Tame Impala – Innerspeaker

"Expectation is taking it's toll."

~ Tame Impala - Expectations

Ever looked at something and at its core everything is sweet all the basic ingredients work but together it falls flat? That’s how I feel about that show “Justified” and this album here. Both have the things I find super sweet, “Justified” has guns, violence and whiskey and Innerspeaker has loud ass guitars, drugged out lyrics, and a whole psychedelic feel. But, both fall flat and it sucks so much when that happens.

Now, Tame Impala are a damn competent band. They know how to play their instruments. Every part is pretty much flawless on it’s own. But, all together it makes a bland shit sandwich. Which is a shit sandwich but it doesn’t taste that terrible so you might forget it sucks while eating it and might even finish it.

I actually like Tame Impala too. I liked them when I first heard them a couple years ago. I thought what they were doing was a fucking joy because going back to the heyday of 60’s psych rock was so much better than everyone else ripping off 80’s tracks. Hell, they still are. See: Black Eye Peas. Fuck, aren’t they just awful?

I think, and here’s the problem, Tame Impala went into the studio for too long. Their music is so much better when it sounds like they just threw some shit together in a garage somewhere in Perth. But, after spending months and months in a studio it’s just too over-produced, over-thought, and over all a bland product.

Zeppelin kicked ass early because they got their albums done in the matter of hours like “Zeppelin 1”. But, when you get to “In Through the Out Door” they took too much time and it gets boring. Same thing happened here. The EP was done super quick and it was awesome. Then Tame spend too much time and over-thought the shit.

But, hey there’s a couple sweet songs on here “Expectations” and “Alter Ego” are just tits and I’ll be listening to them for a long, long time to come. But, the rest will just be filed in the ‘who the hell cares’ section of music.

~SR

3 out of 5 ‘Lame’ Impala jokes avoided, oh wait, fuck.

Album Out Now

Listen

Alter Ego:

Solitude Is Bliss:

Half Glass Full of Wine (Tame’s Awesome Shit):

In Short Reviews

I’m busy, sidebar no I’m not. These will come out for albums I don’t give a shit enough to write something for.

Black Keys - Brothers - Awesome if you cut five songs. 3 out of 5

Listen: Next Girl


LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening - Meh, but I never got the appeal. 2 out of 5

Listen: Drunk Girls


The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards - Hah, it’s so awesome. 4 out of 5

Listen: Die By The Drop


Japandriods - No Singles - Lose the wind machine and write some new shit. 2 out 5

Listen: Art Czars

Guilty Simpson - OJ Simpson

“Coroner Music”

~Guilty Simpson - Coroner Music

Fuck yeah, Guilty Simpson is back and he’s still as awesome as ever. He’s been fucking great since “Jungle Love” off of J Dilla’s ‘The Shining.’ Yes, he was previously on Jaylib’s ‘Strapped’ and J Dilla’s ‘Baby.’ But, he was so fucking raw on ‘Jungle Love’ it was ridiculous. Not, to mention rapping over the best damn beat on 'The Shining’ this guy was fucking gold to start.

How can one describe Guilty. Easy, he’s as smooth and deep as Barry White but he raps about guns, drugs, murder, and sex. Now that sounds like it wouldn’t work. But, it fucking does and it’s brilliant. He rhymes like he just came off a drug deal that went bad and saw 12 people get hacked up with a chainsaw but since he’s such badass he talks about it like he was at his cousin’s birthday party.

This album’s has to be the spiritual successor to ‘Madvillian’ it has to be. It’s the same style, giving equal time to both Madlib (the producer) and Guilty. And Madlib is in top form. Mixing his style of chopped up beats and Richard Pryor comedy routines with Guilt’s rhymes about drug kingpins and sending people to their grave. It works so well and it’s such an improvement from Guilty’s last album. Guilty sounds as focused as he’s ever been, rarely misstepping, and doing he’s best rhyming over songs like ‘Coroner Music’ and ‘Trendsetters.’

This is the album Guilty was supposed to make and, to be honest it, revitalizes my faith in one of the hardest rappers out now.

~SR

4 out of 5 Sold Crack Viles

Album Out Now

Listen:

Coroner Music:


Trendsetters:


Jungle Love:

The Standards - The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street

The Standards is a feature setting the bar on the music level. And it’s pretty fucking high, dude.

“Got to scrap that shit right off your shoe.”

~ The Rolling Stones - Sweet Virginia

This is is what doing a shit ton of drugs in the south of France will get you. And by a shit ton I mean a shit ton, like UN drop loads of drugs. How the Rolling Stones pulled this off is beyond me and to be honest I’ll never understand. But, if anything this shows you what you can do with heroin kids. Just shoot speedballs from noon to midnight, forget to eat, and have a guitar next to and you too can write the next ‘Exile on Main Street.”

