TonyDoug's CD Reviews

by tonydoug wright

The Band: Joel Gion, Jefferson Parker, Brock Galland, Nick Marcantonio, and K.C. Kozak

The History: Joel Gion of the Brian Jonestown Massacre put together a band that’s “high on quality, low on ego”. 101 Tambourines is their debut and the Los Angeles based label, Stranger Touch Records, released the album.

The Review: When I was a child, my parents believed that knock-off brands were just as good as the originals. A generic version of the Hostess Cupcake may look similar to the original but it tastes much worse. My arguments against the knock-off purchases fell upon deaf ears and to this day I still despise the lowly knock-off cupcakes.

The Dilettantes have placed themselves in a situation where they can be easily labeled a knock-off version of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Joel Gion decided not to stray from the 1960s psychedelic sounds, which was The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s musical formula for indie success. 101 Tambourines is a good debut album of “retro” rock tunes. ‘Don’t You Ever Fail’ may be the best song on 101 Tambourines, but it’s tough choosing the second best song because the remaining tracks are OK rather than great.

The Website: www.strangertouchrecords.com

Richard Lloyd, The Radiant Monkey (Parasol Records)

The Artist: Richard Lloyd

The History: It has been seven years since Richard Lloyd, former member of Television, has released an album.

The Review: I’m familiar with the band Television and I like what I’ve heard from them. A few people I know are superfans of their album Marquee Moon, but I’m in the casual fan camp.

So I’ve listened to The Radiant Monkey a few times and I’m still having lukewarm feelings for this album by Richard Lloyd. ‘Glurp’ and ‘There She Goes Again’ are really good tracks, but that’s two out of ten. Now I don’t hate the rest of the songs because they are oh so close to being great rockers. I was reading the liner notes and Richard Lloyd made sure this album was completely raw in sound sans fuzz boxes and effects. That’s pure rock and roll right there, kids. I’m not giving up on you, Richard. I know I can love The Radiant Monkey but I’ll need some more time to welcome it into my heart. Stay strong, brother.

The Website: www.richardlloyd.com

The Sorrys, The Last Clear Thought Before You Fall Backwards (Chrissy Horse)

The Band: Steve Baur, Jim Cameron, Richard Herbert, and Trevor Millett

The History: The Sorrys are from Nova Scotia and their debut album, The Last Clear Thought Before You Fall Backwards, was mixed and mastered by Todd Tobias.

The Review: When I was attending junior high school in the 1980s, we would use the word “sorry” to describe something that failed to earn our approval. For example: “Last night’s episode of Airwolf was sorry”. If something was labeled “sorry” then there was a pretty good chance that it would carry the “sorry” label for an extended period of time. To my knowledge, the “sorry” label was rarely lifted and to this day there are adults still bitter over the fact that their shoes, trapper keeper, or lunch box was considered “sorry”.

The Sorrys are neither weak nor sorry because their slacker rock album, The Last Clear Thought Before You Fall Backwards, is pretty good. To me, they have a thing going on that’s similar to Camper Van Beethoven and The Fall. We have good music plus great lyrics so there is really nothing to complain about. ‘Restaurant’ is my favorite track on The Last Clear Thought Before You Fall Backwards and I agree with lead singer Trevor Millet when he sings, “I never wanted to be one of those couples who argues in a restaurant”. Couples who argue in restaurants are sorry. Oh man, that last line was totally weak.

The Website: www.thesorrys.com

Tyler Burnett EP (Bingo Lady Records)

The Band: Pat Epley, Parker Brown, and Stephen Brown

The History: Tyler Burnett is a trio from Billings, Montana. Parker and Stephen Brown’s fathers played in a popular band in the 1970s and recorded a regional hit titled ‘Cuba La Ruba’. Tyler Brown has opened for The Black Crowes and has performed at the Magic City Blues Festival.

The Review: Sound the alarm because we have a Jethro Tull situation. As you may know, Jethro Tull was not a member of the band that bared his name and the same goes for Tyler Burnett. It is acceptable to name your band after another person but it’s a gamble because nobody remembers Hootie’s real name. That guy does not want to be called “Hootie” and I’m sure the freaky English dude who plays the flute does not want to be called “Jethro”.

Tyler Burnett has the Jethro Tull thing going on but they also have the “let’s play it safe for the ladies” musical style. Their polished blues-inspired EP lacks standout tracks, which is a shame because they’re good musicians and I’m very confident they have the ability to kick out the jams. ‘Don’t Wanna Die’ is a fantastic song and is the high point of this EP but that is followed by ‘Hold’, a typical bluesy white boy track that acts as bait for drunken sorority girls. The problem here is that this EP is too much ‘Hold’ and not enough ‘Don’t Wanna Die’. Look, there’s nothing wrong with joining a band to meet girls, but when your band does nothing more than perform female friendly material then you’ve painted yourself into the John Mayer corner. Good luck escaping from that Alcatraz, Tyler.

The Website: www.tylerburnett.com