If you guys have been waiting with baited breath for the Arctic Monkeys to start releasing new music, then you’re in luck! We’ve heard for some time now that the indie rock band are in the works of creating a new album, but there was no concrete release date in sight for this project. However, we now know some more information, plus they gave the fans what we wanted – a new song to hold us over!
So upon my first listen of their single “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball”, it reminded me of their previous album Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. That album was the first where they adopted this entirely new style of, “jazzy easy-listening music with crooning vocals, performing at night in a vintage hotel, with the patrons drinking glasses of whiskey”, which is very specific but that’s the vibe I get.
If I’m being completely transparent here, I was not a fan of that album. I am all for bands changing up their sound and doing something different, but that album just didn’t really satisfy the music lover in me. And I thought that while the concept was interesting, they could have gone harder.
Back to the Mirrorball song, they’re still clearly in their 70s era, taking inspiration in all facets from that decade – not only in their aesthetics but where the music is concerned. Mirrorball starts out slow with a light piano, some nice violins, and soft drums. It doesn’t really get much heavier than this. However, it does build up gracefully over the course of the song. Alex lends his smooth vocals nicely to his song, I must say.
While this definitely deviates from the raw indie rock vibe we all know the Arctic Monkeys for, over the years they are no stranger to experimentation. I just don’t really know for sure if this specific easy-listening musical direction will stick. But they seem to be having fun recording these tracks, which is the most important thing. And switching gears does help to keep the creative juices flowing, so i’m all for that.
I suppose just for my specific ears and personal tastes, while the song is fine, it’s just not my favorite. Perhaps some of you out there will love the song! It is pretty nonchalant and quite relaxing, so if that’s the mood you’re into then you maybe really enjoy this song. And I’d have to jump to the possible conclusion that their new album called “The Car”, which will be coming out on October 21, will sound very similar in theme to Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. So whoever out there was a fan of that album will most likely be a fan of this new project.
You still have a chance to pre-order a physical copy of The Car right now if you want it on vinyl or CD, they also have some t-shirts and other merch for the album. So grab yourself a copy while supplies last!
As with most of the world back in 2020 when quarantine started, people tried to find some kind of normalcy at a time where things were uncertain. Plenty of musicians explored and experimented with music unlike ever before because they had the time to dive deep. Well, this extremely surprising album by Glenn Danzig of the punk band Misfits is one of those projects that was birthed at that point in time.
How strange it is that Danzig released an entire album of Elvis covers when the resurgence for The King of Rock n Roll was not where it was back in 2020. Obviously now we have the Elvis biopic that is making history, and a new generation of people are flocking to hear every single thing Elvis has ever recorded. I think this will come as a puzzling question mark when such people type “Elvis” into any search bar and this album comes up.
Now, Glenn Danzig has a strange history with Elvis that goes back as far as his Misfits days in the 70s. It seems like he’s been dubbed the “Evil Elvis” by fans. And he personally reveres the king to a high degree. So when he sat down to make this album he simply just let it flow freely from within him. It was only intended to be an EP, but it somehow just turned into a full length album after all these covers were falling out of his hands.
The songs he chooses to sing is a very eclectic mix of Elvis’ top hits and some more obscure songs. You have popular tracks like “Baby, Let’s Play House”, “Always On My Mind”, and “Fever”. But also underrated songs like “Young and Beautiful” This album is primarily geared towards those massive Elvis fans that know his discography very well. Otherwise, those that aren’t as familiar with his discography will be a bit confused with this tracklisting.
I’ll just be point blank about this review guys, his voice does not lend itself at all to Mr. Presley’s music. Elvis is known for his soft, sultry, seductive tone and lovely vibrato. And Danzig is, well, the complete opposite. So it’s hard for me to take him seriously with this album. It’s like he’s trying hard to do an impression rather than sing these songs in a way that’s unique to him. The arrangements are fine for what it is, nothing spectacular. Mostly just an electric guitar and simple drum beat. Danzig’s vocals sound extremely strained and restrained at the same time – quite the paradox. Strained in the sense that he struggles to get the Elvis tonality, and restrained because he could easily give a lot more power behind his vocals. It’s a weird grey area that makes it awkward and uncomfortable to listen to. I genuinely could not listen to an entire song all the way through, it was that unbearable.
Suffice to say, this is not an album I would recommend to anybody unless you want to lose all of your friends and family in one swoop. Elvis fans will despise this and Misfits fans will think Danzig probably lost his mind. So it’s a lose-lose situation. To put it simply and in the words of Simon Cowell, this is a no from me.
Well, as this is a blog dedicated to music it’s kind off odd for me to be writing a review for a film. But I figured since it involves music, and one of the most prolific rock singers to have ever lived, I’ll make an exception to talking about music biopics. Elvis, the film directed by Baz Luhrmann, came out on June 24th and it’s already landed at the top of the box office. It even surpassed the Top Gun reboot. Which says a lot!
