GF music review club

[ZonkoVille77]

G. Love - The Hustle

 

First thing that strikes me is the production on this record. It's a little over the place at times. Sometimes it really hits the right spot in the likes of 'Love' and 'Booty Call' but then is lacking in 'Astronaut' and in 'Back of the Bus'. Maybe that's the quirk they were going for on this?

 

In saying that I quite enjoyed this record. It's clearly just a singer and band kicking off their shoes and having some fun. Groovy basslines, funky beats, nice guitar playing and a bit of Harmonica.. can't complain really. There's a few filler tracks here that don't quite hit the spot but are nice to listen to without being memorable. First half much better than the second half. It's an easy going record and I would listen to this having a few beers in the garden.

 

Highlights:

Love

Booty Call

The Fishing Song

 

Lowlights:

Back of the Bus - fuck off. Bus was burned into my head for hours after it.

 

I'll give it a 7/10

[Guest]

G. Love & Special Sauce - The Hustle

 

Now listened to this record twice - the first time it didn't grab me at all. I just wasn't what I was expecting to hear. G. Love. Is he a gangsta rapper? But there was guitar on the front cover. Perhaps a country rapper - like Kid Rock? Then the music started playing and it sounded sort of country. It's a country record. Then rapping. No, it's a country rapper. Then started singing. What is this?

 

Second listen through, it made more sense. It's got a bit of all of the above with a Jack Johnson flavour. For the most part, it's a decent record with good musicianship (not sure if it's just one person or a band and who is Special Sauce?) with a laid back groove. It seems to have been recorded in different ways which takes the listener a little out of the experience. But overall, I have enjoyed it. I will look at some other records and see how they stack up. Lemonade looks appealing at this time of year...

 

[Carvalho Diablo]

G Love & Special Sauce - The Hustle

 

My notes go thus : nice, pleasant, canny, jaunty, well performed, boring.

 

This album sounds fantastic I think, the recording, performances and mix all really excellent, but where are the fucking songs? Still waiting for that one big memorable hook or riff to bowl me over and blow the bloody doors off.

 

Honestly there isn't one single song on here which I could remember a thing about. Such a shame.

 

In places this album was reminiscent (stylistically) of the Beasties and Beck, even a touch of Fishbone here and there, but without even 1% of the excitement induced by the former.

 

Highlights for me, apart from the drumming and the mix, probably Fishing Song which is as good as any included here.

 

I'd give G Love 3/10, not so much Special Sauce as Asda Smart Price tomato ketchup.

 

 

[Carvalho Diablo]

Who's left to review?

 

Who's next to pick [coughs] ?

[TheHowieLama]

You gaggle of dirty cunts!!! It is one of the great backyard chilling records of all time.

[Lee909]

I'm just turned it on to review. 

1:11 into it and it's a hard no. 

 

I don't like

 

He's decent on the harmonica but I do not like hip hop at all, the vocal delivery is a total turn off for me. Just sounds like a rich white boy trying to pull off some rap. I read the wiki entry before I listened was hopeful when I heard the blues influence and though it might redeem some of it for my tastes buts it's just not there for me at all. Didn't really hear the supposed Dylan influence either at all until Sunshine

 

Front porch lounger started interesting before he starts singing. 

 

Was surprised it was a 2004 release as it sounds like a mid 90s album that didn't age well. 

 

The playing fine but I can't get past the vocals, the vocal delivery or hip hop elements

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

Who's left to review?

 

Who's next to pick [coughs] ?

@Jose Jones I believe... 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

Who's left to review?

 

Who's next to pick [coughs] ?

In anticpation of the next pick (whomever that may be) I am going back over a couple of albums that I appear to have missed. Starting with Your Favourite Trainwreck...Just started listening to it now. Review incoming...

 

I would suggest the order from here...

 

@ZonkoVille77 selected

@Lee909 selected

@TheHowieLama selected

@Jose Jones to select

@Carvalho Diablo to select

@Shooter in the Motor to select

 

 

[ZonkoVille77]

Let me know if I'm next. If that order above is correct then it It has come quicker than expected. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, ZonkoVille77 said:

Let me know if I'm next. If that order above is correct then it It has come quicker than expected. 

