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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Cheap Trick

  • Tinted Windows: The Soundtrack to Summer 2009??

    tinted-windows

    Tinted Windows is probably not a supergroup you would’ve seen coming, but that doesn’t stop their debut album from being one of the most fun pop records to come down the pike in a while. Who’s in the band?, you might ask. Well, on drums there’s Bun E. Carlos, of legendary power-pop band Cheap Trick. On guitar, there’s James Iha, formerly of Smashing Pumpkins and A Perfect Circle. Your bassist is Adam Schlesinger, primary songwriter and chief wiseass for Fountains of Wayne, and on lead vocals…say hi to Taylor Hanson. Yes, THAT Taylor Hanson. Don’t lie. You know you’re still interested.

    Actually, if you’ve actually been following Hanson since “Mmmbop” turned them into teen sensations, you’d have known that they’ve released several highly entertaining albums recently, and that Taylor has grown into quite the assured vocalist. His voice is still boyish, and can alternately sound innocent or snotty, depending on what the song calls for. He’s the perfect fit for this band, bringing a bit of soul to what would still be a killer power-pop album. The riffs are crunchy, the drumming swings, and the hooks (mostly written by Schlesinger-is it me or is FOW one of the most underrated bands around these days?) are golden. These songs are perfect for dropping the top on the car on a nice summer day and singing at the top of your lungs.

    Tinted Windows uses the half-hour or so and 11 songs to pull just about every earworm trick out of the book. Whether it’s the “uh oh’s” and “whoa whoa”s in the frenetic album opener Kind of a Girl, the chorus of Doncha Wanna, which gets repeated so much it’ll ingrain itself in your head for at least a week, or the stut-stut-stuttered chorus of Take Me Back, these guys prove themselves masters of the great pop song.

    You know what the coolest thing about this album is? These guys sound like they’re having a fucking blast playing together. Most music is so processed and serious now-you rarely ever find anything in the mainstream that sounds as tossed-off (in a good way) and fun as Tinted Windows. So, if you’re looking for a great pop/rock album that you’ll be singing along with all summer, look no further than Tinted Windows. If you let the preconceived notions of a band with a Hanson brother keep you from checking this out, it’s your loss.

  • The New Music Files 11/11/08: David Archuleta, T-Pain and More!!!

    Sorry I missed y’all last week. Voting (and the subsequent 7 hours of watching CNN while fluctuating between cnn.com and yahoo.com) took up the entire of my Tuesday. However, Obama’s been elected (YAY!) and I can now devote my attention towards letting you know what’s in stores-’cause today’s kind of a doozy.

    David Archuleta David Archuleta: The only other instance of a 2nd place Idol finisher coming out before the champion that I can remember was Clay coming out (ooh, play on words) before Ruben…and you all know how that one went. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how I’d finally been sucked into the gooey goodness of first single Crush, but that’s where I draw the line. However, your teenage niece or cousin is probably on line at the record store already to grab this one.

    T-Pain Thr33 Rings: I think I’ve made my disdain for T-Pain pretty clear. The man can’t sing, can barely rap, and brings coonery to an all-time new level. If, with that knowledge, you still want to buy his record, be my guest.

    Taylor Swift Fearless: Carrie who? Taylor Swift is country music’s current it girl, with tons of pop appeal (hey, she dated a Jonas!). This widely anticipated second album has already spawned the huge hit Love Story and will be one of the biggest successes of the fourth quarter.

    Seal Soul: Seal is starting to put out albums with the same frequency that he makes babies!! Coming just a year after his last release, Seal’s new album features covers of classic soul tunes. The first single is a version of Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come, which has me kind of worried, but Prayer for the Dying and Love’s Divine can make up for a million ill-advised covers.

    Musiq Soulchild On My Radio: Last year’s #1 Luvandmusiq did nothing for me. Why? Because it sounded like Musiq’s last three albums. For album #5, the R&B singer tried to switch it up with the T-Pain-esque single Radio, but after that met with a resounding thud at radio, he regrouped and came back with the safest bet possible-a Mary J. Blige duet. I own each of Musiq’s first four albums, but this might be the record where the Musiq officially stops for me.

    Elsewhere: Did you know that Tracy Chapman was still around? Me neither. The folky wonder celebrates the 20th anniversary of her still-classic debut with a new album tomorrow. The 29th installment of the Now That’s What I Call Music series also hits stores, as does the first album of R&B material from Deborah Cox (did you know that she was still around?) in six years. Offensive-rap outfit Jedi Mind Tricks have a new one hitting stores today, and there are also a couple of interesting curiosities: an Enya Christmas album, an album from Kevin Costner (I’m assuming this is The Bodyguard star and there aren’t two Kevin Costners floating around, and a new Vanilla Ice album-this one featuring him tackling some of the greatest hip-hop hits of all time. I might get this just to see what a complete and total trainwreck it is.

    On the greatest hits tip, alterna-rap faves Jurassic 5 re-release their first, independently distributed record with a bonus DVD, while several of New Order‘s classic albums get the deluxe double-disc treatment. On the anniversary tip, there is a 30th anniversary edition of Cheap Trick’s Live at the Budokan, while we’re also getting a 2-disc Smiths anthology. Christina Aguilera’s Target & iTunes-exclusive greatest hits disc gets released today, as do hits packages from Enrique Iglesias (!) and Hilary Duff (!!…and didn’t she just come out with a greatest hits album like two years ago?)

    Get your full list of new releases here.

    Happy shopping!!