Get Your Fix: Album Reviews by the CoolJunkie Staff

August 14, 2008 4:46 PM
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The Jonas Brothers - A Little Bit Longer
by: chipi

If you don't know of the Jonas Brothers yet, where the fuck have you been this past year? The only viable response is hiding under a rock, sheltered from the overexposure of pre-pubescent Pop Gods of the twenty-first century. Between Miley Cyrus' explosion from Disney Channel deity to mainstream See you Again fame and the physical impossibility of escaping anything High School Musical related in the media - the Disney channel has been giving children mediocre, cheesy, pre-packaged taste in music and Freudian style sexual frustration for the past 10 to 15 years. These tweeny boppers have taken over the airwaves, clothing lines and television and are even sporting their own 3D movie musical experiences.

If you've come into contact with a child under the age of 14 recently, you're no doubt well versed in the ways of the Jonas. If you need a cultural reference, if Miley Cyrus was Britney pre-crazy pills and minus the sex appeal, the Jonas Brothers would be the Hanson of this pop poop cycle. While the tunes that have emerged from the Jonas Brothers latest release A Little Bit Longer are nowhere near the infectious nature of "Mmbop", the Hanson comparison holds strong in that after a string of immensely successful pieces of pop fluff, the Jonas Brothers have attempted their first "serious" album. The blonde beauties of Hanson took their own swing at this a few years ago, but they managed to hit a few homers and master the art of the pop song in a classical sense with infectious hooks and massive hits. The Jonas Brothers leaves a bit to be desired in this regard. They've certainly taken a few steps in the right direction with songs like Burnin' Up, a single which will definitely have them on heavy rotation and charting high in sales, it highlights the trio as a Maroon 5 for the celibate youngster set. Other cuts like Shelf have the emo pop-punk sensibility that youngsters of a certain age need before opening the door to heavier content and complexity level music like Jimmy Eat World and The Get Up Kids.

All criticism aside, rest assured that this will be the highest grossing CD release of the year, accompanied by a DVD and interactive version, behind the scenes film and 3D Concert special. Perhaps not the transcendent move the Jonas Brothers aspired to but certainly another contribution to their trust fund.

Lykke Li - Youth Novels
by: Marcos Colón

It says something about a person when at age 20 they start complaining about the direction of their life, only because they haven’t released an album. At that age most are worrying about wrapping up the dreaded last few years of school, only to get slapped in the face by the so-called ‘real world.’ However, when it came to Sweden’s Lykke Li, her determination seemed to look past these things. Two years later she releases a debut album, Youth Novels, on her own label, LL Recordings.

On Youth Novels the young songstress will win everyone over with her infectious sweet and sexy pipes. Those combined with help on the production side from Bjorn Yttling, of Peter, Bjorn and John, make for a unique first attempt at expressing emotion over a collection of tracks that are laid down to a digital feel.

From Melodies and Desires, the album’s opener, to Window Blues, there’s a unique sense of variety that most female singer/songwriters lack, opting for the too familiar sounds from song to song while the lyrics are what keep them up. On Little Bit, the highlight of the album, acoustic plucking guides Lykke’s voice over a simple electronic beat, making for a quality song. Lyrics range from metaphorical expressions of emotions, to the breakup anthem Breaking It Up, [Darling I’ll leave and you won’t come along/So give me the reason to stay].

Youth Novels is a must if you’re having a drink or smoke with a significant other. Yes guys, if you have any sort of rhythm or slight appreciation for good music, you’ll dig this too. With the kind of voice that can scream “fuck you,” but still seems to sound pleasant, be ready for to hear a lot more from Lykke Li.

Danny Tenaglia - Futurism
by: Michael Maryanoff

I always said that dance music hasn’t officially gone techno until Danny Tenaglia goes techno. With the release of Futurism, it seems as though that watershed moment has finally arrived. I think it’s safe to make this assumption now that Tenaglia has slapped a picture of himself as a robot on top of a CD with tracks from Gel Abril and Luca Bachetti.

What is great about Futurism is that while Tenaglia has decided to go techno, I don’t think he’s going to trade in his Yankees hat for a euro faux-hawk and a one-way ticket to Berlin. He manages to stick to his tribal house roots while showcasing his favorite techno oddities. Tracks like Can’t Cheat with Concrete and Beatific display his ability to straddle the organic and the mechanic.

Futurism does stray far from the traditional Tenaglia sound, but still maintains a good range. He throws in a lot of techno oddities, such as Desire by GummiHz, but he also maintains the high energy you’d expect with tracks like Big Bang.

This is the first compilation that Danny Tenaglia has released in six years and maybe it’s because he wanted to use it to mark a new phase in a career. He is definitely trying out something new, but he does very well. Tenaglia has made a turn in his career all right, but thankfully it isn’t a turn for the worse.

Shwayze - Shwayze
by: Marcos Colón

Just when you thought that hip hop and rap were starting to look up, due to releases by Lil’ Wayne and Nas, out of the West Coast comes Shwayze, a rapper who definitely does have some potential, but is held down by his producer and comrade Cisco Adler. Everyone may be unfortunately familiar with Adler’s band Whitestarr, whom had a short stint on a reality show on VH1, as well as his credible father Lou Adler. Regardless, it seems as though his new knack for producing tracks is holding down what Shwayze can potentially bring to the table, easy on the ears vocals accompanied by a smooth flow. The two teamed up to release Shwayze’s self-titled debut album, a mistake in the ears of many.

The radio friendly Buzzin does have an appealing feel to it, carried by its chorus which is surprisingly sung by Cisco, however, that pretty much sums up the album. Shwayze raps, Cisco sings the chorus. When tracks like these are a rarity on most rapper’s albums, Shwayze has opted to create an entire album based on this formula. Or it could have potentially been a choice made by Cisco, who’s the one with the connections.

On Shwayze, Cisco seems to construct beats and melodies that would be more fitting for an acoustic crooner than for someone looking to garner respect as a rapper. Although for the meantime the duo have seemed to get some attention out in their neck of the woods, I highly doubt that Shwayze’s wave of fame will last any longer, at least until he finds a new producer.