Barenaked Ladies - Grinning Streak

These guys look like they're getting ol....F%*k I'm getting old...

 

So, after a long hiatus it’s time to tell you guys about my favorite album I listened too when I wasn’t posting weekly. Let me give you guys a little background first before you start scratching your heads. Barenaked Ladies is one of the first bands I ever got into. I can’t tell you guys how many times I’ve listened to Stunt and Maroon in my life. When vocalist and song writer Steven Page left in 2009, I was really scared how the band would continue . Page’s snarky and humorous lyricism was something that I always loved about the band, something that made them stand out from the crowd in my mind. 2010s All In Good Time kind of quenched my fears. It was good, but the humorous lyricism was toned down, and the album was a little too long for my liking. Grinning Streak manages to take everything wrong with All In Good Time and bring Barenaked Ladies back to the qualities that made them so lovable in the first place. The humor is back, but the band does an excellent job of still featuring that there is progression from their Stunt young days.

The first thing that stands out about Grinning Streak is the lyricism and song content. BNL does a fantastic job at balancing humor and seriousness (sometimes even in the same song) with the songs on the album. A song like “Did I Say That Out Loud” is a great, adult love song that has some great lines in it that will get a good laugh out of you. The band also showcase progression that was hinted at with All In Good Time with more adult topics within songs. Songs like “Off His Head” that deals with the stress of parenthood, and “Keepin’ It Real” which looks at how to deal with haters, and bullies internally, show that the band is willing to look at much more adult subject material like they did in All In Good Time.

I also give the band major credit for stretching out their instrumentals to make each song unique. “Boomerang”, and “Odds Are” are great adult pop rock songs, “Off His Head”, and “Did I Say That Out Loud” are great acoustic rock songs, and “Smile” is close to country, but damn infectious with how catchy it is.

The final verdict:  While not every song works on Grinning Streak, it’s still a very welcome return to form from BNL. The album tells listeners that the band has now found its stride in balancing humor and heartfelt seriousness. The band has also finally shown that they are confident that they can carry on without Page at the helm. Grinning Streak is a happy, welcome surprise in my book from one of my favorite bands. Here’s to many more years of one of the best adult rock bands delivering good songs that make me think, and laugh

FINAL GRADE:  A-

CHOICE CUT:  “Off His Head”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hln6OiumEM

Btw...if you see me listening to this album...this is usually how I look...have a good week readers

A Little Bit of An Explanation of What Happened...And What's To Come!

Hey readers. So let me explain why I haven't posted in a while. Two main reasons

1. I had to take summer classes to fully transfer into my new school which was a lot more work than I anticipated on top of working 4-5 days a week (that's a lame excuse I know but I'm a person who likes to be honest)

2. I've been thinking of changing the way I do this up for a while now. The Sleeping With Sirens review was a test run of sorts. Unfortunately, I made that at 1:30 in the morning and really wasn't thinking straight so I understand that it was pretty bad. I did that because what I would love to do is to post written reviews, but also audio reviews for bigger releases. A way to switch things up a bit, and get another opinion on some albums to be more entertaining for you guys. I've been trying to find a good co-host who would be willing to take the work load and have some fun, but I'm still searching.

So that's it, but I'm back now! I have a lot of reviews of great albums I've listened too since I last posted (and some not so great) to share with you guys! It will go back to the normal, reviews on Thursday's, and on weekends I'll post extra reviews, or editorials (I got one I'm whipping up for you readers about Warped Tour). I'll also keep you guys updated on every idea I have with this going into the future. So, for now, enjoy and here's to a great future for The Music Basement!

Oh...one last thing...check out http://moviespoilerspodcast.com/ where I do movie reviews with my good friend The Phenomenal One!

Sleeping With Sirens - Feel

AUDIO REVIEW! 

