Brown II, Jimmy P. - "Eraserhead"

Brown II, Jimmy P. - Eraserhead
2018, Retroactive

1. EGO
2. Stained
3. Indecisive
4. Entertaining Angels
5. The Scales
6. Memoria
7. A Story of Time
8. The Swell Lot of Thieves
9. Digital Postage Stamp
10. The Watchers

*** This review is based on a pre-release version. The album is due in the fall and I don't know if everything from the art to the track list is finalized. ***

As much I loved The Subversive Kind and its return to Deliverance's thrash roots, I've always leaned more towards the "creative years" of the band. Eraserhead has been billed as an album for fans of that era - especially since it features Manny Morales on bass and Jon Knox on drums. However, there's much more to it than that. It's somewhere between the "creative years," a heavier Jupiter VI, and Saviour Machine (along with a helping of David Bowie, naturally). Tracks like "Memoria" and "Digital Postage Stamp" sound like they could have been on an album after Camelot while "Indecisive" and "The Swell Lot of Thieves" recall Back From Mars with a bit more aggression. Speaking of "Indecisive," Manny is absolutely killing it on the bass! Terry Taylor once said of bassist Tim Chandler that he was good at filling in the cracks of songs. I think Manny is playing a similar role. He's given a lot more room to work so you hear so much more variety and melody than you might with a Deliverance album. With the album not needing to conform to any preconceptions, both Manny and Jon are let loose and as a result turn in some of the finest performances I've ever heard from either of them. Oh, and Jimmy covers a Newsboys song, "Entertaining Angels," for some reason. I've never liked the Newsboys. Ever. So when I say "holy crap Jimmy has made me like a Newsboys song" you might not understand how much of a compliment that is. I might get some hassle for saying this but I think I prefer Eraserhead over The Subversive Kind. There's just so much to dig into here and there's so much energy and heart. The album culminates in the phenomenal "The Wachers." This track is one of Jimmy's finest closers bar none. Right up there with "Sanctuary" and "In-U." It's soaring and majestic - reveling in some Saviour Machine-type theatricality. Finally, I do think that long time fans need to adjust their expectations a little. Yes, this has some influences of Deliverance, Jupiter VI, etc. - but, honestly, Eraserhead is truly its own thing meant to be taken that way. It's not River Disturbance II or Learn II so don't expect that. It's Eraserhead - and if you can handle that, you'll be able to enjoy one of the best albums you'll hear this year.

Useless Fact: "Memoria" was originally supposed to be a Deliverance track and later popped up in a different form on Fearful Symmetry's A Loss of Balance. 

Rush - "Working Men"

Rush - Working Men
2009, Atlantic

1. Limelight
2. The Spirit of Radio
3. 2112
4. Freewill
5. Dreamline
6. Far Cry
7. Subdivisions
8. One Little Victory
9. Closer to the Heart
10. Tom Sawyer
11. Working Man
12. YYZ

I've had this album for, like, two years. I've kind of been saving it as a placeholder in case I needed something else to review while I'm listening to other stuff. So... yeah... I'm not really ready to review a bunch of albums at present. They're really good so I want to take my time. Anyway, I bought this in an effort to get into Rush (before I bought 2112). It's a compilation of a bunch of live tracks from various places. It's okay. I wasn't really wowed and it really didn't make much of an impression on me. I much preferred the whole album more than I did this collection. It's not terrible, but if you're trying to get into Rush I'd definitely start with something like 2112 versus this.

Useless Fact: Some of the tracks are from the band's Rush In Rio album which I watched in Bible college. They put on a great show, but I really wasn't super impressed then either.

Judas Priest - "Firepower"

Judas Priest - Firepower
2018, Epic

1. Firepower
2. Lightning Strike
3. Evil Never Dies
4. Never the Heroes
5. Necromancer
6. Children of the Sun
7. Guardians
8. Rising From Ruins
9. Flame Thrower
10. Spectre
11. Traitor's Gate
12. No Surrender
13. Lone Wolf
14. Sea of Red

I've never been a big Judas Priest fan. Sure I like "Breaking the Law" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming" but nothing beyond that. Not that I hate them or anything - I just never got into them. So it probably seems weird that I would pick their latest album instead of one of their classics. However, the buzz around this album was really positive. Like... "this is one of their best albums in a long time, maybe ever." So I checked out some samples and I'll be darned if I wasn't hooked from the title track onward. This is a great traditional heavy metal album. If you like NWBHM, that's what this is - only with some modern production. Speaking of which, the production is very clean with a fantastic guitar tone that's crunchy and heavy. Halford's vocals are great - he's still got it. Though I do wish he'd hit the high notes a bit more often. I'm not sure if I'm ever going to do a Judas Priest project, but I tell you what, Firepower is probably the first album of 2018 that really stuck with me. Oh... and it has really awesome cover art.

