Frank Piombo - Family Concept album review
Family Concept is Frank Piombo’s newest jazz album for 2020. This album was inspired by Frank's great family encompassing three generations. In fact this whole album is dedicated to his family. This album is perfect for jazz music lovers. Jazz, which includes When you listen to his album, you will hear smooth jazz with a contemporary sound with a melody of funk.
Luv Dat Smooth Latte (Nicos Theme) is a smooth jazz instrumental backed by multiple layers of instrumentation which includes a pair of bongos, a kick drum, saxophone, guitar, and a jazz piano. Nicos Theme serves as the opening for the Family Concept album and follows a jazz melody.
Green Lights and Rainbows is a smooth but funky jazz song where jazz and funk meet each other. Green Lights and Rainbows is smooth jazz with a contemporary sound on top of a melody of funk. The song reminds us that when we are down and out that we need to keep looking forward. Just don’t give up in life. Rainbows can be your guiding light. Frank's slick guitar has a groovy funky sound. Green Lights And Rainbows is dedicated to the memory of Tony Monfiletto. Tom Jacobson plays keys.
Song For My Children is dedicated to Frank's children. The song is an instrumental which uses a live sound and multiple layers of instruments. Dom DiGioia only plays keys and strings for the song.
After Hours is a smooth acid jazz backed by a loud thunderous kick drum and Frank’s guitar. The song has a relaxed mood and vibe as Michael Mahadeen plays the melodic flute.
5/5*****!
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Preach Tha God - Street Psalms album review
Street Psalms is an instrumental hip hop album that Preach Tha God considers to be one of his best pieces of work as he has devoted much of his time to producing this album himself without any outside help from other producers. This album leans more towards an urban sound than your typical trip hop album.
Anti-Social is a modern day hip hop track with a contemporary sound that includes drill beats and cymbals over a melodic piano and infectious low bass. The electric synths are infectious as well. The song does seem to use a filter as white noise is filtered out completely. All other background noise, besides the melodic piano, has been blocked out.
Follow Me uses much heavier bass than Anti-Social does. The song is accompanied by a woodblock and a low pass filter. You can hear a crunchy synth in the background if you listen to the song closely.
The synths and piano on Forget You are absolutely melodic and angelic. The sample fits in perfectly with the mood and sound.
So Fine uses a multitude of sound effects and foley effects. The finger snapping, clapping, glass pinging, chimes whistle in a breeze are what make the song infectious and invigorating. You get the occasional vocal sample in various parts of the song which says, “so fine” and “My baby/So fine/Alright”. The vocal sample fits in perfectly with the breezy angelic piano due to mood and sound.
Straight Thru sounds very much similar to an electronic soundscape from the video game Pong due to those blips, plurks, and delayed synths you hear coming from a keyboard. The electric synths you hear on this song sound very much similar to an acoustic guitar. Straight Thru uses a woodblock in a similar manner as Follow Me does. Electronic music meets modern hip hop on Straight Thru.
5/5*****!
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Crimpshrine - Quit Talkin' Claude...E.P. EP review
Now the Crimpshrine - Quit Talkin' Claude...E.P. is a unique interesting hardcore punk rock EP. You can feel the vibe of youthfulness and freedom as you listen to songs such as Butterflies and Inspiration. This is one of those records you’ll never get tired of listening to. No one from East Bay sings like Jeff Ott.
The song Butterflies deals with the consequences of urban sprawl and population growth. There used to be butterflies but now there are no butterflies around here anymore. The land that was once bare is filled with condos and shopping malls. Life was so much simpler a long time ago. People here seemed friendlier.
The second verse in Butterflies is so true. Every day gets colder as population growth continues. Now everyone is uptight and dense due to overcrowding and a lack of space. Everyone lives on top of each other. There’s no room left for the citizens that had lived there prior to urban sprawl and population growth. People have fucked up this city for everyone else. Now it's grown too big. The concrete stretches for miles.
Some fans call Butterflies one of the best punk songs ever written. The song is a poignant classic.
Sometimes there are no easy answers to the things in life. That is what the song Easy Answers teaches us. For example, some people will manipulate your emotions to get what they want. There are no easy answers as to why.
You can feel a vibe of youthfulness and freedom on the song Inspiration. The song teaches us there are limits and restrictions even to bright things such as inspiration. You can still have freedom even with those restrictions. Don’t have a slave mentality.
4/5****
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NOFX - War On Errorism album review
War On Errorism is the most politically conscience album ever in all of NOFX’s discography. NOFX didn't change their approach at being a politically conscious well hardcore punk group. They tackle their known favorite subjects such as drinking, anti-religion standing up to injustices, anti-patriotism along with the themes of partying, and observations about the band scene. Their songwriting has improved!
