Cool Planet

Sounds like GBV. Better than the bad stuff, not as good as the great stuff. Some (fairly) cleanly produced rockers. The slow ones are slower and less experimental than they used to be. As always, a few standout tracks. Tobin Sprout explores americana, metal, and sad piano pop which was entertaining if nothing else. Recommended: 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 18. FCC on 1.

1. (2:22) FCC pissed; mid-tempo repetitive guitar riff and stadium anthem chorus
2. (1:42) "fast crawl," slow song
3. * (1:23) Sprout strikes again! cheesy guitar riff and 60s psych vocals
4. (2:04) Bob gets sappy
5. * (1:32) some dude's hat is on fire! high energy singalong
6. (2:00) heavy riff, heavy drums; does it build? yes, it builds.
7. (1:21) woah 3/4 this feels weird; actually still sounds like rock n roll
8. (3:45) sometimes Tobin Sprout's vocals sound like a bad Dylan impression - this is one of those times; end is sappy
9. (2:08) dramatic acoustic strums, very abstract lyrics
10. * (1:02) reminds me of Glad Girls, which I like and I don't care what you think
11. (2:15) Sprout goes metal? it's called "The Bone Church." at least he's getting his feelings out.
12. * (2:05) they should make a music video where Bob is singing this song while sitting in couples therapy
13. (2:37) slow and not terribly interesting
14. (1:06) Sprout sings over solo piano. I really hope he's doing alright.
15. (1:14) cream of lung? gross.
16. (2:53) mid-tempo, lethargic vocals
17. * (3:04) "Ticket to Hide" sadly not a parody of the Beatles; reminds me of Awful Bliss
18. * (1:56) on "Cool Planet" Bob FINALLY tells us what he thinks about global warming; jk but it's anthemic and fun