Album Review: Crime In Stereo - I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone

I haven't received the vinyl in the mail yet, but I've decided to post the review anyway because I know all of my faithful followers have been saying to themselves "What the fuck assblood, post a new blog entry already!," so here it is. I figured that once I receive the record in the mail, I'll just update the photo at the top of the post.

Anyway, here's what I think of this record: it's a very good (almost brilliant) mess. When I first heard it, I didn't know what the fuck was going on and to this day, I still have a hard time breaking it down. But, regardless of how difficult it may be to digest and the fact that the album doesn't "flow" particularly well, there are some terrific songs. The intro track "Queue Moderns" is sort of a bore, though it picks up a bit toward the end. It leads into "Drugwolf," which is probably one of the band's best songs on any album. It serves as a great precursor to the rest of the record, as it has a late-90's alternative feel, mixed with a little bit of early-90's grunge. Plus, it includes all of the elements that make Crime In Stereo who they are. The third track, titled "Exit Halo," has some pretty cool riffs and what not, but the vocal effort is very poor on this song. After all is said and done, it's nothing more than a tribute to Brand New's recent material. "Not Dead" is a real gem - it is almost a mix of Nirvana and Cursive, coupled with Crime In Stereo's signature sound, and it all contributes to a very good track. "Odalisque" took me back to the band's last release, "...Is Dead," and would fit in very well on that album. "Young" is a very slow track, but is very catchy and the vocals are strong. There's actually a part in the song that reminds me a bit of Guns and Roses' "Patience."

Kicking off the second half of the album is "Type One," which is probably the most aggressive track on the album, as it would have a place on some of the band's older releases, as well. "Republica" is a bit of a mainstream-sounding song, as it even has a dance rock part in the middle, similar to Modest Mouse or Franz Ferdinand. Still good, though. "Dark Island City" is a remake of the track bearing the same name that was originally released on "The Troubled Stateside." However, this one sounds nothing like its predecessor. It is a slow, spacey track that features acoustic versions of the same riffs from the original song. The album ends with "I Cannot Answer You Tonight," which also sounds a bit like classic Crime In Stereo, but with cheesier lyrics ("It's OK, it's OK, come back to me!" is repeated several times throughout the track).

Overall, the album does not flow as well as "...Is Dead," doesn't pack the punch that "The Troubled Stateside" did, and it is hindered by some dull tracks and some shitty lyrics at times, but it is still a good release and another big step forward for a band that has become known for its progression.

Rating: 8/10
Recommended if you like: Brand New, Nirvana, Cursive
Favorite track: "Drugwolf"

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Super Bowl Review: F*ck You Garrett Hartley, and (not) much more

As promised, my Super Bowl review:

My good friend The Dude hosted a Super Bowl party yesterday. As I mentioned in my last post, there wasn't a whole lot of game watching that went on (on my part, at least). Instead, there was ping pong (which saw yours truly get dominated by a combined score of 62-22), nom noms (chili dogs, nachos, and the like), and gambling-o-plenty (you try getting about 20 cheapskates to buy "squares," it's damn near fucking impossible). Because of that, I won't have much of a breakdown of the game, so I hope that's not what you're looking for. Oh, and I refuse to talk about Super Bowl commercials (mostly because I didn't see any). And last but not least, I won't mention The Who beyond this point (although my good pal Kory did a bang-up job filling in on drums for them).

So, while helping prepare the food (among other things) and then dishing myself up a large plate or two, I completely missed the first quarter and most of the second as well. I finally got to sit down and watch for a minute and noticed that because the score was 10-3 Colts, I was in position to win a 75er if that score held up until halftime. But, those pesky Saints seemed destined to ruin things for me as they drove down the field and suddenly, found themselves inside the five and ready to score. However, the Colts defense (and a questionable decision by Saints' head coach Sean Payton to leave points out on the field) kept my dream of finally owning 75 dollars for the first time in my life intact. That didn't last long, though, as the ultra-conservative (and downright boring) Colts immediately went 3-and-out and allowed the Saints to get the ball back with ample time left in the half. It all came down to Saints kicker Garrett Hartley and a 43-yard field goal attempt. If he missed, I would be the proud winner of three-quarters of a hundo. If he converted the kick, the money instead would go to dudes like Aaron Jones (the Peter Gammons look-alike at my work) and Richard Kunkel, who is a squirrely little fuck (but righteously good dude) that I know through my buddy JR. I figured I had a good shot of getting the money, as the field goal kicking in the NFL playoffs had been atrocious up to that point. As it turns out, though, the son of a bitch split the uprights and part of me died inside. Had he missed and I won the money, it would have saved me from a rigorous sweating at the hands of my sometimes-mean-yet-always-adorable wife earlier today. Oh well.

Despite the continued bad financial luck of the big guy (me), good times were still definitely had. The Saints won, obviously, so that was cool too. The Colts are insipid, emotionless, and employers of Austin Collie, so they didn't deserve to win (sorry, Uncle Rick). Drew Brees is a god damned animal and is now no longer the most underrated quarterback in the NFL (and deservedly so), and the rest of the team is filled with pretty likable dudes - outside of Reggie Bust, er, Bush and Jeremy Shockey, anyway.

My review of the new Crime In Stereo record (and maybe a DL link, if you're lucky) will be posted within the next week (or sooner, if I get my vinyl copy early). Also, I'm going to start talking some Colorado Rockies baseball soon (though not much, as I'll make you go to another site that features my writing - PurpleRow.com - for the real in-depth info), since pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training next weekend (OH MY GOD I LOVE THOSE WORDS).

'Til then, take 'er easy.

Peyton Manning died in a plane crash...

You bet he did, last night on board United Flight 947 on his way to China for a Kittie and Winds Of Plague show.

Anyway, Nikki and I are starting the process of finishing our basement this weekend. We bought all of the lumber last weekend - along with a new TV, which sucked my slobodan so we took it back and got a Samsung instead. Keep this in mind - only buy Samsung or Sony TV's. Everything else is just a waste of time/money. At the very least, don't buy an Insignia. You get what you pay for. Back to the basement - we hope to have it framed by the end of the weekend so we can run the electrical during the week and get starting on sheet-rocking next weekend. Life is good...I'll post pictures along the way. That's pretty much what I wanted to let y'all in on.

The new Crime In Stereo album leaked, so I'll throw up a review sometime during the next week. Let's just say that it is taking some getting used to, but I think I'll like it after it's all said and done. I'll probably do a review of the Super Bowl, too, though I'm sure I won't end up watching much of it due to the fact that I'll be attending a Super Bowl party. Anybody who has experienced one of those knows that very little football ends up being watched, despite the fact that it's on the TV screen for the entire duration of the gathering.

Welp, see ya later.