4Play

Nov. 22, 2006

The Dears - Gang of Losers - Arts & Crafts
Showcasing How-They-Work-As-A-Band more here
than on any of their previous efforts, Canada’s The Dears draw on a rawer,
yet more focused sound on their latest collection of songs.  Centered
around singer Murray Lightburn’s depth-charged vocals, the band’s newest
compositions push the boundaries of emotion, whether the topic is
loneliness (“Ballad of Humankindness”), poseur-ism (“Bandwagoneers”),
or Lightburn’s impeccable descriptions of being outcast as
heard on “Ticket to Immortality.”  And, as for that album title, it comes
from the song “You and I Are a Gang of Losers,” yet another must-listen on
this cohesive and interesting set.  It’s definitely nice to hear them
functioning as more of a whole band unit, but it’s even nicer to discover
that The Dears’ songs are reaping the benefits of this more
teamwork-oriented approach.
 

Aerosmith - Devil’s Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith - Columbia
Aerosmith, at this point, could easily be reduced to nothing more than
endless caricatures of Steven Tyler’s mouth - and, well, sometimes, they
are. But it’s gotta be hard for a seminal band to walk the walk when
expectations run so high - and herein lies the motivation for their latest
compilation disc, which by nature is a crowd-pleaser.  This CD is a pretty
darned good overview of what the band has done to date, whether you prefer
their earlier hits (“Dream On,” “Sweet Emotion”) or their more
MTV-generation tunes (“Walk This Way,” “Don’t Want To Miss a
Thing”). There’s a reason that Aerosmith are still building their fan
base, even though they kicked off their career in the ‘70s; those who are
fans of solid, plain ol’ arena-rock and roll will appreciate the
band’s classic form of rock-music-making, and those who are already fans
of Aerosmith, specifically, will appreciate having all of these hits in
one place.

 
The Housemartins - Live at the BBC - UMVD
A slightly more obscure, but all-the-more-worthy-for-it band who have also
put together an audio snapshot of their career, are England’s
Housemartins, who have crafted some of the most perfect pub-pop to ever
come out of the UK. The Housemartins were regular visitors to various BBC
shows and events, and this set will fill in the holes for many
Housemartins fans who perhaps haven’t had the chance to catch the band on
the radio or tube at the right time. In addition to Housemartins favorites
(“Happy Hour,” “People Who Grinned Themselves to Death,” “Sunday Isn’t
Sunday”), there are many songs here that never quite made the cut on the
Housemartins’ CDs, plus you’ll get a meaty portion of live tracks, several
from their legendary Nottingham set and several from their equally-revered
Glastonbury performance. It’s also a set that stays close to the band’s
own approach, as the tracklist was compiled by Housemartins band member
Stan Cullimore.



The Doors - The Best of The Doors - WEA/Rhino
A step aside from the above Aerosmith collection, this remastered Doors’
best-of does include some of their hits, but also some of the band’s
darker, more obscure material, which essentially gives a more thorough
view of The Doors in their heyday.  That doesn’t mean the trackclimbers
aren’t here, though - you’ll still get songs like “Light My Fire,” “People
Are Strange,” and “Hello I Love You” - but you’ll also be let in to hear
some fan favorites (“The End,” “The Crystal Ship,” “When The Music’s
Over”) and some of The Doors songs that the casual listener may not only
have never heard, but may also never have even heard of, such as “Five To
One” and the plainfaced but determined “The Unknown Soldier.”  The Doors
created a rare, mystical version of music that had real depth, as opposed
to many of their peers who were performing during their drug-addled era;
and with this disc, you’ll feel like you were there from the beginning of
their journey to the end.