SGTC: Mach II, Round 3

[murlough23]

Well, it took me forever to get around to scoring this one, but that's OK; maybe a mid-week start and end is just better all around. Here's what we'll be rating in this round:

bdg: Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster (Pure Volume Site)
bloop: Shakira, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 (Clips)
Brenden: Kevin Max, The Imposter (Full Album)
Danny: Norah Jones, Come Away with Me (Clips)
Josh: Paul McCartney, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Clips)
murlough: John Reuben, The Boy Vs. the Cynic (Clips)
NinjaRob: Joy Electric, The White Songbook (Clips)
plvarona: Kevin Max, The Imposter (Full Album)
Wildcat: The Police, Synchronicity (Clips)
worldofcm: B. B. Jay, Demetrus & Pettidee, 3 the God Way (Clips)

The round starts today, and everyone has to get their guesses in by midnight PST on Tuesday, October 25.

[Brenden]

Stream Kevin Max's Album

[Wildcatblue7]

Apparently everyone else has me figured out, but I'm clueless for everybody else.

bdg: 3
bloop: 3
Brenden: 4
Danny: 4
Josh: 3
murlough: 3
NinjaRob: 4
plvarona: 4
worldofcm: 2
 

[murlough23]

bdg: 2 stars (Because... Dude, STFU.)
bloop: 3 stars (Because he probably wouldn't give anything higher to a pop record entitled Oral Fixation.)
Brenden: 4 stars (Because that's what I had already guessed... honest.)
Danny: 3 stars (Because pretty, but... zzzzzzz.)
Josh: 3 stars (Because, is this guy still putting out records?)
NinjaRob: 4 stars(Because, interesting use of synths.)
plvarona: 4 stars (Because, solidarity.)
Wildcat: 3 stars (Because, classic but strange.)
worldofcm: 3 stars (Because he's a little nicer than bdg.)

[NinjaRob17]

bdg: Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - 4 Stars
bloop: Shakira, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 - 4 Stars
Brenden: Kevin Max, The Imposter - 5 Stars
Danny: Norah Jones, Come Away with Me - 4 Stars
Josh: Paul McCartney, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard - 4 Stars
murlough: John Reuben, The Boy Vs. the Cynic - 4 Stars
plvarona: Kevin Max, The Imposter - 4 Stars
Wildcat: The Police, Synchronicity - 3 Stars
worldofcm: B. B. Jay, Demetrus & Pettidee, 3 the God Way - 3 Stars

[Josh]

bdg: 3
bloop: 4
Brenden: 4
Danny: 3
murlough: 4
NinjaRob: 4
plvarona: 4
Wildcat: 4
worldofcm: 2

[eatahouse]

4 for Everyone, except Wildcat, who I'll guess 2.

[bdg13disciple]

bloop: Shakira, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 (4)
Brenden: Kevin Max, The Imposter (5)
Danny: Norah Jones, Come Away with Me (3)
Josh: Paul McCartney, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (3)
murlough: John Reuben, The Boy Vs. the Cynic (4)
NinjaRob: Joy Electric, The White Songbook (4)
plvarona: Kevin Max, The Imposter (4)
Wildcat: The Police, Synchronicity (3)
worldofcm: B. B. Jay, Demetrus & Pettidee, 3 the God Way (2)

peace... love... bdg...

[worldofcm]

bdg: Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - 3
bloop: Shakira, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 - 3
Brenden: Kevin Max, The Imposter - 5
Danny: Norah Jones, Come Away with Me - 3
Josh: Paul McCartney, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard - 3
murlough: John Reuben, The Boy Vs. the Cynic - 4
NinjaRob: Joy Electric, The White Songbook - 4
plvarona: Kevin Max, The Imposter - 4
Wildcat: The Police, Synchronicity - 3

[danny316]

bdg: Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster 3 stars
bloop: Shakira, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 3 stars
Brenden: Kevin Max, The Imposter 3.5, erm...4 stars.
Josh: Paul McCartney, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard 3 stars
murlough: John Reuben, The Boy Vs. the Cynic 4 stars (at least, I hope so, I usually like Reuben).
NinjaRob: Joy Electric, The White Songbook 3 stars
plvarona: Kevin Max, The Imposter 4 stars
Wildcat: The Police, Synchronicity 4 stars
worldofcm: B. B. Jay, Demetrus & Pettidee, 3 the God Way 2 stars

[Brenden]

bdg: 3
bloop: 3
Danny: 4
Josh: 3
murlough: 4
NinjaRob: 4
plvarona: 4
Wildcat: 3
worldofcm: 2

[bloop]

bdg:  3
Josh:  4
murlough:  4
brendan:  5
NinjaRob:  4
wildcat:  tough one!  I'll say 3
plvarona:  4
Danny:  3
worldofcm:  2

[Brenden]

MOD EDIT: Please don't post your ratings until after the deadline for everyone to guess. The deadline is midnight Tuesday, because this round started late. Sorry for the confusion, but the beginning of last week was very busy for me.

