The Optimist LP
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 May, 2001)
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Editorial Review

Although this British duo draws effectively on early-'70s rock--mainly warm SoCal folk pop, à la America, and shimmery-cool British space glam, à la T. Rex--what makes them distinctive are their modern easy grooves and their uneasy emotional nakedness. "I panic at the quiet times, decisions at the door," sighs vocalist-guitarist Ollie Knights in "The Door," but throughout The Optimist, he and coconspirator and slide guitarist Gale Paridjanian resist the alt-rock urge to bury anxiety in walls of noise. Their debut full-length (comprising five tracks from earlier EPs and seven new originals) is rife with subtle, contemplative moments that often turn lyrically dark ("I'm sick and I'm twisted/ Like a Sunday massacre") or get carried away by cresting rhythms, like the post-breakup lament "State of Things" ("You and me used to be on fire/ There ain't no straight lines in this state of things"). Although Turin Brakes can rock when they care to (here most effectively on "Mind over Money"), their strength comes from exploring the tension in life's deceptively calm shadows.--Lisa Gidley ... Read more

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• Enhanced

Reviews (42)

Just Amazing!!
Well, what could I say that hasn't been said. I just want to add that the Optimist LP is one of the best albums ive ever heard. The music crawls into you slowly and makes you want to cry because of the beauty of the songs, the mazing voice of Ollie and the acoustic guitars in perfect tune. Its the kind of CD you want to listen while on the road, while reading a good book or when you are feeling a little bit down. Highly recommended

A New Obsession
Last summer, I became obsessed with Turin Brakes. They're not as predictably depressing as Radiohead, they've got more of a kick than Coldplay, and they're not as obsessively melodious as Travis. If you like anything about any of these bands, you will love Turin Brakes. Oh, and if you get the chance, definitely see them live. There are too many good songs on this CD. The best is probably "State of Things" a delicious breakup song that starts out, "blindfold me, tie me up or tie me down", followed by "Underdog" and "The Optimist". "Mind over Money" is also understatedly cool. Ignore any bad reviews for this album and just spend the money. You won't regret it.

Perfection!!!
Beautiful, haunting, perfect, raw, emotional... everything a debut should be. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ALBUM and I truly adore this band. Their music is like a therapeutic massage. I just wish I had discovered them sooner. ... Read more

Asin: B0000594XF
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Pop    4. Post-Grunge    5. Rock   

Open
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 May, 2001)
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Editorial Review

By this stage in the Cowboy Junkies' career, surprises are few and far between and 2001's Open is no different. The dreamy Toronto quartet remains on a slow boil, torn between Margo Timmins's somnambulant singing and brother Michael's ragged bolts of guitar. As usual, nothing sounds rushed and everything progresses at its own pace--gradual. "I Did It All for You," the opening cut, begins with a slash of howling feedback, but even that's muted and reduced to barely a whisper. The sinister "Dragging Hooks" pairs Talk Talk-style atmospherics with grim lyrics about searching a river for a body, while the epic "Dark Hole Again" is about as close to angular funk as the Junkies get. Admittedly, the progress from previous records is minimal, and there's nothing on Open that's particularly shocking or new, but at the very least, Cowboy Junkies are consistent. --Matt Galloway ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Great album
As a longtime fan, this is probably my favorite CD of theirs.Perhaps my tastes are evolving over the years, but I agree with some of the comments here that the Junkies are the kind of band that uses experimentation frequently and may alienate listeners now and then.This CD hit me hard the second time through.That is the key, you cannot look for a single song.You have to listen to several.And once you do, you keep listening...it is like driving by an accident on the highway, something about it makes you keep looking...the melodies and the eerieness of the lyrics on this CD keep pulling you in.I too love Margo's voice and although this is not a showcase for it, she keeps nailing the pace and the mood...I don't really think there is another singer out there that could have captured this mood so beautifully.
All I can say to those who gave this 1 star, try to listen again with the lights dimmed a bit and a drink in hand, and let yourself get sucked into this musical experience.

just keeps on growing on you...
Like most of their albums, Cowboy Junkies' latest work 'Open' is not "accessible" in that fluffy, bright, shiny Pop Music way. This CD is as dark, brooding, atmospheric and dense as anything they've put out previously and, as such, it isn't maybe immediately going to knock you over. Only...

I keep playing and playing it. The songs here meld together to make something bigger than the whole and, while the style (at least in the opening half of the albus) is different than some of their previous work, I find myself drawn irresistably into the music. As with other CJ works, you get deeper than average lyrics (with actual words in them); complex musicianship; and the rich, haunted voice of Margo Timmins. On first listen you might not "get it", but the songs just stick with you, especially the fine Draggin Hooks.

As the CD progresses, you'll get more and more of the trademark "CJ" sound, starting most notably in "Bread and Wine", with the minor-key guitar licks familiar since at least 'Pale Sun, Crescent Moon' was a fixture in my CD player, but throughout there is something going on to keep you interested and hooked. Their music will never be mainstream, which is fine with me, but I find that I really like and admire the front half to two-thirds of this effort.

If you don't like challenging music, then the persistent "house band for the Prozac Nation" mood might make you hate this CD. But if you do or can overcome the first reaction and give it a chance you'll probably become a CJ's junkie like me.

Which way you looking?
Anyone that bases a review of an album on a song by song basis, misses out on the idea of an album.The parts are never greater than the whole, and the whole Open album is something to behold.