I went into the theater about a week ago not knowing what to expect. I assumed maybe the film would be similar in fashion to the Queen or Elton John biopics that have been out for a few years. I thought at most I would walk away knowing a little bit more about Elvis and move on with my life. Considering my exposure to Elvis had only been through a few of his hit singles and the larger than life persona he built for himself, my mind was completely open to whatever was to appear on screen. And wow guys, this is probably the best biopic of a musician that’s ever been done. And that says a lot! Let me explain.
First of all, we have to give it up to Austin Butler. Austin took on the monumental task of playing Elvis himself. Before this film, Austin was in very minor acting roles, and he did one Broadway play alongside Denzel Washington. Which blows my mind even more that this was his first major leading role in his career and he acted like his entire life depended on it.
When he landed the part of The King he dove in the deep end without hesitation. He learned a lot, he studied, he asked questions, he put his everything into making sure the portrayal of Elvis was done with class and precision. It helps that he even looks a bit like Elvis too. He trained extremely hard to not only get Elvis’s accent right, but he wiggled his hips perfectly just like you see Elvis did on stage. It’s a bit uncanny valley. It was mesmerizing to watch Austin totally become Elvis right before your eyes. Austin and Elvis even share a common thread between them. Both men lost their mothers at the age of 23. Austin has commented in interviews that when he found that out, he instantly humanized Elvis even more and was further committed to dedicating 2 years of his life to learning this man’s journey.
Tom Hanks played the despicable Tom Parker, Elvis’s manager. The movie is narrated and told through Tom’s eyes as a dying man looking back on Elvis’s career. The big question of the film was, was Tom responsible for Elvis’s demise? Or was it simply in the hands of Elvis himself and his actions that lead to his untimely death? It’s an interesting angle that they played and I can respect the creative direction of not having the story be told through the lens of Elvis. Sorry to Tom Hanks though, Austin Butler stole the show.
Another massive theme they dealt with in this film was Elvis’s sexuality and how he was “corrupting” the minds of young girls back in the 50s. With every hip movement and shake of his legs the girls would erupt into a screaming delirium. People really thought back then that these dance moves were sinful to the teeny-boppers, and Elvis developed a bad reputation because of it. The film does a wonderful job showing not only how Elvis’s dancing brought on a carnal response from the crowd and the backlash he received because of it, but how he singlehandedly forever altered the course of music with his sexual liberation of sorts. He firmly believed the music and his pelvis were not delinquency.
And then the third big theme they dealt with in exploring was the connection between Elvis and the black music that he was inspired by. A lot of people have said this about Elvis – that he made his career off the backs of black musicians. The film gives us a different insight on that discussion. Without really going into it too deeply, because i’m saving it for my next podcast episode, the film explores his ties to black artists in a way I thought was very tasteful and eye-opening.
The film takes us on a magical journey of Elvis’s childhood all the way through until his death. At first, the story isn’t told in chronological order. It jumps back and forth to 50s Elvis, to kid Elvis, back to 50s Elvis, etc. It was a little hard to follow along at times, but it got on a linear path towards the middle of the film
The only negative thing I can think about that really perplexed me was the soundtrack. There were a ton of rap collaborations that found their way on remixes with Elvis’s songs. I wasn’t a fan of most of those remixes, sans the one that was done with Jack White called “Power of My Love”. In the film i think the collaborations worked okay, but as a standalone the majority of the collabs simply do not work.
What I thoroughly enjoyed the most was how Austin Butler actually was singing. Half of the songs he sang were his vocals on their own, and then the other half were Austin’s vocals mixed with Elvis. Which I thought was really cool. Truly and honestly, Austin did a spectacular job all around.
If you haven’t seen this film yet, please go see it while it’s still in theaters. It will be best seen on the big screen with the amazing sound quality of the booming speakers. But if you don’t wanna shell out money at the cinema or be around people (I totally don’t blame you), then the film is said to be released digitally on HBO Max sometime in August or later. Either way, make sure you watch this film. You do not want to miss it. It’s going to be the hottest film of the year.
I never anticipated that I would walk out of a film about Elvis Presley and actually be so invested in his life story. When I got back home I eagerly was watching videos, listening to more of his music, researching his backstory and deeper understanding the man himself. All my life I took Elvis for nothing but a novelty act – a gimmick. Someone who’s claim to fame were his jumpsuits, long sideburns, and gyrating hips. But this film stripped away all of the glitz and glamor, and it told you the story of Elvis Aaron Presley – a man from Tupelo, Mississippi who had a voice like gold and wanted so badly to be loved by everyone.
