WK11 - Passion Pit - Manners (9.5)

Released - 6/9/09

Label - French Kiss Records / Sony Music Entertainment

BLURB - To agree with another noteworthy review, this record is, ‘dance music for people who hate dance music.’ I couldn’t put it any better. Several weeks ago I heard one of their songs when the record was initially released, and didn’t particularly enjoy it, and thus instantly formed an opinion that Passion Pit was not for me, despite the album’s sparkling reviews. Second chances are a great thing. Passion Pit’s, ‘Manners’ will definitely be one of the best releases of the year. Their pop-infused charm and airy melodies provide the buoyancy needed to counter a bevy of keyboards and synthesizers that are present at every turn on this record. Amazing.

Rating - 9.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - OK...out with the MGMT comparisons already. MGMT is in a league of their own, untouchable if you will. Passion Pit does follow the leader closely on ‘Manners’ but they do so in their own, unique way. For starters this record is much more pop than ‘Oracular Spectacular.’ There is a certain attractiveness and grace present, and each track bubbles with an air of confidence and charm. Virtually every song is filled with loops, synth, keyboard, vibraphones and any other instrument that has buttons to press or keys to stroke. This onslaught of keyboards, however, is done in great taste and moderation. One can feel that each song wrote itself, innately knowing what to play, and more importantly, what not to play. There is no wasted effort here. There is no ‘trying too hard.’

What drew me in to ‘Manners’ were two songs. ‘Little Secrets’ and ‘The Reeling’ are quite possibly two of the best non-traditional pop songs I’ve ever heard. The opening keyboard riff to ‘Little Secrets’ is intoxicatingly good. It rivals vodka. The chorus also features a choir of school children singing, ‘higher and higher, higher and higher’ which I found ironic pleasure in. The accompanying drum beat is a slow, minimalist, somewhat dancehall groove. Throughout this song are cool synth fills and a veritable factory of sounds. The dangerously high vocals are never unbearable and always interesting. It really is a shame that, outside of college radio, this will never make it out to the masses.

‘The Reeling’ is almost the complete opposite of ‘Little Secrets.’ The pace is much more frenetic and the mood of the song seems to be aimed more at fear and anxiety. I feel like I’m running from the cops when I listen to ‘The Reeling.’ The synth and loops feel very pressuring and tense. There is great uncertainty here, but it’s accepting as if there was an impending armageddon. The lyrics fit the atmosphere brilliantly:

‘And all at once I feel this / Oh how it clings to me / It reels me and calls me towards it / confounding destiny / And I can feel the magnets pinch my hands / The more I run the more I am convinced...”

Passion Pit also brings back the choir of children for the chorus of 'The Reeling,' as they shout ‘Oh no!’ at just the perfect times.

Topping the list of other favorites is ‘Sleepyhead,’ - a dreamy production filled with chimes and vibraphones, and a synth line that rips through the song's simplistic core. ‘Folds in Your Hands’ is equally great and well constructed. This song has a real ‘start and stop’ feel to it without ever stopping or starting. The instrumentation is constantly changing through the verses, creating a sonic wall of sound that never takes one particular shape.

Much of the rest of this record includes variations and differing perspectives on these takes without becoming monotonous, with a few tracks featuring a noticeably slower pace. Diversity is the key here, with each downtempo track complimenting an uptempo track, and vice versa. This is no simple feat. With a sound such as Passion Pit, it’s hard to recreate their style and feel, so many different ways. That would likely be my only critique, they do seem slightly limited as to what they can create and accomplish, despite their limitless talent. This being said, I really have no room to second guess Passion Pit for a second time. I’m quite confident that I would be made a fool...again.

