Album Results
New Radicals
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
Genre:
ROCK/POP
Label:
MCA Records
Release date: 1998
Album Reviews
The more things change in music, the more they stay the same. The alternative rockers of the 1990s may have caused so-called corporate rockers like Poison and Bon Jovi to become less visible, but at the same time, the worship of 1970s baby boomer culture was alive and well among post-baby boomers. In 1998, one of the most memorable examples of 1970s-flavored music came from the New Radicals. Although Radicals singer/leader Gregg Alexander was quick to espouse a left-wing point of view, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too doesn't beat listeners over the head with a sociopolitical agenda. Nor is the CD an exercise in angry 1990s angst rock. Rather, Alexander's band is a congenial and highly melodic throwback to the rock and blue-eyed soul of the early to mid-'70s. Alexander's vocals have a very Mick Jagger-ish quality, but while the Rolling Stones were a rock & roll band that occasionally dabbled in soul and funk, the Radicals favor pop/rock that is consistently mindful of classic Northern soul. Hook-happy offerings like "Jehovah Made This Whole Joint for You," "Flowers," and "Mother We Just Can't Get Enough" give the impression that Alexander holds the Stones and the artists of Motown Records in equally high regard. Without question, Brainwashed was among the more promising releases of late 1998. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Kids MGMT |
| With 2005's "Time To Pretend" MGMT created a musical moment that would resonate for the next three years, putting it amongst the creme de la creme of new millennium indie anthems. With latest single, "Kids", MGMT fail to scale the heights they did with their first single, but still deliver a track that has met with strong approval from such critical sources as Pitchfork media, Zane Lowe and, surprisingly, dance music bible Mixmag who cited it as one of their "tunes of the year". Sporting an overridingly childlike melody that shimmers due to the interesting use of a distorted stylophone, the track washes over the listener thanks to the great use of a Gary Numan-esque synth line. This is all brought to the fore on the new remix by Belgian dance maestros Soulwax, who turn the muted indie cool of the original into an irrepressible club monster. If any evidence is needed, here is a clip of Erol Alkan playing the track at the recent Pukkelpop festival. Quite simply, amazing! | |
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