The Cure really started to come into it's own on this album. Robert Smith exchanged moody experimental goth-rock on "Pornography" and "The Top" (the latter of which was an abomination to rock music), for the more radio friendly, synth-drum sound that made The Cure one of the defining rock acts in the 80's and the fathers of modern Goth music.
Next to "Disintegration," "The Head on the Door" is easily their best work. Every song adds something new with old classic The Cure shtick, including catchy beats and riffs, creepy/introspective lyrics and Smith's haunting vocals. Some may say that The Cure turned "pop" from this record, but it's simply not true. The dark subject matter is still there, obviously, with songs like "The Blood" and "Baby Screams." And Smith's command of experimentation isn't completely lost either, as a lot of the guitar effects at the time were quite revolutionary, using synthesizers and some distortion to achieve a rockin' effect (note "Screw"'s driving guitar hook).
Each song is practically a masterpiece. Even the so-called "filler." They all flow excellently in the makeup of the album, but stand out well as singles. And the hits "In Between Days" and "Close To Me" exhibit wonderfully catchy 80's synthpop sensibilities that make the band accessible to non tight-pants-chains-wearing folk. It's classic.
MY RATING: Highly recommended as a pioneering goth-rock album and one of the best 80's rock albums ever. Extremely replayable and catchy.
Abandon hope all ye who enter! I'm DJ Dustbunny and this is DJ Dustbunny's big phat awesome blog about music. I'm Charlotte-based, but got a national audience for the hottest jams. Follow me, and recommend cool stuff that you've heard.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Music Review: The Head On The Door - The Cure (1985)
Labels:
music,
music review,
rock
Music Review: Love Is Dead - Kerli (2008)
Kerli made her initial impact early in 2007 in her native Estonia. Since being signed to Island Records, she's been proclaimed Goth child extraordinaire and the next Björk by the critics. What's the lowdown on her debut "Love is Dead," though?
Perhaps characteristically, the album is decent, but mostly constructed to show Kerli's potential to put out good singles. It's surprisingly pop-tailored with the catchy title song and "Walking On Air" being the first singles, both deliciously creepy and fun and radio-friendly. Perhaps the greatest weakness of Kerli's album is that it is too radio-friendly and the potential for Björk-like experimentation and avant-garde electro/pop is neutralized. This isn't really Kerli's niche though. She seems to do quite well in her chosen formula with other album tracks like "The Creationist" and "Butterfly Boy." However, the majority of the non-singles are trying too hard to tread a very odd line between gothy and poppy that just doesn't exactly work. Kerli's too kid-friendly to be adult and far too adult to be kid-friendly. It's an awkward, yet fascinating combination. On the plus side, she's got a very unique and and great voice that carries her style well and most of the songs are at least catchy.
MY RATING: If anything, "Love Is Dead" shows that Kerli has excellent potential for growth. Wait until the next album to see if she matures any or falls flat.
Perhaps characteristically, the album is decent, but mostly constructed to show Kerli's potential to put out good singles. It's surprisingly pop-tailored with the catchy title song and "Walking On Air" being the first singles, both deliciously creepy and fun and radio-friendly. Perhaps the greatest weakness of Kerli's album is that it is too radio-friendly and the potential for Björk-like experimentation and avant-garde electro/pop is neutralized. This isn't really Kerli's niche though. She seems to do quite well in her chosen formula with other album tracks like "The Creationist" and "Butterfly Boy." However, the majority of the non-singles are trying too hard to tread a very odd line between gothy and poppy that just doesn't exactly work. Kerli's too kid-friendly to be adult and far too adult to be kid-friendly. It's an awkward, yet fascinating combination. On the plus side, she's got a very unique and and great voice that carries her style well and most of the songs are at least catchy.
MY RATING: If anything, "Love Is Dead" shows that Kerli has excellent potential for growth. Wait until the next album to see if she matures any or falls flat.
Labels:
music,
music review,
pop,
rock
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Music Review: Ghetto Classics - Jaheim (2005)
I've decided to let iTunes shuffle guide my latest few album reviews, focusing more on quantity than quality of reviews (although, hey I'll admit it, the quality will still be baller).
Jaheim's 2005 entry into the contemporary R&B world "Ghetto Classics" made him a star. Singles like "The Chosen One" and "Everytime I Think About Her" blended equal parts classic soul with modern hip-hop/thug sensibilities, making Jaheim equal parts Sam Cooke and R. Kelly. In short, the formula works brilliantly.