Tracks

1.) Make Light

2.) Little Secrets

3.) Moth's Wings

4.) The Reeling

5.) Eyes as Candles

6.) Swimming in the Flood

7.) Folds in Your Hands

8.) To Kingdom Come

9.) Sleepyhead

10.) Let Your Love Grow Tall

11.) Seaweed Song

WK 10 - Sound Tribe Sector 9 - NYE.ATL.08 (Live) (9)

Released - 5/26/09

Label - 1320 Records

BLURB - It’s extremely difficult to find any major faults with STS9’s release of their 2008 New Year’s Eve show in Atlanta. Spacey jams, dance hall beats, samples, jazz pianos, creative guitar riffs and synth galore flood this concert from all directions. What more could you want?

Rating - 9 out of 10

FULL STORY - Sound Tribe Sector 9 quietly, and quickly, came into prominence over the last decade, developing quite a troop of devoted fans along the way. They have a certain ‘grassroots’ feel to their sound. They are unique and they’ve cleverly found a way to weld together a wide range of genres and influences. One can easily find shots of rock, jazz, ambient, jam, funk, hip-hop and house music in any track without really even looking for them. Some would call it organized chaos. This fusion of sounds and the band’s determination to keep re-evaluating and evolving their techniques is prevalent in their live shows. STS9 is known for archiving their shows and often times taking a particular piece of a song that they’ve played, and re-working it as a sample, to be used in an upcoming concert, showcasing their endless creativity. Despite having several studio records, the band is and will forever be known for their amazing live show. This release shows us why.

The set starts off in the most appropriate of fashion. ‘F-Word’ and ‘Be Nice’ establish a formidable opening duo. Each song has a ‘countdown’ feel, particularly ‘Be Nice.’ If I was ever to be in a rocket ship getting ready to be launched into space, I would want to here ‘Be Nice’ just before liftoff. The energy and tension found in these two songs is very tangible. ‘F-Word’ and ‘Be Nice’ really set the table for this show. From here, the band dives into ‘STS9,’ a number that starts out slow, works it’s way to higher intensity through some uptempo, yet minimalistic guitar and synth work, resolving to a calm outro. The song segues into, ‘Biggs’ which is a huge crowd pleaser. The song opens up with a sample shouting, ‘Everybody in the fucking house...1...2...3...’ For the most part, this song is simply a slow drum beat laced with some eerie sound effects and a jabbing series of digital horns that slap at the back beat, high-fiving the crowd each time.

Up next comes ‘Metameme’ which is done at a considerably slower pace. The eeriness from ‘Biggs’ continues here, as some futuristic computer effects are thrown at the audience. The song does wander a bit, as every good jam song should. At certain points in the track it sounds as if ‘Metameme’ is a breathing organism, looking for something. It eventually finds a resting place in ‘Jabez’ where soft piano hints of jazz weaves its way through a looped vibraphone line. The tune varies in pace and is greeted with some low register synth lines about halfway through. ‘Jabez’ continues it’s search for what ‘Metameme’ was looking for, and discovers it in the next song, ‘Moonsocket.’

With effects creating an environment ripe for an alien takeover, STS9 busts out ‘Moonsocket.’ The song slowly and powerfully builds up steam, adding instruments and sounds when necessary and then explodes over the loudspeakers just before the four minute mark. All that really happens is a simple guitar riff, but it is the one consistent that holds the track together. Behind the repetitive guitar notes is what appears to be a jazz organ on acid and some funky slap bass lines. The guitar motif is cleverly arranged to vary frontwards, backwards, sideways and then back to their original setup. Once this groove is exhausted, the band plateaus for a brief period of time, switching keys and tempos, pushing forward through an ascending power struggle of guitar and piano. Then it’s right back into the pre-established motif, with an entirely different, yet equally great, background arrangement. STS9 are masters of knowing how to accomplish the same feat in a multitude of fashions.

