Genre: Freestyle
Label Number: CK 44378
© 1989 Columbia Records
This includes the Top-40 hit "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star."
tags: lisa lisa and cult jam, straight to the sky, 1989, flac,
November 28, 2023
Forty Foot Echo - Forty Foot Echo (2003)
Language: English
Genre: Post Grunge
Label Number: 2061-62362-2
© 2003 Hollywood Records
Forty Foot Echo mines territory similar to Creed or Lifehouse on its Hollywood debut, vacillating between chunky post-grunge rockers and uplifting, righteous power ballads that are all treated with the glimmering sheen that is mixer Tom Lord-Alge's trademark. "Weakness" lurches along with plenty of gritty guitar chug, but vocalist Murray Yates is accompanied by processed, robot versions of himself throughout, giving the song the same articulated quality that's become the dominant sound of loud rock in the years since Creed's popular breakthrough. Then there's "Save Me," an uplifting rocker dominated by self-referential, entirely blasé lyrics like "Sit around and find myself again." The track is perfectly rendered, having been tweaked and prodded to appeal to the broadest base imaginable. In fact, it sounds quite a bit like the older brother of the Calling's "Wherever You Will Go." Yates and his mates' few extra years of seasoning have given their entry a moustache and some extra emotional baggage, but it's essentially the same radio-ready single, guaranteed to find its way onto a soundtrack before too long. That's the problem with Forty Foot Echo. Even its more rocking moments are more predictable than the plot of Kate Hudson's next romantic comedy. Yates has a powerful voice, and his pals seem to put everything they have into their playing (especially on "Drift"). But with its glossy production, same-y songs, and general interest lyrical ideologies, Forty Foot Echo's debut is designed for maximum consumption by the lowest common denominator.
tags: forty foot echo, forty foot echo album, 2003, flac,
The Open - The Silent Hours (2004)
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: 986 616-0
© 2004 Polydor/Loog
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: the open, the silent hours, 2004, flac,
The Open - Statues (2006)
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: 987549-9
© 2006 Polydor/Loog
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: the open, statues, 2006, flac,
November 27, 2023
KRS‐One - Adventures In Emceein (2008)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: EV-CD-4073
© 2008 Echo-Vista
Midway through KRS-One's Adventures in Emceein, Nas (often the torch-bearer for much of KRS-One's preaching) calls KRS "the greatest MC of all time" and repeats that designation for posterity's sake. It's hard to argue with Nas, considering KRS-One's unmatched longevity, much of which has been characterized by relevance and excellence. Nas appears at the opening of "The Real Hiphop" -- a subject that is the hallmark of practically every KRS recording. Just like every other album over the past 20 or so years -- especially the recent ones -- Adventures in Emceein deals with the preservation of hip-hop and the necessity of teaching, or as KRS puts it on "What's Your Plan?," "All I'm trying to do is educate the young ones." The result is a series of largely static songs that, although they spring from an inspired artist incessantly motivated with the notion of the greater good, will probably bore most listeners. There is affecting production in spots ("I Got You") and KRS seems immune to serving up garbage rhymes, with the social critique of "Our Soldiers" highlighting the substance void of both music and political talking heads. Still, many of the songs sound like recycled KRS stock. Some are downright corny, such as "Alright." Yeah, it's always nice to hear, arguably, the greatest to ever do it, but it's become increasingly less of an event.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: krs one, adventures in emceein, 2008, flac,
KRS‐One - Maximum Strength (Two Thousand Eight) (2008)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: KOC-CD-9605
© 2008 Koch Records
From the opening barks "I know we ain't getting' soft!" over the stripped-down piano and drum production of "Beware," it's evident that KRS-One has been reevaluating his sound, and is responding to criticism with fire. The teacher's back and class is in session. After several lackluster releases, in which Blastmaster Chris obsessed over the state of hip-hop and spent his time pointing fingers at other rappers for not bringing it, Maximum Strength shows him at his maximum strength and doing what he does best: preaching. As the first KRS One album with a real sense of purpose in years, nearly every track focuses on the beefs he has with politics and society. This is the educator at his purest. He pulls no stops as he rifles through his rhyme book, dropping lines like "take a look at the police and how they treat you/ take a look at corporations and how they cheat you/ democrats and republicans are all see through/ now we votin' for the lesser of two evils, man, don't let them deceive you/ this is an autocracy not a democracy/ but to call this a democracy without mock interest in the laws of society, that's called hypocracy." He continues waxing political in "Pick It Up," breaking open the European history textbooks to provide a background on the last time a true democracy was practiced: by Cleisthenese in 508 BC before Athens was conquered by Alexander of Macedon. Thought-provoking raps like these seem like luxuries when compared to the typical flash in the pan party raps that are embraced by radio stations, which encourage listeners to throw their hands in the air rather than pushing core values. Kris preaches unity in the community and loving your sister, but also knows when to lighten up and reminisce about the good times with party raps of his own. "Let Me Know" shows him spitting rhymes with the finesse and lyrical prowess of Busta Rhymes over a dancehall jam, and "Straight Through" shows him furiously speeding through B-boy topics without taking a breath. At the worst moments, "New York" and "Hip Hop" suffer slightly, scarred by scatting female vocals and dated production, but for a middle-aged rapper at this stage in the game, it's surprisingly relevant and not only one of the better hip-hop releases he's dropped in years, but one of the best of his career.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: krs one, maximum strength, tow thousand eight, 2008, flac,
