The BurgerBlog

Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas produces high class music, and Cradlesong is a must-have for any music lover.

Though tempting to end the review there, Cradlesong, the most recent solo album from Matchbox Twenties’ lead singer, demands and deserves more attention than that. Thomas, with his honey baritone, catchy guitar hooks, and affinity for good music, has mastered what he tried to in his first album, Something To Be: mainstream pop rock genius that can appeal to all listeners, young, old, or otherwise.

From the touchy topic of terminal illness (“Her Diamonds”) to the difficulties of the “Real World 09″ to tribal cries to God (“Fire On The Mountain”), Thomas is able to harness the severity of his topics yet apply likable peppiness to each and every one of the tracks presented in Cradlesong.

Angst and sweetness envelop the album in a blanket of soulful lyrics. Geared more towards the adult listener, Thomas writes about being judgmental towards his wife in the track “Hard On You.” Please forgive me if I’m hard on you, Thomas pleads as the song closes. “Hard On You” fades, and a hard guitar preempts the torment of “Still Not Over You” (his wife for being too hard on her? Not sure where this fits into Thomas’ personal life), followed by the sexy Daughtry-ish tune “Natural.” There is not a track on this album that won’t appeal to a vast spread of listeners.

Overall, Cradlesong doesn’t have a bad track on it. As it’s listened to over and over, the details and nuances of this intelligently designed album (from the same think tank as Matchbox 20) will present itself in new ways: the clear lyrics hit from different directions, the power chords and tribal drum beats shake the listener’s foundations, and little riffs and hooks make themselves apparent that aren’t immediately obvious to the skimming listener. Cradlesong has the same longevity that Joshua Tree and Thriller have offered over the past two decades. The difference is, Cradlesong hasn’t had the time to reach the potential of its following.

In “Wonderful,” the third to last track on the album, Thomas proclaims, “I guess I’m past my prime/And now I’m overrated.” Rob, there is no “A” that I’m happier to award, and if you keep pumping out records like Cradlesong, you can someday “be cool” and hit your prime.

Rating: A

Recommended Songs: Buy this album

Cash Cash

Forget Hellogoodbye: manufactured pop has reached a new level. Cash Cash’s debut album Take It To The Floor is synth-filled, voice altered, syrupy, sugary goodness. It recycles 80’s synth pop and mixes it with would-be-punk (think punk for Clay Aiken). And, as much fun it is to criticize, Take It To The Floor is actually a fun, upbeat album. If the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync can be popular ten years ago, Cash Cash is the boy band of the future.

Take It To The Floor’s first song, “Breakout,” has a catchy chorus, quick beat, and voice-altered harmonies. It’s made-for radio candy, a guilty pleasure that can only be rivaled by the third track on the album, “Party In Your Bedroom.” The sing-along lyrics, jump and move funk, and light guitar is, dare I say it, perfect for dance parties and teenage girls to clap and shake down to. The heartthrob and lead singer of Cash Cash, Jean Paul Makhlouf, has a voice that’s perfect for the effect that Cash Cash is going for, when you can distinguish it from the distortion.

He leads the “Cash Cash” chorus, He’s got cash cash cash/He’s made of money but /He’s straight out the trash trash/He’ll rip your heart out in a flash flash flash/Oh no you’re not for sale. Belonging on N*Sync’s Celebrity, the faux-Spanish guitar flashes around the stanzas as Makhlouf preaches to girls about yuppie boys. “Cash Cash” is catchy and coherent, but will get old after the third or fourth listen.

Harmonies and hooks litter the album, but unfortunately a lot of too sweet to swallow pop. “Radio” and “Dynamite” sound like the 80’s pop never died (and songs like “Love Shack” did die for a good reason), and “Sugar Rush’s” innuendo infused lyrics (So I can taste you on my tongue/With your lips to kiss like the red hot sun/You’re one big sugar rush/Suck me in, suck me in, hold me down till the very end) are so corny that it’s hard not to groan as it comes on.

Originality and seriousness of subject matter are two things that Cash Cash needs to improve upon. Take It To The Floor is great for thoughtless summer music, but will fade out very quickly after the listener gets sick of the album. Fortunately, behind the computerized effects and sugar sweet pop, Cash Cash as a band has potential to rise above their own expectations.

Rating: B-

Recommended Songs: Party In Your Bedroom, Concerta

Toss These Songs: Sugar Rush, Radio’, ‘Cash Cash: Take It To The Floor

Making April

Piano rock is cool: think Augustana, Jack’s Mannequin, or Ben Folds. Piano-emo-pop-rock can be cool, I think, if someone could pull it off. Actually, someone can: Making April. Before releasing their debut album, The Egg Hunt, Making April had already been featured on MTV’s Laguna Beach and caught the eye of major record label Universal Republic (Chamillionaire, Colbie Caillat, Hinder). Now The Egg Hunt, which was released this past March, is here to test out Making April’s hype.

