Archive for the ‘Album Reviews’ Category

Posted on November 29, 2008 - by Jon

Coldplay - Prospekts March EP Review

It seems odd that one of the largest bands in the world like Coldplay decided to release an EP.  Not so much that they released an EP but that they choose to release one this late into their careers.  Most bands release a EP early in their careers to generate buzz or to garner some attention to fuel their full length album.  However, on Prospekts March Coldplay just wanted to show off a body of songs that wouldn’t have fit on Viva La Vida, it’s not that the songs weren’t good enough - they just didn’t fit the concept of Viva.

As it stands Prospekts March has quite a bit of value to it.  This album is more then just a B-sides or a disc of extra’s, Prospekts March stands as more of a companion to Viva La Vida then anything else.   Many of the songs on this album are departure in some sense or manner from the classic Coldplay that most know and love.  This isn’t a problem as Coldplay shows a different side to their musicality while never sounding awkward or forced.  “Rainy Day”  is a pop song with quirky undertones as Coldplay does some light experimenting with their sound, the song  bops along from bar to bar and it’s the most “fun” sounding song that Coldplay has released.  “Glass of Water” is a strong song that wasn’t placed on Viva as it sounds more upfront and immediate than any other song on Viva La Vida.  The opener “Life in Technicolor II” adds vocals and loses the lo-fi sound quality that had many confused when first listening to Viva La Vida. Elsewhere on the disc, “Lost+” is one of two remixes on the album (the other being Osaka’s Suns remix of Lovers in Japan) and has had the industry buzzing as it features an unlikely pairing with Jay-Z.  Jay-Z  however is a perfect complement on the song in which he provides a strong verse capped off with one of the best lines ever featured on a Coldplay Song “And the question is, is to have had and lost better than not having at all? / Because I’m…”.  It’s a great song that sounds like the collaboration was planned rather than just tacked on.

In total Prospekts March features 8 songs which include two remixes and six tracks that were the left overs from the Brian Eno produced “Viva La Vida Sessions”, this should fool most listeners as the EP sounds more like a main course then anything else.

Rating: 7.5/10

Notable Tracks:Glass of Water, Life in Technicolor ii, Lost+

For Fans of: I think everybody by now knows what Coldplay sounds like

Released on: November 25, 2008

Posted on November 23, 2008 - by Jon

The Killers - Day & Age Review

For a band there’s nothing worse then having a hit debut album and then falling short on the second.  But this is exactly what happened with The Killers and their first two albums Hot Fuzz and Sam’s Town. Hot Fuzz made the Killer’s indie-pop darlings while Sam’s Town had many believing that the Killer’s were a one album wonder.  The Killers had strayed far from what worked on Hot Fuzz and their popularity steadily declined.  With Sam’s Town the Killer’s had a desire to appeal to their fans emotionally.  They wanted to have that same emotional connection with their fans that U2 and Springsteen have enjoyed throughout their careers.   Sadly, the fans did not respond in the way that the Killers had hoped and the album failed in that regard.  Now with the release of Day and Age the Killers are looking to show that they are still relevant and that they can connect with their listeners.  The real question is whether the Killers have done it and revived their music careers in the process or whether they have finally sealed their fate.

I can say without doubt that from the strength of Day & Age that the Killers are back.  Thankfully, this band doesn’t resemble the bourbon soaked quartet of Sam’s Town but they don’t exactly resemble the 80’s laden synth band seen on Hot Fuzz either.  They are instead a hybrid of these styles and they pull this off elegantly.  The Killers are definitely influenced by the 80’s and there’s nothing  wrong with it as this album sounds great.  For once the Killer’s don’t take themselves so seriously - the Killers finally sound like they are having fun.