November 26, 2023
The Cooper Temple Clause - Make This Your Own (2007)
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: SEQCD001
© 2007 Sequel/Morning Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: the cooper temple clause, make this your own, 2007, flac,
The Cooper Temple Clause - See This Through & Leave (2002)
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: MORNING18
© 2002 Morning Records
England's the Cooper Temple Clause were an instant success with music fans and undeniably claimed the unofficial title of British Music Magazine's "Darlings of 2002," earning popularity and respect in equal measures throughout the year. On See This Through and Leave, no less than five singles are collated together with equally impressive album tracks to provide one of the most accomplished debut efforts of any British rock band since Mansun or Muse. Creepy opener "Did You Miss Me?" draws you in unsubtly before dispatching you to experience the pulsating "Film-Maker," a trademark song if ever there was one. With its searing guitar and two-part harmonies synonymous with Brit rock, the melody is direct, and like the rest of the album, the lyrics are unnerving in their ambiguity. It's already relentless stuff, but there's little sign of a reprise as it segues into the Primal Scream-inspired "Panzer Attack," where you learn that naming a song after a type of military tank is quite deliberate, not in the heavyweight sense but in its driving incessancy. It would be obvious for the album to maintain this tempo, but on the classy single "Who Needs Enemies?" vocalist Ben Gautrey reminds listeners "A killer-key change is all you'll ever need." That, and some delicately weighted horn fills. There's a healthy electronic input too, especially on the divulging "555-4823," which builds a captivating if slightly wobbly bridge between the singles "Let's Kill Music" and "Been Training Dogs," sampling all things British, including the chimes of Big Ben and a BBC Radio news bulletin. After hammering out the riff-driven "Been Training Dogs" and the equally powerful "The Lake," there's a necessity to ease into the tranquil yet rousing finale, "Murder Song." It's a turbulent journey. As expected, the direct style of the singles alone had some sections of the music media seeking to invent new categories such as the slightly generic "shoutcore" -- although when asked the appropriate vocal questions, Gautrey's voice does reveal distinctive qualities. It would be myopic not to mention that some of these qualities hint that Oasis' Liam Gallagher or the Levellers' Mark Chadwick have taken turns providing guest vocals, but this shouldn't prevent you from being impressed with the singer's intense snarl. Musically too, the band proves a six-piece can hold it together while deploying a variety of styles and influences without altering its ethos. At times, the songs lack intricacy in favor of long-held chords, which if nothing else increase track length, but this isn't tiresome. In truth, it's hard to imagine a more finely balanced record. Their ability to incessantly bring the whole sound down, only to come back at you more fiercely than before, can leave you breathless at times, generating no emotion short of desperation to see the band perform these blistering songs live. Worth it for the singles alone. In fact, worth it for "Film-Maker" and the impressive "Amber" alone, but they're helped by being surrounded by some of the best indie rock songs in years. If you're not bowled over by this album, you will have to steady yourself.
tags: the cooper temple clause, see this through and leave, 2002, flac,
The Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4 (1986)
*U.S. first pressing.
Contains 16 tracks total.
Country: United KingdomGenre: Jangle Pop
Label Number: 9 60501-2
© 1986 Elektra Records
Like a box of chocolate truffles with BBs hidden in them, a Housemartins album offers deceivingly simple and tuneful pop songs that are designed to cause you some discomfort once you start chewing on them. Singer and songwriter Paul Heaton sings with a disarmingly boyish voice, high and adenoidal, and his bandmates contribute angelic harmonies as well as sweet and straightforward guitar pop instrumental settings. But listen closely to Heaton's lyrics and you find yourself plunged into a world of class resentment, bitter economic disappointment, and strangled rage. "Get Up Off Our Knees" includes the deathless couplet "Don't point your fingers at them and turn to walk away/Don't shoot someone tomorrow that you can shoot today," while "Sitting on a Fence" ridicules those who "see both sides of both sides" and "Sheep" bemoans the apathy of the downtrodden masses. Heaton is no simple lefty -- his politics are a strange amalgam of Marxism and Christianity -- but his views are brutally uncompromising, and they constitute a very iron fist wrapped in the velvet glove of the Housemartins' blissful guitar pop. Agree with him or not, there's no denying the music's power.
tags: the housemartins, london 0 hull 4, 1986, flac,
The Housemartins - The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death (1987)
*U.S. first pressing.