Useless Fact: Did you know Rob Halford was gay? I know! Right? I'm shocked. (I really don't know too much about Judas Priest if you couldn't tell).

Pentatonix - "PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. 1"

Pentatonix - PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. 1
2018, RCA

1. Attention
2. Finesse
3. New Rules x Are You That Somebody?
4. Havana
5. Perfect
6. Stay
7. Feel It Still
8. Despacito x Shape of You
9. Issues
10. Praying
11. Sorry Not Sorry

Conversation about Pentatonix my wife and I had...

Wife: "Why are songs always better when Pentatonix does them?"
Me: "Well, I think it's because most modern pop music these days is very much influenced by EDM in which the production can be very harsh. Not to mention the decreased dynamics and variety in just about all modern pop music. Where with Pentatonix - everything is smooth as silk and in terms of dynamics, sometimes you're getting more with those five voices than with an over-produced pop song. So when Pentatonix does it you get to hear the real melody of the song without the bombastic, harsh production."
Wife: "You're Old"

And so it is with the groups latest offering, PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. 1. It's made me like songs that I never liked and made me like songs I already liked even more. In other words - a normal day for Pentatonix.

Useless Fact: Avi left the band at some point. The name of the new bass singer escapes me and I am too lazy to look it up. Ooh... there's also rumors that Avi and Kristen didn't get along... so... there's that too, I guess.

Morgan, Cindy - "Elementary"

Morgan, Cindy - Elementary
2001, Word

1. The World Needs Your Love
2. Good Thing
3. Elementary
4. Love Can
5. New World
6. Believe
7. End of the World
8. Walk in the Rain
9. Grape Soda
10. Sunshine
11. Happy
12. Love is Waiting
13. In These Rooms
14. I Love You

I admit that back in my youth I didn't give Cindy Morgan the time of day because she was "pop" and I was strictly metal and rap. Recently my partner-in-crime Uvulapie recommended some of her later stuff because she was a bit more in control of her sound and image. I picked Elementary because the title track sort of reminded me of Mandy Moore's "Extraordinary" even though they don't really sound alike at all. I like the album too - there's a bit of variety here and there. "New World" has a bit of a Latin vibe, "I Love You" apes jazz, and "In These Rooms" is sort of a singer/songwriter story song. Unfortunately that last one is boring as dirt, but there's plenty of good tunes here. My favorites being "End of the World" and "Sunshine." I think I may slowly check out some more Cindy Morgan as my schedule permits because she does some pretty cool stuff.

Useless Fact: Cindy Morgan is married to Christian author Sigmund Brower. I read a couple of his books back in the day. They were pretty decent.

KXM - "Scatterbrain"

KXM - Scatterbrain
2017, Rat Pak

1. Scatterbrain
2. Breakout
3. Big Sky Country
4. Calypso
5. Not a Single Word
6. Obsession
7. Noises in the Sky
8. Panic Attack
9. It's Never Enough
10. True Decievers
11. Stand
12. Together
13. Angel

KXM is another side project of King's X bassist/vocalist Dug Pinnick. It also features George Lynch from Dokken on guitar and Ray Luzier from Korn on drums. The combination is pretty good, I'd say. It's always great to hear Dug's vocals on...anything really. George Lynch offers some cool licks and Ray is a monster on the drums. It's an enjoying listen and packed with all the talent you'd expect from such a group. So... the problem might be on my end. I liked it well enough but it never really got its hooks in me after multiple listens. I don't see myself going back to it again and again. Time may prove me wrong (it often has) but as of now I can say I liked it but I didn't love it. That being said I'd still recommend anyone check them out - you may have better luck than I did.

Useless Fact: K is for Korn, X is for King's X, and M is for Lynch Mob. Just in case that was keeping you up at night.