The story of Elvis Presley is sad but also glorious. And I hope you guys get to watch this film and see for yourself the wonder of The King of Rock n Roll.
July is here. As half of the world is being bombarded with the blistering summer sun, those of us in the northern hemisphere try to find cool refuge where we can. I think we can all agree that our mood reflects the type of music we listen to on a particular day. And when it feels like you could suffocate in the heat, the last thing you may want to listen to are some heavy duty tunes. At least speaking for myself, I like to try and find songs that are light and airy in the summertime to give me a pep in my step.
Indie rock has been a go-to genre of mine for a very long time. It’s hard to not like a song that’s nonchalant but captivating in essence. Well, Last Dinosaurs falls under that category and has been almost like a staple for me these last few weeks. These boys hail from Brisbane, Australia. So right now they’re going through a frosty winter while I’m blasting their tunes in the opposite conditions. I swear it’s like there’s something down under in those Australian waters that holds the key for impossibly slick musicianship.
I can’t seem to shake this band from my mind. They always find a way with their catchy riffs and upbeat sway that draws me back in on the regular. Last Dinosaurs might not be as old as the Jurassic Age when dinosaurs actually roamed the planet, but they’ve been around long enough to secure a firm grip over the music industry and in the hearts of many.
To date, they have 3 studio albums. Each one raises the bar for effective infectiousness. Once you hear the Last Dinosaurs you can’t ever go back, you’re hooked forever. But by all accounts I think that’s rare to find these days. Most people hop around from band to band not getting fully invested with any one in particular. If you’re looking for a band to actually sink your teeth into then Last Dinosaurs are the oens for you. These aussie boys are masters at their craft and they know exactly how to put out amazing music that not only will beat the heat, but will snatch your very existence. Sound intriguing? Then read on and open your ears.
Zoom was the first single I heard from them back around 2012, and that was it for me right then and there. The effortless boyish vocal stylings of Sean Caskey, the hypnotizing guitar riffs from Lachlan Caskey, steady drum beat of Dan Koyama, and slick bass skills of Michael Slone blend together to create a amalgamation of colorful notes and enchanting harmonies.
Their debut album, In A Million Years, presents as a lot more indie rock than their other albums that expand to other realms. It packs a lot of punch, and at moments is a bit punky. It’s very reminiscent of The Strokes early work like “Is This It?”. They’re just casually cool without trying hard to be. In A Million Years proves to be popular with the masses and they wanted more. This album leaves an enormous space for all the instrumentals to layer perfectly with each other. Sean’s vocals cut through and sits nicely over top as well. Nothing is overbearing and each song seamlessly flow with each other. What more can you ask for? Honolulu; the rhythmically breezy vacation anthem, and Andy; a song that isn’t lacking in the riff department, are two of the standout tracks for me on this album (along with Zoom).
Wellness is Last Dinosaurs sophomore album. And while it remains indie rock at heart, it overflows with pop laden synth richness oozing right into your ears. The star tracks that make this album for me are Karma, Always, Purist, and Stream. It’s amazing how you can be transported to another brighter dimension when you listen to Wellness. While their first album In A Million Years grounds you with it’s strength, Wellness lifts you off the ground and makes you feel as weightless as a feather. For me personally, this album lacks just that little bit of indie grit that would elevate the overall sound. With that being said, Karma is probably the best track. It feels weirdly nostalgic like it was plucked straight from my childhood. I find myself dancing to this one often, if not daily.
Following on that nostalgic train of thought, their third album Yumeno Garden engulfs you in a warm comforting dreamy feeling. They experiment freely with more synths, electric drums, bells, whistles, etc. It’s like the 80s come to life. And I don’t mind that at all. The only thing that’s a little puzzling for me is that the vocals sound a little compressed and fuzzy. That was probably a specific stylistic choice, but it’s not entirely my cup of tea. I would say overall it may be my least favorite album of theirs. Maybe it’s a slow burn and overtime it’ll grow more on me. However, it’s hard to deny that they deliver some great music. This album almost borders on Tame Impala territories in the way that you feel like your head is swimming. My favorite songs from Yumeno Garden are Eleven, Dominos, Italo Disco, Everything’s Relative.
The bottom line is…are you in the market for remarkably catchy grooves that follow you around for days like a shadow? Then look no further, because these boys have got your back. It blows my mind how they’re able to come up with new and exciting melodies that they have yet to tackle. It’s so refreshing to hear a band like them. I will never tire of being lulled into a blissful music listening experience. And Last Dinosaurs can’t possibly let you down. They have a fourth album in the works that should be set to release later this year in November. So if you liked what you heard on this post then look out for that. Consider checking out their music fully! And if you do, enjoy it.
