Jonathan Hill

A Soapbox for Uninformed Opinions

Dec
18

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Jay Reatard Watch Me Fall Review

Category: Music Tags: , , , Leave a Comment

General Information:

Artist: Jay Reatard
Album: Watch Me Fall
Genre(s): Rock
Subgenres(s): Garage Rock
Released: 2009
Length: 32 minutes
Language(s): English
Label(s): Matador Records

Track List:

01. It Ain’t Gonna Save Me
02. Before I Was Caught
03. Man of Steel
04. Can’t Do it Anymore
05. Faking It
06. I’m Watching You
07. Wounded
08. Rotten Mind
09. Nothing Now
10. My Reality
11. Hang Them All
12. There is No Sun

Jay Reatard Watch Me Fall Cover

Jay Reatard Watch Me Fall Cover

Jay Reatard Watch Me Fall Review

Watch Me Fall is the second and final album solo album of the late Jay Reatard. Consisting of rough cut garage rock anthems, he carefully blends it together with contrasting pop sensibilities and bleak lyricism that focuses on angst, depression and apathy.

Most of Watch Me Fall is centred on fuzzy guitar hooks and Jay Reatard’s under produced echo-laden voice, which actually compliments the sound rather than hindering it. Between the jagged guitar work there are some songs in which he flex his sonic pallet. I’m Watching You is the closest that you’ll get to a ballad as he brings the acoustic guitar, keyboard and organ to the front while Wounded favours the acoustic guitar and an overly sweet wordless chorus.

Still within the realms of rock music, another interesting development is found on My Reality when it channels brief climatic build ups and the post rock sound of Explosions in the Sky. Whether this is a case of independent invention or not, we will never know. The album closes with There is No Sun, a grim premonition of Jay Reatards own untimely death if there ever was one.

Watch Me Fall is the perfect blend of bleak lyricism, pop sensibilities and the garage rock aesthetic which have secured Jay Reatard a well-earned legacy.

Performers:

Jay Reatard: Vocals, Guitar
Stephen Pope: Bass guitar
Billy Hayes: Drums

External Links:

Jay Reatard Homepage
Jay Reatard on Wikipedia | Watch Me Fall on Wikipedia
Jay Reatard on Discogs | Watch Me Fall on Discogs

Nov
17

By

Sick of it All Death to Tyrants Review

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Artist: Sick of it All
Album: Death to Tyrants
Genre(s): Rock
Subgenres(s): Hardcore Punk
Released: 2006
Length: 37 minutes
Language(s): English
Label(s): Abacus Records

Track List:

01. Take the Night Off
02. Machete
03. Preamble
04. Uprising Nation
05. Always War
06. Die Alone
07. Evil Schemer
08. Leader
09. Make a Mark
10. Forked Tongue
11. The Reason
12. Faithless
13. Fred Army
14. Thin Skin
15. Maria White Trash
16. Don’t Join the Crowd (European Bonus Track)

Sick of it All Death to Tyrants Cover

Sick of it All Death to Tyrants Cover

Sick of it All Death to Tyrants Review

Death to Tyrants is a testosterone fuelled rage fit by Sick of it All. After the first few songs you’ll come to realise that Sick of it All are content with playing short, snappy bursts of hardcore punk and aren’t trying to do anything else. While the passion is clearly there, the lack of desire to diversify their sound leaves each song on Death to Tyrants sounding all too similar to the ones before it.

However the biggest grievance on Death to Tyrants has to be vocalist Lou Koller, who insists on spluttering over what could have been some well-crafted songs without his constipated gorilla cries. Instead, Death to Tyrants turns into nothing more than an endurance test to get to the end of it.

Death to Tyrants is best left to the hardcore punk enthusiasts as it will leave the rest of us feeling sick of it all before the album is halfway done.

