What Are You Listening To?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS "hunger" cd,2011. #32 UK

saw these guys on some music show when they released this one, got the album on the strength of one track in a live performance(think it might have been jools holland's show??)
its indi rock that is well rooted back in the nineteen eighties ala Joboxers,Dexys Midnight Runners,Smiths and Orange Juice(edwyn collins) but it doesnt sound forced, sounds honest and in their souls...and as expected there are some really good catchy hooks going on here from these Geordie Lads...
nothing bad on here and two maybe three more that could have got full "***" if i'd been a bit generous, all up very good album, looking foreward to their followup album.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: possibilities
best track: tender

tracks:

1. photograph **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf6Q26V9u9U audio
2. ungrateful **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjZJm1nROaI live
3. hunger ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy6TlGZasXg live
4. possibillities **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0mQBMqmPT8 live
5. fragile ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xGB7LykcI8 video
6. tender ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km6svM5GJX0 live
7. that postcard **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zepnSL_Pv9I audio
8. its obvious **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwmOG6dy3sE audio
9. want you back **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K2CJ2vCVCo audio
10.dont look surprised **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgK8w7mzz28 audio

3s=3
2s=7
1s=0

rating: 2.3

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MODEST MOUSE "we were dead before the ship even sank" cd,2007.

first heard of these guys one year ago whilst sipping soda in the shade of an old oak tree in Music Head's front yard on a hot summers day or were we down on the bayou?...
i vowed then that i'd buy a couple of their albums when i returned to Australia...and i did, the other one "good news for people who like bad news" only got a score of 1.8ish from me, this one however gets a way better score...the music here is a lot more uptempo than the other one, just a more complete album IMO...
great melodies,music and vocals here...not sure if it has anything to do with Johnny Marr(ex-Smiths) taking over lead guitar duties, but he does bring out the best in people when he is around...
a very very good indi rock album and the one i'd recommend to potential first time listeners of these guys.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

worst track: steam engenius
best track: parting of the sensory

tracks:

1. march into the sea ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RendyCVvE audio
2. dashboard ***
3. fire it up **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_30YjCKrjGE live
4. florida **
5. parting of the sensory ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SgJqZzS7Dc audio
6. missed the boat **
7. we've got everything **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AceNg5WrF9I video
8. fly trapped in a jar **
9. education ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw6yPRmAKF4 audio
10.little motel **
11.steam engenius **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBAOw9RTYGM audio
12.spitting venom **
13.people as places as people **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQJECnOIYSc video
14.invisible ***

3s=5
2s=9
1s=0

rating: 2.4

[SteveO]

^ Aren't Modest Mouse fantastic, Crazy !!!!

[CRAZY-HORSE]

JEBEDIAH "slightly odway" cd,1997,#7 AU.

debut set from these Perth boys....
indi rock with loose affiliation to grunge i guess...
have toured the US with Soundgarden,Smashing Pumpkins, also quite a popular live act in Canada...
vocally, the vocalist is a bit immature sounding like Green Day but also probably due to age....his vocals did improve over the years and is now a member of the folk acoustic group Basement Birds who IMO are far better than this group...
songs on here start off poorly IMO, and improve as the album goes on, which you can see by my individual scores below...
album never did enough for me to buy any others, but they did make a few good singles over the years....

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: leaving home
best track: puck defender

tracks:

1. leaving home * #48 au
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAI7QXTI7Uw&feature=fvst live
2. benedict *
3. harpoon * #46 au
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiLPf0KcBVY live
4. jerks of attention * #62 au
5. invaders **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu-T13f3vW4 live
6. spoil the show **
7. blame **
8. puck defender ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x397jXsexEc live
9. lino ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObzbwN7Rjpo live
10.military strongman ** #65 au
11.teflon *** #41 au

12.twilight=dusk **
13.la di da da **

3s=3
2s=6
1s=4

rating: 1.9

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MIDNIGHT OIL "20,000 watt RSL" cd, 2000.

