Alternative Rock music reviews

Digging through my Cd collection to record some mixed CD compliations, I came apon this 1989 classic recording. I
really haven't heard much from KD LANG since her "Constant Gravings" single. One of the most unique vocalist around and
unfortunatley she got piegeoned holed into a country/western
honky tonk mold and she messed around with the style and poked
fun at its limitations and over dramatics but inside she was
one of closest singers (country or pop) that could touch Patsy Cline in power and
range but in this present day she seemed to end up being more
a freak of nature with the biggest pipes in the business.
KD chose to come out and it didn't seem to work to her best
advantage as her fan base was not only quirky music nuts but
real hard core country music lovers that new a voice when they
heard one, but really didn't know what the hell to think of
her? She was her own person for sure but I just think
she lacked a direction after Con Gr and it hurt her sales afterwards. Shes been messing around with the likes of Tony
Bennett but shes missed considering people know what she is
capable of since "Constant gravings" was her biggest hit and although
it was featured in a pop setting, it, like her country stylings
was slightly off center and it made it all the better.
"Absolute torch and twang" is one of the very best examples
of the kind of country that I love, on level with such acts
as Lyle Lovett and Shelby Lynn(at times) taking country music
to new places, experimenting but still keeping the central core
of it intact, just blowing it up a bit. From start to finish
this is a vocal show down and with Ben Mink's talent the two
just created a masterpiece of sound and vision. I had forgotten
just how brilliant this collection is. "Luck in my eyes", "Three
days", "Big boned gal" and especially the "Pullin back the reins" are just a few of the many highlights through out AT&T,
proving she was like no other but the owner of a voice that
was not to be denied. I wish she would go back and do some
more of her zany brand of country & western or try something
with a Daniel Lanois/Malcom Burns feel. The music business is
in big need of some fresh sounds!

Bassist Ray Brown once said of Ella Fitzgerald, "it's not what she did, it's what she didn't do; she never did anything wrong". I believe this can also be said of k.d. lang (and The Reclines). If you want middle-of-the-road pap you can always listen to Shania Twain, Faith Hill or a vast number of similar beauty queens who fill up the air waves today. If you're in search of a thrillingly fabulous country influenced album with a standout singer/songwriter/interpreter and downright brilliant instrumentation, "Absolute Torch and Twang" is nonpareil.

I've owned this album since back when it first came out. A co-worker lent it and after the first 30 seconds of the CD - Luck In My Eyes - I was hooked. After Pullin' Back The Reins, I knew I had to buy it. Immediately. What an amazingly sensuous song! I challenge you to not get lost in it. k.d. soars, snarls and struts from beginning to end. I'm not a big country fan, but then this isn't big country. This is Big Music. Thank You k.d. lang!

This from Spain; i'd love to hear these songs in a car across the U.S.A., searchin' for a heart of gold, thinkin' about a girl i left behind...

I don't know what happened to Matthew sweet when he made this cd, it is heavy metal compared to his early work like inside.I've kind of always hade the belief that there was some very strong motivation that pushed sweet to make AB. This cd is surely not his alone. Like many I discovered Sweet by way of Girlfriend, this cd blows that one away. I still like his more recent work too, but I find myself really listening to Altered beast much more closely.This is not a cd that would give an artist commercial success, but I hoped it would put Sweet up there in terms of what people would consider brilliant songwriting.I tell people about this cd all the time but because most people don't know or remember sweet they just kind of ignore me. Too bad for them. One of my top 5 favorite ever regardless of genre.

This album equals and often exceeds Mr Sweet's previous album "Girlfriend". You have an artist who is at his peak, seemingly capable of continuing many more songs if there were only more room on the disc. It is at these rare moments in music that you are rewarded to listen. Rougher and vagobond charm existlike finding a great fishing spot, when you are having luck, you stay there, and maybe remember the color of the lure you used. This one is good because it has an album rock feel to it and it seems that the tracks are mostly live cuts. MSweet is not over-anlyzing here because the music is working fine. Many reviewers agreeable say that the album is dark, but to me it does not leave that impression on you because Matthew Sweet is not asking you to go there and he also offers glimpses of light courtesy of the beautifully crafted songs and playing. The music just compells you to listen....and read the track notes for that matter. So many respectable people play on this record! Robert Quine (Lou Reed, Voidoids), Richard Lloyd (Television), Greg Liesz (lap steel extraordinaire), Nicky Hopkins (Rolling Stones), Rick Menck (Velvet Crush), Byron Berline (Flying Burrito Brothers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Graham Parker), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & the Voidoids), Fred Maher (Lloyd Cole, voidoids, Lou Reid), Jody Stephens (Big Star), Ron Pangborn, Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), Richar dashut (Fleetwood Mac Producer). Without risk of name dorpping, all of them contibuted remarkably not becaue it was an attempt to cash in, they fund a good fishing spot. I'm sure because of mutual respect and not for other reasons. They just don't make them like this anymore. It is like Exile on Mainstreet. Maybee as good or better. Subjective, but good enough to make an argument either way. If aythingm can be said about the darkess of thr lbum, it is preovn that that the artist came over it. Afterall humans havecompassion, add resent their wrongthoughtm, because deep in side we know truth.

