The Altrok Listener 3
Cool Tunes To Cock Your Ear To
by Bill Stella

House Of Lords, The - A Little Bit Of Bread With No Cheese
Many who are described as Ramones-esque don't deserve to be, but here's a (probably British) Ramones-esque track which captures all the fun, pop sensibility, and fuzzy-guitar rock'n'roll chops which made the 70's & early 80's Ramones ultimately endearing, while their home-schooled approach remains dangerous to corporate mentalities.
 
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. - Demon Days
Another in the iPod ad soundtrack sweepstakes, a series of songs so cool they've been anointed Conveyors of Cool to Clueless Consumers (The 4C Award: leads 'em to stores like pigeons to traps – with breadcrumbs). I like it anyway. An educated consumer is blah blah blah, y'know.
 
Go! Team, The - The Power Is On - Thunder, Lightning, Strike
I dunno who came up with this wondrous noise, but I love it. And so do the Japanese, based on clicking the title in the player window, and discovering that one of the two versions available is a Japanese import. (Thunder, Lightning, Strike [Bonus Tracks]Vivid Sound Japan, March 2005) The U.S. version is from Memphis Industries, released September 2004.
 
Louis XIV - A Letter To Dominique - The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
THE summer album of the year is here. Largely the best T-Rex album ever made (are these guys young enough to be reincarnations of Marc Bolan?), with great touches of Mott The Hoople and Lou Reed – did I say "summer album"? Yes? You understand, I mean "So good, I don't want to take it off the turntable (pardon my anachronism) all Summer" Album, don't you? "Finding Out True Love Is Blind", the song getting all the attention (and the song that most stands up to being overplayed) is the best pop song since Outkast's "Hey Ya!". "Dominique" is one of nine others similarly worthy of jostling for re-listening position, along with… dozens… of other great albums out already this year…. Egad! Again, I say: Egad! (Get the feeling he likes this stuff, no?)
 

 

©2005 Bill Stella