Hello readers (hopefully listeners as well) so I go more in depth in the audio, but I decided to try this as a podcast. I feel I'm better explaining my points in audio than in writing. Hopefully you guys like it, and I can continue to build the idea into something great. Thanks to everyone who has made this blog into what it is, and kept my confidence up with it. So...without further adieu....here is The Music Basement's first Audio Review! Sleeping With Siren's Feel

http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/16988484/Feel_Audio_Review 

Bad Rabbits - American Love

Time to get....FUNKY

May seems to be kicking off as the month of summer movies, sunny days, and for music, bringing back the funk and soul. After Random Access Memories last week, I thought I wouldn’t have a soulful or funk release for quite a bit. But fear not, because one of my most anticipated albums came to the rescue this week! Bad Rabbits with their major label debut, American Love.

Bad Rabbits have been on my radar since 2009 and the release of their second EP Stick Up Kids. The EP was the perfect mix of awesome funk and soul rock, mixed with subtle touches of punk influences. It still to this day is one of my most favorite EP’s of all time. So 4 years go by, and finally, fans get word that Bad Rabbits is finally recording their first full length album. I got excited as F$%K and nobody else really knows who the hell they are (and I understand that people probably still don’t). Let’s see if I can change your minds though and persuade you to pick up American Love.

American Love starts off with the lead single “We Can Roll”, a song that will get you dancing quickly once it gets into the swing of the beat. It’s infectiously fun funk that the band master perfectly. The lyricism lets you know quickly that this band is confident, and ready to get you dancing and having a fun time. Bad Rabbits lyricism isn’t about being deep, it’s about what most soul and funk is about, being sexy and having a damn fun time. Songs like “Can’t Fool Me”, “Take It Off”, and “Doin’ It” features Bad Rabbits at it’s finest having confident lyrics that are sexy and fun at the same time. While most pop today is just generic and stupid with its sexy lyrics, Bad Rabbits use such a great sense of imagery to paint a better picture than most pop artist can.

The one problem I have with American Love is that the album does lose it’s fun at the end. It’s not that the songs aren’t funk songs, it’s just the lyricism and musicianship they lack the fun energy the rest of the album has. It does hurt my rating on the album quite a bit, but the rest of the album still has a lot of energy.

The final verdict:  Like I said before, May seems to be the month of soul and funk, and I’m loving it! American Love brings the funk back in a time where it’s awesome to have it back. I can’t wait to see what Bad Rabbits does next as almost every song they craft gets your booty moving quickly to a funky beat. Watch out, because these guys could get very big, very quick.

FINAL GRADE:  B+

CHOICE CUT:  “Doin’ It”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfxR0A32Ia0 

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

 

Ooo! Futuristic!

 

 

I’ve said before it’s hard for a band, or artist to radically change their sound late into their careers. Especially when that band brought a genre to mainstream listeners. If the Foo Fighters went from being a rock band to a reggae band, people would probably lose their minds. Fans might get pissed, and not buy the new album, even though it might be good. I bring this point up because today we have the highly anticipated new album from Daft Punk, Random Access Memories. Fans of Daft Punk need to be told before listening or reading, this is not the same Daft Punk that released “Touch It”, or “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” It’s not fast paced electronic songs anymore that got them famous. Instead, Random Access Memories sees Daft Punk taking a bold step musically by stepping back in their speed, and looking at older music as an influence. The result is something that people could either not enjoy because of their association with Daft Punk's older songs, or see as the game changer as I do for modern electronic music.

Daft Punk had a challenge ahead of them. Since their last album back in 2005, a lot has changed in the electronic music genre. Pop music has taken strong cues from it by incorporating it in most of their songs, and dubstep took the idea of bass drops and fast beats and amplified it for better or for worse. So for Daft Punk to do something different, they had to go back and look at a time that wasn’t really explored in electronic music.