The sophomore release from the Bacon Brothers shows them stretching their wings and trying more with their basic folky/roots rock sound, and while some of the experimentation sinks them, more often it's improving the songs.

Best outings for Kevin are usually quiet understated ballads (his elegiac "Ten Years in Mexico", the achingly beautiful "When You Decide You've Stayed too Long"), with "Arm Wrestling Woman" the lone exception where he manages to come off sounding tough instead of phony on a rockier number.

Michael's best are "It's a Rocky Road" (sounding not unlike James Taylor's "Copperline") and his empty nest lament in "Don't Lose the Boy". The duo also manage a surprisingly good rendition of Tom Waits' "Jersey Girl", complete with great vocal interplay and some nice falsetto from Kevin.

Low points for the disc are "T.M.I" which runs too long and in too many directions (rapid tempo changes, awkward verses at times, a strange choir part singing "T....M....I"). "Not Born to Beauty" is an ambitious bar band tribute that suffers from too busy an arrangement and a vocal from Kevin that descends into parody by trying way too hard to sound "soulful".

Several other songs are solid without being exceptional. (The arrangement weighs down "Chop Wood" a bit, "Angelina" has Kevin's best vocal work but just isn't as good a lyric as some of the others).

Bottom Line: These guys are still quite a bit better than the amount of recognition they get would indicate. Don't let the fact that one of the band members is a grade B movie star keep you from giving them a chance.

3 1/2 stars

If you discovered Jesse Collin Young a couple of decades ago,
you're in store for a repeat thrill. And if you never heard of The Youngbloods, The Bacon Brothers may very well be for you.
There's humor and beauty to this music. In current terms,
all you need in your CD case is this, and Keaton Simons.

Out of all 3 albums, it's hard to choose, but if I had to, this one would be my favorite. As usual, the lyrics are creative and the music covers a variety of styles. These 2 guys and their band are all multi-talented.

This came out when I was 12: it would have been far too 'difficult' an album for a young whippersnapper and I was only vaguely aware that the Bunnymen existed at that time. In my early teens I bought a few Bunnymen singles and Ocean Rain; now, 24 years later, I'm trying to fill in the rest of the Bunnymen jigsaw.

After a week of repeated listening, I'd say you can try on this album in either of two ways. Either, you judge it by its stand out songs, which are far and few between: if you can listen half a dozen times and manage to hum more than 2 tunes afterwards, you're doing better than me.

Alternatively, you can put it in context: appreciate that this was a pretty original approach at the time and marvel at the uncanny proto-U2 sound, (which I have to say does precious little to endear it to me). If you're interested in exploring music history largely for its own sake, it's worth hearing in order to understand how we got from Joy Division to U2 within a couple of years. However, if like me you think both Joy Division and U2 are vastly overated, this really isn't going to do much for you.

It's determindly bleak, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but this also captures the Bunnymen at a stage before they got a knack for melody: only 'Over the Wall' and 'A Promise' deliver a decent hook. I've seen Heaven Up Here described as a work of 'rare beauty'. It can also cause a tense, nervous headache.

If you're interested in the early 80's British underground scene, then of course you should hear it, along with the other Bunnymen albums. Compared to the lush Scott Walker-esque Ocean Rain, though, this is half-baked and less than half-rewarding.

Their best album by far.Enough said..Show of Strength is a killer,A Promise a treasure and With A Hip one of the greatest songs ever recorded.THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOUR MONEY,THIS IS THE ONE THAT'S TRUE,THIS IS THE ONE CALLED HEAVEN,THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOU!

First and foremost, I'm familiar with a lot of the Bunnymen's music; however, this is the only CD of theirs I will own. The rest of their music is bland, for my tastes. With that said, this is a great CD.

