Download Report

FIONA APPLE
BEACH BOYS
THE IDLER WHEEL
THAT’S WHY GOD MADE THE RADIO
EPIC
CAPITOL
Sometimes when a star is born, their light burns brightly and quickly.
Nearly sixteen years ago, a very young Fiona Apple saw her star shoot
to the top with a frightening amount of energy. It was so fast, in fact, that
she found herself rapidly retreating from her own limelight, as though
she saw the potential for burnout at such a blazing pace. Fortunately,
Apple had the keen self-awareness to save up her energy, taking time
to be authentic and natural rather than try to keep up with the standards
of a fickle music industry. Wise beyond her years, lyrics and thoughtfully appointed songcraft demonstrate Apple’s maturity and meticulous
artistry. The Idler Wheel (a shortened title - the official title is many
words longer...) features tasteful arrangements around piano and rumbling drums, brushy and jazzy as on “Left Alone” and sometimes the
drums are so spare they are hardly noticeable, as in “Werewolf.”
Apple’s maturity makes her confessional nature more relatable and
palatable than perhaps it was when she was a mere youngster, age
lending credibility to experience. The album closes with something near
mirth with “Hot Knife,” a manic duet between Apple and her sister,
Maude Maggart.
No, this isn’t a re-release or an official re-master or a greatest hits compilation. This is the first studio album from The Beach Boys in sixteen
years. In fact, this is the first album the band has released featuring original material since 1992. Recorded to mark the 50 year anniversary of
the band, there are moments of the aptly titled That’s Why God Made
the Radio when all the bands who’ve borrowed from Brian Wilson’s
painstakingly layered textures and velveteen harmonies fade into the
background, leaving Wilson lingering in the spotlight, totally unadorned
by irony. After all, The Beach Boys do come from that era where irony
was left to Faulkner and moustaches were actually edgy. Many of the
tracks are simply working to strike a balance between the group’s origins
while working in the textures of today’s production sounds, as in the soda
fountain foot tapper “Spring Vacation.” While the album has several
tracks from which to choose, “Daybreak Over the Ocean” may find itself
as the beach anthem of Summer 2012. “Strange World” and “Isn’t It
Time” playfully muse over The Beach Boys’ life span. The poignant
“Summer’s Gone,” perhaps a fond lament of youth’s fleeting nature, closes the album.
JULY
2012
THE OFFSPRING
BODEANS
MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER
DAYS GO BY
AMERICAN MADE
ASHES AND ROSES
COLUMBIA
FREE & ALIVE RECORDS/MRI
ROUNDER/CONCORD
The Offspring may have coined the original Orange County sound
for the mainstream listener back in the early nineties, spawning an
entire generation of party rockers who referenced genres from
thrash punk to reggae. Days Go By proves that the band can still
rock out the party anthems with just as much zeal and carefree
genre mixing as they did two decades ago. Once again under the
guidance of producer Bob Rock (Aerosmith, Metallica) Days Go
By positions itself in stark contrast to The Offspring’s 2008 release,
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, which was also produced by
Rock. The album seems to celebrate the twenty successful years the
band has had since their second studio album, Ignition. It even
includes a reimagining of a track from that album, “Dirty Magic.”
With a new drummer in tow, the band has spent the last several
years refining their sound, both in the studio and on the road. The
lead single and title track exemplify this in every way, with slick
production and super-catchy hooks. For a band that’s been together since 1984, The Offspring certainly have maintained every bit
of their youthful enthusiasm for what it is they do.
Some bands get their big break from a good licensing deal. This
was the case with The BoDeans, who after a decade as a band
landed their catchy, concertina driven track “Closer To Free” as the
theme song for TV’s “Party of Five.” They spent a large portion of
their career fighting the label “Roots Rock,” insisting on their status
as an Alternative band, until they finally realized that Alternative
was a far less informative and compelling label to have. Since
embracing their Wisconsin roots, they have maintained an
admirably consistent level of success on the adult contemporary
charts. Perhaps what has served the band best is their wholesome
brand of Americana, like Mellencamp if he never smoked or drank.
The aptly titled American Made finds the band dealing with inherently American themes, from television (“Jay Leno”) to a drifty,
spare, cover of Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire.” “Absolutely” is a
straight ahead bar ballad and “Don’t Bring Me Down” could be a
Chicago blues tune. All in all, the band has mastered delving into
its own roots and perfected a fail-safe songwriting formula that has
delivered what will surely be another success of The BoDeans.
