The Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper

Let me start off by saying that I never bought into the whole Beatles vs. Stones debate. They're both amazing. Get over it.I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you don't know The Rolling Stones, give up on listening to music forever. You're wasting your time. 

"Flowers" was released in 1967 and is technically a compilation album. Most of the songs are from different albums that were released in the few years leading up to it's release. A majority of them appeared as either singles or B-sides, or weren't included in the American releases of "Aftermath" and "Between The Buttons". "Flowers" would eventually reach third on the Billboard Pop charts and be certified gold after more than 500,000 copies sold.

The album opens with what is now considered to be a golden standard for The Rolling Stones. "Ruby Tuesday" (which was also featured on Between The Buttons) kick starts the album with what seems to me like a slower version of the song. It might be that they play it faster live and that's what I'm used too. Either way it's an awesome song. Following Ruby Tuesday is "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow" and "Let's Spend The Night Together".

"Let's Spend The Night Together" has become an infamous song because of the trouble the band got into because of the lyrics. When the British invasion happened in the late sixties, The Rolling Stones were supposed to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show to preform. When the band arrived at the set, they were told that either "the song goes, or you go". The group came to a compromise by changing the lyrics from "lets spend the night together" to "lets spend some time together". After the performance, the band was banned from ever performing on the show again. Looking back now, that seems kind of ridiculous.

After "Lady Jane" and "Out of Time" comes a previously unreleased track. The Rolling Stones cover the Smokey Robinson song "My Girl". I don't usually like cover songs more than the original version but this is an exception. To be honest, I always thought that The Rolling Stones wrote and performed the original version. It's just that much better. After "Backstreet Girl" and "Please Go Home", my favourite song on the album is up.

"Mother's Little Helper" is easily my favourite song on the album. Even if it is much darker in comparison to the all the other songs on the album, it still has the most pop sound on the record. The song mentions a "little yellow pill". It turns out that they were referring to a type of barbiturates. Mainly Nembutal which was used as a recreational drug in the sixties. Upon looking into it online, I found out that today, heavy doses are used to kill inmates that have been given the death penalty in the U.S.

So, there's that.

The album is closed out by a trio of solid Stones tracks. "Take It or Leave It", "Ride On, Baby" and "Sittin' on a Fence" are all wonderful songs, but on an album that contains so many established singles they kind of make it seem like the album is trailing off. That being said, they probably could have been sold as singles to promote the "Flowers" album because two of them were previously unreleased.

So overall I would probably end up giving the album an 80/100 ranking. It's definitely a strong album but because there's aren't many new songs, it doesn't get any higher. Still, I would say it's a must have if you like The Rolling Stones.

Buy it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flowers-remastered/id76532969

or here:

http://www.amazon.ca/Flowers-The-Rolling-Stones/dp/B00006AW2N

or here:

http://rollingstones.shop.bravadousa.com/Product.aspx?cp=150_15245&pc=RSDD16

KMD - Figure of Speech

KMD (Kausing Much Damage) was a hip hop trio from Long Beach, New York. The group's core consisted of DJ Subroc and emcee Zev Love X. The third member Onyx the Birthstone Kid quit the group during the recording of their second album in 1993. The group only made two albums in the early 1990's. Shortly before their second album was released, Subroc was killed in a car accident and the group was dropped by their label. "Mr. Hood" was their debut album and was released in 1991.

A lot of the rhyming on this record reminds me of something like an early version of De La Soul. The album manages to keep a positive bouncy tone while tackling sensitive subjects like racism. What they use to keep a semi-storyline throughout the album is a set of samples from a language-learning tape. The man in the recording is referred to as Mr. Hood and pops up in almost every song. Having proper English spoken by the recording juxtaposed by the slang by the group can lead to some pretty amusing conversations. The interlude where Mr. Hood meets Onyx and they insult each other through escalation is legitimately funny.

This album represents a wonderful point in time for hip hop music. It had evolved past simply telling stories of going to the mall, and added more political resonance and message. That being said, you have to take the entire track into context to try and understand what they're trying to convey. If you take it line by line it wont make much sense, if at all. I wouldn't call it the polar opposite of an NWA album, but NWA doesn't have Ernie from Sesame Street humming a beat for one of their songs.

