CD World - Brad

Brad - Greenville Ave Store

07/27/05 Brad Sigler
Various - Ten CDs you need
1. Editors - Back Room (w/limited bonus disc)

2. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll

3. The Departure - Dirty Words (Japanese edition, with bonus tracks)

4. Tom Vek - We Have Sound (one man, post-punk band)

5. The Cribs - New Fellas

6. I Am Kloot - Gods And Monsters

7. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger (w/limited, live bonus disc)

8. The Brakes - Give Blood (British Sea Power, Electric Soft Parade members)

9. The Others - self titled

10. The Subways - Young For Eternity (Ian Broudie produced three piece)

07/12/05 Brad "Snack Sandwich" Sigler
Various - 12"/80s
As an unabashed lover of all things synth-pop and new wave, I can't recommend this three disc collection enough. There's some classic, extended versions (The Cure's awesome “A Forest“, ABC's “Tears Are Not Enough“), as well as rare mixes of songs (Siouxsie and the Banshees with “Spellbound“, Lloyd Cole's “My Bag“) and some Top 40 fare (Animotion's horrid “Obsession“ and Tears For Fears overrated “Shout“). But, it's the obscure and forgotten bands that are the real gems. Black, Monsoon, Pete Wylie (of Wah!), Hipsway, The Passions and Icicleworks all sound great even today. Even groups like Bauhaus, Japan, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Jam find their way into this mix. Each song flows seamlessly into the next, and while disc one is the best of all three, the entire set works. Pop the whole thing into your cd changer, hit random and try not to smile.

07/07/05 Brad "Snack Sandwich" Sigler
The Bureau - Deluxe 2 CD Edition
It's amazing that this is the first time that The Bureau's 1981 debut album has been on cd. At least Warner Brothers did it up right by remastering the studio disc, adding four bonus tracks and a live album to top it all off. Featuring founding members of Dexy's Midnight Runners, it's an incredible fusion of soul, ska, post-punk and pop, complete with horn section. Every song on the debut is bristling with creative energy and never lets up for one second. The live album is every bit as good, if not just a little bit better. It ain't cheap as far as import cds go, but it won't disappoint you and you'll wonder how you went with out it for so long.

06/15/05 Brad Sigler
Gene Loves Jezebel - Promise/Immigrant/Discover: Remastered & Expanded Editions
It's too bad that the brothers Aston got saddled with the “goth“ tag, because their sound is so much more. These three reissue cds, all remastered and expanded to two discs, show the boys had skill at pop, post-punk, straight ahead rock and yes - goth. Everyone knows the band primarily for the single “Desire“, which is included on 'Discover', the poppiest of all three releases. Yet, it's the early albums where the bulk of the best songs are. 1983's 'Promise' has the version of 'Wraps And Arms' from the first vinyl pressing. The second disc collects singles, mixes, rarities and unreleased tracks, including all of the tracks from the ultra rare debut EP, 'Shaving My Neck' which has never been re-issued since it's original vinyl pressing. 1984's 'Immigrant' consists of singles, extended mixes, unreleased alternate takes and two BBC session tracks, 'Waves' and 'Five Below'. A bargain at under $16 bucks each and will appeal to fans of Bauhaus, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and The Cure.

05/06/05 Brad Sigler
For Against - Echelons & Coalesced

Nebraska band that never made it to the big time - Shame, since the band was a brilliant hybrid of Joy Division and jangle pop. These albums, a reissue of 1987's "Escelons" and 2002's "Coalesced", are a great way to get acquainted with their sound. They must have been listening to loads of UK post-punk, because that's what drives the sound here. Both albums are excellent and it's refreshing to see a band stay true to their sound for twenty years! Highly recommended to fans of Chameleons, Interpol and The Sound.

04/14/05 Brad Sigler
British Sea Power - Open Season
Finally a new release I can say will be in my cd player for a long time. British Sea Power‘s ‘Open Season‘ not only boasts two of the best songs of the year ("It All Ended On An Oily Stage", "Please Stand Up"), but also some of the best lyrics and production of any record so far in 2005. Comparing their debut to this album is not only silly, but shows that most people just want more of the same. Instead of going with a formula and duplicating ‘Decline‘, the band opted to make a classic pop record that has more in common with prime era Psychedelic Furs than early Echo & The Bunnymen. It‘s truly a stunner of an album from the beautiful second track "Be Gone" to the album‘s epic closer "True Adventures", this one grows better with each listen. Those wanting another post-punk noise fest need go elsewhere....will easily make my top 10 this year!