Once in awhile, country music generates a songwriter whose
appeal is so universal and instantaneous, they cross over into allmusic territory. Mary Chapin Carpenter is one such musician. Her
deep alto voice is gently expressive and her guitar playing carefully crafted in the folk tradition. Some of her songs are so charming
they come off like a Nora Ephron story, as though Tom Hanks or
Meg Ryan is playing the character in the songs. Carpenter is a
writer first, making her song content more substantial than that of
many of her contemporaries. Ashes and Roses, her twelfth album,
seems a deeply personal and intimate account of love and death,
just as the title would suggest. “What To Keep and What To Throw
Away” tells the story that so many experience as they sort through
the effects of a deceased loved one. By contrast, the serene “I Tried
Going West” is expansive and anthemic. “Soul Companion,” a
duet with James Taylor, reveals the sharp contrast between
Carpenter’s deep alto and Taylor’s placid Tenor. Ashes and Roses’
production is both organic and natural, as though you were hearing Carpenter performing live in a small room.
VARIOUS
BLUES TRAVELER
PROJECT X: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE
SOUNDTRACK
SUZIE CRACKS THE WHIP
WATERTOWER MUSIC
After 25 years of playing together, Blues Traveler found themselves
at a point where they needed a little outside inspiration. For Suzie
Cracks the Whip, the band brought in a new set of writers. As a
follow-up to 2008’s mellower North Hollywood Shootout, the
album shows a return to the pop hooks and high energy roots rock
that first garnered the band its greatest album success. The first
track, “You Don’t Have To Love Me,” is also the lead single for
Suzie..., featuring a video that playfully traces the path of a harmonica all the way to frontman John Popper. You’ll be hearing a lot
of that one, so digging deeper to hear the mid-tempo shuffle, “Love
Is Everything (That I Describe),” a sweet and sentimental tune for late
evenings with family gathered round. “Nobody Fall In Love With
Me” captures Popper’s classically dry wit and sardonic delivery,
while the closing “Cara Let the Moon” showcases Popper’s voice in
a deeply intimate moment, cracking with tenderness and fluttering
with emotion. Blues Traveler seems to be settling more deeply into
their blues side, Suzie Cracks the Whip will assure their fans
they’re rooted firmly in catchy rock.
In the tradition of zany “What Could Possibly Go Wrong NEXT1?” comedy comes Project X, a story of three high school boys who throw a
party to impress that gets, well, comically out of hand. And what better
soundtrack for three skinny white kids to get into trouble to but a stellar
lineup of rock, house, hip-hop and dance music? In fact, the tracklist for
the film is so tight it’s actually kind of party inspiring, so maybe we can
have an out of control fete of our own? There are some obvious choices in the line up, such as 2 Live Crew and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, whose
appearances in party sequences have probably outnumbered any other
musical acts. But other more distinctive selections, such as a remix of
Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll” and Small Black’s “Despicable
Dogs” show some imagination on the part of the music editor for the
film. J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” and Nas’ “Nasty” are definitely high-energy
moments on the soundtrack, but there’s even some tenderness demonstrated by Four Tet’s “She Just Likes To Fight.” It’s a fun schmorgasboard
of party music, dappled with a couple of cinematic moments to round
out a great soundtrack.
429/SLG
JULY
2012
FLAMING LIPS
LIT
LITTLE FEAT
FLAMING LIPS AND HEADY FWENDS
THE VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM
ROOSTER RAG
WARNER BROS.
MRI
ROUNDER/CONCORD
The Flaming Lips have collaborated with many artists over the many
years of their long and storied career, but the collaborations that the
year 2012 brought to the band are as varied and intriguing as they
come. To document the diverse array of musical experiences the band
has realized over the past year, there is The Flaming Lips and Heady
Fwends. The range of artists involved tells us that The Flaming Lips are
not only likeable for their imaginations, but for their diplomacy, as
though this album has some unifying force to it that will heal all rifts in
the music world. Collaborations include avant-garde pioneers like Nick
Cave (“You Man, Human???”) and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band (“Do
It!”) By contrast, they also teamed with bands newer on the scene, like
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes (“Helping the Retarded to Know
God.”) They explore many musical possibilities, having attracted artists
ranging from Ke$ha and Biz Markie to Eryka Badu to Lightning Bolt to
Jim James (My Morning Jacket.) The Flaming Lips may leave no musical stone unturned before departing this earth. And maybe, with all the
Mayan Calendar talk we’ve heard, there is some urgency to their mission.