The Junkies have always written songs about life, about all that it is and the quirkiness that goes along with it.The Timmins Family and Mr. Anton aren't kids anymore and they're no longer recording albums in one day with a single microphone.They're middle-aged now, asking questions that sometimes do not have answers.In fact, the lyrics intentionally do not make any clear conclusions.

It's too bad some people only base this album on how much they like each song.Listen to it over time, and the layers will reveal one of their most underrated albums.But I guess that would be asking too much from the ADHD-prone critics and cynics that require everything Junkies spelled out for them, like musical Cliff's Notes. ... Read more

Asin: B00005B8GO
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Quiet Is the New Loud
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (06 March, 2001)
list price: $15.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Editorial Review

Although Kings of Convenience are keen to play down any blatantly self-evident similarities to Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, and Belle and Sebastian, the winsome and placidity-favoring Norwegian duo of Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe have probably already got the subway buskers of tomorrow lining up to lend an ear. Studentlike in appearance (one of them has a duffel coat and John Major specs) and unashamed to softly impart such nonrock lyrics as "put the kettle on" and "using The Guardian as a shield to cover my thighs against the rain," the weightless and airy acoustic guitar muse of Quiet Is the New Loud isn't a million miles from Radiohead's "Nice Dream" or Pink Floyd's "If" with a subliminal swish of bossa-nova rhythm. A contentedly purring cello, a plaintive touch of piano, and the muffled sound of a trumpet add necessary sonic depth, and the results are as pleasant and civilized as a little light conversation over tea in the drawing room. But what a shame they chose to name themselves after a lavatory. --Kevin Maidment ... Read more

Reviews (51)

The Soundtrack to My Life
I initially listened to this album at work on my headphones via iTunes and it was good - very good. But I didn't fully appreciate it's greatness until I was on the train home from work on my iPod, watching life go by both inside the car and out of the windows of the train.

While it is a rather quiet album it invokes a lot of emotion. The melodies and lyrics compliment eachother so well that I find myself consumed by emotion by simply staring out the window of the train and being alone with my thoughts.

You don't have to be by yourself to be alone and Kings of Convenience allow me to feel solitude amidst the rest of the world.

Take it easy...
This album is just beautiful...It does not put me to sleep, but at ease. Nice to music to chill out to. If you are looking for dancy booty jams, look else where. Lovely album.

I've been thinking about this album...
There has always been that undertone that fans preferred Versus over Quiet Is The New Loud.The easiest point to make here is, 15 years from now, I will treat Versus like a somewhat dated remix record (don't get me wrong, I love it) against Quiet Is The New Loud being treated as maybe Nick Drake's Bryter Layter.Being a big Drake fan, KOC have added something to two acoustic guitar playing acts that is really unique.If you are bored with this record, no offense, but take some, you have no ears. ... Read more

Asin: B000056MYN
Subjects:  1. Folk-Rock    2. Indie Pop    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Slowcore   

Little Black Numbers
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (12 June, 2000)
list price: $22.99
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Editorial Review

There's a hushed intimacy to Kathryn Williams's voice that recalls NickDrake (without being quite as haunting or profound) and Beth Orton(without being as sonically diverse as, say, Central Reservation). Little Black Numbers is quietly seductive, like the second glass of a good red wine. There's nothing flashy here, but the tasteful accompaniment of acoustic guitars, cellos, and Jonny Bridgwood's melodic double-bass serve Williams's sad, sweet songs well. This album won't dramatically change lives, but it will greatly improve almost any late evening. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A gem
A gem is a phrase all too often used in the sweet world of singer-songwriters, but here it applies. Kathryn Williams, along with the better known David Gray, is one of my two favorite singer-songwriters of the last couple of years. Her songs are intimate, her voice lush and appealing. The backing is subtle and effective; the tone reflective and gorgeous. The really special song here is track 8, 'Tell The Truth As If It Were Lies' which is the perfect acoustic folky tune, very catchy and beautiful. It is also great at night, as the whole of this album is.

Fantastic Album
I bought this album after hearing it play in my local record shop.I had never heard Kathryn before and I immediately enquired as to whom this mellow, soulful woman was. I was totally spellbound after hearing the thoughtful lyrics combined with soft yet not syrupy vocals wrapped around smooth musical arrangements.I have seen Kathryn live and she is every bit as good.Her voice needs no gimmicks or fancy production styles. For people who haven't heard Kathryn's work, the vocals are reminiscent of maybe The Sundays or St Etienne, mellow and dreamy. However I feel the real strength lies in the excellent song writing ability. She writes mainly about her friends and relationships but some of her songs focus on the abstract.In both arenas she is consistent in her bare, questioning style. Unlike some modern folk singers she doesn't have political points to make or a chip on her shoulder and so the result is refreshing and more accessible than some of her contempararies.

She has that magical storytelling quality and so you feel you can identify with all she says.A little bit like Joni Mitchell but instead of being drawn in all the way you are with Mitchell's work, you remain on the edge a spectator, wondering. She retains a sense of mystery. By keeping this distance the whole package is less intense and thus it is perfect chill out music. I feel this album is stronger than her first album "Dog Leap Stairs".Kathryn sounds a lttle more at ease with her self and it is a quietly confident album. Musically it is bolder in the way that it uses more instruments which lift the mood and save it from the danger of becoming too sombre or self indulgent.Particularly good is the use of the Cello.If you are new to Kathryn's work, this is an excellent place to start. If you get a chance go and see her live.She is an excellent performer and I am sure we will hear much more from her.