Contains 12 tracks total.
Country: United KingdomGenre: Jangle Pop
Label Number: 9 60761-2
© 1987 Elektra Records
Comparisons to the Smiths are essentially irrelevant by the point of the Housemartins' underrated sophomore effort -- the melodies and arrangements move away from the upbeat guitar pop shimmer of London 0, Hull 4 to further explore the group's fascination with Motown and gospel, while P.D. Heaton's lyrics articulate a leftist anger and scathing social commentary the likes of which Morrissey's insularly personal lyrics only hint at. (Equally noteworthy is the defiantly British outlook of Heaton's songs -- it's virtually impossible from an American standpoint to fully comprehend the sheer vitriol against the Queen espoused on the title cut, and lyrical snippets like "How come you wear Rupert Check when you think you're so hard?" and "Welcome to the new Scalextric's breed" are likely impenetrable to all but the hardiest Anglophiles.) There's some filler here -- "We're Not Going Back" and "You Better Be Doubtful" simply go through the motions, and the instrumental "Pirate Aggro" seems at best an afterthought -- but the peaks of The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death are glorious. In hindsight, however, it's obvious that the Housemartins had already run their course -- with its alternating lead vocals from Heaton and drummer Dave Hemingway, the achingly lovely piano ballad closer "Build" forecasts the twosome's continued collaboration in the Beautiful South, while the subtle yet soulful bass work of Norman Cook throughout the record anticipates the funk direction of his subsequent Beats International project.
tags: the housemartins, the people who grinned themselves to death, 1987, flac,
November 23, 2023
Breez Evahflowin' - Fly (2003)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: JB 004
© 2003 Just Be Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: breez evahflowin, fly, 2003, flac,
Non Phixion - The Green CD/DVD (2004)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: UHR016
© 2004 Uncle Howie Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: non phixion, fiction, the green cd dvd, 2004, flac,
Random Abiladeze - Brutally Honest (2008)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: TNW000000000001
© 2008 The Neighborhood Watch
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: random abiladeze, brutally honest, 2008, flac,
Showbiz ft. KRS-One - Godsville (2011)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: DITC-9683
© 2011 D.I.T.C. Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: showbiz, krs one, godsville, 2011, flac,
November 22, 2023
Awesome Dré & The Hardcore Committee - You Can't Hold Me Back (1989)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Conscious Rap, Political Hip-Hop
Label Number: BL CD 12001
© 1989 Bentley Records
The Midwest is the one region of the U.S. that -- unlike the Northeast, South and West Coast -- hasn't had a lot of well-known rappers. One hardcore rapper who created a buzz on Detroit's rap scene of the late 1980s was Awesome Dre', who showed some potential on his debut album, You Can't Hold Me Back. This CD is a bit uneven, and at times, Dre' sounds like he's being inflammatory just to get a reaction. For example, he rails against fellow rappers L.L. Cool J and Kool Moe Dee without really articulating what he has against them. But the Motor City native does have an appealing flow and a lot of spirit, and he uses his gut-level emotion advantageously on riveting cuts like "Frankly Speaking" (which decries censorship), "Committing Rhymes" and "Sackchasers," a denunciation of materialistic women. "Sackchasers" isn't misogynist, as some claimed, but it does put golddiggers in their place. Dre' comes across as someone who has the guts to be himself -- instead of emulating East or West Coast rap styles, Dre' makes it clear that he's quite happy to represent Detroit. Nationally, however, he didn't receive much attention.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: awesome dre and the hardcore committee, you cant hold me back, 1989, flac,
P.O.W.E.R. - Dedicated To World Revolution (1994)
Genre: Hip-Hop, Rapcore
Style: Political Hip-Hop
Label Number: W2-30086
© 1994 Nettwerk
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.
tags: power, dedicated to world revolution, 1994, flac,
November 21, 2023
BoDeans - Black & White (1991)
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: 9 26487-2
© 1991 Slash/Reprise Records
After moderate sales on their first three albums threatened to forever classify them as an alternative band, the BoDeans started tackling bigger themes on Black and White, produced by Prince-sideman David Z. The band hardly sounds like the roots-oriented band of their previous efforts, and Sam Llanas and Kurt Neumann sound more ambitious as songwriters. So "Black, White and Blood Red" is about more than race, the same way the anthemic "Naked" is about more than sex, the same way the hooky "Good Things" is about more than some guy who can't meet a girl. Black and White is about using individual problems as analogies to social ones. It's also about loneliness and hardship. It also didn't sell that much better (if any) than the first albums.