[plvarona]

bdg: 3 stars
bloop: 4 stars
Brenden: 4 stars
Danny: 3 stars
Josh: 3 stars
murlough: 4 stars
NinjaRob: 4 stars
Wildcat: 3 stars
worldofcm: 3 stars

Post Edited because a previously unsettled issue has since been resolved.

[Wildcatblue7]

I'm obviously not in charge, but you could post what you would have guessed.  That seems entirely fair to me . . .

*ponders what album to do for next week*

[murlough23]

Also I have a question.  I saw what Brenden's rating was before it got edited out.  Should I just post what I would have guessed anyway (I promise I will be honest if I do this), or should we just throw that guess out for me?  I don't want to compromise the integrity of the game, so whatever is deemed to be most fair, I'll do.

Post what you would have guessed. I trust you. I PM'ed him so that he would know not to post ratings early in the future.

NP: "Exit Calypsan (Only in My Dreams)", Falling Up

[plvarona]

Post what you would have guessed. I trust you. I PM'ed him so that he would know not to post ratings early in the future.
 

Thanks.  I just edited my post to include my guess for him.

[Brenden]

Post what you would have guessed. I trust you. I PM'ed him so that he would know not to post ratings early in the future.

NP: "Exit Calypsan (Only in My Dreams)", Falling Up

Sorry about that, I'll be more careful about it.

 :embarass:  

[worldofcm]

My answer:

Rap has never ever been my cup of tea, and this album definitely doesn't help the genre's standing in my eyes.  The album really failed to connect with me.  No real strong hooks to make anything memorable.  

2 stars.  

[murlough23]

OK, time to post my rating... what the hell was I reviewing this round? Oh yeah...

John Reuben gets 4 stars. This was a really tough one, because I was absolutely irritated with most of this album on first listen (also true with Hindsight, but this one grew on me more). I'm not one to impose genre boundaries on creative artists, but I can't recall how many times I thought during various songs, "Dude... you just... can't... rap... to this." "Sunshine" would be the worst offender in that department, but "So Glad", "Nuisance", and the slow portion of "There's Only Forgiveness" sound forced as well. Thankfully, the "Cynic" side of this album is incredibly strong, and John kind of gets away with the schizophrenia since that's the whole point of the album. I have a soft spot for John Reu's goofiness, and his commentary is more biting than ever when he really gets down to it, so I can see past the sometimes awkward flow and recognize a good songwriter when I see one. I'd rank this album slightly behind Professional Rapper and ahead of Hindsight... I still don't think he's topped Are We There Yet?, even if I can see how his skills have matured since then.

[murlough23]

Rap has never ever been my cup of tea

Gah. You really threw me off with the 4th Avenue Jones avatar.

[bloop]

Shakira is a good example of pop music done right as a general rule, it seems to me.  Maybe it helps that I don't know the language nearly as well as I used to (oral fixation?  sounds kinky), and maybe she uses the back of her throat a bit too much to sing (really, it should be done for emphasis), but none of that detracts from the whole.  4 stars.

Next, I'll do Playing the Angel by Depeche Mode.

[Brenden]

Now that it's actually the right time.  :embarass:

Kevin did not dissapoint with this album. It's got simpler lyrics than past efforts, but for the most part this isn't a problem. The music is more rock oriented at places, similar to what was on his BTFATU EP. I particularly love Fade to Red, When He Returns, and Platform. The major drawbacks to the album are a few less interesting musical moments (Your Beautiful Mind, Jumpstart Your Electric Heart, both of which are still good song, just less musically interesting) and two songs that just don't interest me much at all (The Imposter's Song, Stay, both of which make no impact even after repeated listens). All around, a fairly solid album, I give it 4 stars.

