Yeasayer is a good enough power-alt-psych-electro-pop group from Brooklyn whose last album Odd Blood got a pretty decent review from me. The may even get a shot on Nik's next album.
This album is a little different. Electronic machines still drone out odd rhythmic beats while synthesized sounds lay the be for a song that may have been Duran Duran or Material Issue if they'd had more at their disposal in 1984. But there is still modern dynamicism. "Blue Paper" for example, has a real interesting frayed guitar solo that could be Robert Fripp on ProTools.
The lyrics hold some promise with "Folk Hero Schtick", or "Longevity": "All the rain promises is to give life to the seeds / Live in the moment. Never count on longevity."
Praise aside, there is a major difference between this album and the last. Fragrant World has an odor about it. Odd Blood seemed more earthy, authentic- the vocals seemed more organic. This new one seems synthetic and processed from the airy distorted vocal to the plethora of blips and burps. The mess of "Devil and the Deed" is the worst example.
In the end, Yeasayer simply spend 48 minutes making more sounds than songs. And in Denmark, that doesn't smell right. (2 of 5 stars)
While instrumental guitar virtuoso prog rock is not for everyone, it has its place. And the Zappa/Lee-Roth alumn is pretty much eschewing the straighter-jazz of his the former collegue and the pop-rock sensibility of the latter. This is heavy gospel. Even in the musical passages, Steve is exploring the spiritual side of existence. Not his first time. Steve has had many references to the "Heatless Light" that he calls God. This gets much more explicit about it here. A cover of the gospel standard "John The Revelator" is a great crunch with a soulful vocal addition from The Voice's Beverly McClellan. The coda to that track may not work as well. "Book of the Seven Seals" goes for Southern Baptist spiritual feel, albeit a hard-rock one. And that's fine, but the gospel choruses are added in with a harsh clash. When he rocks (to me) Steve is at his best. I've enjoyed Steve's ballads in the past. And if it was just his playing, I'm sure I would feel better about the slow tracks here. But "Creamsicle Sunset", for example, has an arrangement which gets way too New Agey to take seriously. But of those rockers, "Velorum" and "Gravity Storm" have riffs that could be parlayed into some awesome straight FM-radio jams. "Weepng China Doll" could be described as Epic Grunge, like a vocalless "Slaves & Bulldozers".
A duet with Aimee Mann rounds out mear the end of the album. A pretty acoustic number, "No More Amsterdam" isn't a pandering ballad at all. The vocals follow the acoustic minor key melody and there's a darkness to it. Vai certainly runs the gamut of emotions on this record and his playing is impeccable. I think though he would benefit from a writing/producing collaborator. (3 of 5 stars)
Cincinnati's Buffalo Killers are being a little disingenuous throughout their career. Start with their name first of all. How many buffalo are you actually slaughtering on the streets of Cincinnati, really? They also paint themselves up as a psychedelic rock band. Hippy-dippy body paint and all. But they are really early '70s throwbacks. The time when psychedelic prints were traded for all-denim and the Rolling Stones sang "honky tonk".
The Black Crowes are an apt-ish comparison. We get a brothers outfit from both outfits. But BK are far less refined than that. But take the Crowes at their mellowist and simplist. But that doesn't have to be a dig. This kind of music could benefit from a garagier atmosphere.
But keeping in the Crowes analogy, you have to bring up the vocals. And while Chris Robinson is a fairly fantastic singer of the soul tradition- the Gabbard's come from a different tradition. Joe Walsh is the most obvious vocal neighbor. But the band also sights Neil Young as an influence. Both of these would be fine in their vocal limitation if you were carrying the funky riffage of Joe or the storytelling prowess of Young. But no such luck here.
No matter how many songs you title "Moon Daisy" or "Graffiti Eggplant" you're still doing very little more than telling girls how pretty they are. You need to dig a little deeper. (2 of 5 stars)
After having seen Testament open for Anthrax this past year, I was more than impressed with their performance. Particularly, Alex Skolnick, who has always been revered as a top metal guitarist, but this was my first real exposure to him.
Having never really caring for thrash in my youth, I definitely have a more appreciative ear now. And by all accounts, not just my own, Testament's new one is a quality true-to-form thrash metal beast. It doesn't quite get to the quality that the last Anthrax record soared to, but each song seems to top the other in form.
Production is fantastic, as brought by Andy Sneap, who has made a living for 15 years producing your more hardcore of acts. He brings out the best of the instrumentation and the drums are relentless. Skolnick, again, provides the best of the recordings. Fluidly soloing over the light-speed riffs.
The themes don't stray from conventional though. Not at all. Lyrics are generally either about standing up to your oppressors or being the leader on the throne shedding the blood of those who resist your awesome authority. Singer Chuck Billy was never the vocalist as much as the screamer, but he's still as good here as he ever was. Unfortunately, this kept me from embracing the album as much as I wanted. Even bringing in co-writer Del James on several songs did not do well enough to branch out the songs to be more lyrically dynamic.
Still worth a listen Also, give yourself the opportunity to look up the bonus tracks. Fantastic covers of Queen, Scorpions and Iron Maiden. (3 of 5 stars)
Yeasayer is a good enough power-alt-psych-electro-pop group from Brooklyn whose last album Odd Blood got a pretty decent review from me. The may even get a shot on Nik's next album. 
