¡viva la graham!

it’s no secret that i’m not a hilary duff fan, so i was a bit suprised when i was asked to review her latest effort, dignity, for dancemusic.about.com. i guess they wanted something vicious! ask and ye shall recieve…

After splitting with her boyfriend, Good Charlotte’s incorrigible Joel Madden, Hilary Duff could have proclaimed her independence with an emotional, energetic fuck-off record. Perhaps like Jagged Little Pill — with less swearing.

Of course, Duff has never been one to ruffle feathers, so it should come as no surprise that her new album arrived in the form of Dignity, an over-produced, under-developed collection of dance-pop drivel.

Generally, there’s no crime in pairing trite, mindless lyrics with club-friendly, synthetic beats. The main problem here is that Duff lacks the diva attitude and the vocal chops to pull it off.

Beyond her questionable skills, the mediocre source material doesn’t necessarily help. First single “With Love” is Duff’s pathetic attempt to assert herself, yet at the end of it she still demurs, “I can be weak cause I know you’ll be strong.” How’s that for empowering?

Elsewhere the disc is rife with shameless Britney rip-offs like the vaguely-tribal “Gypsy Woman,” and contrived retro fare like “Never Stop” and “Dreamer.” Dignity’s monotony isn’t doing the disc any favors either, as somehow each song manages to sound increasingly generic. It’s embarrassing, really. Even Paris Hilton was able to muster up something better on her uninspired debut.

In her defense, Duff must be doing something right. She has sold thirteen million albums in her relatively short career, presumably to Disney-crazed zombies, suburban tween-age girls and misguided gay pop tarts. In my opinion, however, there’s one word that best describes Duff’s latest effort (and this is terribly undignified): Shit.

i’ve raved about the klaxons before, and since i’ve written a review of their xan valleys ep for dancemusic.about.com, i thought i would share it here as well.

Currently one of the U.K.’s most buzzed-about bands, Klaxons are one of the most unique acts to emerge from the sceptred isle in recent months. The Xan Valleys EP paints a discordant portrait considering the hype that preceded them.

Lead single “Gravity’s Rainbow” opens the disc with a memorable, aggressive bass line and the frenetic rhythm that has earned Klaxons their “new-rave” label. Paired with lush, layered vocals and dramatic harmonies, the track takes you on a two-and-a-half minute thrill ride that ends too quickly, especially considering that the only other highlight of Xan Valleys is the Van She remix.

Virtually indistinguishable from the original, the “Gravity’s Rainbow” retread is driven by sexy synths and a grinding groove, a killer combination that ultimately creates a floor-filler for any serious dance party.

Klaxons get their name from a greek verb that refers to air-raid sirens or other shrieking warning sounds, a grating effect they rely on too heavily for the remainder of the EP’s high-energy dance-rock. In the band’s defense, these songs weren’t meant to be radio-friendly; they were likely composed in their early, experimental phase. Regardless, their inclusion doesn’t create an overwhelmingly positive first impression.

Despite mixed emotions, the disc earns three stars out of five for both fantastic interpretations of “Gravity’s Rainbow.” Don’t let the rest of the EP put you off the Klaxons’ full-length debut — currently only available in the U.S. as an import — because there’s definitely more where that first single came from.

here’s a review of venus hum’s latest album that i wrote for dancemusic.about.com:

“it took three years for venus hum to release the full-length follow-up to their breakthrough debut, big beautiful sky. after touring with blue man group, each member of the nashville-based trio pursued separate interests, both personal and professional.

lucky for us, they reconvened for their much-anticipated sophomore effort, the colors in the wheel. while it’s still a moderately upbeat, diverse electronic affair, this record is predominantly darker and more aggressive than its predecessor.

consider “do you want to fight me?,” on which vocalist annette strean infuses her angelic delivery with a surprising amount of provocative scorn. “so you want to fight me / with your one good eye,” she sings. “and do you think you can beat me / hmm, well come on, come on.”

venus hum has evolved into something more multi-dimensional, but the group hasn’t abandoned the euphoric electronic soundscape that has been its signature. “genevieve’s wheel” and “go to sleep” both evoke sublime lullabies, whereas the brief, untitled musical interludes throughout the colors in the wheel act as a fitting sonic link between tracks that might otherwise seem slightly disjointed.

other highlights include the single “pink champagne,” a bubbly mid-tempo confection, and “yes and no,” a raging synth-heavy stomper.

it’s actually difficult to find fault with the album. perhaps a few songs don’t really distinguish themselves, but that’s the worst one could say about them. without these more subtle touches, however, the album might not seem complete. in other words, every color in this beautiful wheel contributes to its ultimate success.”

i’ve written another short review for dancemusic.about.com. you’ve probably never heard of bitter:sweet, and they’re worth checking out, so keep reading!

