February Album Reviews

Los Campesinos!: Romance is Boring, Rating 7.1

Los Campesinos! Have grown up? And I don’t know how I feel about it. If “Romance is Boring” was the first album I heard by Los Camp I’d probably would have rated it higher but I know how zany and unpredictable they can be after listening to “Hold On Now Youngster.” The songs on this album are tighter and more structured which isn’t a bad thing it’s just different. I still really like this album and will have to just accept that it’s not more of the same.

Lil’ Wayne: Rebirth, Rating 3.2

Over the last year I’ve have become a Lil’ Wayne fan. His rhymes are tight and quite humorous at times. It’s a little overwhelming at first looking at his discography and figuring out where to start. Lil Wayne is a song producing machine but I’m starting to learn it’s not all great. “Rebirth” is Wayne’s attempt at a rock album. I found it lyrically and musically boring. It sounds like an out of the box rock record with Weezy singing auto tune all over it. I guess I just have to wait a couple months to the next release and hope its better.

Hot Chip: One Life Stand, Rating 8.0

“One Life Stand” has been getting a lot of play in the Hyundai recently and usually at very high volumes. The CD is a little front heavy but I’m starting to appreciate the 2nd half a little more with each listen. It also helps that the last song on the album is “Take It In” which could be one of the best songs of the year (I know it’s only February). I have a feeling that “One Night Stand” will get some attention this year but will probably receive more praise down the road, I think this is kind of a sleeper album.

Yeasayer: Odd Blood, Rating 4.3

“Odd Blood” could be the biggest disappointment of the year. I really enjoyed Yeasayer’s unique debut release “All Hour Cymbals” and have been waiting for new material from them for a while. I was extremely pleased with the song “Tightrope” which they provided for the CD “Dark Was The Night” and equally as pleased with the first single from “Odd Blood”, “Ambling Alp” which was release in December. “Odd Blood” (in my mind) had potential to be album of the year…then I heard it. The album has 3 maybe 4 solid songs on it and lacks the potential and feeling their earlier releases had. Having seen them live a couple times I had actually heard about half the songs on “Odd Blood” before it came out and they sounded great live, but on the album they come across boring and almost amateurish. I haven’t given up on Yeasayer in any means and I plan on seeing them live at the end of April.

Local Natives: Gorilla Manor, Rating 8.1

No surprise I love this album, it has all the things I like, great harmonies, unique percussion and good guitar work. I would describe “Gorilla Manor” as a rocked up Grizzly Bear album. Local Natives are a new band out of LA and you can really tell on the album they are having fun being a band. In no way does the album ever feel pretentious or forced. I having a feeling this band is going to become pretty big in the indie world and has some crossover success similar to Phoenix.

Mumford & Sons: Sign No More, Rating 2.8

Get ready, here they come…With the recent success of Fleet Foxes and The Avett Brothers we are starting to get a gaggle of bands trying to ride the folk rock wave while they can. I have to admit that I am a fan of their single “Little Lion Man” but unlike the other mentioned bands, “Sigh No More” ends at their single. I found the rest of the album to be boring and emotionless. So if this type of music is your thing than this will probably fit nicely in your collection but I don’t see Mumford & Sons having any staying power in this genre.