A Pocketfull of Dreams

The All-American Rejects

The All-American Rejects

Dreamworks, 2003

I had my doubts about The All-American Rejects. And I still have some [of them], but on the whole their self-titled debut is a thoroughly worthwhile pop record. Of course, that's rather tepid praise, but considering this band's faults, it feels like pretty high praise. The line on these guys is that they play the sort of confessional power-pop that goes by "emo" and they do it for Dreamworks, sending their debut album to the Billboard charts this week at number 25. The band's website quotes bassist/vocalist Tyson Ritter as saying of their hometown of Stillwater, Okla., "the only thing you can do here is drink beer, have sex, or write music," and then noting that writing music held the most appeal for young Tyson. Now, for a band that lists AC/DC and Def Leppard among their influences, that just doesn't seem like a terribly rock-and-roll worldview.

So imagine my surprise when I listened to the record and found out that it actually seems to rock. The lead single, "Swing, Swing" is catchy as all hell with a fun church organ and guitar-crunch intro, and the whole thing is an unusually consistent package tied together with punchy, swirling synths. The comparisons to fellow midwestern power-pop rookies OK Go seem well-founded, but also bring the Rejects' failings into relief. While OK Go may not be the second coming of Weezer (ain't nobody gonna write another "Surf Wax America"), at least they sound like they mean it; there's nothing on The All-American Rejects that's near as fun as half of OK Go's tracks. Maybe it's little more than the handclaps, but there's something missing.

But more than OK Go, I can't help but hear emo-heroes Jimmy Eat World in this record. If it weren't so catchy, I would want to throttle the Rejects' track, "Happy Endings" for its appropriation of the hook from Bleed American's centerpiece, the ubiquitous and damn-near perfect "The Middle." A small but noteworthy difference--and one that prevents me from loving this band--is that the Rejects' 80s fetishism isn't nearly as playful or interesting as Jimmy Eat World's. All the layered vocals, synthesizers and electronic beats in the world can't make them sound like they mean it. Indeed, it sounds like they think it might be cool to toss A-ha riffs into the power-pop mix; there's none of the excitement of Jimmy Eat World's "Praise Chorus." Again, the problem is not that any of the other emo kids are pressing ground-breaking records, but that The Rejects trade the giddiness of the best of their peers for calculation. All told, though, if this is the face of post-Dashboard Confessional emo, one could certainly do worse. --D. Sloane Morris

Mydogbear

Medicine for the Reticent

Mydogbear, 2003

Mydogbear's debut CD proclaims in the first track, "King Me," that "this is not what it's supposed to be / this is medicine for the reticent." And not a moment too soon. Lyrical duo Swell and Platypus both have extensive vocabularies, and a gift for metaphorical language--two things that should be prerequisites for artists in the hip-hop genre, but seem scarce of late.
Swell and Platypus' combined efforts are thus nothing short of impressive. Particularly amazing are tracks like "Welcome to the Dizzy Dance" and "Ballerina," in which two separate trains of thought are performed as individual entities, and then layered so the overlapped verses function as one cohesive song. The album also includes several completely instrumental tracks, "Bedhead" and "The Big Space Out," which don't detract from the album, but rather add a unique feel and contribute to an overall dark and sophisticated sound. Additionally, MC Squared (who is, incidentally, a Columbia College undergrad) has a guest track, where his beatboxing seems to focus more on beats than melody, but the end result is no less sweet; his rhythms are complex and there is a wide range of speed variation. Whether there are lyrics or not, each song requires several listens to catch each awesome element.

The majority of the beats on this CD are slow and calculated, lending to the aforementioned darkness and a rather somber sensibility--most of the tracks are not necessarily party-friendly so much as deliciously solitary. Of course the lyrical theme of a pervading discontentment with suburban surroundings cannot be discounted as a concrete contribution to the almost-sinister tone. This, I think, is a rarity in hip-hop and part of the reason Eminem has enjoyed such success recently. Lo and behold, rappers have feelings too--it's NOT all about flashin' your bling after all.
A sample of "Excursions in C Minor" reveals, "my brain feels like a forest that's been cleared out to make way / for a Starbucks and two intersecting highways / I want a sign to say you're more important than what you've got parked in your driveway." This frustrated undercurrent is complimented by beautiful samples of classical music ("Moonlight Sonata" on "Excursions in C Minor" and "Toccata and Fugue" on "Ballerina"). This is a great hip-hop CD for people who think they don't like hip-hop. --Casey Hankey

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Reissues

Capitol, 2003

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have always had a weakness for extraneous add-ons. Their latest album, By The Way, is an example; reissuing their first four albums contributes to this mess of inconsequence, even though the band deserves the benefit of the doubt.

