Sean Lemme

I started blogging as a way to lazily pass my high school senior project and somehow I've kept doing it for more than half my life

New Albums are Boring

Los Campesinos – Romance is Boring

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. After two great albums (or one album and then an extended EP, which I believe is the official story) Los Campesinos came back this January with a new album. That’s right, I’m reviewing another slightly older album that I originally didn’t want to review because I doubt you guys will give it a chance, but now I want to even though it’s not relevant or meaningful to anyone. Anyway, the group, one member switched for her sister, hopped the pond over to the States to record the third (or second) album, which came out at the end of January. And boy, something was lost in translation.

This album oozes “oh, you liked what we did last time? Let’s try to do that again.” Which is fair, let’s face it, these guys and gals are like our age. But it feels forced. Like they figured out they could make a living out of something that was never intended to make it that far. The result is a collection of mostly hollow songs. Some manage to tap into what made the earlier work great, ending up as fairly charming. Others feel like they’re just ripping themselves off. And a few are painfully stupid.

So do I hate this album? No, not really. It was a huge disappointment at the time, but I can certainly listen to it all the way through. It’s simply not that special. Los Campesinos made a couple outstanding albums, and then tripped. Whether this will be the fall that kills them or just a little stumbling is yet to be seen. But they definitely need to prove themselves next time.

Favorite Tracks: “In Medias Res,” “We’ve Got Your Back,” “A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State or, Letters from Me to Charlotte”

Work It Out

Shout Out Louds – Work

I have been hesitant to review this album, since as far as I know you guys didn’t like the other two Shout Out Louds albums. But I had been waiting for this new LP for a long time and I’ve recently started listening to it a lot again. So I’m going to review it. It’s not like we listen to each other anyway.

Released way back in late February 2010, Work is another fine example of the Shout Out Louds doing what they do best. Which I guess is sound like the Cure. Or Bright Eyes. Or Phoenix. Or America. I don’t know if it’s because they’re Swedish or because they’re really good, but when I listen to the Shout Out Louds, I don’t just hear their influences. I hear catchy songs that I enjoy listening to.

Lyrically, the band is keeping it still somewhat dark, like in Our Ill Wills. It seems like all the songs are about suicide, mistakes and rejection. But beyond the lyrics, the music is simple and catchy. This is the definition of an album that gets stuck in my head. I’d say this is probably the band’s most consistent album.

My biggest complaint with Work is that it doesn’t feel as structured as Our Ill Wills did. That album had an incredible opening and built to a spectacular climax, while this is more of a collection of great songs. It’s a little bit Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, a little Our Ill Wills and a little something new. If that sounds good to you, I really recommend checking this out.

Favorite Tracks: “Fall Hard,” “The Candle Burned Out,” “Show Me Something New”

Conan Takes Back Showtime

By now I’m sure everyone’s heard that Conan O’Brien will be returning to television on TBS this November. As George Lopez’s lead-in. I mean, I would be happier, but did anyone really not expect Conan to be back on TV by the end of the year? He was just supposed to land a pioneering new show on Fox or innovate synergy or something. TBS?

I hoped he would somehow end up on Comedy Central. We already saw what great rapport he has with Colbert and Stewart during the writer’s strike, and then I would hardly ever have to change the channel. But I guess that would probably have Conan doing a show at midnight again, which we know he hates. And it’s not like Comedy Central would tell its most popular dudes to move for another potentially more popular host. Comedy Central knows better than to pull an NBC.

Instead Conan will be another entry in the crowded 11 p.m. field. Hopefully he can find an audience and make this work. But this certainly isn’t ideal.

Drop a Dookie

Continuing me trend of not really following Rock Band enough, I guess the final track list for Green Day: Rock Band is out. As they promised, the six songs from the last album that are already out as Rock Band DLC are playable in this game.

What is interesting is that Harmonix has no plans to release additional tracks for the game. I guess they feel like they’ve addressed everything the band has to offer. What do you think? Personally, this reinforces my belief that this is a game that probably should not have been made. So, are vocal harmonies and these tracks enough to justify your $60 this June?

Dookie (1994)
“Burnout”
“Having a Blast”
“Chump”
“Longview”
“Welcome to Paradise”
“Pulling Teeth”
“Basket Case”
“She”
“Sassafrass Roots”
“When I Come Around”
“Coming Clean”
“Emenius Sleepus”
“In the End”
“F.O.D.”

