Album Reviews
Hedley -- The Show Must Go
I will admit that Hedley is a guilty pleasure. This will no doubt make me the least cool music writer for this magazine, but we all have musical skeletons in our closet -- I'm just willing to expose them.
But maybe I've outgrown Hedley. Songs about the dark side of celebrity in "Cha-Ching"? Yawn. A song about cougars (the older women, not the cat)? Sigh. I understand that we should not be taking them seriously in the first place, but this is probably one of the most clichéd pop albums (at this point I hardly consider them rock, let alone punk) that I have ever had the misfortune to listen to. Sure, the album is catchy enough and has some great beats to it -- just don't pay attention to the lyrics. That is when it all goes downhill. In fact, on an album that contains 12 tracks, only a couple of them are really worth your time: "Scream" and "Sweater Song."
Hedley's true talent lies in the ability to put on an energetic live show. I have seen them several times over the years and the guys know how to keep a crowd well frothed, but with them about to go on tour again with material like this, I wonder if they have perhaps driven the last nail into the coffin that is their career.
Dannii Minogue -- The 1995 Sessions
Back during the golden age of bad dance music, Kylie Minogue's little sister Dannii began work on what would be her third album. The project completed, she clashed with her record company of the time over distribution of the album. MCA Records decided to cut their losses, ended their contract with Minogue and shelved the album. Dannii Minogue would then go on to record tracks for what would be her next album, 1997's Girl.
15 years later and after protracted negotiations, Minogue has seemingly regained control of that album's-worth of music and has released it (presumably riding on the back of her success as a judge of U.K.'s The X Factor). This is not a horrible album. In fact, it does have some great tracks, including the original version of "Everlasting Night," as well "Love and Affection" and "Feel Your Love". Unfortunately, the album as a whole sounds incredibly dated. They may have unimaginatively titled this disc The 1995 Sessions, but it is obvious from the first note that this album is definitely not a product of current times.
It's a decent pop album and one that hardcore fans of Dannii Minogue or fans of typical, derivative and bland pop/dance music from the '90s will enjoy. All things considered, that is a rather small niche market, but it's still a fun look back at the way dance used to be.
 Ok Go -- Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
This album is all over the place, but in a good way. With their third full-length album, Ok Go has branched out of their power pop/punk/indie into new sounds and new ways of expressing themselves musically. There are moments when Of the Blue Colour of the Sky sounds like electronic-garage ("WTF?"), a grunge jam session ("Needing/Getting"), synthesized ("Before the Earth Was Round") and even a little funk ("I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe").
With so many different styles at play, one would think this album would degrade into a muddled mess, but Ok Go manages to keep it all together pretty seamlessly. The album flows really well, managing to go from harder sounds into soft, fast songs and then into slower ones without it feeling jarred or disjointed. The band has a sizable following, but this could very well be their true breakout album. Give it a listen, as there is something for every musical taste in this album.
Corinne Bailey Rae -- The Sea
Largely building upon the success of her debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae offers up another collection of nu-jazz and British R&B with the release of The Sea. While perhaps more reserved in tone and vocal delivery (possibly a reaction to the sudden death of Rae's husband a couple years ago), this album is nevertheless a testament to playing to your strengths.
This album is so good that it is almost impossible to pinpoint any one song or grouping of songs that stand out from the others. The Sea is consistent and exceptional from the first track to the last, but I would have to say that lead single "I'd Do It All Again" is perhaps my favourite song from the album. Written after Rae had a verbal disagreement with her now-deceased husband, the song is about having a love so strong that you end up coming back, for the better, despite the differences. Really powerful stuff. A really fantastic album.
Song Reviews
Smashing Pumpkins -- "A Song for a Son"
So Billy Corgan has this ambitious idea that he's going to release a 44-track album -- free. Well, not quite free. It'll be released as eleven 4-track EP's for free, and then fans have the option to purchase a full album with a bunch of other goodies once all of the tracks have been released. I'm a cynic; Corgan is going to lose a lot of money from this project. I don't think this will be as successful as Radiohead's In Rainbows.
The first track to be released from this massive album, titled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, "A Song for a Son," starts off a bit reminiscent of the material released on Adore, with a piano intro leading into Corgan's lead vocals. As far as songs by the Smashing Pumpkins go, this track is tame. As far as any song goes, it's outright boring. It's over six minutes long and the same phrase is repeated throughout the verses with little difference. It feels like it was phoned in, or worse -- perhaps Corgan suddenly realized that he had exactly 15 minutes to throw a song up on the internet that his loyal fanbase will download for free. Sadly, this project stumbles out of the gate but I can only hope that the rest of the initial EP -- when it is released -- will make up for it.
Related:
Kris Millet compared Wilco's journey to the Smashing Pumpkins'
When Mike Cullen Rocked the Mike last month, he also liked Corinne Bailey Rae
Dave Combden picked out his Top 25 Albums of the Decade
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