Arctic Monkeys: Humbug
The first track, “My Propeller,” found the wild, free-wheeling Arctic Monkeys sounding shockingly like Morrissey. The stodgier approach is a bit of a humbug. The band was more fun when it ran roughshod and unrestrained. The new songs plod at mid-tempo with subdued guitars. Alex Turner’s accent has shifted from being extreme to being merely noticeable. This isn’t to say that these mature Monkeys are a drag. Humbug sets a somber mood, and the band sounds like they know what they’re doing. That is, it sounds like they’ve taken some music lessons. The result is a bit dark, but compelling.
Rating: * * * *
Cheap Trick: Sgt. Pepper Live
The Beatle’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is iconic. I understand why Cheap Trick would want to perform it. Their decision to record and distribute the performance is another matter. It must have been influenced by arrogance because they’ve added nothing to what the Beatles did. Instead of reinterpreting the music to give it new life, Cheap Trick went for pure imitation. The Beatles sounded pretty good on the original, so if you’re Cheap Trick, trying to out-Beatle them just isn’t going to happen. The album is a knock-off of the original—well done, but still just a knock-off.
Rating: * *
Beck: Guero
After several style changes, Beck strikes back with his unique type of genre bending. Country, alternative, techno, and any number of other influences show up, say hi, and disappear on Guero. In that way, it is vintage Beck. However, this time he has tamed some of his quirkiness and abandoned altogether the lyrical jabberwockies that marked his early stuff. “Girl,” the third song, caught my attention. What is this? I thought. A straight song? A second listen proved me wrong, but only to a degree. Like several songs on Guero, “Girl” maintains Beck’s recognizable branding but moderates his eccentric weirdness.
Rating: * * * *
Wussy: Wussy
Chuck Cleaver can’t name a band: first the Ass Ponys and now Wussy. But with Wussy he has Lisa Walker on board, and the two share singing duties. As it shakes out, Wussy is much better with Ms. Walker singing. They play garage-band style alternative rock—noisy and unpolished—which clips along quickly. No song lasts long enough to get annoying, and a few with Walker on vocals could stand to be longer. While it definitely falls in the “if you like that sort of thing category,” Wussy turns out a pretty good album. (Bonus points for being from Cincinnati.)
Rating: * * *
Blind Melon: For My Friends
It seemed odd that Blind Melon was back. After Shannon Hoon’s death in 1995, all that could reasonably be expected was a compilation album with a few unreleased live tracks. Then the band suddenly reformed with Travis Warren in place of the irreplaceable Mr. Hoon. Blind Melon maintains its free-wheeling psychedelic sound, and against all odds, Mr. Warren fits perfectly. He doesn’t howl and yowl like Hoon, but the result makes you forget the 12-year gap between studio albums for the band. They jam along in their rootsy blues way. It’s stuff to please their fans (and probably Hoon himself).
Rating: * * * *
Kelly Clarkson: All I Ever Wanted
Ms. Clarkson has continued to distance herself from her American Idol beginnings, and her music has continued to improve. Despite my distaste for the pop style of All I Ever Wanted, I love the energy and appreciate the songs. Her charisma adds allure to even the worst of them. She’s upbeat, loud, and catchy. Other former Idols may benefit by following Clarkson’s lead and taking more creative control. However, many of these singers already sell plenty of tickets and albums and are supported by an amazing corps of dedicated fans (Taylor Hicks’ Soul Patrol and Elliott Yamin’s Yaminions, for example).
Rating: * * * *
Third Eye Blind: Ursa Major
Six years after Out of the Vein, we had all given up Third Eye Blind for dead. But their constant teasings regarding an imminent album finally materialized: Ursa Major. It’s college rock that ends better than it starts. Tony Fredianelli continues to contribute on guitar with his hallmark harmonics, light touch, and melodic scales. But the band is still missing something that they had on their first two albums, a downward shift that corresponds with Kevin Cadogan’s departure. This time they’re missing Arion Salazar’s bass too. However, it has always been Stephen Jenkins’ band, so it still sounds like 3EB.
Rating: * * *
Maroon 5: Songs about Jane
Wildly popular, Maroon 5 hangs tough with guitar-based radio rock. Songs about Jane was designed to dominate the alternative stations, filling the spaces between the Fray and Matchbox 20. The album is full of highlights: the chorus on “This Love,” the shuffling feel of “The Sun,” the relaxed groove of “Sunday Morning.” But the gasping vocals (I’m looking at you, “Shiver”) and the slick backing singers throughout are distracting. Maroon 5 manages to stand out among other radio poppers, but Songs about Jane definitely sounds as though it were constructed to sell the 3 million plus copies that it sold.
Rating: * * *
Sugar Ray: Music for Cougars
Remember Sugar Ray the loud metal band? It died when it got the taste of success with “Fly,” “Every Morning,” and “Someday.” Music for Cougars imitates the style of these singles. In fact, in the chorus of “When We Were Young,” Mark McGrath reveals his songwriting formula: “All it takes is a song / with a hook and a line / And it’s bound to go up like the 4th of July.” Additional instructions could include “sing it with a croon” and “slide in a reggae beat to mix things up.” Clearly I am not one of the titular cougars.
Rating: * *
All Time Low: Nothing Personal
Big guitars, big choruses, three chords. That’s Nothing Personal. I like my emo bands more emo and my punk bands more punk (or punk at all, really). All Time Low sounds like every other Plain White Tee and All American Reject in town. It’s music by teens and for teens. As I understand it, they love Blink-182. If All Time Low is trying to emulate Blink, however, it falls short. The band lacks its hero’s humor and ability to produce a distinctive sound. They’re probably fun to see live. Recorded, they are doomed to a second tier of forgettable also-rans.
Rating: * * *
