Full-scale reviews are on temporary hiatus. To not halt completely, here’s short reviews for three new records by three well-established artists: Alkaline Trio, Fall Out Boy, and Daft Punk.
Alkaline Trio – My Shame Is True (2013): After their last proper record was terrible and the rather bad re-recordings on Damnesia I sincerely believed that Alkaline Trio were done. Like, past irrelevance and onto just pure suck (though “Olde English 800” does make me smile). Their new material is still irrelevant in the way only aging punks can be, but My Shame is True does not suck. Sound-wise, it’s somewhere between From Here to Infirmary and Crimson; the writing is there as well, not as good as the first but less spotty than the second (and notably lacking its high points as well; there are a couple of really good tracks on Crimson). Overall, a decent record but mostly for the long-term fans.
Final Grade: B. Not great, but not bad at all. Download “She Lied to the FBI”.
Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll (2013): I’m not sugar coating this one: Save Rock and Roll is just awful. FOB are trying to follow their emo contemporaries into dance-rock and simply aren’t doing a good job of it (see Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance for better examples). Pete Wentz’ talent for a clever turn of phrase is gone, the music is limp, and the production is excessively oily. About the only positive is that I still like Pat Stump’s voice. When it’s used, that is. Save Rock and Roll contains so many guest artists (including ELTON MOTHERFUCKING JOHN, the duet signal that your career is over) that you often don’t hear that nice tenor for more than a line or two. It’s a shame, too, since I just re-discovered From Under the Cork Tree and remembered it’s actually brilliant for all the fun we made of it.
Final Grade: D. Skip it, it’s terrible.
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (2013): I get a bit of why people are bitching about this record: there isn’t a single dance-floor anthem on it, it’s made of soft funk and a spare disco ball. It’s not the sequel to Human After All, and that gets the fanboys upset. However, if you just listen to it – like, honestly just sit down and listen to it – the French duo’s craftsmanship shines through in spades. Yes, RAM is more ambient than their other records. Yes, it’s hard to dance to most of it. And yes, the final track sounds like Steely fucking Dan (“Fragments of Time”). But those aren’t bad things. This is a very, very sexy album. I can imagine that this record might have been a reaction to dubstep, an effort to make popular electronica more subtle and accessible again. It could also be that they’ve just found the Barry White station on Pandora.
Final Grade: A-. Very good, not perfect. A touch monotonous on an album level. Download “Fragments of Time”, “Instant Crush”, and “Get Lucky”.
Your Shitty Record Won't Review Itself 