Sorry, you started, Lee was second, Howie was third. Joes Jones next.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Looking forward to your YFT review @shooter.

[Guest]

Your Favourite Trainwreck - Your Favourite Trainwreck?

 

So presumably a self-titled album? The cover gives very little away. Except perhaps they are a four piece band? Or Perhaps that's a photo of four men who have nothing to do with the band? After all there is a painting of a lamb with a leg wrapped in something, perhaps to protect a broken leg. Leg of lamb. Cryptic.

 

Hits play. Boom! Woah. Maybe there are four members to this band. Maybe more. Virtually instantly I am getting a Matchbox 20 vibe from the singing and playing. And I'd say this in a good way. But as the record continues they seem to morph more into a Pearl Jam type sound. Again, not a bad thing at all.

 

Good old fashioned rock and roll with some nice keyboard jams in the background of some tracks. Some good acoustics too. It sounds like there is more than one singer.

 

I enjoyed this on the first listen and it's definitely one to listen to with a pear cider in the garden. Or just with the window open at the moment is fine with me.

[Jose Jones]

I did a little bit of thinking about my selection. As your Australia-based correspondent I thought my first choice should be something from down here, but what?

 

You might know that some people claim Melbourne is the live music capital of the world, as it has more live music venues per person than any other city in the world. It’s a bit of a silly thing to claim, but there’s a good music scene here I suppose is the point.  And while there’s jazz, blues, hip hop, folk, electronic stuff the thing that Melbourne loves most of all is punk and garage rock.

 

So I’m picking a bit of that.

 

I mostly listen to new records so I gave some consideration to Beseech Me by Clamm which came out a couple of months ago, but that is some pretty obscure shit - check it out though if you like, shades of Motörhead maybe? - so I decided to pick something slightly better known and go back just a few years to one of my favourites.

 

The pick is Tales by The Peep Tempel.

This is the middle of their three albums, so on the off chance that you like it you’ve got somewhere else to go.

Joy, the follow up, is slightly more sonically diverse, still good.

 

Anyway, I know the review club likes a bit of technique, so interesting to see how this goes down!  Have a beer from the fridge, take a seat. Let’s have a little chat about things...

 

https://open.spotify.com/album/35YTfuznU0BfPx3BwtX73q?si=u_DhLtR2TF6PBGcTshN5Hw

 

[ZonkoVille77]

First listen to Tales by The Peep Tempel and there's a lot to like. I want to wait until the wife and kids go out to the garden later and give this full blast on the stereo.

 

I don't think Trevor is good for you, Carol.

[TheHowieLama]

I'm on smoko.

[Lee909]

Probably won't get round to reviewing till after weekend now. I'll get it up early next week at latest

[Guest]

Listened to the album for the first time today and will listen again tomorrow. Definitely a punk rock album, not too many doubts about that.

[TheHowieLama]

The third tune (Big Fish) is ace

[Carvalho Diablo]

The Peep Tempel - Tales

 

Never heard of these lads before but I'm not averse to a bit of low-fi punk so I welcomed Jose's debut pick for the club.

 

Initial impressions? The album opens with Gettin' On By and it immediately reminds me of Iggy and The Stooges. Not a fan of the guitar sound but the song is good and bounces along. I imagine it's a lot of fun live.

 

Vicki The Butcher leaves me cold but Big Fish is the best song yet, the singer reminding me a bit of Ian Dury. Doesn't sound Australian at all, maybe I've got that wrong ?

 

Waystone Kingston Men's Home is another example of where I feel this album falls down, a straight up stomper which no doubt works far better live.

 

The production is neither this nor that; not raw enough to be truly dirty but too rough to truly let the performances and the instrumentation a chance to really shine, and the vocals are too low and muddy in the mix.

