Smash
CD reviews
Travis
Morrison
Travistan
Barsuk Records
By: Lenny Nero
When indie-rock darlings Dismemberment
Plan disbanded last year, many lost hope in the genre.
Luckily for us, though, lead Dismemberer, Travis Morrison
didn’t stay out of the game for too long. His
debut solo album, Travistan has the feel of the Plan,
but also ventures into random eccentric musical territory,
not unlike David Byrne’s post Talking Heads
solo material. “Change,” the album’s
stand out track (telling the story of Moses “growing
his beard to his nuts”) reminds us just why
Dismemberment Plan was so great, while “People
Die” tosses in a bit of the electronic. “The
Word Cop” is obviously influenced by Ben Folds’
crazy piano pop, and the strings of “Angry Angel”
come from out of nowhere, but make for a soothing
wind-down to a fantastic record. With indie rock bands
getting snatched up by the majors as their music becomes
compromised, it’s nice to see Morrison sticking
to his true independent nature.
Helmet
Size Matters
Interscope Records
By: Lenny Nero
Page Hamilton - arguably one of
modern heavy music’s true guitar gods - was
way ahead of his time when Helmet debuted in the early
90’s. Sadly, the world was not ready for Helmet’s
brand of in your face melodic metal, and Page disbanded
his group after disappointing sales and reaction to
their final album, Aftertaste, in 1996. Oddly enough,
the most popular bands in today’s resurgence
in heavy metal can be linked influentially to Helmet,
so it makes sense that Hamilton should reactivate
the group and give it another shot. Unfortunately,
Page is the only original member returning (original
drummer John Stanier is busy with Tomahawk, while
bassist Henry Bogdan has ditched heavy music altogether).
Size Matters is a worthy return to the genre, and
feels like a proper follow-up to Aftertaste. “Crashing
Foreign Cars” and “See You Dead”
invoke that classic Helmet feel, and will almost make
you forget that the band has been gone for 7 years.
The
Libertines
The Libertines
Rough Trade Records
By: Juawana Grant
A picture of beautiful boys looking
very comfortable together graces the cover of this
album. That should be enough to get you to run out
and buy it right now, but I supposed you still want
to hear about the music. Not unlike the idea that
the cover photo depicts, this album (their sophomore
effort) is filled with lyrics about band members Peter
Doherty and Carl Barat’s intense friendship
and the strain it has experienced because of Doherty’s
ongoing drug addiction and troubles with the law.
Taking on a more mellow sound as compared to their
debut album, the boys still manage to maintain their
reputation as the fuck-all ambassadors of the U.K.
Senses
Fail
Let It Enfold You
Vagrant Records
By: Maddy Pines
If Taking Back Sunday and Silverstein
collided you would get the incredible music of Senses
Fail. It takes the punk, emo, and metal genre
and blends them together beautifully to make a
unique sound of their own. James (Buddy) Nielsen’s
brilliantly written lyrics gives poetry a whole new
meaning. Buddy seems to make it all flow together
in a melodic way that keeps you craving for more.
Truly an amazing album for fans of The Juliana Theory,
The Alkaline Trio, and A Static Lullaby.
Japancakes
Waking Hours
Warm Electronic Recordings
By: Balumpus
Their latest is a little less compelling
than what I’ve gotten used to. Being a child
of the 80s, being a big fan of Japancakes’ first
few albums seemed natural. This one still has all
the beauty, all those nifty little country twinges,
but it starts to edge a bit towards bland on more
than a few of the ten tracks. The last song, “Where
Things Leave Off” more than makes up for some
of the slackness, but overall, things are somewhat
hit and miss, with few tracks really differentiating
from each other. Nothing if not pretty, but if I want
something to come down with, I’ve always got
Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient II.
