Reviews Written by Ed
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February 12, 2008
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November 2, 2005
On the Brink...of Success or Insanity?
0 of 2 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Metallica's typical high-quality musicianship
Cons: Songs getting a little indistinguishable
For many Metallica fans (this one included), this album represents the final hurrah of their trademark speed metal: by the 1990s, they would shift gears into a bluesy sludge that was not necessarily better or worse, just quite different.
When this came out, it was probably the most intense album the band had yet inflicted on their fans. Thrashers like "Blackened" and "Dyers Eve" still retain Metallica's head-banging sound. Extended suites like the title track have as much excellent jamming as in the past. Somewhat thin production only served to heighten the inherent tension. At the same time, the band began exploring "heavy pop" like "One," which at this point work very well.
As far as transition albums go, this is one of the best. So what if Metallica smoothed out their frayed ends of sanity? They still rocked--a legacy that cannot be revoked. ... -
August 18, 2005
Very Grating
0 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Nice Bridge
Cons: Grohl's Personality...
This is probably one of the worst songs from Foo Fighters' recent album In Your Honor. Sure, it's got the prerequisite loud guitars, stomping--occasionally stacatto--beat, and the trademark Grohl Growl, but it is simply not very good.
Grohl's personality on this song is nothing short of irritating. His lyrics, never the strong suit, really take a cliche'd turn: "Has someone taken your faith? It's real, the pain you feel. You trust, you must confess: has someone taken the best of you?" It's all just bluster, not meant to mean anything; you're just supposed to listen to the rocking music and jam.
Instead of judging the album based on this single, take a listen to "Razor," "Friend of a Friend," or even better, "Virginia Moon," the duet with Norah Jones. In other words, go straight to the "soft," more experimental half. ... -
June 23, 2005
How Can You Bash This?
Pros: Undeniably Great Songs
Cons: Nothing Unexpected
As one of rock's most notoriously unpredictable artists, Neil Young continues to baffle the faithful and unconverted alike with this release. Like the "expert review" says, this is only his second compilation since he started making music in the 1960s!
Idiosyncratic, cantankerous, frustrating: all these words accurately describe Young. His music over the decades has been simultaneously wonderful, harrowing, and horrible, sometimes on the same album. When it came time for this compilation, though, Young seems to have unbelievably stepped aside and let sales reps do the thinking. Perhaps all those years of performing obscure songs in concert when his fans wanted hits has caught up with him.
Even so, the music is what matters, right? We get epics like "Down by the River" and "Like a Hurricane" sitting with equally brilliant shorts like "Ohio" and "Cinnamon Girl"...and that's all just from the 1960s! His `70s output may be underrepresented aside from the Harvest album, but that doesn't diminish those songs' potency. The only songs from recent years are at the end, and they're every bit as good.
So, if you like what you hear here, do yourself a favor and dig into Young's career. Check out Tonight's the Night or Ragged Glory or hey, even Are You Passionate! With Young, it's best to sample, simply because he *is* so erratic. ... -
November 19, 2004
Impressive Album
Pros: Left-of-center pop sound
Cons: Drags a bit
Elbow is one of the many UK bands that won't ever really break it big in America. In many ways, that's a good thing--it leaves those of us curious enough the chance to hear some rather unique sounds unbeknownst to the mainstreamers.
Cast of Thousands gets its name from a concert the band played before this album's release where they asked the crowd to provide a line for their upcoming album. It appears here at the end of "Grace Under Pressure," which, while a little over the top, is one of the standouts. The crowd clearly screams, "We still believe in love, so f*** you!" several times in succession--a sentiment that is quite appropriate to Elbow's overall sound. (Intriguingly, each member of the crowd is listed in alphabetical order by first name in the booklet--cast of thousands indeed!)
Really, Elbow's greatest strength is in its lyrics: wistful longing in "Fugitive Motel," lusty fascination in "Buttons and Zips," and yearning for freedom in the expansively beautiful "Ribcage." Musically, there are some weird little percussion parts and sound waves, such as in "Snooks," but for the most part, this isn't too far removed from other progressive/experiemental bands like Pink Floyd and Radiohead. There's even the occasional echo of, well, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Psychedelic Furs. You might even wish they'd pick up the pace a little here and there. But all this doesn't mean Elbow isn't worthy of an objective listen--you may find yourself waiting for their release sooner than expected. ... -
May 26, 2004
An Educated Review
Pros: Cool harmonzing
Cons: Blends together too much
Educated Guess starts out with a spoken-word passage, which right away should tell you that Ani DiFranco has, at least for a while, completed her fascinating journey with a full band. Any doubt you have after this (maybe you thought "Platforms" was simply an aberration like "Tiptoe") should quickly be erased when you hear "Swim," "Origami," and just about everything else here.
The late `90s were full of new things for Ani as she kicked things into gear with Little Plastic Castle. Her funk-goddess groove extended right up until last year, blossoming fully in the double-live set So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter, and the studio album that followed, Evolve. Having let that experience run its course, Ani chose to come full cirlce.
This album recalls her earliest work, but it's not simply a copy. Here, she experiments with her voice, sometimes exceptional, sometimes rather annoying, but all in the name of seeing how many times she can harmonize with herself. There's no input from other artists or from any band--it's Ani and Ani alone here, which means she can pick her guitar like the strum-fiend we knew she is. We even get the now-almost-typical extended ramble in "Grand Canyon."
All in all, this is another transitional album from Ani. Wherever she chooses to go next, she will continue to be a unique talent worth watching. ... -
May 25, 2004
Great Follow-up
Pros: Still catchy like you wouldn't believe
Cons: Growing a bit mechanical
The slow-growing success of musicforthemorningafter made the public see Pete Yorn as the seasoned performer he already was. By playing most of the instruments and writing all the songs on that debut, he proved himself to be one of the talents to watch. With Day I Forgot, Yorn has settled down into musicfor...'s comfortable groove.
Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of some of Yorn's wonderful, refreshing insights on relationships. Some may like the silly storytelling of "Burrito," but I find it a step down from the likes of "For Nancy" or "Life on a Chain." The fuzz-encrusted "Carlos" is intriguing, but won't entice you like "Black."
The good thing is that Yorn's absolutely stunning melodies are still in place. Songs like "Crystal Village" and "Long Way Down" rock in that R.E.M.-styled jangle that is (excuse the reference) simply irresistible. For those won over by ballads like "EZ" and "Simonize," Yorn supplies "Turn of the Century" and "So Much Work."
Yorn may be a bit lifeless in concert (I saw him on tour with R.E.M. last October), but he shows here that his studio sensibilities are far from gone. ... -
January 9, 2004
Near-Perfect Pop Album
Pros: Everyman lyrics
Cons: Maybe two or three songs too long
Listen, people, you would have to be an absolute stiff not to be lured in by this album somehow. There are so many musical styles, it's bound to please everyone at some point. You have straightforward, radio-ready pop in "Mexican Wine" and "Hey Julie," hard rock in "Bright Future in Sales" and "Little Red Light," mock-country in "Hung Up on You," and mock-`70s disco in "Halley's Waitress."
While this may make the record musically inconsistent (a *very* minor complaint), the lyrics are all fresh, fascinating takes on relationships, daily job drudgery, and even growing up. Just about anyone who works for a living could relate to them. "Stacy's Mom," though it might be offensive to some, is the album's highlight and is actually quite funny. "Hackensack" details the life of a bored paint remover longing for a crush from school who has become famous. "Fire Island" is a hilarious story about the kids who promised they'd be...um, "good" while their parents were away. And those are just the standouts--the rest of the album is fabulous, too.
Basically, Fountains of Wayne are like They Might Be Giants without the characteristic weirdness. (Believe me, that's a compliment.) ... -
December 18, 2003
Simply Beautiful
1 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Lyrics, especially
Cons: Not too much variety, song-wise
Though they may only have cracked the singles charts with "All I Want" and maybe "Walk on the Ocean" back in the early `90s, Toad the Wet Sprocket are really much more than a one-hit wonder. Their acoustic-based folk has never been pretentious, didactic, or hard on the ears. By isolating the folk aspect of R.E.M. and combining it with lush harmonies, Toad created a wholly listenable sound, if not totally unique.
Glen Phillips formed the band back in the mid-`80s, and they finally released their first album Bread and Circus in 1989. It received little attention, as did its follow-up, Pale. Both albums were well-played, though Phillips' voice had yet to find completely stable footing. Surprisingly, their third outing, Fear, from 1991, somehow struck a chord with American audiences. Coming out in the same year as R.E.M.'s Out of Time, Fear was nearly as successful and "All I Want" was almost as prevalent on radio as "Losing My Religion." If Toad had not decided to take three years off after Fear, they might have been even bigger; however, the hiatus came at a bad time, with Nirvana/Pearl Jam grunge quickly subverting the folk genre. Toad realized this too late, and their slightly more electric album Dulcinea arrived in 1994 to little fanfare. 1995's In Light Syrup (a B-sides collection) and 1997's Coil essentially didn't go anywhere, and the band broke up shortly thereafter, releasing a greatest hits in 1998 as a farewell. Phillips continued solo, releasing the decent Abulum in 2001 to an absolutely frigid market. Nonetheless, Toad the Wet Sprocket's legacy, while perhaps not as great as R.E.M.'s, will be felt for years to come. ... -
December 18, 2003
Promising Single
1 of 2 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Neat lyrics
Cons: Not too different from previous Incubus songs...
This is the first single from Incubus's upcoming album, A Crow Left of the Murder. It's a good song, with Brandon Boyd singing in his usual piercing yet somehow enjoyable yelp. Both lyrically and musically, it follows the path emblazoned by previous Incubus songs. Boyd sings about how "you're no Jesus," while the music sounds typically spacey with that dash of rock, kind of like "Warning" from Morning View in 2001. If the rest of the album is like this, we can look forward to another satisfying Incubus album; but, as with "Wish You Were Here," the first single from Morning View, it could simply be the most radio-accessible in an otherwise artistically ambitious album. Let's see what happens. ...
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One of Sting's Finest Offerings
Pros: Great interpretations
Cons: Spoken word pieces
For those who only know Sting by "Fields of Gold" and maybe "Roxanne" from his Police days, this album may come as quite a shock. However, this style of music is not entirely without precedent in Sting's work. The opening portion of "I Was Brought to My Senses" from 1997's Mercury Falling and some of the material on 1985's The Dream of the Blue Turtles and 1991's The Soul Cages hinted at Sting's fascination with traditional music. Even so, this is a drastic move for an artist who has always tried to push himself.
Dowland's music does not lend itself well to interpretation by pop music singers, as Sting details in his essay in the booklet with this album. However, with some coaching and a genuine desire to remake this music, Sting comes across very well and lends a great sense of human emotion to Dowland's melodies. "Come Again" is especially wonderful, as Sting seems positively joyous to be sharing this song with the modern world. "Can She Excuse My Wrongs" and "In Darkness Let Me Dwell" are quite sad, and Sting brings just the right touch to these haunting pieces.
This album isn't for everyone. The spoken word segments are rather irritating, and the music's tempo can blend together a tad in places. Regardless, this is a great album for a solo listening session--you can really lose yourself in Sting's interpretations of these 500-year-old songs. Easily among Sting's best work. ...