New Music Reviews

(Don't let the title fool you, these are just new reviews of old music).

So right now I'm back in LA, enjoying the interesting people, the incredible food, and of course the sunshine. But I have noticed upon being back that western Massachusetts is far superior to LA in one regard: its record stores. While on any given weekend at college I can take a bus for ten or twenty minutes and be in the vicinity of two or three record stores that have great selections and cheap prices, in LA the record store is a dying institution. When I was in high school, I used to get all my music from Tower Records, but that closed during my senior year. Since then I have had three options: Hear Music, which has a great selection in most genres and is close to my house, but is severely lacking in other genres and is way overpriced; Second Spin, which is close and cheap but has a horrible selection; and of course Amoeba, quite possibly the best record store in the world, a store where whenever I go there I usually spend over $100 on CDs that cost less than $10 each, but which is unfortunately much farther from my house than the other two, so I usually have to set aside an entire day to go there. Since Hear Music has closed since I started this last semester of college, Amoeba is basically my only source for music in LA now, so I decided to make a trek there with a few of my friends and stock up on new music. Here's what I found: Trojan Jamaican Superstars Box Set

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love reggae, and I don't know how I would be able to feed this passion without Trojan box sets. The Trojan record company has released over 50 box sets of solid, solid reggae, each with a different theme, and the great thing about them is that they contain 50 tracks each and sell for $25 at most. While inevitably there are a few below average songs on each box set, you still get tremendous value, paying way less for each song than you would on the iTunes store. Some of my favorite boxes are Trojan Originals, which compiles the original versions of 50 reggae songs that have been covered by non-Jamaican artists; Trojan Rare Grooves, a compilation of 50 of the rarest reggae singles; and Trojan Reggae Chill, which is self-explanatory. Jamaican Superstars is structured a bit differently from the other boxes that I have; each disc only features two different artists, making the box set more like six mini-best-of's. I've gone through the first two discs and listened to samples from the careers of Gregory Isaacs, Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, and Pat Kelly, and I have to say that this is one of the better Trojan box sets I own. While there isn't much variety (I mean, what do you expect from a reggae compilation?), both discs are consistently stellar. I haven't made my way through disc 3 yet, but I expect it to be just as good, especially since one of the featured artists is John Holt, who recorded "Ali Baba," one of my favorite reggae songs.

Grandaddy: Just Like The Fambly Cat and The Sophtware Slump

I've been wanting to get into Grandaddy for a while; they did the theme song for one of my favorite TV shows, and from what I'd heard of them before they combine the best elements of other 90s alt/indie bands that I like, such as Blur, They Might Be Giants, and Weezer. The two albums that I got did not disappoint. Just Like The Fambly Cat contains some terrific nerd rock ballads like "Summer... It's Gone" and "This Is How It Always Starts," but my favorite ones had to be the new wavey "Skateboarding Saves Me Twice" and "Elevate Myself," which sounds like it was played on a Casio keyboard. The Sophtware Slump is even better. The 9 minute long opener, "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot" immediately drew me in, and every song on the entire album is a perfect balance of loud guitar rock, cheesy synth pop, and weird electronic music, with lots of cool effects (especially on "Jed's Other Poem) and clever lyrics (especially on "Broken Household Appliance National Forest"). Anyone who likes 90s alt rock should give this album a listen.

Asobi Seksu: Live at the Echo

Another indie band that I've been wanting to get into for a while, although their sound is much more influenced by 80s shoegaze than 90s nerd rock. This Asobi Seksu live album was all they had at Amoeba, and I wasn't sure whether or not I should buy a live album before getting any of their studio releases, but I decided to buy it anyway after my friend told me that they're great live. And indeed they are. Despite the fact that the instruments are a little out of balance, the terrific song structures and musicianship shine through; my favorite tracks were "New Years," "Strings," and of course the cover of "And Then He Kissed Me." Listening to this live album just makes me want one of their studio albums even more. A Tribe Called Quest: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

I basically bought this album for "Can I Kick It?," "Bonita Applebaum," and "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo," but every song is of the same quality as these three. While the rhymes are clever and unique, the beats and the samples are what truly stand out for me. Every single beat on this album is sick, and each track contains layers of samples that work together to create amazing sounds. I definitely noticed The Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire, and of course Lou Reed on my first listen, and I really want to listen to it again to see what else pops out. As solid as the entire album is though, I still have to say that "Can I Kick It?" is my favorite. Everything on that track just adds up to create one of the chillest rap songs I've ever heard. I definitely have to give this album a few more good listens though, because I'm sure some of the other tracks will grow on me. Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul

Incredible. I don't think I can say anything more about this album that hasn't already been said. Only Isaac Hayes can make a 15 minute long Burt Bacharach song this good. So... yeah. That's it for my reviews. Now I'm set for music until I go back to school.