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Ear Shot
Recent Releases that Rock My Rabato
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March 08, 2007
PEEPING TOM
"PEEPING TOM"
[ROCK] This might be Mike Patton's most commercial release yet—some
of his Faith No More work not withstanding. Still holding true to his
wild unpredictability, Patton utilizes elements of rock, metal, funk,
jazz, hip-hop and pop, and enlists the help of some well-known friends
to make an album of surprising hits—hey, he's definitely got the chops
to do it—but without losing his deranged sense of humor and
experimental musicality. Only Patton could sing lyrics like, "I know
that assholes grow on trees but I'm here to trim the leaves/and you're
just a piece of shit/but I can overlook it today/'cause you're still my
friend" and have it sound like a power ballad, then turn around and do
a duet ("Caipirinha" with Bebel Gilberto) like a slinky Brazilian
playboy. He gets uber-funky on "How U Feelin'?" but proves he's still
creepy and rockin' hard on the catchy "We're Not Alone (Remix)." And on
"Sucker" he riles up a naughty little Norah Jones—there's something so
satisfying in hearing the eternally tasteful Jones slither out "What
makes you think you're my only lover?/The truth kinda hurts don't it,
mother fucker." Curiously, something about his vocal style made me want
to dig out my old The The records. Anyway, like Patton himself, this
album gets better and better with time and repeated listening. —Ipecac
Recordings 2006
THE BIRD AND THE BEE
"THE BIRD AND THE BEE"
[INDIE POP] This is one of the most infectious albums I've heard in
a long time. Possibly, ever. It's pure pop, the kind that gives a mod
nod to Europop bands of the '60's and the Lawrence Welk Show, but with
a breezy bossa nova sensibility and trip hop edge that's never
vapid—instead, there's a refreshing intelligence and lots of wry humor.
And though it's Greg Kurstin's catchy pop and jazz instrumentation
that'll have you bopping in your seats, it's the sardonic, cynically
romantic lyricism juxtaposed with Inara George's sweet, breathy vocals
that'll hook you in right from the get-go, as on "Again," the opening
track: "Say my name, say my name, say my stupid name. It's stupid how
we always seem to do it again… It's so stupid and perfect and stupid
and perfect. I hate you, I want you, I hate you, I hate you, oh
oh."—Blue Note Records 2007
THE DEFTONES
"SATURDAY NIGHT WRIST"
[METAL] They're baaack. This is the eponymous Deftones album, and
one that took them three years to make. There are few, if any,
surprises, like Annie Hardy's (of Giant Drag, see below) vocal cameo on
the creepy but hilariously dirty, "Pink Cellphone." Even so, the
Deftones is a metal band that takes itself seriously and apparently
experienced a lot of inner turmoil during the making of this album. But
this is not necessarily a bad thing—the underlying angsty tension
between Chino Moreno's dreamy/screamy vocals and the heavy, thrashing
rawness of the rest of the band is what makes the Deftones great.
Especially if you're a fan already, you won't be disappointed.
—Maverick 2006
GIANT DRAG
"HEARTS AND UNICORNS"
[INDIE ROCK] Okay, so this release is not quite "new." But a friend
recently turned me on to this cheeky indie rock duo and I haven't been
able to extricate the CD from my car stereo since. I'm completely
addicted. An interviewer once asked Micah Calabrese and Annie Hardy to
describe their music: "Sounds like a girl playing guitar and singing,
and a dude playing drums and bass—added distortion pedal and some
cats." And yeah, essentially that's it. But the songs are epic rock
that, unlike the Deftones, doesn't take itself too seriously. Annie
Hardy sings like Kathleen Hanna's (of Bikini Kill) cool, stony younger
sister or the more girly distant American cousin of PJ Harvey. In fact,
there is a definitive '90's alternative rock feel to the album, which
has drawn comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and Nirvana. It's slinky,
hard, ironic and most definitely not a giant drag. —Kickball 2005
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