After an eight-year absence, Lit has resurfaced with The View From
the Bottom, a fairly literal account of the personal hardships the band
faced during their hiatus, including the very striking loss of their drummer to cancer. Rather than wallowing, the album seems to dig its heels
in and do some life-affirming in the fist-pumping, jaeger slinging style
that is so inherent to this breed of band. With a new drummer and
additional guitarist in the lineup, Lit called on producer Butch Walker,
best known for his work with artists like Weezer, Pink, and Avril
Lavigne. While the band spent much of the last three years figuring out
how to overcome the tragedy of their drummer’s passing, they seem to
have arrived at a place of self-assuredness, which has only been reinforced by their time on the road in front of The View From the
Bottom’s release. Songs like “Broken” seem like hype songs the band
sings in the mirror to remind themselves of their own endless power,
while “Partner in Crime” is a nod to their LA Rocker roots, with plenty
of crotch grabbing swagger. Lit could have gone dark after an eight
year absence, but clearly, this isn’t the case.
Keeping a band together for forty-plus years is no small feat. It’s been
nine years since Little Feat has released an album of original material.
In 2010, the band lost its original drummer, Richie Hayward, after a
long health struggle. Formed in 1969 in Los Angeles, Little Feat has
maintained the label as a rock band while exploring everything from
blues and funk to gospel and country. Additionally, the band, while
maintaining its two primary songwriters/front men, Lowell George and
Bill Payne, has had a revolving door of players pass through its lineup.
Rooster Rag includes four collaborations with Grateful Dead lyricist
Robert Hunter, including the Zydeco tinged title track, as well as two
covers - a Mississippi John Hurt song and one by Wilie Dixon. The
album is the recording debut for Gabe Ford, who replaced Hayward as
the band’s drummer. “A Church Falling Down” is a remarkable track,
with Spanish tinged guitar and smoky blues organ. The album is rounded out by appearances from Fabulous Thunderbirds harmonica man
Kim Wilson, Larry Campbell on fiddle, Aces Darrell Leonard on trumpet, and Joe Sublet on sax. Producer Johnnie Lee Schell even lends his
voice on a track.
LINKIN PARK
BOBBY WOMACK
LIVING THINGS
THE BRAVEST MAN IN THE UNIVERSE
WARNER BROS.
XL RECORDINGS
American rock band Linkin Park is one of those rare bands whose energy, angst and good luck caused their debut album to skyrocket them to
fame. They have held such a high place in the eyes of their fans that in
2003, MTV named them the sixth greatest band of the music video era
and the third best of the new millennium. With all these superlatives flying around, it would be easy to doubt Linkin Park’s potential for
longevity. Yet, the band formed in 1996, and sixteen years later, have
surfaced with yet another album with potential for superlative grabbing
status. Living Things finds the band comfortable in its own skin, using
textures they’ve been exploring with more confidence and precision.
Drawing from personal experience and inspired by the hard metal
sounds that have driven the band since the start, they have produced,
along with Rick Rubin (Audioslave, Slipknot,) a tightly wound, energetic
album, complete with compositional sequencing and jagged guitar riffs.
The lead single for Living Things sounds remarkably both like a contemporary and futuristic version of a Linkin Park. Expansive and emotive, Living Things is full of the hooks and riffs that made Linkin Park
an overnight success.
The album opens, “I got a story I want to tell...” Bobby Womack is
one of those artists who has both transcended and survived time.
From his humble beginnings as a guitarist in Sam Cooke’s band,
Womack has grown a 50 plus year career of repertoire exploring
R&B, rock, soul and country. Never shying away from interesting
collaborations, Womack toured with The Faces in the 1970s and
more recently has appeared on a Gorillaz album. The latter of those
collaborations has yielded the material of Bravest Man in the
Universe, an album that finds Womack in a mystical position as an
ancient voice in a modern setting. Once more collaborating with
Damon Albarn (Gorillaz, Blur) and adding XL Records owner-producer Richard Russell, Womack is set free to explore his voice in a
pure and laid-bare manner. All the songs were written in the studio,
and range from trip-hoppy and psychedelic as “Nothing Can Save
Ya” to naked and stark, as in “Deep River.” Guest appearances
include a lovely collaboration with Lana Del Ray on “Dayglo
Reflections.” Bravest Man in the Universe has the potential to create for Womack an entire new generation, or set of generations, of
devoted followers.
HOT CHIP
IN OUR HEADS
DOMINO
British electronica five-piece Hot Chip has as much a penchant for
humor as they do catchy dance music. Over the years, some of
their antics have given way to songs driven by sincerity. In a time
when even irony has become ironic, sincerity is almost a shock,
especially when it is built around electronic beats and synths.
