heard his music, but the name Robbie Williams means nothing to you. In the UK he has sold more records than any other solo artist. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most concert ticket sales in a single day. He is the most popular non-Latin artist in Latin America. In 2009 his net worth is estimated to be 80 million pounds (134 million dollars). With his eighth studio album Reality Killed the Video Star he proves again what all the fuss is about, and the United States, once again, will probably not notice. Shame on you America. Continue reading “Album Review: Robbie Williams — Reality Killed the Video Star”
I’m back, the weekly search for original and pithy comments continues. The holidays are coming and it’s time to drag myself away from my new Droid phone (where’s the LaLa app guys ?) and toil through the mass of holiday music to find the true gems of the week. There was really no huge standout for me this week. I loved the first track on the Switchfoot album and was quite pleasantly surprised by the late day discoveries of Dead To Me and For Against. If I am forced to choose then I will pick The Fountain by Echo and The Bunnymen with them getting the nod based on their historical relevance to me personally. Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 11/10/09 — 31 Instant Album Reviews”
Although there was already a mini review of the new album by The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, Phrazes for the Young, in our New Release Round Up feature last week, I think it deserves few more words coming from one of those “Strokes fans” mentioned.
Truthfully, after the disappointment of the last Strokes album, First Impressions of Earth, I haven’t been as eagerly awaiting a new Strokes album as I would have been before. And especially after hearing some of the solo material by other members of the band, it was obvious that together or separately, the band had a a lot to offer. Now finally an album has been released by the band’s main songwriter and voice: Julian Casablancas, the last member to venture into a solo project.
Continue reading “Album Review: Julian Casablancas — Phrazes for the Young”
Ten tracks. Less than 23 minutes. Three women. Oh, it’s that kind of album. Actually, not so much. This band got tired of waiting for Heavenly/Marine Research/Talulah Gosh to get back together (fundamentally impossible, I know — the new Tender Trap will be out soon, so hang in there) and decided to make their own music. Then, they’d get about two minutes into a song and realize, “Wow, this is harder than we thought. On to the next track!” Continue reading “Album Review: Brilliant Colors – Introducing”
Pouria is in Korea for the next couple of weeks. He’s been studying the Pimsleur Korean tapes to prepare himself for this trip, so when I asked him if he was going to have time to do his new release column before he left, he muttered something in Korean that I’m assuming was a polite no. As a reaction, I decided to write the longest New Release Round Up yet! And glad I did, because buried near the bottom is my favorite album of the week. Continue reading “New Release Round Up, 11/3/09 — 38 Instant Album Reviews”