1. Wilco 3/10

The song kicks off with a rather blatant “Werewolves of London” riff. It seems to be some sort of quirky, humorous piece, or maybe not. It’s all too familiar.

Oh Oh oh…Wilco Wilco Wilco will love you baby

2. Deeper Down 3/10

Deeper down he felt the insult of a kiss

Tweedy wrote this song before. It was called “Hummingbird”, and was far superior. Note the references to “his” and “he”. Some nice lead guitar work, but it ultimately fails to fit the song.

3. One Wing 2/10

A very familiar guitar lick opens the song, and Tweedy begins to plead to some current or lost love. The track is filled with cliche lyrics and predictable, easy listening chord changes. See:

we may as well be made of stone

or:

One wing can’t fly, either yours or mine
I feel we can only wave goodbye

The versus and choruses are stitched together haphazardly,, and the climax would make even a Kid Rock fan blush. This is about as middle of the road as it gets.

4. Bull Black Nova 5/10

Some sort of violent dream sequence about murder. An extension of the I dreamed about killing you last night meme, only with the apparent sound of session musicians adding extra coats of paint, smothering any vitality.

5. You and I 0/10

Speaking of Kid Rock, this is perhaps the most pretentious and forced duet since that song he did with Sheryl Crow. Actually, I take that back. That song is better than this Starbucks approved syrup. Truly one of the most pointless songs this year in music, let alone Wilco’s catalog. Feist is Feist but this is really an offensive piece of work on all levels. Nothing is wrong with “selling out”. Just try and make it interesting.

6. You Never Know 2/10

Hey, Tom Petty called, and he wants You’re Jamming Me, back. Wait a second, George Harrison is on the other line, one second… *click*……………………*click* Um…George wants his chorus back.

I don’t care anymore…ooooohhh ahhhh
I don’t care anymore, I don’t care anymore

7. Country Disappeared 2/10

Way too similar to Belle and Sebastian’s Mornington Crescent From The Life Pursuit. Listen for yourself:

8. Solitare 5/10

Some fantastic stutter/pause acoustic guitar opens the song with a couple organ squiggles. Tweedy chimes in with the line:

Once I thought the world was crazy

The melody for this line is incredibly familiar. That said, it’s an interesting song which is delicately played.

9. I’ll Fight 2/10

It’s not even really interesting enough to comment on.

10. Sunny Feeling 3/10

The Harrison input rears its head again, with some lite Billy Joel thrown in. This is just plain middle of the road watered down pop music.
The lyrics are as trite and uninteresting as the music.

11. Everlasting 4/10

Everything in life must die
every building built to the sky will fall

Even some slick production can’t save this corny number. There are some nice moments like the big piano and drum up swell which brings along the line everlasting, but it’s clearly not enough. The end of the song leaves us with these flitering guitar birds which feel tacked on and pointless. Kind of sums up the record perfectly.

The trouble with this new Wilco album is it’s just not very good. It’s full of very derivative moments, combined with what feels like a lack of enthusiasm from the band. The songs just aren’t here…at all. Tweedy has always written at least somewhat interesting lyrics and they don’t show up either. Wilco (The Album) is the continuation of the artistic plunge this band has taken since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. You could kind of hear the air leaving the balloon about midway through a Ghost is Born, but that is still a really nice record. Sky Blue Sky was the obvious loss of all vitality. At this point they are repeating themselves, and intensely repeating the work of others which serves to create a very middle of the road geriatric soup.

Response Keywords after hearing this album:

phoned in, boring, insincere, generic, sleepy, lacking energy, uninspiring,

Album Total 2.8

Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer
Reviewed By Nolan Grey

Wolf Parade’s second full-length studio album, At Mount Zoomer, does not disappoint. Songs are expertly woven together, featuring the talents of Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug at the helm.

Soldier’s Grin: 9.4

The lead track starts the album off well, with a dueling melody and generally positive vibe. Like many Wolf Parade songs, the work is intricate enough to not only justify, but also deserve repeated listens to fully appreciate.

Call it a ritual: 8.5

With piano, echo effected voice, and intermittent raging guitar, Call it a ritual’s sound is excellent in a markedly different way than Soldier’s Grin. All this should be of little surprise with Krug at the helm, however Wolf Parade’s ability to produce such a variegated album is a strength that must be noted.

Language City: 9.2

Boeckner’s second track is another stand out. The guitar rocks, the drum pushes, and Boeckner’s vocals pepper the track with enthusiasm and emotion.

Bang Your Drum: 7.5

This track earns the unfortunate honor of being the album’s first non-stand out track. The song is certainly solid, with enough variation to keep listeners entertained for multiple plays, but it lacks the wow factor that the previous songs all contain.

California Dreamer: 8.5

The Krug led track spends the first minute building with a purposeful sound. Bass, guitar, piano, and synth sound enter and exit, all giving notice of things to come. The wait is certainly worth it, with a crescendo of sound kicking off the song in full force. California Dreamer is one of Krug’s better songs on the album; however, it does take repeated listens to really appreciate the way this track is put together.

