Never Give Up On Your Hallucinations

This album was created by the artists signed by Alive Records such as The Black Keys, Radio Moscow, Black Diamond Heavies, and many more. It brings a psychedelic feel of old 70's rock and a twist of blues. Brian Olives - Jubilee Line and Thomas Functions - Relentless Machine are prime examples of 70's pop and reflect on what was popular over 30 years ago. Radio Moscow really did a good job of covering the ever so famous track "I Just Want To Make Love To You". Radio Moscow really did a great job of capturing the vintage sound that the 70's is known for while reproducing this song. If you are into classic rock and blues as much as I am, this record is a great buy! Sorry I can't find any links to play the tracks from this CD. I have however left you with a link to purchase any of these artists on vinyl! Alive Record's website is pretty cool, it is almost like being in a record store, but online. That feeling could however just come from my incense still lingering around from last night.

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young

"Phrazes For The Young" has been out for a while, but I would just like to acknowledge what a great album it is. Every song on the cd is really catchy. Julian Casablancas who is the front man for The Strokes has really struck gold with his new side project. It reminds me of MGMT a little bit. Just finishing up his tour in the United States last month, you can now catch him at European Music Festivals all summer. Julian Casablancas recently played "River Of Breaklights"on the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, made Brian Williams's Britunes list, and was also featured on the SNL Digital Short "Boombox" with The Lonely Island.

BREAKDOWN:It's very hard to select only a few tracks on this album as favorites, because they are all very good. Though I guess my 3 favorite songs would have to be "11th Dimension", "Glass", and "Tourist". Overall I would like to give this album an 8 outta 10!

Throw Back Thursday - Forgotten 90's hits

When peanut butter and jelly was a vital part of our diet...

10. No Mercy - Where Do You Go

9. Del Amitri - Roll To Me

8. Enigma - Return To Innocence

7. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

6. Dishwalla - Counting Blue Cars

5. Merril Bainbridge - Mouth

4. Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight

3. Lenny Kravitz - It Aint Over Till It's Over

2. Primitive Radio Gods - Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth

1. Better Than Ezra - Good

...ENJOY!!!!

New Politics

New Politics is a band originally from Copenhagen, Denmark who recently signed with RCA and moved to Brooklyn, NY. While living by the saying "Fuck It" New Politics bring a new intense vibe to the music scene. With their in your face instrumentals and fast paced lyrics, they tend to keep the movement moving forward. I really like the simple rhythm and harmony that the New Politics have developed and can't wait for their first album to hit the stores. It almost seems like punk rock from my high school days had sex with 90's rap-rock and the Pink Spiders...We really aren't sure who the father is yet. I guess we will have to wait for the album to hit the shelves.

The Constellations - Southern Gothic

I first got interested in The Constellations when I heard "Felicia". When I heard this song I thought maybe these guys were going to be an easy listen and distribute some good songs on the "Southern Gothic" album. I was in for a surprise however whenever I started listening to it. The whole album seems to sound the same with nothing to make want to dig in deeper to it. It was very hard to listen to this album all the way through and I am not a fan.

BREAKDOWN: With all the tracks running together this album looses you after track 2. "Felicia" however is still a good track, but thats the only good thing I have taken from The Constellations. If they were stick with that style, I think the overall album would have been better. The downfall is that, that not the case. Maybe down the road The Constellations can come up with more adapted tunes that make it easier to listen to. "Felicia" is still a good song and should make it on to your ipod playlist. Overall I think "Southern Gothic" deserves a 3 outta 10.

Sleigh Bells - Treats

The new album "Treats" from Sleigh Bells took some time to grow on me, but eventually I started to enjoy it. Sleigh Bells actually got their claim to fame when M.I.A. saw them in a club. She liked them so much that she eventually got them signed to her record label. I can see why she was digging them, because they have a very similar style in many ways. The tech-rock sound that Sleigh Bells produces can be rather catchy at times, but also can catch you at a bad time and be rather annoying.

