Album Reviews Part 1

So I've been listening to lots and lots of music as of late, making it time to weigh in on what was good and bad about 2004/early '05.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral. I still don't understand why everything I read says these guys are the next saviors of rock, but I'm so not drinking that Kool-Aid. I mean, some of the songs are interesting and fun to listen to, but my initial impression was that of boredom. Some of the arrangements also reminded me of the last Bright Eyes record, Lifted, so maybe that set off some internal alarms. Overall, the rock songs are pretty good, but the slow ones can really make me sleepy. Maybe I just need to listen to this more, but for now I give it 5.4 out of 10 zebras. Actually, that's probably the anti-hype machine in me talking. You guys get 6/10. Good work.

Beck - Guero. Okay, so this really isn't out yet, but a little bird sang the entire album in my ear, and it sounded pretty good. Dare I say, this will compete to be one of my favorite beck albums (with Odelay and Mellow Gold, of course). Lots of fun pop hooks, much more upbeat than his records that I don't like, and not quite as completely off-the-wall as Midnite Vultures. But my favorite part is that there's NO FILLER. I hate those few tracks that artists put in there to make their album longer, but they are actually so awful that it's more of a pain in the ass to hit the "next track" button on your CD player. None of that here. Oh, and apparently because the album leaked so early, they're going to package it with another disc - I forget exactly what it is, but it looks fantastic. 7.5/10

Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine. Thank god. I really needed some metal in my diet, and Mclusky wasn't cutting it anymore. I had nowhere else to turn, but I found this album. I don't really know anyone to compare these guys to, but if you like edgy metal, you'll like this. Maybe. I mean, it's not THAT great. 6/10

The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike. Holy crap. This band is the best thing I've heard...well, the best thing I've heard all year. Probably. Think lo-fi Avalanches, complete with heavy sampling, but similarly based in finding the coolest drum tracks and good-times funk from the back of your cool uncle's record collection. I would go buy this record right now if I were you. 9.7/10