Normally I would pick a few of the standouts on the album. However, it would be hard to do that on this album because they stay so consistently amusing. I decided to upload "Figure of Speech" because I set the album to shuffle and it was the first track that played. Besides the fact that it seems to be the only song that doesn't include the Mr. Hood character, it's a fairly accurate representation of the rest of the record.

It's hard for me to give a rating to this album. The conundrum comes from the fact that when it comes to politically charged rap music, gangster rap pulls it off better. So rating a more "wholesome" version needs to take into consideration the difference between the two. Considering what would be the groups competition KMD would have had to deal with when the album came out, I have to give the record a rating somewhere around a 75/100. It's a solid album that will make you laugh in between wonderfully catchy songs.

Buy it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/mr.-hood/id376268300

or here:

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Hood-KMD/dp/B000I2KRC6

TV On The Radio - Caffeinated Consciousness

TV On The Radio is a band based in Brooklyn, New York and formed back in 2001. Although the band has had a host of contributors on each of their albums, the main line up consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals), David Andrew Sitek (guitar, keyboards), Kyp Malone (vocal, guitar), Jaleel Bunton (drums, vocals) and Gerard Smith (bass, keyboard). Unfortunately after the release of their fifth studio album "Nine Types of Light", Gerard Smith passed away after succumbing to lung cancer.

Wikipedia defines the group as a "art rock" band. A label that I despise to core. I consider music an art to begin with, so art rock translates to me as music-music. I would just refer to the band as different. Taking only this album into account, they are certainly not a traditional rock group. You don't usually expect to hear a horn section involved in almost every song. I guess the closest description you could come up with is a rock band with a dash of funk. The result is amazing either way.

Overall the album seems to be a lot more mellow than previous entries. Considering that the band was on a hiatus before this album was released, I have to think it had something to do with Gerard Smith's illness. It has to be hard to stay peppy and happy when one of your best friends is dying. The first track called "Second Song" has some minor references to death and acceptance in the lyrics.

"Now my body says it's over

Shaking hands tear my face away."

"When there's music all around me and I haven't got a single word to say."

That being said, the album isn't depressing by any means. The songs have a wonderful tendency to stay bouncy and fun while dealing with serious subjects. Something that is very unique to the band is their ability to keep their sound fresh and fun not only from album to album, but from song to song as well. If you take one of their past singles such as "Wolf Like Me" and compare it to one of the singles off of Nine Types of Light, you would get two very different songs. You would also still be able to recognise both songs as uniquely being from TV On The Radio.

Nine Types of Light is what you want to see from an evolving band. They can make great progress and follow a path that makes sense to the sound they release, without going off the rails. Some of the standout tracks on the album for me are "Second Song", "Future Shock", "Killer Crane", "Will Do" and "Caffeinated Consciousness." I decided to upload Caffeinated Consciousness because it was my ring tone for almost 6 months before I got tired of hearing it every day. It's also the most upbeat energetic song on the album. Really, it's just wonderful.

I would probably end up giving the album an 83/100 rating. Even though its a more mellow laid back listening experience, it still makes you want to get up and do some weird kind of slow dance. I don't really know how to sell that any better. So trust me, it's a good thing. The fact that hey made the entire album one massive music video is pretty awesome as well. Watch it here.

Then buy the album here:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/nine-types-light-deluxe-version/id429772209

or here,

http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Types-Light-TV-Radio/dp/B004NHRGQW

or finally, here.

http://www.tvontheradio.com/discography/default.aspx

The Black Keys - Girl Is On My Mind

The Black Keys came together in Akron Ohio in 2001, and consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar & vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). Rubber factory is their third studio album and was released in 2004. The name of the album comes from where the album was actually recorded. The basement studio that the band had used to record their two previous albums had been sold by the landlord. So the band made a makeshift studio inside an old tire-manufacturing plant. Five months later the band was done recording and Rubber Factory was born. The album would eventually make it to number 143 on the Billboard 200 and was dubbed one of the best albums of the year by publications like Entertainment Weekly and   The New Yorker.

