Thursday, September 27, 2012

Low: C'mon

Do you ever go for a long drive at night? Maybe just go for a spin around the block, just to clear you head, you find yourself mesmerized by the shadows cast by the dim streetlights and driving for a lot longer than you thought you would. C'Mon, by Low, feels like that light to me. It's focused, directing me down a long, dark road. For long stretches of the album, singers Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker sing-chant fragmented lyrics over gradually morphing instruments. Consider the 8-minute long "Nothing But Heart," which stretches its main phrase ("I'm nothing but heart") to its breaking point as the guitar parts rise and fall and squeal and sing in the background and the drums chug on. There are other lyrics, but I think you're not even meant to hear about them. The album is about its spare soundscapes.

The opening track, "Try to Sleep," is pretty arresting, pulling you into the album's tonal spirit, an off-kilter lullaby whose chorus goes: "Try to sleep, don't look at the camera." I think that's about sums it up: relaxing yet unnerving. Particularly excellent is "Witches," a growling indie-blues moment about facing fears in the darkness (and about not trying to act like Al Green.) Importantly, this is not a quiet moment on the album. In fact, it's not as quiet of an album as it seems, it just happens to have that David Gilmour quality to it of being soft and mellow but also huge and imposing.

Low does a lot of great stuff on this album, mostly in showing restraint. They're obviously great musicians and maybe the music is more complex than it seems, but it has that repetitive, moody quality that doesn't require much excessive adornment, but needs to seem deep and dark, with all the elements - guitars, strings, drums, vocals and anything else - in perfect balance. I give special notice to the two singers. Sparhawk's rasp is commanding and solemn, but weary. Parker's quivers with uncertainty. Both can carry a song, when pushed way to the front, as on "$20," or help build the atmosphere from the bottom of the mix. When they sing together, it's like oil and water, both clashing yet neatly sitting together.

This is soft music for people who don't have the patience for soft music. The moaning "Especially Me" zones you out: it's not even as long as I thought it was, only 5 minutes when I felt like it was 20. That's not a criticism, I was genuinely surprised when the next song started and I realized I had only been listening to one song that whole time. Songs like that tend to grow in intensity as they go along. The vocals induce trances, cause meditation and reflection. I'm not even sure this album is meant to be listened to... it's there to not-hear, in its hypnotic way.

Buy this album now: iTunes Canada // iTunes USA // Amazon.ca // Amazon.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Beatles, "From Me to You" & "She Loves You"





As good as "From Me To You" is, it becomes pretty much a footnote to history between "Please Please Me" and "She Loves You." It's a splendid example of the Beatles "formula," whatever that is, that combination of personal pronouns, harmonic vocals, and "oohs." "From Me To You" was just a slight upgrade from the previous single, to prove it could be done again. It's kind of a masterclass in "How To Write For An Audience," an undervalued skill in rock criticism. They were trying to write for their listeners, and they were trying to write stuff they'd enjoy playing, at a time before it was certain that people would love Beatles songs no matter what they ended up doing.

I once read a not-terribly-good Beatles book that pointed to "She Loves You" as a moment of early complexity, because of its third-person narrative. I think that's overstating it a bit: from what I can tell, it's more of a case of "We've written three singles and b-sides, and most of an album, of songs saying I love you. Let's change it up just a hair." To praise "She Loves You" for its lyrical themes is like praising the Grand Canyon for its color. Yes, it's there, but isn't that sumbitch huge???

"She Loves You" is an important moment, though, because it's an excellent song, and shows the Beatles' dedication to topping themselves. For me, it isn't that "She loves you," it's "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" They add so much energy and urgency to the proceedings, as does the thundering roll of Ringo's drums. This song, more than most early Beatles tunes, is an inseparable blend of form and content. It just has to be delivered fast and loud. This was the sign that the Beatles were creating something great, not just emulating.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Serious Contenders: Twisted Sister, "We're Not Gonna Take It"



