Scissor Sisters--Ta-Dah

My ear is tired of hearing about "I Don’t Feel Like Dancing," but was ever so eager to actually hear the song. Sadly, my ear was disappointed. The tune is highly catchy and pop-able, but frankly I don’t see why it deserves the incredible hype it has received—besides the fact that Sir Elton John provided the piano instrumental. However, that’s not to say the song is bad, it’s very well-written and I wouldn’t mind hearing it a few dozen times on the radio. It’s certainly the best off Ta-Dah, which in total falls a tad short of the Scissor Sisters incredible self-titled release in 2004. "I Can’t Decide" is another catchy pop song that feels like a less-excited version of "Dancing," as "Kiss You Off" is a dance-infused ‘80s rock love-child. Both represent the variety you can come to expect from the Sisters in their sophomore release. Ta-Dah may fall short of their debut, but the Scissor Sisters are still going strong. And although the hype may overextend the credibility of "I Don’t Feel Like Dancing," I’ll still walk down the street humming the tune tomorrow.

Oxford Collapse--Remember The Night Parties

Brooklyn rockers Oxford Collapse are back with their third release – and first with their new record label Sub Pop – Remember the Night Parties. With a fresh indie spirit, Oxford Collapse mix some math rock in as well, creating a sound much like Joy Division and Sonic Youth mixed with more indie-pop influences. "Loser City" especially shows off these influences in their instrumentals, as Michael Pace’s vocals are bouncy and unique to the point of almost sounding British at times. "For the Khakis and the Sweatshirts" and "Kenny Can't Afford It" are other hits off the release, and overall Remember the Night Parties is a solid effort. However, it all feels repetitive by the end, and I have yet to make it to the finale without a pounding headache. Oxford Collapse have not created their best work here, but it is by no means a bad album.

Revival--Horses of War

LA group Revival debuts in Horses of War, a scything lyrical effort supported by a mix of British psychedelica, post-punk, and touches of country. A short album at nine songs, Revival comes off as a version of Band of Horses that forgot to take their anti-depressants. In "Anniversary," vocalist Josh Read belts "And there’s a bottle of whiskey / And a pistol to make it complete." Need I say more? Revival mixes an alt-country attitude and instrumentals with postpunk effects, and songs like "Fog Rolling In" contain zoomy effects that could be passed off as British psychedelic influences. Mostly though, songs like "King of King’s" paint Revival as a bad Nickelback (or is that repetitive?), trying to infuse a bad-boy attitude with country-esque "she-left-me-for-my-brother" themes, all to alternative instrumentals. It doesn’t quite work, and despite the short length Horses of War drags and feels long. Revival do have their moments, the climax in "Fog Rolling In" and "When You Come Calling" are quite inspired, and catch your breath as they heighten and climb and fade back into their alternative guitar strumming. Revival need to add a little variety to their songs and work more with their strong points, rather than mixing too many influences into a musical mush. Horses of War ain’t bad, it just won’t become your favorite.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)

Orbit Service--Songs of Eta Carinae

150 years ago the star Eta Carinae suffered a giant outburst, causing it to become one of the brightest star spots in our night sky despite it being 800,000 light years away. I looked this up because Orbit Service’s new album Songs of Eta Carinae reminded me of some fantasy-styled soundtrack, and I was ready to find Eta Carinae to be some fantastical world next door to Middle Earth. The name fits Orbit Service’s style of music—which is very out of orbit. Spacey, elongated rhythms and melodies are pulled and stretched throughout seven minute tracks (or in the case of "Asphyxia," 11 minutes). Yep, that’s right, we’ve got ourselves a good old stoner album here, where we’ve got our head in the stars and like our music slow and spacey. Songs of Eta Carinae reminds one of a amateur Pink Floyd, with touches of Dream Theater in there too. Each song is very slow, a tad creepy, and very long. Not that those are bad qualities, Orbit Service does what they set out to do very well. Point being though, unless you’re looking for some good late-night background noise or something to cater to your bong-party, stay clear of this one.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)