The Mad Mix CD Review

So Jaymz and I made mix CDs for each other and decided we would review our given selections. I started doing it in installments but decided to delete the other posts and just one long review so here it is! Enjoy! Thanks for the great tuneage by the way:

3 Penny Opera

So this was Jaymz’s band back when he lived in Texas. Well, one of them at least. I REALLY REALLY like this band. The songs had this element of a 10,000 Maniacs meets Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians and the songwriting is really really good. Even the song “Without You” had this kinda Grateful Dead “Workingman’s Dead” vibe to it while “Don’t Let Me Be Alone Tonite” had a vibe reminiscent of Mazzy Star. “She Waits By The Sea” is a gorgeous song that Protean Mean has been covering and doing really well. I LOVE this version. The singer’s voice is really suiting for this kind of music.

Unfortunately, I can see how this band just got swallowed up by the fact that around this time, bands like Blind Melon and Counting Crows were doing similar style music and that really made it hard for bands of this genre to stick out. I have to say that this is a sad fact because the songs that this band had were very much above par compared to what was out there on the radio. These songs have some serious staying power and I can’t say enough how much I love this singer. She was a perfect fit for these songs.

California Guitar Trio

The trouble w/ this kind of music is that when someone has done it and they are known for it, it’s hard to distinguish the difference and be a stand out. To me, this is a not as good version of Buckethead, who does this type of music far better. Just check out the albums “Colma” and “Electric Tears. As for these guys’ songs, Train to Lamey Suite (Parts 1-3) did absolutely nothing for me. Just proggy chaotic acoustic/electric noise. “Punta Patri” was actually quite beautiful and reall well done. I actually liked this one a good bit. “Melrose Avenune” just kinda bored me with that kinda middle eastern acoustic vibe that I feel like can be kind of played out. I couldn’t wait to get past this track actually. “Kan-Non Power” was more like the first one where I just felt that it was a not-so-good Buckethead. Just wanky acoustic guitars and proggy noise effects. To be honest, I don’t mind wanking but I’d much rather listen to someone like Satriani tear the shit out of an electric. I think of the acoustic as a more melodic instrument and these guys just kinda ruin that for me. I hate to keep drawing comparisons to Buckethead but even he, on his albums, plays the acoustic with class and keeps it melodic and just tears up the electric. Yeah, this wasn’t my cup of tea.

Citizen Lane

WOW! Not was I was expecting. I really liked the sound of these guys! So imagine if The Squirrel Nut Zippers hung out with the jambands Everything and God Street Wine. This is a sound that was very much thriving and alive back in ’94-’95. That jambands of that era were really a potpourri of sounds and mixed it all up to form this danceable genre of music that years later would get ruined and polluted by bands moving more towards that “music art” and noisy dance music crap adding DJs and the like. This reminds me why I loved that era of the “jamband” so fucking much. Great songs from this band. Nothing really groundbreaking but nothing less that fun and stuff you could listen to over and over again! I wanna hear more from these guys!

David “Dahveed” Garza

James has been telling me about David for sometime and I am just now getting to him. I can say this. I didn’t hate it…BUT… it didn’t blow me away. His songs came across to me as being sub-par in the lyrical department, cliché to be honest, and musically. At one point I hear early ‘90s alternative champs Smashing Pumpkins crossed with the occasional organic acoustic number and that’s pretty much about it. Then there is this kind of pseudo calypso vibe that just doesn’t seem to work for me because it sounds so contrived. I can even here traces of Jane’s Addiction in there that, again, don’t work here. The “Live At Rick’s” material was really bad. “John Lennon Song” was a pretty bad idea in my opinion. I just couldn’t get behind it because I thought it was a concept that doesn’t always work well. I tried it years ago w/ a song called “Hey Dave Matthews” and I stole that idea from my buddy Bert who had a song called “Grateful Dead Cover Band” and no telling where he got it from! Again, I didn’t hate this stuff. The songs, at times were cool (the best of the bunch being “Long Walk Home”) but at times, the songs were un-listenable to me and I had to skip thru them. In the end, it was just kind of bland, sub-par and forgettable music to me.

In a nutshell, I didn’t like it. I just couldn’t help but feel that he was trying too hard to ride certain waves. Every now and then, songs like “Long Walk Home” and “19cent Expatriots”, I felt like he had his own thing going and liked it. When he’s doing his own thing, it’s decent but when he’s trying to emulate other acts such as Beck, Smashing Pumpkins, etc, he just sounds sub-par and amateur. Sorry, this stuff just isn’t for me!

Djugdish

First off, great production on this stuff. As for the music, not for me. I mean, actually, the music is quite good but not original. The vocals are just terrible. It’s like a less intense sounding Disturbed or even a Faith No More. What I found about this stuff is that his vocals are way better when doing the more melodic harmonies and what not but when he tries to get all metal on us, it just doesn’t grab me. I feel like that you can only do this type of music so differently without sounding like everyone else. I do dig the tempo changes in and the guitar playing is really well done. It’s nothing I would listen closely to but would definitely play in the background.

Echo Juliet

Wow! Not what I was expecting but I REALLY liked this a lot. Another one of Jaymz’s bands. I have to say, I liked them a lot but they are no 3 Penny Opera. The female vocalist is great but seems to be holding back at times. She obviously could just belt it out but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt because I bet she kicked ass live. Studios usually cause a sense of restraint and it kinda shows here. The material is really good and really reminds me of a that No Doubt era like right around the Tragic Kingdom album. I could totally see this being a great live show! Good songs. I”ll keep this one!

