more than one post!

Presenting the rest of the backlogged album reviews! Expect an update of some kind, probably a few albums at a time, every week. That's the usual rate I listen to new stuff. 

And HEY: Do you have a particular album you want to see a review about? Leave a comment so I can ponder that. Hmm, hmm.

Soundtrack "TRON: Legacy"

I may lose my unofficial membership to the I LOVE DAFT PUNK! Club by saying this, but the truth is upon hearing this much hyped and talked about soundtrack, I was decidedly underwhelmed! Yeah Daft Punk knows their way around the coolest of the cool electronic sounds, but pairing them with an orchestra has only stifled their creativity. The music as a whole is impressively dull; I understand that the main theme's recurrence is a very important part of the score, but the bottom line is I expected something altogether more creative and out-of-the-box than this. This sounds like very predictable orchestra + synthesizer music and 21 tracks of it on this CD leads to track-forward-button mashing. Curious how the only danceable track on the album is the same track that was released ahead of time to hype up the album and the movie. Because it actually sounds like a Daft Punk song. Because it actually has musical interest. I didn't see the movie. Maybe the music works with the film, maybe it doesn't. Unfortunately, the music by itself is near disgraceful alongside anything else Daft Punk has put out.

Devo "Freedom of Choice"

If you love Casiotone and social commentary, there is no reason you would not like Devo. This album includes the famous "Whip It" but proves that Devo deserves to be more than a one-hit-wonder. Lots of good stuff on here, and while some of the sounds are dated, many are surprisingly relevant. Recommended for 80s music fans of course, but also for dance music and punk music fans.

Traditional Chinese "Shao Shu Min Zu Qi Yue Qu Ji"

[no cover image available]

The liner notes to this CD are almost entirely in Chinese which I cannot read, but I am glad I did not let that discourage me from taking a listen. The tunes are very cool, the arrangements are well done and varied, and the virtuosic playing is noteworthy. I am somewhat knowledgable of Chinese traditional instruments, and there are one or two sound sources on this CD that I cannot identify! I do appreciate the presecne of the sheng (it sounds as difficult to play as I have read about) and the hulusi, an instrument so soft and easily drowned out that it does not often appear in chamber music and larger groups, but it does well on this recording. I also found it interesting how some tracks would probably not be obviously recognizable as Chinese music had you not known its origin. One might guess regions as varied as Russia, Italy, the greater Arabic region, and even South America. (We are reminded that there is music beyond the pentatonic scale from China!) Beautiful music that any fan of folk music would enjoy.

Barenaked Ladies "Snacktime!"

Having written a pretty bad review of a Barenaked Ladies album not too long ago, I didn't have high hopes for this album, but I was pleasantly surprised. Clearly Barenaked Ladies either need to stick to the world of children's music or write music for adults anywhere near as well done, interesting, and entertaining as their children's music. This 24-track album boasts a varied selection of original tunes about various topics from numbers, food, words, food, trees, and also food. There's bad children's music and good children's music, and I give my blue ribbon award to They Might Be Giants, but this record is also among the best original children's music I've heard to date. My favorite tracks are "Allergies" (definitely a toe-tapper) and "I Don't Like", which is full of humorous dialogue. Kids and adults alike will enjoy "Snacktime!"!

Air "Love 2"

Got this CD because of their association with Phoenix. Overall I found it to be rather bland and empty. Minimalist for sure (but not in a Reich sense at all, more of a Yo La Tengo sense?), it sounds more like background music to...something else...since there's nothing of particular interest in the foreground here (unlike YLT). I did like the track "You Can Tell It to Everybody" because I thought it had more interest and a nice arc to it.

Jack Johnson "On and On"

This 2003 effort from everyone's favorite barefoot guitar player stands up well aside other music of his I've heard. Some of the lyrics are pretty banal, and I suspect that is the reason people who don't particularly like Jack Johnson don't particularly like him. However, there is no denying the catchiness of many of these songs. There are plenty of acoustic guitar & bongo tracks, but the tracks with electric guitar exhibit pretty exceptional understanding of the instrument, much like the best tracks of John Mayer on electric. I would think John Mayer himself would have "Wasting Time" on his iTunes hotlist for just the main riff. Other favorite tracks include "Gone," "Holes to Heaven" and "Fall Line." Would make a decent addition to most collections.