Pennywise album review

Reason to Dis(believe)

April 11th, 2008

Pennywise’s twelfth album and first release of any kind in three years fell into the public’s hands on March 25^th in a way that is becoming more and more popular in this age of digital wisdom and battles with big-name record companies. Reason to Believe was available to any man, woman and child the world around for the trifling price of being their friend on MySpace. That’s right, for the first two weeks after its release, fans could legally download free digital copies. Old-fashioned types could also find hard copies of the album in stores, but those, unfortunately, were not free.

The fact that the album was released for no cost at all seemed to produce more of a buzz than the actual music itself, proving that everyone loves to get free things no matter what they may be. But Reason to Believe, while aggressive, politically driven and energetic, is not entirely relevant on the Southern California skater punk scene. Pennywise have slowed down and mellowed out in a way that is inevitable after playing power chord-driven punk music for more than 20 years.

This is not to say that Reason to Believe isn’t a “good” album — but many songs on the album happen to sound very similar to each other, very quickly. The driving force and dynamic guitars behind “One Reason” give the listener a feeling of power over a worthy cause, but upon closer inspection, the song appears to be merely about fighting with a manipulative girlfriend: “Give me one reason for stopping your fall/Give me one reason to answer your call/ Give me one reason why I should care at all.” Something that had so much potential fell on its face by allowing itself to be completely shallow and inane.

That’s a shame, because the album’s cover has such deep and insightful imagery. With five symbols of peace and harmony along with the Pennywise logo inside a silhouette of a human head, the cover suggests that this album will offer the listener a “Reason to Believe” that the world has a chance. To place a shallow breakup song so close to the beginning of the record was a poor choice in my opinion and basically shatters the ideals the artwork had set up the listener for.

However, the radio-friendly “The Western World,” which speaks of the “celluloid boys and video girls,” allows the listener to feel at least slightly political while rocking out hardcore. The song expresses the depressing idea that “there’s nothing left worth fighting for/in the western world.” This doomsday message is cleverly disguised by the upbeat melody and non-stop avalanche of power that spews forth from the lead guitar. But is Pennywise softening with age and throwing in the towel? It may appear so.

While the band tried to redeem themselves from the shallow messages of the first few songs of the album with political pieces such as “The Western World” and “Affliction,” they do not give the listener any kind of glimmer of hope or even a soap box to stand on. They merely point out that the current political administration is not doing all it can for its people. But instead of rallying the troops to fight back as punk rockers are often wont to do, they choose to stand in the corner and sulk about how hard their lives are now that they are aging, former punk-rock-sort-of-stars who can’t play as fast as they used to.

Final Grade: C+

Posted by Melinda Spencer

Filed in Albums, Reviews, Rock/Pop

The Raconteurs album review

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely (2008)

April 11th, 2008

Many of the so-called “super groups” are less than fantastic and have a tendency to merely bank off of their successful past and don’t feel the need to create actual works of worth. The Raconteurs do not fit into this category as is evident with their second album, Consolers of the Lonely which was released on March 25^th. Jack White and his comrades are able to create music that is wholly unique from anything that they created and played in their other more famous bands.

Consolers of the Lonely is an audio trip for the listener. Immersed within the tracks are the voices of the performers, and what I assume to be their friends, talking, laughing, joking and making notes as to how the track will sound in final publication. While this is not a new tactic in making a record feel more “real,” if is definitely effective in reassuring the listener that these musicians are real people who just want to make a bunch of good songs together. The fact that they are individually famous has nothing to do with what they are doing when they are together.

It is easy for the listener to get lost in these tracks and fade out of the real world into another dimension built on heavy-handed piano chords, raging and squelching guitars and Jack White’s unmistakable whine. The harmonies of “You Don’t Understand Me” create such an ambiance of sadness in the listener’s ear that the pain is actually tangible. It is easy to feel the desperation in White’s voice when he says that “there’s got to be a better way to do what we do.” While it really is just another love song, it is possible that this is the most genuine one I’ve heard in awhile. “You Don’t Understand Me” goes through the battle that so many go through once they realize that their mate just doesn’t get it.