The Grey Estates: 9.4

Although Boeckner is at the helm on The Grey Estates, it is the instrumentation that really pushes this particular track into such highly rated territory. The melody is infectious, and the intricacy that is indicative of the entire CD is more apparent here than anywhere else. Wolf Parade sounds at one time so unique and at the same time entirely together.

Fine Young Cannibals: 8.4

Like Bang Your Drum, there is nothing wrong with this solid track. Unfortunately, with a run time of over 6 minutes, and a melody that pales in comparison to the previous track, Fine Young Cannibals could become one of the more overlooked tracks on the album. As Boeckner’s weakest song on the album, the track is good, just not as good as his others. Damning praise for the song perhaps, but quite a positive for the album as a whole.

An Animal in your Care: 7.0

The sound on this track is more disjointed than on previous songs, and unfortunately the change doesn’t work as well as one might hope. An Animal in your Care is perhaps the weakest track on the CD, and although interesting (with potential to become a song that will grow in time, especially portions post 2 minutes in) it is not on the same level as the majority of the work on this album.

Kissing the Beehive: 9.0

Clocking in at almost 11 minutes, it must be stated first that this track has moments of brilliance. As the only Krug/Boeckner combo act on Mount Zoomer, the song both suffers and is facilitated by the dual artist approach. Kissing the Beehive is worth attention, and serves as a worthy end to an excellent CD.

Album Total: 8.54

You can download or pick up a hard copy here:

At Mount Zoomer

Weezer – The Red Album
Reviewed by Mike

There’s a thick buzz in the air as Weezer’s sixth full length release is about to drop. Will it sink to the sad Kid Rock depths of Beverly Hills, or will it remind us of the Weezer who made the classic Blue Album?

1. Troublemaker: 8.2

A fine pop song with a strong backbone. The melody and band is in synch, and come out defiant on this track in both tone and lyric, perhaps a response to the lackluster previous releases. A good start.

I picked up a guitar
What does that signify?
I’m gonna play
Some heavy metal riffs
And you will die

2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived: 9.2

The song opens with a Springsteen-esque piano sequence followed by a sarcastic vocal that is obviously a parody of the idiotic marketing apparent in so much new music we hear on the radio. This is a humorous, rocking ode to ridiculousness along the lines of Joe Walsh’s Life’s Been Good. The song changes instrumentation and pacing quite often.

If you don’t like it you can shove it
but you don’t like it, you love it

3. Pork and Beans 9.4

Absolute classic Weezer and a return to form. Rumor has it this is what Cuomo cooked up after having an initial batch of songs rejected by the record company. Being pressed is often a good thing.

I’mma do the things that I wanna do
I ain’t got a thing to prove to you

Interesting lyrical phrase considering how the song supposedly came to fruition.

4. Heart Songs: 7.9

Cuomo rattles off cute artist references one after the other, but the song ends up sounding like MOR for most of it’s length. Even though the artist references get old and the song veers dangerously into K-Lite territory, it is saved by smacking of sincerity and a vigorous climax.

5. Everybody Get Dangerous: 4.0

Imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bush having a kid. Not even Cuomo’s sense of humor can save this one.

6. Dreamin: 8.2

Strongly reminiscent of early Weezer. A catchy melody squirming in front of a wall of guitar.
The difference is this has an almost epic feel to it with a bit of psychedelia in the second half.

Teacher says I gotta learn some facts
So I can make it in the Widener Stacks
These are days that will define my life
I shouldn’t waste them on these friends of mine

7. Thought I Knew: 3.0

Help! Weezer’s been hijacked by Sugar Ray!

8. Cold Dark World: 5.0

Weezer breaks out the talk box. Unfortunately, the song just sort of plods along. There’s nothing really bad, but nothing really interesting either. The repetition of the line
Angel girl In a cold dark world I’m gonna be your man becomes fairly grating as well.

9. Automatic: 3.0

Help! Weezer’s been hijacked by a Christian rock band!

10. The Angel and the One: 7.8

The big dramatic finish. Cuomo gets serious for a bit in this mountainous, soaring song that eludes to “destiny”, “higher place”, “peace” and “magic”. Unfortunately alot of it sounds fairly forced(something that could be said for a large chunk of The Red Album).

It’s not my destiny to be the one that you will lay with
So many reasons why I have to go but want to stay here
Sometimes I want to taste but then I don’t know what I’m saying
You are the angel, and I am the one that is praying

Album Total: 6.6/10

Response Keywords after hearing the album:

fun, adventurous, pop, goofy, forced, bland, catchy, energetic

In the end, The Red Album turns out to be a bit of a conflicting record. There are flashes of brilliance, but also some pretty deep misteps. It should be a hit with long-time Weezer fans, and for those looking for several excellent pop songs for the summer of 2008. There’s no question Cuomo is still capable of crafting high quality songs when he sets his mind to it.

You can get a hard copy here:

Weezer (Red Album) [Deluxe]