reviews


15
Oct 09

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009) by Franz Ferdinand

tonight: franz ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

2009, Domino/Epic
indie rock, dance-punk
3½

Here’s a lesson for you, kids: two decent songs do NOT a good album make. It seems Franz Ferdinand has yet to learn this lesson, as Tonight sounds just like their other two albums. If you believe the end justifies the means, then it probably doesn’t matter to you that this album was obviously just a way for them to ensure a paycheck. But as a consumer and an amateur critic (oh please, I ain’t big enough to drop the ‘amateur’… yet), I’m highly disappointed. If I wanted dance from a supposedly indie alt rock band, I’d be listening to Muse with the rest of the Twilight Nation. In fact, Muse at least had the sense to be so overtly dramatic that they would be impossible to resist – Franz Ferdinand just brings back memories of their first hit in “Ulysses” and “No You Girls,” creeps me out with “Dream Again,” and then puts me to sleep with the rest. It’s a catchy album but not worth your money or your time.

“Ulysses,” “No You Girls.”
myspace, last.fm
AFI’s decemberunderground, The Cinematics’s A Strange Education

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14
Oct 09

Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future (2009) by The Bird and The Bee

ray guns are not just the future the bird and the bee

The Bird and The Bee
Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

2009, Blue Note Records
electronic, indie pop
4

The Bird and the Bee seem like yet another artsy duo attempting to find success in the indie pop field with their second album Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future; even the title of their album is appropriately off-beat to fit that image. But the songs on Ray Guns are rather simplistic instead of esoteric, both in lyrics and in beats. Yet even those lyrics and beats are haunting enough to be memorable, and it’s that catchiness that really carries this album – see “Love Letter to Japan.” I do have to applaud them for subtle jazz influences and the fact that lead vocalist Inara George’s voice is great when she’s singing or speaking. Hey, let’s face it, a good singer doesn’t necessarily know how to pull off a chant or even sound good when they’re not singing, but George does.

“My Love,” “Meteor,” “Diamond Dave.”
myspace, last.fm
Moonbabies’s War on Sound, Stephanie Dosen’s A Lily for the Spectre

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13
Oct 09

The Open Door (2006) by Evanescence

Evanescence The Open Door

Evanescence
The Open Door

2006, Wind-Up Records
alt rock, metal
4

All right, folks, I have a very shameful secret. Along with old-school Backstreet Boys and Britney, Evanescence is a major guilty pleasure of mine. Lead singer/songwriter Amy Lee’s whining is as addicting as whining can ever be, and she has the Pop Diva Personality down pat. On a more serious note, I personally think Open Door is a far better album than Fallen, as the latter tried to hard to stay relevant in the ‘rock’ genre and didn’t allow for any creativity (or excessive whining). But Open Door made up for it, and in many ways is a true depiction of the band (if you can still call it one, as the only original member left is Lee herself). Apparently Evanescence is back in the studio, which is a relief considering how badly I need their brand of Weepy Crack-Rock.

“Weight of the World,” “Lithium,” “Lacrymosa.”
myspace, last.fm
AFI’s decemberunderground, Poets of the Fall’s Revolution Roulette

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