God Is an Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright (2005)

Sitting here, working on my blog debut while being a wee bit depressed, realizing that I was granted privileges to write here like... 9 months ago, and I am only just now finding my dirt covered, filth encrusted gem.

A pretty pathetic accomplishment, but nonetheless I'm going to put this shit to the pen. It simply deserves it.

God Is An Astronaut is an instrumental band. As such, it relies on the craftsmanship of said instrument's owners. While unfortunately I can't speak from practical experience, (I can't even whistle properly) I can tell you of what I have heard. And God Is An Astronaut does nothing instrumentally that I haven't heard before.

The drumming has been done before, the guitar isn't doing any sort of mind-melting stuff, a piano is a piano, and the bass is thumping away like basses all over the world have ever done. This is standard post-rock; break it down to the component, compare it to its peers and you're probably looking at something generic and bland. So why in god's name am I calling this a gem?

Well, behind the pretentious band name hides what most bands strive to achieve. What it is, I don't know. But it is that one thing that weaves together some of the most enticingly emotional melodies with some roller coaster drumming. It naturally overtakes your mind, messing with your fantasy to experience something new.

The ride starts of soft and slow, luring you into its lair. Finally there, it then alternates between beating you down and lifting you up, finishing in an epic crescendo, followed by some weird electronic sounds that leaves you wondering what the hell just happened. As you sit there, bombarded by new-old feelings, the real mystery is how they did it, since I personally was emotionally juxtaposed when finally realizing it's math class and I haven't got a clue what's up there on the board.

So my word of advice: don't prepare yourself for this, because then you might spoil what lies in store. I was utterly blown away listening to this while lying in bed, reading. Since then I have listened to this many a times, still being blown away time and time again. But i'm a impressionable, soft guy. So it might not happen to you. But it should.

- Eric the Swede (sorry for making it so long, im a hopeless first timer)

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Big D and the Kids Table - Fluent in Stroll (2009)

Rude boys need not apply because this isn't ska- it's "stroll." In a departure from their traditionally uber-hyper punk-ska, Big D & the Kids Table claims to have fused reggae, dub, ska, soul and a myriad of other genres into the new sound called "stroll" on Fluent in Stroll. As a huge fan of Big D, I'm personally offended that they could completely throw out their signature sound and betray their fan base. However, it's pretty unfair to judge an album on what it doesn't do, so let's try and keep this focused on what it actually does do. Ska or not, Fluent in Stroll is still mediocre at best. This is a flat and uninspired album that drags on for fifty minutes, but does show some promise for all of the "strollers" out there.

Lyrically it's a mixed bag; sometimes David McWane crafts thoughtful lyrics, and other times he pours out sappy love themes. Worse though are the painfully stupid nonsense lyrics straight out of Grease's "We Go Together" that pepper tracks. The title track opens with a shrill and piercing vocals, akin to nails on a chalkboard, vamping "Chin-chin, chadda-wadda-wa he." Speaking of vocals, the guest backing vocals provided by The Doped up Dollies does everything but tank the opening and title tracks in my opinion. Most songs plod along at slow tempos vamping ad nausea, but occasionally the group will ramp up to a faster rock'n'roll tempo for old times sake. And why bother keeping around three horn players if you're going to keep them inconspicuously in the background except for the occasional riff? But it's not all bad and high points include the Strictly Rude style "Been Wishing On" and "Chin Up, Boy!", and the surprisingly catchy "Not Fucking Around."

Judged on its own merits, Fluent in Stroll would probably a promising, but ultimately mediocre, début attempt by an up and coming band experimenting in a "new" genre. It really isn't a terrible album if you cut it some slack for being the first entry in the "stroll" cannon. However, long time fans of Big D's distinct Third Wave sound will mourn this as the band's complete abandonment of their punk-ska roots.

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Eyedea & Abilities - By the Throat (2009)

Rhymesayers-based hip-hop duo Eyedea & Abilities return after a 5 year hiatus with somewhat mixed results. They've mostly left behind the aggressive, battle-centric lyrics and turntablism that were present on E&A in favor of a more indie rock/electronic type sound.

Eyedea's short stint as the vocalist for rock band Carbon Carousel is pretty apparent here, and many of the songs feature him crooning along to dull and uninspired guitar lines that were probably originally intended for the aforementioned band. Eyedea isn't a particularly good singer either, and the tracks that forgo singing in favor of actual rapping are generally the more successful ones.

