CD Review: The Saint by Alex The Great

In modern times, if you are anybody that has something and you want somebody to see it, the internet is step one. Now you want your product to rise above and stand out. Product name is very important. If you made a movie and called it Oreo there is no chance anybody looking for it will ever find it. If some kid in Brazil read an article about you in the latest issue of Independente Filme Brasil and he is just busting to find more information on you and your stupendous film, all he will find is Nabisco advertisements.

I did a Google search for the band Alex The Great and was bombarded by endless links regarding Alexander the Great. He was the king of Macedonia. Are you familiar with his work?
Alex The Great is an indie-rock band from Brighton, UK. Their 4 song EP “The Saint” is pretty fucking impressive. I am going to state the negative first. Their lyrics are not that great. The band’s BIO is equally, un-interestingly written. When I heard this CD and was instantly drawn to it, I wanted to learn some facts about this band, their achievements, previous releases, or even just stories/anecdotes about the process of recording this album. Instead what I got was hyperbole such as “each musician brings a sense of individuality to every song, creating a sound that is truly unique.” I really like this CD, but as far as being truly unique, it could easily be compared to the band America or World Party.

With the EP title being “The Saint” and songs 1,2,3 being The Saint I, The Saint II, and The Saint III it appears to be a concept album. Track 1 comes across like a “Father of Mine” type of song, but the other two aren’t clear in meaning. I would speculate that it is a concept CD, but too personal to interpret.

So letting go of that, and moving past it, great vocals, harmonies that hook you, and top-notch musicianship completely over shadow the lyrics. The songwriting (melodies, and instrumentation) is beautiful. This album teeters on amazing, dipping towards it, and almost touching.

There are a lot of “new folk” or “Americana” bands out there right now, and acoustic music is hot. This is not that. These are sounds that create airy dreamscapes, a controlled energy demonstrating power rock via soft exposure.

Today, artist development is virtually dead. Did you know R.E.M. was almost unknown until their 5th album “Document”, and it wasn’t until their 6th album “Green” that a large part of the population knew who they were? Despite that, their record label (IRS) released an album a year, every year between 1983 and 1988 until they blew up huge. Today labels expect the quick fix, and to be fair, musicians also expect instant gratification. Often if a band doesn’t get recognized quickly, the members will want to move on to another project with the hopes the new one will have that magic.

Alex The Great is a young band. If they stay together and grow together, they are capable of making something significant. I look forward to hearing their future efforts.

Sample it, and buy it.

No Italian-American ever commited a crime.

Apparently "the mafia" is only a Hollywood creation with no basis in reality. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for falling for such trickery. I received a press release showing me the path that is right. My favorite line from the press release is "These trash-television purveyors now want to brainwash a new generation with this insidious and hurtful stereotype of Italian Americans," Right on, I mean did you ever see Jersey Shore? Why can't Hollywood portray more Italian American's like that?

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 From PRNewswire:

Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition Demands Nickelodeon Halt Film Production of 'Nicky Deuce' Citing Stereotyping of Italian Americans as Criminals

