We're the enforcers, the sorcerer's orphans.
So new music releases don't really excite me as much as new movie releases. That's why I was pretty surprised when I would up in Best Buy twice in two weeks, purchasing albums on the first day they came out. Though I wouldn't say that anyone has to run out and get any of these, I'm glad to be blowing through my tax refund. Here's what I got:
At War with the Mystics by The Flaming Lips. I love the first track on this one ("YeahYeahYeah Song") because it's strange and fun and doesn't really sound like Wayne Coyne. There's also a good mix of song styles present: "Vein of Stars" is slow and pretty, "Free Radicals" sounds like Beck, etc. But the killer songs in the beginning and the end of the album are buffered by a seven-plus-minute opus in the middle that brings the whole thing to a grinding halt. Also, one of my favorites on the album is called "The W.A.N.D.," a signal that the band is veering dangerously close to prog-territory. Verdict: Definitely worth purchasing, but not as essential as Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.
Ringleader of the Tormentors by Morrissey. I started listening to this, and I was sick of it about three songs into it. The whole thing was just overdone. I know subtlety isn't his strong suit, but still, listening to this was like running through mud. Here's a telling example of how he couldn't reign it in: featuring a chorus of children on multiple songs. Please, Steven, if you have to use the chorus of children (and I don't think anyone has to), limit yourself to one track, for the love of God! Some of the songs are good, like "The Youngest Was the Most Loved," but none are as good as "First of the Gang to Die" or "Irish Blood, English Heart," so I'm officially jealous that Ethan got this for free. Verdict: Not really worth the impulse I felt to buy it.
You in Reverse by Built to Spill. This manages to be, strangely enough, more jammin' and more rockin' than their other albums. Unlike the Flaming Lips, they chose to put the 10-minute track right as the opener, but it actually feels shorter than the Lips song because it's more upbeat and tuneful. The single, "Conventional Wisdom" is pretty great, though on the whole this isn't better than There's Nothing Wrong with Love. Verdict: Possibly the best of the three, but the Flaming Lips would be better if some of the middle was tossed out.
In other purchasing news, I bought a suitcase. Well, more like a rolling carry-on. I think that means I've passed another one of those markers of adulthood.
At War with the Mystics by The Flaming Lips. I love the first track on this one ("YeahYeahYeah Song") because it's strange and fun and doesn't really sound like Wayne Coyne. There's also a good mix of song styles present: "Vein of Stars" is slow and pretty, "Free Radicals" sounds like Beck, etc. But the killer songs in the beginning and the end of the album are buffered by a seven-plus-minute opus in the middle that brings the whole thing to a grinding halt. Also, one of my favorites on the album is called "The W.A.N.D.," a signal that the band is veering dangerously close to prog-territory. Verdict: Definitely worth purchasing, but not as essential as Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.
Ringleader of the Tormentors by Morrissey. I started listening to this, and I was sick of it about three songs into it. The whole thing was just overdone. I know subtlety isn't his strong suit, but still, listening to this was like running through mud. Here's a telling example of how he couldn't reign it in: featuring a chorus of children on multiple songs. Please, Steven, if you have to use the chorus of children (and I don't think anyone has to), limit yourself to one track, for the love of God! Some of the songs are good, like "The Youngest Was the Most Loved," but none are as good as "First of the Gang to Die" or "Irish Blood, English Heart," so I'm officially jealous that Ethan got this for free. Verdict: Not really worth the impulse I felt to buy it.
You in Reverse by Built to Spill. This manages to be, strangely enough, more jammin' and more rockin' than their other albums. Unlike the Flaming Lips, they chose to put the 10-minute track right as the opener, but it actually feels shorter than the Lips song because it's more upbeat and tuneful. The single, "Conventional Wisdom" is pretty great, though on the whole this isn't better than There's Nothing Wrong with Love. Verdict: Possibly the best of the three, but the Flaming Lips would be better if some of the middle was tossed out.
In other purchasing news, I bought a suitcase. Well, more like a rolling carry-on. I think that means I've passed another one of those markers of adulthood.