Web MasterDigger
Keystone
Hopeless Records
Pop-punk too cute to be punk, too punk to be pop, too awful to be good
by Travis Petersen
Since when is it okay for punk rock to be cute? More and more often lately it seems that bands playing formulaic punk rock can be easily described by that simple awful word. Cute. Digger’s latest release, Keystone, is the next in line of those oh-so-very adorable, inoffensive pop-rock records masquerading as punk rock.
The sound is melodic, power pop without the necessary hooks or crunch. They are emo in every bad sense of the term-rock that’s not hooky enough to be pure pop or threatening enough to be hardcore. There are a lot of polite guitar leads, slightly distorted, played over staccato, minor key rhythm guitars. The vocals are unengaging and convey sensitivity without genuine emotion. The lyrics are all about lost love, girlfriends leaving, not being able to get the girl you want, etc, ad infinitum. As inoffensive and sensitive as these guys sound, though, I’m sure they have no problem getting laid.
Digger tries to do a lot of things that other pop-punk bands have done to cross over to the mainstream, and doesn’t do any of them well. On “Mesh Hats and Interstates,” the lyrics play on the metaphor of touring bands as truckers, recalling the wacky humor of Blink-182. Moog synthesizer lines on many tracks are reminiscent of the Get-Up Kids.
“Tattoo Broken Hearts,” with its minor chord crunch, sounds like Jimmy Eat World, and many of the other tracks resemble a sped-up Weezer, distorted chords trying to approximate melodies. The only things these bands have in common is that they have become popular in the mainstream, something it seems that Digger is eager to do.
Basically, there is little to recommend about this band. They are a disposable pop group with pretensions of being more than that, and maybe, because of their effective inoffensiveness, they will hit it big with an audience that has grown too mature for then Backstreet Boys, but not mature enough for music with genuine edge and emotion. Digger could be a cash advance away from fame, but more likely will remain unremarkable and unremembered.
Bottom Line: The John Mayer of punk rock.
Grade: D
Tom Petty
The Last DJ
Warner Brothers
Petty reunites with the Heartbreakers and brings a biting attack on the music biz
by Evan Heigert
Whoever managed to piss off Tom Petty did a hell of a good job of it. And thank God he did. The Last DJ, which also happens to be Petty’s first studio release with the complete Heartbreakers band since 1981’s Hard Promises, is a series of anthems against a record industry that cares more about the almighty dollar than the holy sound.
The album spirals around Petty’s outrage at the changing morals in the music industry; the same industry that took him from a small town musician to one of the premier rock stars in the country has turned corrupt. Petty states it pretty well in an inscription on the back of the album that reads, “This record is dedicated to everyone who loves music just a little bit more than money.”
The title track is a call to those few in the music biz that still stand up for good music and won’t be bought out by corporate fat cats. The song starts out fast and hard, getting straight to the heart of the argument. The sound combines simple guitar riffs and a quick drum beat with Petty’s smooth and sassy vocals. The lyrics are smart and to the point, calling out, “Well, you can’t turn him / Into a company man / You can’t turn him into a whore / And the boys upstairs / Just don’t understand anymore.”
“Money becomes King” follows suit, using a languid beat and slow guitar riffs to accentuate Petty’s eerie vocals. The song has a melancholy nostalgia for a time when music was music and not big business. The music slides and flows through Petty’s personal narrative of the early days of rock.
The fourth track, “Joe,” keeps the biting sarcasm alive in a ballad about a cheating, money-grubbing record exec. The hard beat pounds and the guitar is angry. You can feel the passion and fury as the band rocks out in classic, hard-hitting Heartbreaker style. As the melody rolls and Petty screams out the vocals, you can’t help but bob a tight-lipped head. He calls, “My name’s Joe / I’m the CEO / Yeah, I’m the man / Makes the big wheels roll / I’m the hand on / The green light switch / You get to be famous / I get to be rich.”
But not all is anger and biting criticism on The Last DJ. Petty’s classic hopeless-lover mentality comes out in tracks such as “Have Love Will Travel,” “Blue Sunday,” and “You and Me.” The love songs are slow and sweet and sticky. The guitar strings sing and Petty calls out to days gone by and loves still to come. “You and Me,” then takes on an upbeat style of love song reminiscent of Petty’s solo work on Wildflowers.
With The Last DJ Petty and the Heartbreakers break back into the music world in classic form. There is a fire in this album that seems to be their way of saying, “Yeah, we may be old, but we still know how to love and rock and fight!” Petty’s learned a lot from this industry, even if it has let him down, and he uses his smarts and style and passion to continue to create great music.
Bottom Line: Criticism and a soulful sound makes for an instant classic.
