Ok its that time of the year when bands try cash in on the holiday season and release a number of new lazy album’s. While I usually expect a lot of half arsed best of’s this year is slightly improved with a selection of live recordings from Billy Talent, AFI and NoFX.
It also looks like record label Tooth and Nail are trying to exploit their previous connection with Anberlin by releasing a B-side compilation. In keeping with the slacker theme I’ve decided to only give these new albums a general writeup instead of track by track reviews.
NoFx’s new release titled ‘They’ve actually gotten worse live’ is a bit misleading as it’s better than their previous live effort ‘I heard they suck live’.
The first couple of tracks You’re wrong and Franco un-american from their last two albums sound really good live and even though they reflect their current trend of writing religious and political songs they don’t come across as wanky or contrived. Maybe I’m just getting old but some of the more puerile songs just don’t sound as good as these early tracks.
It’s not a one off thing as they did the same when I saw them live this year but the amount of banter and crapping on in between songs detracts a little from the album. I don’t know if this is due to the fact that they’re over 50 now and don’t have the stamina to play a full set or whether it’s all the booze consumed during the show that’s to blame. Also a lot of the jokes seem to miss the mark and the only amusing parts are when they hang shit on a red head and when they sing a birthday song to someone in the crowd with the lines “happy birthday you’re a crack whore, you’re a fucking shithead”.
Throughout the albums there’s a number of songs that have a different cadence than the original versions. While The glass wars, Eat the meek, Whoops I OD’d sound better, We march to the beat of indifferent drums doesn’t fare as well. In the middle of the set list Nofx also showcase their renowned ability to play 9 nonsensical songs in 6 minutes including; Monosyllabic girl, See her pee and Can’t get the stink out.
Unfortunately the rest of the album doesn’t really reach the same heights again and I assume this is due to the joint that Fat Mike smokes during the show. Before the final song his vocals are even more gravelly and out of key than normal and the last few tracks lack the energy present in the beginning. It’s also a bit disappointing that they don’t play more of their classic songs like Don’t call me white, Bottles to the ground, My vagina or The brews. However the real kick in the balls in felt when they state at the end that they’re going to play their longest song and the crowd goes crazy expecting the 10 minute song The Decline. Unfortunately they only play about 1 minute of this track before it fades out and the album finishes. If the full song was included I would have rated this album much higher, but as it is it’s still a great release that captures the essence of what NoFx’s live shows are all about.
Final Verdict: 7.5/10
Next up is the Billy Talent live effort titled ’666′ which was recorded this year in Düsseldorf Germany. For the fans it’s definitely excellent value for money as it clocks in round the 65 min mark and contains all their biggest songs off their last two self titled albums I and II (not very original named but they seem to have a thing with numbers).
Like the rest of these recent live recordings the sound quality is superb and really captures the energy they put into all their songs. However unlike NoFX’s live session there’s little banter between the band and crowd but they seem to lap up the music none the less and shout along at all the appropriate moments. I suppose the only negative thing I can say about this album is that the vocals of the lead singer Benjamin Kowalewicz can be rather grating and his constant shouting makes it hard to tell what the hell he’s actually singing about. I actually thing the support vocals are better than the lead and the songs where the screaming is toned down are much better than other tracks on the album. These include the highlight songs ; Standing In The Rain, The Navy Song, Worker Bees, The Ex, Prisoner Of Today, Fallen Leaves and Red Flag.
Unfortunately the wining baby screams annoyed me after about 1/2 hr of listening but if you can get past this aspect then you may enjoy this album more than I did. Also keep an eye out for the DVD version which should also be good bang for your buck as it contains all the footage of the above mentioned show and also a show played at Brixton Academy (wherever the hell that is).
Final Verdict: 7/10
The other new live album release is from AFI and is appropriately titled, ‘I Heard A Voice: Live From Long Beach’. The 18 tracks present cover all their career’s work and should please both new and long term fans. You can actually tell straight away that this was their biggest headlining show as the audience really sounds massive and contributes quite a lot to the sound of some of the songs. The instrumental work provided by piano’s and synthesizers also add a great atmosphere to the album. The best songs are those that feed off the energy of crowd and include; God called in sick today, Girls not gray, The day’s of the phoenix, Endlessly, she said, The missing frame and their radio friendly number that shot them to the big time Miss Murder.
Just like the Billy Talent release the only major downside to this album is the singing of the lead singer Davey Havok. Even though AFI are renowned for their ‘screamo’ style the strained coarse screaming got on my nerves at times especially during their song Death of seasons which is my least favorite off the album. After listening to their American accents they come across as sounding like spoiled whiny kids more than anything else and at at times I just wanted to give Davey a strepsal and say “Cheer up emo your makeups running”. Anyway if you’re a big AFI fan you’ll probably disagree and you’ll be sure to love this album.
Final Verdict: 8/10
Anberlin’s latest album titled ‘Lost Songs’ is a bit misleading as most of tracks have been floating around the net for quite a while and were downloadable long before Tooth and Nail decided to milk a band that had already left their company.
Personally I’ve never enjoyed Anberlin’s slower work and this album just has too many bland and uninterested tracks such as Uncanny and The Haunting which should have stayed on the cutting room floor. The only song to have enough rock grunt is the Downtown song which is a B-side track from their Never Take Friendship Personally album. There is actually another rock track titled Baby please come home, but it’s Christmas theme is too cheesy for it to be enjoyable.
Most of the album is filled with acoustic renditions of previous songs that really highlight the excellent singing ability of Stephen Christian (A day late, Cadence and Dismantle.Repair). However as I’m not an acoustic fan most of these songs are just too boring. The only version that I like is Naive New Orleans while the same cannot be said for the lackluster AOL session of The unwinding cable cart which lacks the epic build up and choral work present in the original.
The album is salvaged somewhat by the rough demo versions of Driving and Readyfuels and covers of Enjoy the silence (Depeche mode), Creep (Radiohead) and I promise (When In Rome) which are just as enjoyable as the originals. The bonus track is also worth a listen as it’s a fun rendition of Glass to the arson carried out on Nintendo style synthesisers (kinda like mario bros.)
Overall this album just doesn’t do it for me as it lacks the energy that Anberlin are usually capable of. However if you enjoy acoustic music or you’re a big fan who wants all their B-side material in one place then this record should belong in your collection.
Overall Verdict: 6/10 (+1 if you like acoustic music).
Well as usual I’ve crapped on too much, gone way over length and should really get back to work. Feel free to leave your opinions or any comments on what you’ve been listening to at the moment.
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