Red's Review of Get A Haircut and Get A Real Job

Note: I am terrible in a role as a music critic. I know what I like, but I usually struggle in saying why. Overall, I enjoyed Snake's collection with the second disc probably being my favorite of the two. I listed the bands below in order of appearance to avoid missing anyone. Well, it's been long awaited, so here you go.

The Bands, The Songs and the Lion (really there's no lion, but what if there were?)

Buckethead : Three Fingers; Waiting Hare

Overall I wasn’t big into Buckethead. I found the guitar scratching towards the end to grate on my nerves a bit on Three Fingers. I do dig the final line of “What he says might scare you to be cool.” Waiting Hare sounds like a duet with Gwen Stefani. At times, it drags a little bit.

The Louies: Asleep on the Trail of Tears; Winnebago
I get to liking Asleep… a little more every time that I hear it. My only criticism would be that it seems like it needs another verse or something. It just seems to end too suddenly. Winnebago I am torn on. There are parts that really rock quite well, but the chorus is sort of gimmicky and is one of those things that drives you a little bugs because it gets in your head.

The Donnas: All Messed Up

This is fast, no frills rock. Overall, a solid song from a group that I had only heard do a cover of Strutter on the Detroit Rock City soundtrack.

Black Label Society: House of Doom; In This River
I enjoy the lead vocals from this group. House of Doom is standard dark rock that would seem to fit the mood established by the group’s name. In This River is a tune that I can’t decide if I really, really like or just sort of tolerate. It’s hurt by the lyrics that at times seem overly repetitive.


Franz Ferdinand: No You Girls; Twilight Omens

Upbeat and entertaining, both of these tunes have the sound I’ve come to expect from Franz Ferdinand. It’s hard to not tap the to toes to No You Girls although I think I like Twilight Omens better.

Queens of the Stoneage: Burn the Witch; 3’s & 7’s; Tangled Up In Plaid

I didn’t take to Burn the Witch. Occasionally, I find I tire of Queens tune and this tune is very indicative of their stuff. The other two songs I liked more because I thought they were subtle departures from the band’s norm.

Serj Tankian: Lie, Lie, Lie; Saving Us

Not that I am keeping score, but I think there are two other bands featuring this guy as a lyricist. That honestly made it hard to differentiate some of this stuff until I sat down and started listed the songs by bands. Something about this guys voice just drives me nuts. Of the two, I liked Lie Lie Lie more. Saving Us had me asking if somebody would please save me.

The Raconteurs: Intimate Secretary; Hands

Is that Jack White that I hear? I believe so. A couple of good tunes here. Something about Hands I like more. It is a pretty close race.

Kool Keith: I’m Seein’ Robots

I get the message here of people getting too connected to technology and losing their humanity. Certainly a pertinent argument, but I am just not a big rap guy, plus this guys stuff always sounds a little out of place when it’s on its own.

System of a Down: Lonely Day; Sad Statue; Old School Hollywood

Hey, it’s Serj again. I am sure Snake is ready for me to rail on this since he knows my affinity for these guys. I’ll say it is hard not to into Lonely Day. The other two fall into the rest of my opinion of System of a Down.

The Zutons: Confusion; Dirty Dancehall

There’s only one tune from this collection that I like better than Confusion. I love the mixture of the vocals with the eclectic choice of instruments. Very cool tune. I liked Dirty Dancehall, but not quite as much.

Tenacious D: Tribute

I already knew this tune before this album. It’s OK. Funny at parts, but sometimes Jack Black goes a little over the top and his humor is predictable.

The Secret Machines: The Road Leads Where It’s Led; Nowhere Again

Nowhere Again wins the prize as my favorite song. First, I love the title. I always find myself singing along when he says “She’s lifting her dress up.” I guess I am a pervert after all. The Road… sounds like an early U2 song for me especially the vocals and that just doesn’t seem to fit the group as well.

Modest Mouse: Bukowski; Satin In A Coffin

I’ve heard Modest Mouse before but neither of these songs (I think). Both tunes do a very good job of mixing pace and style. Both tunes grade out at a very high level with me.

The White Stripes: Baby Brother; You Don’t Know What Love Is

This is a step back to the infancy of rock for Jack and Meg White. You Don’t Know What Love Is, is a great tune. Absolutely one of the best of this bunch. Baby Brother is solid also and takes me back to more simple times.

Big & Rich: Real World, Wild West Show

Here’s a band with songs on polar opposite ends of my grade list. I really like Wild West Show. It’s a driving sound that includes a piano and solid percussion and does everything to avoid becoming a full-blown country song. Real World on the other hand is an average country song. Once a “Yee haw” comes out and the fiddle gets a strummin’, I usually get a goin’.

Metallica: Broken, Beat & Scarred; The Unforgiven III

I am on fence about these songs. For the most part, they are OK. Broken, Beat & Scarred sounds almost too much like a couple other Metallica songs. Yet, it rocks and its hard to deny that. I sort of wish they’d named Unforgiven III something else, because I kept waiting for this to connect more to the previous two tunes. It just doesn’t quite reach that level for me and the opening minute or so seems out of place.

The Killers: Spaceman, Neon Tiger

Spaceman is a quick, peppy song. Both of these songs are unabashed fun. Pretty standard stuff in my eyes from The Killers.

Motorhead: The Chase Is Better Than The Catch

When I saw Motorhead in the listing, this is exactly what I expected from them. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a straight forward, punch-in-the-mouth kind of metal song.

YT Cracker: N.E.S.

Sort of like Winnebago, I can’t decide if I can get over the gimmick of this song. There’s a charm to revisiting the old Nintendo standards with the mixture of a clever rap. It’s something I think I can listen to once in awhile but not all the time.

Avenge Sevenfold: Sidewinder

I kept thinking of Possum Kingdom by the Toadies when I was listening to this. I don’t know if the riff is similar or if it’s just me. Overall a good tune that I thought sort of spirals around too much without getting to a point.

Grades

A+
Confusion
Nowhere Again
You Don’t Know What Love Is

A
Baby Brother
Wild West

A –
In This River
Twilight Omens
Lonely Day
Bukowski
Satin In A Coffin
Spaceman

B+
Asleep on the Trail of Tears
3’s & 7’s
Hands

B
All Messed Up
House of Doom
No You Girls
Tangled Up in Plaid
Neon Tiger
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch

B-
Intimate Secretary
Dirty Dancehall
The Road Leads to Where It’s Led
Broken, Beat & Scarred
Sidewinder

C+
Waiting Hare
The Unforgiven III

C
Three Fingers
Winnebago
Burn the Witch
N.E.S.

C-
Tribute
Real World

D+
Old School Hollywood

D
Lie, Lie, Lie
I’m Seein’ Robots

D-
Sad Statue

F
Saving Us