Get Your Fix: Album Reviews by the CoolJunkie Staff

June 18, 2008 5:08 PM
by Marcos Colón [email]

Coldplay - Vive La Vida and Death and All His Friends
by: Marcos Colón

After the endless amount of teasing provided by the colorful ITunes commercial, Coldplay’s new album is finally released.

Following the release of the 2005’s X&Y, Coldplay wasted no time in getting to work on their next effort. Beginning their brainstorming sessions in 2006, the band got together with coveted producer Brian Eno. Making his name by working with greats like Talking Heads and U2 (fitting as Coldplay seems to be well on their way to that status), Eno brought to the table his ambient touch and experience all across the sound board.

Not too much has changed since X&Y, which is a good thing. Packing the same powerful and soulful sound that they’ve carried with them since the release of Parachutes, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends has the English quartet once again providing a strong effort that will keep elevating their status, one day making frontman Chris Martin a bonafide…well, Bono, sans the mystique, of course. His approachable demeanor and anti-rock star persona is what realistically allows fans to connect to each song, whether the topic be love, hate, pain or joy.

Tracks like Lost! and Strawberry Swing the band provides the perfect combination of rhythm and strings for an end result that can only be described as striking. 42 is by far the highlight of the album, starting things off with Martin crooning [Those who are dead are not dead/They’re just living in my head] to a blanket of piano keys, only changing the pace midway with a steady creep of haunting riffs and a foot stomping chorus.

Although the concept of the album seems to be geared toward uniting the fans on a global aspect, there’s no clear message that one can pin point. Regardless, the music is quality and will continue to bring up Coldplay’s stock, making fans already anticipate their next move.

Mark Knight - Toolroom Knights
by: Michael Maryanoff

For Toolroom Records’ latest two-part mix CD, Toolroom Knights, Mark Knight runs through the gamut of current dance music. His track selection, which ranges from deep house and techno to progressive house and minimal, is a comprehensive illustration of the different styles of music filling up the record crates and CD cases of DJs as of late.

The first album begins with some deep, soulful tracks from the likes of Terry Lee Brown Jr. and Dennis Ferrer, and slowly slides into a more progressive sound. While most of the songs showcase the talents of other producers, Knight also includes a few tracks of his own, including his softer spin on the Lil’ Mo’ Yin Yang club classic Reach, a track which has recently enjoyed a slew of remixes (you’re more likely to recognize the TV Rock version, which is a bit more club-friendly). The more progressive tracks, such as Scratch & Sniff and Beneath You, have palpable trance influence (a sound akin to Deadmau5’s wildly popular old-school but relevant tunes such as Not Exactly and To Forever). The first CD ends with Rhythm District 101, a tribal-techno track which you’ll be sure to hear in clubs around the globe (if you haven’t already).

While the first CD boasts a myriad of different sounds throughout, the second is a bit more homogenous. In place of the soulful house vocals of Bring On The Night and deep grooves of Chatterbox are the mechanical vocals of Windrose and thumping big-room minimal basslines of With Me Or Against Me. The second CD is much more club oriented, with such speaker-thumping tunes as Mescal Kid’s Magic and ATFC’s rave-ready Bad Weed.

In 26 tracks, Mark Knight puts his aptitude for track selection on full display. Toolroom Knights is enjoyable throughout, and each song serves a purpose. While there aren’t any moments that lack intensity, Knight also manages to back off when needed. Even if you aren’t a fan of studio mixes, Toolroom Knights’ danceablity and wide musical range come together to make for an album worth checking out.

The Futureheads - This Is Not The World
by: Marcos Colón

One of the worst things that can happen to any individual is buying an album, listening to the first track, and loving it, absolutely loving it. But as they move on to the next songs things die out and the interest is lost. The Futureheads seemed to have caught on to this, though.

With their latest album, This Is Not the World, the British quartet is out to prove that one can truly bounce back from the dreaded sophomore slump. After the release of their highly touted self titled debut, their follow-up, News and Tributes, didn’t carry the same steam. Frustrated by the bureaucratic system that music labels are, the band decided to head in their own direction, starting up Nul Records, a label that would only be releasing Futureheads albums.

On This is Not The World, the band have created a near perfect consistency of pumping out jolting guitar riffs, their trademark clap along choruses and Barry Hyde’s punk infused Brit-boy croon. On the album’s opener, The Beginning Of The Twist, things start off with their signature riffs and Barry banting [Come on I need your help with this/Why don’t we get it started with a kiss]. Throughout the album the same literate lyrical musings are incorporated as well as the danceable feel created by the rhythmic guitars.

After their first two albums, it seems like the boys from Sunderland have got it right. Still incorporating the raw energy and clever harmonies from the first album, and the experience and maturity from the second, This Is Not The World is exactly what they need to finally get the respect they deserve.

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
by: chipi

Last week the self-proclaimed "best rapper alive" Lil'Wayne sold over 1 million copies of his long awaited release Tha Carter III. While the press and music critics at large have been unanimously singing his praises and handing him the Hip-Hop crown, there are a few unanswered queries about the rappers place in the game.

This New Orleans native has the kind of history that every rapper aching for street cred covets. A bastard child, mentored and nurtured by Baby of Cash Money records, he's a High School drop out, divorced father, part-time college student and awaits trial for an Arizona drug and gun bust that transpired on his tour bus last January - all at the ripe old age of 25. Since his introduction to hip-hop with the Hot Boys to his growth with Tha Carter series, Lil'Wayne has certainly begun to flex his musical muscle and has demonstrated a serious maturation vocally and lyrically at a rate that frightens most.

That being said, Tha Carter III is petrifying. It is at once brilliant and cliche, commercial and underground, kitsch and dada. For every Bangladesh produced energetic oddity like "A Milli", Wayne tacks on cheap R&B thrills, including a Beyonce quoting Babyface collaboration on "Comfortable". One look at the rappers catalog makes this sort of arrangement no surprise, as it seems the Weezy one believes in quantity over quality. In 2007 Wayne appeared on more than 70 songs, most of which were not his own or released in his now infamous mix tapes.

As far as content goes, Lil'Wayne isn't exactly tackling new and exciting issues. His mentality is as much money-cash-ho's as it is about his own awesomeness. Ultimately, it's the rappers 'alien' perspective that sets him apart from his peers. The David Banner produced "Phone Home" begins with Wayne declaring "We are not the same / I am a Martian" in his best E.T. impersonation. He goes on to make a few observations about his colleagues, boasting with his signature simile style "I can get your brains/ For a bargain/ Like I bought them/ From Target/ Hip-hop/ Is my supermarket/ Shopping cart full/ Of fake hip-hop artists."

While most Wayne fanatics will hound you to name another rapper in his stead when questioning his place on the throne, I decline to dub any living performer in a still changing genre the "best" of anything. One thing that is beyond a shadow of a doubt is that he is the hardest working rapper alive. After hearing the news about surpassing the million unit marker, Lil'Wayne released a free video remix of "A Milli" thanking his fans for their support and claiming "A Milli-on sold / First day I went gold, / How do I celebrate? / Work on Tha Carter IV."