Much of the album is influenced from the disco and soul era with the albums themes of love, intimacy, and promiscuity. While the lyricism isn’t that strong on the album because there isn't a lot of it, except for the lead single “Get Lucky”, the composition by Daft Punk gives the album a strong soulful quality that shines in songs like “Give Life Back To Music” and “Lose Yourself To Dance”. It pays off in spades as it feels fresh and different for electronic music. Every electronic album seems to work on the idea that the louder, and faster the music is, the better. Daft Punk take the opposite approach and simply take the mentality of lets make a song that will get people moving, not fast, just moving and having fun.

I do have one slight problem with the album though...I do wish it was more consistent towards the end. The last 2 songs (“Doin’ It Right”, and “Contact”) are fantastic don’t get me wrong, but they don’t fit with the whole soul feel the rest of the album has. Instead, they sound like songs that would have fit perfectly in any other album in Daft Punk’s back catalog. It might be nit picky, but it unfortunately is something that keeps this album from being perfect in my opinion.

The final verdict:  Daft Punk realized that they needed to do something different for the electronic genre, and they mostly succeeded. Toning back and taking time to just craft great songs with a soul influence pays off in spades for most of the album. Even the two songs that don’t feel like they fit on the album are fantastic, and I’m sure people will love them. To me though, I wish the whole album would have been songs with a soul influence, and the album would have perfectly succeeded in being a game changer. I still highly recommend Random Access Memories for everyone though. If you’re a Daft Punk fan that can’t get past the fact that the band changed their sound, you really are missing out on a great electronic album. Now we hopefully get to see the fun part of how this might change the electronic genre in the next couple of years. I get the feeling a bunch of dubstep artist just all screamed AHH S$%T!

FINAL GRADE:  A

CHOICE CUT:  “Lose Yourself To Dance”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kePddy6bN0o

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 Anamanaguchi - Endless Fantasy

 I feel like this could be promo art for Kingdom Hearts III....

 

Confession time...I’m a f$*&in sucker for old video game soundtracks. When I was 3, I got a Sega Genesis from my neighbors. With it came games like Sonic The Hedgehog 1-3, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Toejam & Earl, and many others. I grew up playing these games, and loving the hell out of all of their soundtracks (so much that I have all of them on my iPod...yes I am that nerd). So with this cultural nostalgia revolution going on, a genre that has been born is chiptune. Chiptune is music that uses 8 or 16 bit video game sounds in their songs. Think music made with Gameboys and Super Nintendos.

The idea is right up my alley, and this is what brings us to todays review from a little band called Anamanaguchi. The band has made a name for themselves when they did the highly praised soundtrack for the game, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game. I love that soundtrack to death, and have been eagerly waiting to see what the band would do for their second full length album. Anamanaguchi have done what I hoped this genre would do when it first originated with their second album, Endless Fantasy. That idea is to craft an album that is fun, fast paced, easy to play at a party, and feels like could have been an amazing soundtrack for any game back in the old days of video games.

Endless Fantasy is mostly instrumentals the whole way through, but the 22 tracks pack a creative punch. Each song either works as a song that is fun to dance to, or could have worked perfectly in a soundtrack for a Mario or Sonic game back in the 90’s. Each song has so much life and creativity, that half the fun of the album is creating your own ideas in your head. What do I mean by that? I would be lying if I didn’t say each song painted a story in my head for me. The title track, “Endless Fantasy”, I pictured myself throwing a crazy 90’s party that everyone was dancing to and enjoying themselves. Then you get a song like “Echobo” which I imagined would have been perfect in an underwater type level in a side scrolling beat em up game because it is so fast paced, and epic. Another great one is “U n ME” which you can picture yourself beating the final boss and saving the girl and getting that kiss from her for saving her life. Nerd fantasies aside, the album has so much life, and creativity it’s damn near impossible not to get caught up in it.

I do feel like I have to say this though, this album isn’t for everyone. I know damn well that the album for this audience is a very niche audience. If you don’t like video game music to begin with, chances are you aren’t going to enjoy Endless Fantasy. It might come off as way too weird, which I understand, but you truly are missing out in a very creative experience.