Grade: A-
Rhett Miller
The Instigator
Elektra 2002
One of alt-country’s finest tries his hand at pop, with mediocre results
by Matt Simonton
There are only so many ways you can call a record average. This is the problem with reviewing Rhett Miller, frontman for the alt-country group the Old 97’s. His solo release, The Instigator, provides all the essentials for a successful pop record: catchy melodies, smart lyrics, and shining production, courtesy of Jon Brion (he’s produced for Fiona Apple and Macy Gray, among others), who lays down guitar, bass, piano, and drums on several tracks. However, without the aid of his Old 97’s cohorts, Miller is unable to do anything particularly well. With a vocal style sometimes similar to Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers, and sometimes reminiscent of the traditional heartland rock of Tom Petty, he offers a decent collection of tracks without any real standouts or high points.
He hits the ground running with the fast-paced opener, “Our Love,” which cleverly likens a love affair to those of Richard Wagner and Franz Kafka, both of whom experienced failed attempts at love with their best friends’ women. “This Is What I Do” contains the catchiest riff on the album, an upbeat, ringing melody accompanied by Miller’s high-pitched “oohs.” The la-la-la chorus of “Four-Eyed Girl” also reveals his simple pop sensibilities, while the lyrics venture into trite novelty territory.
The more serious numbers like “World Inside the World” and “Your Nervous Heart” are earnest attempts at introspection and expressions of loving affection, while the propulsive “The El” and “Point Shirley” rocket forward with country shuffles and dobro plucking. Every song on Instigator could be released as an ultimately forgettable radio single; each contains just the right amount of something, be it hummable melody or sing-a-long chorus, but not enough to make it go anywhere memorable. Those with a taste for alt-country shouldn’t be led astray by the Old 97’s’ similarities to the genre’s pioneers Wilco and Ryan Adams. Miller’s solo material is pure, carefully-crafted pop. Listeners looking for a rootsy, raw experience should search elsewhere.
Bottom Line: The Old 97s it ain’t.
Grade: C+
Jurassic 5
Power in Numbers
Interscope
Jurassic 5 come back with more of the jams that rocked WILD
by Andrew Lyman
Since their self-titled EP dropped in 1997, Jurassic 5 have left underground hip-hop fans little choice but to like them. The four emcees (Akil, Chali 2Na, Mark7 and Zaakir) brought hard rhymes with an old-school mentality over funky beats by DJ’s Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist. The lack of gunplay and misogyny attracted fans from other genres and shortly, the group had gathered a following of Phish heads and Wu-Tang soldiers alike.
A deal with Interscope came next, which led to their full-length debut, 2000’s Quality Control. The single of the same name even spent time in the regular MTV rap rotation, which provided some variety to the redundant guns-bitches-and-ice majority. With their success, Jurassic 5 broke ground for underground rappers like Common, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples and Blackalicious to rise up and gain mainstream acceptance.
Pretentious music fans like myself like to throw around the term “sell-out,” a convenient term for when artists change their music or style to gain financial success. (The most notable example would be Metallica cutting their hair before releasing “Load.”) The success of Quality Control surprised me because J5’s old school jams had little or nothing to do with popular rap at the time. And they did not sell out. Pretentious rap fans like to throw around the term “keeping it real,” a convenient term for when rappers do not play up more friendly or accessible aspects of the music to gain financial success. Their highly choreographed, whimsical show at this year’s WILD made me expect the worst. In Power in Numbers, I was expecting a diluted rap album with weak sing-along raps and guest verses by big, talentless names.
Good god, was I wrong.
I liked Quality Control, but I always thought it was too conservative. Power In Numbers takes all of Jurassic 5’s strengths and infuses them with what Quality Control lacked. Rather than bringing in more famous or trendy rappers, the basically perfect posse cut, “A Day At the Races” teams the four emcees with the legendary Big Daddy Kane and Percy P. Instead of bringing in any of a number of possible hit-makers, guest production duties go to The Beatnuts, known for their classic work with numerous mid-90s artists.
“Power” even features a pointless but brilliant freestyle by weird-rap pioneer, Kool Keith. While all four spit flawless battle rap on “Break” or “High Fidelity,” they also bring variety in their content. “Remember His Name” follows phone conversations as all four deduce the identity of someone who has recently been shot. “Thin Line,” featuring the beautiful Nelly Furtado, explores the boundaries of friendship between a man and woman. “One of Them,” with guest lyrics by The Beatnuts, is just plain ominous.
There are a few flaws-a weak lead single, a lackluster DJ-only track, etc-but little to complain about. Power In Numbers is a damn-near-perfect hip-hop album.
Bottom Line: Damn near perfect.
Grade: A