03/15/05 Brad Sigler
Doves - Some Cities
First of all, let me incur the wrath of Radiohead and Coldplay fans by saying how much these two bands have ruined the face of British pop music. Both groups owe their sound to the dream pop and shoegaze of 4 A.D. and Creation Records, and in Radiohead‘s case, 70‘s Prog Rock. Yet, everyone has tried to compare other bands to their so called “sound“. So, here we have the third Doves release in five years, which will no doubt be dubbed with the “sounds like“ tag. It‘s a soundscape of sorts, a moody piece of work, every bit as good as “OK Computer“ (not as good as “The Bends“) and “A Rush Of Blood To The Head“ (Waaaaay overrated), but more soulful and beautiful than either of those records. It might take two or three listens for it to soak in, but once you get it, you‘ll hear how much is going on in every song (nice bit of “Heatwave“ used for the structure of “Black And White Town“), how much is happening, without it being cluttered, or annoying. It comes off as one long piece of music, rather than individual songs and it works just beautifully. The atmosphere is thick in here and I don‘t mind it at all. Nice to have a record to add to my top ten so early in the year...

03/01/05 Brad Sigler
The Field Mice - Snowball, Skywriting & For Keeps
Sarah Records put out some great records, from 1987-1995, by bands like The Orchids, 14 Iced Bears (Record and I believe THIS band to be more important, but whatever), Heavenly and The Sea Urchins. Yet, most critics consider the label‘s most important band was The Field Mice, a twee pop band that only put out a few records and a slew of 10“ and 7“ singles. Most of their output has been unavailable and LTM Records (the same label that puts out obscure 80‘s bands - The Room, Minny Pops, Stockholm Monsters, Josef K, Section 25 - on cd) has remastered their catalog and added bonus tracks over two cds. All the releases, ‘Snowball + Singles‘, ‘Skywriting + Singles‘ and ‘For Keeps + Singles‘ are brilliant from start to finish and essential listening for fans of Trashcan Sinatras, Close Lobsters and Trembling Blue Stars.

02/16/05 Brad Sigler
Graham Coxon - Happiness In Magazines
I‘m very happy to report there is life after Blur and it comes courtesy of Guitarist Graham Coxon. Now this isn‘t his first solo outing, in fact, this is his fifth release since 1998 and the third on his label Transcopic (with help from EMI). Most of Coxon‘s songs wouldn‘t have sounded out of place on any of Blur‘s albums (except the flacid ‘Think Tank‘), let alone a Pavement album. The cd is polished, yet it sounds like a homemade record - catchy, memorable songs, delivered in an immediate, imaginative fashion. The disc will please longtime Blur fans and convert those who loved ‘13‘, but didn‘t care for ‘Parklife‘. Favorite song: “People Of Earth“, a tongue-in-cheek rant from the view of an alien who finds us all pretty insane and just a wee bit stupid.

02/16/05 Brad Sigler
Black Tie Dynasty - This Stays Between Us
For those of you who can‘t get enough of Interpol, The Killers, The Cure & Elephant, have I got a local band for you. Black Tie Dynasty sound mightily like those bands, plus a dash of The Sound, a smidge of Echo & The Bunnymen & small helping of The Comsat Angels - ALL bands I put in my “top ten“ lists time after time. The six songs EP starts with “Crime Scene“, a song that could have been lifted straight out of the mid eighties. Each song is layered in delay guitar work, solid bass lines and synths. The band should be huge in Dallas and could break out nationally with the talent they‘ve shown on this promising debut. Black Tie Dynasty show there‘s nothing wrong with pillaging the past, as long as you do it with style

02/08/05 Brad “Snack Sandwich“ Sigler
Graham Coxon - Happiness In Magazines
I‘m very happy to report there is life after Blur and it comes courtesy of Guitarist Graham Coxon. Now this isn‘t his first solo outing, in fact, this is his fifth release since 1998 and the third on his label Transcopic (with help from EMI). Most of Coxon‘s songs wouldn‘t have sounded out of place on any of Blur‘s albums (except the flacid ‘Think Tank‘), let alone a Pavement album. The cd is polished, yet it sounds like a homemade record - catchy, memorable songs, delivered in an immediate, imaginative fashion. The disc will please longtime Blur fans and convert those who loved ‘13‘, but didn‘t care for ‘Parklife‘. Favorite song: “People Of Earth“, a tongue-in-cheek rant from the view of an alien who finds us all pretty insane and just a wee bit stupid.

