Get Your Fix: Album Reviews by the CoolJunkie Staff

October 29, 2008 3:41 PM
by The CoolJunkie Staff

Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads
by: Marcos Colón

A third album for any band is a true testament to their sound. Although they fear the dreaded sophomore slump, it’s the third effort that really needs to hit the mark. It’s what keeps the real fans afloat, and what will ultimately lead to more listeners. England’s Kaiser Chiefs survived their sophomore effort, Yours Truly, Angry Mob, the five-piece indie rockers have just released their third album, Off With Their Heads. Coming into this album, I hoped to hear the same raw energy that they had when they first broke out onto the scene with their debut Unemployment, but it seems that the success of their second album has rubbed off a similar sound on this new one.

Off With Their Heads kicks things off with Spanish Metal, a quick and fiery guitar driven track that gave hope to a change of pace for the remainder of the album, only to quickly shift gears on track three, Like It Too Much, whose melody is carried along by a slow riff that’s backed by classical strings and a piano. Lyrics wise, the album doesn’t pack much of a punch, instead making statements or even being metaphorical, Ricky Wilson’s lyrics seem more like pub banter if anything at all. It’s not that this is a poor effort, Good Days Bad Days and Remember You’re A Girl keep the effort afloat, it’s just that there isn’t anything special or unique that sets this album apart from other great releases of this year.

Even though the use of additional instruments on this record was a plus, there’s nothing that one can pin point to get excited about this release. Fans of Kaiser Chiefs will stay fans, but those who’ve never taken a listen shouldn’t start with this album. It’s better to be introduced to their sound through Unemployment.

Click here to hear more from Kaiser Chiefs.

Defected in the House - Goa 09
by: Michael Maryanoff

In the spirit of other mix CDs on the label, Defected In the House has released yet another album which features three different DJs, each mixing their own separate disc. Defected is doing something a bit different with this album, however, instead of simply showcasing the artists’ own personal style, they are using it to underscore the burgeoning dance culture in India (complete with a mix from India’s own DJ Pearl).

Even though there are the obligatory bland vocal tracks and some rather boring big-room tracks, for the most part this is a solid and well-rounded mix album. The first CD, mixed by Simon Dunmore (head of the Defected label) is full of pounding, soulful house, and tribal tracks - such as Warren Clarke’s Lifting and Chocolate Puma’s Whohaddrums - that evoke a feeling of and Indian beach rave. He mixes it up well with some funky tracks like George Morel’s Let’s Groove and more subdued tracks such as Hollis P Monroe’s This Way.

The second disc, mixed by ATFC is much more club-oriented, with up-tempo house tracks such as Syvia Tosun’s Underlying Feeling. It’s a bit more homogenous than the first disc, and most tracks aren’t stingy on the bass, such as Chocolate Puma’s appropriately named Boom. Making sure to stay true the to the title, they also feature and India-based DJ on the album, DJ Pearl. Pearl’s track selection is fitting with the album, but she offers her own spin, with progressive tracks like Asteroidz DBN, Quentin Harris’s vocal electro track Can’t Stop, and Sultan & Ned Shepard’s techy Block Party. Even though DJ Pearl may not be as much of a household name as ATFC, she still very much holds her own.

All in all Goa 09 is an incredibly enjoyable mix CD. What adds to this is the fact that many tracks are mixed with one or even two accapellas, which keeps things interesting. Simon Dunmore showcases his arsenal of great tracks (which any record label head would inevitably amass), ATFC puts on display his experience as an international DJ, and DJ Pearl’s does not disappoint. I’d recommend picking this one up.

Click here to hear more from Defected in the House.

Audrye Sessions - Audrye Sessions EP
by: Damon Boardman

Say hello to Audrye Sessions, a new band from Oakland, California sparking a new record deal with Black Seal. But don’t mistake new for ‘new.’ You have more than likely heard this sound before and you will more than likely hear this sound again from another band. That’s much of the music industry. Copycats compiling familiar sounding tracks of someone else who’s had success, basically a sound that’s already been made easy on the ears. But that’s not what gets the Junkies jumping. Not to say Audrye Sessions is a bad band, just saying their disposable…verbatim.

The only thing that irks me about a band like this is that there is usually someone with serious talent. In this band it’s lead singer and guitarist Ryan Karazija. The front man uses a falsetto style of voice projection essentially at times singing higher than his normal range. Think Thom Yorke of Radiohead or Matthew Bellamy of Muse, and listen to the tracks Awake or New Years Day. Unfortunately, Karazija’s pipes don’t have the one-man command that the say a Clapton or Claypool can bring with their instruments of choice. Stopping at the point of EP status, Audrye Sessions seems like one of those bands that is talented enough to get noticed by a record company, which then pushes the band through various media networking outlets in attempts to promote. Next thing you know their song is fading in during the last melodramatic scene of The Hills only to take center stage during the credits.

That’s about as far as I see Audrye Sessions getting. Let me reiterate that this is only an EP prophecy. Look for Audrye Sessions full length album to drop early next year.

Click here to hear more from Audrye Sessions.