Album Reviews: "The Bens -EP" by THE BENS?!!!

Kwellacious B
Originally uploaded by myveryownme

I had NO idea that this wonderful EP existed until about an hour ago. This is a collaboration effort between three of the music industries most famous Bens: Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, and Ben Lee. (It would certainly be awesome if they could get Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) to join in!) I really, really like Ben Kweller. A LOT! (So much that I forgive him for making a country album this last time around. It has so much twang that I can't listen to it, bleck.) I've also always been a great respecter of Ben Folds as well. Ben Lee has a couple songs in my library, but I don't know his stuff very well. Anyway, these three teamed up to make an EP. (Perhaps testing the waters for a full album? Or perhaps for kicks.) It's pretty awesome. It's only 4 songs and I think all of them are great. My favorite is "Bruised." I'd give this album an 8/10 on my random scale that I invented with previous album reviews. This EP REALLY makes me wish that these guys will either do a tour together or will make a full-length album. They tried a few different sounds and combined the styles of the three guys pretty well. "Stop!" is very much Ben Kweller, and he is the solo vocalist on it. I think the other three include vocals from all three. "Bruised" is mostly sung by Ben Folds, and is in his style. "Just Pretend" is all three singing different solos and is the best mixture. The fourth song, "XFire" is kind of more electronic. I like it as well. I know this review sucks, but I'm just excited that I have new stuff by Kweller and Folds. :) Ok, I'm done now. Bye.

ALBUM REVIEWS (4 of 4): "Back and Fourth" by Pete Yorn

Pete Yorn
Originally uploaded by DaveyWilson

(I just now discovered the play on words in his album title. It's his fourth album. How fitting that this is my fourth review.) I really, really like Pete Yorn. He's been in my top ten artists and bands since his first album came out. His music has matured a lot. His first couple albums were a bit more poppy(for instance his second album "Day I Forgot" featured a song called "Burrito" about a 7-11 store burrito), he was never too poppy though. His third album and this one have both mellowed out a good deal, and they have a more adult sound. He's also written more songs with a good deal of twang (a move in the wrong direction if you ask me.) But I still thoroughly enjoy Pete's music. This album was only just barely released, but I already have found a few songs that I quite enjoy. "Don't Wanna Cry" is a great song. Some songs, like "Social Development Dance" and "Thinking of You," demonstrate the more folksy sound of Pete's latest efforts. It's a bit cheesy, but I enjoy the hopeful sound of "Four Years." There's a lot of depth to this album, and it takes a while to get to know, but it has already grown on me a lot. I'd give it a 7/10. If you're new to Pete Yorn try his first or second albums first, unless you're into more mellow folksy stuff, then this one for sure is where you start.

ALBUM REVIEWS (3 of 4): "A New Tide" by Gomez

Bonnaroo 09 Gomez Band
Originally uploaded by wfuv

Gomez is a newer favorite of mine. I now own both this latest album and the previous album called "How We Operate." I think this album may become on an equal level with "How We Operate" if I give it enough time. However, for now it doesn't quite match up to me. It is a quality album from a band that I think will be among my favorites for years to come. There are quite a few songs that I've been impressed with since buying this new Gomez album. His voice can bother me in some songs, but for the most part I really enjoy this band. They're generally unafraid to use interesting and different sounds within their rock music. The absolute best song on this album to me is "Little Pieces." I love it. Other stand-outs include "Mix" and "Airstream Driver" which is really fun. One song that I recommend skipping is "Engine." His voice BUGS, and I just don't like the song. Anyway, this is a band that deserves to be noticed. If you're just starting with them though get "How We Operate" first. This one is worth getting for sure if you enjoy "How We Operate." I'd give it a 7/10 on this arbitrary rating system I've invented.

ALBUM REVIEWS (2 of 4): "The Hazards of Love" by The Decemberists

Jenny Conlee The Decemberists Merriweather Post Pavilion 2009 II
Originally uploaded by countfeed

I always think of The Decemberists as a performing group like no other. They're not really your typical rock band, and they're not quite your typical acting troupe, but they should rightly fit in a category somewhere between the two. Their most recent album seems to be their most theatrical effort to date. They have incredible story-telling abilities within their tunes. Generally their albums are collections of various fascinating stories, but "The Hazards of Love" is one united story with separate scenes, if you will, described by the individual songs. It's hard to pick out favorite tunes as the whole album has a unified theme and sound, but for some reason "The Rake's Song" was my stand-out favorite. The lyrics are quite disturbing, but the song rocks, and does it well. That's one thing that really surprised me about this album is that there's a LOT more electric guitar and ROCK in this album. The song "The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)" would probably be the most accessible song for most people. I enjoyed it a lot. I like this album as a whole. If you're just looking to take away three-minute snippets of great stuff, it's not really the album for you. But if you have time to take in the whole album, I really recommend it. It's very different indie rock music. As I said, The Decemberists belong in their own category of rock. I'd rate it as an 8.5/10, only marking it down a bit because it can't be broken up, and basically needs to be heard straight through.

ALBUM REVIEWS (1 of 4): "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" by Phoenix

phoenix
Originally uploaded by mitzi palenke

I was just privileged to discover a new band this evening via David Letterman's talk show. The French band, Phoenix, made an appearance and played "1901" from their new album called "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix." I checked the song demos out on iTunes and bought the album. It did not disappoint. I at first figured that the single "1901" would be my favorite. It is, with the exception of the song called "Rome," which is quite frankly my favorite song I've bought in a long time. This album is like a combination of the sunny pop sounds of Rooney, Of Montreal-ish vocals, and the musical experimentation of Rogue Wave... but Phoenix comes out better than all three of these bands. It's upbeat and fun, but isn't too over-the-top. I really enjoy the first three tracks, and of course, "Rome." If I had to rate this album I'd give it an 8.5/10. In other words, I loved some songs, other's were ok, and as a whole it's a worthwhile buy.