.png)
as this is the first posted reco, here's a quick format, to make sure some basic info is shared (esp at the end about the reviewer + their tastes, for their first time around). feel free to diverge, but please make sure you always start off w/ the the album + the link. onwards!
RAMAN RECOMMENDS (week of April 14):
Brendan Benson - Lapalco (2002)
DL Link: http://drop.io/musook1 (click "Download Zip Archive" button on the right)
WHY I LIKE IT:
i've been quite the Brendan Benson fan for awhile (seeing him perform in Cincinnati several months before he joined the Raconteurs got me hooked), though never got around to finding his older work til recently. Lapalco is a diverse album, maintaining a unified sound throughout, but slow to pick up. most of the time it's simple, and sometimes even moving (albeit briefly). overall it's fun and relatable, with smart lyrics - what i look for in an album. Lapalco is far more raw and under-produced (other fine qualities i appreciate) than Benson's later/better album, The Alternative to Love (2005). But Musooklub is about music you're RECENTLY into (or should it not be?). all that being said, i give Lapalco a solid 4 out of 5.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Brendan Benson is one of the most recent to make it big out of Detroit's "power-pop" sound/scene, but he's probably better known as co-lead (guitar/vocals) of the Raconteurs, sharing the bill with the more famous Jack White (of the White Stripes), where most of their fan-base came from. but i only got into the Raconteurs so i could hear MORE Brendan Benson (though i've recently also come to appreciate the White Stripes). to be clear, i think the Raconteur's 2 albums are also pretty damn solid works by Benson, but he's only 50% of the equation. according to Benson's AllMusic.com entry - the Monkees and Paul McCartney are listed as influences. sounds goofy, but it makes sense if you listen for it.
FAVORITE SONGS:
i struggle here. not bc i don't have favorites (despite what your parents say, we all have favorites), but because this project is about the ALBUM. but if you had to pick a few...
#2: "Metarie" (which becomes moving towards the end),
#3: "Folk Singer" (catchy, and relatable, in my rock-star dreams),
#6: "You're Quiet" (fun),
#10: "Pleasure Seeker" (complicated rhythms keep you interested til the end).
sadly though most of the album's latter half tends to taper off, which is why it doesn't get a 5. if you remotely like Lapalco though, you're going LOVE 2005's the Alternative to Love
#2: "Metarie" (which becomes moving towards the end),
#3: "Folk Singer" (catchy, and relatable, in my rock-star dreams),
#6: "You're Quiet" (fun),
#10: "Pleasure Seeker" (complicated rhythms keep you interested til the end).
sadly though most of the album's latter half tends to taper off, which is why it doesn't get a 5. if you remotely like Lapalco though, you're going LOVE 2005's the Alternative to Love
VIDEO: "Metarie" (different from the US album version):
OTHER FUN FACTS:
"Lapalco" means the following (according to Urban Dictionary):
noun: A word to indicate one's desire to leave a party. ("Bob's calling lapalco on this party. Let's leave.")
verb: The act of leaving a party or other social gathering. ("It's time to lapalco this party")
adjective: The point at which a party or social gathering has ceased to be exciting. (
verb: The act of leaving a party or other social gathering. ("It's time to lapalco this party")
adjective: The point at which a party or social gathering has ceased to be exciting. (
"The hosts are taking up collection for a new keg; this party is lapalco.)
YOUR MISSION (should you choose to accept):
1. download the album: http://drop.io/musook1
2. listen to the album...give it a few go's, as necessary.
3. leave your rating (1 to 5)...with your comments/impressions below.
scale: 1=waste of my life; 5=changed my life (no half-scores!)
4. record your rating ...on the spreadsheet, for the records/averages
5. rinse and repeat (every Sunday).
6. post an album + brief review ...when it's your turn.
RAMAN'S [MUSIC] BACKGROUND:
TOP 5's are really hard, bc they force you to discard a LOT of other favorites (bc if you crashed on a desert island, you'd have your iPod with everything). but TOP 5's force you to really think about what defines your CURRENT music tastes. i caveat my lists by saying they slowly change every year or so (+/- a band or two).
TOP 5 ARTISTS (+ favorite albums):
TOP 5 ARTISTS (+ favorite albums):
1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue: pure art at it's finest. what separates the men from the boys.
3. Weezer - Pinkerton: the original emo album. a contrasting conundrum from the list below.
2. the Beatles - White OR Revolver: depends on the day of week. i only became a Beatles fan a few years ago, when i was stranded on an island with limited access to new music
2. the Beatles - White OR Revolver: depends on the day of week. i only became a Beatles fan a few years ago, when i was stranded on an island with limited access to new music
4. Radiohead - In Rainbows: i'm addicted to this album like a box of Thin Mints.
5. Tom Petty - Damn the Torpedoes: you don't have to live like a Refugee baby. this is the definitive album of one of the greatest rockers ever. i'm really eager to spend some time with his recently released Live Anthology.
TOP 5 ALBUMS:
1. Weezer - the Blue Album: defines ~10+ years of my wasted youth
2. Elliott Smith - XO: more or less defines the sadder parts of the same 10+ years (including those years that preceded the album)
3. the Police - Synchronicity: Sting is one of his generation's most talented musicians. hearing him as a post-punk reggae youngster is exciting (if only i appreciated them more in the 80s)
4. the Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers: one of the most refreshing albums of the late 2000s. a long overdue collaboration between favorites Brendan Benson & Jack White. it's just solid.