Aussie outfit, most popular in the early/mid 1980s...
this is a best of set containing a lot of their hits out here, most(no, all) these tracks are highly politically charged with subject matter ranging from nuclear disarmament,anti-big business, environmental concerns,anti war and rights of indigenous Australians...basically anti everything that leftist causes champion!
had a lot of respect for these guys back in the day,they said what they thought and lived by their statements to a tee...
lost me along the way when vocalist Peter Garrett headed into politics vowing never to tow the party line of the ALP...funny how time changed his mind and values, he now tows the party line with every issue,never speaks his mind anymore...he has become a true political puppet IMO!!!!!
that said,even though i respected his views(but disagreed on a lot of them) i didnt like a lot of his material...but he(and the band) have cemented their place in Aussie rock history with a number of albums that sold extremely well here and a handful of great singles that you just cant ignore!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: kosciuszko
best track: beds are burning

tracks:

1. what goes on **
2. power and the passion **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqa1vWiqxEo live
3. dreamworld *
4. white skin,black heart *
5. kosciuszco *
6. the dead heart **
7. blue sky mine ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofrqm6-LCqs vevo video
8. US forces ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAFv2NEE-_c vevo video
9. beds are burning ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejorQVy3m8E vevo video
10.one country ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DQzhUX-FQQ audio
11.best of both worlds *
12.truganini *
13.king of the mountain **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuC_k51NUqU audio
14.hercules *
15.surf's up tonight *
16.back on the borderline *
17.dont wanna be the one *
18.forgotten years ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9eap_cKLP4 vevo video

3s=5
2s=4
1s=9

rating: 1.8

[CRAZY-HORSE]

BLUR "the great escape" cd,1995.

huge,huge album in terms of sales worldwide, and spawned numerous singles also in tracks 1,2,4,7.
Blur's fourth album and the one that started all the bitter rivalry with fellow Brit-pop stars Oasis...
thought Oasis made better albums overall, but these guys were an awesome singles band during the 1990s.
the album starts off pretty good with their little singalong poppy tunes(sort of a modernday Madness IMO), but atfer track ten there are some prett aweful album fillers, which is the problem nowadays with a lot of albums...ie: bands feel they have to fill up useable space on cds instead of saying, 'ok,we've got ten good tracks,lets just do that'...but no!,they feel the need to use up 76 minutes of time(hell, albums that lasted that long in the old days were double albums, and how many of them were totally successful?, the answer....not many!)
overall, a good solid album, but let down by too many fillers at the end!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: ernold same
best track: charmless man

tracks:

1. stereotypes ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKoN31HpL0 live acoustic
2. country house ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGLumxJdqe8 live
3. best days **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flUnDtO7_gI live
4. charmless man ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlXMHDykUJ8 live
5. fade away **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2POiGNwspIM audio
6. top man **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OedJXMWzVE live
7. the universal **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Y8SDD1E-s live
8. mrs.robinson's quango ***
9. he thought of cars *
10.it could be you **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-iLTmYuh_I audio
11.ernold same *
12.globe alone *
13.dan abnormal *
14.entertainme *
15.yuko and hiro *

3s=4
2s=5
1s=6

rating: 1.9

[123beano]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSxmEioWUm4 - just heard these guys on youtube, seriously impressed. Only track I can find and it has a few production errors but for a rough first impression its brilliant, only 17!, hope these kids do well, can't wait to hear more!

[CRAZY-HORSE]

BLACKPOOL LIGHTS "this town's disaster" cd,2007.

one and only album by these guys as far as i can make out, were originally an Emo group called Get Up Kids apparently...never heard of 'em!
some half decent songs on here with some ok guitars happening...generally, just ok indi rock IMO with only a bit of meat and fat on the bone!
sort of expected this to come out a bit higher than it did as i thought i liked this one quite a bit, but its not to be, and its also not as good as the converted 2.4 that allmusic give it neither!
and sorry for the lack of links for this one...but at least they have one for my favourite track

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: empty tank
best track: maybe,just maybe

tracks:

1. this town's disaster **
2. blue skies **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVzKM65vC1s video
3. empty tank *
4. maybe,just maybe **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrKGszx1u3k audio
5. its never about what its about **
6. the truth about love **
7. goodnight romance **
8. crash sounds *
9. cursed by yourself *
10.without you **
11.unlucky **

3s=0
2s=8
1s=3

rating: 1.7

[suzy7]

CH, speaking of Emo, I do like this tune,
actually Katie White is Hot, get your booty
moving,xx
Ting Tings

http://youtu.be/v1c2OfAzDTI

[CRAZY-HORSE]

CH, speaking of Emo, I do like this tune,
actually Katie White is Hot, get your booty
moving,xx
Ting Tings

http://youtu.be/v1c2OfAzDTI

is that Emo???would have thought it was too light/fluffy and poppy to be called Emo?...but who am i to disagree when i hate the term "genre" anyway
dunno, its an ok tune, think its on the Ting Tings album i have, but cant quite recall the title...have so many to remember that sometimes i forget what i do and dont have on cd.