If there is one thing The Black Keys know how to do, it's make blues infused rock music. Rubber Factory offers a more raw version of what makes them popular today. This was the last album that they produced by themselves before they brought producer Danger Mouse on board to help out. I'm not trying to knock Danger Mouse, he clearly knew what he was doing. But in my opinion, unpolished rock music is usually the best rock music. Black Keys music is still Black Keys music regardless of who produces the album, and this one definatly rocks. What sells the album for me is that Rubber Factory has a more gritty lo-fi sound that fits The Black Keys style. Hopefully they never lose that ability to play to raw, powerful rock.

Now usually before I write a review, I'll hop online to see what other people have written about the album. This is literally the only album where I've had to try and dig to find something negative about the album. The closest thing I could find was from Rolling Stone where they said that the album "aspires to Hendrix in his prime and narrowly misses". That's not really a criticism, considering most of the planet considers Hendrix one of the best guitar players that ever lived.

So really, at this point I think it's easier for me to give you a few of the better songs on an album that are amazing. "10AM Automatic", "The Desperate Man", "Girl Is On My Mind", "The Lengths", "Grown So Ugly", "Keep Me" and "Till I Get My Way" are all phenomenal songs and make up half the album. I decided to upload "Girl Is On My Mind" because it's a more methodical blues inspired song, and is generally a solid song. It's also what I would consider a half way mark in quality on the album. Meaning that on an album that has twelve songs on it, it sits around five or six on a list of my favourite tracks.

I would probably give the album somewhere between 85-90/100. The Black Keys are a wonderful duo that have really taken up the mantle of gritty garage rock and seem to be having fun with it. More proof of the quality of the album is that in May 2012 the album re-entered the Billboard 200. This time it did better than the original release and reached number 131. Think about that for a second. Eight years after it's original release, it charts twelve spots higher. That's ridiculous.

Buy it here

http://www.amazon.ca/Rubber-Factory-Black-Keys/dp/B0002O06N0

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/rubber-factory/id294956425

Metric - Youth Without Youth

Metric is an indie rock band that was formed in Toronto back in 1998. The band includes lead singer Emily Haines, guitarist James Shaw, bassist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key. Synthetica is the their fifth studio album and was released worldwide on June 12th, 2012. I have every album from the band and the one thing I can say about Synthetica is that it isn't their best.

The album starts with a song called "Artificial Nocturne" that opens with what appears to be a build up to a breaking point for the song. It seems to drag out though because when the build up finally breaks, you're already two minutes into the song. Then it kind of fizzles out without really going anywhere. The song itself is alright, but doesn't really give you a chance to enjoy it.

Next up is "Youth Without Youth". I chose to upload the song mainly because it's the first single off the album. This is about as close to previous albums sound on the new record. Usually on a Metric album there are a few songs that can really get you dancing. Synthetica has a few but they are far more electronic sounding compared to previous entries.

"Speed The Collapse" and "Breathing Underwater" are a good example of the bands push towards more electronic sounding music. it seems to focus on Emily's piano/synth playing rather than James and Josh's guitar playing. Both clearly have the standard guitar playing but are more of a back beat and not in the forefront. At points in "Breathing Underwater"its actually kind of hard to tell what your listening too. The guitar and synth's meld together so well that your not quite sure which is which.

"Dreams So Real" is a song that has a sound that the band will probably head towards more in the future. Which is fine. It's what electronic rock music should sound like. The song that follows completely throws off my flow with the album though. "Dreams So Real" has a wonderful steady pulse which drops off and leaves Emily sounding like a small child in the acoustic pop sounding "Lost Kitten" It's not a bad song, but it just doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the record.

The title track "Synthetica" brings me back to older songs by the band. Synthetica almost sounds like it was a leftover from the Fantasies album. It would've fit in there a lot better. It's probably one of the better songs on the album and is the version of Metric that I enjoy. I like them more as a rock band and less like a electro-pop band. The fact that they can pull off both sounds at the same time stands as a testament to their talent.