When bands like this reveal that they do, in fact, have hearts inside
their chests, it gives their listeners courage to be perhaps a little
more vulnerable. “Don’t Deny Your Heart,” while deliciously 80s, is
as romantic as an Erasure tune. “Look At Where We Are,” is a sultry plea with an R&B backdrop. The mid-tempo “Now There Is
Nothing” is insistently catchy with meter changes and textural interests. There is still room for a bit of humor, too. “Night and Day”
drips with sex, but it’s all so playfully executed: “The way I feel
about you, baby / in the middle of the night / There’s just one thing
that I can do / to make me feel alright ... Let’s sweat...” In spite of
giving way to a softer side, the one thing that is constant about Hot
Chip is their ability to write and record earworms.
JULY
2012
SMASHING PUMPKINS
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW
OCEANIA
CARRY ME BACK
MARTHA’S MUSIC
ATO RECORDS
When Smashing Pumpkins broke through to the mainstream in the early
90s, it was for their riotous, psychedelic brand of rock, awash in shoe-gazer
guitars and pounding cymbals. As the band progressed, frontman and
songwriter Billy Corgan explored many textures and production styles ranging from lushly orchestrated tracks to electronica driven pop tunes, even
amidst harsh scrutiny from fans and haters, alike. Oceania seems to be a
culmination of all those years of study and experiments. It’s a grown up
album for Corgan under his moniker Smashing Pumpkins. However, the
lineup has changed completely since the days of Gish and Siamese
Dream. The self-aggrandizing Corgan has finally found a band with
enough backbone to compliment his strong musical persona. The songs of
Oceania have a uniquely organic sound to them, and somehow, Corgan
is actually upstaged by the music. “The Celestials” is a genuinely tender
song underscored by soft strings and light percussion, while “My Love Is
Winter” is a contemporary anthem that would hold up to a Coldplay song
or fit comfortably in the context of a Twilight soundtrack. “The Chimera” has
that guitar drive that originally made Smashing Pumpkins so contagious,
and album closer “Wildflower” is a grievous lament: “I’m wasted along the
way...”
Old Crow Medicine Show have dedicated their careers to keep old
country alive and kicking - with force. A hard working band who got
their big break busking outside of a drugstore, OCMS have toured
relentlessly, as troubadours of a different era, and have gained a massive following for their energetic live performances. Produced by Ted
Hutt (Dropkick Murphys, Gaslight Anthem,) Carry Me Back is a lovely album that brings together the band’s usual smattering of originals
and old-time tunes. The album alternates between manic square dance
tunes and whiskey soaked waltzes. “Levi” is a lovely country tune showcasing Ketch Secor’s fiddling and the band’s tight vocal harmonies.
“Ain’t It Enough” is a direct and fond plea for love amidst the quickly
passing course of time. But the band’s energy is captured perfectly in
the rambunctious “Mississippi Saturday Night” and “Sewanee
Mountain Catfight,” both of which showcase the band’s magnificent
chops as well as their penchant for country-style storytelling and humor.
Their version of “Country Gal” will likely find them a revisit on Garrison
Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” in the upcoming months, but it’s
the heartfelt album closer “Ways of Man” that will get many late-night
spins on the turntable.
AESOP ROCK
MATISYAHU
SPARK SEEKER
SKELETHON
FALLEN SPARKS/THIRTY TIGERS
RHYMESAYERS
Socially conscious rapper Matthew Paul Miller, better known by his
Jewish name/stage name, Matisyahu drew listeners in by combining traditional Jewish themes and chants with reggae beats and
vocal delivery, all while dressed in garb that paid reference to
Hasidic culture. In 2011, Matisyahu shocked followers and fans by
shaving off his beard and proclaiming “No more Chassidic reggae
superstar.” Spark Seeker was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Kool Kojak (Nicki Minaj, N.A.S.A., Three 6 Mafia.) The
beard came of as a symbol of Matisyahu’s apparent rebirth, which
is exemplified on the album, which does in fact lose the reggae
stylings and go for more pop sensibilities. While he is surely taking
risks as an artist, and no doubt some fans will be put off by the
change, Matisyahu at the very least seems to feel he has tapped
into something more honest about himself as his life experiences
have shaped him. The album is quite positive, on the whole, but
hasn’t lost any of that urgency he was so careful to cultivate in the
earlier part of his career. The lead single, “Sunshine,” has certainly already turned many heads with its decidedly upbeat sound.
