Recent Release Roundup

Due to various circumstances it's been a while since there's been any posts here. Well, let's fix that. Here are condensed versions of the reviews I've meant to post over the last month or so. This should get us back on track. so enjoy, then go out and buy.

Thanks for your patience,
Dave

THE CARS-MOVE LIKE THIS
The good news is that it still mostly sounds like 1983. The bad news is it still sounds like 1983. Still, there is a sense of maturity here and a knowledge of what's come since the band's heyday. And since the 80's quasi-revivalist sounds of The Killers, The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand have been successful it's about time someone from the actual decade came along and showed them all how to do it right. 

Everything you want in a Cars record is here. Catchy melodies, perfect blending of guitar and keys, precision rhythm and performance with an unwavering sense of energy and commitment. Not all songs are winners, the slow ones go on too long, and the sequencing is questionable but overall a good release sure to please long time fans and anyone else who likes a good dose of pure pop every now and then.
Key songs: "Keep On Knocking", "Too Late", "Sad Song", "Take Another Look"
3/12 out of 5 Daves.

RAY DAVIES-SEE MY FRIENDS
Okay, so duet albums are great, and tribute albums are great, but I'm not sure about duet albums that are a tribute to yourself. Seems like there's some kind of rule being broken there. But technicalities aside, this is a very good record.

This seems to be the door opening wide for a Kinks reunion which is worth buying it just in and of itself. Fortunately there are more than enough reasons outside of that to give this a solid recommendation. Davies has assembled a top notch (and somewhat surprising) group of guest musicians here. Each is allowed to put their own stamp on the material, and as a result the quality of the writing really shines through. This is a welcome treat for Kinks fans and just may be a good introduction to the uninitiated, or those unfamiliar with anything outside of "Lola" and "You really Got Me". There are a few missteps, sure (Metallica and Spoon you're both guilty) and some genuinely great collaborations (Jackson Brown, Amy MacDonald and The 88 w/Alex Chilton are highlights). This one has been in constant rotation since I got it. You should get it too.
Key Songs: Pretty much all of them
41/2 out of 5 Daves

STEVE EARLE: I'LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE
I've been a Steve Earle fan for years now, and a new release is always something to look forward to. I'm always interested to see where he's going next...It's just too bad that I'm disappointed with the current destination. It's not a bad place per se, but it's not one I'll be returning to often.

On this current record, Earle explores life and death on almost every song. Makes for a dark listen. The arrangements are quite sparse, which fits the subject matter. However, it gets a little tedious to listen to straight through. The performances are good, but subtle, and Earle is a very good writer. I like the ideas behind these songs and the presentation, and I particularly enjoyed the forays into Celtic music. But on the whole it just doesn't come together.
Key Songs: "Molly-O", "God Is God", "Heaven Or Hell", "Meet Me In The Alleyway"
3 out of 5 Daves

DUFF MCKAGEN'S LOADED-THE TAKING
I like Duff. I like pretty much everything I've heard him do, including side projects. But I don't like this. I wanted to, but I don't. It's listenable, it has it's moments. But it's heavy rock by numbers. The singles are good, and I like the overall sound, but it's not anything special. This does have the potential to grow on me, but at this point I'm unimpressed. This is the kind of album downloading was created for. Get the good stuff and leave the rest.
Key Tracks: "We Win", "Indian Summer", "She's An Anchor", "Cocaine"
2 1/2 out of 5 Daves

EDDIE SPAGHETTI-SUNDOWNER
If you know who Eddie Spaghetti is then you know what to expect. For those that don't, he is the lead singer/songwriter for garage punk band The Supersuckers, and for a sideline he makes country records as a solo artist. The majority of the songs are covers. Some are country classics, others are obscure rock songs played as no frills country. Some work and some don't, but it's a fun listen.

And that's all it's meant to be. Fun. It's greasy, silly. sometimes pervy, with a touch of sincerity thrown in around the edges for good measure. These records are family affairs with Spaghetti's wife as the cover model/backup vocalist and his son, Quattro, providing his own song to finish the proceedings. Cute gimmick, but the meat and potatoes are the cover songs selected. Say what you will about the overly simplistic delivery and half assed sarcasm involved, the guy's got taste. Bottom line, it ain't gonna change your life but it might just make ya smile. And sometimes that's enough.
Key Tracks: "Marie", "Party Dolls And Wine", "Everybody's Girl", "Jesus Never Lived On Mars"
3 1/2 out of 5 Daves (Did i just give a guy who covers Steve Earle a higher mark than Steve Earle? Wow.)

Okay, we're all caught up. Back soon.

Update 4/7/11

Apologies for the lack of content around here the past few weeks. Sometimes other things get in the way, but now it's back to business. Kinks To Reunite? As we all know, Ray Davies has made a bit of a comeback over the past few years with two strong albums, "Other People's Lives" and the stellar "Working Man's Cafe". The inevitable Kinks reunion question continues to surface and Ray has always been open to the idea. He has suggested several times that it was close to happening. But to do it properly, he'd need his brother Dave on board. When told last year about Ray's stating that a reunion of the Kinks was close to happening his reply was simply "Ray's an asshole." Undeterred, Ray then stated that he'd just do it without Dave. Well, this must have lit a fire because Dave seems to have lightened up a little towards the prospect. Hopefully some news coming our way soon. Meanwhile, Ray Davies has just released a duets style album entitled, appropriately enough, "See My Friends". Expect a review here shortly. More Iron Maiden in 2011 My all time favorite heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, has announced yet another best of package. Titled "From Fear To Eternity" it focuses solely on the records from 1990 on. Since the band has focused on longer songs in the past 10 years they have decided to make this a 2 disc release. Does the world need another Maiden compilation? No. The band claims the reasoning behind the release is to educate newer fans about the past catalogue, which is the same excuse behind the "Somewhere Back In Time collection a few years back. Doesn't ring true though, if anything this CD should be a primer to the new stuff for older fans who may have drifted away. Seems irrelevant anyway as Maiden's fans are incredibly loyal and probably have all the music anyway. And therein lies the bigger problem for yours truly. I've got every album the band has put out but the completionist in me won't let me not buy this...which is sad. What is not sad, however, is that Iron Maiden will release a new live collection at the end of the year. It will feature a show from the last leg of the "Final Frontier" tour. The only disappointment here is that this is the version of the show that the U.S. didn't get (with a few exceptions coming up this year). The set list is much more well rounded than the one we got last summer (don't get me wrong, the shows were great but as a long time fan I missed some of the older songs), Production wise, it seems that the show got bigger and better...and has a brand new "giant Eddie" which we all love so much. (I hate to say it, but it almost seems as though the U.S. shows were purposely lacking. No proof of that mind you, just thinking out loud.) Anyway, something to look forward to later this year. Okay, that wraps it up for now. Keep checking in, there's more to come.