War On Errorism is satire of American politics. Notice how much the album is very much anti-Bush. Coincidence? I think not. This whole album is aimed at former president George W. Bush because of how he mislead the public into believing the war in Iraq was necessary and for the injustices he committed.
We all know NOFX has a penchant for fast music and dirty jokes. War On Errorism had the typical hard edge punk rock sound, penchant for fast music, ska punk, politics, logic, and the dirty jokes of course. They get edge with their lyrics. Most of the album blends together. They have fulfilled their potential on this album. This album is a must have for any hardcore NOFX fans out there!
The Separation of Church and Skate deals with how punk rock is becoming soft, watered down, and censored. NOFX states that punk rock has been corporatized and censored much to their dismay. The song deals the absurdity of how punk rock has become so safe and kid friendly. The title is a play on the phrase “The separation of Church and State”.
The opening op this song shows us in a subtle manner that punk rock has become safe to the point where it’s kid friendly (child friendly).
By 2003, many rockers felt the rock scene was emo bands who they are considered punk but are really not. Emo’s are considered as posers by rockers. Take the Warped Tour for instance. Many emo bands opened up and performed at the Warped Tour during the early 2000s. Many legendary punk groups such as NOFX, MXPX,
These lyrics explain that punk rock concerts don’t have the freedom they once had. Bands performing at punk rock concerts no longer have freedom to do the things they once did either. Alcohol and drugs are now strictly off-limits. Alcohol and drugs have been replaced by kid-friendly food such as fries and coke. This goes against what punk stands for.
The kids who used to live for beer and speed
Now want their fries and coke
Cursing and birds are not allowed
In fact let's keep noise levels down
Fat Mike is saying that religion (church) and punk rock (skate) need to be kept apart because religion is making skate (punk rock) soft, watered down, safe, and censored. Punk and skate culture are closely tied together. Fat Mike does not want to see punk rock suppressed and invalidated by religion, big corporations, or any authority figures who have power.
These lyrics deal with how censored and soft punk rock is becoming. When did punk rock become so safe? When did punk rock become so tame? These fucking bands all sound the same.
Why don't we put pads on the kids?
Helmets, head gear and mouth pieces!
Then we could pad the floors and walls
Put cameras inside bathroom stalls
We make sure only nice bands play
Make every show a matinee
Teach kids to be all they can be
And we could sing my country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Parents choose to hide the horrors and truths of the world from their children. This only makes children worse because their parents are shielding them from reality. Now this is, in a way, a form of censorship because they are hiding the truth from them.
Everyone loves to talk and brag about how great America is. People pass this sort of patriotism to the youth and indoctrinate them. However America has a dark history of slavery, corruption, domination, money, and war. This country thrives on war and money. These lyrics represent how kids are being brainwashed to believe how great the United States of America is.
Make every show a matinee
Teach kids to be all they can be
And we could sing my country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Franco Un-American explains how Fat Mike went form being naive to becoming a socially and politically conscious member of American society. Franco Un-American criticizes how the stereotypical American citizen is apathetic and uncaring of the problems beyond their country and world. This song shows the mindset of a young man who had an “I don’t care” attitude. This song hits harder and harder every year. 17 years later the song means a lot more than ever!
Fat Mike is the protagonist of the story. The beginning of the song shows Fat Mike who is an uncaring, non-empathetic, totally apathetic person who could care less about the problems beyond his own country and world in terms of politics, socioeconomics, and social injustices. He starts to change his viewpoints and attitude towards the end of the song. He becomes a totally different person than shown in the beginning of the song.
Fat Mike never thought about the universe as it made himself feel small. He never thought about the problems of this planet such as global warming and radioactive sites. He never thought about problems such as global warming, radioactive sites, imperialistic wrongs, and animal rights. Global warming affects the Earth tremendously. So do imperialistic wrongs.
Verse 1 shows the typical mindset of young Americans. Many young Americans believe that people should not help out with issues that don’t affect them directly. Ignorance is bliss in this case.
[Verse 1]
Why think of all the bad things when life is so good?
Why help with an 'am' when there's always a 'could'?
Let the whales worry about the poisons in the sea
Outside of California, it's foreign policy
I don't want changes, I have no reactions
Your dilemmas are my distractions
Fat Mike doesn't want changes as he has no reactions. Your dilemmas are his distractions. That is how he feels about the world’s problems. He doesn’t want them, but doesn’t know how to fix them. That is what these lyrics mean, “I don't want changes, I have no reactions/Your dilemmas are my distractions”
He never looked around and never second-guessed. He was living happy and naively without questioning the problems of his country. Fat Mike was not alone as he too was like many American in this regard.
