Nicklist #9 (Five Great Live Versions)

May 25, 2011 Leave a comment

1.) “School” – Nirvana (from Live at Reading)

It’s become almost cliche to list Nirvana as one of your favorite bands these days.  They are arguably the biggest rock group of the past thirty years, and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has been called one of the greatest rock songs of all time on multiple occasions.  If a band covers at Nirvana at a show, it seems ridiculous since it’s been overdone so many times.  But since older, Bleach era Nirvana is often ignored by many rock critics and music fans, I felt that it would be a good idea to share the best performance of one of the best Nirvana songs.  “School”‘s heavy guitar riff and heavy drums make it one of the group’s most powerful and “in your face” songs.  This version in front of thousands at the Reading Festival is even better than the original, and a great display of Nirvana’s excellent live shows.

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Movie Review: Bridesmaids

May 17, 2011 1 Comment

The world we live in relies a lot on first impressions.  Our first contact with a person often decides whether or not we will ever see them again.  With movies and music, trailers and singles are often the only factors consumers will use to decide whether or not they are interested in a specific product.  Bridesmaids is a great example of how first impressions dominate the perception of movie-goers.  Despite the fact that Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin) produced the film and it was directed by Paul Feig (The Office, Arrested Development), Bridesmaids was quickly stereotyped by movie-goers to be a “chick flick.”

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Show Review: J Mascis at the Echo, LA 5/6/11

May 9, 2011 2 Comments

Note: No Records of the Week post today – I’m pretty much listening to a lot of the same stuff.  But I had been planned on reviewing this show for a few days, so I figured now would be the best time.  Also, there’s a great quality video of the show – click “Read More” to see it.

When J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr. fame) released his latest solo effort Several Shades of Why in March (a sparse, acoustic effort), I was conflicted.  J has always been one of my favorite songwriters and guitarists, but I was not a huge fan of it.  At first I thought it was just the songs – but after seeing J play a sold out show at the Echo in Hollywood last Friday, I realized that the reason I had a problem with the album was simply the mood I was in at the time.  The songs from Several Shades of Why really hit me after hearing them in a live format.  Instead of expecting the loudness and heaviness of Dinosaur Jr albums, I grew to enjoy the songs as they were.

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Nicklist #8

May 5, 2011 Leave a comment

1.) “The Ballad of El Goodo” – Big Star (from #1 Record)

Big Star is one of the best rock bands of the 70s.  They’re probably more known for writing the original version of That 70s Show’s theme song “In The Street” (which was covered by Cheap Trick).  But #1 Record is as solid of a rock album you’ll hear from the decade.  Bands like The Replacements, who wrote a song called “Alex Chilton” after one of the group’s members, were noticeably influenced by Big Star.  They definitely had a lasting impact on the world of music.  “The Ballad of El Goodo” isn’t my favorite song on the record, but it’s definitely up there.  The chorus, “ain’t no one goin’ to turn me round,” is incredibly pleasing to the ear and the emotions.

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Records of the Week: 4/30/11

May 1, 2011 Leave a comment

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik

The Red Hot Chili Peppers sometimes get a negative reputation because a lot of their fanbase consists of “bros.”  Considering the fact that they are one of the most popular bands of the past twenty years,  it’s natural that they have some fans who aren’t necessarily part of a likable demographic.  It’s a shame they have this reputation, because they are a great band with amazing chemistry.  Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the group’s second effort with guitarist John Frusciante (who left the band recently amicably) and it’s the album where his creative ability skyrocketed.  Blood Sugar is one of the most interesting records of the 90′s musically.  It consists of some funk songs (like “If You Have To Ask” and “Power of Equality”) and melodic songs (like “I Could Have Lied” and arguably their biggest hit, “Under the Bridge.”).  Flea – the band’s bassist – switched from constant “popping and slapping” basslines to more sparse, melodic playing, and Frusciante begun shaping his own style into something of his own rather than an emulation of the group’s previous guitarist, Hillel Slovak.  If you haven’t heard any of the band’s albums or only know the popular stuff, check this one out.

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Nicklist #7

April 25, 2011 Leave a comment

1.) “Bachelorette” – Bjork (from Homogenic)

Bjork is one of the greatest singers I’ve personally heard.  Her voice is can be powerful (sometimes even scary) or beautiful.  It has a lot of resonance and is very dynamic.  “Bachelorette” is a great example of her vocal talents.  Despite the excellence of the backing track (soaring strings, a dark bassline) what manages to be the most interesting memorable part of the song is the melody and vocals.  The fact that she also arranged the instrumentation is just an addition to her talent as a musician.  The best part about Bjork, however, is her willingness to evolve and change – so if you like this, definitely check out some other stuff.  Vespertine, for example, is a little more minimalistic and electronic than her work on Homogenic.

