2 Stars Archive

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The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 01/09/2012Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Downloads, Mixtape, R+B

  Every time The Weeknd puts out another free mixtape, indie music websites go ape shit We were one of those, once. But we’re done. Their first mixtape, House of Balloons, was pretty cool. We liked The Weeknd’s gritty, shadowy approach to R+B. On their second mixtape, Thursday, we found the guys straying very carefully into boring, predictable territory. And now, on their third mixer, Echoes of Silence (free download), it’s totally boring and predictable.

 

The worst part? Listening to the singer guy whine all the time. Damn it, dude. We’re certain you’re getting laid at this point in your career. What are you worried about?

 

Besides the wining, the whole album feels like a giant wind up… but the pitch never comes. It’s excruciating. And, once again, one of the best songs is the longest ones (“XO / The Host”), which is also excruciating. Ugh.

 

Oh, there is one cool part of the album. The 30 seconds of piano at the end of “Next” are rad.
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Jakk Frost – Throwback Jakk 2 – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 04/11/2011Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Albums, Downloads
On Throwback Jakk 2 from Philly’s Jakk Frost (free download), it’s nothing but old school beats from start to finish. Think of it as the hip-hop equivalent of a rock band’s covers album. And while that may sound like a disaster, it actually works pretty well.

We’re not sure why Jakk Frost chose to pay homage to his favorite beats in wholesale. But it feels more genuine, flows more naturally, than peppering a conventional album with throwbacks. The all-in approach seems to alleviate some of the pressure to live up to original versions of songs by greats like Gangstarr, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and Jeru the Damager. That said, there are times where Frost sounds a little too relaxed, and at times Throwback Jakk 2 sounds like a stoned, stream-of-conscious mic check.

Throwback Jakk 2 hits its stride at the midsection with “Take a Rest” and “Code of the Streets (f. Peedi Crakk)”, and then peaks at the searing, badass “Dirty Rotten (f. Kre Forch and Chic Raw).” After that, the album settles into a comfortable groove, and gets a little numb. But if you’re new to late-80s and early-90s hip-hop, this is a good album to get acquainted with some of the genre’s finest forgotten moments.
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Delorean – Subiza – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 12/06/2010Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Rock
Delorean is one of those dance/techno/rock bands falling somewhere between Holy Fuck and Cut Copy. Good company, yes. But the result on Subiza is disappointing (nowhere near the force or focus of those other bands). Songs (like “Endless Sunset”) seem to be building up to something, a killer beat should break. Any. Minute. But it never does. Others (like “Grow”) rely on tired, super-tired hooks.

Oh, for the record, these guys are awesome live. Don’t let our review of the album stop you from going to see a killer live show.

Standout Tracks
Things do pick up a bit on the second half of the album. “Simple Graces” is probably the best song here. (In fact, that’s all we’d recommend picking up.) If you need more, the album’s closer is pretty cool, “It’s All Ours”. “Infinite Desert” is alright, too.

Around the Web

  • “Could be this year’s most perfect summertime album.” (Prefix, 9/10)
  • “Far from typical and it’s blissful enough to be enjoyed” (Allmusic, 4/5)
  • “Homogeneous vocals”, “mood and tempo don’t show much range” (Paste, 4.9/10)
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Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 11/04/2010Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Genres, Rock
There was a fair amount of buzz around the first single from Stornoway’s “Beachcomber’s Windowsill”, (opening track) “Zorbing.”  It’s fine, but lacking texture. It just slips in one ear and out the other.  In fact, there’s not much texture to any of the first three songs. The first signs of life come with track number four, “The Coldharbour Road.”  Other standout tracks: “Watching Birds” and “The End of the Movie.”

Stornoway sounds a lot like Belle and Sebastian. But we’re not sure if Belle fans will loathe that endearing or annoying.  We at the Downcast don’t find the album annoying, we’re just not sure that we’ll ever listen to it again.


Around the Web
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Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – Buzzard – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 10/13/2010Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Rock
Listening to the first half of Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s “Buzzard”, you might lose interest and move onto something else (like organizing files on your computer and sweeping the kitchen).  It’s pretty standard, grunge-bitten indie rock. But right around Track 7 (Your Lower Back), there are signs of life.

We wouldn’t recommend downloading “Your Lower Back” (it’s drags on a bit). But “Lunatic, Lunatic, Lunatic” is pretty cool (starts off slow, drums kick in and that’s usually fun), and so is “I Do” (a slow, vacant ballad). “Earth to Aliens: What Do You Want?” is another ballad-y number worth downloading and putting on that mix tape you’re making for your girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Or moody cat.
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Darker My Love – Alive As We Are – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 10/12/2010Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Rock
There’s a little Beatles, a lot of Grateful Dead and a touch of The Who going on here. And this is normally the time when I say, “but you know, it still sounds fresh.” And I want to, but I can’t.  That said, Darker My Love’s “Alive As We Are” really isn’t a bad (or annoying) album.