There's no objective test for quality in music. Twisted Sister may not be the most artful group out there, but they for sure accomplish what they set out to, rockin hard and making a case for loud music against one-dimensional, oppressive authority. "We're Not Gonna Take It" may be one of the most highly polished bits of pop metal, but there's a sneer in Dee Snider's voice that makes you wanna join his team. In the end, that's what it's about, that joining of community of celebration, us-against-the-world, of 80's hard rock. Heavy music becomes a club you can join if you're into it, and it's easy to want to because the beat is irresistible and the riffs are slick. They call it an anthem for a reason.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Zeus: Busting Visions

There's a trap with a band's second album, which I've talked about before. If you loved the first one, as I did Zeus', it inevitably becomes a competition, and the second album inevitably loses. The first album gives you a new experience, makes an impression. If the second album is just more of the same, it pales in comparison. If it tries to find a new direction, it could be a betrayal. For me, on first listen, this was closer to the latter. It sounds close enough, but there's nothing on this album quite as immediately pleasurable to me as "Marching Through Your Head" or the rest of Say Us' second half. This one is actually kinda distant and obscure and experimental, and even if the first one was inventive and odd in its own way it sure did feel "here." This is an album I had to go to. One I had to figure out. That has its own rewards.

The band is probably moving together a bit more on this album, so the sound is more consistent and easier to characterize. There's an early-70's post-psychedelic pop/early prog rock feel to it. Moments like "With Eyes Closed" remind me of the Zombies, with its swirling, mind-searching backdrop. There are a few interludes like "Bright Brown Opus" and "Proud and Beautiful" that are meant as scenery rather than actual songs: mood-cleansers. Many of the songs, like the lovely "Let It Go, Don't Let It Go" are leisurely and thoughtful. In moments like "Love In a Game," and "Now That I've Got You" there are self-conscious invocations of piano bar music, but it's a degree or two off from Billy Joel as far as sanity goes. Think Steely Dan with edge, Supertramp with heart... or even maybe some post-breakup Beatles, the way they push at the boundaries without forgetting that they're writing songs, not symphonies.

The opening track, "Are You Gonna Waste My Time?" makes a great transition from the first album to the second. On the surface it has a gritty down-to-earth riffy nature, but subtly introduces the experimental elements that guide the songwriting. The ominous "Love Pain" is the song that makes me think specifically of John Lennon in the early 70's. A couple of tense tracks, like "Anything You Want Dear" and "Strong Mind" show how good the band is at controlling a mood. The band really knows their art, are comfortable tinkering, and the key for me was that I was having a lot of fun thinking about what they were doing.

The staggering, uphill crawl of "Hello, Tender Love" is the climax of the album for me, even though it comes on just-this-side of the middle. It rises and falls so effectively, like crashing waves that grow steadily more powerful. That last minute or so is probably the finest minute on the album. It then gets a hangover in the form of "Messenger's Way," the type bright, upbeat, playful tune that fills out the album.

I like this album, and I love this band. I love the way they do things, how they can just go for it and pursue their ideas to the fullest, following certain influences without being too reverent. You couldn't tell them how things are supposed to be, they have to find their own way there, and it's quite a trip. Busting Visions is quite an apt title.

Buy this album now: iTunes Canada // iTunes USA // Amazon.ca // Amazon.com

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Fountains of Wayne: Sky Full of Holes

There are a few righteous moments on this album. The dudes that brought you "Stacy's Mom" actually know how to string together a pretty rad bunch of songs. Chris Collingwood's lyrics are frequently insightful, painting character pictures that hit without bludgeoning you with the imagery, as in "The Summer House" and "Richie & Ruben." And if there's any fault to the music by Collingwood & Adam Schlesinger, it's that it's too consistent, too catchy, so your head might get tired by the end of the 45 minute running time. And there are moments, therefore, that drag. There might be a ceiling to how much Fountains of Wayne I can take at a time, no matter what they do to switch it up on songs like "Action Hero," "Cold Comfort Flowers," or the alt-country tinged "Road Song." All good songs too. The need to admit stuff like that is part of my resolution for this site's revival.