Full of promise...
Kathryn Williams' Little Black Numbers won a well-deserved Mercury Album of the Year nomination in the UK in 2000 and while this budding folk/pop album contains many delightful touches, it feels like the gateway to greater things.

Progressing from the sparse, minimal arrangements on Dog Leap Stairs, LBN delivers at least two potential crossover hits on Soul To Feet and the mannered, brooding Jasmine Hoop.Worthwhile and highly recommended, Williams is an artist to watch. ... Read more

Asin: B00004TJ48

Programmed to Love
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 May, 2001)
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• Import

Reviews (7)

Bent to perfection
Bent are exactly as the name suggests,a little distorted,but always good fun."Programmed to love" is a masterpiece of musical brilliance,courtesy of the faultless standout tracks "swollen","private road" and "always".Band member Zoe Johnston's vocals melt straight into the music,and will leave you in chillout heaven.But dont expect all the album tracks to just blend into each other,because the other side of Bent comes to the party with some weird and quite humorous selections,"chocolate wings" being a perfect example.Check the credits on a couple of the sampled vocal tracks,you will be surprised what you will find.Bent?yes,brilliant?definitely.

A touch of magic
I heard Invisible pedestrian when I stepped into HMV at Oxford Street to buy the Verve's Urban Hymns.

Programmed to Love contains some of the most amazing music that I have ever heard

Do not hesitate.Buy this now.
Such a great CD to put in and just sit back and enjoy.Groovy tunes with great flow. ... Read more

Asin: B00005KFVX
Sales Rank: 164373
Subjects:  1. Pop   

letting off the Happiness
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (02 November, 1998)
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Reviews (24)

Just get me past this dead and eternal snow...
This is by far one of the best CD's ever composed by Bright Eyes. One of the greatest things about this album is that Conor Oberst sings all of his songs with such emotion that you can actually feel what he's singing and his lyrics are poetic enough so send chills down your spine. I personally related to "If Winter Ends" which is track one on the CD and I beleive that everybody has felt that way at one point or another. "Letting off the Happiness" also has a healthy mix of songs you can lay back and relax to(like "Sail Away", "If winter ends", "Contrast and Compare"), and songs that are more upbeat like "the city has sex" and "pull my hair". The entire CD has a mellow, yet very awake indie/folk vibe to it. I highly recomend it.

I resisted for while, but it won me over...
As an adult and a fan of Conor Oberst's work that puts me in the admittedly smallest portion of his fanbase. I normally consider most music in this genre to be juvenile & whiney, and so I was turned off upon first hearing this back in 1999. However when I began to really listen to it, Bright Eyes won me over. While occaisionally juvenile, and whiney in the sense that most songs express sadness, etc, I cannot deny how amazing Conor Oberst's songwriting, and sincere emotional delivery is to me. I hear elements of my favorite songwriters-Paul McCartney & Bob Dylan but modernized with Violent Femmes & Smashing Pumpkins moments, and some of His own unique energy. This is the disc that got me into Bright Eyes, and into the very small modern music portion of my CD collection. I've now purchased and experienced all their other CD's, and look forward to hearing what else this kid does in the future. I do believe that he will be remembered as one of the great songwriters of this generation.

Fortunately Seduced
After listening to various lo-fi and even studio "indie/alternative" music, I have come to a realization:"Letting Off The Happiness" kicks all that other music's ass.Seriously though, starting with "If Winter Ends", the cd immediately draws you in.And if it doesn't, jump off a bridge.Through the chaotic beginning of the song, you have to listen to what emerges from it.Pure music, in its rawest form.Period.Moving through the cd, you hear a beautiful duet in "Contrast and Compare," leaving goosebumps all over your body.The twang of the guitars and the way the music sways with their voices is entrancing.Further threw this enlightening experience you hear "Touch."The compassionate voice and hypnotic keyboards work up to a shocking and emotional climax of Conor Oberst's signature wailing.I think this cd is more of a true Conor because later albums chill out and do not pull you along on an emotional roller-coaster (sorry for being trite...)."Pull My Hair" is another duet, this time more dynamic and layered instrumentally.Equally satisfying if not better than "Contrast and Compare."After winding through this wonderful cd, you reach a landmark in music history."A Poetic Retelling Of An Unfortunate Seduction" plays.From its humble moaning to its sorrowful screaming, the song is unbelievable.There is a line that reads "And you wonder if you are alive" in the song.If you haven't heard this song or bought this cd, keep wondering.... ... Read more

Asin: B00000HXU7
Sales Rank: 4322
Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Boys for Pele
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 January, 1996)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

Boys for Pele, the title of Tori Amos's epic third album, is as awkward and confusing as the music inside. Though it sounds like a recruitment slogan for Little League soccer, the name actually refers to the lost temples of feminine divinity. Pele, you see, is the Hawaiian volcano goddess; the boys, well, they're the sacrifices that quell the rumbling lady's rage. Attempting to regain fires stolen long ago, Pele rewrites the crucifixion to star a girl Jesus and in doing so conjures a forgotten matriarchal mythology. While Amos's characters--Jupiter, Muhammad, Lucifer--are male by name, the aural landscape into which they're thrown is as symbolically and expressionistically female as Georgia O'Keeffe's skull-and-roses paintings.Pele is a complex and formless--and often impenetrable--work of gothic-pop chamber music, both beautiful and ghostly in its nearly complete reliance on Amos's rolling Bosendorfer grand piano, chilling harpsichord (which she bangs like a courtly punk rocker), and acrobatic voice (as earthy as Joni Mitchell's and as otherworldly as Bjork's). Unfortunately, she takes us only halfway: her songs engage and challenge us to understand, but the imagery offers few clues to help us crack their frustrating opacity. Pele ends up as much a pretentious and self-indulgent trip as it is a synthesis of talent, imagination, and skewed vision. Still, there's reason to celebrate that an album as formalistically and thematically alien to pop audiences as Pele would win such quick success upon its original release. --Roni Sarig ... Read more

Reviews (309)

Dark boys, heavy days, glorius talent
Tori Amos got her some horses to ride on in the first track, and from there on it is one amazing trip through this whirpool of lost love, dark contemplation and scratching on surfaces.