“vocalist shana halligan and producer/composer kiran shahani, the los angeles duo known as bitter:sweet, have produced a perfectly pleasant bossa nova/electro-pop record with their debut release, the mating game.

with hints of morcheeba, portishead, zero 7 and goldfrapp, nearly every track would sound right at home on one of the sultry hotel costes compilations. like those collections, the mating game is an ideal choice for casual cocktail parties and after-hours chill out sessions alike.

halligan’s relaxed vocals suit the modern lounge bill superbly, especially on standouts like the gorgeous “bittersweet faith,” album-opener “don’t forget to breathe,” and the luxuriant title track. though shahani (formerly of supreme beings of leisure) hardly orchestrates an innovative sound-it’s safe to say that wasn’t his intention-he deserves credit for bringing an effortless sophistication to the entire set.

fittingly, bitter:sweet have found success on stylish soundtracks, with songs appearing in the devil wears prada and episodes of nip/tuck, entourage and grey’s anatomy. slightly chic and wholly inoffensive, the mating game delivers when it comes to blending into the background beautifully. if that’s your bag, baby, this is where it’s at.”

ready for some more great music? look no further than hellogoodbye. their debut album might have come out last summer, but lead single “here (in your arms)” is currently at no. 3 on billboard’s dance airplay chart and no. 48 (and rising) on the hot 100.

here’s part of a review i wrote that will soon appear over at dancemusic.about.com:

“there’s good news and bad news.

first, here’s the bad. so-cal dance-rock band hellogoodbye’s debut album, zombies! aliens! vampires! dinosaurs!, is slightly incongruent and, at times, frustratingly cluttered.

the good news? despite the sporadic bouts of disarray, it’s nearly impossible to resist. produced by self’s matt mahaffey (who has also worked with pink, beck and smash mouth), the first five tracks come straight from ’80s heaven, with an added dash of new-wave and emo swagger. it’s the perfect combination of vocoder vocals, spastic synths and quixotic grandeur.

first single “here (in your arms)” sounds like the glorious soundtrack of a climactic big screen prom scene - and we mean that as a compliment. the tommie sunshine remixes don’t trump the original, yet they somehow succeed in further complicating the distinction between hellogoodbye and new order or perhaps the cure at their most melodic.”

you can read the rest of this brilliant review over at about.com!

i think we were all a little bit worried when we first heard gwen stefani’s new single. initially deemed a disposable pop retread, “wind it up” didn’t bode well for gwen’s sophomore effort, the seemingly hastily conceived the sweet escape. it isn’t flawless, but thankfully the album is much better than its preview.

without further ado, here’s my track-by-track review:

• “wind it up” - despite the yodeling and the inane lyrics, i must admit this song is one of the catchiest she’s ever done. even if it sounds like it could be a fergie track, i’ve grown to love it. in the privacy of my own home, of course.
• “the sweet escape” - the careless swagger of this track is its most endearing quality, and the chorus is nice enough. the horns don’t do much for me, really, and as i result i wonder why it was given such a primo spot. is it only because it’s the name of the album?
• “orange county girl” - the only new track she performed on the harajuku lovers tour, the hip-hop-flavored “orange county” wasn’t terribly memorable even then. i could, however, totally imagine it playing in the background at a crucial moment on laguna beach. sad but true.
• “early winter” - in a word, gorgeous. written with keane keyboardist tim rice-oxley, the song’s somber tone is complimented perfectly by its frosty metaphor. it’s the darkest track thus far, and i think it has the potential to be a huge single.

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the scissor sisters do their best to defy the sophomore slump on ta-dah, the much-anticipated follow-up to their multi-million-selling debut. it’s just as kitschy, campy, catchy and clever and as its’ predecessor… and even if does stick to a familiar formula, that’s saying a lot.

as you might expect, i already have my favorites. so let’s get to it! here’s my track-by-track review:

• “i don’t feel like dancing” - currently atop the u.k. charts, this mid-tempo retro-disco track was a safe choice for the first single. that doesn’t mean i don’t love it, of course, especially because it’s so adept at getting my feet moving. it is also important to note that elton john plays piano on this track, in essence proving the band has been given the stamp of approval from one of their biggest inspirations.
• “she’s my man” - this one reminds me a bit of fleetwood mac, but only until the chorus kicks in. then the melody is pure scissor sisters… that and the gender ambiguity. i don’t know if this one’s quite single material, but i have a feeling that it’s going to grow on me.
• “i can’t decide” - i love this one, and not just for the great naughty lyric in the first verse (”fuck and kiss you both at the same time”)! it’s got an old-school country vibe to it, but it works well with the subject matter. “i can’t decide whether you should live or die,” shears sings before running through several options for comedic homicides. brilliant.

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