tags: bodeans, bo deans, black and white, 1991, flac,
BoDeans - Go Slow Down (1993) ☠
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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: 9 45455-2
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1993 Slash/Reprise Records
The BoDeans made their best album since their debut by returning to the basic folk and rock elements that had always worked best for them. On their most acoustic outing, they also rediscovered themselves as songwriters, pursuing subjects unusually close at hand, whether sex, suicide, or the frustrations of the music business. No matter what the topic, they sounded like they meant it, and for once their eclecticism worked for them, providing them with a bagful of styles to evoke without overdoing it. Go Slow Down may have been the statement of a band that had been through a lot and reached a point of emotional exhaustion, but the BoDeans used their experience to craft their most deeply felt and satisfying music. Two-and-a-half years after the album's release, its leadoff track, "Closer to Free," became a hit after being made the theme song of the Party of Five TV series.
tags: bodeans, bo deans, go slow down, 1993, flac,
Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)
Genre: Indie Rock
Label Number: KRS 269
© 1997 Kill Rock Stars
Elliott Smith's third album sees his one-man show getting a little more ambitious. While he still plays all the instruments himself, he plays more of them. Several of the songs mimic the melody mastery of pop bands from 1960s. The most alluring numbers, however, are still his quietly melancholy acoustic ones. While the full-band songs are catchy and smart, Smith's recording equipment isn't quite up to the standards set by the Beatles and the Beach Boys. The humbler arrangements are better suited to the sparse equipment. "Between the Bars," for example, plays Smith's strengths perfectly. He sings, in his endearingly limited whisper, of late-night drinking and introspection, and his subdued strumming creates a minor-key mood befitting the mysteries of self. "Angeles" is equally ethereal -- Smith's acoustic fingerpicking spins out notes which briskly move around a single atmospheric keyboard chord, like aural minnows swimming toward a solitary light at the surface of the water. The lyrics are a darkly biting rejection of the hypercapitalist dream machinery of Los Angeles (it would make a great theme song for Smith's label, Kill Rock Stars). Ironically, "Angeles" was included on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, which won Smith the acclaim of Hollywood's biggest, brightest, and best connected voting body, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Smith's stock in L.A. soared after he took his bow at the Oscars with Celine Dion and Trisha Yearwood. It might have been more interesting had he sung "Angeles."
tags: elliott smith, either or, 1997, flac,
Lord Belial - Kiss The Goat (1995)
Language: English
Genre: Black Metal
Label Number: NFR 010
© 1995 No Fashion Records
Lord Belial's debut, Kiss the Goat, blends the elegant Gothic melancholy and furious white noise of Scandinavian black metal with the powerful, technical guitar riffing and drum blastbeats of more traditional death metal. Overall, the band's music is more melodic than much similar fare (or, at least, it sticks in one's mind better), making this quite a promising debut.
tags: lord belial, kiss the goat, 1995, flac,
Lord Belial - Enter The Moonlight Gate (1997) ☠
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Country: Sweden
Language: English
Genre: Black Metal
Label Number: NFR 020
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
© 1997 No Fashion Records
Lord Belial have a weird history. So much of their catalog is disposable, and some of it is genuinely crappy, but then there is this — their epic, powerful second album Enter The Moonlight Gate, which is unlike anything they have made before or since. Like Satyricon, just this once they got everything right.
This album shines both with the diversity of the sound and the quality of the riffing. Powerful guitar work fuels songs with a lot of dynamic and epic sweep, highlighted by melodic interludes and acoustic instrumentation, including the fully instrumental "Forlorn In Silence". Here Lord Belial showed off a complex and total grasp of composition, combining heaviness, grimness, and slow-grinding power into masterful works like the savage, flute-accented "Lamia" and the crushing "Black Winter Blood Bath". Subsequent LB albums have tried and failed to recapture the magic of this one black shining star of evil. I don't know what the band did right to create this, but they have unfortunately never done it again. This album may well mark where the second wave of Black Metal became the third wave, and no collector should be without it.
tags: lord belial, enter the moonlight, 1997, flac,
November 20, 2023
Lord Belial - Unholy Crusade (1999)
Language: English
Genre: Black Metal
Label Number: NFR 033CD
© 1999 No Fashion Records
The Unholy Crusade refines Lord Belial's mix of melodic black metal and powerful death metal, exploring the possibilities of more ambitious, progressive arrangements and compositions while retaining the clear production of its predecessor, Kiss the Goat.
tags: lord belial, unholy crusade, 1999, flac,
