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This Issue 02/01/2007

Also in this issue

• Daytripper: First Friday
• Bloody awful
• biddle law library
• Rebuttal from a man big enough to use his real name, Ruben Brosbe
• 1ST ANNUAL PENN KING OF WINGS COMPETITION
• Ego of the week

Youth Group
Casino Twilight Dogs
Recording an album around the success of a cover of Rod Stewart's "Forever Young" sure has a way of affecting a band's sound. The Australians of Youth Group put out their second American album after a successful tour with Death Cab for Cutie and exposure to the masses on the popular television show, The OC. While there are moments of excitement on the release, the band's previous indie pop exuberance has mostly given way to well-crafted, soft emotionalism.
Casino Twilight Dogs begins and ends with homages to the Beach Boys and hits a few varied notes in between. "Under the Underpass" draws on the band's Smiths influence and some talented production to simultaneously haunt and uplift. Violin and tender guitar make "Start Today Tomorrow" a memorable reflective piece. And "Catching & Killing" sees the band emulate Sloan admirably, serving as the album's sole venture into aggression.
For its successes, the album does have its share of clunkers. "Daisychains" is a sprawling, overly sentimental track that sees lead singer Toby Martin at his worst, drawing on trite imagery and using such clich‚d phrases as "I never meant to cause you pain" and "now you're gone." And while it is decent, the Stewart cover mostly relies on the original song's hooks, just slowing things down a little. Despite some faults, Casino Twilight Dogs is a rather listenable effort, notable for a band making a marked departure from its previous work.
- Rafael Garcia

Busdriver
RoadKillOvercoat
Aside from his resemblance to a gritty version of Carlton Banks, there is little evidence of any recognizable influence on Regan "Busdriver" Farquhar's musical repertoire. His newest release, RoadKillOvercoat, is no exception.
Hailing from the underground hip-hop circles of L.A., Busdriver admits the difficulty in classifying his particular style of hip-hop. Described alternately as some combination of hip-hop, dance/electronic, ghettotech or indie-rock, his sound is most commonly characterized as "Other."
Busdriver's style can be traced back to the open mic freestyle battles hosted by venues like L.A.'s famed Goodlife Caf‚, which he began frequenting at the age of 15. This raw, often convoluted free association-rhyming is the bread and butter of Busdriver's unique staccato style.
Like any good underground album, RoadKillOvercoat's lyrics range from criticisms of the music industry to self-deprecating claims of inferiority, as well as the occasional political innuendo. While significantly more abrasive than his previous albums, it's still possible to appreciate its melodic undertones. In fact, Busdriver's rapping complements the heavy bass beats as often as it does the overall melody of the song.