Review Day

There are no spoilers in these reviews.

Defamation of Strickland Banks by Plan B:
I first heard She Said on XM, one of the last songs I wrote down before cancelling the service. This album is the work of a British rapper (British rappers are always funny) and tells a complete story through a mix of rap and soul. She Said is easily the best song on the album, but all of them are pleasant enough to listen to. The timbre of his falsetto gets a little old after a while, and none of the other songs really have a memorable hook, probably because telling a continuous tale is somewhat at odds with developing catchy choruses.

Final Grade: B

Glee, Season One:
Glee is a musical comedy that teeters the line between the absurd and the overdramatic. Each episode tells the tale of a high school glee club (who, of course, look like grad students) which allows them to break out into song and mashups three or four times in an hour. The first two-thirds of the season are easily the strongest, and it kind of peters out into a disjointed free-for-all by the end, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching this season. Jane Lynch's character is easily the strongest, funniest part of the show.

Final Grade: B+

Illusion of Safety by The Hoosiers:
The original Hoosiers CD is still one of my favourite albums, so I had high expectations for their follow-up. I'm not sure how, but the group manages to create a catchy 80s sound while becoming even more indy than ever. There's a good mix of quiet tunes and arena songs, such as Glorious. I forsee this becoming one of my go-to CDs over time, even though it doesn't beat the original yet.

Final Grade: A-