Then he read some Howard Zinn now he’s always depressed of all the problems inside the truth of humanity that are all too real. And now he can't sleep from years of apathy all because of reading a little on Noam Chomsky. Fat Mike was awakened by influential political commentators such as Michael Moore along with philosophers Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. He sees no world peace cause of zealous armed forces.
Now Fat Mike is a vegetarian because of the dangers and health problems associated with fast food. The health problems of fast food convinced him to become a vegetarian. That is what the lyrics “I’m eating vegetation, cause of Fast Food Nation” mean.
Fat Mike starts changing his viewpoints and attitude at the end of the song which is during the bridge. He doesn’t want to be another American who doesn’t care. He doesn’t want to become an apathetic uncaring person. Problems of the world are something he now takes into consideration. Realizing the failures of his country, Fat Mike now wants to move to either Australia or Canada.
[Bridge]
I want to move north and be a Canadian
Or hang down low with the nice Australians
I don't want to be another "I-don't-care"-ican
What are we gonna do Franco, Franco Un-American
The song Anarchy Camp is basically about anarchy. The band goes all out with anarchism on this one. Anarchy Camp follows a reggae ska beat.
In this song there is a sense of equality at Anarchy Camp. This camp dictates that everyone must stay equal and no one may stand out from the rest. Individual success is viewed negatively and is frowned upon. Individual success is not celebrated either. Similar to The Law of Jante written by Norwegian writer Aksel Sandemose.
The following lyrics represent how anarchism against all authority regardless of the political spectrum. Be it conservative, liberal, communist, fascist, Marxist, etc. These lyrics are very anti-authority. Authority figures view this song as destruction of the system.
Rules of Anarchy Camp: reckless abandonment
Random acts of dumbness will be rewarded
If you see somebody taking charge, you'll be expected to beat them
Cause everyone who's no one will be participating
No one who is someone, will ever get to know
The joys of anarchism are destruction of the system, anti-totalitarianism, and negligence. With the absence of rules and hierarchy, people are free to do whatever they want without being told what to do by authority figures. An anarchists dream.
Decom-posuer is about this goth chick who a rocker. She’s a really good person but hates herself. Everyone thinks they’re helping this girl but they are really not. Ryan Greene and Fat Mike do a good job singing on the song.
She's a painting out of focus with no good sense of intention. She's authentic and true to herself. She’s a really good person but she hates herself. This girl means well and has good intentions. She's so innocent as her heart is filled with innocence. She's a model of disaster with a heart of revolution. Time will tell us if she's a lifer or a decom-poseur.
Everybody thinks they’re helping this girl but they’re only helping themselves. That is what the lyrics “Everybody wants to save her from herself/They really want to save themselves” mean. They do want to help her. They’ve just got their own agenda going on.
American Errorist (I Hate Hate Haters) is NOFX’s take on paradox of tolerance. The paradox of tolerance is a society that is tolerant of anything to the point having no execption will be destroyed by the intolerant. American Errorist is wordplay on “American terrorist”.
This is what Fat Mike is trying to tell us. A bit of intolerance and hatred needed to combat injustice which is more preferable than completely ignoring the whole situation. Read these lyric to get a better understanding if you can. This is a difficult subject to comprehend. “It's ok, allow yourself a little hate/Hatred is not so bad when directed at injustice/You can turn the other cheek, just don't turn the other way”
It’s a reason to forget about our differences and stand as a united front. Society will be destroyed by the intolerant soon enough. Ignoring the situation will worsen everything. The war has just begun! We must expose and humiliate American errorists. It's up to us.
5/5*****!!
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NOFX - Wolves in Wolves' Clothing album review
Wolves in Wolves' Clothing is another one of NOFX’s more politically conscience albums. This album is just as good and still as relevant as their War On Errorism album. NOFX didn't change their approach at being a politically conscious well hardcore punk group. They tackle their known favorite subjects such as drinking, anti-religion, politics, anti-patriotism along with the themes of partying, and observations about the band scene. Their songwriting has improved! This is an album you will not regret purchasing.
It seems as if songs such as USA-holes, Leaving Jesusland, The Marxist Brothers, We March To The Beat Of Indifferent Drum, and The Man I Killed were leftover songs for War On Errorism. These songs must been written during the recording sessions for the War On Errorism album. The songs listed show political consciousness and stand against injustice. Knowing NOFX, this would not be surprising.
USA-holes is about how the government has failed the American people and about how American are assholes.