They play earnest, honest, good-natured power pop, and skillfully. And maybe it just works better in small bits than all at once. A couple of songs stay with me. One is the bass and piano driven "Acela." The other is the truly excellent "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart," which gets into a bit of a Tom Petty thing by the time it hits its closing moments.

My recommendation is that you check out a few tracks from this album. There's a strong chance you'll find something you like, and the beauty of this day and age is that you're not required to buy an entire album to get all the ones you like.

Buy this music now: iTunes Canada // iTunes USA // Amazon.ca // Amazon.com


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Beatles: Please Please Me (1963)

Because I was so satisfied with the results of my Aerosmith blog, I thought it might be fun to repeat the experiment, on SOTW-proper, with a band whose work is a bit closer in line with my readership's tastes. Every Wednesday, from now until I run out of stuff, I'll be running through the Beatles catalog in chronological order, examining each album, single, and a few other essential tracks. Enjoy!

It's tough not to make this a history lesson. Believe me, as much as I know about the Beatles, I am not the guy to give that lecture, and you can find it in any number of excellent books (and several that suck.) I don't want to spend my breath running down what a monumental moment this turned out to be for pop music. The narrative is well known. It's common knowledge that the bulk of Please Please Me was recorded in a day, and you can hear it. You can practically feel the guitars being picked up, the microphones being passed around, the endless lozenges used by a soar-throated John Lennon. This record is a record of rock & roll as a living, breathing thing, just like those stage shows in Hamburg and Liverpool.

For such an earnest beginning, the album has its fair share of classics. "Love Me Do" was already a hit, as was "Please Please Me." The former was primative even by early 60s standards, which was maybe the point, to boil everything down to its basics. "Love me do, you know I love you, I'll always be true, so please love me do." Cue the harmonica. "Please Please Me" was the first of the truly irresistable Beatlemania hits, with its buoyant guitars, infectious momentum and undeniable charm. After the 1000th listen I realized the Beatles songs contained so many "woah yeahs" because they were just unstoppable.

The rest of the album is filled out with great working band rock. Songs like "Anna (Go To Him)" and "Chains" are easily marked as covers, a bit too constructed (with due respect to Carole King, Gerry Goffin et al, who knew what they were doing.) For what it's worth, Lennon has an awesome vocal performance on "Anna." And their vocal charm is likewise the hook on the bouncy "Chains" and the original "Misery."

One of the highlights of the second side, for me, is "There's a Place," one of the first lyrically smart songs John wrote, which hints at seeking solitude and privacy when he feels low, and carrying some weighty material without sacrificing an appealing, poppy tempo. The album is actually kind of a fascinating patchwork, with a ton of gentle moments like "P.S. I Love You" and "Baby It's You" filling out the spaces between the raucous numbers. Ringo's take on "Boys" often gets forgotten about, despite being the one cover that can compete with "Twist & Shout." It's known more for its odd lyrical content (unchanged from the girl group original) than for the fact that it kicks total ass. "Twist & Shout" still sounds utterly now, with its commands to "Work it on out!!!" and the way the harmonies resolve into an utter shriek of rock excitement. Lennon sounds like a monster from the id in that one. And "I Saw Her Standing There" is the best non-single original on the album, a bit too ragged to be a radio hit, raw enough to show you exactly what the Beatles were all about. "She was just seventeen / You know what I mean."

Never forget that The Beatles were very much an early model for the boy band. There were upbeat dance numbers and downtempo lovey-dovey ones. But they were also the Beatles, which means that so much of this album is slathered in awesomeness, even in the moments you don't remember. They were already figuring out not just how to copy their influences, but to move their craft forward. Soon the Beatles albums sounded a lot less like "Chains" and "Boys" and "PS I Love You," but more like "Please Please Me" from top to bottom.

Buy this album now: iTunes Canada // iTunes USA // Amazon.ca // Amazon.com







Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Cover: Harvey Danger, "Save It For Later"



The late 90's made a habit of revising the hits of the 80's, in a way few decades have ever been revisited. Things changed so much between 1989 and 1999 in popular music that a band could really get a lot of mileage out of picking any radio hit from that decade and giving it an updated treatment, stripping it of the trappings of its time and unlocking a more timeless element. This goes hand in hand with a plethora of late-90's movies that took place in, or otherwise referenced, the 80's, such as 200 Cigarettes, itself a pretty underrated film.

Harvey Danger does an excellent with The (English) Beat's "Save It For Later," replacing the 80's horns with strings, and replacing Dave Wakeling's very 80's vocals with Sean Nelson's very 90's ones. The strings actually work well to contrast with the upbeat poppy nature of the song, but not dragging it down. Love this version.

And hey, here's a bonus, extra-intimate version from Pete Townshend, who takes the song into anthemic territory (as he is wont to do.)

Monday, September 17, 2012

Sleigh Bells: Reign of Terror

As great as the first Sleigh Bells CD was - inventive, novel, brash and mostly very loud - I wasn't sure if they were an act with legs. But more and more this year, I'm finding that the acts I choose to cover for this site really do know how to craft a follow-up statement.

The greatness of Sleigh Bells' second album doesn't come without a metamorphosis. Whereas the mission statement on Treats was to be as disruptive and disturbing as possible, nearly all the time, Reign builds on some of the album's more amiable moments, like "Rill Rill." It's not that Reign of Terror sounds just like "Rill Rill," but there's more of it visible than say, "Crown on the Ground" or "A/B Machines."

"Crush" is one of the best songs I've heard all year (and remember I'm writing this in the present, months after I've first heard the album.) It's backed by a hard-hitting, bomb-dropping guitar sample, and various electronic whirring sound machines, all splashing around Alexis Krauss' gorgeous coo, which is occasionally also a harsh screech. She plays a balancing act between the two tones better than most, which befits the album's overall blend of sourness and sweetness, heard elsewhere in tunes like "End of the Line" and "Comeback Kid."

Is Derek Miller a great guitar player? You can hardly tell from the record itself but he's for sure a terrific sound designer. This album is as much a triumph of talent as it is a testament to the studio as an instrument - something I said once about a very different album, Torches by Foster the People. Likewise, they may or may not be writing great lyrics, but they sure do sound good from Krauss.

The starkness and severity of Treats is replaced with lushness, electronic sweeteners and samples, and echo effects on the vocals. If you're not up for it you might get a headache trying to discern all of what's going on, but for those apt to listen it all blends well. What I noticed when I first put on this CD that unlike Treats, I could forget I was listening to it. Given their performance on SNL around the time of the album's release, you can tell it's a few degrees more toward commercial and yet it never feels like a compromise. This might be one of those rare moments where someone's insane and almost alienating experiments turn out to be something a lot of people would like to buy.

Buy This Album Now: iTunes Canada // iTunes USA // Amazon.ca // Amazon.com


And We're Back. (Tomorrow)

Firstly, I'll apologize to those of you who really do read my blog out of an interest in music, and a desire to find new things to listen to (or get reassured about stuff you already like.) I didn't necessarily intend to take the whole summer off, but when it became clear that was what was happening, I rolled with it.

It wasn't personal. It wasn't a dramatic summer for me. It wasn't that I didn't have time, per se. I kept up my side-project until I couldn't, and while that wasn't meant to take SOTW's place, it did end up more or less being my focus. I needed the comfort. My attitude, my personal thoughts on music, were starting to get dodgy. I couldn't quite put them down right. And while in the past I was usually able to push through, or move on, I was just stuck. I needed to write about something that was just flat-out ingrained in me. Something I knew, rather than was figuring out, while I sorted out my material for this site. I'm happier that I took the summer off, rather than posted stuff just because the site needed content. I mean hey, it's a hobby, and hobbies are meant to be fun.

The good news is, I didn't stop. One day I spent about a hundred bucks on music. Then I gradually collected more. And that was after accumulating the albums I was already listening to and meant to write about when I stalled. I didn't stall because they weren't good, I just... stalled.

I hate "I'm back" posts. They seem almost destined to be followed by a period of inactivity. I have a lot of potential material lined up and a new scheme for the site that will encourage a 4-day update schedule, Mon-Thurs. Stay tuned to see if it works.

Keep on rockin'
-Scotto