01/14/05 Brad Sigler
Simple Minds - Silver Box (1979-1999)
Before you sneer at the thought of actually listening to a box set from Jim Kerr and Co., there was much more to this band than “Don‘t You (Forget About Me), not to mention six albums leading up to that fateful turning point. Way back in 1979 the future New Romantics were playing an arty mix of krautrock and dance music, some produced by Steve Hillage, and up to 1985 the band made some of the most compelling and underrated music you‘ve ever heard. Bass and synth driven songs like “Life In A Day“, “I Travel“ and “Thirty Frames A Second“ were light years away from the bombastic, U2 posing of the late 80‘s and early 90‘s. So, here is a five cd box set covering 1979-1999 - demos, live and unreleased songs - that capture their best and worst work. The first two discs are where you‘ll find the real gold - Three songs live in Paris and four John Peel sessions from 1979, plus, eight alternate versions of songs like “Celebrate“ and “Capital City“ that are raw and dark. Disc two starts with four demos from 1981, including “The American“ and “Love Song“, with a menacing bass line that destroys the original. Then it‘s on to the “New Gold“ years of 1982, with six great David Jensen sessions, the best of is “In Trance As Mission“. After that, it‘s all stadium time - Live Aid, The Barrowlands, Wembley - where they abandoned the early sound for straight ahead rock. Discs three and four are all energetic live sets from 1985-1995, the big hits “All The Things She Said“, “Alive And Kicking“ and “Sanctify Yourself“, including a Bono/Kerr duet on “New Gold Dream“. The rest is pretty tame and the inclusion of an “unreleased“ album from 1999 just confirms that there‘s nothing left in the tank - it‘s not bad, just boring, which in a way is even worse. So why buy this expensive import set? The answer is simple: you can‘t get any of the early stuff anywhere else (other than bootlegs) and it‘s so good, you‘ll never even want to listen to the other three cds. And until we get a proper collection of singles, b-sides, etc. ! from the first phase of their career, this will serve to remind you of how important Simple Minds were before they thought they were important.

12/08/04 Brad “Snack“ Sigler
Robbers On High Street - Fine Lines EP
With their debut album, Tree City, due out in January, I though it was time to go back a few months to rediscover the band‘s first release. Another New York band (i.e. The Strokes, Interpol, Longwave, Ambulance LTD, etc.), with more of the “sounds like“ Gang Of Four-Television-Joy Division thing going on, but the band somehow make songs like “Hot Sluts (Say I Love You)“ and “A Night A Star Castle“ sound fresh and retro at the same time. The group sounds so tightly wound, that you think they might snap at any moment and that‘s another thing that sets them apart from all the “copyists“ coming down the pike. Instead of being content to just go through the motions, Robbers On High Street sound genuine and inspired - a rare commodity with so many pretenders to the post-punk throne.

11/16/04 Brad Sigler
THE GO-BETWEENS - Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express, Tallulah & 16 Lovers Lane (Expanded Editions)
Remastered, double cd reissues of the band‘s 1986 to 1988 years, where they became more polished and produced, but no less heartbreaking in their song content. Most of Robert Foster & Grant Mclennan‘s best material was done during this time period - “Right Here“, “Spring Rain“, “The House Jack Kerouac Built“, “The Clarke Sisters“, “Head Full Of Steam“ - songs that make you smile and sing, even when it reduces you to tears. Their best pop songs are always bittersweet, brilliant melodies with stabbing lyrics, little ditties about infidelity, spousal abuse, weird siblings and love lost and found. In addition to the original albums, there are full bonus discs of b-sides, radio sessions, alternate and unreleased songs.

11/09/04 Brad Sigler
TRAVIS - THE SINGLES
Before Coldplay and Keane there was Travis. Initially an Oasis approved trad-rock band whose debut left me yawning, save for a few songs like “Happy“, it was pretty tame stuff. But something happened on the second release, “The Man Who“, the band went pop and became ballad driven and they‘ve never looked back. Four albums in and almost eight years later, the group has a collection of all their singles to date released - no b-sides or album cuts - plus, one new song. It‘s all very catchy, slightly fey, and very Brit - pretty much everything I love about music. C‘mon, I can‘t exsist solely on a diet of post-punk bands!