Insomniac (1995)
“Brain Stew”
“Jaded”
“Geek Stink Breath”

Nimrod (1997)
“Hitchin’ a Ride”
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”
“Nice Guys Finish Last”

Warning (2000)
“Minority”
“Warning”

American Idiot (2004)
“American Idiot”
“Jesus of Suburbia”
“Holiday”
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
“Are We the Waiting”
“St. Jimmy”
“Give Me Novacaine”
“She’s a Rebel”
“Extraordinary Girl”
“Letterbomb”
“Wake Me Up When September Ends”
“Homecoming”
“Whatsername”

21st Century Breakdown (2009)
“Song of the Century”
“21st Century Breakdown”
“Before the Lobotomy”
“Last Night on Earth”
“Peacemaker”
“Murder City”
“¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)”
“Restless Heart Syndrome”
“Horseshoes and Handgrenades”
“The Static Age”
“American Eulogy”
“See the Light”

DLC
“21 Guns”
“Know Your Enemy”
“East Jesus Nowhere”
“Last of the American Girls”
“¡Viva La Gloria!”
“Christian’s Inferno”

Anything missing? Personally, I’m just pumped about Smash Mouth’s “All Star” coming out as DLC this week.

Did You Know Jimi Rocked?

It was a big deal a couple years ago when Activision locked up Jimi Hendrix for the Guitar Hero games. But that sucked and I guess the Hendrix family agreed, because The Experience’s second album, Axis: Bold as Love, has been available for download in Rock Band since last week.

Did you know this? Do you still stay up-to-date with DLC announcements and still play the game regularly? I know I don’t. Every once in a while I check out what’s available, but I don’t buy new content as frequently as I used to. And all the while I’m getting worse at the game.

This is sad. You see, when Rock Band 2 came out, what I liked about it was that it could sustain itself as a platform. At the time, I thought it was pretty much as good as a rhythm game could get, and I was happy to see Harmonix wanted to keep the game as a platform for new musical releases, instead of perpetually putting out new games, like Guitar Hero. That’s why I’ve been so resistant to games like Lego Rock Band and especially Green Day: Rock Band. I like having everything in its right place, which is to say in one game.

But after a couple years, it seems like Harmonix will have to put out a new game to get me playing like I used to. The Beatles: Rock Band was a lot of fun for a while, but I’m talking about a Rock Band 3. And they seem to understand that, as there have been hints of the game coming out this year. All we really know is that it probably supports vocal harmonies. It’s just kind of a shame even something as exciting as Rock Band Network isn’t enough.

How to Train Dragons and Influence People

How to Train Your Dragon

Well, I guess I should start this review by saying I had no idea there was a book behind this movie. From what I’ve read on Wikipedia, the plot of the original book has little in common with the film How to Train Your Dragon, so I don’t think that puts me at a disadvantage. But I’m not reading that book regardless.

This film tells the story of Hiccup, a wimpy but brainy viking in a village of dragon-hunters. His incompetence has always made him an outcast, but that all begins to change when he befriends Toothless, the rarest and most powerful of all dragons, and discovers the truth about dragons. Hiccup is played by Jay Baruchel, who is having quite the year for seemingly no reason. The cast also features Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson, who go full on Scottish, and some more comedians, who don’t.

Anyway, this movie is definitely the good Kung Fu Panda-Shrek 1-Dreamworks CG adventure people older than five can actually enjoy. I’d say it’s probably even bordering Pixar quality.  That’s because so much of what works in this movie is told through the animation, especially the big eyes of the dragons. Toothless is pretty much Dreamworks’ WALL-E, and though he’s not even close to that compelling, they’re certainly on the right track.

The reason to see this movie is for the action. There are some fun dragon battles and a couple great flying sequences. The 3D is nice, but I’m not sure you have to see it that way. How to Train Your Dragon actually has a lot in common with Avatar: the outcast befriends his supposed enemies, rides the best dragon, and ultimately saves the day. And just like Avatar, it’s fun to watch. Do with that what you will.

Da Morgue Dot Org 2.0

Well, after a couple weeks of not so much posting. I thought I’d step up and get the ball rolling. And there’s no better way to do that than be redesigning the site. I think this new look is really bold, introducing the festivity we generate wherever we go while maintaining professionalism.

I expect to keep this design for a long time, as I obviously spent hours working on it over the past few weeks. So get used to it.