5. Wolfmother - [self-titled]: another refreshing debut, although reminiscent of Zeppelin/Tolkien.
TOP 5 ALBUMS:
1. Weezer - the Blue Album: defines ~10+ years of my wasted youth
2. Elliott Smith - XO: more or less defines the sadder parts of the same 10+ years (including those years that preceded the album)
3. the Police - Synchronicity: Sting is one of his generation's most talented musicians. hearing him as a post-punk reggae youngster is exciting (if only i appreciated them more in the 80s)
4. the Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers: one of the most refreshing albums of the late 2000s. a long overdue collaboration between favorites Brendan Benson & Jack White. it's just solid.
5. Wolfmother - [self-titled]: another refreshing debut, although reminiscent of Zeppelin/Tolkien.
LAST GOOD LIVE MUSIC :
Team Genius - a local (NY) band. saw them for the 2nd time several weeks ago. i got into them bc some friends know the band. saying they're a kinda more more fun, carnival-ly version of the Arcade Fire doesn't do them justice. all 8 members of the band (guys and girls) are annoyingly attractive and nice, which is always a plus. maybe i'll post about them when it's next my turn.
MORE THAN YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ME:
i live in suburban NY w/ my awesome girlfriend. i do marketing/new media "stuff" for a big (not-evil) corporation. i like to read comics, travel, take pictures, and other random creative stuff when i can find the time/motivation. i like playing Rock Band - a LOT - but don't get to play enough as all my friends now live far away). i try to lead another (local) group called "Week in Review" where we discuss, drink, and draw the news. i'm going to middle east in 2 weeks (hopefully i'll elect to come back to my "normal life" afterwards). the rest of my thoughts are often parked at RamanCoke.com (a pun on how to *correctly* pronounce my first name).
This album has a lot of potential, but I felt some of the songs I was waiting for it to pick up towards the end (I guess I was sort of expecting something like Alternative To Love).
ReplyDeleteI would rate it overall 3/5.
My favorite songs are Metarie and Jet Lag (I tend to bias mellower songs). Tiny Sparks is good too.
You're Quiet has a lot of potential, but it kind of left me waiting for more. Pleasure Seeker has a good beat, but like You're Quiet, I was expecting it to pick up towards to end. Good To Me was coy - the ending was a nice twist.
Overall, the lyrics were a bit more unstructured. I guess for my mood right now, I was hoping for something more structured.
It was cool to re-listen to this album, which I first heard around 2003 or so. It brings back memories of my first job in Cincinnati, driving with my windows down (ah, I miss driving sometimes). I've always been huge into catchy pop with layers of harmony. That's where Benson totally kills it on this album (kills it in a good way, of course). I can definitely hear the Monkees vibe in here -- and also Matthew Sweet, right? My problem (now, though in 2003 I probably wouldn't have thought this) with this album is that I think it could use a little more depth, less of the saccharine-ish power pop stuff. Still, at the heart of it, the album is full of great songwriting. And it's cool to listen to this and see where Benson has gone.
ReplyDelete(I apologize if this review was a sort of stream of consciousness... I am home sick with....strep throat!! So perhaps a little delirious from meds/too much sleep :)
I think this guy is a poor man's Jude. The album starts out good, and then verges into unlistenable in the second half. I will give the first half a 3, and the second half a 1, averaging out to a 2.
ReplyDeletesigh, no love for the oldschool brendan benson.
ReplyDeletekari - leave a rating!
kana - i'll have to get you 2005's 'Alternative to Love,' it's a MUCH stronger album...i promise!
Lapalco gets off to a promising start with Tiny Spark. I liked the 80's like synth sounds combined with the catchy power pop verse and chorus. Metarie is also pretty cool with the build from vocal/acoustic to a more steady and driving beat.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as mentioned by a couple others already, the album moves into much more inconsistent territory from here. You're Quiet is fun as Raman pointed out. There are also a couple songs that had the potential to be better than they were. "What's" got a cool chord progression during the chorus (first one at 1:00) but other elements of the song are not as memorable.
Pleasure Seeker has a great, soaring element to the bridge at around 1:20 and again at 2:20 "..I'm coming down..." but the verses and latter part of the song are a bit repetive and monotonous.
Overall, I give this 3 stars out of 5.
Ohh, my bad. My rating was a 3 (which I did put on the spreadsheet at least)!
ReplyDeletePlay count: 5
ReplyDeleteRating: 3
My first play of this album didn't elicit much of a response, positive or negative. I've postponed writing a comment to give myself some time to form a stronger opinion, but I find myself putting off listening to it (a bit like a book you have to review for a school assignment).
As has been already noted, the album does start out pretty good but as it fades off so does my ability to stick with it. I wrote that the play count for the album was 5, but it's more like 7 for the first half and 2 for the second half.
I think I'll pick out my few favourite songs for a compilation and (sadly) won't play Lapalco again.
I'm sooooo late on all this...
ReplyDeleteRating: 4