10/25/04 Brad
TRASHCAN SINATRAS - WEIGHTLIFTING
Ok, I‘ll be the first to admit that I hadn‘t given the Trashcan‘s much of a listen since 1990‘s ‘Cake‘ lip was released and they was actually getting airplay with “Obscurity Knocks“ and “Only Tongue Can Tell“. The band always seemed like a pleasant diversion and nothing more - until now. Wow - how wrong could I have been! Jump to 2004 and the release of ‘Weightlifting‘ where the band has made their masterpiece. It‘s all sugar coated vocals and chiming guitars, with some of the most beautiful melodies that any group has produced this year. Fans of Crowded House, Beautiful South & The Beatles will love it, those without a sweet tooth will roll their eyes - but who cares! FYI: The first editions of the cd come with a bonus DVD of live performances.

10/11/04 Brad
The Open - The Silent Hours
Available only as an import at this moment, The Open‘s debut cd is the sound of all their influences - U2, Echo & The Bunnymen, Catherine Wheel, Radiohead and Keane - all rolled into one fantastic band. Yes, it‘s anthemic, stadium style rock, with all the subtlety of a flying mallet, but when it‘s done this well, this BIG, you have no choice but to love it. Like The Delays (another fav from this year), The Open draw heavily from the 80‘s well of sound, while keeping their feet firmly planted in the present. Here‘s to hoping this gets a U.S. release soon.....

09/20/04 Brad
The Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour
How could I have been so quick to dismiss this record? After being bludgeoned with the disc relentlessly by J.C. of the Addison store, then seeing them open for Franz Ferdinand with another great UK band, The Futureheads (more on them in October�.), I finally gave in and I‘m glad. Led by brothers Greg and Aaron Gilbert, Rowly on drums and Colin Fox on bass, the Southampton, England band sound like the Cocteau Twins‘ Elizabeth Fraser (yes, that is a guy singing) fronting The La‘s. It‘s one of those albums that you have to give some attention and grows better with each listen. If the new songs they played live are any indication of what‘s to come on the next album, they may avoid the sophomore jinx and deliver another minor classic.

09/13/04 Brad
The Kinks - Are The Village Green Preservation Society (2 CD, Deluxe Edition)
Anyone that loves all things British, 60‘s, mod and pop, will agree that The Kinks represent the ultimate culmination of all these things and the album that should be the band‘s legacy has now been expanded to a staggering 3 disc set, featuring the stereo and mono versions of the album, plus many unreleased tracks. Now some of these songs have been available on “The Great Lost Kinks Album“ and “Kinks Kronikles“, but most have never been out “officially“. The set is filled with classic songs, the title track, “Picture Book“, “Big Sky“, “Days“, “Wonderboy“, etc. With a total of 61 songs, you‘d think there would be some filler here, but the entire collection is five star from start to finish. My reissue of 2004.

08/30/04 Brad
The Mooney Suzuki - Alive & Amplified
Why would a garage band recruit The Matrix to produce their new album? The easy answer would be to sell out, sell more records and be loved by millions. If this was the case, the band would have been huge after ‘Electric Sweat‘ came out and the guys pimped themselves in a national beer commercial. Whatever the reason, ‘Alive & Amplified‘ is one huge, overproduced, Rolling Stones/MC5, gloriously inspired mess of a record. The cd opens big with ‘Primitive Condition‘, which proclaims were all just “fancy animals with hands“, but it‘s the second track that sells the “new“ sound to you. “Alive & Amplified“ has everything you want in a big dumb rock song - backup singers, phase shifters and riffs a-plenty. By the time you get to “Legal High“, you‘ve given up any hope of trying to hate what they‘re doing and just decide to give in to the whole damn thing! The same way Primal Scream got ripped apart for the retro sound of ‘Rocks‘, Mooney Suzuki will take a beating from the press, but don‘t let that deter you from enjoying the best guilty pleasure of the year.

08/23/04 Brad
Adam And The Ants - Dirk Wears White Socks (Remastered & Expanded)
Finally, after years of being out of print and unjustly being ignored during the late 70‘s post-punk scene, Adam And The Ants ‘Dirk Wears White Socks‘ gets reissued as the original 1979 Do-It album version. Also included are the 1979 “Zerox“/“Whip In My Valise“ 7“, 1982 “Kick“ 12“ and 1980 “Cartrouble“ 7“ single, bringing the total track listing up to 19 songs! If you only know Adam And The Ants from their 80‘s new wave heyday, ‘Dirk‘ will definitely open your eyes to a harder, darker version of the band.