The first track on The Egg Hunt is presented with a whirlwind of guitar, held out synths, and heavy drumbeats. It silences, as the lead singer’s bright voice chirps, You were here when I wrote this one/So when you hear it you’ll know that it’s yours. Sean Scanlon’s voice has an uncanny similarity to Andrew McMahon: whiny bite, clear lyrics, and sweet falsetto. “So Bad” sounds like something Jack’s Mannequin would have produced on their Everything In Transit album, which is a good thing. Though the lyrics aren’t as inventive as Jack’s Mannequin’s, “So Bad” sounds made-for-radio, and if given the opportunity would be a sure-fire hit.

After “So Bad,” Making April’s songs unfortunately begin to blend together with unmemorable lyrics and piano licks. Though peppy and playful, both “Brighter Bright” and “Bailey” begin to shrivel under bland similarity. Listen to “Stay The Night.” Making April has blatantly copied the piano riff off of “Dark Blue.” Ouch.

“Wide Awake” may be the saving grace for The Egg Hunt. Settling chords and acoustic guitar (save the passionate solo mid-song) make up for the cheesy and desperate lyrics. With the makings of a Disney Channel Original Movie theme, “Wide Awake” will appeal to a vast audience.

“Hey Katie” is also a memorable track on The Egg Hunt. Reminiscent of Making April’s EP Runaway World’s hit single “Roses and Butterflies,” the quick-paced track harps on fame. Scanlon belts, And maybe if this label guy/Signs my band then I’ll be a rock star/And you’ll watch me play at an LA bar. Bouncy and cocky, “Hey Katie’s” playful nature is catchy enough for any pop fan.

The Egg Hunt isn’t the best album you’ll ever hear; in fact it only has a few gems out of the vast similar sounding piano tracks. Fortunately, if piano rock is what tickles your fancy, The Egg Hunt’s riffs (when unique) are plentiful and original. Sadly, piano riffs aren’t the only thing a band needs to make a good album.

Rating: C

Recommended Songs: So Bad, Hey Katie, Wide Awake

Toss These Songs: Let It Ride

Off with your head/Dance ’til you’re dead/Heads will roll/On the floor

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Poppy, catchy, fun, mainstream, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Wait, what? Yeah Yeah Yeahs are the salute to alternative “Fuck yous,” featuring Karen O’s polarizing yelps and Zinner’s grunge “chainsaw” guitar, not some run of the mill pop band. Surprise, Yeah Yeah Yeahs fans, It’s Blitz! is not what you were expecting. It’s better.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a way of reinventing themselves, which can be both frustrating and refreshing at the same time. In their latest album, it is best to approach the short 10-track 40-minute as two EPs; the first half of the album is the Blitz! to which the title refers, whereas the second half is sweetly aching  alternative, like a softer version of Forever to Tell and Show Your Bones.

“Zero” opens up It’s Blitz! with a throwback to the eighties. Sixteenth synth pulses accompany O’s commands “get your leather leather leather on on on on.” The song then explodes into a celebration of synth hook pop. “Zero” is a great starter for It’s Blitz!, not because it’s a particularly original song (au contraire, it would fit very well into an underground rave), but because it sets the listener up for the dance anthem for the Facebook generation.

“Heads Will Roll” is fantastic pop. It’s charged with bass and keyboard and flash, commanding marches from O’s aggressive (albeit redundant) lyrics, and originality. Headed towards a spot on the Top 40, “Heads Will Roll” sums up what’s new about the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s style: they’re snappy pop, alternative dance, awesome listening.

The following two tracks, “Softshock” and “Skeletons,” come desperately close to “Maps,” but offer a more sophisticated version and less obnoxious chorus. “Skeletons” highlights the ability of Yeah Yeah Yeahs to be delicate. The track has beautiful builds and soft letdowns, as O coos, “Love my name/Love left dry/Frost or flame/Skeleton me.” The marching drums allows for layers of gentle synths to set a zen feel. Buy this song.

After “Dull Life” (which certainly isn’t dull), the album switches over to a grungier version of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. “Runaway,” the seventh track on It’s Blitz!, is a plea for love over strings and a mesh of sound, whereas “Dragon Queen” funks the band out (not nearly as good as the other tracks on this album), as “Little Shadow” cradles the listener and lays them down to sleep behind synths and a heavy bass drum. Unfortunately, the second half of this album doesn’t scream “LISTEN!” like the first half does. However, it is certainly worth exploring, especially if the listener is an oldtime Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan.

