Gary War - Horribles Parade

I go back & forth on liking this record. At times, it's beautiful. At times, so annoying! I have this soft spot for people who sit around, stoned out of their minds, in their rooms making music. But this record is just going too far. Yeah it's fine to get a drum machine, a couple of synths, a crappy guitar, and some pedals & record what you want. But when you just echo & reverb the fuck out of shit it doesn't add to the music. Especially when the whole record uses these effects. I get it, that's the schtick. Just write me a real god damn song and prove that I should be interested in your music. Anyways this shit is totally jacking on Blank Dogs (coincidentally on the same label?)

My hope for 2k10 is no more of this "finding Myspace bands who use too much reverb with 5 friends and then not telling anyone so I can sign them to my label" in the 2k9. F that.

Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild

The lyrics on Backspacer are probably the weakest of any Pearl Jam record and I suspect that Eddie used up all his best material on his debut solo album/soundtrack. He tackles some pretty complex issues (as does the movie, book) and does it beautifully. It’s stripped down, but never sounds like Pearl Jam Unplugged.

Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come

The only jazz record you need to own.

The Sounds – Crossing the Rubicon

I really wanted to like this album. I love The Sounds. I love their unbelievably hot lead singer (mmm, Maja) and let’s not overlook her incredible voice. She’s definitely my favorite female vocalist. But, and I hate to say it, this album is lacking and it’s not even The Sounds fault. More than anything it’s the piss poor production that takes away from the album. At first I thought I had gotten a bad copy because the drums sound shitty and distorted and overly compressed. Furthermore, no album made after 1988 should have reverse reverb on it, much less on the vocals where it ends up taking away rather than adding anything. Some of the songs are alright and almost catchy, but you end up wanted them to be re-recorded.

One Day as a Lion - One Day as a Lion

Did you think a band that features the drummer from mars volta and the singer from Rage Against the Machine wouldn’t be amazing? Oh. Well, it’s actually really awesome. Zach plays a fuzzy distorted synth keyboard and sings while the drummer lays down the best groove since James Brown.