Another short little blog post for all you awesome readers. I had the absolute pleasure of hearing the latest song by Polyphia, which released on May 10th. I’m pretty sure i’ve listened to it about 12 times on repeat. If you happen to not know who they are, Polyphia is a fully instrumental band from Texas. I’d say their sound ranges from metal, hard rock, progressive, to r&b and hip hop influences. That’s what I love about them. They are multi-faceted. They branch out and they get their influences from many different genres. So one day you may hear a song from them that perfectly blends trap elements, math rock, jazz, and metal all in one. They constantly keep you on your toes. Their most famous song GOAT made the rounds on the internet in 2018, blowing people’s minds at how tightly rehearsed and talented these boys are. Tim Henson is probably the best guitarist in the modern day. Polyphia is no stranger to producing complicated flows that seem nearly impossible to play even to seasoned professionals, that strike you right at your core.
Today, they’re playing god in their latest single. I’m so bold to say that this might be their best track. They incorporate bits of classical and latin/flamenco stylings that oozes charm and swagger at the same time. This beat is one of their chillest, and the breakdown at the second half of the song is insanely catchy. What makes this different from GOAT is that GOAT was a nonstop barrage of riffs and insanely intricate, tight instrumentation that melted your face. Playing God doesn’t need to show off. They bring a lot of air to this track and they let it breathe naturally. The gentle whistling in the background is so sweet and playful. It’s a really fun song,
This is without a doubt the best track of the year so far, for me anyway. And apparently they’re working on material for a new album. So get ready for that. But i’m going to end the review here so I don’t further hurt my sprained wrist.
Please do enjoy this new track. I know I did. Also, bless up to Tim Henson who looks like an anime character in this video. I love his hair and fashion sense.
Good day to all of my lovely readers! I was planning on writing down a list of Top 5 Summer Albums so you guys had a variety of good music to listen to as we’re coming into the hot weather days. But, as I was writing out my list I thought to myself that honestly, you guys only need one solid summer album to get you through until autumn. And there isn’t a better album that screams of a summer disposition to me more than Turnovers “Good Nature”.
Unfortunately I can’t really write out my usual long review like I would because I sprained my wrist and it hurts to type for a long period of time. So I’ll make this brief and let the music speak for itself. Turnover is a band that hails from Virginia Beach. Their music is mostly emo pop/rock, indie style, and Good Nature is vastly different from everything else they’ve made before and after.
One look at the cover alone tells you that this album is an indulgent, full of life, lush soundscape. There’s not one thing i would change about Good Nature. Each song is a true masterpiece. Front to back, the album is truly perfection. Once you press play, you’ll be immediately transported to the beach soaking up the sun.
I’m sorry I have to leave you guys hanging but that’s all that I can try and muster today for typing. I’ll leave you guys with the album and i hope you have the best listening experience!
C’mon You Know is Liam Gallagher’s third solo album. I was heavily anticipating the release of this album because generally I think that most of his solo music is pretty good. Plus i’m a big Oasis fan. The first single he released, Everything’s Electric, was one of the best songs he’s written in a long time. It still is an amazing tune! However, as he started releasing more singles I was getting nervous. What direction was he taking this album? On an interview he did with one of the BBC Radio programs, he mentioned that C’mon You Know is a different album compared to what he’s put out before. That it was half his usual rock style, and the other half would go a little off kilter as he was trying new things. Well, I guess he certainly tried to warn us all. Because after I listened to the album last night, I walked away semi disappointed and mostly a bit confused.
I’ve had the night to let this album sink into my brain so I can try to formulate my words for how I feel about this album. Right out the gate with the opening track “More Power”, which featured a children’s choir singing for half of the song, my mind started racing at the thought of what possibly the rest of the album would hold. I think this should not have been the opener to the album, and in fact this song should have been scrapped all together. Unfortunately this song told me everything I needed to know about what was to come.
The majority of the songs on this album feature the same basic premise. It starts out low, maybe with a slightly okay guitar hook or drum beat. The verse only features Liam’s vocal and minimal instrumentation that can be heard sans maracas, piano, and simple guitar chord. Then it somehow tries to build up to a climax to get to the chorus. You think to yourself, okay maybe the chorus will have something to be desired and I can forgive the bland verse. But then the climax it teased you with goes absolutely nowhere and it falls right back down to the ground.
I really hate to say these things about Liam’s music because I genuinely like him. But I’m not about to feign happy feelings when this album really didn’t give me a whole lot to work with. And what I described to you above is, like I said, a good maybe 70% of this album. He was correct though! The first half was easily the most confusing and it featured some of my least favorite and most forgettable songs. The one’s that I liked were…
Diamond In The Dark – which had a melody reminiscent of Arctic Monkey’s easy guitar ballad Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High
Too Good For Giving Up – this was one of the few piano ballads on the record, and I thought this was quite pretty. Had a Don’t Look Back In Anger quality about it. And this was the first song on the album that actually had range and a bit of spice.
