Crack the Sky "Machine"

This is a great example of my music collection:  Rolling Stones, 1 album; Bob Dylan, 1 album; Crack the Sky, ELEVEN records!  And that's just CTS.  I have John Palumbo solo albums and one from another band he was in called Cruel Shoes.  Do you think I like this guy?  Come on, I've got quoted lyrics in the About Me portion of the blog!

Palumbo is the constant of Crack the Sky's 35-year, on again/off again existence.  He's the primary songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, yet he's been able to surround himself with plenty of talent in the varying lineups.  The group for "Machine" is most of the original members from the early days of the first couple of records which had some chart success.  If you were a concert-goer in the late 70's, you may have seen them as openers for damn near every major arena tour in the eastern half of the country.  They still perform live on a semi-regular basis, primarily to their Ohio and Maryland fan base, but Palumbo has slowed down a bit at the age of sixty saying, "I just don't stage dive anymore."  I never understood the constant comparisons of CTS to Steely Dan.  It's prog-rock, not jazz.  More like a cross of Cheap Trick and the Cars with Yes-like song structures.  I will say that the Cruel Shoes record had more of the pop/jazz stylings of Steely Dan, but it went absolutely nowhere. 

Machines are the running theme for this new album (go figure) and death seems to be a secondary thread.  Before you realize it, you'll be singing along to "We're all dead, we just don't know it yet."  The lyrics aren't morbid, but they are classic Palumbo.  Caustic, acerbic, sarcastic, introspective, reflective, and certainly humorous, which is why I am such a big fan.  The single, "Hyphen-Americans", is a perfect example of the lyrical style, where he recites many sub-genre hyphenated names and wonders in the chorus, "Where did all the American-Americans go?"  Musically, "Machine" is an electric guitar based progressive rock record with plenty of acoustics and a variety of keyboards, ie. a typical Crack the Sky record.  It takes one helluva of a band to make a great rock recording like "Machine" at sixty years of age after you've been toiling in relative obscurity for decades.  I hope you will seek this album out if this piques your interest.  It's not easy, but try their website or Barnes & Noble.  If not, then sample some of the other albums, like "Safety in Numbers"
(Palumbo wasn't actually on this record but he penned all the songs) or "White Music."  They are all MAD ROCKER approved!

Brandon Flowers "Flamingo"

So the Killers' front man steps out for a solo project.  Was anybody really surprised in light of this guy's ego?  He is the prime feature of one of the decade's international success stories.  I never grew to like "Sam's Town" but I liked the tracks that didn't make it that were later included on "Sawdust."  And they did not impress me in concert, basically playing "Hot Fuss" note for note.  But there was something about the songs wrapped in that 80's synth-pop-with-guitars sound that was as contagious as a common cold. 

Flowers isn't the greatest singer alive, but I do believe he has improved over the years.  Here, he comes off on a couple of tracks like Roy Orbison.  I realize that will offend some of you but I wasn't a fan of that high-pitched warbling.  Any number of effects and treatments are used to create different vocal patterns, one time coming off like some Cheap Trick harmonies.  Certainly having one of the greatest producers of our time, Daniel Lanois, manning the console is a big positive.  Also on board is Brendan O'Brien, who has worked with the biggest rock names in the biz for the past two decades.  But make no mistake, this is not just a rock album, much less a Killers record.  True, there are a couple of tracks that would be killer Killers, but there is also a great little country story and a gospel-tinged track featuring the Las Vegas Mass Choir!  Another pair of songs are immediately danceable, one charting as high as #3 on the Dance charts. 

Las Vegas is the theme of this entire record, and I've heard of Flowers being called the "Desert Springsteen."  Based on the songwriting chops I'll agree with that analogy to a degree, but I can't fathom how some people make comparisons with Bono.  Anyway, "Flamingo" isn't as cheesy as your typical Killers album and it's missing some of the guitars in favor of keys, but I like the variety of styles.  It is like a Killers record in that it gets better with every listen, making it difficult to remove from the player.

!!! (chk chk chk) "Strange Weather, Isn't It"

I remember seeing this band show up on our Music 4 Less/Sound Shop product calendar eight or nine years ago and I wondered who the hell would name their band "exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point?" That's like naming your band Shitwad, it doesn't have a chance.  So it was too dumb for me to stock it, and where would you alphabetize it anyway.  A few years later I run into them at WPRK during my eighteen month revival of the famous "PM in the AM" show, but my bias rules out and I don't even give it a listen, but I at least learned the pronunciation of the band name.  Fast forward to October this year and I see a new release for the band, so I figure since they've survived with that stupid name this long that I would finally give it a shot.  And wouldn't you know it, I like it!  As a matter of fact, I was playing the bejesus out of Radio 4 and the Rapture at WPRK, and they were other bands cut from that same NYC post-punk dance rock scene as !!!.  I suppose you could throw the Scissor Sisters into that group, too. 

While spinning "...Weather...", there is the immediate latter-day Gang of 4 influence along with the Clash and Public Image Limited, and maybe just a smidgen of Kid Creole buried underneath.  The obvious current day comparison is LCD Soundsystem, but LCD is more precise and witty where !!! is looser and sweaty.  Here is a live video from France in which you will get a better visual sense of the band, though the sound quality is quite poor, but I reason you can hear their music anywhere else. 

"Strange Weather..." is 40 minutes of energetic fun.  Put it on at a party and watch the heads start to bob across the room, or play it in your car on an open road, but watch your speed!

Philip Selway "Familial"

Purchased this album based on the two contributions he had on the tremendous 7 Worlds Collide project from a year ago.  If you are a Radiohead fan, you know who Philip Selway is and you will probably appreciate this recording.  I own Kid A, I think, but that's it for me.  Always a bit too pompous and self absorbed for my tastes, and hey, they are worldwide stars and don't need my approval!

For this solo effort, the drummer steps out to the front with ten self-penned tracks clocking in at 33 minutes, adding acoustic guitar to his repertoire.  He sings in a fragile, soft voice set in a very acoustic setting, surrounded with all the subtle ambient tricks that his band employs.  It's an extremely low-key recording that needs to be absorbed, so a group setting is out of the question, unless, of course, you're all zoned out on your favorite mind-altering substance.  The two tracks from the 7WC album, “The Ties That Bind Us” and “The Witching Hour,” aren't as full and rich sounding here as they were with Neil Finn and company, even though some of the same participants joined in on these versions.  I started to link to a video of "The Witching Hour" live with Mr. Finn on the keyboard but that wouldn't be very fair to this record, so here is a track recorded live at the BBC studios a couple of months ago.  It's nice...pleasant, even, but in my ear it's preaching to the Radiohead choir.

Ra Ra Riot "The Orchard"

Really enjoyed their debut album in 2008 and immediately jumped on this one when I saw the release.  Now that I've had the three prerequisite spins, I can safely say this is a nice record.  Uh, oh...that doesn't appear to be very positive.  Is it a memorable record?  I don't think so.  Those of you who know me are aware of my fondness of orchestral treatments and instruments in my music, so prominently featured violin and cello is a good thing, especially when the cellist looks like a young Demi Moore, but I digress.  Maybe it was the eclectic nature of the first album that tickled my aural fancy, a prep-smart pop masterpiece that cracked the charts and received much critical praise.  "Orchard" has fared even better, hitting the Top 40 in sales amid much hyped live appearances.  There is an entire one hour live show on Hulu, from which I culled this performance of the single "Boy."  They're scheduled to appear on David Letterman next Tuesday the 7th.  Please check them out and feel free to comment.  I would love to hear some of your opinions. 

As for now, I don't believe I'll add this album to the vault, but it's a nice record...