For my next pick, a 180 degree turn in which I will pick Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now  

[Wildcatblue7]

I've been busting at the seams to keep from saying anything about Synchronicity.  I freakin' love this.  "Synchronicity II" is the best song the Police ever did, PERIOD.  There is no comparison.  "King of Pain" is absolutely stunning, and the classics--"Every Breath You Take," which I can't believe people think is a love song, and "Wrapped Around Your Finger"--remain classic even though this was released in 1983.  The super-short "Miss Gradenko" kind of reminds me of something Bela Fleck might write, and boy is it ever spiffy.  "Tea in the Sahara" and "Murder By Numbers" are haunting, and "Synchronicity I" is the perfect opener.  If "Walking in Your Footsteps" and "O My God" were just a tad more interesting, and if "Mother" had been left off the album (it's pratically unlistenable), I would give this five stars, no question.   But I guess I have to settle for four stars since we don't do half-stars.

Next week: The Clash, Combat Rock.

[plvarona]

Well, you guys correctly figured I'd like KMax's new one.  However, I think most of you will be surprised as to just how much.  Here's the breakdown:

Album Reviewed: The Imposter - Kevin Max

Pros: This is easily Kevin's catchiest CD, yet he does this without sacrificing his artistic credibility.  A few songs on this album have gotten stuck in my head very easily, most notably the title track.  There is also a fairly wide variety of rock styles within this album, yet at the same time the album remains rooted in rock, which I think helps in terms of continuity and flow.  The lyrics, while simpler than those on Stereotype BE, are still fairly thoughtful.  There isn't a single track I dislike on this CD.

Cons: There are a few songs toward the end of the CD that aren't all that musically interesting.  Kevin still wails a bit much for my taste.

The Bottom Line: This album contains many elements of albums that tend to score high with me (diversity of musical styles, thoughtful lyrics, consistency of musical quality) with just a few minor flaws to report.  I also enjoy listening to this album quite a bit.  I consider this to be a step up from Stereotype BE.

Rating: A-, which for the purpose of this game is 5 stars

Next Week: Stereo: The Evolution of Hiprocksoul by 4th Avenue Jones - You guys will finally get to hear my take on a rap album.

[bdg13disciple]

ok, now i can exhale...
i was pretty nervous when i noticed that my CMCentral Review of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster actually went live on Monday morning due to a new schedule...

anyway, it looks like no one noticed or at least you're all honest enough to stick with your initial predictions...

Maylene & The Sons of Disaster left me kind of torn...
the first song i heard which was a while back was "Tough as John Jacobs" which has a really well-defined southern drawl to the soundtrack...
so i was kind of expecting something in the way of George Thorogood with a bit more screaming...
and it's king of like that, but much darker in tone...
despite some bad singing in parts, it's a fairly fresh sound that works really well and is really addicting...

so i ended up going with 4 stars...

for next week... how about Thrice - Vheissu...


peace... love... bdg...
 

[Josh]

Sir Paul's new album may very well be his best in... oh... at least a decade. Maybe longer. (Though I haven't heard Driving Rain). Chalk it up to his collaboration with producer Nigel Goodrich, who somehow achieves the feat of making this album incredibley dense and yet, at the same time, very simple-sounding.  The production is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and well worth the price of admission.

The melodies are great, too. The lyrics, though... yikes. They're mostly well written, but they're also rather shallow, filled with platitudes and sentimentality rather than anything substantial. It's an extremely pleasant album, but it leaves me with nothing to think about afterward, and when I actually DO concentrate on the lyrics I sometimes wince.

All in all, I give it 4 stars.

[danny316]

3 stars for Norah Jones. Soothing faux-jazz, but nothing I see myself going back to. It's got a few strong songs I suppose...but it'd need a bit more than that to really impress me. It's decent enough for a good 3 stars.

I'll take on Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic by The Sundays next week. (Don't be fooled by the fact that I've called this the best album I've heard from the year 1990 already - it's also the only album I've heard from 1990.)

[worldofcm]

Gah. You really threw me off with the 4th Avenue Jones avatar.

And for some reason, I absolutely love the 4th Avenue Jones CD.

And for next week - Various Artists, The Message: Psalms
Clips

[NinjaRob17]

Well, though I love the album as a whole, and there are some very good songs on here ("Shepherds of the Northern Pasture", "The Good Will Not Be Cloned", "A New Pirate Traditional"), I have to give it 4 stars, just because some songs bore me ("Unicornucopia", "We Are Rock"), and "As Children We Are Growing Younger" is just downright annoying. Plus, the whole synthesizer thing almost grows old after a while.

I'm going to follow in Plvarona's steps and review a rap album this week - "Disappear Here" by L.A. Symphony.

[murlough23]

Round 4 has begun.