Core Samples, featuring reviews of Neu Gestalt; Sonic Youth; Jill Sobule; Lily Allen; Metric; The Smithereens; Richard Shindell; Neko Case; Tom Alford; A.C. Newman; Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer; Eagles of Death Metal
Neu Gestalt
Altered Carbon
Alex Tronic Records
Altered Carbon by Edinburgh’s Neu Gestalt is a lush, musically ambient slice of electronica. It is three-dimensional in texture; each track almost feels tangible to me. As I type, I have "Frozen Ground" playing in my ears: I close my eyes and feel myself literally surrounded by the beats and tones. I am Alice in a gorgeous atmospheric Wonderland where the landscape is populated by lavish, lovely sensations that are heard as well as felt, where some beats grow larger as others shrink, some keyboards morph into blips and static and throughout I am falling down an endlessly awesome aural rabbit hole. These are mesmerizing sounds that will take you to a different place if you relax and let go.
But don't relax too much! The primal funk of "Levitation" will have your feet going before the rest of you has recovered from your abrupt landing at the bottom of the rabbit hole. Too, "Conduit" would be right at home in a dark, smoky, strobe-lit tea party, with its moody pulsations.
I don't pretend to be the most knowledgeable person around re: the genres of electronica and ambient music, but I do know that Altered Carbon contains some of the most beautiful, hypnotic, intricate sounds I have heard in ages, that transcend categories and usual iPod tastes.
Give it a listen and allow yourself to be transported too. [www.neugestalt.com]
Rebecca Sharp
Sonic Youth
The Eternal
Matador Records
Sonic Youth has been together almost thirty years. Their music has not aged, rather it has attained new levels of wisdom and maturity with each album. Does this mean that they can’t rock out like they used to? No. It means that their detailed, intricate guitar noise has more heft and power. Kim Gordon plays guitar on this album. Mark Ibold, formerly of Pavement, is the new bass player.
"Sonic Trickster" starts out the album with a fierce roar, a tribute to Neo-Dadaist French painter Yves Klein and Noise Nomads, a Western Massachusetts noise band. The melodic "Antenna" is overlaid with scratchy, jagged drone. The confident, secure, and angry snarl of "What We Know" contrasts with the straightforward crunch of "Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn", Thurston Moore's tribute to the late Darby Crash. "Anti-Orgasm" is inspired by Kommune 1, the first hippie collective in Germany in the 60s, whose spokesmodel Uschi Obermeier inspired John and Yoko's art. "Poison Arrow" finds a very erotic groove. Kim Gordon gets sexy here, but also uses sex to provide comfort and friendship on the quiet drone and hum of "Massage the History".
Sonic Youth is youthful in the way they constantly push their guitars, finding new ways to create and use noise. This is a rock album, not the arty atmospheric style of A Thousand Leaves. The Eternal is an album for the ages. May it go down as an eternal classic. [www.sonicyouth.com]
Andrea Weiss
Jill Sobule
California Years
Pinko Records
Having been dropped by two major labels, an indie that went bankrupt, and one that didn't promote her, she decided to self-release her next album. The problem is she didn't have the money, so she turned to her fans for help. They responded, and with the help of a CNN.com interview that went viral, she raised more than enough.
Katy Perry’s now infamous "I Kissed a Girl" ironically further raised awareness about the project. Jill's "I Kissed a Girl", recorded long before Perry's, is her best known song. The press fell all over itself saying how much better Jill's song is, and while Jill said that she would not judge Perry's song in public, she likes it when people say her song is better.
California Years spans three years, coinciding with Jill's move to California from New York City. Don Was produced this blend of funny, sad, quirky, smart music and lyrics. There isn't a bad song on the album. "Where is Bobby Gentry?" borrows the melody of "Ode to Billy Joe". Jill, in her sensible voice, sings the sardonic "Nothing to Prove", about her music biz struggles. She so dislikes the music industry that when someone in the song brags that they're in "the industry" she asks, "Oh, are you in steel?"
"The Donor Song" ends the album. Jill offered different premiums for different levels of giving. Those who donated $500 have their names mentioned in this song. She made the names rhyme, or sings lines like, "Gary Fall, who I once worked for as a wedding photographer assistant." At the end she says, "Thank you… God bless you." It's the perfect ending. [www.jillsobule.com]
Andrea Weiss
Lily Allen
It's Not Me, It's You
Capitol Records
There is no "sophomore slump" here, this is a wonderful album. The pretty, smooth-sounding surface belies a lot of grit and toughness underneath. Allen said she wanted a more uniform sound to this album, and she and producer Greg Kurstin succeeded. The pace is fast and even, with the exception of the weakest track musically, "The Fear", which goes nowhere quickly. Kurstin played most of the instruments on the album, with a few extra people to round things out, including Allen, who plays glockenspiel nicely with a deft touch on "I Could Say", the best track on the album. Soaring synths not only allow a woman to declare her independence from a boyfriend, but to affirm who she is as a person, period. Allen's singing shines throughout, never too heavy, always striking the perfect emotional notes.
Lyrically she pulls no punches. From the first track, "Everyone's At It", an anti-drug song that includes prescription drugs like Prozac, to the end, the jazzy "He wasn't There", about a successful wait for the man she wants, she says what she means clearly, and adds heft to an already strong album. She also means what she says, when she wants to slam Cheney, Bush and the rest of his gang – on the track of the same name, she just happily says "Fuck You" and adds "so you say it's not okay to be gay; I think you're just evil."