Ezra Thomas

Yet another talented band but, again, the vocals just really bug the crap out of me. It’s like John Mayer doing a soundtrack for Dawson’s Creek. I feel like the music is just kinda cliché and poppy for me. It’s well played, well produced but just not my cup of tea. Sorry but not digging this at all.

Flat Mass

Wow, now THIS was some good stuff. I REALLY love the instrumental track A LOT. It’s kinda jazzy, kinda fusion, all awesome! It made me think of Jimmy Herring, Jeff Sipe, and Project Z! I really dug this a lot and I wish there was more of this on here. The other tracks are great as well. Umm, first band that comes to mind is RUSH and trust me, that is NOT a bad thing. I mean, not too many bands IMHO pay muc h tribute to them and these guys really do it well. They sound enough like them to be able to point out but their songs are great in their own!

Frank Zappa

Much like the Talking Heads, the more Zappa I heard, the more I understood just where Phish was coming from. I mean, I’ll be honest, there were some Zappa moments that I just couldn’t wait to get past but ya know, there were some moments that were just sheer brilliance! The more I listened, the more I could get into it and want to retrace my steps to hear what I dissed earlier on. The song “Montana” was so fucking good I had to listen twice! And “Zoot Alures”… ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???? DAMN! Now that was a fucking song! Again, like Phish, you either love it or you hate it, hit or miss. I’ll be keeping this shit and checking it again!

Gypsy Tree

Ok, so right out of the box I REALLY liked this but then again, it’s also because right away I thought of the band “LIVE”. Very similar sounds and the singer even sounds like the vocalist from Live. I love the instrumentation and the use of mandolin and acoustics mixed with tight production and really bass driven grooves. I really liked this band but to be honest, if I wanted to hear this, I would listen to Live’s debut album. It’s that similar to me. Great sound and great band but the original did it better.

King Crimson

Holy shit. Why did I never give these guys a chance? I mean, I’ve always appreciated their work. I think what I loved about them first off was that even as technically amazing they are, they can still write and craft a good song. The lyrics are great and really remind me a bit of Rush and what I love about that band. Epitaph and Dinosaur are my faves on this collection but my all time fave, “Elephant Talk” wasn’t included so blah! I’ll be checking more into these cats!

Mike Kennely

Talk about some interesting stuff. This is a really different twist on the singer/songwriter thing. It’s all over the map musically and yet it still manages to be really listenable and enjoyable. I really like his voice and the way the songs are but together. A lot of variety in his material but to be honest, it’s not consistent enough for me to really enjoy it on a long term basis. While I give the guy props, I may just have to pass on this one. Great lyrics though…

Millicent Friendly

Hard Rock Jellyfish. I like this. First song at first I wasn’t sure but the more it played the more I dug it. I like it and wouldn’t mind hearing more of this. Happy Ever After is a great song! Not much else to say about this. I like it!

Robert Fripp

Amazing. Nuff said! I don’t think I could slam this guy if I wanted to. He’s a guitarist in his own genre and own universe. You can see it when he plays and you can hear it as well! I REALLY wish you had put more of this and less of some of the other stuff! THIS is stuff worth listening to!

Shaolin Death Squad

One of my favorite new “you gotta hear this” band! I can never than Jaymz enough for turning me on to these guys. Super fucking talented band that should be far bigger than many of the bands that are currently big. This material is stuff I haven’t heard before as all I have is Intelligent Design. I didn’t think these songs were nearly as good as the songs off of Intelligent Design. They sound a bit muddy in the production. The songs are still good but it’s obvious they really grew w/ that second release.

Spinal Tap

Great band, REALLY but not my fave song by them. I actually think Big Bottom, while great is nowhere near as great as Sex Farm, or even The Majesty of Rock!!!! But still, you can get no blacker!!!!

Tony Levin

Much like Robert Fripp, I WANT MORE! I always knew this guy was the shit but I loved that this guy’s material is so fluent and well put together. Again, why didn’t you put more on here?

Twang Twang Shock-a Boom

WOW! Where have these guys been? I loved this. They really remind of that kind of quirky folk music that I tend to enjoy so much. Lyrically fabulous and the music compliments without being over played. The singer kind of reminds of Dave Matthews a bit from when he used to be good. I really loved the fact that it had that kind of calypso and reggae type style to them. Really great stuff here!

Urchin

ADRIAN FUCKING SMITH!!!! This is some serious shit! Haha. I remember only hearing about this stuff and never really HEARING it. It kinda reminds me of Judas Priest at times but I have to say, that song “She’s A Roller” is awesome. I remember seeing a short clip of Urchin doing this song on Iron Maiden’s “12 Wasted Years” video. I couldn’t stop laughing at the car sound effects on the song “Black Leather Fantasy” but it was actually a pretty cool song! These songs are just really awesome rock and roll songs and I wish there was more to hear!

Vernon Reid

Dude, you really did leave a lot of the best for last. This is some great shit. I love it when musicians step out of their shell to do something really unique and just offer up a showing of just what they can do. Even as amazing as Vernon is in Living Color, this just shows me just how untapped that man was. This is some really great and inspired stuff. DO WANT! DO WANT!!!!

The Who

First off, probably in my top 5 Who songs of all time. I love this version and I loved it that WASP covered it for their “Headless Children” album.

It’s a great and really strong song. Metal before metal really was maybe? All I know is that this is a great fucking song!

~ by chapelhillbilly on August 30, 2007.