CD review: Low, Drums and Guns (Sub Pop Records, March 20,2007)

Low, a band whose music has been dubbed “slowcore,” definitely lives up to its name on Drums and Guns. Drums and Guns is comprised of minimalist arrangements and slow, whimsical tempos. Throughout the entire album you can hear how sparingly instruments are used and placed. Besides its sparce instrumentation, Low is also known for its dynamic ranges. At some points the CD is so quiet that you can hear your next door neighbor’s stereo. But it gradually gets louder, which helps to emphasize specific points the band is trying to make. (more…)

CD: Lily Allen, Alright, Still … (Capitol Records, January 2007)

Don’t let her cherubic face fool you. If you’re a dude, Lily Allen thinks your penis is too small, and if you’re a chick, you’re a cunt. Her bad-ass, take-no-prisoners attitude on her first album, Alright, Still …, is ripe with sophomoric rhymes and elementary disses dealing with those sticky situations of ex-relationships and proper fuck-buddy etiquette. Poetess she is not, but the lyrical simplicity is enough to resonate with the pop music consumer who has outgrown Avril but still has a penchant for lip-synching into a hair brush.

What’s particularly endearing about Allen is how she cuts out all those vague, sexually obnoxious metaphors that female pop stars use to promote their virginal hyper-naughty girl image and opts for bluntness instead. It’s those inherent oxymorons in Allen’s style, image and album that make her an intriguing pop chanteuse. Here’s an innocent-looking, full-faced, wide-eyed 20-something cooing that she’s ” … gonna tell the world that you’re rubbish in bed now / And that you’re small in the game” (“Not Big”). (more…)

Concert: Type O Negative, House of Blues, Las Vegas, Thursday, April 19

Type O Negative has been dishing out darkness for more than a decade and continues its reign of terror and its making of gothically tinged metal on its new CD, Dead Again. Expect TON’s trademark wit and bouts of gloom, as well as its hatred for humanity and love affair with hate. Grab a copy of the new release before heading to this all ages show so you’re not the one idiot in the crowd who doesn’t know the words to the new songs. And be ready to bang that head like its never been banged before.

All ages
Doors: 5:30 pm, show 6:30 pm
Tickets: $20 advance/$22 day of
Tickets are on sale by calling 702-632-7600

For a complete list of Type O Negative show dates, visit www.myspace.com/typeonegative.

CD: Unit 7 Drain, Lists (Socyermom Records, 2006)

I first met Harry Redus-Brown when he was dating my upstairs neighbor in a crappy apartment building on Harvard Street in Albuquerque, N.M. That was before he became a local music celebrity as Unit 7 Drain’s guitarist and lead vocalist. Before then, Redus-Brown’s life was particularly daunting. It turns out that he, Chris Newman (drums/piano) and Tony Wissing (lead guitar) met as teenage runaways, who over the years lived and supported each other and made music together. It wasn’t until 2000 that the guys really started to focus their attention on playing music and moved to the city, where they formed Unit 7 Drain. From day one the boys had pant-loads of ambition and year after year recorded new EPs and demos. They were known for sets that were brimming with energy and for putting some effort into their on-stage attire – no jeans and T-shirts for these guys. It was, and still is, a group that gives 110 percent 100 percent of the time.

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