Everything’s Electric – the best song on the entire album, and one of the best solo song’s he’s ever done. PERIOD. This was totally the catfish that suckered you in to thinking this album would be mind-blowing, but then what you really get is half baked songs.
What was also really perplexing to me is that the vocal quality and mixing were inconsistent. Some of the time Liam sounds very crisp and clear, but then other times it sounds like the microphone was covered up with a sock and he stood 3 feet away. Unfortunately this album missed the mark in a lot of important ways. You can’t just slap a generic guitar riff over some barely audible drums and maybe some piano, throw in some lyrics that don’t mean anything but sound cool. This is not where you’re going to draw people in.
The second half of the album was the most listenable. I was happy to hear there was at least some effort to try and reign this in. I will applaud this album for it’s amazing orchestral moments. That’s the shining star of this album. The richness of the flutes, cello, violins, was a welcomed breathe of fresh air as I was trying to dissect this album. Some of the songs I liked on this half of the record were…
World’s In Need – In my notes for this track I wrote down “washboard?” because I thought that was a really interesting choice to put that in there. This track brings on a bluesy, folky feel. And I was happy to hear that Liam added some nice vocal styles and inflections on this song instead of singing the song straight like he usually does. I couldn’t quite place where I heard the melody in the chorus from, but to me it sounded like Lonely Is The Night by Billy Squire.
Moscow Rules – one of the most interesting songs on the entire record. I appreciate that he put more thought into the lyrics. He was actually spinning a really interesting story. I liked the nice cello opening. The instrumentation in the verses was sparse, but the chorus is where this song shines. The string instruments get woven in with more vocal stylings from Liam which was nice on the ear.
Better Days – one of the other singles he released prior to the album dropping that I thought was decent. I mean, the drums are a clear ripoff from The Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows, and the guitar solo is backwards just like on the Beatles track. But overall the song was good. I think even if it didn’t feature the obvious Beatles influences that it would still be alright. But Ringo’s clever drum beat made this song.
That is where the album stops, sans a few songs that I thought were just okay. C’mon You Know is roughly an hour long which to me is far too much. For what this album gives us, it should be half the time. I counted at least 3 songs he should have removed entirely from this project that added nothing to the album. And what I also thought was a little annoying were the two bonus songs were actually the most interesting out of the entire album.
My favorite bonus track was The Joker. When I heard that opening guitar riff I think my jaw dropped to the floor. This was a full on take of the indie pop rock genre. I was like, WOAH!! Liam Gallagher trying his hand at indie rock. I loved it. It shocked me in the best way, and I don’t know why that song wasn’t added to the original tracklisting.
I also thought that he should have put the song C’mon You Know as the album opener. If it had to be something, let it be that one. The closer was Oh Sweet Children. I don’t have anything written down in my notes about this song, so I think mentally I was just done listening to bland rock ballads. So I suppose it was an okay closing track.
Unfortunately, those are my thoughts. The album had some good moments and it had some WTF moments. Sadly, there were more WTF moments than genuinely good moments. But, I tried really hard to find something positive in every song. And if you fine tune your ears well enough to pick apart each song to find a redeemable aspect, then I think you will. Liam sounded great despite some of the mixing quality on his voice in post production. And the backing orchestra was sweeping and beautiful. That is what I choose to focus on here for C’mon You Know.
So, do I recommend this album to you all? I honestly don’t know. I think if you’re already an Oasis fan or a Liam Gallagher fan then you might be inclined to give this one a listen. But if not, then I at least suggest you give a couple of choice tunes from this record a go anyway. I’ll leave my top 5 songs down below here so you can have a positive takeaway from this. I hope that Liam’s next album will be better than this one. I can commend him for trying though.
Rooney is either a band you remember or have no idea who they are. They’re a bit obscure, at least to a newer generation that didn’t grow up in the 2000s. But Rooney is all around a very fascinating band of talented artists, both on an individual sense and as a whole. What you’re gonna read about them may surprise you!
Rooney’s sound is mostly categorized (by me, anyway) as 60s inspired pop, and indie rock. Their biggest hit of all time is their ever popular “When Did Your Heart Go Missing?” that released in 2007 alongside their second album. It’s been featured in a variety of tv commercials and shows such as Beauty and the Geek and Gossip Girl. It currently has over 29.3 million plays on Spotify. It’s a song that has remained an indie rock classic. Most people only know that one song and that’s the extent of their Rooney knowledge. Perhaps I can convince some of you to give them a listen! Let me elaborate more on who Rooney are and the albums they released.
