Second Guess the Critic: SMACKDOWN! Round 2

[bloop]

Predictions by the end of Friday, EST, please.

Brendan: A Sucker's Dream, The Alternate Routes
bloop:  Fiction Family, Fiction Family
murlough: Fiction Family, Fiction Family
Josh: Alligator Purse, BeauSoleil
plvarona: Anorak, Ruth

Also, see if you can think of a theme for the next round.

[Brenden]

bloop:  4 stars
murlough: 4 stars
Josh: 3 stars
plvarona: 4 stars

A theme round idea: Albums by artists who debuted the year you were born. This could either mean the band played their first gig that year, were formed officially that year, or released their first album that year.

[murlough23]

A theme round idea: Albums by artists who debuted the year you were born. This could either mean the band played their first gig that year, were formed officially that year, or released their first album that year.

I'm assuming we can review an album that is more recent than the band's debut?

If so, let's save this round for March, so that I can fudge it and say U2 recorded their first demo in 1978, and therefore I'm gonna review their new album.

Otherwise, in terms of bands who debuted in '78 that I might actually want to listen to, I got nothin'.

EDIT: Unless, by "debuted", you mean "exited their mother's birth canal". Then I might have somethin'.

[Brenden]

I'm assuming we can review an album that is more recent than the band's debut?

If so, let's save this round for March, so that I can fudge it and say U2 recorded their first demo in 1978, and therefore I'm gonna review their new album.

Otherwise, in terms of bands who debuted in '78 that I might actually want to listen to, I got nothin'.

EDIT: Unless, by "debuted", you mean "exited their mother's birth canal". Then I might have somethin'.

Yeah, it can be any album the band has recorded.

[Josh]

Brendan: 4
Bloop: 3
Murlough: 4
Phil: 4

Theme round: What if we did something relatively simple, like, say, only non-American artists, or only European artists, etc? Or another possibility: Only instrumental music.

[murlough23]

Brendan: 4
bloop: 4
Josh: 4
plvarona: 3

I'm going to be out of town Thursday through Saturday - I'm unsure whether I'll have Internet access. Should I perhaps send my album grade and explanation via PM to someone who has already guessed for this round?

[bloop]

I'm guessing 4 for everyone this round.

You can send it to me or whoever, mur.

[NinjaRob17]

Brendan: 4
bloop:  3
murlough: 4
Josh: 3
plvarona: 4

[plvarona]

My guesses:

Brendan: 4
bloop: 4
murlough: 4
Josh: 3

As for a theme round, I'm thinking maybe "Music From Your State."  By this I mean pick an artist who's from your "home state."  How you define your "home state" is up to you, but obviously it could be the state where you were born, the state where you were raised, the state where you live now, etc.  From there, the artist you choose could have been born/raised/went to school/formed his band/reside now, etc. in that state.

[murlough23]

As for a theme round, I'm thinking maybe "Music From Your State."

Well, that narrows it down!

(Actually, I'm doing someone from California this round.)

[ajyouthguy]

Brendan: 4 stars
bloop:  3 stars
murlough: 4 stars
Josh: 3 stars
plvarona: 3 stars

[bloop]

OK, folks, time to reveal your ratings.  Also, weigh in on which of the ideas that have been pitched for the theme round is most palatable to you.

[Brenden]

Well, The Alternate Routes have made an album that is quite fun, and even remains interesting when they slow down. I'm just as hooked by the album by ballads like Desdemona as I am by rockers like Ain't No Secret. The hooks are catchy and there are some good lyrics here, which word things in their own way and for the most part avoid cliche. The problems are when they try to give social commentary, they get a little too vague and meandering for their own good. Luckily, that's only one song (A Better Way). I have a full review coming over at Soul Audio that will give a lot more detail. Suffice to say, I really enjoyed this album and will be paying closer attention to the band in the future. I gave it a solid B, which of course is 4 stars

For the next round, I will do,

The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia

http://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Tales-Urban-Bohemia-Warhols/dp/B00004TA8K/ref=pd_sim_m_7

I kind of like the artists from a home state idea, myself.

[Josh]

BeauSoleil has made an album of Cajun/Zydeco tunes that are deeply traditional, but played with an energy and a passion that make them feel very alive and in-the-moment, not like stale museum pieces. And I always appreciate that. 4 stars.

I'm fine with any of the theme rounds.

