CD Reviews

The Soundtrack of Our Lives | Communion

Yep Roc (2009)

By MIKAEL WOOD | March 17, 2009

2.5 Stars

"Swede relief: Soundtrack of Our Lives, live at the Paradise, March 9, 2009" by Daniel Brockman. Also slideshow of the show by Christopher Huang.

In the mind of Ebbott Lundberg, who's led this Swedish psych-garage outfit for nearly a decade and a half, Who's Next posed a question in need of an answer. Lundberg has one, of course: on Communion, the group's fifth studio set, he and his cronies ride their wayback machine to a time before iTunes started chipping away at album rock's full-length fixation.

This thing contains 24 tracks spread over two CDs, with aptly titled Disc 1 opener "Babel On" gliding past the six-minute mark. As you might have guessed, nobody but TSOOL completists (and Mojo subscribers) needs all this stuff. Yet within Communion's overload lurk a handful of neo-Nuggets nuggets.

In "Thrill Me," Lundberg flexes his raspy papa-bear bellow over a deliciously sleazy glam-soul groove, and "The Fan Who Wasn't There" channels the delicate English-garden melancholy of the Zombies' best work. (But dudes, next time maybe think about A Quick One?)

Vampire Weekend | Contra
There are a few words I did not expect to use in describing Vampire Weekend's second album. Paul-Simony-er is one of them.
Sweet release
I don’t want to waste your time waxing philosophical about the problematic logic behind qualifying music “good” or “bad,” much less pontificating on whether “sophisticated punk” is an oxymoron.
Punk legend Bob Otis returns with Lolita Black
When a local punk rock guitar legend like Bob Otis sincerely declares that "there's a lot of greatness going on in this town right now," you tend to listen up.
Local heroes, ’09 edition
The Rhode Island music community flourished in 2009, with new full-lengths from the Coming Weak, California Smile, and the pride of Cranston West and official big-leaguers Monty Are I, who released Break Through the Silence in September.
Clogs | The Creatures In The Garden Of Lady Walton
Fusion experimenters Clogs take a modern approach to folk-flavored chamber music.
Gorillaz | Plastic Beach
Although this is their first album without an indie-chic producer, the fake band with fake cartoon characters known as Gorillaz stay the course as a very real post-Blur conduit for Damon Albarn's quasi-apocalyptic, '80s-daydreaming, neon-pop habit.
Portraits of artists
Yikes! Is this really what it’s like behind the scenes with, say, the Emerson String Quartet?
Thinking person’s metal
Jerky’s Bar continues its hot streak of delivering quality live acts spanning all genres, and next weekend the hardcore metalheads will descend upon Richmond Street for a fistful of metalcore bands, including the much-anticipated return of former Killswitch Engage/Seemless frontman Jesse Leach.
Dese | Dese Be With You
Before Sam Adams, sleazy Boston co-eds relied on the Camp to get their panties moist.
Deering High musician having a banner year
You might have caught 18-year-old Dominic Sbrega on NPR’s From the Top last week, playing Mexican folk-dance music on his stand-up bass.
The Big Hurt: Lambert works it, 50 blows it, Moz ends it
ADAM LAMBERT 's spicy AMA performance continues to dominate entertainment headlines, weeks after it first scandalized the nation — but why does America care what a man does with another man in the secluded privacy of the American Music Awards?
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[ 02/15 ] "In Habitat," works by Brian Chippendale and Jungil Hong @ Jamestown Arts Center

[ 02/15 ] Suzanne Vega @ Narrows Center for the Arts

[ 02/15 ] "Dana Levin: A Classical Realist In the 21st Century," an exhibit of paintings @ Bert Gallery

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