The lead singer and frontman of Rooney is Robert Schwartzman who dons the big green eyes, bushy eyebrows, and Beatle mop top. The first fun fact I have up my sleeve to share is Robert made his name in the business by playing the love interest for the massive 2001 blockbuster film The Princess Diaries, whom he starred alongside Anne Hathaway. Coincidentally in the film he’s the shy, quirky singer for his own band (one of Rooney’s demo songs “Blueside” plays in the film). A bit of foreshadowing there!
on the set of The Princess Diaries
Fun fact number 2 may blow your mind so get ready for it. Robert comes from one of Hollywood’s most respected and revered families in Film history. His mother is Talia Shire. She is best known for playing Adrian alongside Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky series, and as Connie Corleone in the Godfather series. Talia also is a sister to the film director Francis Ford Coppola. The Coppola family tree is actually a really interesting one to look at on the surface. Robert’s cousins include Nicolas Cage and Sophia Coppola. He is part of this massively impressive lineage that’s created some of the best movies of all time. His brother, Jason Schwartzman, is also a well known actor in his own right. Jason has been in films like The Darjeeling Unlimited, Marie Antoinette, Moonrise Kingdom, Scott Pilgrim and more. Mostly he tends to star in Wes Anderson films these days.
Jason, Robert, and mother Talia Shire. A lovely family photo!
So now that we got some basic housekeeping out of the way with laying down the foundation of who the lead singer for Rooney is, let’s get back to the music. Robert was always interested in pursuing a music career. He spent time in both LA and New York perfecting his craft and he joined a band in highschool with his friends that would later turn out to be Rooney. It would get to a point where the band was playing live gigs to a decent audience that would eventually garner the attention of the president for Geffen Records. Soon enough they landed themselves a recording contract.
Right from the gate they had the backing of their famous music friends like Weezer, The Strokes, and Planet Phantom with whom they would go on tour with and open for. Their debut self-titled album released in 2003. While it didn’t land in the Billboard 100 or chart that high, some of the singles from that album made a huge splash. Such as “I’m Shakin” and “Blueside”. Their second album that released in 2007 named Calling the World did much better and made it to number 42 on the charts. Circling back to their most popular song of all time “When Did Your Heart Go Missing?”, this catapulted them into surefire stardom.
When I compare their debut album to their second and widely more popular album, the sound is notably different in some key ways. Their debut album is truly a representation of indie rock, with a smattering of pop. Some of Rooney’s main influences that inspired their music were The Beatles, The Cars, Queen, and leaning heavily on the British Invasion era from the 60s. Think The Animals, The Kinks, etc. Their debut album is nicely put together but it’s not overly polished and tidy. It still leaves a lot to be desired. The melodies are infectious. This album of theirs is Rooney at their heaviest rock sound. It doesn’t smack you in the face with an air of 60s knockoff jingles. You can tell that Rooney really do care about the sound they put out there. For a debut album this is a great one.
By their second album it’s very obvious they are more experienced musicians who know how to craft a record that perfectly showcased the vision they had in mind for what the band was supposed to be. While their debut leaned more indie, Calling The World was absolutely all 60s rock forward such as The Doors, etc. For my personal taste I’d have to rank this album below their debut. But by all accounts it’s a wonderful record. Robert’s vocals have always been really unique. I enjoy his deep tone easygoing presentation. I also like the way that he enunciates certain phrasing, and how he plays with harmonizing. The only thing is this album drags on a little too long. It could have done with 10 or even 9 tracks.
Now this is where Rooney faulters a little bit in the timeline. They lose the momentum they had steadily gained over the course of time. By their third album Eureka in 2010 they fall right back down to base level and they switched up their sound. They departed from Geffen Records for this album and they released it on an indie label. Was that their first mistake? I’ll be honest and say this is not their best work. The album lacks resonating bass and any punch or catchiness that they got right with their previous two albums. Sad to say I wouldn’t recommend this album to you guys. One thing that stands out to me on this album is the George Harrison inspired guitar featured throughout. Which I like, but this album is really monotone.
Their fourth and last album from 2016 is Washed Away. Again, they remain on an indie label and they switch up their sound. Although, I can tell that for this album they tried to attain a slight return to form. It doesn’t really land though. They’ve progressively altered their music to be akin to other radio friendly pop songs. Despite some shortcomings, Washed Away is a welcomed change from Eureka. I can appreciate them for evolving over time and trying to figure out where Rooney fits into the mainstream music scene. However, it kind of lacks substance.
The major difference that makes Washed Away stand out from all their other albums is this record was solely written, produced, mixed, and performed by Robert. This was completely a one man effort. Which I right away have to give him all the respect for, because that is not easy to do. It’s overall a really light album. Easy to digest pop rock music. And this is Rooney’s least rock oriented album. Google lists Rooney as power pop and it definitely applies to Washed Away. It is miles better than Eureka, but it doesn’t hold a flame to their first two albums. But I still give it up to Robert for creating the album by himself. It’s not the greatest but it’s not the worst. It’s listenable.