BOYS FOR PELE ( Pele being the Hawaiian volcano goddess and Tori's alter ego on this album ) is a new, but sensual and enigmatic journey in her music. Released in 1996 this album alienated many fans. Gone are the 'girl and her piano' sound of Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink.

It spawned singles like "Caught a lite sneeze" and "Hey Jupiter", but the pace, I believe, is being set by songs like the organ/harpischord driven "Blood Roses" - a tragic account of a failed relationship...."I've shaved every place you've been boy.....Sometimes you're nothing but meat". Also "Talula" and one of my favourites, the short but sharp "Way Down".

All in all a wonderful album. I see it as a grand and swift transition from UNDER THE PINK to FROM THE CHOIRGIRL HOTEL.
New fans should steer clear, but once you start to "get" Tori it is one hell of an honest, dark and splendid ride.

Favorite Tori Album
I love Little Earthquakes (I like these songs live, though). But I love BFP. What a masterpiece. I love all of the anger and passion. I just feel it. She is so amazing. This was the very first Tori album I bought, and of course did the usual back cataloging and now have the entire library. Even though there is a lot to take in, you eventually get something new with each listen. I learned a lot about Tori through this album. Though I am a guy, I relate to her anger in this album. This is the most raw Tori album, and because of the no holds barred, this is one of the best albums ever made by any artist. (yes, there is a bias). But, I love Tori, and if you are new to her music, just go ahead and start from the beginning, but you will need to listen to this album MANY times to really get it. Trust me, you will get it and you will love it!

got me hooked!
Boys for Pele is my favorite record of all time! I had both Tori records beofe this one but this one got me hooked and this was also the year I got to witness Tori live and the rest is history. it's been about 9 years since this album came out???!!!! the songs on this record are quite timeless cause they are still with me. Blood Roses was always a stand out track for me. and ofcourse they are so many Tori Classics and fan favorites on this cd! forget the greatist hits record just start here! I still put a smile on my face when I hear songs like Horses, Not the Red baron, Caught a lite sneeze. and some songs I didn't love when I first got the cd like Putting the Damage on. I guess this review is pretty much pointless cause I could never tell you how much this album really means to me in words. ... Read more

Asin: B000002J88
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Bridge Over Troubled Water
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

No one can say Simon & Garfunkel went out with a whimper. The popular duo's 1970 swan song produced four hit singles and won six Grammy awards, including Record, Album, and Song of the Year. An involving mix of sweeping epics ("The Boxer," the title track) and breezy throwaways (a live cover of the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love," the rock & roll trifle "Baby Driver"), Bridge was one of the most popular albums of its era. What's particularly striking about this collection is how brightly lesser-acclaimed songs like "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright" and the gorgeous "The Only Living Boy in New York" shine.--Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (40)

AGELESS GEM
More than three decades later this album still reveals its treasures with every listen. It's the absolute highlight of the folk-influenced or singer/songwriter genre that emerged in the 1960s. The greatness of the songs are proved by the many cover versions that they inspired: Bridge much be one of the most covered songs on earth - the versions by Aretha Franklik and Linda Clifford immediately come to mind. El Condor Pasa has exotic Andean flute and Cecilia is a naughty, uptempo song that became a dance hit again in the 1980s by some obscure disco singer. Songs like The Boxer and Bye Bye Love are sheer poetry, I mean lyrically and in their flowing melodies and the beautiful blend of the voices. This album remained in the album charts for many years after its original release and one listen will show you the reason why. Poetic, intelligent lyrics set to heavenly melodies characterise these outstanding songs to make the album a timeless classic.

A Grand Finale
First of all, I must admit that I've only recently become a Simon & Garfunkel's fan . I mean,my dad has had albums by this fantastic duo since I was very little, but I only stopped to listen to them carefully in the last three years or so. However, S&G have become, little by little, one of my trully favourite bands - and obviously my favourite duo.
OK, now let's move to "Bridge Over Troubled Water", then. I've bought it less than a week ago, but it was enough to discover that it's an amazing album. I've heard many people complaining about it not being very homogeneous, and I'm affraid they're right: it's not homogeneous at all. I wonder, though: does that really matter? Take the tittle track, for example: simply gorgeous, probably THE song about friendship, loyalty and self-sacrifice. It always gives me goose bumps, no matter how many times I listen to it. Take then "The Boxer" - it's just so moving. Take "Cecilia", certainly not a "calm" song like the other two I mentioned above, but still great. Actually, take the entire album and you'll see - listen, actually - how great it is. And you'll regret deeply that after this Simon and Garfunkel went separate ways. This was their Grand Finale and I couldn't imagine anything better to close their short, yet powerful, career.

Oh So Worthy
An enduring classic indeed.These songs are all gems.The title track stands out not only because of its poignant lyrics but mainly due to the beautiful arrangement and instrumentation.Art Garfunkel's crowning moment as a singer.

