Helpful votes received on reviews:
78% (28 of 36)
Location: New Haven, CT
In My Own Words:
I am currently pursuing a doctorate in philosophy. In addition to my philosophical pursuits, I try to keep my cultural palate balanced by feeding my love for popular music, theatre, literature, baseball, cheese, and wine. I also enjoy films, dance, and modern art, but I know less about those things. I am an unabashed modernist in my artistic tastes.
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Reviews
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Fun, Jun 11 2004
!!! may well be the trendiest band on the planet. Riding a cooler-than-thou semi-New York punk-funk wave, they make The Rapture look like Shed Seven. It's all thrillingly dancable, and was condensed into last year's benchmark 9-minute single 'Me And Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard (A True Story)'. Now they return with their debut full-length, which makes full use of production techniques and hipster cool to create a unique party record. Funky bass, stabbing keyboards and angular guitars make an excellent mix, brought to the fore on tracks like 'Hello Is This Thing On' and the disco-ish funk-pop of 'Pardon My Freedom'. Nothing quite matches the single, but it's fun stuff.
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Christ, are Sonic Youth really still going? I mean, I'm a massive fan of their prime recordings: albums like 'Daydream Nation' and 'Dirty' are alternative staples. But can anyone's 19th album be any good? Previous album 'Murray Street' was hailed as a return to form, and a return from their own backsides after countless 'experimental' albums (which, for a band, like Sonic Youth, is going to be pretty far-out). And yes, Sonic Nurse sounds, largely, rather good. But should they really still be doing this? What about growing old gracefully? Surely it shouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately for their detractors, the songs here are rather too good for that. Opener 'Pattern Recognition' is… Read more
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You genuinely only have to look at the title of the album to know what's up here, don't you? I was introduced to Keane by the magnificent 'This Is The Last Time', a true stunner of a song, derivative perhaps but saved by a fabulously soaring chorus that you could hum for days, and maintains genuine emotional gravitas. But its almost needless to say that, like Aqualung and Haven before them, one good single doesn't imply they can last the length of an album when they're so dependent on their influences. I feel almost guilty for saying 'Coldplay', because its such an obvious and irritating comparison to make, but unfortunately you just have to. The twist of not having a guitarist is plenty… Read more
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