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R.E.M. - Accelerate review

4 out 5 ****/*****

28 years ago, four young intelligent/awkward fellows would come together to form a little band called R.E.M.  With similar admiration of artists like Patti Smith and the Velvet Underground, they would use these inspirations as the basis of their foundation in forming a contemporary rock band.  Fast forward to today, and little has seemed to change.  With the release of Accelerate, R.E.M. has managed to create an oddity.  Simply due to the fact that they have achieved what very few others have, that is in formulating one of their best albums to date at a time that is beyond their musical peak.  Many have said that R.E.M. have lost their internal flame once Bill Berry had departed in '95 (I myself am not 1), but I will concur with others in stating that their last full length release "Around the Sun" was an upsettingly unmotivated "setback" and did bring about an inner fear that maybe the day of R.E.M. has passed.  Accelerate manages to put those fears to rest, and may even be a pleasant glimpse into the future.

Opening with "Living Well Is The Best Revenge", the listener instantly is succumbed to the most straightforward, guitar driven introduction since "Document."  Gone are the excessive methods of production, in return the listener receives a vintage almost pre-major label sounding R.E.M.  Michael Stipe had stated that they spent the least amount of time recording Accelerate then any other album in their past.  Maybe that is their key to success (Since Around the Sun was the most endurant recording process of all, while also being their worst album to date.)  To sum up the most achievable method for R.E.M. to reach success would be to say that 3 weeks recording an R.E.M. album = Good.  Over 8 months recording an R.E.M. album = bad.  Time is a very present factor with Accelerate, not only with recording length, but also with each track's length.  Most songs barely exceed 3 minutes, which once again reiterates the bands strive to bring their music back to its early punkier days.  

"Supernatural Superserious" is a very well construed song, and the more that you listen to it, the more it constantly plays back in your head to the point where you begin to sing it EVERYWHERE that you go (exaggeration not of usage .)  It is clear why R.E.M. chose this to be their first single.  Accelerate also has it's moment of intamicy with "Hollow Man"  telling a tale that many face in losing themselves and their identity, while striving for something that will make them feel whole and worth something once again.  The only song on the whole entire album where the message seems to be ineffective is "I'm Gonna DJ."  Clearly trying to take the sarcastic apathetic approach to the world ending (similar to "It's the End Of The World As We Know It), Michael Stipe opens with singing " If death is pretty final, I'm collecting vinyl, I'm gonna Dj at the end of the world!" Although witty, the song does not manage to shed an insurmountable level of cheesyness.  Not many bands can claim to have done what R.E.M. has, and while U2 remains as being the most successful rock band of our Generation, R.E.M. seems to be the most reliable.  R.E.M. have always kept that Alternative edge, and seem like the type of band that would be perfectly content if they never had signed with Warner records.    

Accelerate may not be remembered as their absolute best effort, and may not have a memorable song on the album such as "losing my religion" or "Everybody Hurts"/"The One I love", yet it still has proven to be a solid, unforgettable effort as a whole, and an almighty accomplishment for one of the best bands to ever have lived. 

Vampire Weekend Review

4.5 out of 5 *****/*****

This just in, the album of the year has already been announced!!! The winner?  Vampire Weekend!  Okay, okay, it may be a little too early in the year to throw around declarations of this stature, but I will stand by this statement all the way to December 31st.  Vampire Weekend has managed to create a dynamic breath of fresh air with their very first self-titled CD.  Gaining speculation through the blogosphere, Vampire Weekend have been on hip indie socialites radars for around a year now through MP3 exposures buzzing about.  But for the rest of the world who just purchased their CD (only been out for about a month) congratulations. You also have discovered the best thing since sliced bread.  Influences cannot be stressed enough on the development of their multicultural debut.  Baby faced, and laced with bachelors degree from Columbia University, Vampire Weekend puts together a clash of ideas, ranging from Paul Simon to the garage rockin' Strokes.

Song after song exemplifies the consistent nature of this LP.  Opening with their first single "Mansard Roof", presents a descriptive, witty song about the nautical life.  Right from the beginning the listener is exposed to fast tremolo picking from lead sing Ezra Koening, along with sweet harmonized melodies which are provided by producer/keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij.  These two techniques appear throughout most of the CD, and help in creating the bands overall identity.   "Oxford Comma" tells a tale of a female friend that is clearly ashamed of the wealth surrounding her life while managing to add the most abstract, comedic lines of recent memory (First the window, then it's to the wall.  Lil' Jon, he always tells the truth.)  "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" stands to be the most afrocentric song of all, with a continuous caribbean driven guitar riff that provides accompaniment to the standout bongo performance.  While the beautifully intimate "I Stand Corrected" reassures the listener that as happy-go-lucky as the band may be, they are still human, and do encounter everyday emotions.  

