AROUND

We got tickets for Zappa Plays Zappa in Detroit. I think it'll wind up pre-empting my other out of town concert plans for the summer. But it should be worth it. I'm no Zappaophile (or whatever the fanz call theyselves collectively) but I'm a casual fan. I know a couple of his albums. So it'll be cool to see live.



THE RADIO DEPT
PET GRIEF
Incredibly pleasant 80s inflected light & airy synth pop. That I like quite a lot apparently. "The Worst Taste in Music" is a good song title.

HEM
NO WORD FROM TOM
Pretty, country inflected, acoustic piano, violins, acoustic guitars, acoustic everything. Very traditional American songwriting type stuff. If Cowboy Junkies did a John Denver tribute.

KATAKLYSM
IN THE ARMS OF DEVASTATION
Brutal but melodic death metal. I wouldn't put it past them to use clean vocals though. It sounds like two singers. One has a lower scream growl & the other is higher, almost black metal-ish. Interesting counterpoint there. "The Road to Devastation" is the obligatory symphonic epic that rounds out the album.

BOB SINCLAIR
WESTERN DREAM
What a misleading set of titles. I wasn't expecting house music. Well done them. "Tennessee" sounds like Rinocerose with acoustic guitars. So, it's melodic & has nice beats. We may be on to something here. Or......not.

BUSTA RHYMES
PRELUDE TO THE BIG BANG EP
I loved the first few Busta albums. When he crammed about fifty million words into every verse. Now he just sounds like a hoarse version of everyone else. & his music was a lot crazier before. I wouldn't bother trying to blast this in my car. "Blow this Head Off" is cool, vocally, but the music is weak. The one with Sizzla might be cool. The tempos are too low. Get uptempo with it. & how many times is he going to use the apocalypse imagery. I wonder.

SAVES THE DAY
SOUND THE ALARM
Dude. When music is this formulaic I really need a stamp or something. It feels like they're just repeating everything that's ever been said & so maybe so should I. Whatever. Whiny new wavey pop punk with all the fun cooked out.


VAN HUNT
ON THE JUNGLE FLOOR
Technofied r&b. Slow jamz & everything.


PERPLEX
EXPRESSION
Dull, epic trance. I mean, it's probably fine in a club or on headphones or very loud in a car on the freeway late at night in the middle of the summer with all the windows open.

FROZEN MIST
FORESHADOWED
What the hell is this crap? And there's so much of it too. Okay. Weirdly sequenced drums & keys. Lame, badly recorded male & female vocals. And it just goes on forever. Or, I mean, it would if I hadn't already turned it off. Bleh, it just sounded so crap. Sorry, guys. I really am. I'm just not into it.

JOEY DEFRANCESCO
ORGANIC VIBES
Organ-ic Vibes, geddit? Because this album is a jazzy bunch of hammond organ/vibes/drum trio trax. And flute. Cool enough.

ORSON
BRIGHT IDEA
Proto-Charlatans? Nah. In spots, maybe. This just sounds like the UK Top 40 this week. In a bad way. David Gray meets Jamiroquoi meets Travis.