Customer Reviews

Turbo Ocho (W/Dvd) (Dig)

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

 

 

I had the immense privilege of watching this project unfold daily online and being at the concert at JJ's Cantina in Rocky Point, Mexico. For those of you who don't know, RCPM wrote and recorded a song per day in eight days and then debuted them at a concert at the end of the week. This CD is the culmination of that experiment. I've always loved this band but the quality of what was created, under so much pressure and such a short period of time is incredible. This CD is NOT "pretty good for only being done in eight days". This CD is better than a lot of what you've heard in a very long time! My personal faves: State of the Art- it's just a musically perfect song. Every part contributes so much to the whole (and who doesn't love Sha-la-la's!!) Summer #39- When I first heard it I mentioned to some friends that the song makes me sigh with contentment every time I hear it. A million listens later and that hasn't changed. Mercy- Just... wow. Persephone- This one will haunt you.

8 songs written and recorded and distributed in 8 days.

A daunting task that few artists would choose to undertake, but after the chilly reception of their previous album due to what some have called it's over-produced sound, Roger Clyne and Cliff Norrell hatched this plan. And let's just say it worked.

The the visceral and raw sound that emanates from the speakers elicits a feel that these songs weren't just forced out, but needed to be made. It is a cathartic album that stands more as a statement to it's bold attempt than for any individual song, and that statement is "We still got it."

The great thing about this album is that when they get their ideas, they fire them off, and move on. There's no sitting around with a song, playing with it for three weeks or a month, only to find that the one chord is still alluding them, and junking it. Here it's get it down and move.

This is an album that both the band and the fans can be proud of. This is what happens when a band strips itself bare and finds out what's at it's core. And for Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, this is a very good thing.

If you are unfamiliar with RCPM, this might just be the introductory album for you, alluding to their previous work, while not repeating it.

This record/DVD combo just proves what Roger, PH, Steve & Nick (as well as producer Clif Norrell & unofficial 5th member Jason Boots) have at their core...pure greatness...after stepping outside their comfort zone and putting creative pressure on themselves...just to see if it could be done, success or failure...

The task...go down to Cholla Bay, Mexico, set up shop in a house, bring a portable studio...and do 8 songs in 8 days, everything from creation to arranging, recording as a band, mix and master, 1 song per day, from morning to night...and they gosh darn pulled it off!!!

I still think their prior album, "No More Beautiful World" was their best, and this is almost as great. Some cool and unexpected new directions, and it's really fresh. Here's the breakdown:

1-- "I Speak Your Language"...a cool, albeit typical, Roger pop tune, relaxing and upbeat and breezy and catchy.

2-- "State Of The Art"...really creative and complex...this gave Steve a migraine headache woking out the parts...but totally satisfying and melodic...

3-- "I Know You Know"...killer loud powerpop!!! Sorta like Tom Petty meets Cheap Trick meets AC/DC...yes really...for some reason, the chorus reminds me of "Cigarette Dangles" by Canucks ThePursuitOfHappiness...it's all good.

4-- "Summer #39"...atmospheric alt-country...with a haunting dobro slide part by Steve...done spontaneously and awesomely.

5-- "Mercy"...whatta song!!! Has a hook that hits you between the eyes, and a great, passionate vocal by Roger...one of RCPM's finest moments, easily.

6-- "I Can Drink The Water"...very cool, jammy but catchy, War-like tune, with a complex arrangement and bilingual lyrics...sounds like tough one to work out, but they did it...written on a boat on the ocean...sure sounds like it!!!

7-- "I Do"...sorta like a cousin of "I Know You Know"...loud powerpop that kicks arse!!!

8-- "Persephone"...see "Summer #39", but solo and Steve adding atmospherics.

More tunes added: 9-- "Manana"...a party tune that started as a goof in Day 5's closing video...never meant to be a song at all, until the band got requests to turn it into a song, so they did, and it's fun fun fun.

10-- "Captain Suburbia"...a holdover from NMBW that fits better here...Roger's kids sing harmony on the "Hey Now" part...a catchy tune that grew on me.

11-- "Mexicosis"...another holdover, first featured on their iTunes-only EP "Four Unlike Before"...it's a catchy but quirky ditty that grew on me as well.

Now, that's not all...along with this 11-track platter of greatness, a Jason Boots shot-and-edited DVD is included, documenting the whole "Turbo Ocho" experience, broadcast over the internet as "Vivacasts", and then some...this sucker is over 2 1/2 HOURS long!!!! Talk about value for money, and you see Roger & the guys in their element and having fun, plus interviews and some footage from their JJ's Cantina show in Rocky Point, after "Turbo Ocho" was finished.

It all cements RCPM"s greatness, period.

Creative people like to try new things, but the artificial deadline the band imposed on itself to create the songs on this disc resulted in songs that needed more work. That's too bad, as Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers have proven themselves to be one of the best bands going. If you are new to the band, I would suggest sampling one of their other albums first.

I've been a fan of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers for several albums now. I would highly recommend any of their albums to anyone who enjoys real good music. And I would definitely also recommend the newest "Turbo Ocho" too.

When I put the CD in, it gave me that nice familiar feeling of listening to a Roger Clyne album. That's not to say that change is bad, but this newest keeps in the tradition of the older albums. He's not really changing it up and throwing a huge curveball by doing some funky, crazy experiments here.

