Music Review - Incubus

It's been 5 years since we've heard from that California 5-some once known for their rapid fire lyrics full of meaning and their mixture of the hard and soft sounds that once stood out in the alt/rock spectrum. I was able to get an advanced copy of their latest album, If Not Now, When? (due for release July, 2011), and I can say I was surprised. Sadly, however, not all surprises are good ones.

If you were expecting a return to albums like S.C.I.E.N.C.E or even A Crow Left of the Murder, you, like me, would be disappointed. You see, it seems the bad boys of Incubus have grown up. And while they still like the lyrics sound deep, Boyd comes off as a caricature of his former self, only conjuring images of words he's said before. But this time slower, more melodically.

The 13 tracks all more or less meander down the same path without stretching or going anywhere. It seems that as time has passed, Incubus has lost it's passion, the desire to rock it out and put together some powerfully anthemic words and music. None of the songs reaches out and grabs you. Sadly, this album is a let done.

Perhaps they are going for a jazzier more adult feel, but personally, I think they've just lost their edge.

Where to get it:

• You can pre-order the album from the Incubus website which also allows you to preview the released track "Adolescents"

RIYL: Far's latest album At Night We Live, Owen

EDIT: Thanks for special grammatical help from renegadex415x of Reddit Land

Music Review - 8in8

To say 8in8 is a super group is an odd way to put it in the least. Made up of former Dresden Doll, Amanda Palmer, her husband, writer, musician, and all around nice guy, Neil Gaiman, the always willing to do a duet Ben Folds, and Damian Kulash, singer, guitarist, and treadmill master from OkGO. That really is 4 people I wouldn't usually expect to get together in a studio...or my kitchen. I guess that these things happen.

Each track on Nighty Night (an album done in 8 hours) is an expression in and of itself, but for me, the real ear grabber was "Because Origami", a soft duet with Ben Folds and Amanda Palmer that starts soft and ends sad. Then, returning to story form, there is the dark closing track, "The Problem With Saints", where Neil Gaiman's use of the word "bifurcated" is just really scary. For something that may have come about as a joke or some fun, it has hutzpah and shows what fun it is to break out of the norm and play music instead of just making it.

At any rate, the cd is a fun listen and really enjoyable. I've gone through it about 10 or 15 times this morning and can't stop listening. If that's not enough to get you interested, initial proceeds from download-donations are going to berkleecitymusicnetwork - a charity which provides kids with every opportunity to see their musical potential. But since the music stands on it's own eclectic legs, the charity is just icing on the cake.

Where to get it:

• Amandapalmer.net


• rumors are it will be on iTunes soon

RIYL: Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Richard Harris, for no real reason other than the last track "The Problem With Saints" remind me of "MacArthur Park"

Music Review - The Dead Milkmen - The King in Yellow

It has been 16 years since we've had something new from The Dead Milkmen. That changed recently, with the digital only release of The King in Yellow. To say this is an exciting release would be an understatement, but it begs the question, are we excited about the nostalgic possibilities, or the music?

The first thing I noticed when listening to through the songs was the production quality. I listened to some old Dead Milkmen afterward and got the impression they were four dudes with 3 microphones in an attic recording. It didn't diminish the music, but it is what I expected to hear again. The songs on King are more polished, the drums come through clearly without that classic twang on the snare, the other instruments are nicely balanced and the vocals are clear and easy to hear. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does take away from the nostalgia. The songs themselves, however, will bring it back.

While not every song is going to bring back visions of cruising in the back of your friend's Ford Tempo on the way to Ocean City, NJ in the summer of your 19th year, some of them will. There is still some intelligently veiled social commentary - especially on songs like "Fauxhemia" that takes issue with pop music and "Meaningless Upbeat Happy Song" which takes more issue with the "culture of fear", and some general Dead Milkmen wackiness can be found on "Melora Says", it's pretty clear these guys have gotten a little older. The album is fun to listen to, if a little slower on most tracks tan expected of the Dead Milkmen.

When all is said and done, it's worth the download. It brings back some memories and reminds us all that this world is full of people who look a lot like Gavin MacLeod.

Where to find them:

• The Dead Milkmen Website is currently the only place to get it


• Their back catalog is available on iTunes

RIYL: Ween, The Descendants, They Might be Giants

Music Review - Childish Gambino - Self-titled EP

Hip-hop is not dead. It just took a television star to remind us that it could be good again.

