another polarizing album?

we all know what that means.

i liked the harder rocking tracks. they seemed desperate, in a good way.

nicely put, katie.

popmatters followed up their daringly mean review with a decidedly different-hearted one:

http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/n/n ... tor2.shtml

You got that right!

Desperate in a Meatloaf kind of way?

I like Popmatters' reviews quite a bit, actually. I think they've got a decent set of writers that write very fair, legit reviews (unlike the BS Pitchfork routinely posts) and my criteria for a good critic can be applied pretty successfully there. What is that criteria? No matter what the reviewer thought of the subject in question, I get a good enough sense of his biases and there's enough descriptive detail that I can figure out whether I would like the review's subject. That's why I like Ebert most of the time - I often don't agree with his views on films, but I know when I read it whether the film in question is something I might get something out of anyway. That's what makes a good critic, IMO - not clever, cutesy distractions like Pitchfork's overused "movie script" style reviews, and not just excuses for the reviewer to skewer something he never would enjoy under any circumstances.

And, for the record, I just picked up Alligator today and really enjoy it.

2 Words. Meat Loaf. 2 Words.

Finally got around to this one today... Really enjoyed this, especially the mellower tunes.

Tom spoke at this a little bit, but how does their earlier material compare to this? Have not heard one note from them before today.

I wrote a little bit about the earlier albums about halfway down in this post. Also has some mp3 links: http://www.obner.org/bb/viewtopic.php?t ... =alligator

Missed that. Thanks, Tommy!

I heard "Abel" on WOXY today. I will seek no further punishment from this band.

mmmmmmm.......Meatloaf.

late to the party again...just heard it today and like it

Even later to the party...

R.I.Y.L??

I'd like it a little more if it were a lot better...or just more interesting. Hasn't everything they do been overdone lots before? I found it listenable, but droning, and about halfway through I decided that it wasn't horrible to drive to, but I imagine it would be one of the worst live shows ever.

ha

oh man, you'd be mistaken. i saw them at the mercury lounge last night, and they tore. naturally, i'm biased, but it was energetic, involved and alarmingly loud. you could tell the band just loves what they do.

That's good to hear, especially after what Tania and Dri said about the show in LA. They aren't coming anywhere near me this summer, but hopefully in the fall they will. I missed them a few years ago when I got the first CD a week or two after they played in Rough Raleigh.

yeah i checked them out last weekend. i wouldn't say it was the "worst" live show i've seen- but it was very disappointing after hearing all the hype about them. they were extremely boring. needless to say, i also walked out of the show, and it was at spaceland (my favorite venue here in la) and i NEVER walk out of spaceland. then again, i also wasn't there for the national, i was there for one of the bands opening for them. but when i first heard alligator, it bored me after 3 songs. i also don't like his voice.

different strokes for different folks.

they were brutal when i saw them last week. they owe me something.

i love 'secret meeting'