VARIOUS ARTISTS "Music from Malcolm in the Middle"
Various Artists “Music from Malcolm in the Middle” Restless Records Soundtrack albums are almost always the same as sitcoms: boring and lame. But just as “Malcolm” stands out from its generally obnoxious peers, its soundtrack really isn’t too bad. For the most part, the 17-song compilation is just dime-a-dozen pop tunes. While The Getaway People’s “Good Life” isn’t terribly distinguishable from Hanson’s “Smile,” they’re easily digestible and catchy enough so most listeners won’t mind. The majority of the material won’t blow listener’s minds, but most of the time it’ll do just fine. They’ll find all the usual suspects in the catchy-pop department, from Eagle Eye Cherry (“Been Here Once Before”) to Barenaked Ladies (“Falling for the First Time”) and the ubiquitous Baha Men (“You All Dat”). There’s some bumpy spots, however. Travis, usually a reliably poppy band, turns in the oddball “We Are Monkeys,” which sounds a little too much like a rehashed Beatles tune for its own good. And while Red Nex’s “Cotton Eye Joe” may bring back nostalgic memories for the few techno country fans out there, it’s still just obnoxious. There’s others that stand out from the crowd in a good way, however. The Dust Brothers’ “I Just Don’t Care,” cobbled together out of soundbites from the show and slapped atop a driving electronic beat, is amusing and peppy at the same time. And then there’s the perpetually awesome They Might Be Giants’ “Boss of Me.” A stretched out version of the show’s nifty theme, “Boss” rocks incredibly hard. Well, as hard as two goofball nerds ever can – but suffice to say, it’s a great tune. So while “Malcolm” isn’t going to win too many awards for originality, it’ll do just fine. Anything with this much poppishness is hard to hate.
Brent Hopkins Rating: 7
Acetone “Acetone” Vapor Records The moody band Acetone’s self-titled album begins with a positively titled song, “Things Are Gonna Be Alright,” yet its music does not adhere to its title’s desired meaning. Acetone’s sound is the combination of Richie Lee’s soft bass rhythms and vocals, Mark Lightcap’s soothing guitar and the very light drums of Steve Hadley. The mellow, monotonous bass of Lee continues its sullen musical loops of the same reoccurring melody throughout the song. “Acetone” sounds like a jam session between three musicians, inviting anyone who wants to listen inside its music. The album seems quiet and relaxed, as if recorded on a rainy day, where the bands inspiration comes from the sullen and depressed mood of the atmosphere. Yet, the album does not seem to be heading anywhere. It remains in the same spot and dwells upon it. Some songs sway upward in beat, but eventually they all come back to the same place of musical and conceptual melancholy. The vocals do not have much variation either from the steady, rhythmical and soft spoken speech of confused lyrics. Some of “Acetone” contains songs, such as “I Told You” and “It’s A Lie,” that seem to have some sort of country music influence, both vocally and with its guitar riffs, yet the majority of songs fall into the same category of melancholic ballads. “Vaccination” is probably one of the most musically diverse songs on the album, because towards the end it breaks into a unique soaring guitar solo that actually puts some energy into the album. Needless to say, it sounds very different from the rest of the saddened album. “Acetone” needs energy to adjust its mood from a monotonous mellow one to something instead with great variation. It would be nice to see Acetone explore a more positively driven style of music, one that complements its songs’ own lyrics. The band should extenuate some of the more positive elements of its album in order to balance the lack of energy.
Tamar Boyadjian Rating: 3
Vitamin C “More” Elektra Entertainment Across America two years ago, millions of sixth graders sang Vitamin C’s sentimental “Graduation (Friends Forever)” in front of their parents and teachers. Now without parental warning, Vitamin C has put the good girl image aside. Enter the new album “More.” On “More,” Vitamin C is taking advantage of her voice and sexy image with songs called “Sex Has Come Between Us,” “I Know What Boys Like” and “The Itch.” Think about the children expecting more of the same nostalgic ballads. When they buy this album the first lines they’ll hear are: “I feel the itch again/I need to get tricked again/I’m starting to twitch again.” (“Mommy? What’s the itch?” they’ll ask). “More” feels like a late ’90s Euro-techno flashback; remember Aqua’s “Barbie World?” Sometimes her beats are right to the point but other times the synthesizers are sadly reminiscent of bad ’80s songs. “As Long As You’re Loving Me” is a nice love song though. She says, “Now I am ready for the world/no matter what it brings/I can feel all my dreams coming true/As long as you’re lovin’ me.” For the most part this is a pop album that is made up of mostly Euro-dance tracks with the influence of break beats. A good example is her remake of the classic Waitresses’ “I Know What Boys Like.” It’ll play in a European discotheque but, in terms of quality, Jay-Z did a better version from the male perspective on his album “In My Life.” There’s a place for Vitamin C in the world of music, but she’s competing for a position that’s already been filled by Jennifer, Christina and Britney. Even so, she’s got everything to sell a couple million records. Before buying this album though, think about the children who thought they were getting the sequel to their beloved graduation song. Ironically, they now bob their heads to a song called “I Can’t Say No” as they wear their classic D.A.R.E. T-shirts to middle school.
Ruvin Spivak Rating: 7