There is a mood that is haunting; it's engaging. The songs have energy in a subdued way, and the lyrics are powerful. I dare say that this is a "must have" CD for any collector of rock/punk music.

Even though there is not one mediocre song on this CD, I absolutely recommend "Over the Wall" and "The Disease."

These musicians have created a virtually unrivaled collection of songs in "Heaven Up Here."

Prior to this release, Cave In had established themselves as one of the best hardcore/metalcore/whatever bands that the genre had to offer. "Until Your Heart Stops" is technical, skin-ripping metal that's just hard to beat. So, when you have a formula that works so well, why change it? Well, if you can throw that out completely (or almost completely), and do something entirely different, and end up being even more amazing than ever before, then why the hell not? Well, that's exactly what Cave In did.

"Jupiter" is just a stellar album, and classifying it is no easy task. In its 47 minutes, it covers elements of metal, prog, alternative, punk, and space rock. It is all of these things, and yet at the same time, none of them. This is a sound that is truly unique. The excellent muscianship is surpassed only by the immaculate songwriting, and Steven Brodsky's range, timbre, and nimble versatility make him a stand-out vocalist for sure.

The album begins with the title track, which is fast and catchy, while still churning out some very bizarre and memorable melodies. "Big Riff" is a perfect synthesis of crushing heaviness, and again, bizarre and memorable melodies (and is the last remaining bit of the band's hardcore elements). "In the Stream of Commerce" is an odd, very proggy piece, with unpredictable music and Brodsky showcasing his excellent vocal range. "Innuendo and Out the Other" is cascading and atmospheric (and it ends with what sounds like the "Twilight Zone" theme), while "Brain Candle" is infectiously catchy and rocking. "Requiem" is a huge epic, with incredible buildup (easily one of the best songs ever), "Decay of the Delay" is a haunting instrumental, and "New Moon" ends the album on a somber and beautiful note.

This album is just full of surprises, and goodness. One of the finest rock albums you can hope to buy. Buy it now, and let Cave In take you on a journey through the cosmos. You'll be glad you did.

By god this record is too much for words. sounds like they were listening to lots of radiohead when they recorded this.

if "until your heart stops" is their shining 'hardcore' album, then "jupiter" is their shining, beautiful 'space rock' album.

please do check this album out.

Jupiter is, hands down, one of the best rock albums of all time. Extreme statement? Yes. Justified? You better believe it.

I discovered Cave In thanks to my friend Heather, and for that I owe her credit for most of my musical taste. I have fallen in and out of love with all of the mainstream modern rock greats: Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Incubus (I did say mainstream), Interpol, even Green Day. At the same time I rejected pop influences and searched for deeper, more visceral music: The Postman Syndrome, Hopesfall, Thrice, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, etc. Cave In spawned all of this with Jupiter.

I am not one to describe each song on an album, meticulously pointing its ups and downs, its mellifluous tones and chromatic pitfalls, but I will tell you that Jupiter opens with a farsical pop cacophony of addictive brilliance. The opener, aptly titled "Jupiter", invades the listener's nerves with resonating high-frequency riffs and moody percussive flows that make you question whether or not you appreciate the blunt nature of the band. Nonetheless, Cave In "keeps your seat on the edge" and coerces you to discover more of the space between modern rock.

Each subsequent song is an experiment in beauty, inciting metal, alternative, classical, and progressive tones in a aggregate class of so-called space rock. "In the Stream of Commerce", "Big Riff", and "Requiem" are staples, and they will haunt your daydreams ad infinitum.

All in all, I personally guarantee that you will love this album.

Buy Jupiter, and you'll never look back.

I had picked up this disc awhile ago after seeing them at a gig and lost it. Well, I just found it recently and gave it a spin and it's got some great songs on it. Their new disc is much better but give this one a try. If you dig Chevelle or From Zero you might like these guys.

I picked up my disc at a show in Ann Arbor, Michigan just a couple days ago! These guys have done an awesome job -- I can't put this CD down. The riffs are catchy, the beats are awesome, and I particularly love the synth work in Lullaby. The lyrics are thoughtful and the vox are awesomely melodious for a rock band. This is the kind of stuff you can play on loop constantly and just plain not grow tired of it... This CD is a steal at this price. And if you like the CD, be sure to see them live at your earliest convenience, because they put on an awesome show!

It's so refreshing to hear something new and different. These guys are doing it right. The songs are sick and the playing is off the hinges. Hot vocals too. There's a cool vibe throughout this CD. It hasn't left my changer since I bought it in January. Highly recommended.

