Monday Morning Music Review: Springsteen and G33K

I’m going to try and post music reviews every Monday morning. I’ll cover an album from a major (i.e., signed) artist as well as an indie (i.e., unsigned) artist. I’m a big proponent of indie music and these people don’t have huge marketing and promotion budgets. Please help support the indie artists by purchasing their albums. BTW, if you are an indie artist doing Rock and Pop Rock music and you would like me to review your CD, shoot me an email at musings.dln@gmail.com and tell me about your music. I do not promise to review everything sent to me, but I’ll do my best to help you get some exposure.


Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Magic

The latest album from fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen and the gang returns back to the classic E Street rockin’ form… but don’t let it fool you. Lyrically there’s a dark undercurrent to the album about lying, losing, and making mistakes. It also sounds like two separate EPs packaged as a single album – this isn’t bad, but there’s a definite change in mood about half-way through the album (from rockin' good time Springsteen to somber acoustic Springsteen).

The lead off track, “Radio Nowhere” is a pretty good driving song with typical Springsteen lyrics – questioning the current state of music and radio and in extension the American Dream. The next song, “You’ll Be Coming Down” gets right to the modern Springsteen sound with some great lyrics like the line “You’ll be fine long as your pretty face holds out, Then it’s gonna get pretty cold out”. "Livin’ In The Future" has that classic E Street Band sound (think 10th Ave. Freeze-out) and seems destined to be a great concert song, including a NaNaNaNa ending to get the crowd going. "Your Own Worst Enemy" is one of my favorites on the album. It has a little bit of a Beach Boys influence to it and finds Bruce really giving a nice vocal delivery. "Gypsy Biker" is an anti-war song (could be about Iraq or Vietnam, it doesn’t matter), but the message is subtly and effectively told about a soldier being buried. Springsteen does a good job of talking about the divisions within our country right now with lines like “To the dead it don’t matter much ’bout who’s wrong or right”.

"Girls In Their Summer Clothes" is the second Beach Boys influenced song and you can almost picture the Jersey Shore in the summer. "I’ll Work For Your Love" includes the classic E Street chiming piano along with lyrical references to Christ and the Bible. The title track, "Magic" is a nice somber acoustic song with a haunting violin. The next song, "Last To Die" is another anti-war song that evokes the line from the famous congressional testimony of John Kerry. "The Long Walk Home" is another favorite of mine, with lyrics describing those moments in your life when you are reflecting on the things you’ve done and lost. The final song on the album is "Devil’s Arcade" which starts with a beautiful cello that plays the main melody line from the song. The lyrics evoke images of a wife or girlfriend visiting a wounded soldier at Walter Reed (or any veteran’s hospital). Available at Amazon and iTunes.

Here’s the video for The Long Walk Home, which was shot in Freehold and Asbury Park, NJ:


G33K – Some Assembly Required

G33K is really indie artist Todd Moore from Grayling, MI. I first noticed Todd’s music when he posted his song "Supermarket Superstars" on the Harmony Central songwriting forum. "Supermarket Superstars" is a great snapshot at the current state of celebrity in our country, with the triumvirate of Paris, Britney, and Lindsey. Plus it has a tinge of XTC to it, so I had to love it!

G33K’s CD is called Some Assembly Required and it’s a great mix of PowerPop with a little Modern Country sprinkled on top. The first 3 songs on the CD ("What You’re Doing To Me", "Supermarket Superstars", and "Some Assembly Required") really get the album off to a rocking start. G33k slows it down a little bit with "Float Me On The Key Of C" but picks it right back up with "Clone Of You". Both of these songs ("Float Me..." and "Clone of You") have a modern electric country feel to them. In particular "Clone of You" could be a great live roadhouse song with flying beer bottles and chicken wire! Next up is "Barbie Doll" which gets you right back into the PowerPop mood with a distinct Cars feel to it. "Any Other Way" is another really nice ballad that’s a duet with Theresa Wagner that you could imagine on a country radio station. The next song, "Where You Won’t Be Alone" is a good midtempo rocker that reminds me of Document-era REM. G33K fires up the PowerPop machine again with the next track, "4 2 Nite" and continues with the last track, "Darlene" – another midtempo rocker. The CD also includes several bonus tracks for your enjoyment. If you enjoy good PowerPop songs and good vocals with tight harmonies, definitely pick up this CD. Available at http://www.myspace.com/g33kfr34k