 

I thought the 2nd half of the album was far stronger than the 1st though; Carol, Don't You Love Me Joan?, Civic Defiance (with a definite Lou Reed vibe) and the closer, The Opera of Lester Moore all being some of the best songs on the entire record. Lester Moore especially builds nicely with really nice guitars, best song on the album for me.

 

Pleased I listened, enjoyed it, moreso the longer the album went on. Would definitely go and see these lads live if I ever got the chance, pogoing around with a smile on my kisser.

 

7/10 a good pick.

 

 

[Lee909]

Any of you looked at the draft thread for the band thing going on. I know the drafts arnt for everyone but worth a look with the crossover to this

[ZonkoVille77]

The Peep Tempel - Tales

 

Never heard of them and to be honest I know nothing about Aussie rock/punk music so this was a welcome introduction. I really enjoyed this and have listened to it at least 10 times now. I love a good raw sounding album and this hits the spot big time. Driving basslines, choppy guitars and nonsensical lyrics are here in abundance, although I sometimes think I'm listening to many different vocalists. Sometimes the Aussie accent comes through, other times there's a John Lydon impression, Iggy, Ian Dury and I even hear a sneering Julian Casablancas.

 

CD was right in what he hit on above though - a lot of these tracks would be much better live because the production isn't the greatest here. When they manage to get the bass and drums right on a track they conspire to fuck up the guitar or vocals and vice versa. But that really isn't as big an issue for me as it would usually be because the quality of the tunes on show.

 

Best songs for me:

Vicki the Butcher - for the lyrics alone. “Vicki, I’m sick of all these animals, when we going to move?”

Big Fish - best track on the album.

Carol - Just so catchy “I don’t think Trevor is good for you, Carol!” . " I don't want to be a fucking Christmas ham". Brilliant. I love this track.

 

I'll absolutely listen to this album again and it's saved to my favourites list.

 

I'll give it a 8.5/10 and would be higher only for the balance of the recording and the last song "Opera of Lester Moore" which is way out of whack with the rest of the record, even if it is a good song in it's own right. I'll check out their other records at some stage.

 

Nice one Jose.

 

 

 

[Guest]

The Peep Tempel - Tales

 

Melbourne is a great city, very diverse. I enjoyed my time greatly there. Food is great, always good events and the music scene is so varied as a result of so many different types of people. But I didn't expect to be hearing a punk album from Melbourne, even less with a heavy British influence. But here it is and I really enjoyed this. 

 

It kicks off with the racy, Vaccines influenced Gettin' On By which is a good opener. Then all about attitude with the next slower track - Vicki the butcher -  Sid Vicious would approve. Third track Big Fish is a lot of fun and brings the rythm stick to make it even more effective.

 

Track four Edgar's Lament gives an extra reason to be cheerful and along with track five takes me back to Rock Me Amadeus. The cunts word I think I hear in the untitled track five this wouldn't get airplay on radio 2, yet Rock Me Amadeus gets away with it.

 

Now track six Waystowe Kingston Men's Home is super rock and reminds me of a live performance by Mumford and Sons. These would be great live. I like the rock solos and you have to be good to get away with repeating the same riff at least ten times with no variation.  On to track seven - Keef - nice way to show off your skills with your instruments.

 

Track eight - Carol - if the singer is an Aussie they do have a great English punk accent and it delivers in spades here. Great.

 

Track nine - Don't You Love Me Joan - this is good and goes back to the first track for it's influences.

 

Track ten - Civic Defiance - possibly the first very slight dip but still very decent. They are definitely better suited to the faster rock tracks but a good bass riff. Improves towards the end. Closing with track eleven - The Opera Of Lester Moore - the vocals have dropped back. The music is very good and I would have thought an instrumental close would have suited better.

 

A great choice and hopefully more than just a handful of people get to hear it.

 

[TheHowieLama]

I love how the fella is just constantly railing at different people.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

I love how the fella is just constantly railing at different people.

If he was @Tony Moanero it would be obvious that someone had stolen his custard creams.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Any more reviews left to come in before our next pick?