Get Your Fix: Album Reviews by the CoolJunkie Staff

June 27, 2008 4:03 PM
by Marcos Colón [email]

Motley Crüe - Saints of Los Angeles
by: Marcos Colón

The kings of the early 80s Los Angeles club scene, not to mention the epitemy of sex, drugs and rock and roll, are back. After years of heavy make-up, endless abuse of alcohol and drugs, near death experiences and backstage groupie antics, Mötley Crüe are back with the same raunchy lyrics and stammering guitar riffs, only this time a little less make-up and a little more tattoos.

It’s been eight long years since their last effort, New Tattoo, but the Crüe is back with Saints of Los Angeles. Producing the kind of tracks that just make you want to shower after the first listen, the band hasn’t lost the touch, rhythm and attitude that they first brought onto the LA rock scene in the early 80s.

On Saints of Los Angeles, just glancing at the title of the songs says it all. With track names like Chicks=Trouble, Down at the Whisky and Mutherfucker Of The Year you pretty much know what you’re getting yourself into before you click play. All four original members are back and swinging more than ever, almost trying to prove to everyone that they still have what it takes. With Tommy Lee taking the lead on percussion and Mick Mars providing the fire and brimstone riffs, the sound is still tighter than ever. Vince Neil’s pipes haven’t changed a bit, as well as their lyric notebook of classic lines. On This Ain’t A Love Song, Neil screams out [This ain’t a love song/It’s just a fuck song/Don’t have to sing along].

Although this new effort proves that Mötley Crüe haven’t lost their energy or sound, it’s still not enough to gain the attention of the masses in a day in age where everyone looks for something new, something different, not a genre and sound that had its peak over two decades ago. If you’ve always been a fan of the Crüe than this is the album for you. If not, then I wouldn’t even take a listen.

Tiësto - In Search of Sunrise 7
by: Michael Maryanoff

On In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 7, the latest installment of Tiësto’s long-running mix CD series, he ventures into some uncharted territory on disc one, while creating a second disc that is a more traditional rave-friendly offering.

At the onset of the disc one, Tiësto shies away from the blazing fast tempos and soul rattling basslines typical of his live performances. The album begins with Wasted, a tech house influenced track with a brilliant bassline that wonderfully contrasts with its much lighter guitar-laden melody. The second song Yohkoh sounds a bit more progressive and seems as though it would be more at home on a Satoshi Tomiie album. He soon regresses to his roots, however, and goes on to create a decent hour of subdued trance.

On the second disc, Tiësto doesn’t waste any time returning to the heavy, up-tempo sound his fans have grown to know and love. While trance fans will certainly find the sporadic melody, dreamy keyboard, and pounding bassline of Whenever I May Find Her to be endearing, and DJ Eremit’s epic Tanz Der Seele is sure to be a rave classic, some songs, such as Hensha’s painfully repetitive Curtain and Tiësto’s lukewarm Driving to Heaven, fall flat on their face.

In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 7 boasts some decent tracks, but it certainly doesn’t offer anything new. While the first few songs make it appear as though Tiësto might be changing his sound, he soon gets back into his old groove. If you happen to be a Tiësto fan, it’s definitely worth picking up, but make sure to avoid it if you’re not.

Teddy Thompson - A Piece of What You Need
by: Marcos Colón

During a time when it seems that John Mayer is the only male guitar strumming singer/songwriter that rules the airwaves, no one else seems to want to step up to the challenge. But just when Mayer seems to be taking a bit of a break after his last album, London-born and New York-based Teddy Thompson releases his fourth effort, A Piece of What You Need.

Said to be his most ambitious and accomplished album to date, Thompson seems to be walking a thin genre line between folk and country, having his lyrics commonly express different situations that delve into today’s way of life. However, when it comes to the untrained ear of the common music fan, at first listen it would be easy for them to classify the effort as country. Whatever A Piece of What You Need is classified as by listeners, it offers some beautiful and inspiring tracks.

New songs like What’s This?!!, In My Arms, and Can’t Sing Straight are catchy gems with clap-along choruses and steady charming riffs provided by Thompson. The man’s not lacking in the lyrics department either, Slippery Slope and Turning The Gun On Myself are bittersweet emotional punches where Thompson cleverly complains about the noise in his Upper West side home, [New York is loud/It’s wonderfully loud/But I need my rest/To be at my best/Away from the high decibels].

Although he’s always gained high praises from the critics, Teddy Thompson has never reached the commercial success that the majority of artists shoot for. A Piece of What You Need is a fantastic effort, but there’s still isn’t the aspect in his music that could potentially set him apart or really get the attention of the typical nine to fiver surfing the FM. Everyone should definitely give it a try, but don’t expect anything out of the ordinary.

Hercules And The Love Affair - Hercules And The Love Affair
by: chipi

Whether you're a Poplife kid or an Ocean Drive fashionista, you've been exposed to Hercules & Love Affair's brilliant piece of Brooklyn neo-disco Blind. Attacking dance floors and runways alike around the globe and in your stream of ultra cool, DJ Andrew Butler's side project marries the quavering voice of Antony Hegarty of Antony and The Johnsons layering Antony Hegarty's eerie voice with the kick, shake and shimmer of Studio 54's more glamorous moments. Getting his start at 15 DJing at a leather bar in Denver (with a hostess who called her him itself Chocolate Thunder Pussy) DJ Andrew Butler has been producing and working the decks in New York since his days at Sarah Lawrence college. On the forefront of the avant disco movement, Hercules & Love Affair rides on the wings of the ever expanding DFA Records family.

The entire disc catches a wave of electronic euphoria, but there are a few moments that return to the basics of the funk it's built on. On tracks like Hercules Theme, Butler brings in live horns out of the vein of the Kool & the Gang Era and stacks the track smooth with strings, kick and snare.

This self-titled debut marks the beginning of the technicolor sound thats been lacking in our new wave of electro-disco. At once an archaeologist and pioneer expedition, expect to hear Butler's brainchild fueling your dance party for years to come.