The Flaming Lips - The Dark Side Of The Moon

Before delving into this review, let me make a couple of admissions. One, I don't really care for the Flaming Lips. Yes, they're inventive and weird and they're not stagnant to any one musical idea. I can respect their existence I just don't listen to them all that much.

Second, and I said this to the Smithereens a couple of years ago (and they keep doing), what's this bullshit about covering an entire album. What makes you think that you can re-record one of the biggest, most important classics in rock history and bring anything to it that sounds like your own or unique? Why, if given the choice, would anyone listen to your version? But then I learn that Henry Rollins is involved, so I give it at least one spin. Let's see if Wayne has an answer...

For me? Not so much. Sure, Wayne and his blotting buddies change some stuff around here and there. The first quarter of the record, for example, is quite crunchier than Pink's original. "Any Colour You Like" dials up the funk to a much fuzzier level. "Money" is creeped out with updated electronic sounds and tweaked vocals, which I think undercut the smooth R&B walking bass coolness of the original.

My fave from the original is the "Brain Damage/Eclipse" conglomerate. Here, the Lips dial down the Damage to a hushed church organ, and do not even play the guitar riff at all. The Eclipse is punked out, aside from Wayne's vocals, which never waver from his standard tin can chalkboard murmur.

The highlight of the album is "The Great Gig In The Sky". The instrumental is faithful to the power of the original. Taking Clare Torry's place on the wailing vocal is, oddly enough, Peaches, a weirdo obnoxious singer known for the youtube hit, "Fuck The Pain Away". To her credit, she delivers a great vocal, as you can hear below.

But at the same time, even with some knob twisting, all the lyrics and melodies are the same. The arrangements are basically faithful. There's nothing ironic here to laugh at. So it comes to, how do you like your psychedelic rock? Classic or Neue Indie? (3 of 5 stars)

The Great Gig In The Sky [feat...

The Willowz - Everyone

The Willowz, whom I have only otherwise known from the Eternal Sunshine soundtrack, is not unlike the Black Lips cd that was just in my car. Garage rock, not as psychedelic>; and the drums were often recorded with the most echo possible.

It's not treading much deeper water than that soundtrack 6 or so years ago. It does seem like they're exploring melody a little more. Also, it looks like singer Richie Follen has come out of some shell, or maybe the producer decided just to get bolder, because he's much more dynamic and much further out in the mix. It's a good thing. It's little more than punk wailing, but but Richie turns left when you expect a right sometimes, and it becomes more interesting.

"I Know" for example, is quite clean. It could be Kings Of Leon at their most raucous. "Destruction" and "Repetition" too are more melodic and upbeat and ripe for a party jam. "Jimmy James" on the other hand is for us beer swilling bastards who want to push over a nerd. If I had to choose, my bully-pulpit in the garage rockness of this album is better served on "Twenty Five" which awesomely adds a subtle barroom piano sounds to follow the chords.

For a swift kick in the Wha-Just-Happened, the Willows pull a damn near Rolling Stonescover with the misspelled, "No Heros". It's got soul, and by "soul", I mean some horns. Definitely worth a listen.

And at 25:34, it's the perfect album length for the new decade. My main complaints with albums that could've been much better is that they tried to max the cd capacity to get people to feel more of a value. Bullshit. The value comes more in this package, where more of your songs are worth hearing. And the Willowz deliver in great style. They have almost completely shed the notion of Jack White late-comers and have shelled out some great West Coast sweaty garage anthems.(4 of 5 stars)

30 Seconds To Mars - This Is War

"Here we are at the start. I can feel the beating of our hearts."

This is a lyric from "Vox Populi" off the latest 30StM record. Which is track 8 of a 12 track collection. So, no Jared, we are not at the start. Timing is only one of your problems.

You know how pretty girls can go on and on with some fucked up story that she heard on Oprah but is currently getting totally wrong- and no one stops her or corrects her because she's beautiful? Jared Leto is that beautiful girl just getting it wrong.

Like song titles.

"Night Of The Hunter"
"Kings And Queens"
"Closer To The Edge"
"Search And Destroy"
"Stranger In A Strange Land"

Jesus, is this the lost Ratt album?

The themes of all the songs revolve around the concept of rallying the troops of the downtrodden kids to overcome their evil oppressive overlords. There are youth choirs ALL over the record to drive the point home that, "we will need you to sing this part at the concert."

Now, having bitched about that portion of the production, I'll call it more of a band decision. The production otherwise, delivered very purposefully by U2 collaborators Steve Lillywhite and Flood, is the best part of the record. I can appreciate that the Letos want to sound grandiose and "epic" and the producers delivered on what they were paid for. But when every song is trying to be its own "Jesus Of Suburbia" or "The Black Parade" or "Use Somebody", then no, this is not "war"- it's dodgeball at best.

I'm coining a new music genre for Jared Leto now. Pass it on. "Cheesmo" or "Cheesy Emo". It's the only way I can describe Leto's songwriting. I, for one, do not believe that Jordan Catalano has some overwrought hostility for the holy evil of the organized church. I'm saying people don't, I just don't believe he does. And whoever does can describe their emotions certainly way less insipidly than Jared does. "Looking for Jesus/Get on your knees" and "I'm guilty of treason/A Vatican son".

In "100 Suns", he speaks of believing in nothing, not several things that are somehow paired together. And it makes not a lick of sense. I assume he was going for "...except our love". But instead, he says, "but the beating of our hearts"- which is just a biological function. How can you believe in that if you don't believe "in the earth"? Answer that one before the narrarator destroys you.

There are too many lyrical faux pas to take seriously. And I've seen the band live. Jared is especially engaging and lively and oh so very beautiful. And he may have the utmost intention of relating to those kids that he's trying to help. But the failure comes from pandering to a teen mentality, or being too stupid to know how to communicate to them on a greater level. Someone needs to interrupt this guy's story. (1.5 of 5 stars)

The Bravery - Stir The Blood

The Bravery come back to us from the same place they left us at last time... 1982 London. Which is all well and good for me if you're talking about the NWOBHM-ers down the street, but no- I'm talking about the wavers de neue.

Keeping an open mind, the first track, "Adored", could be a lost track from U2's Boy.Like U2's "Rejoice" this song is a celebration of all things youthful.

The second track, "Song For Jacob" continues on with the retro, but this time turns its eyes on a born again friend. But unlike other songs of this ilk, it never passes judgement on Jacob or assumes that Jacob simply had a need to fulfill. It simply lets Jake rejoice in the glory that he's now experiencing. It's defined by a great vocal that could easily have been downplayed without anyone noticing, but Sam goes above and beyond and I for one, appreciate it.

"I Am Your Skin", and to a greater extent, "Hatefuck", I assume the Bravery boys are going for the club sexiness of Franz Ferdinand's Tonight, but they don't cut it here. While I'm all for a satisfying screw to someone who deserves a little disrespect, the bulk of the latter song just comes off rape-y and its pleas to "mercilessly love me" are hollow and shameful for a guy who obviously had a big enough pair to get this far.

We grab a near "Call Me"-via-Muse ripoff with "I Have Seen The Future", but it's still under the umbrella of the general feel of the rest of the album. The only time the Bravery escape the Cure ghost is with the lone track written by the bass player. Hindert's "She's So Bendable" comes off like a Brian Jonestown, who is cleaned up and gone out for the evening. A welcome breather in an album plagues with a little too much sameness. (2 of 5 stars)

Song For Jacob - The Bravery