While not every single thing Rooney has done is impeccable, Rooney brought something to the table that wasn’t really the mainstream back in the 2000s. They didn’t hide from their obvious 60s overtones in their sound. They leaned heavily into it when most bands of the time weren’t even looking in that direction. Their first two albums should get a lot more listens and recognition. Together with Geffen Records they created some really awesome music. Their debut album is one that I hold in high regard with a lot of my other favorite indie albums. I wish Rooney had maintained their rock sound and experimented more towards maybe the psychedelic aspect to 60s music, or went back to their indie roots where they sound their best. But as with the times, a lot of bands will reformulate to fit into what’s digestible to the typical music listener.
It’s pretty rare when a band can 100% be perfect. Rooney is obviously one of the many bands that have some good music and they equally have their share of not so great music. But the whole point of this Artist Spotlight series I have on this blog is to highlight talented artists that as a whole gave the world something to sink their ears into. It won’t be everybody’s cup of tea. However, I’m sure there’s something in Rooney’s discography that most people will like. Even if it might just be from a technical aspect. Whatever that may be, I hope you discover a Rooney song today that you’ll surely enjoy.
My favorite songs from Rooney (2003): Blueside, Stay Away, Popstars, I’m Shakin, Daisy Duke, That Girl Has Love
My favorite songs from Calling the World (2007): Calling the World, When Did Your Heart Go Missing?, I Should’ve Been After You, Tell Me Soon, Don’t Come Around Again, Love Me or Leave Me, Paralyzed
It’s been a little bit of time since my last blog post. So I thought I would take a crack at simply writing out my thoughts and feelings on the recent albums that have dropped, and why I didn’t like them. This month for some reason, there seems to be a lot of new releases that have totally failed in my opinion to really make strides. I keep playing album after album, hoping that “maybe this will be the one”. But the reality is that not every song or album you hear is going to be a good one.
The last album I thought was worthy of sharing was Kurt Vile’s album Watch My Moves. That was a really nice welcoming change of pace from what I had been listening to that particular night. And today, since the weekends are usually when I have the time to really dedicate to listening to a couple of new albums, I came across yet again another bad batch. This one wasn’t nearly as grinding as the last listening session, but it overall left me feeling a bit meh.
So, I thought I would briefly share with you guys what these albums were that I listened to, and give you a brief overview with a rating. Perhaps its just my particular ears that find flaws in these, and maybe you will see things differently. I would love to hear your thoughts on these albums in the comment section if you’ve listened to any of these!
Blossoms – Ribbon Around the Bomb
I really liked Ode to NYC and Ribbon Around The Bomb, but the rest of the album bores me to tears. Very bland, one note, repetitive. I like the 60s Beatles vibe overall but it wasn’t enough to grasp my attention all the way through.
Rating: 49/100
Melody’s Echo Chamber – Emotional Eternal
I was bored beyond all belief. I liked her first album when it came out, she was dating Kevin Parker at the time and he produced that album for her. Hearing her in this incantation is really lack luster. Her high, whispery voice is interesting but it’s very fleeting.
Rating: 44/100
COIN – Unhappy Valley
Chapstick was an alright tune. Cutie is probably my favorite track on this album, its really catchy. But otherwise this album was just okay. Not good but not absolutely horrible. It reminded me of the most recent 1975 album with the quirky synths and electronics.
Rating: 46/100
Bloc Party – Alpha Games
This is by far the worst album on this entire list. Oh my gosh, it was practically unlistenable. It made my migraine that day even worse. And I felt like Bloc Party was confused even by their own music. Such a strange album. Not more I can even say about this one other than WTF?
Rating: 30/100
Simple Plan – Harder Than It Looks
Pretty middle of the road pop punk music. I was a fan of Simple Plan with their first 2 albums but they kind of fell off for me. Nothing awful but nothing amazing either. It all kind of blends together into one big mush. Repetitive. The one song of note I liked was Ruin My Life featuring the singer of Sum 41. Decent. I also liked Congratulations. That song felt like their older sound.
Rating: 49/100
Three Days Grace – Explosions
This is my first introduction to Matt, the newish singer for the band. I’m a big fan of the Adam Gontier era of Three Days Grace. So I wasn’t sure what to expect from this lineup. He gives me Trent Reznor vibes, he definitely doesn’t sing deep and low like Adam does but he has a pretty good voice. Instrumentation is on point as always with this band. There’s some really edgy stuff on this album, alongside a couple slow songs. I just kind of struggle a little with the overall sound with this new vocal. I was a bit perplexed. The first song really captured me, but I don’t know if i’m really captivated by this new Three Days Grace just yet. Lifetime was also a decent tune. I think considering how poorly received their album Outsider was, Explosions is a good step above that. But it’s pretty flawed.
