Epinions Recent Reviews for Justin_Cord

Stay Green, Neil

Thu, 3 Jun 2004 16:22:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - NOTE: This refers to the film "Greendale," not the album, just in case you're not sure. Neil Young’s new film, “Greendale,” maligns many things: the media, the government, big business. The hero of the movie is idealism and, more importantly,...

Hotter than an, um, Two Dollar Pistol

Thu, 3 Jun 2004 16:16:04 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - If the voices of Roy Orbison and Warren Zevon got married and decided to start a family, their offspring would be the voice of John Howie, Jr. And then if that bouncing baby voice became buddies with the jangly guitars of The Byrds, R.E.M., or...

Not a Golden Idol

Thu, 3 Jun 2004 16:12:34 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Apparently, the American Idol folks got the Feathered Tuxedos to take a break for a five-week engagement at the Poughkeepsie Holiday Inn to play the backing tracks on the latest release from American Idol: soul classics from season three...

Chesney a bit too Cheesey

Thu, 29 Apr 2004 10:52:39 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - I love country rock and No Depression – Gram Parsons, Mike Nesmith’s First National Band, Uncle Tupelo. But I don’t like country pop. I say this upfront because Kenny Chesney’s new album “When the Sun Goes Down” could be better than I think it is...

Don't Hunt for This Disc

Thu, 25 Mar 2004 14:42:32 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - The Kentucky Headhunters have gone through a number of lineup changes since the group released its first album in the late-1980s. That may explain why the sound on the group’s new disc, “Soul,” never quite gels. And it may explain why the sense of fun...

I'm not cuckoo for CocoRosie

Tue, 9 Mar 2004 17:11:29 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - When I listen to an album that seems determined to be grating and unlistenable, I listen up. Often I find myself falling for the music, entranced by a unique sound or a twisted vision. But it hasn’t happened with CocoRosie, a duo made up of...

Miscommunication Breakdown

Mon, 1 Mar 2004 16:10:04 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - How to make TV on the Radio: First, take the dirge-like grind of Big Black and throw it into a blender with doo wop groups, Captain Beefheart and the kind of massive tape loops that make up electronica. Blend on puree setting. Chug down, then...

Twang for the Rest of Us

Tue, 27 Jan 2004 11:56:21 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - The d.b.’s go to a honky tonk and spend some quality time with “The Sweetheart of the Rodeo,” and little Thad Cockrell is born. He grows up on the knee of his uncle, Merle Haggard. Some years later, a mature Cockrell creates “Warmth & Beauty,” a...

Hardcore and Vine

Wed, 14 Jan 2004 18:17:01 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - The cover of “Reverse Hurricane,” the newest release by Greensboro’s Kudzu Wish, reminds me of the one adorning Let’s Active’s “Cypress.” And then there’s the name – Kudzu Wish – I put on the disc expecting Southern-fried art rock. Nope. “Reverse...

Manufactured pop artists of the world unite!

Thu, 11 Dec 2003 12:26:55 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - No one will ever trust me again. My credibility is ruined. I've tried to interest others in Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica," have raved for hours about Big Star's "Radio City" and have expounded at length on why John Coltrane should be...

I'd Rather Just Maim Hannah

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 12:09:25 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Kill Hannah sounds and looks like it got lost somewhere in the world of late-1980s, early-1990s college rock. There's some Jesus and Mary Chain, some My Bloody Valentine, some Cure and some Smashing Pumpkins in the mix. I like or have liked all of these b...

Strike Up Disband

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 12:04:27 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Disband's ``In Small Rooms'' sounds to me like the missing link between The Jam and Husker Du, as played by Lou Barlow at his most sublime. As its title suggests, the CD sounds like it was recorded in small rooms and produced like Sebadoh records. The...

Low Wattage Live Disc

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 11:54:53 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - If every song on Willy Porter's ``High Wire Live'' were like the track ``Jesus on the Grille,'' I'd love the disc. The track sparkles with the absurdist joy of Loudon Wainwright III's 1970s hit, ``Dead Skunk.'' Wainwright obviously was inspired to pick...

Dressy Bessy [CD & DVD] - Dressy Bessy: I'm Gonna Dress You up in My Love

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 11:45:48 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Man, am I a sucker for good pop. I don't mean of the gloved wonder and Lisa Marie Presley's-ex variety. I mean those little gems that seem to be perfect: catchy melodies, good -often, but not always, sad - lyrics. In short, these are songs you hear once a...

Naah. It's Music for Every Ear.

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 11:40:23 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Finally! The return of album that’s perfect for headphone listening. God bless you, Scott Smith! Lifesmyth – Smith’s nom de plume – has a new album called “Music for the Third Ear,” and it sounds like it could have been recorded by Syd Barrett in his post...

Almost a Winner

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 11:34:29 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Grand Champeen sound like they’ve been listening to the New York Dolls and Iggy and the Stooges – and bands influenced by them – a little too much. Several tracks on their new release, “The One that Brought You,” are more influenced th...

Stay Away from the Country

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 11:30:33 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - You know how annoying it is when someone takes a joke too far? At first you’re mildly amused, then you feel this uncomfortable shiver and wonder, Should I say something? How do I get out of this? In real life, there’s nothing you can do. You’re stuck...

It ought to be a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad world.

Wed, 27 Aug 2003 17:54:13 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Mad is the only magazine I enjoyed as a child that I still enjoy as an adult - with the possible exc...

The Devil Is in the Details

Mon, 10 Mar 2003 14:26:47 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - In 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to the "new world" was practically a non-event because not everyone in America agrees that his voyage was particularly heroic or that he "discovered" anything since there already were people here.
...

In the Pink

Thu, 6 Mar 2003 18:24:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Music from Big Pink is the debut album from The Band, and it's one of the best debuts in rock history.

Despite being comprised almost entirely of Canadians, The Band created a sound that was equal parts American roots music (think stuff from O...

A Farewell to Arms and Legs and Heads

Wed, 5 Mar 2003 18:27:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - The Things They Carried is full of carnage. That's appropriate - it's about the Vietnam War. Tim O'Brien's razor-sharp prose ensures that every single exploded body lingers for days in one's imagination.

The book is hybrid - part short story...

This Is My Happening, And It Freaks Me Out

Wed, 5 Mar 2003 13:43:05 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - For some reason, Beat Happening isn't often mentioned in articles about the recent neo-garage-band trend, which has given rise to groups like The White Stripes, The Vines and The Strokes.

Iggy and The Stooges often are brought up, along with...

The Most Human of Vietnam War Films

Mon, 3 Mar 2003 20:00:39 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Hal Ashby is one of my favorite directors because his oeuvre is so varied: Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There are all classics that every cinephile should see.

Coming Home is Ashby's effort at making an anti-Vietnam War statement...

Old School Gets Like, Totally Old, Totally Quick

Mon, 3 Mar 2003 15:59:13 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Old School is like the path of life for many folks: It starts with such promise, but it ends gasping for air and talking nonsense.

The first half of this film is hilarious.

Mitch Martin finds out his girlfriend stages orgies while...

Qu'est que ce Talking Heads?

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 18:16:50 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Justin_Cord - Talking Heads came out of the same New York scene that produced The Ramones, The Heartbreakers (Richard Hell's band, not Tom Petty's), Television, Patti Smith and Blondie.

And while not really punk per se, the band had a cockeyed, jaundiced...