Lovedrug
Pretend You’re Alive
Nov. 7 at the Hawthorne Theatre
In case the name of the band didn’t make it clear enough, Lovedrug makes music that is incredibly generic. All of the songs on Pretend You’re Alive are in the same vein of emo-pop rock that is as ubiquitous as it is annoying. Simple melodic guitars, over simple drum beats, with simple inane vocal accompaniment. That sums up Lovedrug’s sound – simple, boring and entirely unnecessary.
-Ed Johnson
Copeland
Eat, Sleep, Repeat
Nov. 18 at the Hawthorne Theatre
Florida’s Copeland create what they probably imagine to be “experimental” indie-pop. The songs presented on their new album Eat, Sleep, Repeat aren’t really strange or different, but the music and vocal delivery aren’t badly performed. The guitars create a quiet subdued effect, with repetitive lines and straight-forward rhythms and melodies. The lead singer sounds very similar to the dude from The Postal Service, not really powerful, but not annoying or unlistenable. Overall, Copeland have written a fine record, but as with Lovedrug, it just isn’t new or refreshing.
-Ed Johnson
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Colorblind
The first song (“Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That”) on Colorblind is a fucking shaker. The great conglomeration of blues, hip-hop and claps immediately brought a smile to my face. The next track de-generated into a pretty bad nu-funk song (ewww). Needless to say the music on Colorblind is a mixed bag. A couple of the tracks are genuinely fun and catchy, but most of the album just doesn’t cut it. The best advice for this release is to wait for the singles to play on the radio – the rest is worthless (there is a nice message of racial unity though).
Favorite Track: “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That””
-Ed Johnson
Lloyd Banks
Rotten Apple
Apparently Lloyd Banks is a member of the “G-unit,” a group made famous by 50 Cent. The songs on Rotten Apple sound a lot like 50 Cent’s music – they are shitty rap songs about money, misogyny and “being gangster.” There are a few songs that actually have somewhat interesting musical qualities, but the main rapper, Lloyd Banks, isn’t a great M.C. In fact he isn’t even a good M.C., but Rotten Apple will probably find some success in the current rap market – good thing it’s all meaningless bullshit.
-Ed Johnson
Unearth
III: In The Eyes of Fire
Unearth have found success album after album with their signature sound – thrashy hardcore “mosh parts” and quick little melodic guitar leads a la Swedish death metal (At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul). All of Unearth’s songs sound the same, and are seemingly composed to be that way. Formulas dictate how pop bands write music, so why shouldn’t they dictate how metal bands like Unearth write music? The songs on In The Eyes of Fire are catchy little numbers, but are transparent in their lack of substance.
?”Ed Johnson
Brandtson
Hello, Control
“Looking at your dress, I notice how the patterns change when the light hits it a certain way. Seeing different shapes of words becoming sentences, though I still can’t make out what they say. A thousand years from now, I wonder if they’ll wonder how the world looked to you and me.” Those are the first words on Brandtson’s new album Hello, Control and yes they did rhyme “wonder” with “wonder.” Doesn’t paint a pretty picture, does it? This music is a terrible agglomeration of indie-emo-electronica and honestly should have never been made. Guitars never sounded so bad. This music makes the Killers sound like AC/DC – DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE DOUCHEBAGS’ MUSIC!
-Ed Johnson
The Appleseed Cast
Perigrine
Finally, an emo/post-rock/indie band did something smart with their music – shutting the fuck up. Perigrine opens up with a really beautiful and compelling instrumental track and it sounds completely refreshing and engaging. Layers of shimmering guitars form the base, while precise and exact drumming keeps the momentum up – in short, well-written music. When the vocals do kick in on the second track (“Woodland Hunter”) they don’t leave a stench of ugliness, and throughout the album they change tone and sound. The whole record makes for a varied and interesting listen; other bands of the same genre should take note of The Appleseed Cast’s approach.
-Ed Johnson
Platinum Weird
Make Believe
Platinum Weird is a convoluted hoax-based band. Here’s the story: the band is comprised of Dave Stewart from Eurythmics and pop songwriter Kara DioGuardi (singing here under the pseudonym of Erin Grace). They got together to write songs for the Pussycat Dolls, but instead ended up writing ’70s-style pop songs. They decided to release an album, and made up an elaborate back-story (featured on VH1 and numerous hoax websites) that Platinum Weird was a band in the 1970s who influenced Fleetwood Mac. This album is new, but is labeled as featuring "recordings from 1974,” which is maybe the record company’s way of apologizing for the production style, or maybe a way of generating hype by staging a Spinal Tap-type debut for the band. Whatever the reason for the silly back-story, this is actually a pretty good ’70s-sounding guitar pop album. Before I read their back-story, I was convinced this was actually recorded in the ’70s. DioGuardi’s voice is deep and compelling, not totally unlike Annie Lennox. Ringo plays drums on a couple songs, and that’s a good thing too. Recommended if you like: Fleetwood Mac, Eurythmics and Elton John.
-Peter Swenson
Envie
Envie
The musical group called Envie hails from Atlanta and they play pretty average to below-average pop rock. This is an album of forgettable melodies, ho-hum guitars, uneven indie-rock drumming and, most weirdly, a prominent harp part on several of the album’s eight songs. The main singer is Renee Nelson, who spends her time alternating between harp and piano on the songs. The CD package asserts "Envie is Renee Nelson and Michael Overstreet," but Michael Overstreet is only credited with writing the lyrics, which are basically unintelligible, thanks to shoddy mixing. There’s nothing too distinctive about any of this music; it’s a chick singing piano-based alt-pop songs, so if you like maybe a watered-down Tori Amos, you’d like this. But it can’t really be recommended for a fan of melodic or memorable pop rock.
-Peter Swenson