Nerf Herder

Nerf Herder

Punk music hasn’t been this fun since Dookie. Maybe it’s because Green Day’s simple three piece sound hasn’t been matched until now. Maybe it’s because their last record sucked.

Or maybe it’s because head Nerf Herder Steve (a self-described Pez dispenser collector) sounds incredibly similar to Billy Joel.

Whatever the case, Nerf Herder’s debut is a keeper.

The music is amazingly catchy and easy to keep a beat. The guitar is simple, but varies from track to track.

Nerf Herder’s real strength, however, is in its lyrics. The band’s first single, and the song that lead them to signing a major record deal, is a perfect example of the hilarious issues Nerf Herder tackles.

Appropriately titled “Van Halen,” the song tells the story of how one of their favorite bands was destroyed by one man’s greed and another man’s hairline.

Other totally hip tunes on the record include “Diana” and “Golfshirt,” two tracks that master the punk maneuver of suddenly stopping singing and letting the drum beat carry the song into a different tempo.

The band’s not-so-serious attitude on recording is evident on “You’re Gonna Be The One Who’s Sorry.” A strikingly familiar drum beat opens the song and Steve picks up with the first couple words of the George Harrision classic “I Got My Mind Set On You.”

Say goodbye to green hair and tongue rings and hello to plaid pants and collared shirts with name stitchings.

4 stars

— Corey Moss

When We Were Kings

Various Artists

Along with the film, the soundtrack for When We Were Kings has been in the works for over twenty years.

And like the movie, the soundtrack attempts to document the effect that Muhammad Ali’s legendary Rumble in the Jungle with George Foreman had on the public. The disc does this with several live performances from the 1974 pre-fight concert in Zaire.

When We Were Kings also has three new songs on its play list.

The first is a new and far-from-disappointing cut from the Fugees called “Rumble in the Jungle” and features Busta Rhymes, Forte and A Tribe Called Quest.

The title cut is performed by Brian McKnight and Diana King and resembles an African freedom song translated into English.

The drums in the background have an almost Lion King effect, making it one of the better songs on the disc.

The third new song is performed by Zelma Davis and is called “I’m Calling”. It’s a dance song full of synthesizers and mixed with background singers singing in African dialect.

But the live tracks from such acts as the Spinners, James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, and the Jazz Crusaders are what make the album. Each song brings a stronger feeling to the overall effect of the pre-fight mood.

Not a bad purchase, especially for those interested in Ali and the music of that time..

3 1/2 stars

— Rhaason Mitchell

Bombs and Butterflies

Widespread Panic

Widespread Panic’s latest release, Bombs and Butterflies, makes another step in the band’s procession from the lively, wild and stimulating style of its first few albums towards the finite and strongly composed (not to mention, radio friendly) style of their latest albums.

On this album, the band’s showboating tendency of superbly clean production style and concrete foundations is its salvation.

Butterflies’ opening rumblings of “Radio Chart” are sure to bring rise to distant memories of late ’70s Grateful Dead albums such as Shakedown Street and Go to Heaven. “Radio Chart’s” disco rhythms and tones give another angle to Widespread’s growing repertoire of rhythmic arrangements and their wonderful use of vocal harmony.

The bass lines of this tune can only conjure up melodies of the Saturday Night Live soundtrack.

“Aunt Avis” restores my faith in this album with Widespread’s patented groove of little magic organs and keyboards floating around in the psychedelic backdrop painted by its rhythm section. The trend continues on “Tallboy,” an easy highlight on the album.

This rhythmically dynamic song has silky guitar melodies dripping from its edges, which contrasts nicely with its tight groove and rough vocal harmonies.

“Graddle” is the strongest ballad on the recording with credit going to singer John Bell for his wonderful use of melody to pick up for the droning Hammond Organs.

Bombs and Butterflies is the same traditional Widespread groovy acoustic music that it built their church on. The disc also touches on a variety of disco-like rhythms, gut-wrenching Eagle’s-like guitar and beating rock tunes.

With five albums now on the shelves, Widespread is still writing strong, creative and consistent albums.

Even though the recording style is far more sterile than their previous recordings and some tunes such as “Radio Child” and “Rebirtha” awaken dreams of Tazzles and 10,000 watt dance floors of the ’70s, this disc still stays in the changer.

4 stars

— Michael Faas

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All ratings are based on a scale of zero to five stars, with five being David Lee Roth and zero being Sammy Hagar.