And oh what other great tunes.The Only Living Boy In New York is an underatted gem. Just love the tone between the vocals and the instrumental support.Cecilia, Baby Driver, Bye Bye Love, and meandering ballad The Boxer are all great songs to singalong to.Song For The Asking is pretty way to close this chock full of classics recording.

One of the few times, an recording group concluded with their best original work.Paul Simon wnet on to record some excellent solo material but truthfully this recording may be his best one of them all. ... Read more

Asin: B0000024UX
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 February, 2000)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Editorial Review

Yo La Tengo's most consistently brilliant record is also their quietest, as husband and wife Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley turn the volume down while exploring decidedly grown-up relationship themes. It's definitely not the shoe-gazer-tinged barrage of guitars they've supplied in the past, but the silences here speak louder than an amplified guitar ever could. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (91)

Beautiful
This is the most perfect record I have yet heard in the few years of my life. Each song captivates and evokes a sense of nostalgia. I have lived, felt and possibly understood everything that this album is about. Only the best music produces this sensation and cannot be reccommended enough.

"Let's Save Tony Orlando's House" is quite possibly the best song written.

a good looking girl just walked by.
i like the computer lab for a couple reasons.first, i don't have a computer, so without labs i would never use one.second, sometimes you see people!!you can't smoke cigarettes in it though, or you will get kicked out.

the more i listen to this music the more i like it.seriously, i didn't listen for a while and then i listened again and MY did it sound great.even "night falls on hoboken" which i used to think was too long, or something, i don't even know, because such a thought is now unfathomable.

Good Indie
A quiet, melancholic and gripping record, "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out" is a solid and convincing effort from one of the most compelling bands of the current alternative rock scenario. While not a masterpiece or a mind-blowing experience, this little album offers an intriguing collection of hypnotic songs worth listening. Moments like the haunting opener "Everyday" or the sublime "You Can Have It All" show this band`s strenght, providing tender and delicate compositions. Appropriate to listen to at a calm night, this is a record worth checking.

Recommended. ... Read more

Asin: B00004C4OA
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Noise Pop    4. Pop    5. Rock   

From the Desk of Mr. Lady
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 January, 2001)
list price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

Professional force-to-be-reckoned-with (and Bikini Kill frontwoman)Kathleen Hanna takes on George Clinton's "free your ass and your mind will follow" mantra with her current project Le Tigre. Following their ace eponymous debut debut, the pop-punk trio of Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and Sadie Benning return with "From the Desk of Mr. Lady," a snappy suckerpunch of subversion. Using simple drum machines, electric guitar power chords, and Hanna's rebel yell, they create hard and shiny dancecore with a bad attitude. On this short and sweet EP, "Bang! Bang!" is the most poignant track, chronicling the shooting of unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo in New York. It ends with a bone-chilling drum sequence that represents the 41 shots fired by NYPD officers, who were ultimately acquitted. Le Tigre achieve the unusual by seamlessly uniting fun music with revolutionary ideas: this EP is unabashedly political, angry, and addictive. It rocks.--Lizz Mendez Berry ... Read more

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Reviews (13)

WHOA! i am a big le tigre fan...but this album is awesome!
le tigre in general are quite an electro-clash band, but more like a punked electroclash band...(electro clash song by them: Shred A)
EP is amazing. i really liked "get off the internet"
one difference that i noticed immediately, is that this cd is more louder than the others...it is "harder" and they scream a lot in this one.
may i also say that the art work on the front of the albums is pretty cool too?

Le Tigre's Beat is Noise!
So ok there's Beck. Critics can't get enough of Beck (and I'm not dissing, I can't get enough either). They fawn all over his musical collage as he pulls influences from everyone like Can to Public Enemy. Same with Beastie Boys. But with a female group they are almost written off as a novelty and not given the proper attention they deserve. It's about the message and not the music, and maybe with a straight punk rock group that is true, but sometimes the music is rad too. Le Tigre knows the beat.

Le Tigre's most recent EP "From the Desk of Mr. Lady", like their first record, draws on all types of music to activate their political messages. Hip hop gets comfortable with new wave while dance and pop attack from the corners coached on by punk rock. It's reallykinda large. When you hear it you can totally hear like a hip hop beat or dance beat with punk rock vocals over a new wave/ poppy rhythm.

And then yes there is the message. On top of really dope music there is a dope message of unity, activism, and the destruction of social ills. You're dancing and thinking and it doesn't get better than that.

The only complaint is that it is an EP and not a full length, but I still rock the album strong (half a year and counting) and can't wait for the next joint to pop.

LE TIGRE ON THE PROWL
I am in amour with this band and believe Kathleen Hannah to be one of the most innovative artists around. Le Tigre is an amazing fusion of punk, 80's and old skool beats. A sense of advocacy is felt in their songs as well. One song on the new album addresses the Amiallo case (spelled right?) where in NY a guy was shot over 20 times by the cops. Needed? I think not. This album is at times powerful , the remixes are good but as a whole just not as strong as their last album. I recommend owning it just as I will recommend owning anything Kathleen Hannah has worked on i.e. Bikini Kill. ... Read more

Asin: B0000544AM
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Electronic    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Boys Don't Cry
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Editorial Review

When Robert Smith's long-running group made this debut (actually the resequenced American version of the British Three Imaginary Boys), they weren't the Goth-and-reverb, new wave heroes they later became; they were just a trio of disaffected kids who didn't like what was on the radio, because it wasn't smart enough or dark enough. Smith's lyrics are bleakly sarcastic (as when he spells out the title of "Fire in Cairo") and literate (the single "Killing an Arab," a nihilistic sketch based on a scene from Albert Camus's The Stranger). The band matches them with swift, tingling arrangements that dodge skillfully around rock's machismo and self-indulgence, even when Smith launches into the occasional gnarled little solo. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Reviews (39)

A strong debut
Right from the start, The Cure was obviously a band to be reckoned with.While there has always been an attempt to categorize the band (e.g. "post-punk," "new wave," "gloom-and-doom") all one can really definitively say is that The Cure was, and still is, a terrific band with a unique sound.

