Quick N' Dirty Reviews

The Rosebuds/ Night Of The Furies
On their latest release, Night Of The Furies, The Rosebuds want to party like it’s 1985. It’s synth hooks galore as this North Carolina two-piece turns in a more credible version of a Killers record, albeit a more uneven and bipolar one. The good songs are very, very good – “Cemetery Lawn” with its big and bombastic sound and out of this world synth hook would be a ginormous hit if only people had taste; the similarly massive “Get Up Get Out” and “Night Of The Furies”” also shine with their swagger and their killer harmonies; and moodier tracks like “Silence By The Lakeside” and “When The Lights Went Dim” add a brooding air to the proceedings. Regrettably, the not-so-good stuff stinks like tuna salad that’s been sitting out in the sun since the mid-eighties, as “I Better Run” is plagued by lazy vocals and banal lyrics like, “I think my grandma has a piece of land/ I’m supposed to take it when she’s dead,” and “Silja Line” suffers from a gratingly martial sound. At the very least, The Rosebuds have the good sense to sandwich the crap between the record’s standouts so instead of a giant part of the record being dragged down by inferior songs, they’re merely unwelcome blips on the radar. If you’re looking for a lyrically deep record, Night Of The Furies is not it, but that’s OK. The Rosebuds just want to rock the Me Decade and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Dirty Rating: 78/100

The Rosebuds On MySpace Music
The Rosebuds' Official Site

Peter Bjorn And John/ Writer’s Block
Inconsistent albums can be maddening. A band does everything they can to empty themselves onto a record yet are unable to sustain top quality for the entire course of their album. Hearing extraordinary tracks alternating with ones that just flop… it’s frustrating for a listener. Peter Bjorn And John’s latest, Writer’s Block, illustrates this to a “T.” There are moments that just blow your mind and others that make you wonder what the hell they were thinking. When it’s at the top of its game, Writer’s Block is some top-shelf indie pop featuring languid vocals that are strongly backed by some unbelievably lush instrumentation. Lead single “Young Folks” is simply one of the best tracks of the year. It’s almost without peer – it’s THAT good. Propelled by an almost hip-hop drum beat and an ear-grabbing whistle hook (which, interestingly enough, was used simply to placemark the spot on the track to add new instrumentation until the band realized just how well the whistle itself worked), “Young Folks” features Victoria Bergsman of The Concretes and is striking for how its breathy vocals run in contrast with the rich instrumentation provided by the band. It’s as close to perfection as a band can get. Nothing else quite measures up, although the alternately skittering and dream-poppy seven-minute “Up Against The Wall,” the surf-inflected “Let’s Call It Off,” and the Nordic Beck leanings of “Amsterdam” come closest. Unfortunately, the latter half of the record is where Peter Bjorn And John lose a great deal of steam as Writer’s Block begins to sputter to a coughing conclusion. “Paris 2004” is marred by a cheesy Casio keyboard intro and overly earnest lyrics, the drum n’ bass sounds of “The Chills” don’t fit with the ‘60’s pop vibe of the record, and “Roll The Credits” is starkly minimalist compared to the rest of the album while dragging on way too long. If Writer’s Block had been an EP comprised of the first half of the record, we’d be looking at one of 2007’s top releases. As it is, it stands somewhere in the middle of the pack with the promise that if Peter Bjorn And John can tighten up their work, they’ll likely ascend to the heights of indie pop royalty.

Dirty Rating: 75/100

Peter Bjorn And John On MySpace Music


!!!/ Myth Takes
One of the more exciting trends in indie rock lately is the promising fusion of dance and rock music, often tagged with the disco-punk label. Bands like The Faint, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, and even Modest Mouse have (to varying degrees of success) combined these to contrasting genres into a new one that more often than not allows the best parts of each to brightly shine through. !!! (pronounced “Chik Chik Chik) belongs in the discussion of bands that are attempting to throw their hat into the disco-punk ring. Although their latest release, Myth Takes, shows some signs of being a contender, in the end it’s more of a disappointment than anything else. Myth Takes plays like some obvious version of Spot The Influences, ranging from U2 (“A New Name”), Gang Of Four and Girls Against Boys (“All My Heroes Are Weirdos”), The Clash (“Must Be The Moon”), and LCD Soundsystem (“Heart Of Hearts”) that !!! employs throughout the majority of the record, leading to an overly familiar “already heard it” effect. They do have moments that demonstrate the faith that critics place in them such as the title track, which is very subdued but chugs along like a locomotive, and the album’s centerpiece, “Bend Over Beethoven.” Save for its title, its slow build to a charging chorus should serve as the blueprint for the direction that the band should follow on future outings. !!! definitely has personality… but sadly for them right now that personality is often boring and rehashed. If !!! is able to focus and put out more original work like “Bend Over Beethoven” and ignore the impulse to copy their record collection every step of the way, they may yet live up to their sizable acclaim. Until then? You really shouldn’t waste your time.

Dirty Rating: 57/100

!!! On MySpace Music
!!!'s Official Site