With so many releases coming out today worth illegally downloading — I mean legitimately stream off spinner.com — it was hard for me to just pick one to review. So instead I picked three.
“TKOL RMX 1234567” by Radiohead
Radiohead’s latest release, “TKOL RMX 1234567” is a collection of remixes based off the band’s last studio album, “The King of Limbs.” Remixed by a variety of electronic musicians and DJs, each track was originally released as vinyl singles and digital download over the past year.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t a big fan of “The King of Limbs” when it first came out in February. The short runtime and Radiohead’s reliance on loops somewhat cheapened the album. However, I feel “TKOL RMX,” which delves even deeper into the electronic world, is a much better presentation of the original “King of Limbs” tracks.
I’m not sure if Caribou and Mark Harmonic just did a better job mixing the source material than Radiohead and producer Nigel Godrich, or if “The King of Limbs” material just lent itself better to remixes than actual songs. Still, this remix album pales in comparison to Radiohead’s previous endeavor, “In Rainbows.” That album was built upon the source instrument and vocal “stems” for songs like “Nude” and “Reckoner” that were released through iTunes and Garageband, spawning a myriad of great remixes, both professional and novice alike.
Rating: B+
Goes well with: Thom Yorke, Flunk, and Portishead
“The Devil’s Rain” by The Misfits
After eight years and countless lineup changes, classic horror punk band The Misfits have finally released a full album of new material.
“The Devil’s Rain,” named after a 1975 B-horror film starring William Shatner, is more heavy metal than punk rock, but still sticks to the band’s horror-themed roots.
While bassist Jerry Only’s—the only remaining original member—vocals fit the music, his performance does little to make me forget about original singer Glenn Danzig. Former Black Flag guitarist Dez Cadena’s guitar work on the album is largely uninspiring. The single, “Twilight of the Dead,” and “Curse of the Mummy’s Hand” are the album’s only standouts, which is a rather small ratio for a 16-track album.
The horror movie references throughout “The Devil’s Rain” feel forced, obvious and repetitive, but you can’t blame The Misfits for titling songs “Land of the Dead,” “Ghost of Frankenstein” and “Death Ray.” Who wouldn’t?
Rating: C
Goes well with: The “original” Misfits, Black Flag, Spinal Tap, and Deadbolt
“Batman Arkham City- The Album”
I support soundtracks of all kinds. But with tracks by Coheed & Cambria, Daughtry and the vomit inducing Panic! at the Disco, I found it hard to enjoy this one.
The noise-rock representation of “Creature” by The Duke Spirit and “Oh, Stranger” by The Raveonettes really save this for me. Luckily, Ron Fish’s “Arkham City” score comes out today, too.
Rating: D+
Goes well with: I don’t think Panic! at the Disco goes well with anything. Ever.