I like to describe Roger Clyne's music as this - do you like that old school John Cougar Mellancamp and maybe back when Bon Jovi was making awesome records? And do you like a little Mexican flavor thrown in? Because that's basically what you've got here.

Listening to the album brings a smile to my face. I can't see how you couldn't hate/ dislike this album. It's just good ol fashioned guitar-based Americana/ alt-country music at its finest, with a little salsa thrown in.

I think this is a very solid album. A worthy addition to my collection. It's maybe not the best place for a newbie to start, but it's a hundred times better than a lot of the other CD's you could be buying.

Turbo Ocho is the new album by Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. For this album the band went to Mexico and created eight new songs in eight days (one per day). After creating the new song, the band performed the new song for the fans (no, I wasn't one that was down there) and posted them on the web (yes, I was one that listened on the web). For the album the band rounded out the play list to 11 songs. The songs:

I Speak Your Language - A good solid pop love song! Excellent lyrics with the band sounding good!
State of the Art - Excellent lyrics with a little South of the Border sound. Excellent flamingo style guitar sound.
I Know You Know - Upon hearing this I couldn't help but think of Roy Obersons Pretty Woman. Another love song, it doesn't do what I Speak Your Language does, but nicely done.
Summer Number 39 - This reminds me of some of the ditties I've heard from '30/'40's style country/folk music. An excellent look at a year in love. The lyrics are great, done as only Roger can. Musically, this is the most unique song and I look forward to seeing how this plays out live!
Mercy - A song of personal relationships where one must have mercy (sorry, this is one of the harder ones to summarize). Nicely done, but just blends into the rest of the album.
I Can Drink the Water - For me this is the weakest song on the album. A South of the Border song dealing with A jazzy little piece with a little brass thrown in (reminds me of Wars Low Rider).
I Do - An excellent piece that reminiscent of The Sex Pistols or Cheap Trick. A future tribute song to Rock! Should be excellent live!
Persephone - A beautiful love ballad using Persephone from Greek mythology as a back drop. Excellent in all fashions. Very different from the rest of the album.
Manana - A fun south of the border ditty that set a South of the Border attitude of relaxing a doing things in good time, party first, relax second.
Captain Suburbia - A favorite of mine. Roger bumping himself with how he's become in his 30's what he didn't want in his 20's. I am Captain Suburbia and I love this song. An excellent rendition with I believe his kids in the background at the end.
Mexicosis - A fun song that's reminiscent of Big and Rich. Not a favorite of mine, but captures a certain flavor...

Overall, this album is stronger than No More Beautiful World and shows the diversity of the band with different play styles and excellent lyrics. I was impressed with each song, especially the fact that the band generated each one in one day, an amazing feat especially considering the quality of the music. A five star album all the way!

I have been a RC fan since he was with the Refreshments and have been an avid RCPM fan since it was formed. I have bought every album and seen him live more times than any other band I like (including going to Mexico for his Circus Mexicus weekend party). He is by far my favorite artist and I respect the hell out of him and his whole band. But, I hate to say, I was very disappointed with Turbo Ocho. It was a fun idea but it lacks the classic witty, clever, and intelligent lyrics that Roger is known for. It is too repetitive and not as melodic as his better albums. Sure, there are a couple good songs, but I feel it is his weakest effort to date. I am hoping it is just because they gave themselves a difficult goal to meet - obviously it is easier to write great 8 songs when you give yourselves a realistic amount of time to do so. For every 8 great songs a band writes, they usually have at least that many that didn't 'make the cut.' I think that the songs on T8 would have made a decent 'B-sides' collection.

I am hoping this is just an ugly zit on the RCPM discography and that future efforts will go back to likes of Americano and everything before it. Not that I don't like 'No More Beautiful World' but I like the earlier albums more (despite the fact that NMBW has my all time favorite RCPM song, 'Contraband'). And even if their future albums don't get any better, I will continue to see RCPM whenever they come to town as they are still the best and most fun band I've ever seen live.

ROGER - take your time writing your songs, please!

Ok first time reviewer. I 've always enjoyed RCPM but never really spent a ton of time learning much about them. When learning more about bands and such I've always been disappointed when you see what personalities are behind the music. The CD is great but what makes it better is to know it was done in only 8 days. I am behind the curve timewise on the purchase of this one as you can see but it has been on my things to do list. Living in Phoenix and having a constant case of Mexicosis the video portion of this package was great. It makes the CD 4 dimensional to know how it was created and executed. The personalities of the band are not what I had expected. They seem like regular dudes loving what they do. I wish them continued success and a long, long road of music making. If you want to escape the rat race and head south of the border even for just 45 minutes or so...I recommend this CD!

I love RCPM! I last saw them in July at the Waiting Room in Benson and as usual, they didn't disappoint. A lot of the songs from Turbo Ocho are highly addictive and beautiful - namely I Know You Know, Mercy, I Do and Persephone. If you're looking for your first RCPM cd, I recommend starting with 2007's No More Beautiful World ~ I've been a fan since The Refreshments days, but I think No More Beautiful World is RCPM's best album.

This is one of the best "Indy" bands to come along in years, live shows are a must.