Jaheim's got a great voice, and sings about relevant contemporary R&B topics with clever lyrics (notably "Daddy Thing," "Like A DJ," "Fiend"). Song-wise, 90% of the album is wonderful smooth modern R&B mixed with a couple club-bangers just to keep it relevant. Jaheim even dabbles in a bit of nu-soul on "Come Over" and "Like A DJ". Jaheim hasn't made a perfect album, and there's still some icky filler like "125th" and "Masterpiece," and he's yet to strech his vocal ability to R. Kelly levels or master the club-cut like Ushser, but overall the album showcases Jaheim's break from undergound ghetto singer to a modern master of R&B.
MY RATING: Must-listen for all fans of classic and modern R&B. Has some problems, but definitely redeemed by his unique voice and great "ghetto/classic" style
Jaheim's 2005 entry into the contemporary R&B world "Ghetto Classics" made him a star. Singles like "The Chosen One" and "Everytime I Think About Her" blended equal parts classic soul with modern hip-hop/thug sensibilities, making Jaheim equal parts Sam Cooke and R. Kelly. In short, the formula works brilliantly.
Jaheim's got a great voice, and sings about relevant contemporary R&B topics with clever lyrics (notably "Daddy Thing," "Like A DJ," "Fiend"). Song-wise, 90% of the album is wonderful smooth modern R&B mixed with a couple club-bangers just to keep it relevant. Jaheim even dabbles in a bit of nu-soul on "Come Over" and "Like A DJ". Jaheim hasn't made a perfect album, and there's still some icky filler like "125th" and "Masterpiece," and he's yet to strech his vocal ability to R. Kelly levels or master the club-cut like Ushser, but overall the album showcases Jaheim's break from undergound ghetto singer to a modern master of R&B.
MY RATING: Must-listen for all fans of classic and modern R&B. Has some problems, but definitely redeemed by his unique voice and great "ghetto/classic" style
Labels:
music,
music review,
rb
Friday, April 3, 2009
Music Review: LOtUSFLOW3R (3-Disc) - Prince (2009)
His Purple Badness is back with 3 discs of Minneapolis sound. Literally. I've got the lowdown on all three and then a cumulative total of the entire LOtUSFLOW3R package.
1. Elixer. As you open up the album package, the first thing you see is Bria Valente's new album "Elixer" which is essentially an attractive woman singing smooth R&B songs written by Prince. Bria has been mega hyped up in the internet world for being the next Sade, but I take a more realistic viewpoint of her: the only thing she's got going for her is a good voice and the fact that she's associated with Prince. And we all know how sucessful Prince's previous proteges are (*cough cough* Tamar=Failure). That being said, the fact that these are Prince songs with a pretty woman singing them IS a major strength of the album. Bria's got a pretty voice with a pretty unremarkable range and tone. The songs are mediocre, with the exception of "Another Boy" (which might have some star potential). It's not traditional Prince slow jams either. It's trying to be hip with modern structure and lyrics and instrumentation and just falls a little flat because it's not edgy or clever enough. It's not that "Elixer" is bad. It's just overpowered by the other 2 disks. Plus, we never really thought that Bria would make it in modern R&B next to Beyonce and Ciara, so she might as well play the Sade thing for as long as she can before people get tired of it.
2. LOtUSFLOW3R. Here's the gold of the album. Easily Prince's best recording since Emancipation (some might argue since Sign 'O' The Times). Prince channels a little bit of Jimmy Hendrix and goes back to his roots and the one thing that made him famous in 1984: his godlike guitar skills. The entire album is powerful, catchy, and ROCKIN'. Musically, it's similar to Sign 'O' The Times, but with slightly more of an "organic" feel. Plenty of synthesizers and funk/rock, but no drum machines here. Prince does everything from social criticism to gorgeous love ballads on this album, all with quality singles with rockin' guitar solos and riffs and clever synth hooks, hearkening back to the Prince we knew and loved in the 80's. In the light of Prince's epic failure with "Planet Earth" and his attempt to break into mainstream minimalistic R&B with "3121," it's nice to see Prince is still making complex arrangements and making "back to basics" cool again. Bets songs are "Crimson and Clover," "Colonized Mind," and "Dreamer". Listen to these and if you don't get hooked, you ain't got no soul.
