Tony Sly - 12 Song Program [2010]

Tony Sly probably doesn’t need much of an introduction to people on this site. He’s already released many discs through Fat Wreck Chords, but this time the No Use For A Name front man is ditching the loud, distorted guitars for something softer. 12 Song Program is Sly’s first acoustic solo full-length and he proves he's capable of more than just playing pop-punk.
Back in December, the first taste of the record came when “The Shortest Pier” was posted and it’s a fitting example of what to expect. It’s retrospective and mellow, the tone and chorus depicting the lonely album art perfectly. The record closer “Fireball” is especially bittersweet and the way Sly sings the verses make it one of the album’s stronger tracks. It almost sounds as if he's actually in the room playing for you. 
But that’s not to say there isn’t any fast-paced energy here. Some of the recognizable vibe from Acoustic, a split record with Lagwagon’s Joey Cape is present. “Second Act (End Credits)” is catchy and you can imagine it being played with a full band, much like you could when you listened to the stripped down version of the fist-pumping NUFAN tune “International You Day.” “Toaster in the Bathtub” is a cheesy song title, but it’s got an upbeat chorus and has some electric guitar underneath the strumming of acoustic chords and hand claps. He can still rock, even without a full band behind him. 
Sly’s voice sounds as good as ever and he is responsible for most of the simple instrumentation, including the keyboard on tracks like “AM,” but he still gets some help. Karina Denike from ska-punk outfit Dance Hall Crashers never takes a solo, but she does contribute back-up vocals that blend in well with Sly’s on many of the tracks. The upbeat “Via Munich” features a violin and some accordion. Cape also sings a few lines of “Amends.” 
At just a little over half an hour, Sly has created a nice collection of stripped down songs that’s actually a little shorter than some NUFAN records. If you’re looking for some great acoustic pop songs, or if you’re simply someone who has been anticipating this release since Acoustic came out, 12 Song Program doesn’t disappoint. (AP)

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Have A Ball [1997]

After releasing countless singles (with an ever-changing lineup), Me First and the Gimme Gimmes continue with a flood of covers done the in the usual Fat Wreck Chords fashion. Contemporary hits such as "Rocket Man," "Mandy," and "Uptown Girl" are sung along with galloping pop-punk harmonies and verse-chorus-verse structures. Not the most groundbreaking or original musical outfit, but they sure are a lot of fun. Besides, their versions of John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and Paul Simon's "I Am a Rock" make this one of the more entertaining releases of 1997. Warning: this is not intended for all those who take music seriously. (AMG)

Pour Habit - Suiticide [2009]

“When Suiticide came out you have to realize that we were just kind of getting our songs together and our members were into everything from Guttermouth to Pantera, so it was us trying to find that in-between,” Colin responds when asked about the album’s original sound. “Through that we realized, ‘Let’s just do whatever we want to do and if it’s a simple three-chord Green Day pop song or a crazy Meshuggah wannabe song who cares? Let’s do whatever we can do and if it rocks, it rocks.’” It certainly does rock—and the good news is that the band already have another collection songs written that they’ll be recording this summer. However in the meantime you’ll be able to catch them on tour spreading their brand of punk to the masses and continuing to win crowds over one fan at a time. (FW)

Lagwagon - Hoss [1995]

It seems that the maturity level of Lagwagon increased dramatically after the release of their second album, Trashed. On Hoss, there are no butchered covers, nor are there any half-hearted attempts to bring out the happier side of the rock & roll lifestyle. This is a good thing, though; Lagwagon have a "take no slack" mentality without coming across as macho tough guys. In other words, these guys want to be taken more seriously without falling into the category of being another Fat Wreck Chord clone band. They pull it off with Hoss, even if it still has that Lagwagon style of fast-paced pop-punk and harmonies. The drastic difference is that there's more of an edge to be found here. (AMG)

No Use For A Name - Leche Con Carne [1995]

This was one of my favourite records 15 years ago. Now it's all comin' back to me.  Relax and enjoy.

Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S [1987]

Roger Waters' second solo album is yet another conceptual narrative, one that tells the tale of a wheelchair-bound boy who tries to halt the threat of nuclear war through his use of the HAM radio. The story line isn't held together as tightly as his first album, and the whole fable seems a little too far fetched, even when taken lightly. Unlike The Pros and Cons album, the music here overrides the narrative, but not by much, highlighted by the upbeat pop single "Radio Waves." The last tune, entitled "The Tide Is Turning," is the only other focal point of the album, an honest-sounding ballad that relinquishes a glimmer of hope in an otherwise unpromising world. Waters' anti-war theme is stretched full across the album, but the music itself struggles to capture any attention, bogged down by half-whispers and flat-lined melodies that are only slightly resuscitated from time to time with some trumpet and saxophone. The novelty of Los Angeles disc jockey Jim Ladd wears off quickly, as he was obviously used to add some lightheartedness to the album's pessimistic undertones. Waters' use of imagery and thematic depth are absent from Radio K.A.O.S., leaving his superficial spiel with barely any sustenance, which in turn hinders the moral of the album so that it fails to reach its fruition. While both The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking and Amused to Death convey his talented use of concept, imagination, and lyrical mastery, this album seems to be nothing more than a fictional tale with a blatantly apparent message. (AMG)

