Second Guess the Critic: SMACKDOWN! Round 4

[bloop]

Let's try to get the game back on schedule.  Guesses by Fri. @ 12 ET?

bloop:  We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, Jason Mraz
plvarona:  Keep Coming Back, Marc Broussard
Josh:  Leave it all Behind, Foreign Exchange
Brenden: Seeing Things, Jakob Dylan
murlough:  Carried to Dust, Calexico

I'll work on filling out the rest of the urls later. 

Also, think of a new theme for Round 6 (next round will be normal).  I have an idea brewing that I may share.

[murlough23]

Also, think of a new theme for Round 6 (next round will be normal).  I have an idea brewing that I may share.

How about "My Other Band" - side projects by artists or band members that you've previously listened to/enjoyed. (They can also be albums produced by other artists you like, or where an artist you like joined up with a band, etc., if that definition is too narrow.)

[Aaron]

Bloop - 3
plvarona - 4
Josh - 3
Brenden - 3
murlough - 5 (out on a limb here)

Only album I haven't heard is the Foreign Exchange. 

[Josh]

Um, I don't think you can guess half stars, Wanderer...

[NinjaRob17]

Bloop: 3
Plvarona: 5
Josh: 3
Brenden: 4
Murlough: 4

[Josh]

Bloop: 3
Brenden: 4
Murlough: 4
Phil: 4

[Aaron]

Um, I don't think you can guess half stars, Wanderer...

Damn. Shows you how little i've ever paid attention to this until now.

[Brenden]

Bloop: 2
Josh: 3
Murlough: 4
Phil: 4

[ajyouthguy]

Bloop - 3
plvarona - 4
Josh - 3
Brenden - 3
murlough - 4

[plvarona]

Bloop: 3
Josh: 3
Brenden: 3
murlough: 4

[bloop]

I think everyone is going to go with 4, except Bren at a 3.

Some theme ideas:
Idea 1:  Dictator round.  I draw names out of a hat and assign dictators to each critic (who are also critics).  They then tell the critic what they will be reviewing.  They have to have some way to distribute the music, but I'm sure the pub can come in there.

Idea 2:  Similar to #1, except the peanut gallery gets to determine a pool of albums from which the critics may choose.  Since the peanut gallery is not 1:1 with critics, I think this way would be pretty easy.

Idea 3:  I haven't listened to that yet. . . *blushes*  A round in which the critic grades an album that he has heard about for a while, has meant to get to, but hasn't yet.  These might tend to be classic albums, so I'm a little hesitant about this one.

[Josh]

I like all three of bloop's ideas-- especially the third one, I think-- and I like murlough's as well.

[Aaron]

I think everyone is going to go with 4, except Bren at a 3.

Some theme ideas:
Idea 1:  Dictator round.  I draw names out of a hat and assign dictators to each critic (who are also critics).  They then tell the critic what they will be reviewing.  They have to have some way to distribute the music, but I'm sure the pub can come in there.

Idea 2:  Similar to #1, except the peanut gallery gets to determine a pool of albums from which the critics may choose.  Since the peanut gallery is not 1:1 with critics, I think this way would be pretty easy.

Idea 3:  I haven't listened to that yet. . . *blushes*  A round in which the critic grades an album that they've heard about for a while, has meant to get to, but hasn't yet.  These might tend to be classic albums, so I'm a little hesitant about this one.

I am so game for #2 and #3. I have a few albums that I'd love for people to review.

[Brenden]

I like ideas 1 and 2 the most.

Number 3 could be interesting as well, but I think it would be more interesting to have the albums picked by other people for a round.

[NinjaRob17]

Ooh, pick #2!

[murlough23]

bloop: 3
plvarona: 4
Josh: 3
Brenden: 3

[Brenden]

I guess since it's Saturday it's time to do the reveals.

Most people seem to have correctly guessed that I was underwhelmed by Jakob Dylan's solo album. It's got some great songs, and the lyrics are strong, but the melodies are mostly mundane and the song structure is repetitive. There's also the issue of Jakob's voice, which, while not as rough as his father's, isn't nearly as interesting to listen to. All in all, it's not a bad album, but it's nothing great or special. I guess in the end I'd teeter between giving it a C or a C-, either way it means I give the album 3 Stars.

Next round I'm gonna do Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Me-You/dp/B001OD6HNG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234622259&sr=1-1

[Josh]

The Foreign Exchange used to make hip-hop records, but Leave it All Behind (which, of course, can't help but remind me of the title of a certain U2 record) is a different animal entirely-- a smooth R&B set, immaculately produced, sung with soulful passion, and written with grown-up maturity. The pace is a little slow sometimes, and, if variety is your thing, you'd do much better to check out the new PPP, but it's still a very good album to which I award 4 stars.

Next round: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
http://www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

[plvarona]

Here's my verdict:

Album Reviewed: Marc Broussard - Keep Coming Back

Pros: Marc has a very appealing sound which mixes pop-rock with R&B, and he fuses the different genres well, making the album catchy without being overly cheesy.  This is also a fairly diverse album, where Marc ranges all the way from simple acoustic ballads ("Evil Things", the bonus track "Evangeline Rose") to disco ("Power's In The People", "Man For Life.")  Overall, the CD is well-written musically.