Bowie, David - "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)"

Bowie, David - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
1980/1999, Parlophone

1. It's No Game (Part 1)
2. Up the Hill Backwards
3. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
4. Ashes To Ashes
5. Fashion
6. Teenage Wildlife
7. Scream Like a Baby
8. Kingdom Come
9. Because You're Young
10. It's No Game (Part 2)

If you’re a regular reader you might remember the Genesis Project from 2016. I had a lot of fun with that and I always meant to do a David Bowie Project. Unfortunately, life had other plans and I never got around to it. Despite Mr. Bowie not getting his own official project, I still wanted to do something because I needed an excuse to buy some Bowie albums. So this is a sort of David Bowie Project lite, if you will. I can’t guarantee a Bowie album every month – the release schedule is: you'll get 'em when we finish 'em. This is because I am doing something a little different – a team review with my friend Uvulapie! We’re going to trade off thoughts and see how it goes! I’ll go first –

The Old Man: First off, I admit Scary Monsters is probably a strange place to start. I have no defense except that “Ashes to Ashes” is one of my favorite Bowie songs and it’s on this album. It also has “Fashion,” which is another well known and well liked Bowie tune. So… here’s the thing. I like Scary Monsters, I really do. But I don’t love it. I’m not sure what my deal is. Maybe my expectations were too high. I was expecting to just be floored but I wasn’t, even though I liked what I heard. There are a couple songs I’m not wild about either, particularly “Kingdom Come” (which is a cover), “Up the Hill Backwards,” and “Teenage Wildlife.” On the other hand I loved “It’s no Game” (both parts), the title track, and “Scream Like a Baby.” Maybe I should have gone with a different album to start with?

Uvulapie: Scary Monsters is a great start for me because it was the first album where I became aware of David Bowie as an artist.  It was late 1980 and this new channel called MTV was on cable (yes, I’m about a decade older than The Old Man which makes me, what…  The Older Man?)  They played the video for “Ashes to Ashes” and as a kid I really liked monsters so the name of the album caught my eye.  And so did the video.  By today’s standards it’s laughably lo-fi but, being the consummate artist that he is, Bowie was able to create images that stuck in my brain for decades, images of ghostly clowns on some martian landscape.  But instead of following up on this Bowie fellow my fifth-grade self plunked his money down to get Love Stinks by J. Geils Band, a video that starts with a guy using two fish as drum sticks.  Which is all to say that I heartily approve of your choice.

The Old Man: First of all you’re not the “Older Man” you’re the…Ancient Man! Haha! Get it? Because you’re SO MUCH OLDER than me! *ahem* Anyway, I never got to see any of the videos from this album but there are plenty of pictures of Bowie in the clown costume in the liner notes of my version of the album. Here’s one random thing I noticed – Bowie’s vocals in “It’s No Game (Part I)” are pretty desperate and ragged. The vocals in “…Part II,” however, are far more restrained – as if the singer is just trying to get his bearings of the situation he’s in. I’ve wondered why put the desperate vocals first? It seems like we get the end of the story, then the beginning. Which, now that I think about it is a pretty David Bowie thing to do.

Uvulapie: BALDERDASH!  Actually I never even noticed the change in vocal tone so one point for The Old Man.  What I did notice were all the guitar noodlings of Robert Fripp.  ALL.  OF.  THEM.  In songs like “It’s No Game” which is one part song and three parts Fripp.  They’re also in “Up The Hill Backwards” which sounds like a sing-a-long that would be sung around a camp fire.  Enough with the Frippery, already!  On the plus side are the creepy wavering piano tones and the slap bass of “Ashes to Ashes”, the immensely urgent and memorable melody of “Fashion”,  the weird warped spoken parts of “Scream Like a Baby” (plus the cowbell), and the authentic jangly eighties synth vibe from the intro of “Because You're Young.”  And how can you not enjoy lyrics like “Little metal-faced boy / Don’t stay away.”   But I fear that I’m agreeing too much and we all know that dissension makes for more interesting reading.  So hey, Adam, “Teenage Wildlife” is da bomb!  How can you not like Bowie singing an incomplete song like a bored lounge singer?  That’s not laziness… that’s genius!

The Old Man: "Teenage Wildlife" is...long. Too long. Even though I think it does a good job of evoking 50's Americana, I just don't care for it. I'm not sure if it's the pacing or length or what. Though now that it's walking around in my head I feeling like listening to it again. Maybe my opinion will change? Anyway, the synths in "Because You're Young" are actually my least favorite part of that song! I noticed you'd didn't say anything about "Kingdom Come." I think if you said you liked it I'd have to drive to your house for a fist fight. Haha! Just kidding! (Sort of!) So all in all it seems Scary Monsters is a bit of a mixed bag. "Ashes to Ashes" will remain one of my favorite Bowie tracks of all time. However, as a whole it seems to leave a bit to be desired. It wasn't the complete revelation that I'd hoped it would be, but there's still plenty more Bowie to dig into.