Obviously The Cure is the brain-child of Robert Smith, who wrote all of the lyrics on all of their albums, probably most of the music as well, sings, and plays the guitars."Boys Don't Cry" still holds its own as one of their better albums.It contains two of their best all-time songs: the infectious "Jumping Someone Else's Train," and the exotic "Killing an Arab."The latter, controversial because of its title, references the writings of Camus, and is about the inhumanity of war, and how those engaging in battle must become drone-like and de-humanize their enemy ("I'm a stranger, killing an Arab").

There are other gems in this album.The title track, though lighthearted, is irresistible."Plastic Passion" is Robert Smith's ode to a female sex toy, and "10:15 Saturday Night" perfectly describes a young man's angst at that time, waiting by the telephone for a certain girl to call, while listening to the dripping of a faucet.I really like "Three Imaginary Boys" as well.Of course, Smith would soon start writing longer, more complex work, but "Boys Don't Cry" was an excellent starting point.

Footnote: I mention above two of what, in my opinion, are the all-time best Cure songs.The others, in chronological order, (again, in my opinion) are as follows: A Forest, Primary, Hanging Garden, Night Like This, Just Like Heaven, Lovesong, Pictures of You, Fascination Street, and From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea.These great songs, and, of course, dozens of other near-great ones, are the reasons that The Cure has been my favorite band since the early 1990's.

yes they do
I felt like I should give this a good review since I slammed Pornography. This is the best album the Cure ever recorded. It has the somber tone of the next three albums, but it is also upbeat and wistful, too. I wish they would have tried to reproduce what they did here again. I am sure they could have done it. The next best thing is the singles comp "Japanese Whispers."

good sounds.
i don't like the cure's output post-disintegration (and liking disintegration is sometimes very difficult) but GUESS WHAT this came very early on in their career and is pretty dag good!it sounds like really good pop and then it gets dark but that doesn't mean pop can't be dark just that it sounds less poppy sometimes. ... Read more

Asin: B000002H5V
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Goth Rock    4. New Wave    5. Pop    6. Post-Punk    7. Rock   

Blind Man's Zoo
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 May, 1989)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Reviews (17)

The slowest parde you've ever seen.
"The Big Parade" is worth the price of this album, alone. It is by far the best song on this album but it gets little attention. This is not a bad album, not their best. However, "The Big Parade" IS one of the best Maniacs tunes. It is so tragic and haunting. Natalie's vocals will bring you to tears. What an excellent piece about the war in Vietnam.

A great album
You'd probably give this album 5 stars if they never released Our Time In Eden.

Most Underrated Album Of The 80s
I discovered the 10,00 Maniacs by pure chance.I saw a video on VH1 in 1989 called "Trouble Me" and I was instantly hooked.I got the album immediately and have since worn out two cassettes and am now a proud owner of the CD.People will forever talk about 80s albums that were landmark achievements; "Thriller,""Born In The USA,""Purple Rain,""Like A Virgin," etc.But wow!"Blind Man's Zoo" is simply some of the best music ever recorded.One of my favorites is "Headstrong," one of the harder tunes on the album. I am amazed that they never became huge stars because I can say indeed that this is a perfect album. PERFECT! ... Read more

Asin: B000002H6E
Sales Rank: 16117
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Jangle Pop    4. Pop    5. Rock   

A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 April, 1997)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Reviews (66)

Not long enough
the songs are great
the sound is great
everything is awsome

but the songs arnt long enough

Great album...
I discovered Hooverphonic using www.musicplasma.com to find artists similar to Morcheeba, and after previewing this disc I just HAD to have it.One of the best ambient albums I own, I find myself listening to this cd almost every day, and it's always one of the first discs I play at a party.The bass hits you right in the gut (the only cd I own that I actually have to turn the bass DOWN in my car lest I blow one of my subs), and the guitar work is very subtle and delicate.There are a couple tracks that I'm not too fond of (which is why I gave it a 4 out of 5), but the rest of the cd more than makes up for it.If you're a fan of chill-out music, grab yourself a martini and put this on...you won't be disappointed.