Rating: 52/100
The Black Keys – Dropout Boogie
This was one of the more pleasant albums out of the list. I really don’t think The Black Keys are capable of putting out a bad album. They stick to their lane and they don’t deviate from their sound. Which can be both good and bad. Good because they mastered their craft and they’re at the top of the blues rock genre. It can also be bad because they don’t ever take risks to experiment and try new things. Overall I think Dropout Boogie was alright. I put it on the background as I was doing a few things on the computer, and It was nice. Is it their best work? No probably not. But It was a normal run of the mill Black Keys Album for what it’s worth.
Rating: 63/100
Halestorm – Back from the Dead
This is my first Halestorm album that i’m listening to, so I can’t compare this to their others as i haven’t heard them before. But I’m obviously familiar with Lzzy Hale and the band at large. She is a powerful singer! So much punch and raw rock aggression in her voice. But the music got a bit old fast. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it didn’t feel as gritty as it could have been. I kept getting the same overall theme from each song, so the lyrical content wasn’t as varied as I would have hoped for. I’d bet that their other albums are a lot more metal than what this album was giving. Overall, not bad. Could be better.
Rating: 62/100
So those were my ratings! I would actually love to open up the comments on this for a discussion if possible. If you have any album suggestions, whether old or new, drop them down below! I’m honestly parched and I need to be quenched with good music.
Over the weekend, I took the time to sit down and listen to about 6 albums that had just been released. As I was dealing with my monthly migraines I thought taking the time to solely dedicate to my ears and relax would be a good idea for my brain. Well, suffice to say that 5 of those 6 albums were complete duds, and one even made my migraine worse! This is the issue I run into sometimes. There might be a handful of new releases that I listen to, but if none of them are that good then I don’t want to always share that with you guys that so kindly read my blog. Of course not every album can be a winner. But, if there’s something remotely interesting to talk about then I will sit down to write an album review.
With that being said, the last on my list to listen to that night was Kurt Vile’s latest drop entitled “(watch my moves)”. Prior to this release I had no idea of who he was, this was my introduction to his music. And I find him incredibly fascinating. Kurt hails from Pennsylvania and he comes from an extensive family, he’s one of 10 children! He’s been on mostly indie labels throughout his solo career, and his past experience working with the band War on Drugs.
It seems to me that this album was the result of the effects of the pandemic, and being forced to stay inside and use his home equipment to make music in a slightly unconventional way unlike before. He created his own recording studio and put pen to paper for about a year and a half while he was also attending to his family life. The sum of these at-home efforts created an album that come across as down-to-earth, raw, and the true representation of what indie music really is.
As I started listening to this album I was forming the image in my head of what artists he reminds me of. And immediately I thought that if Mac DeMarco, Adam Green (the singer from NY), Leonard Cohen, and Lou Reed had a love child that the result would be Kurt Vile. Kurt has an incredibly languid approach to his singing style. It’s not overly produced or full of effects, it’s real and honest. In some ways it almost feels very personal, as if Kurt is a close friend of yours that’s narrating a story to you. His tone draws you in, wanting to hear every word he speaks.
One thing that also stood out to me on this album was the fantastic production quality, considering it is a home recorded studio album. It goes to show how masterful Kurt is in his effectiveness to create music. As the album goes on you start to hear the little layers of instrumentation and how they come together in harmony. Like, I was noticing myself picking out interesting moments of flute, slide guitar, strings, bass, keyboard, etc. That goes back to what I was saying about his vocal presentation. Your ears really get perked up by what’s going on technically in the songs that you start to dissect each minute deeper and deeper. It’s well crafted and i’m very impressed. Considering this was also a first listen, the fact that I could identify these moments right away is awesome. Most times you have to dedicate multiple listens to even grasp things like that.
At a lot of times I was feeling like I was being taken on a relaxing colorful journey, and at other moments I imagined myself driving down a dirt country road in the summer as I listened to this album. The entire listening experience, while not every song on here was perfect, was peaceful to the soul and put a smile on my face. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what music is supposed to achieve?
If you’re a fan of pure indie rock, folk rock, and a touch of psychedelic rock then this is the album for you to check out. And if you’re a fan of quirky artists like Mac DeMarco then seriously do yourself a favor and listen to his album also. Honestly, you will not be disappointed either way. This was a breath of fresh air after the 5 really bad albums. Kurt Vile will interject a bit of sunshine into your day. Some of my favorite songs from this album was Like Exploding Stones, Hey Like a Child, Jesus On a Wire, and Cool Water. I’ll be eagerly awaiting new music from him!
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