BREAKDOWN: "Infinity Guitars" and "Rachel" are my 2 least favorite songs on the album, however there are a few treats on this album that I think everyone will enjoy. "Tell Em", "Riot Rhythm", "Rill Rill", and "Crown on the Ground" are some of my personal favorites. These all are pretty catchy tracks and can the club aroooolllliiinnnnn. And yes, Crown on the Ground is the same song that Childish Gambino raps over on his album "I AM JUST A RAPPER". With this whole new style of noise-pop's popularity on the rise, I feel that Sleigh Bells are on the right track. With artists like M.I.A, 3OH!3, Lady GaGa, and Ke$ha all doing brilliant work, I think Sleigh Bells has much more great stuff to deliver. Plus Alexis Krauss is pretty hot. Overall I will give this album a 6.5 outta 10.

Childish GamBINO!!

Ok so he may be known as "the black guy from community" but I know him as Childish Gambino. Little people know it, but Donald Glover has been around for quite some time. His comedic presence has brought tears to my eyes many drunken nights, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Donald hit it big once he found his spot on community, and has made a productive transition from sketch comedy to sitcom television. I have been following Mr. Glover since he was rockin' videos such as Girls Aren't To Be Trusted, Spelling Bee, and Bro Rape. Easily these videos are hilarious, but you must check out Mystery Team from Derrek Comedy because the jokes that are displayed really throw you off and push the comedy boundary! With Mystery Team on the rise, you must also check out Childish Gambino - I AM JUST A RAPPER. This album is pretty ballin' and can bring the nerd scene out when deeply listened to.

Overall: I will give it a 6 out of 10. New Prince, Bitch Look At Me Now, and Get Like Me are pretty awesome! The other tracks lost me, but Donald Glover is a comic genius and has shown his ability to entertain and bring some cool new innovative beats to the turn table. With Donald Glover in the mix I feel that the derrickcomedy website deserves a 10 out of 10! NO questions asked!

PS. Another great Derrickcomedy.com offspring is Bobby Moynihan. This guy is easily one of the best guys on the show and I think we will be seeing a lot of Robert here in the near future!

So one thing I would like to start doing is compiling playlists from eras that we all miss and love such as the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. I am doing this because on my recent road trip I was listening to nothing but 90's music and realized how much I A. missed it B. forgot about certain songs and C. really enjoyed jamming out to it while driving/partying. Everyone loves the times when innocence concerned all, when all you had to worry about was how the Teenage Ninja Turtles were going to capture splinter or how much water your water gun could hold. I think this is going to be a lot of fun and bring back some awesome memories! Also please feel free to give me new ideas on eras or genres to cover on this Throw Back Thursday!

THE LIST:

10. Soul Asylum - Runaway Train

09. Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You

08. Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's

07. Warren G - Regulate

06. Inner Circle - Sweat

05. Naughty By Nature - O.P.P.

04. Luniz - I Got 5 On It

03. The Cardigans - Lovefool

02. Paperboy - Ditty

01. Big Audio Dynamite - Rush

"You guys give up, Or you thirsty for more?"

-Kevin (Home Alone)

ENJOY!!!

Brothers

The Black Keys - Brothers

So I have been waiting to do this whole music review blog thing for a while now, so I am finally getting around to it. I know this album has been out for a few weeks now, but The Black Keys are my favorite band right now so I want to start out on a good note! When I first sat down and listened to this record I wasn't impressed to say the least. I thought they had steered away from the usual grungy, distorted, garage feeling blues rock that Dan and Patrick are used to. However after listening to the album a second and third time, it really started to grow on me. I really started to respect where they took themselves and how the overall album began to flow together.

Breakdown: The first track on BROTHERS is called Everlasting Light. At first I wasn't sure if it was Dan on vocals or some sidewalk sally they found off the street, but after listening to it I began to respect the difference in pitch that Dan brought to the table. Tighten Up really hit it off well on the charts and brought a nice settle catchy tune to the mix. I feel this was a good track to exploit the record. They really did a good job on yet another humorous music video. She's Long Gone reflects back on The Black Keys we all know and love bringing a feel of Magic Potion to it. I really enjoyed this track as well as I'm Not The One. I would have to say my favorite two tracks on the whole album are Too Afraid To Love You and Sinister Kid. I really like these songs because I feel that these two specific songs show the Dan and Patrick arn't afraid to step out of their box and try something new. From the harpsichord in Too Afraid To Love You to the funky bass line in Sinister Kid, I thought they did a really good job of stepping across their comfort line and bringing something new to the table for us to enjoy.

With some tracks on this cd making it hard to listen to straight threw, such as Black Mud, The Go Getter, and Never Give You Up I am going to give this album a 7.5 out of 10. Let me know what you think!