Fans of Darker My Love’s previous work should beware, “Alive As You Are” is a much quieter, more vacant album than what you’re used to.

Standout tracks include “New America or A True Ship Builder Blues”, “June Bloom” and the album’s highlight, “Dear Author” (which you can download for free).
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Black Keys – Brothers – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 10/06/2010Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews

I am a Black Keys fan, okay? But if you already own Rubber Factory, you won’t need Brothers. Why? There’s nothing new happening on this album. It’s cool. The Black Keys are still awesome. (But if you’re a longtime fan, you won’t get much of a charge out of Brothers.

Not a fan? I’m shocked. My advice is to start with Rubber Factory. Then get Chulahoma. And a couple of single songs (like Magic Potion’s “Your Touch”, The Big Come Up’s “Do the Rump” and Attack and Release’s “Psychotic Girl”). And BANG, you’re a Black Keys expert.

Essential Track: Check out the cut “Sinister Kind.” It’s the Black Keys at their damn funkiest, and deserves a home in all of your record collections.

Around the web
Pitchfork gave Brothers a very solid 7.7
Over at Tiny Mix Tapes, the album got a 4/5
Filter gave the album an 84% grade

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Phantogram – Eyelid Movies – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 10/04/2010Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Alternative
There was a lot of buzz surrounding Phantogram’s debut, “Eyelid Movies”. And we listened with the best intentions, but we couldn’t find much to get excited about. Unfortunately, it’s an album full of uninspired lyrics, tired drum loops and a frustrating lack of song craft or melody.

Much of the Eyelid Movies plays like a batch of demos. These are the songs before a band plays them into the ground, add smart dynamics and bolt killer melodies to the top.

Upon first listen, you won’t be immediately turned off. But after the second or third spin, you’ll realize there isn’t much reason to come back for a third or fourth.

Standout Tracks
“As Far As I Can See” is our favorite here. It’s one of the fuller, bolder tracks on the album. “Running From the Cops” is pretty cool, too. And the quiet, haunting “10,000 Claps” is the set breaker, and should have dropped in the middle of the album.

Around the Web

  • “Eyelid Movies ultimately has more atmosphere than songs,” but “that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” (The Onion A/V Club, B+)
  • “A brave record that isn’t afraid to embrace the past” (Under the Radar, 7/10)
  • For their debut, “Eyelid Moves is something of a stumble out of the gate.” (Slant, 3/5)
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Sleigh Bells – Treats – Album Review

By
down.caster
– 10/03/2010Posted in: 2 Stars, Album Reviews, Rock
There’s more to a great rock song than volume and distortion. There’s a groove to the rhythm, a swagger to the vocals, something dangerous in the melodies and a cleverness to the riffs that make a rock song great. On Sleigh Bells’ debut, Treats, the band doesn’t rock so much as it awkwardly staggers around.

On a positive note, Sleigh Bells are braving new ground with a sound that’s mostly their own (though it could be loosely described as a cross between the worst material on Crystal Castle’s II, slowed to half speed, and peppered with vocals by MIA).

The rhythms on Treats are mostly contained and boxy, the vocals range from childish muttering to childish chanting (sometimes combining in a truly perplexing synergy), the melodies are drab, and most guitar riffs sound ordinarily familiar. Now, look, a band’s sound can work if any one (or two) of those problems apply. But if all of them apply?  That’s not hot.

And it gets worse. The booming bass accentuates the awkward rhythms, the guitar’s crinkly distortion puts a spotlight on the trite riffs and half-baked use of effects pedals is distracting.

All of that being said, Treats isn’t a total throw away. The band hits a pretty good stride at “Infinity Guitars” (one of our favorite songs of 2010) and actually sounds pretty good until about “Crown on the Ground.”

Standout Tracks: “Infinity Guitars”, “Run the Heart”, “Rill Rill”

Around the web

  • “When it comes to high-decibel dance-rock carnage, no one does it quite like Sleigh Bells.” (Slant, 5/5)
  • “Treats is engrossing, and urgent… a whole lot of fun to listen to.” (Paste, 9.3/10)
  • “Every element of Sleigh Bells’ genre-swerving sound — primitive guitar fuzz, pastiche beats, sugar-buzz vocals — bypasses the default snark button and burrows directly into jaded listeners’ punch-drunk pleasure centers.” (Entertainment Weekly, A-)
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