Great album,What is the music sample on T.R.O.Y.? love that they also used it on Boondocks

I love this album.. every track fits perfectly.. this is good hip-hop the way that it's supposed to be done. I don't know which track I would consider my favorite since overall I like every one but I would say that the beat to T.R.O.Y is just plain out awesome one of my favorites of all time. If you want some hip-hop look no further check this out.

You will not be disapointed.

Justin

The early 90's was most definitely the best period in hip-hop music, mainly for Jazz-Rap music. Along with artists such as A Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr, Pete Rock & CL Smooth set the standard of how it should be done. "Mecca & The Soul Brother" is an undeniable cornerstone of early 90's Hip-Hop/Jazz-Rap and cemented the duo as one of the greatest of all time. The Soul Brother #1 creates the perfect soundscape of the streets, from the subway to the corner to the rooftops of the projects, building off of obscure horn samples, deep bass, and of course, his trusty SP1200. Also, he starts the trend of playing another beat before or after the main song and still manages to keep the mood right. CL comes correct and dominates with his double, tripple rhyme patterns and clever punchlines, with a few guest rhymes from Deda, InI, Grand Puba, and even Pete Rock himself spits a few bars as well. Although most of the playlist is full of gems that speak on the stress of sample clearance ("Straighten It Out"), the anger and mental slavery of Black America ("Ghettos Of The Mind"), life in the hood ("Ghettos Of The Mind"), and having madd "buddies" ("Skinz" feat. Grand Puba), the truest stand-out to this day (and probably the main reason Pete Rock & CL Smooth have held their name for so long), is the dedication piece to their late friend, Trouble T-Roy of Heavy D and the Boyz, on "T.R.O.Y. (The Remenisce Over You)". The soulful melody and CL's thoughtful rhymes ("...but only you saw what took many time to see/I dedicate this to you for believeing in me...") would go on to be THE song to play at funerals acros Black America. On the real, I never thought a Jazz-Rap album (other than "The Low End Theory") could sound so brilliantly put together and remain so consistant. This'll definitely get you into listening to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Thelonius Monk.

This album is one of the best albums of the 90's without a doubt. It still packs a great punch today. I wonder what would happen if it were re-released under a different name and pushed by a big record company. Too bad Edwin ditched for his ill-fated solo career. Idiot.

This is definitely an undiscovered gem from 1996. I Mother Earth garnered modest success in Canada but they quickly faded after singer Edwin left the band for a solo career that tanked. All of the songs are awesome! I haven't grown tired of this album since buying it in 1996.

More accessible than their debut album "Dig", this sophomore album has got it all. From catchy rhytmic melodies to extended guitar solos. There is no particular weak spot on this album as it is fairly strong all the way from start to finish. Edwin's vocals are as strong as they've ever been, to support the "spacey" lyrics. The most impressive thing about the album is the wealth of guitar tones Jagori Tanna is able to produce here. Very entertaining and interesting. This album my seem like a bore at first, but after a few listens, you'll hear how great this album truely is.

Many are under the impression that mixing drugs and music is not a good thing. However, every now and then, you will come across an album that as stoned writted all over it. Spine of God is one those cds.

Just looking at the cover lends credence to the fact that you will lose your mind spinning this one in your player. However, once the music settles in, you will see that their is more to this band than just a druggy image. Monster Magnet comes full force with this one, as it is easy to see why this one is hailed an influential piece in stoner music.

The opening track is such a mind altering experience, you think you would be listening to Kyuss. The mind bending riff is out there, I thought I had to check myself to make sure I wasn't on anything. The rest of the album continues this feeling. Yet, what makes Spine of God great is that it really just full of great music. Drug references aside, the songs hold together well and the record can be played again and again.

I have yet to listen to this one on any mind altering chemical. I wouldn't want to though, as sometimes those things just destroy good music. However, try to picture what it must be like to alter your senses and play some rock and roll. If you can understnad that, then perhaps you will enjoy this cd. If you are, however, just interested in listening to some great rock, then this one is for you. In either case, this one belongs in your collection.

Originally released in 1992,as this was Monster Magnet's first full-length lp.I've always felt 'Spine Of God' was a very good(near great,actually)album in the way that it apparently displays the strong influences the band has of artists like the MC 5,Hawkwind,Stooges,Hendrix and Blue Cheer.Tunes I thought that leave a long lasting impression were "Medicine",the ass-kicking "Nod Scene","Zodiac Lung","Snake Dance" and the guy's tribute to 'those who really do' blow weed rather than just slam the past time activity "Ozium".Should appeal to most stoners,head-bangers and acid heads.Wait a minute,what is this,junior high?Shouldn't put labels on people for how they chose to live their lives.Highly recommended.