The only other track that really stood out to me was a song called "Wanderlust". Lou Reed is a guest vocalist on the track and melds nicely with the sound of Emily's voice. Which shocked me to no end. I still think of Lou Reed as a gritty singer from the seventies and eighties. After working with groups like Gorillaz and Metric, he might just be able to re brand himself again.

Overall, I think Synthetica is a album that shows that Metric is evolving. I don't think I like the direction they're heading, but that's just my opinion. I would probably give the album somewhere between a 77/100 rating. Although its not exactly what you're used to hearing from the band, it's still very much a Metric album. A lot of the album is about them becoming mainstream and the cynicism for the future of music in general. It seems like a band struggling with self confidence and image in the public eye. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But if you like Metric you will like the album. go pick it up.

Buy it here:

http://ilovemetric.com/store/

http://www.amazon.ca/Synthetica-Metric/dp/B0081YSRWU

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/synthetica/id517801411

The Raconteurs - Together

The Raconteurs formed in 2005 and like most Jack White projects, was formed in Detroit. Aside from Jack White (from The White Stripes) the band also includes Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. Their first full length album "Broken Boy Soldiers" would lead to a few Grammy Award nominations including Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance. The records single "Steady, As She Goes" would eventually become number one in the U.S. alternative charts, and become their biggest hit.

Because Jack White is involved, the band probably got more attention then they would have otherwise. Which isn't a bad thing. The entire album makes me think that this is what The White Stripes would sound like if they went to a music academy when they were younger. Instead of reckless raw power, The Raconteurs present a more refined controlled version of a rock band. There is still a lot of power behind the music but it doesn't feel like the songs are running out of control.

Which is kind of the problem that I have with the album. With the amount of control the musicians have while playing, it kind of takes away from the energy that could be released. It almost sounds to me like the band had played the songs so many times before recording the album, that they had become bored with the songs they were playing. The first four songs are perfect examples of what could have been. "Steady, As She Goes", "Hands", "Broken Boy Soldiers" and "Intimate Secretary" all have very powerful guitar riffs supported by a constant back beat. Musically the songs sound great. I just can't help but feel like they were holding back for some reason.

The song I decided to upload was "Together". I think this track is unique in the sense that Jack White probably should have stayed off the vocals. With a slower and quieter almost ballad type of song, his voice cuts through it and almost ruins the melody. It just doesn't seem to work. It might just because my brain seems to equate his voice to a more intensive kind of rock music, but that might be my problem. However, I think after a few listens of the album, "Together" is probably my favourite track. It doesn't try to act like something it isn't, it's a rock lullaby. "Call It A Day" is a similar example that Jack White's voice isn't really made for slower tempo songs. Although he does do a much better job of harmonizing with "Call It A Day".

The only other tracks on the album that I would say are worth listening to on the album are "Store Bought Bones" and "Blue Veins". "Store Bought Bones" actually gets very close to how I think the entire album should sound. It feels like they enjoyed playing it and it shows potential for what could have been. "Blue Veins" is a very Blues themed track. It doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album but as a stand alone track it is wonderful.

Even though I kind of shit on the album in the past couple paragraphs, I do like this album. Could it be better? Sure. Does it need to be? Not really. It really comes down to personal preference on an album like this one. If you like albums that sound like they were recorded in a studio, this album is definately for you. If you prefer your rock music to be a little bit wild, I would say download the singles. Overall I would probably give the album somewhere between a 70-75/100 rating. It's a good record, but it seems like the potential for an awesome album was missed.

Buy it here though:

http://www.amazon.ca/Broken-Boy-Soldiers-Raconteurs/dp/B000F48CD8

or here:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/broken-boy-soldiers/id276567248

DANGERDOOM - The Mask ft. Ghostface Killah

Prepare for a double dose of DOOM. Also featuring a few side orders of Ghostface Killah.

Originally I was just going to upload one song this week. The problem was that the DOOMSTARKS (The project name for DOOM+Ghost) album is just the same song, four times. I'll get to that album eventually, but for now I'll give you some backstory on DANGERDOOM.

