Graceland?

Refreshed and back for more, tonight I will review a couple more recent releases and explore the depths of some lost albums I feel are brilliant.

First the reviews of newer material.

Vampire Weekend - Contra

Man are Vampires hot. And no I'm not talking about that frosty haired Pattinson Schmuck. I'm talking about the number one selling band for the last week. Everyone's favorite Graceland revivalists, Vampire Weekend with their album Contra. Title that has lineage to the unforgettable Nintendo game and also apparently is referenced for the Contra's opposition to Sandinistas. Of Course Sandinista being The Clashes finest display of excess. Ezra Koenig, the ever busy lead of this quirky outfit pays homage to Joe Strummer again with a track called Diplomats son, which also snags a line from Toot's and Maytal's Pressure Drop. The album is bouncy and synthy from beat one. Horchata, the opener is not my favorite, but a nice little song. White Sky follows it up and you get to hear Koenig's best "Boy in the Bubble" impression. You're either going to say, that falsetto is too much, or lap it up like my Terrier's eat baby socks. Next is a favorite of mine. Holiday drives and cavorts all over with layers of deeply reverb laden rhythm guitar. They get a tad bit over Auto tuned for my taste on California English. Taxi Cab blah's me out, but then a pretty groovy number with a sleek high hat beat called "Run" brings the album back to life. The next track Cousins is a throw away track for me. The steamer that is Cousins is rescued by an upbeat, drum machine heavy "Giving up the Gun". Giving up the Gun would have certainly been a message The Diplomat's Son, Strummer, would have supported. We here a bit of M.I.A. in this track as well in the Rocksteady rhythm. The album winds down with a late night serenade to our albums namesake. Nice little song but the album pitters out in it's original form. A bonus track adorns the Itunes store edition to close it up. The first go around for these guys is hard to top and I think they miss the mark a bit here.

3.5 out of 6


Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP

Let me introduce you to the keepers of the torch from last years finest album release. These 5 songs are a pretty nice extension of the confusion that is Animal Collective's song patterns. Nothing here is going to knock your socks off like "Brother Sport" should have. Graze is a hazy daydream unfolding, in part 1 of the number, part 2 blows up into a twisted carnival dirge that leaves you a bit disoriented. Then comes a another example of these Bipolar songs the Collective constructs with the haunting open of What would I Wan't, Sky? 2 minutes of weaving in a bit of a troublesome sound, blossoms into a triumphant payoff that is worth the wait. The EP drops off after these two highlights pretty significantly so a bit of a disappointment coming off the beautiful Meriweather Post Pavilion

3 out of 6

Some Track Reviews of late 2009 finds

Band - Album

The XX - S/T

This London Indie Pop band slinks and seduces with a great duo call and response that has a hint of Peter, Bjorn and John but in a more Portishead direction on the song "Crystalised" Crystalised gets 5 stars out of 6, Heart Skipped a Beat 5 stars as well.

I have only 2 other songs on this album due at this time so album is incomplete grade but I really like their sound.

If you like Blonde Redhead, The XX is up your alley.


The Big Pink - Dominoes

More London Calling here as the UK band that takes an awfully Helm/Robertson namesake, don't make the Thames look like Cripple Creek here. Straight Britpop in a Shoegazer tempo. "Dominoes" is a 5 out of 6 song. Cheers Lads!


Next Tuesday look for a review of the new Magnetic Fields album Realism, from the Chamber Pop legend Stephen Merritt who wrote a bonafide 6 star, Randy's Album Hall of Fame, Crap you pants good album called 69 Love Songs



Impressions on the music in the Haiti concert Friday night.

I know it's fun to say Coldplay is cheese, but man they can play. They had the best song. U2 and Jay Z was pretty cool, but who dresses Rhianna. Stevie Wonder sounded great doing Bridge over Troubled. The Harder They Come Soundtrack was utilized twice with a lady butchering Many Rivers to Cross, by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2010 inductee Jimmy Cliff. Wyclef did not do the most justice to Rivers of Babylon, which you dorks know Sublime covered. The good version was the Melodians. Neil Young and Dave Matthews was nice. Neil looked like Johnny Cash tonight. A good cause as my heart goes out to Haiti.



A Randy Public Service Announcement

I for one at home do generally purchase all of my music through the Itunes store for convenience. I also seek out strong albums on CD via great shops like Shady Dog Records in Berwyn and The mighty Chester County Book Store. Used Cd shelfs in these two meccas are chock full of great deals for good full DRM free music. The CD store / Record shop experience is still essential to the music head. Itunes and online has great immediacy, but loses all of the great music head interaction with the proprietors of fines stores like the old Repo Records, Plastic Fantastic (tearing as we speak), Tower Records.

Check out Mike and Dave at Shady Dog Records and tell 'em Randy sent ya'



Randy's Album Hall of Fame


Yes folks, you heard it, a Hall of Fame for albums. Rules are as follows. Hall of Fame album is a 5 star or 6 star album as determined by, you guessed it, ME!! When an album has 4 or more CYPG songs which of course stands for Crap Your Pants Good, which is a 5 or 6 star song as determined by Sir Lunacy.


Today we look at the almighty Buzzcocks and the aptly named Singles Going Steady.

Folks, punk and it's intersection with pop in the UK gets no stronger than Pete Shelley's driving "Ever Fallen in Love" this track is on the desert Island mix I take on Oceanic what have you.

The whole album is 4 and 5 star selections, but the Kinksy "Love You More" should be heard.

"Autonomy" and "Why Can't I Touch it" will have you drooling for shortbread biscuits


Todays other inductee into RAHOF is the quintessential album from an odd little sub genre called C-86. C-86 guitar sound has a U2's Edgeness to it. The Wedding Present's masterpiece "George Best Plus" was 1987 so I'm not sure who had more influence on one another. The Wedding Present performed precision high speed Jangle pop that can be filed under TBFB or Too British for my Brother. It's not too Brit for me. Check out the following songs fro, this gem. "My Favorite Dress" is one of My favorite songs, Ever!!!!. Also take notice of the cheeky "Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now". So solid, they had to do this dong in French as well.

Wedding Present - George Best, Congrats, you are in Randy's Album Hall of Fame.

Well, that is it. All the $hit that is fit to print. For tonight anyway.

Stay tuned for the mind droppings that are this music lover's continuing journey. And my variable cornucopia of bad grammar and formatting.

Thanks