Inside Music Album Guide - 9/25/08

Inside Music Album Guide
The Walkmen stand tall, Buckcherry are Buckterrible
By Stephen Mason

The Walkmen – You & Me (Gigantic) 4.5 out of 5
The Walkmen have managed to create an album that’s nearly organic. From beginning to end, the aptly named You & Me talks about just that, the singer and the one important person in his life. Although never too descriptive as to how the relationship worked, we are never left in the dark. The Walkmen are never cryptic, they say what they mean to beautiful, honest effect. Martin’s signature Bob Dylan/Stevie Marriott vocals soar higher and higher, especially on the album’s strongest moment, “In the New Year,” and the rest of the band is in full swing. Maroon’s distorted guitar shuffle, Barrick’s pummeling drum rhythms, and Martin’s own churning church organ sounds make You & Me a piece of art that bares passion nakedly and proudly.

Jem – Down to Earth (ATO) 2.5 out of 5
Down to Earth is so in between audiences that it'll be lucky to ever find one. While with one foot Jem has stepped into electronica and hip-hop as heard on tracks like "Crazy" and "Aciiid!" she simultaneously has piano ballads appealing to teen-drama watching high schoolers like "You Will Make It." So guideless is this album that it's almost transparently clear that Jem is not concerned about making music she likes; she wants to make music that's cool. Cool to who? Wannabe art chicks who think this is more exciting than Feist? I can't say. What I can say is that Down to Earth is anything but, as it's aimlessly floating in outer space.

Noah and the Whale – Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down (Mercury) 3.5 out of 5
People looking for Arcade Fire imitators need look no further. On their debut, Noah and the Whale exercise the catchy, alternative rock sounds that Arcade Fire garnered from Bruce Springsteen while managing to throw in a decent amount of chamber pop. It’s an eclectic mix of strings over folky guitar, fueled by Charlie Fink’s unique lyrics of science and faith. On its surface, Peaceful is a batch of catchy songs that would lose their fire due to Fink’s less-than-convincing vocal performances, but on a deeper level it exercises themes of uncertainty – do you believe in God? Love? Don’t they go hand in hand? All probing questions that Fink asks and only sometimes chooses to answer.

Buckcherry – Black Butterfly (Atlantic) 1 out of 5
Either Buckcherry have no idea who their audience is or they’re embracing the batch of disgusting perverts who would enjoy this garbage. Black Butterfly is overflowing with generic riffs, gutter lyrics, and pure production sloppiness. The band’s singer, Joshua Todd, still has his Bon Scott/Chris Cornell vocals, but they sound flat over lyrics like “I hear talk about a non-stop flight to heaven/Can’t you just say you’re addicted to medicine?” What? It’s even worse on “Too Drunk” where Todd admits to being unable to perform in bed because of his intoxication. This is the anti-party album; it’s the overzealous guy at the party who no one likes. And in the world of Buckcherry, what happens when the party’s over? Morning comes to cheap white trash.