After being taken on the ‘Moonsocket’ journey, the audience now finds themselves lost in a deep sea of space and air, that being, ‘Looking Back on Earth.’ Call it a ‘break in action’ if you will but it serves the purpose of readying the crowd for certain perfection in ‘Kamuy.’ Filled with dancehall beats and synthesizers, ‘Kamuy’ is everything it should be. My only gripe with this version is that it features the obligatory drum solo, that may or may not still be going on. Up next are ‘Empires’ and ‘New Soma.’ The concert could have done without these two tracks as they are nothing to write home about. ‘Empires’ gets a little funky towards the end, but both tunes are weighed down by some very heavy, industrial synth.

The suite of ‘Evasive Maneuvers Pt. 1 > Surreality > Evasive Maneuvers Pt. 2’ is well done but comes off as a tease. ‘Evasive Maneuvers’ is pretty much ‘Kamuy’ sped up and without the guitar motif. ‘Surreality’ offer some light and airy variations during its segue way, but Pt. 2 finds a way to resolve back on to some fast paced grooves. ‘EHM’ pits an 11:32 battle of polar opposites with dark, menacing synth prevailing in the end. Confusion and tension are filled in ‘EHM’ and forms a nice little battle for the audience to witness. Next is ‘Lo Swaga,’ which remarkably comes off as unpolished and very coarse. Of the countless versions of this song I’ve heard, it’s always been spot on. For whatever reason, ‘Lo Swaga’ is peppered with several botched notes in it’s introduction. After the rust wears off, the song peaks as the band does some handy work balancing improvisation and it’s central riff.

‘Music, Us’ finishes off the show, and in a proper farewell. The song dabbles with a ‘Love is All We’ll Ever Need,’ sample and features piano as the main instrument of choice helping to accomplish a sincere yet relaxing jam. ‘Music, Us’ does venture off to a couple places, but never strays to far away from a relaxed, electronic, jazzy, sample-ridden groove. I imagine this song being played on repeat in a modern coffee house in Amsterdam.

The point to drive home with STS9 is that the sum of their parts is always better than one singular song. Their songs are made better by the way in which they are surrounded at their show. It’s never about hearing the ‘hit’ or the ‘single.’ There are none. On a more personal note, two of my favorite STS9 tracks, 'Aimlessly' and 'Instantly' are nowhere to be found, yet this show still oozes with greatness. Sound Tribe's shows are ultimately not about the band or their songs, it's about creating an experience, and Atlanta was certainly treated to a memorable one. While I can hear what occurred through this second hand release, I can only imagine what it would have been like to be at the party. The drugs had to have been flowing.

Tracks

1.) F-Word

2.) Be Nice

3.) STS9

4.) Biggs

5.) Metameme

6.) Jabez

7.) Moonsocket

8.) Looking Back on Earth

9.) Kamuy

10.) Empires

11.) New Soma

12.) Evasive Maneuvers, Pt. 1

13.) Surreality

14.) Evasive Maneuvers, Pt. 2

15.) EHM

16.) Lo Swaga

17.) Music, Us

WK 9 - Iglu & Hartly - & Then Boom (5.5)

Released - 5/5/09

Label - Republic

BLURB - This genre bending record burst onto this scene in the UK last year and is just starting to gain some steam here in the states. The five-piece act of Iglu & Hartly formed while in college at Colorado and relocated to California to pursue their creative juices. Their sound has often been typified as surf rock by critics, but that is not really an accurate depiction. This record is really an imitation, manufactured MGMT sound, attempting to recreate that ‘synth-indie-pop feel,’ but without any of the folk influence. This should be great, but there’s just one problem, these white kids from Boulder think they can rap too.

RATING - 5.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - Consider this my throwback. Originally released in September of 2008, '& Then Boom’ quickly gained a following in the United Kingdom, with it’s first single, ‘In This City’ climbing up to No. 5 on the UK charts. The band has since re-released this album stateside in early May of 2009 hoping to cash in on some fairly substantial buzz abroad. Before I tell you why this record is a train wreck, let me start with what is actually really great with this album. After just one listen the audience will have every track stuck in their head. The music is incredibly upbeat and filled with dance beats set to a combination of synth-fused rock and indie pop tendencies. Further ameliorating this record is it’s use of the chorus. Nearly every chorus on this record is memorable, well-written and extremely catchy. The general sound of this album is not of this decade, or the last decade for the matter, yet Iglu & Hartly find a way to become relevant in today’s music market. The songwriting and musical construction is extremely clever and creative, yet remains simple and easy for the listener to comprehend. Rich bass lines, atmospheric keyboards, distorted guitars and dreamy sound effects can be found throughout all eleven tracks. ‘& Then Boom’ does a tremendous job of creating a bed of music within each song for the lyrics to fall upon.