A must-have for any serious trip-hop-fanatic
If you are a bit into trip-hop, then I highly recommend this album. Don't expect some kind of Massive Attack-clone or something, because they are totally different then Massive Attack. The only song that sounds a bit like a MA-song is '2 Wicky', their only single out of this album. It all starts with 'Inhaler', a dreamy electronic-like song, with some nice guitar-riffs, an excellent opener. The intro of '2 Wicky' could have been the intro of a Massive Attack-song (from 'Blue Lines'),but the rest of the song is pure Hoover. Again a dreamy song, and an excellent single.'Plus Profond' is my favourite Hooverphonic-song ever. It has this very interesting and beautiful intro with a Digerido (I think it's called like that), it's actually one of the only up-tempo song on the album.'Barabas' starts off slow, but then a great drumm-beat fuses with the dreamy vocals what makes this an outstanding song. 'Sarangi' has this very weird intro, wich I can't really discribe, wich after a while fuses with great drumm-beats and guitar-riffs and -you'll never guess- dreamy vocals. This song is a stand out and one of the greatest songs ever made by Hooverphonic because it is really different then anything I've ever heard. 'Nr. 9' and 'Innervoice' are great songs, but it feels like they still have to grow on me. Cinderella is most likely the most heavy song(it isn't haevy at all, but the dreamy vocals are gone) and the vocals are in Spanish I think. 'Someone' is possibly the most dreamy song on the album and 'Wardrope' is also a good song. The only dissapointing song is 'Revolver' wich is a bit annoying and sounds a bit ordinary, but I've heard wors, and it's actually pretty catchy.
This is an album that takes you to higher places, and is an excellent debut of this Belgian trip-hop-band. Although this is their best album, I don't understand what so bad about their other albums. Especially 'The Magnificent Tree' is an excellent album (the only of their other albums that comes close to this one). Ok, it has a different sound, more like trip-pop, but I don't understand all the negative critics on it. Anyway, if you're into poppy trip-hop, wich sounds different then the usually trip-hop, buy this.
(P.S. No, this album doesn't beat 'Blue Lines' nor 'Mezzanine' but those are nearly untouchable albums..) ... Read more

Asin: B000002BVY
Sales Rank: 3363
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Ambient Pop    4. Belgium    5. Pop    6. Post-Grunge    7. Rock   

Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 April, 1996)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

You want retro? Get a load of their equipment, from the vintage Farfisa and Vox organs to the ever-lovable Moog synthesizers. You want futurist? It's the sound of not-so-well-oiled machinery, churning and sputtering into space age bachelor pad heaven and postindustrial hell. You want pure pop? Dig how they mine mod sounds of the '60s, from Burt Bacharach to Françoise Hardy, and pull melodies straight out of a bubblegum wrapper. You want avant garde? Check the blatant liftings from '70s krautrockers Neu! and Can, plus their appropriations of Philip Glass's disjointed wordplay and Ornette Coleman's jagged alto sax.

You want meaning? These are songs loaded with optimism, progressivism, humanism, and dashes of Marxism. You want nonsense? There's plenty of "la-la-la's" to lead us into oblivion, and head vocalist Laetitia Sadier sings half the time in French.

You want a groove band? Tracks like "Metronomic Underground" and "Les Yper-Sound" cast a funk trance heavier than voodoo and at least as danceable as any neo-hippie tripe. You want a band that rocks? Try "The Noise of Carpet" for its rug-burning guitar and acceleration drum whacks. Yesterday, tomorrow, now: Stereolab's the one. --Roni Sarig ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Awkward transitional stage
I am a huge Stereolab fan.Now, when there are huge Stereolab fans gathered, not all of them will get along because there are those who prefer before Emperor Tomato Ketchup and there are those who prefer after ETK.I personally prefer pre-ETK, but I do love their later works, especially Dots and Loops and Margerine Eclipse.
Before ETK there was Mars Audiac Quintet, the highest evolutionary stage of their earlier, more rock-based work (and my own personal favorite).It sounded similar to (although a step back experimentally) the two albums before it, with droning organs, repetitive riffs, and beautiful monotonous vocals.
Enter Emperor Tomato Ketchup.
Though I enjoy this album thoroughly, it lacks the charm the first three albums flaunted so well.The guitars have gone from chord-jammers to poppy spacey riffs.In a way, this is their most riff-driven album--the riffs are catchy, cool, and usually identify the songs better than the vocals.In fact, it is the vocals where I have a problem with this album.They are more made to suit the music than the music is made to suit the vocals, and to me this usually leads to songs that you are tired of after a minute of them.And that's what happens on ETK.I get tired of the songs very quickly.
The songs on ETK are more diverse than on any other album.Like I said, each one has its own unique riff.Stereolab has a knack for making an album flow, both in earlier and later works, but on this album that flow seems to be disrupted every time a song ends.I would say their B-side compilations (Switched On vol.1-3) work better as albums than this does.It's because rather than enjoy each song for what it is, I find myself waiting to see what's next.
I'm not saying this album is bad.Certain songs on it are annoying toward the end, when you begin to wonder if it's about to end or not."Tomorrow is Already Here" is probably the most mind-grating song Stereolab ever released.But other songs are incredible, like "Percolator," "Spark Plug," "The Noise of Carpet," "Monstre Sacre," "OLV 26," and "Anonymous Collective."
The problem with this album is that it simply does not flow like an album should.Not to say an album must follow a structure, but it's like a movie.You need a start, a centerpiece, and a just ending.It seems that this album has virtually no focus and although both the beginning and ending of this album are stellar, there is no lead-out from the beginning or lead-in to the end.It just plays and plays and plays, and then it's over.
This album is much too hyped for what it is.I give it four stars for being better than 99% of the crap on the market and for being an honest attempt at a different sound.Not all experiments are fully successful, remember.This one happens to be the awkward stage between Mars Audiac Quintet and Dots and Loops.Pick it up for the collection, or pick it up if you disagree with me.One man's opinion isn't worth completely changing your own.

Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Stereolab got positive notice all the way back in 1992 with Peng! and the Low-Fi EP, but 1996's Emperor Tomato Ketchup marks the point where they transformed from hip college-radio band to pop revolutionaries.Where earlier albums featured a consistent sound and raw, crackling textures, ETK is a polished, gorgeous, and remarkably varied affair.It sets a new standard of complexity for the band (one which they have not reached since) and certainly for pop music, which is nowadays all but devoid of innovation and intelligence.Though it's not the Stereolab of 1993, it's hardly a 180 either, as they refine their techniques and add new layers instead of altogether changing their approach.And this means that Emperor Tomato Ketchup should strike a positive chord with early-Lab devotees, while sweet melodies and catchy hooks throw new listeners on the bandwagon.