Certainly, It’s Blitz! is different than Show Your Bones and Fever to Tell, but the transformation is fantastic.

Rating: A-

Recommended Songs: Buy this album

Bat for Lashes

Enya and Björk got together one night. They met in the moonlight, riding unicorns, and catapulted into outer space upon recognition of each other. When they returned, they placed an egg upon the earth. The egg cracked, sputtered, and then wilted as a woman bloomed out of it. Her name is Natasha Khan, the haunting singer behind Bat for Lashes. The renaissance fairy has recently come out with her sophomore album Two Suns, and it is just about as strange as the folktale you just read. Fact is though, strange is good in the music world, and thankfully Khan has plenty of strange and good to share.

The opening song, “Glass,” creeps onto the stage as Khan’s gorgeous voice gets slowly dragged out into a wave of simple and beautiful sound. Epic lyrics accompany Bat For Lashes’ minimalist approach to music; there are simply splashes of synths, drums, and piano. Khan chants lingering and outlandish lyrics, Went over the sea/What did I find?/A thousand crystal towers, a hundred emerald cities/And the hand of the watchman/In the night sky/Points to my beloved/A knight in crystal armor. When Nightwish decides they want to set down the metal guitar, they will sound like Bat For Lashes.

Taking it slow is something that Bat for Lashes does well. However, when Khan chooses to pick up the beat, it sounds good. “Pearl’s Dream” sounds similar to Kate Nash with its peppy drum section and memorable chorus. Pearl, by the way, is Khan’s alter ego. Plenty of strange. Plenty of good.

As a romantic, some of the epic lyrics can start to become difficult to wade through. It starts to get old after lines like “Into our love the tears crept” and “I have a heart that’s full of light to be shared/On this night, feel my hands, feel my love.” The love-soaked lyrics ruin songs like “Daniel,” which is probably the catchiest song on the album.

Ultimately, the experimental ambient electronica-folk musician is definitely worth a listen. Sadly, as the album drags on, Pearl, Khan, Bat For Lashes, whoever, loses the initial pull of “Glass.” By the end of the Two Suns, it was frustrating that Khan hadn’t produced another, quicker song like “Pearl’s Dream” to accompany “Travelling Woman” and “The Big Sleep” (which is bound to put you to sleep unless you were expecting slow and classical).

Though there is a lack of upbeat tempos, Khan offers beautiful and dark tunes. She is the queen of whatever this style of music is, and I can only hope that she expands it to reach a more diverse audience than druids and dragons.

Rating: B

Recommended Songs: Glass, Pearl’s Dream, Siren Song

Toss These Songs: Peace of Mind

Jupiter Rising

Remember the Black Eyed Peas before Fergie went on her ego trip and returned as a half-assed shadow of Amy Ferguson? The E.N.D. was a blow to old BEP fans; it lacked originality, playful rock riffs, and Phunk. Fortunately, there is hope for the devastated Black Eyed Peas fan. Jupiter Rising just released their sophomore album, The Quiet Hype. It’s playful, danceable, and a little mindnumbing, but what more could you ask from a band that is heading to a spot on the Top 40?

Their similarity to the Black Eyed Peas comes through most strongly on their opening track, “Falling Away.” Now, Nezey is no will.i.am, and Payo is no Fergie, but behind the unimpressive vocals is a poppy beat that belongs in a dance club. The lyrics are not noteworthy (I’m feeling like I’m falling away/I’m feeling like I’m falling away/People stop and stare but I don’t really care/Cuz I’m not really here and you’re not really there, there), but the groove, I promise, makes up for it.

The following track, “Tres Cool,” opens with porno bass line and percussion groove that Jupiter Rising expertly allows to sit before Nezey begins to rap nonsense. Singing about “flashing lights” and making the listener “hotter than a kettle pot” and “sticky,” this song is the epitome of what current dance clubs are looking for. Though this song is fun and flamboyant, I suspect that after a few listens it will be a bit of a flash in the pan.

After “Falling Away” and “Tres Cool,” Jupiter Rising flexes its musical talents and explores several musical genres. Payo asserts in a recent interview, “Our goal is to make music people can relate to, yet that is also new, fresh, and different… Something that is going to last, that has a little more depth.” Okay, well Jupiter Rising isn’t quite matured enough to make something different than what every Clear Channel Radio, Inc station offers, but they do offer R&B, hip hop, pop, alternative, electronica, and dance. “Flip My Switch” is surprisingly similar to P!nk, whereas “LA Girls” mirrors a mix between Daft Punk and Loose-aged Nelly Furtado (in this case, it unfortunately isn’t a good thing).

