return of the reviews

It's been a while since I've put some reviews up, so here you go:



ween - La Cucaracha: The boys are back with another collection of offbeat yet heartfelt material. Songs are a little bit latin, a little bit country, a little bit creepy, a little bit reggae, a little bit emo, a little bit 70's prog rock, a little bit funny, and a lot of fun with the pitch correcting software. I find myself enjoying different songs more than others on different days. Go figure.



the orb - The Dream: Youth is back in the mix for the most orb-y sounding orb offering in recent years. A couple of tracks feature female vocals that are reminiscent of Cydonia's lead off single, 'Once More'. And if you score a copy of the japanese release, it includes a Transit Kings style send-up entitled, 'Let The Music Set You Free'. Up the orbs!



radiohead - In Rainbows: Much less busy than the over reaching and underwhelming Hail to the Thief, we find the reclusive lads exploring more of the sparser territory that made Kid A & Amnesiac most appealing. Not every tune is a winner, some going nowhere fast and making you wish for some more send up anthems from the OK Computer days or the heavy electronics which made Kid A and Amnesiac classics. Looking forward to the higher fidelity cd release and bonus material. Price paid: £0, and worth every pence.



film school - Hideout: Dron-y, monotonous, post-shoegaze, which is why I dig it. It's a good disc to help keep pace with while running.



les savy fav - Let's Stay Friends: Yeah, this one rocks. It's been 6 years since their last proper studio effort (not counting 2004's 7" compilation Inches since it's a comp). And they've gotten better with age. Singing about bands named after pots & pans and what it was like to be the king all with brutal honesty and tuneful energy puts this on the fast-track to being one of my favorite releases this year. Another good one to run to. The cover art kinda sucks, though.