The blatant discrepancy with this disc is the lyrics. Well, not the lyrics per se, but the delivery of the lyrics. I alluded to some tremendous musical creativity above, but this doesn’t mean anything if it is presented alongside a heaping pile of lyrical garbage. This is not and should not be a tacky, cliched rap record, but Iglu & Hartly find a way to completely destroy their sound with an endless barrage of hackneyed and annoying rap verses. It doesn’t fit. It’s the quintessential, ‘trying to fit the square peg in the round hole’ line. Only the few, and extremely talented can figure out how to fuse two entirely different genres successfully, and unfortunately for Iglu & Hartly, they find themselves lost in the majority of ‘good tries.’ Every song (musically) and every chorus, are almost spot on and show real potential, however they are each sandbagged and undermined by equally terrible verses and refrains. To the listener this is immensely disheartening. With such great highs and such regrettable lows, one can’t help becoming confused and tired with the tug-of-war between good and evil. If the band was able to nail the rap verses and genuinely sounded ‘fresh,’ this record would be an absolute home run. However, the rap and delivery of lyrics is extremely amateur with a distinct nasally and almost whiny voice and feel. It can almost be likened to a poor karaoke rendition of (insert any hip hop song) performed by a 15 year old from suburban America. Actually...have you ever seen MTV’s, ‘Made’ where the white high school kid who tries to be made into a hip hop superstar? It’s kind of like that.

Aside from what I have discussed, I sincerely feel that this is still a really, really good record. It’s clear how much I object to ‘& Then Boom’s’ lyrical delivery and raps, but with that being said, I still can’t put this album down. This speaks volumes to the amount of musical creativity and imagination that found it’s way on to the record. The clear favorites on this album for any listener will be, ‘Believe,’ ‘Violent and Young,’ ‘Tomorrow,’ ’Day Glo,’ and ‘In This City.’ With each song being equally parts brilliant and irritating.

Buy this record if you enjoy roller-coasters, dance beats, and ultimately being disappointed. I’ve never like MGMT as much as I do right now.

TRACKS

1.) Believe

2.) Violent and Young

3.) Tomorrow

4.) Build

5.) Day Glo

6.) In This City

7.) People

8.) Whatever We Like

9.) We'll See

10.) Out There

11.) Jump Out of Your Car

WK8 - Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D. (7.5)

Released - 6/9/09

Label - Interscope Records

BLURB - Wow. This is not the Black Eyed Peas, this is, 'The Will.I.Am Experience.' Will was not lying when he said this record was going to be heavily influenced by the european electronic trance culture. While visiting Cherry Lane several months ago, Will referenced his fanaticism for the Crookers (if you haven't heard of them, go buy everything they've put out) and submitted that the new BEP record would be heavily influenced by that sound. This is more or lease a 'pop / rave / electronic' type-feel. There are some massive club bangers on this album, along with some great samples. The beats and the production are out of this world on more than a handful of tracks. However, there are also several songs on here, that for no reason, made the final cut. This is poppin' but, there may be a little too much cheese for the populous to handle.

RATING - 7.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - The premise and name of this record is, 'The Energy Never Dies.' Will Adams and the rest of the 'Peas have been notedly outspoken about the decline of the record industry. There are no longer albums...it is more or less a pick and choose culture, and that is the mentality around this record. 'The E.N.D.' is meant to be an album that is constantly changing. Whether it be additional releases, blogging, pictures, videos, etc., the album is intended to be open-ended and not your traditional album. It's an interesting premise, but for those involved in the industry, and until further notice, this is still just an album.