[bloop]

from murlough:

I give Fiction Family a 4. Pretty good songwriting all around - on par with Foreman's solo albums and a little less myopic than some of Watkins' stuff. Those who say this album lacks spiritual content aren't paying very close attention to songs like "Closer than You Think", which is a nice little sideswipe at the "Christian bubble", or the off-kilter closing number "Look for Me Baby". Themes of love lost and betrayal round out the rest of the album, and while well-worn, these guys do pretty well with the subject matter when working as a team. The instrumentation ranges from simple, lilting acoustic guitar reminiscent of Foreman's Spring and Summer EPs, though not as heavy on the exotic instrumentation, to a few sonically experimental outings (most notably, the painfully slow "Please Don't Call it Love"). Aside from some of the fleeting moments of dissonance, there's nothing to complain about other than a few songs that pleasantly bleed into their surroundings. Vocals are iffy in some places due to the duo's commitment to not overdub or retune their vocals. I suppose that's to be expected since this type of music calls for authenticity - not that it stops them from throwing in studio tricks (like the programmed beat in 7/8 time on "Out of Control" or the weird wash of sounds at the end of "We Ride"). Fiction Family is more hit than miss, but the misses are distracting enough to keep a 5-star rating out of reach.

[bloop]

If you look at the music journal, I went with a B grade, or 4 stars.  The performance aspect is tight as I would expect of a musician of Watkins' caliber, and I Foreman's vocals carry his songs very well.  The lyrics are good, music is well done, so why a B?  It felt a little disjointed - not a true melding of ideas but the individual ideas of the two of them.  I was looking forward to hearing a little more interplay, but I could point to one or the other as the brains behind most of the songs. 

The songs are good, however.  I'll pick it up if I can find it reasonably-priced.

Next up: The new self-titled album by The Fray.
VH1's the Leak 'til Feb. 3

[Josh]

So are we not doing a theme round this time?

Okay, then put me down for I Was a King's self-titled album.

http://www.myspace.com/iwasaking

[Aaron]

So are we not doing a theme round this time?

Okay, then put me down for I Was a King's self-titled album.

http://www.myspace.com/iwasaking

I will be interested to read your thoughts on this one. 

[murlough23]

I'll do Blitzen Trapper's Furr next round.

Oh, and what bloop said about being able to trace Fiction Family's ideas to one individual or the other? Yeah. What he said. However, Nickel Creek's albums are sort of that way, too (usually whoever writes the song gets to sing lead), and they've been great despite that, so it was probably just the paradigm that Watkins was used to. (Most of Fiction Family's album was also written and recorded without the two guys being in the same room.)

[bloop]

I'm seeing which theme people are interested in doing for Round 4.  It also gives people time to think of something to do.

[plvarona]

Once again, it looks like everyone is waiting for me.  Might as well get right to it.

If you guys remembered my mini-review of the Apatite For Construction Tour, you'll remember I had a rather tepid reaction to Ruth in a live setting.  Would their sophomore effort elicit reaction from me?

Album Reviewed: Ruth - Anorak

Pros: For the most part, the album is fairly pleasant musically.  It looks like these guys paid much more attention to instrumentation this time around, which certainly enhanced a few songs, most notably "Back To The Five."  I do think the acoustic rock sound is the one that suits them the best, and they focused a little more in that area here, while keeping a few heavier rockers on the album.

Cons: There are a few songs where Ruth sounds like they are trying to copy someone else, which annoys me quite a bit.  The worst offenders here were "Who I Was and Who I Am", which sounds like a watered-down version of Switchfoot's "Stars", and "Rolling With The Punches", which borrowed way too much from All-American Rejects' "Dirty Little Secret" for my liking.  Lyrics, while not overly embarrassing, were so-so across the board.  There were a lot of awkward transitions between the songs, which rarely is a "make or break" issue, but can make a difference if I'm on the fences about an album, like I am here.  While most of the album is likable, there really wasn't a whole lot that stood out overall.

The Bottom Line: While this album is mostly pleasant-sounding, a few major missteps, a lack of standout songs, mediocre lyrics, and awkward song arrangement really scuttle this one and make it hard for me to recommend this album.

Grade: Solid "C", which translates to 3 stars

On Deck For Next Week:
Ordinary Dreamers - Group 1 Crew
Link to full album stream: http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/features/listeningparty6.asp
(Yes, I am throwing you guys in for a loop this week.)

[bloop]

This Round:
bloop  8.75
murlough   10
Josh   7.5
Brendan  7.5
plvarona  8.75
ajyouthguy  8
Ninjarob  7

Totals:
16.25  murlough
15.5  plvarona
13.75  bloop
13.4  ajyouthguy
13  Josh
13  Brendan
13  Ninjarob

murlough scores a perfect 10 this round, putting him in first place.

[murlough23]

murlough scores a perfect 10 this round, putting him in first place.

  DOOD! Has that ever been done before?

(Of course, in our past games, it would have been a lot harder to do, what with more critics being involved.)