3. MPL Sound. Here's where Prince starts to get a little...Creative. Whereas LOtUSFLOW3R sounds great in a modern context by drawing elements of Prince's classic rock material for the modern world, MPL Sound ties to do the same with Prince's classic R&B/Funk material and has mixed results. The album really does sound like you went back in time and made a sequel to Prince's "1999". The drum machines and old synthesizer patters just seem...out of place. And there's not much "new" here to make it modern. I mean, it's great to hear a sort of a vintage "lost" Prince album, but is it really relevant? Obviously not. That's not Prince's point, of course, but it is something that will prevent MPL Sound for being as accessible to the mainstream R&B community and Top 40 singles radio. Speaking of singles, there are sure some funky ones here. "Dance 4 Me" and "Valentina" are both get-on-the-floor funky. But where's the sexy? To some that say Prince has lost his sexy, I rather agree. Even "Chocolate Box" is more love-ly than sexy. Overall, the album is interesting and funky and great for fans of Prince's old Minneapolis Sound, but I can't imagine it'll crack into the Billboard Charts like LOtUSFLOW3R will.
MY RATING: The sheer godlike brilliance of LOtUSFLOW3R redeems Bria Valente and MPL Sound can hold it's own as a good "classic" Prince album. It's one of Prince's best and easily the greatest material he's put out in the 21st century.
1. Elixer. As you open up the album package, the first thing you see is Bria Valente's new album "Elixer" which is essentially an attractive woman singing smooth R&B songs written by Prince. Bria has been mega hyped up in the internet world for being the next Sade, but I take a more realistic viewpoint of her: the only thing she's got going for her is a good voice and the fact that she's associated with Prince. And we all know how sucessful Prince's previous proteges are (*cough cough* Tamar=Failure). That being said, the fact that these are Prince songs with a pretty woman singing them IS a major strength of the album. Bria's got a pretty voice with a pretty unremarkable range and tone. The songs are mediocre, with the exception of "Another Boy" (which might have some star potential). It's not traditional Prince slow jams either. It's trying to be hip with modern structure and lyrics and instrumentation and just falls a little flat because it's not edgy or clever enough. It's not that "Elixer" is bad. It's just overpowered by the other 2 disks. Plus, we never really thought that Bria would make it in modern R&B next to Beyonce and Ciara, so she might as well play the Sade thing for as long as she can before people get tired of it.
2. LOtUSFLOW3R. Here's the gold of the album. Easily Prince's best recording since Emancipation (some might argue since Sign 'O' The Times). Prince channels a little bit of Jimmy Hendrix and goes back to his roots and the one thing that made him famous in 1984: his godlike guitar skills. The entire album is powerful, catchy, and ROCKIN'. Musically, it's similar to Sign 'O' The Times, but with slightly more of an "organic" feel. Plenty of synthesizers and funk/rock, but no drum machines here. Prince does everything from social criticism to gorgeous love ballads on this album, all with quality singles with rockin' guitar solos and riffs and clever synth hooks, hearkening back to the Prince we knew and loved in the 80's. In the light of Prince's epic failure with "Planet Earth" and his attempt to break into mainstream minimalistic R&B with "3121," it's nice to see Prince is still making complex arrangements and making "back to basics" cool again. Bets songs are "Crimson and Clover," "Colonized Mind," and "Dreamer". Listen to these and if you don't get hooked, you ain't got no soul.
3. MPL Sound. Here's where Prince starts to get a little...Creative. Whereas LOtUSFLOW3R sounds great in a modern context by drawing elements of Prince's classic rock material for the modern world, MPL Sound ties to do the same with Prince's classic R&B/Funk material and has mixed results. The album really does sound like you went back in time and made a sequel to Prince's "1999". The drum machines and old synthesizer patters just seem...out of place. And there's not much "new" here to make it modern. I mean, it's great to hear a sort of a vintage "lost" Prince album, but is it really relevant? Obviously not. That's not Prince's point, of course, but it is something that will prevent MPL Sound for being as accessible to the mainstream R&B community and Top 40 singles radio. Speaking of singles, there are sure some funky ones here. "Dance 4 Me" and "Valentina" are both get-on-the-floor funky. But where's the sexy? To some that say Prince has lost his sexy, I rather agree. Even "Chocolate Box" is more love-ly than sexy. Overall, the album is interesting and funky and great for fans of Prince's old Minneapolis Sound, but I can't imagine it'll crack into the Billboard Charts like LOtUSFLOW3R will.
MY RATING: The sheer godlike brilliance of LOtUSFLOW3R redeems Bria Valente and MPL Sound can hold it's own as a good "classic" Prince album. It's one of Prince's best and easily the greatest material he's put out in the 21st century.
Labels:
music,
music review,
pop,
rb,
rock
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