As I referenced earlier, this is clearly Will's baby. After a long career with the Black Eyed Peas, Will emerged as one of the premier producers and songwriter's in the industry. With a resume that includes penning hits for Common, Justin Timberlake, Talib Kweli, NAS, John Legend, Flo Rida, Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls) and countless others, Adams is clearly his own entity. Will has even scored portions of 'Shrek 3' and was a vocal political activist, campaigning for Barack Obama's presidency. By the way, he also released his own (much underrated) record, 'Songs About Girls' in 2008. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that he took charge and direction for 'The E.N.D.'

'Boom Boom Pow,' Billboards #1 Top 100 (for what seems like months) opens the album, and deservingly so. The track is multi-toned with two clearly different grooves going on. There is the verse and the chorus which, while great, can get a bit redundant. But BEP does a great job in varying energy with a tremendous 'B' section (See Also: 'Will.I.Am Drop the Beat Now!). Apl.De.Ap has an 'average' verse, but this is clearly a Will / Fergie number. The second single, 'Imma Be' is also another two section track...and another Will / Fergie number. In my opinion this single is a cut above 'Boom Boom Pow' but there is an extremely awkward transition between the 'A' and the 'B' section that really will prevent it from becoming popular on radio. It's a very unimaginative and just plain 'weird' segway between two great beats, that has Will basically talking over a string section. But there are some really great, contagious beats that will be huge in the clubs and guaranteed to make the crowd move.

Other smashes on this record include, 'Rock That Body,' 'Missing You,' 'Party All the Time,' and 'Rockin to the Beat.' So far, the clear cut joint of choice, for me at least, is 'Rock That Body.' The track features a sample of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's, 'It Takes Two,' electronic voicing and a killer beat. All of the aforementioned are completely nailed. The tempo changes, beats, verses, chorus, production...everything. It's just right. The only complaint listeners will have is the lyrics, but that being said this is the Black Eyed Peas. This is the group that brought us the line, 'My humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps.' I don't really expect too much lyrically, I've been long conditioned to just nod my head and disregard what is being said. Another interesting song of note is, 'Meet Me Halfway.' This song features Fergie handling the choruses, in what sounds like a tune from 1988. Minimalist keys and old school synth provide the backdrop for Fergie to belt out, 'Can you meet me halfway / right at the borderline...' The verses dabble between Apl.De.Ap and Adams, in what is as close to spoken word as one can get. The song does modernize fairly quickly as some 'talk-box' effects come in to play later on. Standard protocol in today's hip hop world.

And now for the cheese...namely, 'Ring-A-Ling.' I can't listen to this song...it's endlessly annoying. What's worse is that the song has an amazing beat, which is ruined by a chorus of, 'Ding-a-ling-a-ling-lings.' This is where BEP gets into a little bit of trouble. Including songs like this, compromise the fact that this is not meant to be your 'standard' album. Au contraire, my funky friends. Songs like this are your typical album filler fare. I can definitely see this song being pressured to make the record from the label from a marketing standpoint. It gets lodged in your head and would be perfect for an AT&T commercial. Also, 'Showdown' is a pretty regrettable song, but I can see it being used for pretty much any sporting event. Don't tell me that this is a european fused, ever-changing dance record, and then include two sales jingles.

The next two singles slated for release are, 'Alive' and 'I Gotta Feeling,' and while they are nice songs, they are nothing more. No really crazy beats or production values, but they will mesh well for TV / Film synchs and radio airplay. So while these are singles, to me, they still have that filler feeling. The tracks are nice, but nothing crazy, and at the end of the day they don't really impress me or warrant a second listen.