The title track, “The Quiet Hype,” is a slow ballad saluting individuality, even in the music business. Payo belts, Here I am, all I can do is wait/Here I stand, all on my own two feet/On my own, nothing comes easily/Nothing new to me all the same to me. As the simple piano provides a gorgeous backbeat, Payo exhibits the range and class of her singing abilities. The soulful track is beautiful.

Overall, The Quiet Hype is a fun album that should be in every Top 40 listener’s library. Jupiter Rising is lacking some originality and needs a better lyrics writer, but for an 11-track album filled with would-be hit singles, such frivolous things can be forgiven.

Rating: B-

Recommended Songs: Falling Away, Tres Cool, Flip My Switch, The Quiet Hype

Toss These Songs: LA Girls, When the Bass Drops

Anarbor

Hearing Colours Seeing Sounds wasn’t a fantastic EP, but that was not what drew me to Anarbor in the first place. This year’s EP Free Your Mind demonstrates significant band growth. Anarbor has begun to sound like a mix of Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and The Academy Is…. Anarbor has seemed to have found a niche that has already been conquered, but because the sound is familiar, fun, and poppy, it’s an easy listen. Thankfully, they have also diverted their attention to fixing their lyrical mishaps. Free Your Mind is a fantastic demonstration of how a band can grow, and I can only hope that they will push themselves further to discover their own sound.

Once again, their first song, “Let The Games Begin” is the best track on the album. It is heavily guitar laden, with a chorus screaming “BANG BANG!” to add intensity. The flashy vocals mixed with the start and stop rhythm is uncanny to Fall Out Boy’s latest album, and this is a good thing.

“The Brightest Green” is my favorite track on the album. It once again shows off Echeverri’s talent as a vocalist, with a joyride of ups and downs, falsetto and Cute is What We Aim For sounding rock. Anarbor also managed to clean up “Where The Wild Things Are (Monsters),” and it is now a far more enjoyable track than what they produced on Hearing Colours Seeing Sounds.

In “You And I” and “Halfway Sober,” Anarbor unfortunately falls back into their original problem: crappy lyrics. “Halfway Sober” whines, “And I’m only halfway sober/And it’s not getting me any closer/When words got me down/You keep me up” and “You And I” complains, “Without you, there’s no reason for my story/And when I’m with you I can always act the same/Forever, yeah if we’re together/We can make it better.” Ouch. And After two unremarkable songs, the closing song’s fantastic lyrics get muddled. Echeverri belts in “Always Dirty, Never Clean,” “I’ll take dignity over industry/My wardrobe has never meant shit to me/I’ll sell my/songs, but never my soul/And what the fuck happened to rock and roll?” Well said, Echeverri! If you could write like that for the rest of the album, Anarbor would be much further along than it is now.

Anarbor needs to grow balls to make a sound outside of the many wellknowns that they emulate. The poppy songs will grow old over time, but for now they’re just fun; they will not “free your mind.” Anarbor has growing to do, but they’ve already made great leaps for a new band.

Rating: C+

Recommended Songs: The Brightest Green, Let The Games Begin, Always Dirty Never Clean

Toss These Songs: You And I

Anarbor

Just out of high school pop-punk band Anarbor is boring. Or at least, that was my first impression when I first started listening to their EP Hearing Colours Seeing Sounds. But after a few listens, I’ve decided that this band is worth reviewing, seeing as their following EP showed significant improvement. Hearing Colours Seeing Sounds won’t change the way you listen to music, address anything groundbreaking, or provide a new style of music. However, it will give you the first peek into Anarbor, a band I suspect will grow big within the next three years.

Slade Echeverri, the band’s lead singer, uses the opener “I’ll Stay To The West” to flaunt his Brendon Urieish vocals. Somewhat emo, somewhat grunge, mostly pop, “I’ll Stay To The West” is by far the best song on the EP.

The following track, “Where The Wild Things Are (Monsters),” is the perfect example of Anarbor’s downfalls. Some of the lyrics are as follows:

“You’re the monster underneath/Lost of all faith/Feeding off my dreams/Where I thought I was safe/So shut your mouth/And bite your tongue/Because your a liar never fooling anyone/You’re the smoke in the air making everyone choke.”

Cringe? So did I. And Anarbor offers no originality to make this song worth listening to over and over, except for the offer of poppish catchiness.

