Posts Tagged: a strange education

2009 / 3 stars / franz ferdinand / reviews — No Comments
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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2008 / 4 stars / reviews / the killers — 3 Comments
9
Dec 08

Day & Age (2008) by the Killers

Genre: alt rock
Rating:
“A Dustland Fairytale,” “Joy Ride,” “Spaceman,” and “A Crippling Blow.”
myspace, last.fm
Tiger Lou’s The Loyal, Cinematic’s A Strange Education

Coming from the Killers, Day & Age is a mix of both the old and new. They’ve fully grown into their unique mix of Southwest-folk-set-to-electro-pop and allowed that confidence to show in their lyrics. So instead of the superficiality of their debut Hot Fuss and the confusion of Sam’s Town, The Killers are far more coherent (isn’t that an oxymoron?) and thus more interesting. Day & Age still extols the gawdy glories of Las Vegas, but the listener gets some fascinating glimpses at the personalities that make up the band underneath all the noise. “Losing Touch” is a surprising song to start the album with, but well worth the insight.

I already feel like this review is bare for the grandiosity that is this album, but I’ll sum it up in as few words as possible: The Killers are back and making a little more sense than usual.

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2007 / 4 stars / reviews / the cinematics — No Comments
12
Jan 08

A Strange Education (2007) by The Cinematics

Genre: post-punk/indie rock/alt rock
Rating:
Check Out: “Break,” “A Strange Education,” “Human,” and “Keep Forgetting”
myspace

A Strange Education opens with a high, infective energy, but gradually tapers down into confusion. Songs like “Break” and “Keep Forgetting” show that these boys from Glasgow, Scotland have truly learned from the Smiths (the lead singer even sounds like Morrissey). But “Alright” and “Asleep at the Wheel” don’t seem worthy of their predecessors.

It’s the lyrics that are so disappointing; while they touch on interesting topics, they don’t tell a complete story.

The best song here is “A Strange Education.” At least the first half of the album lives up to this band’s promise.

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