Most people know Childish Gambino as Troy from Community. And it can't be denied that Donald Glover is a brilliant comedic actor. So I wasn't sure what to think when I heard he was dropping a hip-hop album. I mean, Chris Rock had a hip-hop album once, but it was all comedy. Not so with Childish Gambino.

This self-titled EP is ridiculously thick with some of the best lyrical combinations unleashed by any rapper in recent years (I had to pause "Freaks and Geeks" and rewind just hear him say "In the back of the bush/Like Gavin Rossdale's drummer" on more time). The talent isn't just in the ability to rhyme and deliver either.

If Childish Gambino wanted to release an R&B album with just singing, no rhyming, he would still be successful. This album is funny, without being strictly comedic (some parts are funny, but that doesn't seem to be the intent overall), emotionally open without being soft, and tight as a hip-hop record can be. Makes you wonder, is there anything this guy can't do well?

Sadly, only 5 songs though. Hopefully we'll get more tunes soon.

Where to find him:

• MediaFire


• Donald Glover's website

RIYL: Jay-Z, Das EFX, Eminem

Retro Review - Kill Creek - St. Valentine's Garage

For a change of pace, I thought it might be enjoyable to review an album that isn't quite as recent as many review sites. Kill Creek's St. Valentine's Garage is an album my friends and I discovered in the warm summer of 1995. The album itself was released, independently on a tiny label called Mammoth and crept to the east coast between it's release in 1994 and when we stumbled upon it. Then everything changed.

This album is a pre-cursor to nearly everything called emo that came from the midwest in the years afterwards. Searing guitars, driving drums, solid bass work, and vocals able to drive you made with the passion coming through (every song is realatable). With songs of loss ("Kelly's Dead", "Funeral") to songs of relationships failing and the desperation in trying ("Fruit Pie", "Gett On"), this album incorporates the post-teenage/not-quite-adult mindset in a way that makes the songs still relevant today.

Produced by the now legendary Ed Rose, St. Valentine's Garage is still a great listen to this day. Powerful and evocative but sadly, obscure and somewhat left behind. If bands had the intensity, integrity, and naive honesty presented here, music would be in a much better state today.

Where to find them:

• their homespun web site


• iTunes

RIYL: The GetUp Kids, Cursive, At the Drive-In

Music Review - Elevator Music

FULL DISCLOSURE: THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY MUSIC YOU ARE LIKELY TO HEAR IN AN ELEVATOR!

That said, Elevator Music is a great indie-pop group hailing from the winter worn land of Calgary, Alberta. My first impression, listening to "When We Were Nocturnal" was that these guys could use a little more polish. The instrumentation itself is done well, but the low-fi attitude of it caught me by surprise. Then it began to grow on me. By the end of the self-titled EP, I was loving it. It was a nice throwback to a time when everything wasn't so clean and digitally scrubbed.

There is beauty in simplicity here. The music isn't pointlessly complicated, and, along with the vocals, make for a nostalgic innocence. These songs aren't immature, but they do give that sense of your last summer before college and tall the possibilities that were ahead, and all the pitfalls too (note, this may be heavily influenced by the track "Treason in the Season of Summer").

This EP is highly enjoyable, and a great escape from winter doldrums. Many bonus points for the French version of "Mirabelle".

Where to find them:

• BandCamp


• MySpace


• Facebook

RIYL: The Shins, Phoenix, PlayRadioPlay!

Music Review - Aaron Stoquert

Aaron Stoquert is a musician looking to make a name as a singer/songwriter. A musician of understatement, some might say as they listen to his first EP, Run For Your Life.

While it seems Stoquert is referring to love and lose and the way things take their course in life, I can't help wondering if he's referring to a zombie apocalypse. I know the sample on the opening track, "Bunker Hill" might make it obvious, but I couldn't let myself think such a concept could be so well done, and with such a subtle delivery too.

The delivery is the focus here. Stoquert is a talented musician, technically proficient and creative to not just play the notes. This is really brought out in his voice. I hate to use a cliche term for it, but his voice is soaringly haunting. On each song, I feel transported to the desolate air of the South in the 1930's. He gives a sense of desperation without passion, as if you know everything is lost, and you would love to get it back, but you know the odds...so you won't do a thing. This is especially clear on the track "Pass Me By".

This being his first, I think we can only expect great things from Aaron Stoquert as time passes.

Where to find him:

• the album is downloadable on BandCamp where you can name your price

RIYL: Leonard Cohen, Cursive, Afghan Whigs