The album starts with “Losing Touch” which will catch many listener’s off guard as the song is laced with 80’s inspired horns ala David Bowie. It’s a strong opener telling the listener that there’s much more to come.  “Human”, the first single from the album took a few listens before it became enjoyable as their are some clearly weak lyrics, I’m not sure exactly what “Are we human or are we dancer?” means.  Maybe, lead singer Brandon Flowers is trying to sound more sophisticated then he really is or the phrase is some existential statement.  If you can overlook the lyrics,  “Human” is a strong song and very listenable.  “Joy Ride” (which really reminds me of the Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” for some reason), “Spaceman” and “I Can’t Say” are all fun songs and should have listeners bobbing their heads.

The real gems on this album are “A Dustland Fairytale” and “This is Your Life”.  “A Dustland Fairytale” shows the Killer’s literary / story telling sensibilities as Flowers sings his vocals with a sense of fragility backed over a delicate piano intro.  The song eventually climaxes as Flower’s triumphantly sings about a poor girl trying to find her way.   “This is Your Life” begins with tribal like African chanting and eventually becomes the most anthem like song on the album.  With lines like “You gotta be stronger then the stories don’t let it blind you” you can’t help but be drawn into the song.

Day & Age is definitely a strong album and one of the better albums to end 2008.  If you’ve been a fan of the Killer’s from the beginning you’ll be delighted with their evolution. The Killer’s finally sound like they care and this should endear them to listeners.  The Killer’s are back and they want to reclaim their throne as indie-pop darlings.

Rating: 8 / 10

Notable Tracks: A Dustland Fairy Tale, This is Your Life

For Fans of:

Released: November 25th 2008

Posted on November 22, 2008 - by Jon

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns Review

Say what you want about Irish rockers Snow Patrol but they definitely know how to appeal to listeners.  While they are never ground breaking they are always consistent.   They are unequivocally an arena rock band and aren’t scared to show it.  They are basically the Irish version of Coldplay without the pianos and without the world wide acclaim (I do say this lightly as their last album Eyes Open did go platinum) and they don’t make their own costumes.  Frankly, they write songs for mass appeal and they excel at it.

Songs such as “Take Back the City”, “Please Just Take These Photos from Me”, and “Crack the Shutters” rest on power rock choruses that have instant appeal and beg the listener to sing along.  While ballads such as “Set Down Your Glass” and “The Planets Bend Between Us” (a more sophisticated and evolved version of “Chasing Cars” from Eyes Open) show a sincerity that defeats all notions of cheesiness.  The only deviation from their successful formula is the 16 minute melody “Lighting Strike” which combines three distinct parts into one epic arena rock track.  If you can sit through the whole thing I’d recommend it.

Lyrically, there are a few minor hiccups as Gary Lightbody sings lyrics such as “cool your beans my son, you look a fucking mess” and “hit that button there, the one that just says wrong” from the track “Disaster Button” as they sound forced.  However, I doubt that listeners will pay much attention to these minor flaws.

I have to admit that it’s disappointing that Snow Patrol’s most popular song is “Chasing Cars” which gained massive publicity for the band after airing on the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy.  They clearly have better songs in their catalogue and the casual listener should take more time to explore it.

While Snow Patrol may never be Coldplay it seems that they’d be fine taking second place to them.  A Hundred Million Suns is easy to listen to and easy to digest and if you’re looking for a solid and sincere rock record then this is it.

Rating: 8 / 10

Notable Tracks:  Take Back the City, Lighting Strike, The Planets Bend Between Us

For Fans of:  Coldplay, Travis, Stereophonics

Release Date: October 28th 2008

Posted on November 21, 2008 - by Jon

Jon McLaughlin - OK Now Review

You can call it the sophomore slump or the “the first one was so good that the second one is bound to suck” theory but no matter what you call it this is the case for Jon McLaughlin’s sophomore effort.  Now let’s be clear, I LOVED Indiana which was McLaughlin’s debut album as it introduced listeners to a  singer/songwriter with a smoky tenor, hook laden choruses and a writer with a knack for writing beautiful pop rock arrangements.  Now one should commend an artist who strives to evolve and McLaughlin clearly makes an attempt but strays too far away from what worked in Indiana.