Italian American anti-bias group blasts Nickelodeon, MarVista Entertainment and Viacom as "irresponsible" for racist depictions and stereotypes of Italian Americans aimed at young audience BLOOMFIELD, N.J., Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Calling upcoming film "Nicky Deuce" an example of one of the most irresponsible levels of broadcasting targeted at young children that will portray negative stereotypes about Italian Americans, Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition (IAOVC) President Andre DiMino called on Nickelodeon, its affiliates and parent company, to halt production of the movie. "Nicky Deuce," being produced by Nickelodeon (whose parent company Viacom infamously produces "Jersey Shore" with MTV) and MarVista Entertainment, is based on a children's book by former "Sopranos" cast member Steven Schirippa and co-author Charles Fleming. The book is about a 12-year-old boy who spends the summer in Brooklyn with his Italian grandmother and Italian uncle, who he suspects is in the Mafia. While in Brooklyn, he meets any number of negatively stereotyped Italian Americans, and befriends another Italian boy and begins his descent into a life of petty crime involving counterfeit bills and bootlegging. The film, currently in production in Canada, is scheduled to debut on Nickelodeon next year. The production recently announced the additional bad news that four "Sopranos" cast members would also be starring. "These trash-television purveyors now want to brainwash a new generation with this insidious and hurtful stereotype of Italian Americans," DiMino stated. "We are appealing to all parents - please, don't let your children watch this garbage." "Numerous studies since the advent of television have shown the impact this type of programming can have on the minds of young children," DiMino said. "It is beyond reprehensible that a children's network like Nickelodeon would so grossly abdicate any semblance of corporate responsibility and target young children with a racist, stereotypical movie on Italian Americans. This is gutter television at its very worst, and all parents whose children watch Nickelodeon should be forewarned about 'Nicky Deuce.'" DiMino noted that ONE VOICE is planning a campaign to reach out to educators, family organizations, and Nickelodeon's sponsors regarding this matter. ONE VOICE opposed and criticized the book when it was released in 2005, and had completed a 26-page report which included the results of a questionnaire sent to educators and community activists. A summary is available upon request for those interested in its findings. ONE VOICE's sole focus and objective is to fight bias, stereotyping and discrimination against Italian Americans. It is the only national Italian American organization with this exclusive mission. ONE VOICE has activists and organization members across the country and issues a regular email newsletter, "The Alfano Digest," to more than 5,000 individuals and Italian American organizations nationwide. _______________________________________________________________________

CD Review: APRIL by Fallon Cush

Rock music seems to be a dying art. Electronic music is thriving, and a lot of the "rock oriented" music being given to us is so over produced it becomes heavily flawed by it's flawlessness.

 The album April by Fallon Cush is not that. With strong, sincere and honest song writing, and production levels set where they should be, this album is certainly authentic.

 April is a solid pop-rock with a country feel CD. It is not quite Eagles caliber, but very Tom Petty. If you like the traditional, mainstream, rock style I would recommend this album. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/falloncush3

To Rant Tyrannical Rants

"Inundated" is a word I virtually never use. Honestly, I had to look it up just now to confirm its meaning. I learn words from TV or movies and assume I know what they mean. I often use the words correctly, but pronounce them wrong.

 In school we took spelling and vocabulary tests that were ripped directly from the back of our books. Every August school would start with us tearing out a year’s worth of tests and passing them to the front. The teacher would use these as the tests that would be passed back out to us, one a week for the next nine months (minus Xmas vacation and spring break).

 In the seventh grade I did something that I am now reminded of almost daily. At the end of the school year, my math teacher asked for a volunteer to take the books back down to the storage room. Taking on this task got me access to the supply room. In the supply room, I had access to every spelling and vocabulary test for the remainder of my K-12 career.

 It is really pretty amazing that a person that made straight A’s in the subject, could have such a limited vocabulary. I blame the public school system.

 The world is inundated with new music. So much of it coming out every day, some good, some bad, some mediocre, barely any of it is fantastic, but certainly an incomprehensible amount generated very second of every day.

 

 If you pay any attention at all to music, you will know what I am talking about. It is not something I only just discovered, but rather something that was recently pushed home. Last week I had a phone conversation with a program director I don’t know from a station I never heard of in Portland Oregon. During the conversation she mentioned that a particular band was “a bit soft for our format.” This excited me. I got a tingle in my scrotum because I am ready for the re-surge of heavy, or at least angry, rock. I had to know what “not soft” music she was playing. So I asked, “what not soft music do you play” and she gave me a very long, very detailed list of bands. I did not recognize a single one. I looked her directly in the eye over the phone and thought "For all I know you are making up these band names," She could have very well have been fucking with me, “oh you know we play Carpet and that one band Desk, oh yeah and Lamp. I love Lamp”

 

 For approximately 2 minutes I went “uh huh, oh yeah? them too?” Politely I waited until she finished. Then I said, “I have never heard of a single one of them.” She did the thing that people do where they pretend like you are not as up to speed on music as they are, and eventually told me they all tasted like chicken and sounded like Arcade Fire, Built to Spill or Foo Fighters. These were names I recognized, but don’t listen too because they are too soft for my playlist format.

 I get over 10 new albums a day recommended for potential reviews. Some of it’s “ok” none of its really that great. In the words of Jack Nicholson, “this town needs an enema.”