Review of Phasedar, Lord of Funkitania's List... 2007-02-05 10:52:04 - By: Dan
Well, I've listened to most of the music suggested by Phasedar, Lord of Funkitania in his Amazon Listmania... err... list... entitled "These will give your life meaning, you filthy animal." I don't exactly have the same taste in music as Lord Phasedar, but I found some of it to be pretty decent.
I already enjoy Beck's "Guero," Radiohead's "OK Computer," Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," and of course The Beatles "The White Album" a great deal, so those were gimme's. Of those I hadn't heard before, I really like Ted Leo & The Pharmacists' "Shake the Sheets." It is a good, poppy sounding album. Not always my cup o' tea, but catchy and I have listened to it several times so far. I am trying to think of a better way to describe it, but it is Monday... anyway.
"Castaways and Cutouts" by The Decemberists is a decent album. Again, not the kind of music I usually dig, but good. It has a bit of a country or folk feel at times, with some whiny slide guitar and accordion in it, and the vocals are whiny. It's a slow album that would probably be good to chill too on a warm afternoon while you nap. I mean that in a good way. However, the album is a little flat sounding... the same droning, forlorn sound throughout the album. It's not a bad album, but I don't think it gave my life meaning like Phasedar said it would...
Rilo Kiley's "More Adventurous" isn't bad. It's a little poppy for my taste but there some decent songs with clever lyrics. "Talkie Walkie" by Air isn't my favorite album of theirs. I enjoy their album "Premiers Symptomes" a great deal more, but it is also a great deal different. I don't care for the vocals of "Talkie Walkie", but I don't hate them either. The music is great though.
I am not a huge fan of rap, but there are a few rappers whose styles are undeniably unique, and among them for me is MF Doom. He has a unique voice and style. The mixing/production is done by Madlib who uses a great mixture of old jazz, what sounds like clips from old radio programs, and other odd samples. "Madvillainy" by Madvillain is something worth experiencing if you are a fan of rap at all.
I listened to Bright Eyes, The Fiery Furnaces, and The Shins as well and none of them struck me as all that impressive. They weren't bad, but nothing that made me want more.
Anyway, that's a quick summary of what I thought. I am not great at writing reviews. My descriptions are a bit generic I suppose. I will try to put more thought into my future reviews and see if I can improve a bit. That said, if you want to hear any of these before you decide whether you want to grab them for yourself, drop me a line.
No to The Shins?!? By: Garrett On: 2007-02-05 20:05:41
Come on...you seriously don't like The Shins...they are really good. Nice airy sound with solid musicianship. I also think the lyrics are interesting and at times, depressingly poignant. His voice may not be everyone's cup-o-tea. Which album did you listen to? The new one Wincing The Night Away is more varied & dynamic than the first two (which could probably be one long cd). Although, Oh, Inverted World is so solid and to the point at only like 36 mins, it stands alone. BTW, if you missed the e-mail I recently sent you, try out The Kooks...probably not your everyday taste but it is quite great ...in my opinion. And yes, I think the new Bloc Party (A Weekend In The City) is awesome as well - not on the level quite of Silent Alarm, but different and progressive for such a new band. PS - Pan's Labyrinth is on at The Moxie this week. I have watched it once, but I am up for it again. Superb pic, despite some gratuitous violence.
The Shins By: Dan On: 2007-02-06 08:47:44
I listened to Chutes Too Narrow. I'll give it another listen, but I don't remember liking it.
Enter Your Very Own Comment Below!