Its a shame what happened to Monster magnet after 1995. You listen to this, their debut, then compare it to something like God says no and you wonder what went wrong. This is possibly the most fun you can have with music, period.

Anyone who can beat GFR at their own game through their cover of 'Sins a good mans brother' deserves significant honor. Early magnet classics such as 'Pill Shovel', 'Snake Dance' and 'Nod scene' are on offer too, spaced out (pardon the pun) by 3 wild trippy numbers 'Black Mastermind, 'Zodiac Lung' and the title track. Ozium may be the single most addictive song ever.

Avid fans of later magnet releases such as Powertrip may not find that much here for them, but this deserves anyone's money in my book. For fans of Sabbath, Kyuss, QOTSA, Stooges, Hawkwind and dare i say Floyd?

You can literally hear entire band's basing their sounds on concepts found on simply one of the many different styled tracks on the album (ex: Earn Enough For Us=post-Core STP).. One of the few albums that can hold a candle to the pop mastery and versatility demonstrated by The Beatles on their later work. To my ears, this even surpasses some of the regal pop masterpiece albums those godfathers released, taking pop music into a classier more eccentric and well constructed realm then anyone could have guessed. These are the types of albums that should be true mainstream classics, not the underground stapels they have become.

Widely regarded as XTC's best album, "Skylarking" is not my personal favorite (I go with "Oranges and Lemons" for that), but it is one of those records worthy of all the accolades that are heaped upon it. At the height of their powers, the now-studio-bound trio engaged Todd Rundgren as producer. While Rundgren and XTC principle songwriter and guitarist Andy Partridge bumped heads rather severely, through strife comes high art, and this is no exception. "Skylarking" is one of the great pop albums of its era.

So what makes "Skylarking" so good? A lot, really. Compositions of both Partridge and bassist Colin Moulding are superb throughout-- they've finally pretty much shedded the last vestiges of ska-tinged new wave that dominated their early records and filtered down through all their previous recordings and instead fully embraced the quirky pop direction they had been drifting in. The arrangements, steadily increasing in detail and lushness over the years, continues their growth here-- strings, xylophones, horns, flutes and drum machines all swirl alongside the rest of the trappings of the band to provide a lushness of a soundscape, and subtle use of vocal harmony takes the edge off the band's sometimes overtly British vocals. The performances, both on instruments and vocals, from Partridge, Moulding and longtime guitarist/keyboardist Dave Gregory are all pretty much top notch. And finally, Rundgren arranged the album to provide a cyclic notion and a feeling of unity and concept.

Talking about highlights is rather difficult, it's all pretty much fantastic and startlingly diverse, from the pastoral strings and gentle British vocals of "Grass" to the funky rock of "That's Really Super, Supergirl" to the deep swing and swaggering horn arrangements of "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul". Along the way, there's no shortage of great ideas-- morose string quartets ("Ballet for a Rainy Day"), explosive electric rock ("Earn Enough For Us"), neo-ambient pop ("Another Satellite") and a seemingly neverending assortment of fantastic pop songs (really just about everything). In short, there's nothing but a lot of good to say about this one.

Like the rest of the XTC catalog, the album was remastered and sonically now matches the detail of the arrangements and provides the opportunity to breathe. Additionally, the CD includes a bonus track in the form of "Dear God"-- originally a b-side, it became a surprise hit single and was subbed on the album in place of "Mermaid Smile"-- here the album is restored to its original order with "Dear God" tacked onto the end. In this place, it actually works nicely, providing a somewhat bitter coma to cyclic feeling of the album, and for a piece that's quite clear and preachy in its message, it's so good that the driving acoustic rhythms and superb string arrangements prevent it from coming off as overt. It proves to be one of the great pieces in the XTC catalog.

I said at the beginning it's not my favorite album by XTC, but it may well be their best-- cohesive, brilliantly written and performed, and superb from start to finish-- it's to the '80s what "Pet Sounds" was to the '60s. If you don't have it, you probably should.

I love this album so much. It flows and meanders along like a stream of conciousness that's destined to end a pool of lucidity. It's the album that made me jump up and notice this great band. Ironically, the only song that seems forced on the album is 'Dear God'. My favorite is 'Sacraficial Bonfire.'