There are also two pop-culture 'call-to-arms' tracks that don't really mesh with the atmosphere established by the impressive club vibe that was created by, 'Boom Boom Pow' and 'Rockin to the Beat.' The songs, 'One Tribe' and 'Now Generation' have good intentions, but again they don't really go anywhere or cover anything that I'm not already aware of. I also feel that these tracks were stymied by the band themselves. Will did a great job releasing culturally aware tracks for the Democratic Convention and Obama's inevitable presidency, when they needed to be released. On the record, it's as if Adams was handcuffed and there was a conversation such as, 'Hey Will - those Obama tracks were great, we should do a couple for the record.' Again, while the intentions were good, the end result was not. 'Yes We Can' and 'It's a New Day' were so politically charged and released at the proper time, that they made the songs greater than what they should have been. Likewise, the fact that, 'One Tribe' and 'Now Generation' were released within this club-feel album, really detracts from any emotion or cause the 'Peas were trying to accomplish.

So all this being said, this is great record...but you may have to skip few a songs. Be on the look out for infinite remixes to some of these ditties. I'll be loving life the next time I'm out downtown, with drink in hand, and hear 'Rock That Body' pumping through the speakers.

Tracks

1.) Boom Boom Pow

2.) Rock That Body

3.) Meet Me Halfway

4.) Imma Be

5.) I Gotta Feeling

6.) Alive

7.) Missing You

8.) Ring-A-Ling

9.) Party All the Time

10.) Out of My Head

11.) Electric City

12.) Showdown

13.) Now Generation

14.) One Tribe

15.) Rockin to the Beat

WK7 - Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (6.5)

Released - 6/2/09

Label - Bama Rags Recordings, LLC

BLURB - Will this get a fair review? The answer is yes. Maybe. This, 'album-that-was-never-to-be,' is a highly touted sendoff to the tragically departed DMB founding member and saxophonist, LeRoi Moore. Lone saxophone solos occupy both the opening and closing tracks encapsulating this record, forever preserving it as LeRoi's. There are some great shots of funk and rock in here...but is there anything else?

Rating - 6.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - It is well documented that I do not enjoy the Dave Matthews Band (See Also: every conversation I've ever had with a DMB fan). That being said, I absolutely get why 'Dave' is so successful and has legions of fans around the world. Dave is an extremely likable guy, in a likable band, that plays likable music. I get it. For whatever reason, they just never struck a chord with me. I don't find seven minute violin solos (which will cover a whopping six notes) and mindless 'scatting' by Dave to be pleasurable. Sorry. Their music doesn't go anywhere or accomplish anything. It's kind of like hockey. I understand why hockey is a sport and why people like it...but I would rather cut the grass. The worst part about 'Hockey Guy' or 'DMB Guy' is that you can never have a reasonable, objective conversation with them. Hockey is the greatest and Dave Matthews Band is the greatest, and if you offer any kind of disagreement you're instantly bombarded with endless, 'You don' t know what you're talking about' arguments, that never offer an actual position or logical rationale. They are all too far involved to offer any kind of objective opinion. DMB fans are all just mouth-breathers that can't see the forest for the trees. Alright, I got that out of my system.

I'll start with the good. Dave Matthews Band reached out to highly acclaimed rock producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Goo Goo Dolls) to handle the production for 'Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.' This move definitely pays off in a number of ways. There are clear, definitive shots of rock and funk that lend a helping hand to DMB and provide a tangible 'edge' to the music. Right away, 'Shock Me Like a Monkey' pulls me in with an assortment of powerful riffs and a tremendous amount of energy. Cavallo found a great way to seamlessly tie together rock and funk without straying to far from that 'vintage' DMB sound. This delicious recipe is also blatantly obvious on the tune, 'Why I Am.' High energy, contagious melodies...another great song.

