Archive for the ‘3 Points’ Category
January 15, 2009
Dylan Connor
Breakaway Republic
January 20th 2009
Unsigned
It is strange what a mass gathering of hallucinogen consuming, dust bathing, barter-system campers can convince you to do. Conceived while wondering around the Burning Man Festival singing songs for the evanescent joy of gratitude, Breakaway Republic was born of legend and wild spirit. But to be honest I don’t have the stomach for another “record birthed from unusual circumstances” pitch. What is the record about, who made it, and is it any good? These are the questions that I want the answers to. A caveat, I hope those who fall in love with this record take my comments cum grano salis (from one Latin lover to another). For all others, you have been warned.
Breakaway Republic, named for the particular camp that Dylan Connor resided at for the duration of his Burning Man experiment, is a saccharine pop album with shoddy lyrics and easy melodies reminiscent of lesser loved Gin Blossoms records. For all intents and purposes this is Mr. Dylan’s therapy—his catharsis—and that’s cool, but it is no excuse to expect an uncritical response to obvious Elvis Costello impressions. Breakaway Republic is pop—plain, non-nuanced, unchallenging, contrived pop. The music is well performed, and well recorded. The record has what could be called high points; Blood Like Fire is some pretty damn good Americana, and Have a Little Dream is an excellent melody over and simply strummed guitar. It has the beauty of a signature Marc Cohn tune and the soft sound of James Taylor. That having been said, Breakaway Republic lacks gravity. It is simply too deficient to qualify as even approaching relevant.
-FF
3/9
http://www.dylanconnor.com
http://www.myspace.com/dylanconnor
Tour Dates
January 16th – Bridgeport, CT – The Field
January 17th – Philadelphia, PA Secret – House Party
January 30th – Brooklyn – NY Bar 4
February 18th – Philadelphia – PA O.N.E.
Posted in 2009, 3 Points, Artists, Bands, Collectives, and Artists, CD Release, Connecticut, Dylan Connor, Format, Frederick Foxtrott, Indie, Labels, LP, Miscellaneous, Music, Music Review, Pop, Unsigned | Tagged 2009, 3 Points, Bands, Bridgeport, CD Review, Connecticut, Dylan Connor, Frederick Foxtrott, Indie, Music, Music Review, Self Released, Unsigned | 4 Comments »
September 30, 2008
Bill Madden
Child of the Same God
October 14th 2008
Mad Muse
I’ve developed a bit of a complex from listening to Bill Madden’s soon to be released record Child of the Same God 100 times. You see I am a particularly political guy. It is all I really think about other than music and sex, but this album wears all of Bill’s organs on its sleeve. It is a unapologetic populist anti-war diatribe that seeks company in the hallowed halls of history with Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, and Steve Earl; not that he reminds me of any of these folks, other than his explicit use of political tropes. I totally respect that project…I really, really do. For what ever criticisms I may levy now, know that Bill Madden has talent and his protests are on the right side of history. He has the production sensibilities of Linda Perry post 4 Non Blondes. I mean that in the best way. The elements from which each musician draws are nearly identical. The song Shut It Off is a perfect example of this affinity. Madden’s voice is drenched in tremolo effect as if water were spilling from his mouth as he sings. However, for all his pop rock appeal, the rebelistic lyrics reveal a somewhat trite or at best contrived persona that seeks to embody the symbol of activism and revolution rather than simply exist as an instrument of experimentation and provocation.
“Throughout history, we’ve seen his ilk. Intoxicated by the power he wields in his grandiose imperial dream. The end always justifies the means.”
Madden’s instrumentation is solid, blending brushed snares, trumpet, and jazzed piano melody. His style shuttles between mock reggae to that nebulous genre that formulated when record execs came to terms with that hot new Seattle rock some called “grunge” in the mid 90’s. You know…Bush and Tonic…idol contestants with the depth of a candy dish. As a matter of taste, no amount of social awareness and melodic platitude will erase the laughter I felt somewhere inside when a friend turned to me as I listened to the record and said, “This music makes me feel like crashing a car into my face.” He went on to compliment Madden’s voice by exclaiming, “He sounds like Nancy Kerrigan getting fucked by a goat.” To be honest I would disagree. His voice is pleasant enough or at least has potential. But this visceral reaction to Child of the Same God underscores the disconnect that many will feel. This was not an easy record to review; perhaps because his subject matter is so particular and preachy toward a specific fan base. The music is polished and well produced. It is this combination that exposes the record as essentially a bourgeois exercise in protest.
“The emperor has no clothes. He’s alone in a crowd of peers. The palace has no mirrors.”
-FF
3/9
http://www.billmadden.com
Other Music
Gone- 2006
Posted in 2008, 3 Points, Artists, Bands, Bands, Collectives, and Artists, Bill Madden, Format, Frederick Foxtrott, Genre, Indie Media, Labels, LP, Mad Muse, Miscellaneous, Music, Music Review, Rating, Year | Tagged 2008, 3 Points, Activism, Bill Madden, Child of the Same God, Frederick Foxtrott, Indie, Mad Muse, Music, Music Review, Political Music, Politics, Poltical Activism | Leave a Comment »
October 23, 2007
British Sea Power
Open Season
April 4th 2005
Rough Trade Records
So this will be a rare one-paragraph review. I know that is short, but I have other things to do…like delete the album I am about to review from my media player. I was at Sound Fix Records buying my regular Tuesday’s dose of music when I came across Open Season by Brighton based British Sea Power. I was happy with the price and with the CMJ marathon impending, I added it to my stack. What a mistake. Nearly every song on Open Season seems contrived and is entirely too accessible. I have trouble understanding what aspect of the band has appealed to the hip masses across Britain and the States. Victorian Ice has some style. It is tinged with an American-Midwestern beat and reminds me of when I drank moonshine at dusk on my porch in the summer while the cicadas buzzed and the lightning bugs swarmed. For that I am thankful. It’s just that I had to wait through some of the most ill-conceived pop songs ever recorded before my nostalgia was triggered. As for the rest of the CD, just because someone shamelessly lifts the melody from the verse of Love Will Tear Us Apart and inserts it into synthed-over distortion it does not make them post-punk.
Okay, maybe another paragraph. I am a fan of layers, textures and orchestrations, but British Sea Power’s add-ons don’t mask the underlying problem. Scott Wilkinson‘s vocals are boring, lifeless, and uninspired. What’s worse is that the lyrics sound as if they were written by the Charmin Teddy Bear on a binge of ketamine and Pop-Rocks. Some of the more positive reviews circulating must be either well paid or part of an international conspiracy to leech trouble making youths of their sub-culturally subversive spirit. What ever the case it is clear that they did not deserve to headline the World’s Fair curated showcase for CMJ at the Bowery Ballroom. In all reality I am convinced that it’s a joke. I mean, I think that this whole bit is supposed to be ironic…a farce. Sure they sound like Journey, The Cure, Joy Division and Morrissey all rolled up into one…No, really…
3/9
Other Records
Remember Me EP- 2003
The Decline of British Sea Power- 2003
The Spirit of St. Louis EP- 2004
Krankenhaus EP- 2007
Posted in 2005, 3 Points, Bands, Britsh Sea Power, CMJ, England, Indie, Manhattan, Music, Music Review, Rough Trade Records, Sound Fix Records, The Bowery Ballroom, UK, World's Fair | Tagged 2005, 3 Points, Bands, Brighton, British Sea Power, CMJ, England, Indie, Music, Music Review, Rough Trade Records, The Bowery Ballroom, UK, World's Fair | 2 Comments »