Cons: While just about every song is pretty good, there aren't really any great songs on the CD.  A few songs could have been fleshed out a little bit more, most notably closing track, "Going Home", which doesn't seem to go anywhere, and a few songs that are a bit too lyrically repetitive for my liking ("Hard Knocks", "When It's Good.")

The Bottom Line: It's certainly not "Album of the Year" material, but it's still a good, solid effort for Mr. Broussard, as Keep Coming Back is a lot of fun, and could keep me coming back occasionally.

Rating: Solid "B", which is 4 stars.

On Deck For Next Week Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends  (Clips, if you need them = http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Vida-Coldplay/dp/B000RPTQ1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234625880&sr=1-1)

[murlough23]

I wanted to give Calexico's Carried to Dust 5 stars, because I am in love with their sound. It's like taking the best of Iron & Wine and mixing it with music from spaghetti Westerns and a South-of-the-border horn section. The band operates well in both English and Spanish. They even throw in a little bit of Asian flair on one song. The problem is that several songs never expand beyond their initial pretty subtleties. Not everything needs to hit a big, dramatic climax, but there are too many tracks that don't seem to "go anywhere", as well as a few instrumentals that aren't really long enough to hit the mark. So the album grows rather hit-and-miss toward the end of its 15 tracks. But what's strong is really strong, and the guest appearances from a few Spanish vocalists and Iron & Wine's Sam Beam help to punch up a few songs that were already highlights. It's enough to make me interested in checking out Calexico's back catalogue, so I'm going with the predictable 4 stars.

Next round: The multi-artist charity project, CompassionArt.

[Aaron]

Here's my verdict:

Album Reviewed: Marc Broussard - Keep Coming Back

Pros: Marc has a very appealing sound which mixes pop-rock with R&B, and he fuses the different genres well, making the album catchy without being overly cheesy.  This is also a fairly diverse album, where Marc ranges all the way from simple acoustic ballads ("Evil Things", the bonus track "Evangeline Rose") to disco ("Power's In The People", "Man For Life.")  Overall, the CD is well-written musically.

Cons: While just about every song is pretty good, there aren't really any great songs on the CD.  A few songs could have been fleshed out a little bit more, most notably closing track, "Going Home", which doesn't seem to go anywhere, and a few songs that are a bit too lyrically repetitive for my liking ("Hard Knocks", "When It's Good.")

The Bottom Line: It's certainly not "Album of the Year" material, but it's still a good, solid effort for Mr. Broussard, as Keep Coming Back is a lot of fun, and could keep me coming back occasionally.

Rating: Solid "B", which is 4 stars.

On Deck For Next Week Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends  (Clips, if you need them = http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Vida-Coldplay/dp/B000RPTQ1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234625880&sr=1-1)

I agree with your take on Marc's album, Phil.  It's not as good as his previous albums which were outfreakinstanding.  It's still really good.  That white boy can belt out soul tunes like nobody's business.

[bloop]

Jason Mraz's album was musical wallpaper to me much of the time I listened to it.  It's beginning to make me wonder if I still like music.    

Perhaps Mraz just didn't let his winning personality and flair for wordplay get much time here, but the album had enough going for it that I'm going with a straight C, which is 3 stars.  It's definitely a step up from last week's entry.

This week:  Snowflake Midnight, Mercury Rev.  About time I got to it.

Am I getting a general consensus that most of you like my second idea for the theme round?

[Aaron]

3 out of 5 right ain't bad for me!

[bloop]

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

Overall:
33   plvarona
32.5   bloop
32.5   murlough
29.4   ajyouthguy
29.25   Josh
28   Brendan
28   Ninjarob
17   Wanderer

Yay me!  Oh, and Phil is scary-consistent.

I'm not going to add it here, but Wandere has the highest average score at 8.5 playing 2 rounds.  You can see the column if you download the spreadsheet at the pub.

[NinjaRob17]

I sucked this round. I need more rounds like the last one.

[murlough23]

Jason Mraz's album was musical wallpaper to me much of the time I listened to it.  It's beginning to make me wonder if I still like music.    

Perhaps Mraz just didn't let his winning personality and flair for wordplay get much time here, but the album had enough going for it that I'm going with a straight C, which is 3 stars.  It's definitely a step up from last week's entry.

I was pretty bored with that one at first despite being a fan of Mraz's past albums (mostly his first one). Thought it was too mellow. (Can't dance to it, there's too much melismatic stuff going on to sing along... so that leaves the third option, steal it.) Now the mellow has grown on me, but the fact that Mraz is so full of himself and the embarassing lyrics on a few tracks make it hard for me to fully embrace the album. Gradewise, I came out exactly where you did on that album (a straight C), but for different reasons.

[Aaron]

Mraz has tons of bootlegs out there.  All of his live shows are better than his albums