Another thing worth noting is the apparent lack of DJ Abilities. He still makes a few appearances here and there with some scratching, but his contributions are seemingly minimal compared to the first two albums. This can be explained by the complete change in direction sound-wise, but it is still pretty disappointing, considering Abilities used to be an integral part of the E&A sound.

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Reel Big Fish - Monkeys for Nothing & the Chimps for Free (2007)

If you don't know Reel Big Fish, you didn't listen to the radio in 1997. Their mega-hit "Sell Out" smashed through mainstream playlists and blazed the train for the 3rd Wave punk-ska breakout of the late 90's. They followed that up with a decade of constant touring, honing their stage performances to near perfection, but I've always felt disappointed by their studio catalog since Turn the Radio Off. Their subsequent albums always felt tired, uninspired, formulaic and oddly flavored with more and more hardrock/metal. But after being dropped from Jive Records, Reel Big Fish turned it around with the 2007 Monkeys for Nothing & The Chimps for Free, which I would venture to call their best effort since Turn the Radio Off.

First and foremost this album is fun to listen to. Most tracks are quick, upbeat and have that effortlessly fresh sound that makes ska so fun. The crisp horn riffs, engaging vocals, hectic tempos and "snarky" lyrics that made Reel Big Fish world famous fly out of every track. And as every veteran act does eventually, RBF expands their style a little and ventures into some new territory on a few tracks. The harder, darker and more mature songs sound authentic and work really well here. The laid-back and chill songs feel forced and entirely miss the mark. The standout tracks come in an epic fan service that especially puts a smile on my face when RBF covers and slightly updates "Call Her" and "Hate You", two fan-favorites from their pre-breakout era.

Monkeys does have flow, but isn't bullet-proof as some tracks feel out of place and break up the overall experience. Also the trademark irreverence and "sillyness" critics love to praise RBF for venture into the sophomoric and mornic on occasion here. However, that shouldn't stop die-hard fans and newbies alike from jumping headfirst into Monkeys for Nothing & The Chimps for Free, Reel Big Fish's best studio work in a long time and the spiritual successor to Turn The Radio Off.

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Dubstep Allstars Vol.05: Mixed By N-Type (2007)

Dubstep is a relatively new genre of music with roots that can be traced back to the early 2K Garage Scene in the United Kingdom. Stylistically, it borrows elements from garage, grime, dub/reggae, and drum and bass to create a musical product that is often dark, sparse in rhythm, and bassy. Dubstep is still somewhat of an underground movement, but it has slowly been gaining popularity over the past few years thanks to moderate media attention. I was first introduced to dubstep a little over a year ago with the release of Burial's second album, Untrue. The album received so much critical praise and attention that I had to check it out. I didn't really know what to expect going in, but I wasn't too impressed, and the album remained on my computer untouched for many months to come. Several months ago however, something piqued my interest in dubstep again, and I gave Untrue another shot. I have since fallen in love with the album, and have been exploring this unfamiliar genre of music ever since (Burial's Untrue is probably one of the biggest gateways for new dubstep listeners).

Now when it comes to electronic music, usually the best way to get aquatinted with an unfamiliar genre is to listen to compilation albums. This allows you to get a general feel and explore different artists within the genre without having to acquire a bunch of different albums. This rings true especially for dubstep (any many other styles of electronic music), which revolves more around songs and tunes than full-length albums. The Dubstep Allstars series is one of the more popular (and respected) compilations in the genre, with new volumes being released on what is seemingly a regular basis. Many dubstep purists would probably want you to start with Volumes 1-3 of the series, or even The Roots of Dubstep compilation, but I'm going to tell you otherwise. And while I'm still new to the genre as a whole, Volume 5 is (to me) the most enjoyable of the series and probably the best place for a beginner to start. You can then start to identify particular artists/styles that you enjoy and move on from there. Even if you're already a dubstep listener (you haven't heard this yet?), it's still worth checking out.

Another few things I forgot to mention earlier: One of the cool things about these compilations is that they're mixed by producers from the dubstep scene (in this case, N-Type mixed Vol 5). So not only do you get to see what some of the more popular dubstep producers are digging, but all the tracks blend and transition seamlessly into one another. Perfect for extended listening. Also, to get the best listening experience for dubstep, a good soundsystem or a really nice pair of headphones is highly recommended. There's a lot of really low-end bass in there that might get lost or just cause distortion if your setup isn't up to par. Just something to think about.

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