Let it also be known to the world that I love the single, 'Funny the Way It Is.' When you bring together the funk-rock fusion that was already established on the record, with a string section, keys and clever topical, lyrics...you're going to get a great single. The electric guitar work on this track also subtlety accomplishes what an acoustic guitar cannot. Granted, there is still acoustic guitar on the record, but it is very faint. The electric helps to further emphasize a point or a mood that is trying to be accomplished. During the verses, the sound is very southern pop - and has almost a 'bayou-twang' feel to it. Then when there needs to be a punch and some 'oomph' for the chorus, the distortion kicks in, yet it is not overpowering.

Now for the bad. If you're going to grab the attention of the listener with a great intro, 'Shake Me Like a Monkey' and 'Funny the Way it Is,' you cannot follow it up with 'Lying in the Hands of God.' Good God (no pun intended) this a terrible song. Snooze city. After 30 seconds I wanted to go to Home Depot, buy an ice pick, and swallow it. 'Lying in the Hands of God' sounds like every song I've ever heard while sitting in the waiting room of a dentist. The track is so slow and just kind of sits there. Further ruining this song, is the fact that, 'Why I Am' follows it up. So after being tortured for 5:13, I get another great song coming out of left field. What am I supposed to think? Now, I understand that every song can't be great. Every song can't be fast or slow. Every song can't be thought provoking or fun. Variety is the driving force of music. But as a listener, I can't help feeling a little confused.

After 'Why I Am' the record is fairly forgettable. There is just way too much filler for me. Each track bleeds together, but not in a good way. Have you ever had to write a report, nail a great introductory paragraph, but then get rushed and just kind of wing the rest of the paper? This is 'Big Whiskey.' Granted, the second half of the record is obviously reaching out to LeRoi and understandably trying to convey some raw emotion and religious perspectives, but it comes off as uninspired and very mundane. This leads me to the main focus of this review. What is DMB trying to accomplish with this record? Is this supposed to be a somber, meaningful farewell to LeRoi Moore or is it this wild departure from the norm, to be filled with rock overtones and infectious funk rhythms? If you have a goal and an idea...stick with it. Prepare like hell, and just let it flow.

I may be wrong, but let me offer this argument. If this record was meant to be an emotional goodbye and filled with songs, lyrics and ideas that the average music enthusiast really wouldn't be able to relate to or enjoy, I would like it exponentially more. Say this record was quietly released without alot of press and was just kind of done as a tribute, and as something that more or less, needed to be done. Great. I can respect and admire that. It wasn't. Of all people Dave Matthews knows that whatever his band throws together, it will sell. However, the acquisition of Cavallo was highly publicized and the record was promoted to be this energetic, unique, abstract piece of art. It's almost as is if DMB created a predetermined number of three great pop/rock numbers as bait for consumers, luring fans and listeners in to purchasing what would otherwise be a dry, inwardly reflective disc. It's extremely curious. Now, since I am not a DMB fan I can be rational. There's a good chance I'm completely wrong, and for all I know this was not the intent of the band. Marketing and promotion could have gotten out of hand, and after incredible anticipation and pressure, this album could have turned into something that it was never originally planned to be. That being said, I'm left to critique the end product, not what it was supposed to or should be.

All in all 'Dave' fans will rejoice and love this record. 'Big Whiskey' will be played non-stop at all upcoming summer BBQ's and I'll be ambushed with countless, 'Hey, isn't the new DMB album sweet?' questions. To which I'll reply, 'Yeh, there are a couple good songs,' proceed to down eight Yuenglings and go on about my business. They'll suggest that it is the band's best effort yet, and offer pre-conceived notions it is exactly what LeRoi would have wanted. The earth will continue to revolve around the sun, and everything will be as it should.

If you're bored and want something fun to do - read any less-than-amazing review of 'Big Whiskey' and check out the outrage by DMB fans on the message boards.

Tracks

1.) Grux

2.) Shake Me Like a Monkey

3.) Funny the Way it Is

4.) Lying in the Hands of God

5.) Why I Am

6.) Dive In

7.) Spaceman

8) Squirm

9.) Alligator Pie

10.) Seven

11.) Time Bomb

12.) Baby Blue

13.) You & Me