Album Results
Album Reviews
On their debut album Bazooka!!!, the Star Spangles mix of the poppier side of late-'70s punk with the college rock and power pop of the early and mid-'80s, borrowing from such luminaries as the Only Ones, Cheap Trick, and the Replacements. It's hard to fault a band for having such good taste in music, but for most of the album it feels like the Star Spangles are more focused on re-creating the greatest hits of their record collections instead of crafting something distinctive from their influences. Indeed, the album features a straightforward cover of "Crime of the Century," originally by Gang War, a collaboration between the New York Dolls' Johnny Thunders and the MC5's Wayne Kramer; the relative obscurity of the song wins the band some credibility points, but "I'll Get Her Back," which is basically a rewrite of the Hoodoo Gurus' classic "I Want You Back," promptly deducts them. More troubling than the fact that the Star Spangles' debut features one-and-a-half covers is that those songs happen to be among the album's most distinctive tracks. The band's songs revolve around girls, rock, hanging out, and rebelling -- the purest elements of rock songwriting -- but instead of sounding timeless, songs like "I Live for Speed," "Angela," and "Science Fiction/Science Fact" end up sounding contrived. Sometimes, though, the Star Spangles' scruffy charm is winning enough to override the fact that most of it is borrowed: "Which of the Two of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down" may have its loping rhythms and singalong/shoutalong choruses on loan from the Replacements, but it's still appealing in its own right; likewise, the sweetly awkward ballad "In Love Again" and tougher songs like "Stay Away From Me" and "If We Can't Be Lovers" hint at a more personal voice emerging in the band's music. For most of Bazooka!!!, the Star Spangles sound like a rowdy bar band just playing a set of songs they love. That's both a blessing and a curse, but it's possible that the earnestness the band displays on this album will make their next one more distinctive. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Another Way To Die Alicia Keys & Jack White |
| When Jack White and Alicia Keys were asked to write the theme to the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace, it wasnt exactly the straightforward task you might imagine. Not only did they have to take the place of a much anticipated effort from Amy Winehouse, which predictably never materialised, they were also faced with the challenge of writing a theme for one of the most awkwardly phrased Bond films of all time. Quantum of Solace hardly rolls off the tongue after all! The result is a workmanlike effort that draws on many trademark elements of both the Bond franchise and the musicians musical repertoire. With snarling guitar riffs from Jack, overblown vocals and twinkling piano from Alicia and a few orchestral style stabs that hark back to the original John Barry theme, Another Way to Die is equal but no better than the sum of its parts. Despite popjustice.com branding the track the worst Bond theme of all time this song will fulfil its design brief when the credits to the film are rolling as it has enough OTT touches to make the expensive graphics look cool. | |
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