Green
Day
American Idiot
Reprise
By: Yuya Saito
American Idiot, Green Day's 7th
album - their most ambitious and poweful to date -
is most surprising. Delivered to us in the
form of "Punk Opera," their risky decision could
end up being a landmark album. The band put
thier new-found The Clash-like political passion to
music, and it makes perfect companion piece for
the upcoming election. Not only is it a
diary of thier long journey from Dookie to American
Idiot, but Green Day once again opens a brand
new door to punk rock with this sprawling masterpiece.
Elliott
Smith
From A Basement on the Hill
Anti
By: Homie
Posthumous releases aren’t
just for the likes of hip-hop artists anymore. Dead
of an apparent suicide, this will likely be the last
material we’ll ever see from Elliot Smith. Despite
the artist’s untimely demise, the record has
a notably more cheerful sound. Interviews done close
to the release lead the listener to believe that he’d
found that happier place and it’s widely shown
in the 15 tracks on basement. This record is a given
for a fan and a must have for a new shoe-gazing generation
looking to put some foundation behind their Bright
Eyes records.
Suggested listening: “Coast to Coast”
Frank
Black
frank black francis
spinart
By: Homie
This two-disc set is yet another
stash - perhaps more for the collector and the Pixies
fan than the casual listener. A retrospective of sorts,
disc one is Black’s pre-production recordings
- with nothing more than an acoustic guitar –
done literally one day before the sessions for Come
On Pilgrim. Thus, the production quality is anything
but up to snuff, but still an excellent snapshot including
“Caribou” where Black notes: “This
is the one I wanted to sound like Husker-Du.”
Disc two is a bit of, as Black states, “messing
with the gospel,” taking more or less a best
of Pixies collection and re-interpreting them in a
session last year. Tampering with electronics, violins
and more, the songs are an attempt to fix the unbroken.
Suggested listening: Disc 1-“Ed is Dead”
Disc 2-“Where is My Mind,” “The
Holiday Song.”
William
Shatner
Has Been
Shout!
By: Homie
The captain has left the Enterprise…but
in a good way. Teaming up with artist turned producer,
Ben Folds, Shatner entertains the listener with occasionally
dark yet hysterical pop-songs that include guests
from Joe Jackson to Henry Rollins. Not unlike a Ben
Folds record, the music is largely centered on a soulfully
emotive piano opening doors into bubble-gum pop, gospel,
lounge, and yes, a western flavored title track that’s
quick to put the critic in their place. Don’t
just take this record as a novelty. Spend the time
and learn to love it. Ultimately, Ben Folds creates
perhaps the best window us common folk may ever have
to peek into the brain of one William Shatner.
Suggested Listening: “Has Been,” “I
Can’t Get Behind That”
Sick
of It All
Outtakes for the Outcast
Fat Wreck Chords
By: Homie
These guys have been everywhere…twice.
Outtakes is exactly that, a collection of rarities,
b-sides, etc. recorded as early as 1992. For good,
solid, honest hardcore, look no further than the veterans
of SOIA, and this release. Touching on various points
throughout the bands history, the records average
song belches fire and fury at just under 2 minutes.
Covers of the Misfits and Husker Du make for good
listening, but the most interesting point comes at
the end in a song pulled from a bootleg cassette as
remixed by then House of Pain DJ Lethal in 1993.
Suggested Listening: “Just Look Around”
New
York Dolls
Live from Royal Festival Hall, 2004
Attack! Records
By: Homie
Must be the fourth quarter. Here’s
yet another long look back at yester-year. Dunno what
inspires a reunion of the three surviving members
of the cult classic NY Dolls but here it is, a reunion
show caught earlier this year which shows the remaining
three with friends playing the anti songs to somebody’s
generation…just not mine. A solid recording
as far as live records go, NY Dolls keep the music
tight, the strings tuned, and the vocals on point
showing that perhaps a couple decades off, including
that Buster Poindexter fiasco, has brought an influential
underground bunch back together again.