Performers:

Lou Koller: Vocals
Pete Koller: Guitar
Craig Setari: Bass Guitar
Armand Majidi: Drums

External Links:

Sick of it All Homepage
Sick of it All on Wikipedia | Death to Tyrants on Wikipedia
Sick of it All on Discogs | Death to Tyrants on Discogs

Oct
15

By

Beat Tornados Pole Position Review

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General Information:

Artist: The Beat Tornados
Album: Pole Position
Genre(s): Rock
Subgenres(s): Surf Rock
Released: 1998
Length: 20 minutes
Language(s): N/A
Label(s): Amigo

Track List:

01. Oppa Fjellet
02. Throttleman
03. Pole Position
04. El Nino
05. Kon Tiki
06. Pihen T Dalen
07. Reinlender
08. The Cruel Sea

The Beat Tornados Pole Position Cover

The Beat Tornados Pole Position Cover

Beat Tornados Pole Position Review

Pole Position is the debut album by the Norwegian surf rockers The Beat Tornados. Pole Position is almost entirely instrumental with the exceptions being the subtle wordless voices on Oppa Fjellet and a quiet yell followed by a much louder one on El Nino. This works to the albums advantage because there isn’t much space for actual singing as the songs take on new directions quickly and aren’t structured with a singer in mind.

While all of the songs are up tempo with reverb drenched guitars taking the lead, there is plenty of variety in the song-writing department over the course of this short album. The lazy sounding Kon Tiki is the only slow song on Pole Position and it follows on from El Nino, a song that builds itself into a flurry of cymbal crashes and drum rolls before launching into the optimistic Phin T Dalen that is guaranteed to make you smile.

Clocking in at 20 minutes, it’s hard to consider Pole Position to be a full length album but The Beat Tornados offer the listener a great deal of replay value with some excellent musicianship that does everything right without the need for any excess.

External Links:

Beat Tornados on Facebook
Beat Tornados on Discogs | Pole Position on Discogs

Sep
23

By

Spiritual Beggars Ad Astra Review

Category: Music Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

General Information:

Artist: Spiritual Beggars
Album: Ad Astra
Genre(s): Rock
Subgenres(s): Stoner Rock
Released: 2000
Length: 60 minutes
Language(s): English
Label(s): Music for Nations

Track List:

01. Left Brain Ambassadors
02. Wonderful Word
03. Sedated
04. Angel of Betrayal
05. Blessed
06. Per Aspera Ad Astra
07. Save Your Soul
08. Until the Morning
09. Escaping the Fools
10. On Dark Rivers
11. The Goddess
12. Mantra
13. Let the Magic Talk

Spiritual Beggars Ad Astra Cover

Spiritual Beggars Ad Astra Cover

Spiritual Beggars Ad Astra Review

Ad Astra is the fourth Spiritual Beggars album and the last to feature original singer Christian “Spice” Sjostrand. It is a fitting final album for him that sets the standard in terms of his own performance and that of his band mates which have all improved leaps and bounds in the time since their debut album, Spiritual Beggars, was release in 1994.

There is no build up or easing off with Ad Astra. Spiritual Beggars go in at full throttle and after the third song, Sedated, you’re already half expecting the group to throw in a ballad but we’re in luck – there aren’t any. Ad Astra is almost an entire hour of face melting guitar riffs, authoritative percussive blows, dense bass and lively keyboard work to fill in any semblance of quiet.

The first parts of Until the Morning and Mantra would have you thinking otherwise before you get floored by brooding doom metal force on the former and flashy solo work on the latter. Given that Spiritual Beggars don’t slow down on Ad Astra and focus primarily on the guitar, it is hard to call it sonically diverse. What they lack in this department is more than made up for with their finely honed song-writing skills and stunning musicianship that will blow your mind straight out the back of your head.

Ad Astra is a staple of the Spiritual Beggars discography with the single-minded, full throttle approach to the song-writing actually being the Spiritual Beggars greatest asset that doesn’t fail them for a single moment.

External Links:

Spiritual Beggars Homepage
Spiritual Beggars on Wikipedia | Ad Astra on Wikipedia
Spiritual Beggars on Discogs | Ad Astra on Discogs

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