“Beating of my heart”, the first single off the album finds McLaughlin setting up the album with synth that could be described at best corny and if you are a listener that enjoys horrendous use of synth then this is the album to look to. The song is well written though and coupled with Jon’s strong vocals and just the right amount of falsetto keep the song from falling grossly flat.  It isn’t a horrible song but you couldn’t call good either.

“You Can Never Go Back” is easily one of the worst songs I’ve heard from a mainstream singer/songwriter as the song is disgustingly 80’s in the worst way and is another instance in the album where the synth was badly placed. The same goes for “Dance Your Life Away” in which McLaughlin tries his hand at rock n’ roll and fails horribly as the guitars that drive the song are awkwardly placed and very cheesy.

Anyone who has listened to Jon’s first album knows that he has talent, he’s written for films such as Enchanted and showcases his ability as a songwriter with “Smash Into You” on Beyonce’s latest album I Am…Sasha Fierce. Fortunately, OK Now does have a few bright spots in which the listener can hear his talent.  Four Years sees McLaughlin showing off his story telling skills and this could easily be the year’s graduation anthem (insert “Time of Your Life” or “Graduation“  jokes here).  “Throw my Love Around” which is the album’s strongest song shows McLaughlin returning to the formula that made his debut album so intriguing as he combines strong lyrics with equally strong vocals capped off with a powerful chorus.

“We All Need Saving” is the last track of the album in which McLaughlin borrows a page from Imogen Heap’s  “Hide & Seek” using a similar vocal technique but places his own touch on the song with his heartfelt writing.

All in all Jon McLaughlin’s sophomore album was extremely disappointing, there are a few bright spots but this isn’t enough to save the album.  McLaughlin is a strong writer and he speaks the truth when he says that “we all need saving” and same is true for the majority of his sophomore album.

Rating: 4.5 / 10

Notable Tracks: Throw My Love Around, We All Need Saving

For fans of: Gavin Degraw, Daniel Powter, Sara Barielles, Stevie Wonder,

Released: October 7th 2008

Posted on October 14, 2008 - by Jon

Kings of Leon - Only By The Night Review

I will have to admit, I was never a big Kings of Leon fan.  I always knew about them and had even heard a number of their songs.  But the interest waned from there, the point was that every time I heard them nothing made them memorable, not the vocals, the lyrics, or the music.  Frankly, I was surprised that they weren’t forgotten sooner.  However, on Only By The Night the Nashville quartet has gotten my undivided attention.   If you enjoy catchy tunes, memorable “arena” sized rock hooks, atmospheric guitars then this is your album…..or if you enjoy a band whose music sounds like U2 if they grew up in Southern USA and abandoned their Christian Roots.

Kings of Leon have definitely experienced an evolution to their sound as they come across more seasoned, more mature and infinitely more confident on their fourth album.  This new found confidence begins and ends with the performance given by vocalist Caleb Followill.  Caleb has finally found his identity as a vocalist and has no problem showing it on this album.  He no longer garbles his words or relies on the bluesy rasp of his voice, he’s clearly at the forefront and he’s loud and clear.  There’s a sincerity and passion in the vocals this time around.  It’s something that I never expected from the Kings of Leon and its that they finally have…………soul. This can be seen from the opening track of “Closer” which features a solid melody and haunting atmospherics to “Sex on Fire”, the first single of the album, which will easily be one of the year’s best singles, to the latter half of the album including the nostalgic “I Want You”.

As for the rest of the band, they follow suite exuding the same confidence that their frontman has found.  The guitars are loud and atmospheric, the drums are pounding, and the bass holds it all down and directs.

In conclusion, this was an album that came out of left field for me.  I never expected to truly enjoy an album from this band.  Lets say I clearly have enjoyed the surprise.

This album is easily one of my favorite albums of the year and possibly the best mainstream rock album of the year.

Rating:  9 / 10

Notable Tracks: Sex On Fire, Use Somebody, Closer

For Fans of:  The Allman Brother’s Band, The Black Crowes, The Killers’ Sam’s Town, U2

Released on: September 23, 2008