DANGERDOOM is a collaboration from producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF DOOM. After working together on other artists albums (ex. Gorillaz "Demon Days"), they decided to make an album together. So in 2005 they released "The Mouse & The Mask". Which got some critical acclaim, most notably winning a Independent Music Award for Best Hip Hop Album of the Year.

What makes the album so interesting is the involvement of the television group [adultswim]. In between tracks there are short skits performed by characters from their programming block. Some of the funnier moments come from a recurring skit where Master Shake from "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" becomes progressivly angrier at DOOM for not including his rapping on the album. Other Shows that are included and/or mentioned on the album are: Family Guy, Futurama, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Perfect Hair Forever. If you've never heard of any of these shows, take a quick second and enjoy some bizarre animation. [adultswim] I look at the record as an experiment in advertising and double entendres, with some hilarious results.

"El Chupa Nibre" is the opening track and is a wonderful example of some of the humour that is provided by the skits. The first line you hear on the album is from Brak (Space Ghost Coast to Coast). He opens the album by asking: "Why did you buy this album? I don't know why you did. You're stupid." Which is followed by Lois Griffin from Family Guy telling Brak to "Go Fuck Yourself". The track is fairly short and is what could probably be considered an introduction to what's going to happen on the album. Which is essentially trying to make a humorous album that includes as many references to the [adultswim] programming.

"Sofa King" follows and is one of the best uses of word play on the entire album. Which makes sense considering the skit that opens and closes the song has an immigrant trying to get the Aqua Teen Hunger Force cast to say "I am Sofa King, We Todd Ed" fast enough that it sounds like they are saying "I am So Fucking Retarded". My favourite part of the song goes:

"Keep your streets. We got the city neatly conquered.

Discreetly with the CD, till' they be completely bonkered!

The fans demanded it, handle it, swallow it,

his own brand of shit, if only he could bottle it...

Nah, things could get messy.

Feds try to torture him for the secret recipe."

I decided to upload "The Mask"because it sort of acts as an origin story for the DOOMSTARKS album that will hopefully be coming out later this year. As you'll hear, the combination of the two really does make them some of the best rappers on the planet. Or as they put it, "superheroes for life until our souls vanish."

"Perfect Hair" is almost literally a description of the show Perfect Hair Forever. So I'm going to skip over it completely. If you don't know anything about the show, it just seems like a bunch of gibberish. Upon further review, it's actually kinda funny.

"Benzie Box" is a favourite song of mine. Not for any specific lyric, but because of the contrast between Cee - Lo Green singing the chorus and DOOM rhyming through the verses. Having the soothing soulful voice in between DOOM's grittier sounding voice is a stoke of genius. Especially at the start of the second verse:

<Cee - Lo>

"His name's DOOM.

They wonder just who is he?

But don't worry, believe me he'll get busy.

When it comes to poetry he's got plenty.

La la la

La la la la la."

<DOOM>

"Eh, if I may interject?

Rap these days is like a pain up in my neck."

"Old School" features Talib Kweli and is probably the most catchy song from the album. It has both Kweli and DOOM looking back at their childhoods and the cartoons they used to watch. with Kweli claiming:

"I might be buggin, but it seem to me,

that cartoons be realer than reality TV.

They inspire my decision to be open and listen,

but fools got it all twisted, like a yoga position."

I'm only half way into the album and I feel like I could talk about it forever. So to save your time and mine, I'm just going to tell you to buy the album. Even though the album is essentially a giant ad for [adultswim], it's still one of the better rap albums of the past decade. Even though DOOM is referring to television shows, some of the lyrics can clearly be seen as a statement of rap music today. Personally, I think he should be included in the top ten on any list involving rap or hip hop. Pretty much any album I have that involves DOOM in a major way, gets a score around 90/100. You don't have to take my word for it though. Here's Mos Def.

Buy it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/danger-doom/id271949594

This brings me to the second upload for the week. This is a single that was released in July of 2011 to promote a complete album that both DOOM and Ghostface have been working on since 2007. The release date of the full length album still hasn't been announced. Hopefully it gets the okay soon, because the single sounds amazing. I decided to upload the Madlib Remix because I like it better. I hope you enjoy it too.

Feel free to buy it here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/victory-laps-ep/id449757370