It is so easy in this age of technology for a band to whip out an album, throw down the vocals, double-, triple-, or quadruple-track everything to make it sound like a bunch of people are involved and release utter rubbish to the public. This album isn’t like that. Each song has intricate interwoven pieces and a story of their own. Every time you listen to a song you hear something new and different. This is not an album that is easily overplayed. Every song finds a way to hold the listener’s interest in a different way with every spin, almost as if it were getting better with age.

The Raconteurs have gone out on a limb by trying something new in the name of experimental rock. The intermittent trumpet and the use of guitar as almost a percussion instrument bring elements of jazz and funk into tracks like “The Switch and the Spur.” In many ways, this is a risky record due to unusual instrumentation, the complexity of the musical arrangements, intelligence in both music and lyrics and the mixture of different styles in order to create something wholly unique — but somehow The Raconteurs pull it off.

Consolers of the Lonely is unique, dynamic and real in ways that the vast majority of today’s popular music could never be. It’s good to hear a band enjoy what they do for once.

Final Grade: A

Posted by Melinda Spencer

Filed in Albums, Reviews, Rock/Pop

Devil Doll "The Queen of Pain"

Daddy-O knows that its readers only want the very best and that’s what we’re here for, to give you the very best. We traveled the country with our team of experts to bring you the next big thing in Rockabilly, test it out, and bring it straight to the people. Here it is, Daddy-O’s pick of the month! This month we’ll be taking a closer look at Devil Doll’s new album, “Queen of Pain.”
From the first notes of “St. Christopher,” to the last notes of “Union Square,” Devil Doll’s sultry voice entices the listener and puts them under a spell making them feel high than any drug could take them. Devil Doll combines her intoxicatingly ingenious brew of a silk soft voice with the gently plucking of her upright bass to bring back the rhythm and feel of lounge singers of the 1940’s. Ella would be proud.
Her voice grows and swells from a seductive growl in “Heart Sized Crush,” to a smooth, soothing purr in “Walk with Me,” to a seductively angry snarl in “King of Brooklyn” all the while remaining smooth, sultry, controlled and precise. She is all a lounge singer should be and so, so much more.
Devil Doll, born Charleen, has been wowing intoxicated crowds for years with her confident eyes, well sculpted body, piercing green eyes, soothing yet energizing voice and the power of her upright bass. With the help from one of her hopelessly devoted fans Devil Doll has moved her sultry swooning from the bar to the recording studio to great her demo masterpiece that is available to you, my lucky readers, to listen to as much as you want whenever you want in the comfort of your own home. Yes my friends, you are free to drool and some monkey of a bouncer will not kick you out for it.
When asked what she thought of her new album Devil Doll replied, “You know, I’m really happy about the way it turned out. I was a little skeptical going in because the producers wanted to use more instruments than just me and my bass and that’s what I’m used to. I mean, I’ve been doing shows with just myself and the bass for years. But in all honesty, I think that everyone did a great job maintaining my personal style for the songs and enhancing my stylizing on the bass with the other instruments rather than drowning it out. I would defiantly bring these bad boys on tour with me.”
You can catch Devil Doll at Taylor’s Lounge in Redlands, CA on December 11th (see calendar section for more details.) You can also find out more about this luscious lady and her new album by visiting her website at www.devil-doll.com. Album also available at www.cdbaby.com.
So the votes are in and it’s unanimous two thumbs way, way up all across the board. Kids, get on the internet now and buy this album for anyone you know. This album is great for anyone from your grandma who listens to Ella Fitzgerald, to your 12 year old nephew who listens to Brian Setzer and thinks he started it all. It’s all the pleasure of a lounge without the lounge itself. Go, Daddy-O!

Songs to check out: “Heart Sized Crush,” “King of Brooklyn,” “16 Days"

originally published May 2004 for Daddy-O magazine (magazine written, designed and published by myself)