The Dandy Warhols – Earth to…I don’t think that I have read a single good thing about this record. Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Blender all gave the most recent effort from Portland’s finest some of their lowest ratings. All of their reasons are true. A good deal of the lyrical wit is gone. There are some clear pop singles that don’t have the solid hooks that previous singles have had. There are some random genre shifts, but is that really a bad thing? If you have followed the Dandys, this is the path that they have been on since “13 Tales From Urban Bohemia.” They have been indulging in their whims and obsessed with making cool hipster psychedelic music since then. If you like them for what they are about, then this is a great album. Even more so, this is their first independent release since their mid nineties debut. Corporate constraints are no longer pushing the pop single. What it comes down to is it’s fun, much like all of their other records.
Tricky – Knowle West BoyI thought that Tricky was done. He fell off the radar for a few years. This album snuck its way into record stores and online sites. And what a pleasant surprise. It is just fantastic. The trip-hop feel is still there, but in a far more organic way with some bluesy influences.
The Rolling Stone – More Hot RocksI recently picked up the sister compilation to the quintessential Stones collection, Hot Rocks. Like Hot Rocks, More Hot Rocks focuses on The Stones through the early seventies. Although this collection is weak compared to it’s counterpart, it is still a fun ride and interesting perspective on the roots of one of the greatest rock bands ever. A number of cover songs serve as a reminder that they had their own idols and were initially, just another rock band in the early stages of their career.
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