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Records of the Week: 4/23/11

April 23, 2011 1 Comment

Sorry about getting this to you guys a few days late – but between watching NBA Playoff Basketball and playing music/hanging out with friends Thursday and family business Friday, I simply didn’t have the time.  I’m kind of bothered by that fact, but oh well – this is certainly better than nothing.  Next week’s ROTW will be up on time on Thursday, and expect some actual reviews this week (finally).  I’m really excited to share these albums with you guys though!

Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

If you can imagine the emotion of Arcade Fire and Neutral Milk Hotel with a punk energy played by a bunch of guys (and a girl) from New Jersey, you get a good idea of the sound of Titus Andronicus.  Their second record, The Monitor, is a concept album loosely based on the Civil War.  It’s got everything you want in an album of that type – reprises, long songs with multiple parts, and seemless transitions between each song.  Titus is really talented at writing poetic, realistic lyrics that are fun to sing along to, and it’s one of the things that makes The Monitor instantly great.  There’s a reference to fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen in the opener “A More Perfect Union” (“Tramps like us/baby we were born to die!) and catchy refrains throughout.  My favorite track is “Four Score and Seven” which starts out as a ballad before turning into a heavy rock song during the course of eight and a half enjoyable minutes.  The lyrics and melodies are memorable, the instrumentation is great and the album sounds very cohesive.

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Nicklist #6

April 18, 2011 4 Comments

1.) “Get Up” – Sleater-Kinney (from The Hot Rock)

Sleater-Kinney is one of the most underrated rock bands of the 90s – you hear a lot about the Nirvanas, and to a lesser extent the Pavements (one of my favorite bands) of the 90s, who gained a little more popularity than the girls from this band – but they rock hard.  “Get Up” is no exception – it has a great guitar riff and powerful vocals from lead vocalist Corin Tucker.  However, my favorite song is the bridge, where second guitarist Carrie Brownstein takes over the singing duties and sings a beautiful melody over some arpegiatted guitar playing.  Their drummer is Janet Weiss (Quasi, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Elliott Smith) who is one of rock’s most solid, hard-hitting drummers.

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Records of the Week: 4/14/11

April 14, 2011 Leave a comment

Ok, ok.  I know I originally wanted to compile three of the best albums from the first nine weeks of Records of the Week, but I’ve been enjoying these albums a bit lately.  So maybe I’ll hold off on that idea until the twenty-fifth or fiftieth post or something.  I’d have a lot more albums to choose from, and most of you guys wouldn’t remember some of the earlier stuff.  We’ll see.  But in the meantime…onto this week’s albums!

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

PJ Harvey is one of those artists who always seem to get glowing reviews from critics, but rarely receive any real mainstream success.  PJ’s music would probably sound great on rock radio and be an interesting change, so it’s a real shame that she isn’t bigger than she is.  This album Let England Shake is her first since 2007′s White Chalk, and it actually charted in the top 10 in many countries (although it only reached 32 in the US).  It’s hard to classify PJ as one specific sound, and this album is tough to put a label on as well.  In simplest terms it’s an indie rock record, but it’s so much more than the average album of that type.  It has really interesting melodies and great instrumentation.  “In The Dark Places” is my favorite song.  It has a really cool bassy keyboard sound and an amazing melody (check out the song to get a good feel of her sound).

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Nicklist #5

April 11, 2011 Leave a comment

Sorry for the lack of updates lately.  I haven’t been overly busy – put simply, there just hasn’t been things to review lately.  Fortunately a few great records are coming out this week, and after a little time with them I’ll post my reviews.  One way I’ve debated keeping the blog a little more active is reviewing older albums – but I feel like people have much more interest in newer releases.  Perhaps I’ll change my mind on that soon, though.  I want to remain as active as possible.

1.) “Dying Song” – John Frusciante (from The Brown Bunny soundtrack)

John Frusciante has always been one of my favorite artists, so its slightly surprising to realize that I haven’t mentioned him on this blog yet.  “Dying Song” is one of the most achingly heartbreaking things I’ve heard (in a beautiful way).  Frusciante has always utilized synths in unique and interesting ways, and this song is no exception.  The atmospheric, moody Rhodes keyboard and the little synth bleeps after each chorus add dynamics to what would just be a (very good) acoustic song otherwise.  The best thing about this song is the volume – despite the fact the song is acoustic, it sounds very full and is produced very well.  A lot of artists who record acoustically end up sounding thin or too sparse.

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