How the country of the United States is run is like watching a total car wreck. The morning headlines always accompanied with sweat and nausea. Every week another puzzle piece gets permanently glued into place. This is the feeling we learn to live with in North America.
These lyrics are a representation of how government has failed the American people. The government has failed to protect the American people and favors the rich instead. The American government is quick to declare war and not solve their conflicts in a peaceful manner. What’s worse is the American government putting rich people before everyone else. The “blame game” comes into play here.
We see the iceberg from 15 miles away
The captain orders the ship to "stay the course"
"Full speed ahead" shouts the accurst
The next thing we heard was, "rich women and children first"
The ship is listing, the captain's placing blame on the iceberg
"That berg attacked us, I am declaring war on the Arctic"
Who could ever have predicted the greatest ship could so easily sink (duh)
We all knew what consequences could be
With the crew we had at the controls
These lyrics show how Americans are assholes.
Lifeboats are useless without rescue
The only ships show up for salvage
When setting sail on the St. Louis
We all knew what consequences could be
With the crew we had at the controls
There's no harbor age for the USA-holes
I doubt there's a benign God to save our souls
Cuz no one else is gonna save the USA-holes
This song Leaving Jesusland is about Christianity ruled America and starting a new country where everyone is equal. And with no religion. Leaving Jesusland is aimed at religious people and social conservatives.
As we all know, conservatives are always smart people. IQ's are very low but threat levels are high. Social conservatives and religious people put feelings before reality. So it’s feels before reals with these people. These lyrics discuss homophobic views in America. “They got a mandate/They don't want man-dates/They got so many hates and people to despise” Their mandate of hate is dictated to them by The Bible.
They don’t see past their own issues. People in Jesusland lack any sort of empathy and are completely apathetic to everyone who is not like them. Maybe that's why they're so scared of us. They are mindless and are brainwashed by right-wing news stations such as FOX News and InfoWars.
Fat Mike invites everyone who doesn’t fit into Christian White America to live in California. He wants people who are educated and open-minded to come live in California. He wants people with college degrees and open-minded philosophies. They are more accepting and level-headed of everyone on the West Coast. They don’t care about your past. People are more relaxed there.
English and Christianity seem to dominate America or in this case Jesusland. Which in turn is a reference to the Southern United States mostly. Republicanism is starting to decline. That is what the lyrics “The red blood of America is starting to clot” mean.
Social conservatives want America to become a homogenized state where everyone is the same similar to Japan or Thailand. They want everyone to believe the same religion and is the same skin color. They want life bland. Which is exactly what the following lyrics below mean.
The fear stricken
Born again Christian
They got a vision, a homogenized state
Social conservatives and religious people hate Bill Nye because he supports science and the theory of evolution. That is why you hear the following lyrics.: “Textbook decline/Intelligent design/They got Bill Nye on the list to execrate”
Cool And Unusual Punishment is about kinky BDSM culture in Japan. It’s a hardcore punk rock song about Japanese porn.
Cool And Unusual Punishment is wordplay on cruel and unusual punishment which is a term used in the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution which states that "cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted." These exact words were first used in the English Bill of Rights 1689. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Article 5 of the historic Universal Declaration of Human Rights document. Article 5 states that "cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted."
Cool And Unusual Punishment is NOFX’s (well mostly Fat Mike’s) take on cruel and unusual punishment. They put a wicked spin on the term “cruel and unusual punishment”. The song is explicit in a sexually provocative manner.
You're not gonna find Japanese hardcore porn (hardcore Japanese porn) at the record store. This is not for the faint hearted. So if you want rewards and consequence, they got the cool and unusual punishments.
Who's the next to get hung from the ceiling? Get on your knees for Japanese instruction. Shibari is a Japanese style of bondage. Think Japanese bondage. Kanpai and bottoms up. Unhelping hands will hogtie you up and render you unable to move.
For just under ¥10,000 yen, you can visit hell and come back again for the process of hurting and healing. Are you up for a cake and candle wax dessert? It's not fun 'til someone gets hurt. This is pure assisted self-destruction. One bad deed surely deserves another. Bruised from bamboo caning. Try explaining this to your significant other after you go home.
We March To The Beat Of Indifferent Drum is about how we chose to deny our realities of what is going on in the world around us. We often chose to ignore our problems and deny even having them. We lack moral responsibility by doing so.
Due to the uneasiness of what’s going on in the world, we often chose to ignore our problems and deny even having them. We often look the other way. We don’t pay attention to any of the problems going in the world because we chose to keep them far away. Things sound and look better but that is completely untrue. Things only get worse when we choose to ignore our problems.
5/5*****!!
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