08/09/04 Brad
The Lyres - On Fire
Jeff “MonoMan“ Conolly had a short life with a major label in the late 70‘s with the much maligned DMZ (thanks for nothin‘ Flo & Eddie). By the 80‘s he was still doing the same thing, just better produced and better performed. The very best example of his Kinks-meets-Stooges style is on the classic ON FIRE from 1984. Remastered and expanded by Matador, it includes “Don‘t Give It Up Now“, “Help You Ann“, “She Pays The Rent“ (later covered by The Nomads) and 17 more classic slices of 60‘s inspired, farfisa fuelled garage savagery! Forget the White Stripes kiddies, The Lyres are the real deal�.

08/02/04 Brad
AMBULANCE LTD - LP
This is one of New York‘s best new bands. A mix of 80‘s new wave/power pop (“Primitive“), some shoegazing guitar pieces (“Swim“) and Television-goes-Krautrock gems (“Yoga Mean Union“). The album is filled with hooks and harmonies. Not a weak track in the lot - along with Franz Ferdinand and The Divine Comedy, one of my top 10 records of 2004. New cd any day now....

07/26/04 Brad
DREAM SYNDICATE - The Complete Live At Raji‘s
Ahhhh - The Paisley Underground. The scene that brought us the Rain Parade, Green On Red, Three O‘Clock and Long Ryders, also produced my favorite band of it‘s time. Now, most people will say that the post-punkishThe Days Of Wine And Roses is their favorite Syndicate record (mine is the Medicine Show and a cd release is demanded now!), but almost no one mentions this excellent live record from 1988. Remastered and expanded to 2 discs, with all their classic songs, including “Tell Me When It‘s Over“, “John Coltrane Stereo Blues“ (clocking in at over 11 minutes!) and “When You Smile“, This along with the new remastered cd of their final album, 1988‘s Ghost Stories , are both releases that deepen the legend of one of the most underrated band‘s of the period.

07/19/04 Brad
TELEVISION PERSONALITIES - Yes Darling, but is it Art?
England‘s musical genius Dan Treacy (with Ed Ball, later of indie band The Time, and Joe Foster) did it all - From the early punk sounds of “14th Floor“ & “Where‘s Bill Grundy Now?“ to the faux mod-psych of “I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives“, this 24 track CD collects most of the essential singles, b-sides and rarities from 1978, all the way to the late 80‘s. Alan McGee, former head of Creation Records, sites the band as his inspiration for starting the label - do you really need any more reasons to buy this�.

07/12/04 Brad
THE FORTY-FIVES - HIGH LIFE HIGH VOLUME
First off, I‘m a sucker for 60‘s sounding, garage rock, both old and new. Of course, there‘s a glut of band‘s doing the “retro-revivalist“ thing and most of them just seem to be going through the motions. Not so with The 45‘s, who are great at duplicating the vintage sound of classic guitar and organ driven groups of the period, while fitting in snugly with modern garage band‘s like The Nomads and Reigning Sound (another band from their hometown of Atlanta). Every song is amped up high and there‘s even a spot on cover of R&B legend Otis Blackwell‘s “Daddy Rollin‘ Stone“ that bests The Who‘s version without breaking a sweat - and that‘s praise indeed!

07/12/04 Brad
SLADE in FLAME - SLADE in FLAME - DVD
Director Richard Loncraine is best know for the sinister “Brimstone And Treacle“ (hey, Sting CAN act) and “Full Circle“ (known to American audiences as “The Haunting Of Julia“), but way back in 1975 he made this dark, sour look at small bands, the seedy managers and dank pubs and clubs that British rockers played. The film features glamsters Slade playing themselves, but unlike most musicians who aspire to be actors (see Prince, “Purple Rain“), Noddy and the boys just go at it without trying to reach too far beyond their collective talents. For those who are looking for a light, musical romp, you‘d best be warned. It gets serious quick and never gets any easier for the band or the audience. Yet no matter how bleak the story is, you never get tired or bored by what‘s happening - it‘s pretty compelling stuff. The soundtrack (only available as an import cd) is a classic with two hit singles (“Far Far Away “ and “How Does It Feel“ ) in the UK. Critics loved it, audiences didn‘t get it, now it‘s considered a minor masterpiece and cult film almost thirty years later. Now, let‘s find a decent print and get a midnight showing along with Marc Bolan‘s 1972 flick “Born To Boogie“ somewhere in town! Glitter and platforms will be mandatory.....