Vampire weekend have created a sound that blends a unique array.  They have probably listened to "The Smiths" self-titled CD just as much as "Graceland" or Talking Heads "Remain in Light".  Preppy, intellects may typically tend to overemphasize musical theory, but Vampire weekend have manage to break the trend by creating the most simplistically divine album in a very long time.  Many people may fear that Vampire Weekend will experience the same lackluster fate that a band like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have after the release of their 2nd album, whether their fears can be justified will only be determined in the future.  But what is known, is that Vampire Weekend are the most inexplicably fun/feel good band to bless our restless ears for longer then I can remember.  Many bands may despise what the internet has done for them in terms of musical revenue, yet other bands like Vampire Weekend cannot help but praise it. 

Lupe Fiaso - The Cool review

4.5 out of 5 ***** / *****

Clearly determined to bring hip-hop back to its glory days, Lupe Fiasco stays true to himself and to the deteriorating rap game with his second full length release of "The Cool".  When Kanye West first introduced this fellow Chi-Town rapper with a knack for luxurious fashion, it seemed too good to be true.  But Lupe has proven to be resilient of the criticisms shot at him by his peers, and has refused to "Dumb it down".  The tenacity presented within every single verse of "Hip-Hop saved my life" is inexplicably controlling.  Lupe is more then just another intelligent voice, but also possesses the linguistics of a storyteller.  His narrator/second person approach to a majority of his songs (i.e. "Hip-Hop saved my life" "Streets on fire") is poetic and illustrious, while not being overbearing or incompetent.  

His multicultural influences are once again ever present with lines like "I am American mentality, with Japanese tendencies, Norwegian sensibilities, so stay out of the vicinity", and he still seems to be passionate about skateboarding and comics.  The relativity aspect of Lupe's music is clearly his most positive attribute.  This allows him to be one of the most versatile rappers while being sure to not leave any listener with a feeling of isolation.  "Paris, Tokyo" is an obvious throwback to one of Lupe's most dominant influences A Tribe called Quest.  With songs like "Go-go gadget flow" and "Go baby", Lupe  manages to create tracks that are more accessible then the majority of this album, but still possess his free-flowing intelligent mannerisms.

The only problem with the The Cool is its inability to create the concept that Lupe set out to originally do.  A loosely based idea on a character created on Food & Liquor, the Cool never manages to take the forefront, or surpass an imaginable role other then being an alter-ego.  Without artists such as Kanye West, Common, The Roots, and Lupe Fiasco, hip-hop would be spiraling downward at even more accelerated pace, and hopefully, their music will continue to inspire a new generation of rappers as the De La Souls and Tribe Called Quest's have for them.  Lupe Fiaso has his eyes set in one direction, straight, and I doubt that he will ever manage to lose focus.

Kate Nash - Foundation review

3 out of 5 *** / *****

This witty young English eccentric is emerging with nothing to lose and everything to gain.  After the tiresome comparisons to the Lilly Allen's and Regina Spektor's of the world, Kate Nash is finally beginning to develop a name for herself.  On Nash's second single off of "Made of Bricks", the young 20 year old creates a humorous spin on a relationship that is heading south at rapid pace.  This song from the very beginning seems and clearly is more of a rant of frustration rather then an actual song that in itself shows the youth of Ms. Nash, yet the comedic value justifies the lack of structure throughout the verses.  The only moments of clarity come within the chorus "My fingertips are holding onto the cracks in our foundation and I know that I should let go, but I can't..."  "Foundation" may never create the buzz that such songs as "1, 2, 3, 4" or "Suddenly I see" have for this new wave of femme fatale's, but it still proves to be a quirky innocent delight.

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain review

4 out of 5 **** / *****

TV on the Radio are native New Yorkers straight out of Brooklyn who have made their rise to independant stardom with there amazing art rock alongside fellow friends and bands "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" and the originally oriented Beligum band "Liars." On the bands 2nd LP, "Return to Cookie Mountain," the opening track ("I was a Lover") really is a sample for things to come. The track opens with a haunting melody produced through electronic loops and a very fitting horn segment. With lyrics like "I once joined a priest class, plastic, inert in a slowdance with commerce like a lens up a skirt," you know that you are in for a treat. 

Lead singer Tunde Adebimpe along with backup vocalist Kip Malone both undoubtedly have unique and distinct ways of singing.  Kip's unusual highly toned falsetto is not something that you would expect when physically seeing this individual, but nonetheless, it is that of an originator. Tunde also has a certain finesse to his vocal abilities (he often sings in a doo-wop style). The fuzzy guitars, loops, and production on this album are ace and posess that of a trip-hop presence.  "Province" and "Wolf Like Me" prove to be the most dynamic effort off of the album.  Ziggy Stardust himself makes a noteworthy appearance on "Province, and once you hear these voices accompany each other, bliss is certain to follow. 

The way that their voices match and resemble each others is almost in a sense soothing even as unsoothing as this band may be.  "Wolf like me" jumps up and down in tempo, and is clearly the most energetic and upbeat song off of the album. TV on the Radio are one of the most exciting, non-categorizable, and simply fun bands to release an LP so far in 2006. Listen to this record, cd, mp3 however, just be sure to bring 1 thing, an open mind.