The final verdict:  Endless Fantasy is an album that has managed to have little to no lyrics what so ever, but still take me on an emotional and creative roller coaster that no album has been able to do in a long time. It has the perfect mix of songs that make you want to dance, and songs that can let your mind wander in video game fantasies. To any readers who like or even kind of like video game music, you are doing yourself a disservice to not give this album a look at. To people who don’t like video game music, I still say give this album a quick listen to. Maybe you’ll enjoy it, if not, you really are missing out on the most creative album of the year by far.

FINAL GRADE:  A+


CHOICE CUT:  “Echobo”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CntmohI0bfg

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Twenty One Pilots - Vessels

Remember when Beiber was popular?....BAHAHAHA

In the days where the radio is dominated by the s%$t that is Justin Beiber, and Ke$ha, I always want to find good pop for people to listen to. The fact is I love pop, I don’t like most the crap that is on the radio, but I’m glad to see some well deserved pop acts getting some attention like Imagine Dragons, and Bruno Mars (yes haters, I like him too, shut it). So today, we got the major debut label of Twenty One Pilots, Vessels. Pilots, consisted of Tyler Joseph, and Josh Dunn, is a pop duo from Columbus, OH. The band popped on my radar after they got signed to pop rock super label Fueled by Ramen (home of Fall Out Boy, Fun., Gym Class Heroes, Paramore, I could go on.) So my expectations were I was going to get at least a decent pop rock album that maybe I would hear some of the songs on the radio soon. What I got though, was something drastically different from what I anticipated. Vessels is a pop album that is all over the place with genres. It has elements of hip-hop, folk, pop rock, reggae, and indie rock. Yet, somehow the band makes it all work.

The album starts with “Ode To Sleep”. The song sound dark at the beginning with the synths and lyricism, but then at about the minute 30 mark, it turns into an upbeat pop song by switching the two topics just talked about. It takes you off guard, but not in a bad way, more in a, “What the hell....this is COOL” way. Moments of drastic change like this come in multiple points of the album. I never thought I’d have the day where I would say an indie pop song turns into a hip-hop song with a reggae style synth beat in the back halfway through, but “Guns For Hands” does just that. I know, it sounds crazy, but just go listen for yourself. It works wonderfully, trust me.

Both members of Twenty One Pilots are also very talented musicianship wise. Josh, who drums, is a madman who bring brute and effective force to his drumming. It’s nothing complicated, but he sells it by making himself heard on each song within the album. The rest of the album is created by Tyler, who sings, plays the piano, and ukelele. Tyler is a great vocalist who has range, can sell screaming vocals quite well, and can sell the rap lyrics without it sounding hokey or forced in. It’s a hard balancing act he has as a vocalist, but he pulls it off with ease. One song he could be rapping like in “Holding On To You”, while the next song, he could be making a sweet song with the ukelele to his mother, which is the case with “House Of Gold”. It adds a sense of freshness as you don’t know what you are ever going to get out of these two.

The only problem I have with the album is the consistency. Yes, I’ve been going on about how great these songs are, but not all of them are. The album looses its steam after “Guns For Hands” as the last two songs don’t really have the same amount of flair as the rest of the album. It’s a shame as it keeps the album from being perfect to me.

The final verdict:  Vessels is the type of pop album that is starting to pop up more, and thank god it is. It’s doesn’t hold itself to one genre, and experiments with the idea of pop music and takes it into so many directions by mixing genres and ideas. It’s feels more fresh, and effective than just the same song over and over again like Beiber and Ke$ha pull with every release. I hope these guys get big, as it’ll give hope to many artist who want to try this idea, but are too afraid too. Twenty One Pilots has jumped to the top of my favorite bands list with only one album, and that’s pretty damn hard to do.

FINAL GRADE:  A-

CHOICE CUT:  “Holding On To You”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktBMxkLUIwY

Btw

This happened live when my girlfriend and I saw them...yes that is a drum solo in the middle of the crowd...