So, this is the best Rolling Stones album, period and it doesn’t have a huge single on it at all. Yes, ‘Tumbling Dice’ and ‘Loving Cup’ are recognizable but you’re not going to hear them at the next Superbowl Halftime show that’s for sure. And I think the main reason is they’re all about fucking over ladies, get fucked out by ladies, rocking out, and doing drugs. Basically this is a concept album about being a rock star and it’s the shit.

I’m the only one I know and probably on the planet earth who finds “Sweet Virginia” to be the best song on the thing but fuck it. It’s a country song about doing hard drugs so it’s cool. Every song kicks ass. ‘Rip This Joint’, ‘Torn And Frayed’, and ‘Tumbling Dice’ are proof.

In one of the better icebreakers, ‘Beatles or Stones’ I used to be Beatles all the way. But, this album changed that and that still knocks my dick into the dirt thinking about that.

~SR

5 out of 5 Reds, Greens, and Blues

Album Just Re-released

Listen:

Sweet Virginia:


Tumbling Dice:


Loving Cup:

In Short Reviews

I’m busy, sidebar no I’m not. These will come out for albums I don’t give a shit enough to write something for.

Band Of Horses - Infinite Arms - Meh. 2.5 out of 5
Listen: Factory

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma - Crazy. 4 out of 5
Listen: Do The Astral Plane


Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles - Boo (again). 1 out of 5
Listen: Celestica


Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo - Sweet. 4 out of 5
Listen: Where’s Your Dirty Mind

Memoryhouse - The Years E.P. - Softcore Porn Sounding Boring.

1.5 out 5
Listen: Lately Troisieme


Woods - At Echo Lake - Folk-meh. 3 out of 5
Listen: Suffering Season

Howl - Full of Hell

“RAHHH”

~ Howl - Asherah / Jezebel

Yes, yes, oh god yes. I’ve been feeling lately that new music is becoming a little too polite, calm, and lacking surprise. Kind of like a couples-only dinner party, red wine, awkward eating, and talking about whatever the new Susan Boyle is (right now it’s Betty White. Aww, she’s old, and was on way past her old people bedtime, she’ll miss her morning walks now boo, boring). But, 2010 is doing something sweet, and that’s a resurgence in super badass music. Super heavy, grimy, slag off music. “ High on Fire, Bison B.C., and now Howl are all doing it, (music not fucking).

One, how sweet of a name is Howl. Why hasn’t it been used before? WTF fuck metal? Two, look at that album cover. I want a tattoo of that on my face. Now I’m not a total metalhead. I find a lot of it hilarious at how serious someone can be, looking at you death metal. And the Trivum, As I Lay Dying shit needs to stop, it’s lame. There’s no singing in metal. Knock it off assholes.

But, Howl doesn’t do that is super loud Black Sabbathy music with nothing but screaming over top. Not a single sung lyric on the damn thing and that’s just fine. It’s a breeze to listen too and seriously makes me want to Russell Crowe ‘fighting around the world.’ Even on a Tuesday morning I was picking fights at the office copy machine, ‘no my job ISN’T done what of it.’ Sludgy, heavy, and awesome music. That’s what Howl gave us and we should be thankful.

~SR

4 out of 5 Broken Bottles To The Head

Album Out Now

Listen

Apparently the Full Fucking Thing Is Streaming Here

Still Holding Up - May '10

It seems the shelf life of music is way too short and that’s a damn shame. So, these are some tracks still holding up after these long long months.

Warpaint - Elephants


Vampire Weekend - White Sky


Beach House - Walk In The Park



Animal Collective - What Would I Want? Sky


Titus Andronicus- Richard II


Real Estate - Atlantic City

North Highlands - Sugar Lips

Sleigh Bells - Treats

“Set, set that crown on the ground.”

~ Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground

Their album just came out? It feels like I’ve know about them forever. Everywhere on the internets, there Sleigh Bells was. And why not their songs are catchy and loud as fuck. It’s a damn joy to now have actual studio versions of the songs instead of ripped internet streamed.

So, this is a weird one. There’s no genre describing the kind of music they make. Until now. Blast pop. Your welcome. They use metal, pop, rap, funk, and pretty much everything other genre know to man and the animal kingdom. Then they mix the hell out of all of them to create a super loud set of songs that blast louder than anything in recent memory. And the cherry on the cake? The lady vocals. They’re super saccharine and totally work with the songs.

The only complaint? I have a strange reason I’ll get sick of this stuff real soon and that’s a shame. But, for now I’m in. You win Sleigh Bells. you win.

~SR

4 out of 5 Chicks With Braces

Album Out Now

Listen

Crown On The Ground:

Treats:


Rill Rill: