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Neil Young
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Neil Young
Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968
(Reprise, 2008)
Neil Young is one of the most beloved figures in rock music to first emerge in the 1960s. He is also one of the most maddening. Much like Bob Dylan, Young has survived and thrived living by the motto “don’t look back.” He has impulsively left styles, bands, record company honchos, and even his fans shaking their heads in the dust as he veers off in yet another new musical direction. No goodbyes, thank yous, explanations, or reasons. When Young decides to move on, it’s best to just get out of the way. Again, like Dylan, it is this need not to be pigeonholed and stuck in one style of music, or with a particular group of musicians, that has allowed him to transcend being a relic or a caricature of the ’60s rocker, helping him to thrive and stay relevant.
Yet, without belaboring the point, like Bob Dylan, he is very much looking back of late, taking a journey through the past and searching through his vast vault (with the help of his archivist, Joel Bernstein) of unreleased material and putting out recordings made decades ago. This latest disc, Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968, from his Neil Young Archives Performance Series (the third released so far in this ambitious and endless project) is very much like the last one released in the series, Live at Massey Hall 1971, in that it is a recording of Young solo. However, in mood, temperament, and setting, even though the two CDs were from concerts only three years apart and begin with the same song, they couldn’t be more different. The Massey Hall show was a Canadian homecoming at a prestigious concert hall, marking a high point in Young’s early solo career and, even though Young cracked a few jokes, was tense, brooding, introspective, and at times distant, albeit a brilliant performance. This newest live solo show, recorded at Canterbury House, a small club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in November of 1968, is a loose affair, with Young telling long stories, endlessly cracking wise and seeming to be plain happy to have just left the circus that was the Buffalo Springfield.
One of the most influential bands in rock history, Buffalo Springfield had become an albatross around Young’s neck that he couldn’t wait to slip out of. During one of the more revealing raps on this sprawling, rambling, yet intimately warm recording, Young joyously recounted why he was happy to be performing solo in a club and not with the Springfield.
Those shows, he bitterly recalled, were mostly performed in front of throngs of screaming teeny boppers, with poor sound and with each individual member of the band seemingly playing on his own without a clue what the other musicians were playing. You can hear the joy and relief in Young’s voice to be free of that madness. However, the ghost of the group hangs heavy over this recording, with many of the highlights from his Springfield days, including “On the Way Home”, “Mr. Soul”, “Expecting to Fly”, “Out of My Mind”, “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing”, and “Broken Arrow”, all gloriously included here. Young may have left the group behind, but the bulk of the music here that stands out are his songs that appeared on those three Buffalo Springfield albums.
The CD only includes hints of the incredible solo albums yet to be released, although “The Loner”, “If I Could Have Her Tonight”, “I’ve Been Waiting for You”, “The Old Laughing Lady”, and “The Last Trip to Tulsa” are all included here. All would appear on Young’s self-titled solo debut album released the week this concert took place. There is also “Birds”, which would appear on After the Gold Rush. The title song here was previously released on Decade, Young’s first recording to include archival material, and in many respects it was the blueprint for this concept of plundering the Young vaults.
What is most curious about this CD is that in many respects it is nothing more than a warm-up for Young’s scheduled February 2009 10-disc Blu-ray/DVD box set, The Archives Vol. 01, covering the years 1963-1972 as an exhaustive collection of mostly unreleased music and video. This 20-years-in-the making set will be the most comprehensive archive overview any rock music artist has ever released.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]
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David Byrne & Brian Eno
David Byrne & Brian Eno
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
(Todo Mundo, 2008)
David Byrne and Brian Eno have only worked together a handful of times in the past, but on those recordings they made some groundbreaking music. Eno’s production on such Talking Heads albums as Fear of Music and particularly Remain in Light propelled the band to the forefront of post-punk music. Their blend of art-school punk, funk, and what has now come to be called world music changed music in the early ’80s. The two collaborated on the 1981 album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which even further reflected an arty take on African-inspired music. While the album didn’t entirely introduce found sounds to record making, it revolutionized the possibilities and made the duo pioneers in that arena.
While Eno’s solo work, collaborations with the likes of Robert Fripp and, of course, cult status as a brief member of Roxy Music made him a well-known figure among serious pop music aficionados, his work with Talking Heads and (to a lesser) extent Devo paved the way for his monstrous success producing U2. His production on the previous Byrne/Eno collaboration, as well as on this new release, dominates their sound, even though it is Byrne’s voice that is out front. It’s curious that the two have waited so long to work together again, especially considering that their previous collaboration was reissued in an expanded edition in 2006.
This new album, like much of the work that Eno is involved with, is dominated by his use of the recording studio as a laboratory for creating music from the ground up: Building soundscapes that become the backdrop for the songs. Although much of Eno’s productions have received wide acclaim, he often eschews conventional pop and rock musical structures. That said, the first two tracks on this album are surprisingly very un-Eno-like. “Home” and “My Big Nurse” not only have a fairly straightforward musical approach, belying Eno’s production past, but Byrne has also dramatically changed his vocal and lyrical stance here. Rather than the neurotic, alienated, and animated oddball feel of much of his work, the songs are heartfelt and nearly wistful.
Quickly dispelling the warm and fuzzy feel of the opening tracks, “I Feel My Stuff” soars off in spacey directions, with electronic loops, jarring choruses, and the duo’s trademark use of found sounds and instrumental treatments. The title cut is a dreamy meditation, with Byrne in a contemplative mood. The album again changes gears with another more conventional pop approach on “Life Is Long.” “The River”, with its ruminations on modern isolation, lyrically recalls Byrne’s signature Talking Heads style. “Strange Overtones” is not strange at all and, with its danceable beat, would be a hit in a better world. On “Wanted for Life”, Byrne’s hicuppy woops recalling his early vocal approach dominate a song that starts off almost like a parody but then builds into something quite substantial.
“One Fine Day” surprisingly reveals the artier side of both Byrne and Eno musically, while lyrically it showcases a very compassionate side. “Poor Boy” offers another chance to listen to Eno start a song and build it, with the mood, instrumentation, and ideas changing slowly, yet dramatically, from beginning to end. The album closes with “The Lighthouse”, another dreamy, ruminative track that conjures up romantic images of being at sea and finally seeing land. A special edition of this CD includes four bonus tracks.
For two musicians who are often thought of as fairly avant-garde, both seem to be drifting slowly to the center. Byrne is clearly content with his life and writes more about joy and domestic bliss. Eno, for all his experimental leanings, is one of the most successful artist-producers in music and, given his recent work with Coldplay, his upcoming work on the soon-to-be-released U2 album, and his rumored reunion with Roxy Music, he is surely one of the busiest.
Listen: Full album stream [at everythingthathappens.com]
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Belle and Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian
The BBC Sessions
(Matador, 2008)
Belle and Sebastian’s first two albums, Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister, were easily the best music I heard in 1996. The eagerly awaited The Boy With the Arab Strap was well worth the two-year gap, even though 2000’s Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant seemed to show a slight drop off in originality. Storytelling, in 2002, was a surprisingly cohesive effort, considering it was a soundtrack album to the Todd Solondz film of the same name, and only a few minutes of the music was actually used in the film. Dear Catastrophe Waitress from 2003 was produced by Trevor Horn, formerly of the Buggles and Yes, and I felt it was overproduced and a little forced, verging on being a rash attempt at reaching a wider audience. The band’s latest effort, The Life Pursuit, from 2006, seemed to point the band back in the right direction, but somehow for me the bloom has long been off the rose. However, it’s no surprise that at this uncertain time in the band’s career, it would release this curious collection of songs recorded live on the BBC.
It seems the BBC has been clearing out both its radio and television vaults over the past few years, given the quantities of CDs and DVDs being released. BBC recordings have often produced mixed results. The recordings are live, but with no live audience. Also, the availability of many but not all of the electronic accoutrements of the recording studio often leads to recordings that sound a little sterile and stiff. Such is the case on this single disc release edition. Nonetheless, fans of the group will have to add this album to their collection.
Most of the music here is from the group’s early period: Five tracks are from 1996, five are from 1997, and the last four, which are the weakest, are from 2001. The sound on the tracks from 1996 is a little ragged, but songs such as “Like Dylan in the Movies”, “Judy and the Dream of Horses”, and “The Stars of Track and Field” are the defining songs of the group’s early sound and, even in this sparse setting, remind us just how powerful the songs alone are without full studio embellishment. The tracks from 1997 start off promisingly with the lyrically adventurous “Seymour Stein”, but “Lazy Line Painter Jane” unfortunately lacks the atmosphere of the original studio version, as it’s somewhat disjointed and has moments that sound overblown. The tracks from 2001 for the most part work well. Group members other than Stuart Murdoch get a chance to spread their wings, particularly Isobel Campbell on the last recordings she did with the band.
A very limited edition of this release may still be available when you read this, with a bonus disc of a concert from 2001 recorded in Belfast. Other than “The Magic of a Kind Word”, the set includes songs not included on the first disc, along with three covers: “Here Comes the Sun” (the Beatles), “I’m Waiting for the Man” (the Velvet Underground), and “The Boys Are Back in Town” (Thin Lizzy).
This release of old material had initially fostered talk that the band was breaking up. This appears to not be conclusively true. The group has just finished recording the soundtrack to a film called God Help the Girl. However, there has been speculation that the soundtrack may, in fact, be a Stuart Murdoch solo project and not an official Belle and Sebastian group project.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]
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Travis
Travis
Ode to J. Smith
(Fontana, 2008)
Around the time Travis released The Man Who in the spring of 1999, I remember playing the album at a considerable volume at a Memorial Day weekend party at my house. A close friend, whose tastes are more refined than mine, only looked at me quizzically and laughed after a few tracks. He then said, in a not complimentary way, something to the effect of, “You love vocals, don’t you?” and then added: “This is too pop!” Those offhand comments may best sum up Travis. The group’s lead singer has a beautiful, expressive voice you can’t ignore, but overall, the group’s sound may be too poppy for many rock music fans. Too pop, maybe; often just plain too simple, definitely. For those who aren’t aware of the group, Travis is a band that has been around for some time now, but has never really broken through in America, although it has a quite large and enthusiastic following in the UK.
Formed in 1990, the band didn’t record its debut album, Good Feeling, until 1997. The Man Who in 1999 solidified the band’s reputation as Scot-born Britpopsters, with the songs “Driftwood” and “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” filled with ringing melodies, sing-along choruses, and Fran Healy’s sweet vocal lead. The Invisible Band in 2001 did contain “Sing”, another song with hit potential. Overall, it was a fine album, but it didn’t gain the band many new fans. In 2003, 12 Memories, an album that didn’t have as much of the sunny jangle of the group’s previous albums and tackled serious political and social issues, slowed its ascent. Last year’s The Boy With No Name portended a possible American breakthrough—the album’s first single, “Closer”, sounded like a sure hit—but it stalled on the US charts. The band’s sound had grown even simpler, and while the vocals were the highlight of its sound, the music and compositions showed little growth. Often the group’s music, while not entirely derivative, simply isn’t varied enough, nor does it possess a sustained originality or depth to grab the listener throughout an entire album. Also, the band had yet to embark on any really lengthy US touring. However, given the live feel of this new album, the material here should sound great in concert and some heavy stateside touring would certainly raise the group’s profile.
Travis seems determined on its new album to change its fortune. The group has left its UK and American record labels and is starting anew with a CD that points to a more original direction. Ultimately, though, it may not change the group’s success on the charts. Written at the Grove Music Studios in London, recorded at Rak Studios in London, and mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York, this is by far the toughest-sounding Travis album to date. The band was inspired to take this new approach, which included recording the whole album in two weeks, after working with famed Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick on the BBC’s 40th anniversary tribute to the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album last year. The album was produced by New York-based Emery Dobyns, who has previously worked with Suzanne Vega, Patti Smith, Leona Ness, Antony and the Johnsons, and Sia, as well as with Tchad Blake, with whom Travis previously worked.
It’s apparent right from the opening track, “Chinese Blues”, that the band is relying less on the sparse, layered guitar pop of its previous work, that lead singer Fran Healy’s vocals have a newfound power, and that the entire mix is intentionally placed right up front. The guitar feel brings to mind the opening vamp of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” The group’s drums have never sounded so heavy, yet the use of piano retains a keen sense of melody. “J. Smith”, the song about the imaginary character that gives the album its name, has an even bigger, bass-heavy sound, with the Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” moments leavened by tight harmonies. There’s grinding guitar work on “Something Anything”, and “Long Way Down” would not be out of place on a Nuggets compilation set. The brooding “Broken Mirror” introduces a subtle psychedelic production, no doubt influenced by its work with Emerick. “Last Words” harkens back to the best of the group’s earlier sound with Healy’s gorgeous signature vocal style on full display. The track also includes banjo, an instrument the group has used effectively in the past in a way that has nothing to do with country music. “Quite Free” may be the best track on the album, with its blend of acoustic and electric guitar. It illustrates the group’s ability as songwriters, a credit which is shared by three of the members of the group. “Get Up” brings the heavier rhythm sound back and, after slowing things down again on the haunting “Friends”, another truly fine composition, the group flies its Britpop flag proudly on the bracing “Song to Self.” The nostalgic “Before You Were Young” closes the album.
It’s hard to say if the band’s new sound and direction will translate into a more substantial breakthrough stateside, but what is clear is that the group does possess a harder, more forceful edge and may be entering a new phase in its evolution.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]
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Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
Cardinology
(Lost Highway, 2008)
Throughout this decade, there has perhaps been no solo artist more prolific than Ryan Adams. Since departing from Whiskeytown, Adams has released 10 albums and posted hundreds of tracks on his website. The albums he has made with the Cardinals, for my money, have been his best and most enjoyable, and this new album, Cardinology, may be Adams’ most confident and assured release to date.
While it’s no secret that Adams has battled excessive substance abuse of various kinds, he has recently cleaned up his act, and the results are perceptible on this new album. Although Adams has always been a great songwriter, his vocals here sound sweeter, stronger, and more confident, and display a range of nuance not previously evident. In past efforts, Adams has exhibited a melancholic pain in his vocals, and while I wouldn’t say there is an outright joy throughout, on many Cardinology songs he seems more content than ever before. The Cardinals have had a shifting lineup of players, with Brad Pemberton the only holdover from the original lineup. Surprisingly, the overall sound of the band has not changed much, although the dobro work of Cindy Cashdollar gave Cold Roses a little something extra.
The album’s opening track, “Born Into a Light”, with its acoustic, pedal steel-heavy sound, initially does not appear to be much of a departure from previous efforts by Adams & the Cardinals, but the second track, “Go Easy”, sets the tone for the rest of the album. The power, confidence, conviction, and above all, control with which Adams sings are a real leap forward. The song is aided by some melodic keyboard work, and is probably the nearest to a mainstream pop song that Adams has written and recorded in years. “Fix It” is a complete departure with an almost R&B feel. Another bid for gaining a wider audience without making artistic concessions is “Magick”, which, musically and lyrically, has an LA pop rock, radio-friendly approach. It sounds, at times, almost like a cross between Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Lenny Kravitz with Dave Stewart behind the boards producing and playing guitar. The production is excellent and, like many songs on the album, it is very concise.
“Let Us Down Easy” again has an R&B sound but also is buoyed by creamy chorus harmonies. On the next track, the gritty “Crossed Out Name”, the R&B approach continues. The tempo finally slows down on the dusky and haunting “Natural Ghost”, which effortlessly blends electric and acoustic guitars in a way that has been the hallmark of Adams’ best music. Ringing pedal steel and nice harmonies make “Evergreen” one of Adams’ most timeless recordings, and “Like Yesterday” is almost like the B-side of “Evergreen” with its deceptively simple approach. The album closes with the sparse, piano-based “Stop”, one of the sadder songs on this mostly uplifting set.
Adams is really at a musical peak. He writes great songs while appearing to have complete command of his talents, and it’s been a thrill to watch his career unfold.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]
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Classic Vantage: Life After Whiskeytown: Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary
All Together Now
All Together Now
(Apple, 2008)
On the one hand, a documentary on the creation of the Cirque du Soleil’s Love might seem like a good idea. On the other, many people may wonder why a film of one of the actual performances wasn’t released. Or, how about do both? If you’re not a Beatles fan, or don’t watch Larry King, maybe you weren’t aware of Love. Love is a production of the Canadian troupe Cirque du Soleil, who marry the interpretive performance aspects of theater with the spectacle of the circus, while interjecting multimedia, improvisational, and surreal elements. They, along with the Apple Corporation, have “collaborated” on a long-running show that has been playing at the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas since 2006. The show interprets, celebrates, twists, and re-imagines the songs, music, life, and career of the Beatles. While the initial idea of the show, the companion CD “soundtrack” released in 2007, and even this documentary may at first seem questionable at best, it has resulted in something that is nearly a revelation.
Although the primary gatekeeper of the Beatles’ legacy, Apple Corporation (who, in effect, consists of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, and the late Neil Aspinall), was involved in the Love production, Guy Laliberté and Dominic Champagne, the principals of the Cirque du Soleil, together with Beatles producer George Martin and his son Giles, had the most creative and conceptual control of the production.
In many respects, this documentary, which was directed by Adrian Wills and was two years in the making, is almost like an old-fashioned PBS special on the mounting of a mammoth theater production, with all the attendant struggle, joy, backstage intrigue, camaraderie, and overall smell of greasepaint in the air. Yet, for all of its modest goals, the documentary is a richly complex tableau about the story of the Beatles, their legacy, how those who survive that legacy grapple with the group’s place in history, where they fit in today, and how they will be perceived in the future.
One of the most revealing aspects of the DVD, which has had a theatrical release and will be available exclusively at Best Buy, is how little McCartney and Starr contributed to the production, preferring to let Cirque du Soleil and producer Martin do what they felt was right. By contrast, the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison were extremely involved and each was concerned that her husband’s legacy and, more importantly, songs be interpreted with the proper integrity they so rightly deserve. Olivia Harrison, whose late husband George conceived the project with Laliberté, was involved in a clear, yet wisely calm way. Ono was more direct and specific, yet ultimately gracious and generous in her involvement.
There are many other minor and major dramas that unfold here, including the poignant relationship between Martin and his son. Aspinall, who passed away in March of this year, was interviewed for the film, and no doubt was more involved than it seems, just as he was throughout the entire history and post-history of the group. The other major and minor players are only glimpsed at, with the presence of Harrison’s son Dhani, who eerily looks so much like his dad, a sad reminder of Harrison’s early death in 2001, the wounds of which are still raw. There is a warmhearted joy that is evident throughout, mainly due to the enduring music and personalities of the Beatles, but also because of the approach Cirque du Soleil took in doing this production, which was for all the right reasons. Still, the sadness of George and John being gone, the length of time that has passed since the great ride that was the Beatles, and ultimately an awareness of the long-vanished ideals of the ’60s hang over the proceedings.
Another aspect of the production that isn’t mentioned at all is how those that created or now curate the music of the icons of the ’60s and ’70s are seeking new ways to breathe life into the old songs and tracks, not by releasing best-of albums or putting out box sets with bonus material. It’s why films like Todd Haynes’ experimental biopic of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There, are made and why the video games Rock Band and Guitar Hero are so successful. Finding ways in which the music can gain a new life and, in some cases, a new revenue stream in the face of a spiraling record business, free downloading, and the next teen pop star is partly or wholly responsible for why many of these projects are undertaken. Nonetheless, this beautifully photographed film and some nice extras about the remixing of the original music, creating the 5.1 mix, and the show’s design will thrill Beatles fans, those interested in film, sound, and theater and those nostalgic for the Beatles and their time. In the end, all you need is love.
Watch: All Together Now Trailer [at thebiggerpicture.us]
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Nikka Costa
Nikka Costa
Pebble to a Pearl
(Stax, 2008)
Nikka Costa is not a new artist. At age 36, as sultry-looking as she is, she is clearly not an ingénue. She also isn’t riding on the coattails of her musical royalty dad (producer and arranger Don Costa), nor the top-shelf musicians who have guested on her previous two American albums and varied, scattered singles and albums released in other parts of the world. However, to those who know very little about or haven’t yet heard this tour-de-force breakthrough album, that might seem to be the story. While Costa’s previous two American releases exhibited a marked vocal prowess, some abilities as a songwriter, and a sound that mixed various soul, rock, and funk elements in a likeable way, nothing prepared me for the sheer excellence of this, her first album in three years and her first for the rejuvenated Stax Records. After Amy Winehouse became the queen of the new soul revival and Duffy joined the ranks of that exclusive court this year, I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to make an album as good as Winehouse’s second or Duffy’s debut, but I was wrong.
It’s clear that Costa knows her way around a recording studio. As a child, she was privy to the insular and old-school world of recording sessions by the likes of legends such as Quincy Jones, Sly Stone, and others. After all these years, she has finally taken what she has learned, not so much to use the technology at hand as creating a musical environment that best suits her vast talents. She is credited as co-producer along with her husband, Justin Mitchell Stanley. Stanley has been with a couple of Australian rock bands, producer for the Vines, Jason Falkner, and others, appeared on albums by Amos Lee and Beck, and worked on Costa’s previous albums. The two have come up with a sound that would make Mark Ronson jealous in the way they weave a vintage R&B studio feel with a raucous modern kick.
There are several keys to the overall success of this album. First and foremost, it’s obvious that much of the music was cut live with organic musical instrumentation and subtle musical and vocal arrangements. There is also very little reliance on synths, drum machines, syrupy strings, or a mastering process that cranks up the volume to 10. There is a prominent use of keyboards. Hammond B3’s, Wurlitzers, mellotron, clav, moog, and good ol’ fashioned piano dominate the album, giving these funk and R&B tracks both a striking, melodic richness and a crisp yet soulful drum and bass that have a real thick groove.
Pebble to a Pearl opens up nicely with the slightly Aretha Franklin-sounding “Stuck to You”, which sets the tone with an old-school R&B groove and the prominence of keyboards. The next track, “Can’t Please Everybody”, is where it’s clear that this is not just a good album, but a truly special one. A real performance was captured here, with the song building from a Mavis Staples-styled slow soul/gospel vibe to a stone-cold funk rave-up complete with brassy horns. The title track is a clear homage to Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie on Reggae Woman”, yet has a fresh, funk feel. The warm organ glows on “Cry Baby”, with its pinch of Prince and slice of Sly. There is also a little Rick James freakiness present on “Keep Wanting More.” “Keep Pushin’” is filled with crunchy funk grooves and recalls Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Costa moves to a slow dance on “Love to Love You Less” and Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” is obviously an influence on “Without Love”, although given the easy-going pop soul sound, she has obviously spent considerable time listening to old Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway albums.
The real surprise of the album is “Damn I Said It First”, which has an Al Green vocal feel, but musically sounds like an outtake from Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Exodus. All of the influences, however, are merely reference points. Costa has her own sound, never resorts to vocal overreaching that is sometimes the case with the also very talented, young soul diva Joss Stone. What makes this such a feel-good musical story is how Costa has patiently built a career, and all these years removed from her youthful beginnings, finds her sound while making one of the better albums of the year.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]
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The Pretenders
The Pretenders
Break Up the Concrete
(Shangri-La, 2008)
Anyone who thinks that age has anything to do with whether you can rock or not need only hear the new album from 57-year-old Chrissie Hynde’s latest incarnation of the Pretenders. On Break Up the Concrete, the band’s first album on its new label and its first in six years, Hynde’s rock ‘n’ roll spirit and uncompromising attitude toward making music have not ceased. She also remains one of the coolest looking rockers on the planet. Surprisingly, the group’s sound occasionally reveals a new-found, almost alt-country feel.
Since the early, tragic deaths of original Pretenders James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, Hynde, even with shifting lineup changes, has maintained the integrity of the group while continuing to grow musically and personally. This new album may be the most dramatic musical change the group has ever gone through, yet miraculously it exhibits all the elements that have made the Pretenders one of the most enduring and relevant bands to emerge from the punk/new wave scene.
Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Way to Normal
(Epic, 2008)
Ben Folds has never made things easy on himself. Overflowing with talent as a piano-based singer-songwriter, he’s one of those artists whose musical gifts are so enormous that he could make it in any era. In fact, if he had come around before the advent of rock, he probably could have been one of the great songwriters of the American popular song or jazz eras.
It would be easy to imagine Folds’ career as a slow, steady climb as a late 20th century/early 21st century version of the sensitive singer-songwriter whose bespectacled geekiness and talent endeared him to a generation of music fans who embraced Elton John in the ’70s. The John connection is a key to understanding Folds. Rather than running away from the comparison, he’s fully embraced it with no hint of irony or parody. In fact, on the opening track of his new album, he not only slyly includes a thumping piano waltz tribute to John’s “Benny and the Jets”, but even calls the song “Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head).” It’s Folds’ sense of humor, his occasional potty mouth, and his neurotic deconstruction of what are otherwise wonderfully crafted songs that makes him stand out in a crowded field of singer-songwriters.
After the John-influenced song—about some sort of mishap on stage in Japan—Folds cranks up the neurosis on “Dr. Yang.” The music brings to mind the spastic twitches of the junior high nerd in the back row who can’t sit still during 7th period on Friday. Folds graduates to high school in “The Frown Song.” The song is infused with cheesy and obnoxious choruses, and makes one wonder if Folds listened to one too many Bay City Rollers albums in his bedroom when he was teenager. Listening to the song, you could almost imagine him performing it on American Bandstand with all the dancers crowding around his piano at the song’s end and cheering wildly as a disco ball spun overhead.
Lyrically, Folds writes some of the most twisted and (occasionally) nastiest love songs I’ve ever heard, as is evidenced by “You Don’t Know Me.” The song is so unsavory that he follows it with the short piano instrumental “Before Cologne” as a way to clear the palette, before the more straightforward and beautiful “Cologne.”
There’s more twisted pop on “Errant Dog”, and yet another nod to Sir Elton on “Free Coffee” with its “Grey Seal” reference. “Bitch Went Nuts” will no doubt not endear Folds to his female fans (and that’s putting it nicely), and also won’t help him get any dates on Saturday night. He takes an equally jaundiced view of women and love in general on “Brianwascht.” “Effington” is Folds at his jumpy best, and on the closing song, “Kylie From Connecticut”, Folds shows his talent for writing wonderful songs without even breaking a sweat. It’s instructive that this, the most straightforward song on the album, is buried at the end. It’s almost as if he is embarrassed to include a song that any talented singer-songwriter could write. Throughout the album, one almost gets the sense that Folds starts out writing songs in a conventional way and then either adds twisted lyrics later, or finds some way to sabotage the music by including odd instrumentation, too fast of a beat, or any other number of crazy ideas. So many of the songs teeter on complete shambles, yet through the sheer audacity of his talent, they instead never become uprooted. I seriously doubt that Folds will ever find a way to consistently write normal songs, and given this unflinching, heady album, that’s a good thing.
Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]
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Levon Helm
by: Steve Matteo
Electric Dirt
(Vanguard, 2009)
In 2007, Levon Helm surprised a lot of people by releasing his first solo album in 25 years and his first post-Band project since the 1998 release of Jubilation. The drummer and co-lead vocalist of the Band was diagnosed with throat cancer in the late ’90s and couldn’t sing anymore. Although he still drummed with various artists and put on his Midnight Ramble Sessions at his own home studio/performance space in Woodstock from 2004 onward, it appeared his singing days were over. Miraculously, Helm regained his voice and, with the help of his daughter, Ollabelle member Amy Helm, and producer/guitarist Larry Campbell (who has worked extensively with Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh), recorded one of the most welcomed comeback albums of 2007: Dirt Farmer. The album won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album of the year, was a bravura roots showcase that reminded listeners how integral Helm had been to the Band’s sound, and harvested a rich bounty of American musical influences into something new and fresh.
Dirt Farmer is a tough act to follow, but Helm, again with the aid of daughter Amy, Campbell, and an all-star roster of mostly New York-based roots veterans, has made an album that is a natural continuation of his Grammy-winning comeback. This new album is not so much a more electric follow-up to the mostly acoustic roots of Dirt Farmer as it is a reaffirmation of everything that was good about Helm’s previous effort. Also, with the pressure of recording after so many years off his shoulders, Helm and friends were able to just cut loose and play. There may also be a reference to Muddy Waters’ often misunderstood 1968 release, Electric Mud, especially given the cover of two Waters songs here.
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by: Steve Matteo
published: July 13, 2009
in column: Reviews
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