Rolling Stone once called Aesop Rock Indie Rap’s “Wordiest Wordsmith,”
for his intense, abstract lyrics. His lyrical content can be so dense that he’s
been accused of sputtering nonsense, which he called preposterous. In fact,
he piles reference upon reference in his rhymes, ranging from nods to phenomena in pop culture and history to building allegorical content into stories, weaving giant metaphors through his tracks in serpentine fashion. It
can be dizzying, but his tight sequencing and use of layered rhythms and
textures creates an interest all its own. Aesop Rock has been a part of the
two indie rap collectives: The Weathermen and Hail Mary Mallon. After
five years without a solo album he has returned with a much-anticipated
solo effort. Skelethon is a poetic and introspective album born of deep
personal struggles and loss. Self-produced, Skelethon features guest
appearances from Kimya Dawson (The Moldy Peaches,) Hanni El-Khatib,
longtime collaborator Rob Sonic (Hail Mary Mallon,) and DJ Big Whiz
(Grimace Federation.) Its tracks range from angry and direct to emotional
dry and distant. In any case, Skelethon marks a serious turning point in
Aesop Rock’s career, and may well introduce him to a broader audience.
JULY
2012
ALBERTA CROSS
CITIZEN COPE
JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD
SONGS OF PATIENCE
ONE LOVELY DAY
HYPNOTIC KNIGHTS
ATO RECORDS
MRI
WARNER BROS.
Alberta Cross have an impressive touring resume, having toured
with artists ranging from Coldplay to Neil Young and saw their rise
to success after a successful run of shows at Coachella and
Bonnaroo in 2008. But it’s what they do in the studio that seems so
impressive. The band is able to tap into the same epic creative pool
demonstrated by bands such as Pink Floyd. This is likely more due
to the band’s process than anything, which involves a little selfimposed isolation and some good old fashioned party favors. The
result of their most recent stint getting lost in the wood involved a
freezing winter in a cabin near Woodstock, NY, where the band
holed up for retreat and song experimentation. The material they
gained from that session largely informed Songs of Patience, a
haunted and expansive collection of songs. The album’s opener,
“Magnolia,” is driven by an ambient wash against a steady drum
march. “Come on Maker” has just a little bit of Oasis in it, or is it
John Lennon? Well, the lineage is certainly there. The one true
rocker is “Money for the Weekend (Pocket Full of Shame),”a raucous tune that come from the west coast rather than the east.
The success of Citizen Cope’s career has somehow mostly hinged
on a loyal fanbase created largely by word of mouth and extensive
touring. He began as the DJ for Washington D.C. hip-hop group,
Basehead, but soon, he signed with Capitol Records and began his
songwriting career. His songs have since been performed by artists
ranging from Dido to Slipknot to Richie Havens. Following that, he
saw numerous songs licensed for television and film, including
shows like TV’s Scrubs and movies such as Trust the Man, becoming an unexpected household name. With every step up the ladder
of success, Cope has taken more control of his career, most recently by forming his own record label, Rainwater Recordings. The
nouveau hippie songwriter has been hailed as a genius and
accused of being oversimplified. One Lovely Day is simple and
lovely, just as it suggests, and the preview of the album at Electric
Ladyland Studios featured a string quartet. The title track is plainspoken and straightforward, its melody light and singable. Fusing
hip-hop with folk, soul and blues, the modest and humble singersongwriter Cope comes across even more down to earth than his
feel good contemporaries like Jack Johnson.
Flatly affected pop with fuzzed out guitars used to be the norm
back when Weezer reigned supreme. It all but disappeared when
Weezer jumped the shark, but Jeff the Brotherhood swooped in
just in time to save the genre. Only the band is a duo and they’re
not from LA, but are from Nashville and they incorporate just
enough psychedelic texture to keep it from veering into boring territory. The two brothers, neither of whom are named Jeff, play a
brand of this music that is infused as much with garage rock as
with pop or punk. This sound got the attention of Jack White, who
invited the duo to help with a single he was releasing on his label
Third Man. Hypnotic Knights, which was teased with a four song
EP, uses the duo’s flat affect to volley witty anecdotes over simple
chord structures. “Six Pack” has all the hallmarks of a summer
anthem, while “Mystic Portal II” could have been recorded by any
CBGBs era garage rock band from the 1970s. “Hypnotic Mind” is
punky and silly and fun, and will likely be the catchy, riffy breakup
song for many a teenager for months to come.