On the bright side, Reissues is not only a comprehensive package of the Peppers' not-so-humble beginnings but also contains on each of its four CDs various "bonus tracks." Imagine, for a moment, a chance to relive those days of the band's nativity: explicit and unsettling sexual allegories, frenetic bass slapping, overlapping funky fret tapping, and sock underwear. Back then, there was indeed something novel about the Peppers' wild men. In the best interests of their fans, however, those days eventually passed, and this four-disc dosage is far too watered down with forgettable tracks to incite any nostalgia.

The first of the four CDs, The Red Hot Chili Peppers , is boring for the most part and, worse yet, smells strongly of the eighties. "Baby Appeal" is extremely grating on the ears, but the album does improve: "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" and "Get Up and Jump" fare far better than the rest and remind the listener of the Peppers' unique sound, later encapsulated by their first exceptional album, Blood Sugar Sex Magic. Both of those tracks, luckily, can be found on the collection What Hits!?.

The next three albums are marked by an upward trend, in which the number of bad songs per album gradually decreases. If one ignores all of the mediocre tracks, an interesting connection can be made: all of the decent tracks are, as mentioned before, featured on What Hits!?. The lengthy Reissues thus faces being beaten out by this earlier and more potent--not to mention cheaper--collection. 

The only possible redeeming value of this reissue, unless one must absolutely possess all four albums, is therefore the previously unreleased bonus tracks. Through an un-self-conscious, off-key extravaganza, lead vocalist Kiedis unintentionally provides the listener with comic relief during the earlier demos and the live performances. The two instrumental tracks are the only bonuses worth taking note of, but are perhaps best suited for lounge music. 

All in all, the bonus tracks cannot begin to justify the time wasted in listening to the albums themselves.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were, from Blood Sugar Sex Magic through Californication, a great band and perhaps will once again become one. But only the band's most hard core fans should consider purchasing Reissues; everyone else can save time and money with What Hits!?.--Josh Weigensberg

Debbie Does Dallas
Debbie Does Dallas Original Cast Recording
Sh-K Boom Records, 2003

I think that most people, upon seeing something billed as the Debbie Does Dallas Original Cast Recording, would say, "Uh huh, yeah, right. Sure." Then, upon second thought they would say, "Wait, original cast recording? There was a musical?" At this point you, being the informed consumer that you are, would answer, "Why yes, of course there was a musical," at which point much conversation and possibly some hot sex would ensue.

The truth of the matter is that Debbie Does Dallas really is an amazing stage production, both smart and funny, with just enough raunchiness to imply the movie from which its name and basic plot structure are taken, or so I have been told. Alas, I have not seen the film, so I can't be a true judge of that. But the musical stands on its own, following the story of a clean-cut high school cheerleader (Debbie) who has been accepted as a Texas Cowgirl cheerleader and needs to raise enough money to get to Dallas. Her fellow cheerleaders pitch in to help her raise the money, working at after school jobs, but quickly discover that they can't raise enough money in the few weeks that they have. Debbie accidentally discovers that there are certain "services" that happen to pay so much more than working at the library, and you can probably guess what happens after that.

This album isn't so much a cast recording as the entire play on a CD. The disc is over an hour long, and also includes enough dialogue to allow you to not only follow the plot but also get to know the characters. That's great for people who will never get the chance to see this show or who want a way to remember it, but it makes the album rather hard to listen to. There are only six songs out of the 42 (yes, 42) tracks that make up the main part of the disc. After that there are karaoke versions of two of the songs, and then several blank tracks until you get to Bonus Track 69, "The Orgasm Medley." That track is, um, interesting. You can play it really loud if you want your neighbors to think you're getting laid. But back to the songs. They are a great mix of humor and actual songwriting, and a few show off the vocal abilities of this extremely talented cast. Yet there is so much other stuff between the songs that they get lost or forgotten in the mix. The recording is a good way to get the idea of the play, but don't expect it to remind you of Phantom. This ain't that kind of musical. And Debbie ain't that kind of girl.--Patricia Feghali