The Hives - Veni Vidi Vicious [2000]

Rousing, stompin' garage rock from these Swedes, with plenty of mod and frantic punk energy to keep you grooving along. "Party Party!" they seem to be saying, and you just want to join. This is definite change-up from the usual hyper speed pop-ska-punk dross offered on Epitaph. Perhaps this arises from the fact that these guys are only distributed on Epitaph and yet are actually on the Burning Heart imprint. Plenty of fuzzed, struttin', propulsive guitar work on this disc to assault your ears. Well worth your time to take a spin. More records like this need to exist. (AMG)

Ramones - Mondo Bizarro [1992]

A new record deal and the addition of an enthusiastic new bassist (C.J. Ramone) revitalized the Ramones, making Mondo Bizarro the band's strongest release in years. Returning longtime producer Ed Stasium certainly deserves much credit for helping the "bruthas" rediscover their unique combination of pop hooks, savage guitar riffing, and most importantly, sense of humor. This is immediately obvious on songs like "Censorshit" (which addresses the Tipper Gore - P.M.R.C. issue), "The Job That Ate My Brain," and the absolutely hilarious "Cabbies on Crack." Recently departed charter member Dee Dee Ramone also contributes a few surprisingly commercial (but still awesome) songs in "Poison Heart" and "Strength to Endure," the latter is sung by rookie C.J. "I Won't let it Happen" as an acoustic ballad in the classic Ramones mold. Although "Touring" is little more than a poor remake of "Rock'n'Roll High School," Mondo Bizarro still marks a solid return to form for punk rock's greatest institution. (AMG)

Leonard Cohen - Songs Of Leonard Cohen [1967]

At a time when a growing number of pop songwriters were embracing a more explicitly poetic approach in their lyrics, the 1967 debut album from Leonard Cohen introduced a songwriter who, rather than being inspired by "serious" literature, took up music after establishing himself as a published author and poet. The ten songs on Songs of Leonard Cohen were certainly beautifully constructed, artful in a way few (if any) other lyricists would approach for some time, but what's most striking about these songs isn't Cohen's technique, superb as it is, so much as his portraits of a world dominated by love and lust, rage and need, compassion and betrayal. While the relationship between men and women was often the framework for Cohen's songs (he didn't earn the nickname "the master of erotic despair" for nothing), he didn't write about love; rather, Cohen used the never-ending thrust and parry between the sexes as a jumping off point for his obsessive investigation of humanity's occasional kindness and frequent atrocities (both emotional and physical). Cohen's world view would be heady stuff at nearly any time and place, but coming in a year when pop music was only just beginning to be taken seriously, Songs of Leonard Cohen was a truly audacious achievement, as bold a challenge to pop music conventions as the other great debut of the year, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and a nearly perfectly realized product of his creative imagination. Producer John Simon added a touch of polish to Cohen's songs with his arrangements (originally Cohen wanted no accompaniment other than his guitar), though the results don't detract from his dry but emotive vocals; instead, they complement his lyrics with a thoughtful beauty and give the songs even greater strength. And a number of Cohen's finest songs appeared here, including the luminous "Suzanne," the subtly venomous "Master Song" and "Sisters of Mercy," which would later be used to memorable effect in Robert Altman's film McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Many artists work their whole career to create a work as singular and accomplished as Songs of Leonard Cohen, and Cohen worked this alchemy the first time he entered a recording studio; few musicians have ever created a more remarkable or enduring debut. (AMG)

Hefner - We Love The City [2000]

Why is it that most U.K. artists typically slag off London? Countless pop songs by artists such as Billy Bragg, Morrissey, Blur, and Elvis Costello have made the ring of disgust toward that fashionable city all too familiar. The indie rock trio in Hefner are also disenchanted. Their passion for hating Margaret Thatcher, the royal family, and the tyrannical moves by Parliament is a common theme comically twisted throughout the dozen track set list on We Love the City. Darren Hayman, who sings with a nasal twang mixed with the seduction of Suede's Brett Anderson, insists that the dread surrounding the city is not a healthy place for anyone despite the pointing fingers of the rich and the lost and the settling attitudes of the working class. Hayman blasts such foolish behavior and pleads for a little soul searching, but only if it's meaningful. "Good Fruit" and "The Greedy Ugly People" play into such mediocrity, swooning melodies shadowing the exchange of love for cynicism. Not even sex is enough for the disillusioned. Love is supposed to mend ways, lift spirits, and twist frowns, but London will never forgive. Sadly, most common people just accept that. "Painting and Kissing" frolics with adolescent frustration typically found to guilt most youngsters long into adulthood, and it's all because of London's deadbeat background. Hefner isn't looking for a scapegoat. It's bloody factual, according to the band. We Love the City might as well continue the rants left off by the band's angry predecessors. But surely one thing is for certain: It's always done with a bit of humor. (AMG)