Customer Reviews

S.T.R.E.E.T. D.a.D.

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't think there's really any way to express the abject astonishment I received when I first turned on this cd. It is by far the greatest cd to be printed this year. My earlier favorite was the Akufen album, My Way, on the Force Inc. label, but this is just so terrifically good, I can't resist telling you it's the best album of the year, as far as I'm concerned.

These 6 songs are among the most adventurous and thrilling tracks in the experimental, or post-rock genre. They make it look easy, but we know from the many many bands that have cropped up in the years since Tortoise put out its first full length, that it is not easy to rock the experimental.

I would suggest, without putting undo pressure on the members of Out Hud, that if they keep on making music this good they will rival Can as the most brilliant avant rock group. The music on Street Dad has all the playfulness, originality, and carefully structured force of Can's Tago Mago album, and all the beauty of it too.

As the somewhat jaded Amazon.com employee critic has suggested, a lot of the sounds on this album hark to the 80's era indie rock, the Cure, Soft Cell, Talk Talk, Sonic Youth and so on. But these are turned on their head, mashed up in the development of some of the most incredible, 21st century instrumental compositions I've heard. Out Hud are like nothing from the 80's, but you can't help hearing a respect for the more avant-garde sounds from that decade, as well as the one before and after it.

Nothing on this album fails at sounding organic. The live drums and the drum programming are both effortless and unique. Every instrument sounds perfect, and nothing is overdone.

This is an excited album, energetic, confident, and never misses a step. This is a band to watch, but more importantly, a band that has released its first masterpiece.

Just saw this group in SF, liked them and their energy so got the CD at the show. But, the CD was vastly different from what I saw on stage. Their stage show was definitely Stereolabish, especially with the two girls' vocal parts (on every song), but the CD doesn't have any vocals. Still, the CD is good, fresh, and I would highly recommend seeing them live!

Instrumental music never gets any attention. I've heard it a million times: "I don't like music without words". Miles Davis used to say music with lyrics tells you how to think, while instrumental music allows you to imagine on your own. With that in mind, you need to buy this!

Out Hud creates something of a hybrid of Durutti Column, New Order, Neu!, and Kraftwerk, to name just a few. The beats are danceable, the songs never repetitive. And odd touches like the cello in "The L Train...", along with bursts of odd noises, really make this and unusual and exciting listen. Taking a long road trip? Pop this disc in and bask in the cool beats of "Hair Dude.."

It's a pity music like this could never really be on the radio, and is relegated to cult listening. But if you join the cult, you won't ever want to leave. Fans of post punk, and other bands like LCD Soundsystem would be wise to check this out.

I got to see Out Hud when I was visiting Boston. This wasn't my first exposure to them, but it cemented my appreciation of them. I was curious to see how they made their music, and imagine my surprise when I saw they had a cellist. Honestly, I thought that the strings sounds were synthesized in some way, so to see a cello made my day for some inexplicable reason. Besides, any band that can make hipsters in Boston dance (I saw this with my own eyes) has to be good. And not just good... I mean good.
I would recommend this CD to anyone who likes dance music but doesn't want to listen to inane house music. I would recommend this CD to anyone, really.
"Hair Dude, You're Stepping on My Mystique" and "Dad, There's a Little Thing Called Too Much Information" are some of the most danceable indie songs I've ever heard and manage to be upbeat without being irritatingly perky. This is not the CD to get for the candy raver in your life. Funk, disco, rock, and techno styles manage to fuse without making the band seem like pretentious indies who want to lord their musical knowledge over everyone else. They seem to actually enjoy making music, and Street Dad is more than proof of that.

Remember the first time you ever heard New Order (if you're over 30), or my Bloody Valentine? This is that good--- blow off your dinner plans and lay on the floor and listen good. Stay in your car to hear more even though it's 95 degrees and you have no air conditioner good. Track 5 will knock your socks off if ya got socks ta knock, yo.

The beauty of this record is that the combination of rock and electronic do not feel forced. The two genres blend together so effortlessly that it takes a style all its own. I'm like the one reviewer who has never heard the "obvious" yet obscure influences. But who fookin cares! This is intelligent dance music without being boring and too technical. It's intelligent but a thouroughly enjoyable adventure. It seems to build all this tension until the climax/resolution of the brilliantly titled "The L train is a swell train and I don't want to hear you indies complain". Inspiring instrumental!

First off, I am not going to pretend to have been into all the groups that various reviews have stated were copied in the making of this album. I'm no modern music historian.
But I'm listening to it right now, and have been for the last 12 straight waking hours. This is amazing stuff. I found myself so wrapped up in the techno/new wave/rock sound that I couldn't figure out whether this was the best techno band to ever sample live instruments or the best rock band to ever simulate a techno outfit. Ambient passages (meant in the best possible way) give way to propulsive club beats and freaky sound effects (created mainly by guitar and violin). Melodies weave in and out of the ether created by guitars and sythesizers in a way unbeknownst to me since I first listened to Underworld's Dubnobasswithmyheadman. In fact, that is the best comparison I can draw...taking away all of Underworld's stream of consciousness lyrics and adding a more positive outlook.

I originally found out about Out Hud because a lot of the group's members are also part of !!!, who I love. While there are plenty of similarities between them, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. is definitely not a !!! record. For starters, there are no vocals. However, the same dry wit and tongue-in-cheek profanity of !!! are apparent in song titles like "The L Train is a Swell Train and I Don't Want to Hear You Indies Complain" and "My Two Nads."

Out Hud forgoes the explosive pop hooks of !!! in favor of sprawling tracks that still manage to sound tight and focused throughout. The epic 12-minute plus "The L Train..." is a gem, spreading a haunting theme across variations, each a little different but perfectly woven with the last.

The same could be said of the entire album. Every track adds a subtle new melody, a few sonic flourishes. The songs do stand alright on their own, but S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. is definitely heard best from start to finish.

Great music is dynamic music. STREET DAD is dynamic music. Strap on some headphones and listen to the soft pops and clicks, thumps, swells, taps, cries and bells as you step aboard a magically musical subway train headed for Cloud Nine. Look out the window and see glimpses of city streets pass by through the morning haze: tired faces, torn posters, tall buildings, smokestacks, graffiti, and old, unread newspapers tumbling down long stretches of asphalt. The sun bleeds through the towers and telephone polls the way a flame eats away a piece of paper. You're dazed and unsure of what's ahead but you don't care; you're fixed on those narcotic, rhythmic riffs.

Having listened though STREET DAD several times through, I still have yet to expect exactly how the music will take shape as I listen to it. The music moves un-monotonously forward, holding a melody just long enough to get your foot tapping before the next turn catches you by surprise and pushes you into another direction.

Purchase this album and experience something new and exciting. Then, if you enjoy the avant-garde mindtrip, you might also enjoy out some albums mixed by the famed European DJ, Sasha, such as "Involver" and "Fundacion NYC." But I digress. Your appreciation for fine electronic music will flower after a session with Out Hud's STREET DAD.

fyi- the band's name is Out Hud, not S.T.R.E.E.T.D.A.D., which is their CD's name.