This is Stereolab at their most ambitious and most realized, and they sound confident enough to try new things.From the get-go it appears they've taken a new direction entirely, opening with the head-nodding dub/hip-hop of "Metronomic Underground,"but power-pop gems "Cybele's Reverie" and "The Noise of Carpet" remind listeners of the Stereolab of old (with extra doses of energy and complexity), the former employing a string section to great effect and the latter featuring Letitia Sadier's most direct vocal delivery on record.Socio-political lyrics are in full force as always, but you would never be able to tell this on sweet, playful songs like "Motoroller Scalatron." If a "centerpiece track" could be picked out, it might be the five-minute "Tomorrow is Already Here."The song begins deceptively simply, but it begins to add layers in pairs (two keyboard drones, two xylophones, two of Sadier's vocal tracks in a sort of round,) culminating in a dramatic and beautiful ending that brings together as many as eight lines of instrumentation with smooth, effortless aplomb.In a way, "Tomorrow is Already Here" is symbolic of the entire album.Stereolab have brought many elements to the table, but they have what it takes to put them all together into sweet, deceptively innocent, and mellifluous songs.Track for track, it's one of the most accomplished and satisfying albums to hit our record stores in a very long time.

Stereolab's vast musical output is full of experiments, with varying degrees of success, but Emperor Tomato Ketchup is the place where they've made everything work.It's by far their most experimental release to date, yet it's also their most easily enjoyable and one of their most accessible.Why?Maybe it's because they have a better sense of harmony and symbiosis than any of their contemporaries.Melodies pile on top of each other but the seams don't show, and the songs always feel far greater than the sum of their parts.Maybe it's because the album's experimentalism never taunts the listener.Leftfield influences abound, from dub and Krautrock to jazz and hip-hop, but Stereolab have their feet firmly planted in sweet, spacey pop.The band's many experiments don't come at the expense of sounding enjoyable or fun; they are the means to achieve a pop-oriented end, not the ends themselves.Or maybe it has to do with the precision they didn't really achieve since forming in 1991.At 13 songs in 57 minutes, ETK is relatively brief (impressive since Krautrock is notorious for epic song lengths), and a couple of listens reveal surprisingly few wasted notes.The band does indulge in some trademark noodling during "Metronomic Underground" and the tail end of "Olv 26," but these excursions are still focused, never aimless.

Whatever the reasons, Stereolab have attended to their numerous avant-garde influences and despite them (or perhaps because of them) crafted a nearly perfect pop album.Suffice to say that they have not reached the same heights in nearly 15 years of recording, and it's not too conceivable that they ever will considering the album's unrealistically high standards (though Dots And Loops came close).It's hard to say if the album's greatest accomplishment is acclimating experimental music listeners to pop music or pop listeners to experimentalism, but Emperor Tomato Ketchup brings all different sounds together into a tightly constructed, beautifully appealing whole, making it one of the most enjoyable and important albums of the 1990s, pop or otherwise.

A beautiful album from start to finish
One of my favorite albums.Not a bad song on here.This cd is full of melody and harmony.Get it! ... Read more

Asin: B000002HK2
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Ambient Pop    3. England    4. Experimental Rock    5. Indie Electronic    6. Indie Pop    7. Indie Rock    8. Pop    9. Post-Rock/Experimental    10. Rock   

Radar Bros. [EP]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 August, 1997)
list price: $6.98
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Features

Reviews (2)

A great place to start, a great gap to fill
If you don't own this album, there are two reasons you are reading this review:

1. You're not sure whether or not to invest in this band, and see this, an inexpensive short EP, as a good entry point, or

2. You're a fan of the band, but have reservations considering this was their first release.

No matter which type you are, this is a great EP to pick up. To the newbies, the EP exhibits the sounds that are apparent on all of their LPs, and to the fans, well, I think you would be surprised as to how good the six tracks really are (I was).

The songs are actually quicker paced than their counterparts on their self-titled full-length LP. Actually, many would say the songs sound most like something off of "And the Sorrounding Mountains", surprising given that the LP was released 8-9 years after this one.

So, if you're the Radar Bros newbie, this EP is possibly the perfect recording to start with. If you're the fan, quit wasting your time and shell out the $6 already.

Not just an appetizer...
Years after arriving with little fanfare, the Radar Bros.' shimmeringindie debut is much more than a novelty for the fan base the band hasaccumulated since "The Singing Hatchet." Though compact inlength, the EP is packed wall-to-wall with six searing tracks thatdemonstrated the full range you'll find on either 12-track LP. In theguitar-heavy, melancholy opener, Jim Putnam offers an emotional nakednessthat he hasn't really displayed since. On other tracks, he keeps his uniquesecond-person distance as a lyricist, but this is no distraction from thepoignance of each melody. Not content to drift into space, every songechoes with elegant pop composition, rich sonic texture, and that sublime,world-weary beauty and sadness that make the Radar Bros. such an addictivelisten. Strongly recommended as both an entry point and an appetizer forall of you who hasn't been able to get "The Singing Hatchet" orthe self-titled LP out of your stereos. ... Read more

Asin: B0000021SP
Sales Rank: 300571
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Slowcore