A quality piece on this album is “Anatomy,” which is comparable to the Plain White T’s slower side. With harpy guitar riffs and Echeverri’s carrying voice, the only thing that could murder this track is lyrics. Homicide it is! “I wanna feel the beat of your selfish heart/As our bodies melt into one in the dark/I wanna hold you close as we fall into the night.” Not as horrible as “Where The Wild Things Are (Monsters),” but still cliché and a bit misplaced.

By the last track, it’s clear that Anarbor is aiming to attract fans with a familiar sound. Hearing Colours Seeing Sounds doesn’t offer anything new to music fans, but thankfully Anarbor has a second, more recent EP that demonstrates growth within the band. Hearing Colours Seeing Sounds is an EP that future fans of Anarbor will buy and think, Wow, they came from that. I see future growth for this band, and once they outgrow the first album jitters, they will be popular.

Rating: C-

Recommended Songs: Anatomy, I’ll Stay To The West

Toss These Songs: Where The Wild Things Are (Monsters)

Low Vs. Diamond

It took me a while to force myself to buy Low Vs. Diamond’s self-titled album Low Vs. Diamond because of the band’s silly name, but after enjoying every single track that came up on my internet radio station, I finally caved. What originally attracted me to the indie band was the U2esque sound and Lucas Field’s reminiscence to Brandon Flower’s voice. I’m thrilled with the purchase, because through and through, Low Vs. Diamond is a quality buy.

The opening track, “Don’t Forget Sister” is by far the best song on the album. The hasty drums and whimsical vocals create a blend that Sam’s Town was unsuccessful in creating. As deep as music can get, Field sings, “Drowning in a city filled with blue blood/Can’t you see your blood is thicker/You don’t need that fancy car.” Low Vs. Diamond makes the mistake of following “Don’t Forget Sister” with “Killer B,” which is boring at best because of how much it drags compared to the rest of the album.

Low Vs. Diamond has a few “diamonds” that are worth mentioning. “Heart Attack” is quick-paced and has a retro underground dance club feel that would be well placed with Carolina Liar, and “Annie,” a sentimental piano ballad (with the necessary added strings), is a delicate gem that is one of the better songs of the album. “Actions Are Actions” is well put together musically, with a piano introduction that swells with guitar, and ends complacently with Field’s voice.

Though I happily recommend Low Vs. Diamond, what this album lacks is punch. There aren’t memorable hooks and many of the songs feel a little too similar. Though Low Vs. Diamond is Low Vs. Diamond’s debut album, I can only hope that their sophomore album will have a bit more diversity and that the band further explores their music potential.

Rating: B+

Recommended Songs: Don’t Forget Sister, Heart Attack, Annie

Toss These Songs: Killer B’, ‘Low Vs. Diamond: Low Vs. Diamond

Frou Frou

Frou is the French term for the sound of rustling silk. The thought of the sound and texture is calming and warm, which is precisely the aim of the one-album band Frou Frou. Composed of Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth, Frou Frou has composed one of the best albums of the first decade of the 21^st century: Details.

Like a cool breeze on a mountain, Heap’s guiding voice holds this masterpiece together. In the first song, “Let Go,” Heap explores “the beauty in the breakdown,” or surviving a breakup. It was a perfect selection for Zach Braff’s movie Garden State, which is how most Frou Frou fans discovered the then disbanded group. The electronica feel and Heap’s breathy lyrics sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Breathe In” and “It’s Good To Be In Love” are both much poppier, using Heap’s prerecorded voice to back herself up. Three tracks in, and the listener is already wrapped in silk sheets.

The following three songs are similar to Imogen Heap’s current works, so if “Goodnight and Go” and “Speeding Cars” are inspiring for the listener, they will undoubtedly enjoy the rest of the album. “Shh” adds an upbeat urgency that is necessary to make this album complete. Imogen whispers,

“Don’t make a sound/Shh and listen/Keep your head down/We’re not safe yet/Don’t make a sound/And be good for me/’Cause I know they’re waiting somewhere out here”

The redundant synths aren’t too much, which would be the downfall of the song. Heap and Sigsworth keep it simple, which is the marvel of Details. “Shh” ends simply; Heap repeats “I feel good all over.” It does feel good all over.

The final song on the album is “The Dumbing Down of Love” is a soft ballad that, though a tad long, was created to be swanlike and beautiful. With drawn out synths holding long chords like lazy waves caressing a beach, brushed drums, and a gentle drum background, Heap holds her head high and showcases her astounding voice.

Details, the sole album of Frou Frou, is a work of art. Both Heap and Sigsworth have not made any promises about remaining split up, so one can only hope that they get back together and produce an album of equal, and if possible, better quality.

Rating: A

Recommended Songs: Buy this album