Various
Artists
In Honor (A compilation to beat cancer)
Vagrant Records
By: Homie
Reading like a who’s who
of indie-rock front runners, the compilation is a
contribution of songs from Saves the Day, Face to
Face, Bouncing Souls, Thursday, Taking Back Sunday,
Jawbreaker, The Descendents, My Chemical Romance,
Thrice, and more seeking to raise money for two organizations
fighting cancer. If these are your bands, buy this
CD. I’m sure that anything you find it lacking
in, it will more than make up for in good karma. Rather
than blabber on about the songs…this space is
best spent giving you more info on the cause. Visit
www.inhonor.org for complete details.
Smash DVD Reviews
City Boardshop’s
Beginnings Trilogy & Cashed Out
The release of these DVDs marks
a milestone for the Henderson Nevada skate shop. It’s
been five years, four videos, one change of ownership
and City is still going strong. The videos within
the Trilogy DVD are The Project, Stitches, and Blank
Generation. In them we find early footage of Breydon,
Ragdoll, Vinny Vegas, Matt Ball, Sean Eaton and Sammy
Baca. (Pete Mcgeary’s skating is sick and smooth
and I don’t know why he is not pro or at least
sponsored am right now.) Overall, City has a great
record for sending shop sponsored ams to the big leagues.
Tac, City Boardshop’s owner, makes it a point
to help his riders move on to bigger things. Good
job Tac.
My take on the Trilogy: Even though
The Project and Stitches are older, they outshine
Blank Generation as far as entertainment value goes.
BG is just too much of the same thing- handrails,
garage rock, tight pants. Also, there are too many
of the same spots. But still, it’s rad to see
some of these guys grow up on video.
Cashed Out is the latest directorial
offering from City’s own Dan O’Sullivan.
Not only is the UNLV Film School grad really good
at turning out a primo skate flick, he is also damn
good on a skateboard. Current UNLV film student Kevin
Phelps also contributes to the flick with skating
and movie making skills.
My take on it: Don’t get
me wrong, nobody sucks on the City team but some stand
out more than others. Based on this video, this is
how I see it. For fluidity and originality Baca takes
it hands down. On the basis of style and trick selection
Chris Raymond gets my vote. Matt Dipaola has come
along way and now has a presence and style reminiscent
of Marc Johnson. Sean Eaton is also good but at times
lacks power and originality. I stopped being impressed
with big handrails a long time ago so that kind of
rules out those skaters for me. Outside of the FTC
skate shop in San Francisco, you would have a hard
time finding a better amateur shop team on the West
coast. And while they may be the most controversial
team in Las Vegas, the scene would be half of what
it is without them.
BMX DVD Review
Result
(Mofkin Pac Incision)
Produced by Andy Villa
Review by Hektor D. Esparza
When the publishers of this mag
came to me, a skateboarder, about being its “extreme
sports” editor, I said ok, so long as the term
“extreme sport” was never mentioned again.
I wouldn’t write about rollerblading or motor
cross or wake boarding. Marketing types like to group
us all together- something I think none of us appreciate.
Moreover, those sports are completely extraneous to
the culture that most of us associate with the whole
modern punk thing anyway. With that said, I must say
that I have a ton of respect for BMX. Weather its
dirt, park or street, those guys do some gnarly shit,
and take as much guff from security guards and other
authority figures as skateboarders do. The liner notes
on the Result DVD call it a “compilation of
bicycle ballet.” It is probably meant as a joke
but I’ll go with it. Result was filmed mostly
in Vegas with some random California and Arizona footage
thrown in. T.J Lavin, Ricardo Laguna, Ryan Mills,
and Shaun Butler all deliver what you expect. Kyle
O’Hara does a wicked backflip tail whip. Aaric
Dishaw demonstrates his proficiency at Pro park. Chris
Toth busts a slick 5-0 down the low and long Kinkos
rail. He also tries some scary looking back flips
from a wall ride. The editing and filming in Result
are similar to the average skate video. And while
it’s not the best BMX video I’ve seen
by a long shot, it does give a glimpse into the healthy
Las Vegas BMX/ bicycle ballet scene. And that’s
a good thing.
Available at dircetbmx.com or email bmxican#2@aol.com