The only downer on this album is the included CD-ROM. The acoustic version of "22" is appealingly bare bones, but the videos are unwatchable because, at least on my computer, there is no way to shut off the music playing in the background. There is a video game based on "The Fear" that is fun -- save Lily from various villains -- even if I lost every time I played it.
Lastly, every individual track recorded for the album is available for download, and listeners can re-mix the tracks themselves (I tried to, and made a mess, but that is just me). But even if you skip the CD-ROM except for "22" and just listen to the album, you will be rewarded with great music. [www.lilyallenmusic.com/lily]
Andrea Weiss
Metric
Fantasies
Metric Productions
Metric follows up 2005’s full throttle rocker Live It Out with the slightly mellower Fantasies. Slightly, because about half the songs are slower and quieter than on their last album, but when the band does kick the music into overdrive, like on "Help, I'm Alive", the album sizzles with anger and passion.
The slower, quieter songs sound a bit too much alike, and somewhat detached from the faster songs, the album’s only flaw. It is the fast ones, like "Gimmie Sympathy", that make the album come alive. Emily Hanes pumps up the keyboards, the band follows her lead with guitars and the rhythm section cranked up, and magic is made. Hanes pulls the neat vocal trick of sounding completely sane and unhinged at the same time.
The lyrics are about many things, like love, the fragmentation of society, becoming a whole person again, and what technology has done to re-make the world. They succeed because Hanes is confident about what she is talking about. The album succeeds too; the band is going for broke here, and they make great music. [www.ilovemetric.com]
Andrea Weiss
The Smithereens
The Smithereens Play Tommy
E1 Music, 2009
The last two and a half years have seen a frenzy of activity from The Smithereens that would be frankly absurd if it wasn't so damn welcome. Get a load of this: in between the five years that lapsed between punk-pop whippersnappers Green Day's two most recent studio albums, New Jersey's Smithereens have released two Beatles tribute albums, a Christmas album, and a live album; in addition to all that, frontman Pat DiNizio also clocked in with a pair of solo albums (including a heartfelt tribute to Buddy Holly, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Holly's death in 1959). Now the boys are at it again, and while their Beatles albums were a fitting and raucously enjoyable nod to one of their musical forebears, The Smithereens Play Tommy is a vastly superior tribute to The Who. Which makes perfect sense, as The Smithereens' melodic gifts, combined with their hard-edged instrumental attack, always struck me as more like The Who than any of the other British Invasion-era bands encoded in their DNA. The Smithereens Play Tommy is not, as one may believe, a complete rendition of The Who's legendary 1969 double album (come on, even they don't play "Underture" anymore), but is more of a highlight reel, showcasing mostly the more uplifting songs Pete Townshend wrote for his rock opera. Of course, this means that darker material, like John Entwistle's contributions "Cousin Kevin" and "Uncle Ernie", fall by the wayside, but in terms of maintaining a more positive vibe, the results are splendid.
But what makes this album such a treat is the way the songs of The Who really highlight the monstrous talents of lead guitarist Jim Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken; without the principal songwriting of DiNizio, these two practically take over the band for this album, which in a way is only fitting -- diehard fans know that it was Babjak and Diken bonding over a picture of The Who in their school days that formed the nucleus of The Smithereens. Babjak proves himself a worthy acolyte of Townshend with his bravura guitar work, as evidenced in such crunchy highlights as "Sparks" and the climactic "See Me, Feel Me". As for Diken... holy shit. I would imagine stepping into such massive shoes as the late great Keith Moon's would be a daunting task for even the most seasoned drummer, but Diken leaps in and proves himself more than equal to the task; if The Who ever need a tour replacement for current "new Moon" Zak Starkey, they need look no further. In addition, Babjak and Diken handle lead vocals on a couple of songs each, and while neither sings with quite the authority of the resonant baritone of DiNizio (who sings "Acid Queen" like he owns it), they're certainly no slouches either. The bottom end is firmly and admirably held down by bass player Severo Jornacion (having replaced original member Mike Mesaros a few years ago), and the production gets major support from engineer Kurt Reil, of fellow Jersey pop-rockers The Grip Weeds. Until The Smithereens release an album of all-original material, which is rumored to be in the pipeline for later in the year (and yes, that'll be two albums a year for three years in a row -- suck it, Billie Joe!), The Smithereens Play Tommy is an outstanding work to tide you over. More than that, it is a loving tribute not only to the might and majesty of The Who, but to the teenage rocker in all of us, tethered to our turntables as the music goes round and round, with those big skull-engulfing 70's headphones glued to our ears, poring over liner notes for the secrets of the universe. You know who you are. The Smithereens do, too.
West Anthony
Richard Shindell
Not Far Now
Signature Sounds
Shindell is an ex-pat, a folksinger from New Jersey who moved to Argentina nine years ago. He has put out eight albums, starting in 1992, all on indie labels, to much critical acclaim. He and most of the folksingers who came of age in the 90s should fall under the "indie folk" label. They paved the way for today's "indie folk" musicians by all being on indie labels, and mixing a bit of 90s alt rock into their folk music.
Shindell is at the top of his game, his voice strong and clear, his guitar playing sharp and spare, with his trademark dark lyrics. The backing band is firm and tight, letting Shindell's guitar flow. Lucy Kaplansky provides excellent backing vocals.
"State of the Union" is the darkest song on here, a tale of a heroin addict getting clean for a while, relapsing, and winding up in a halfway house. But there is a double meaning to this song. In the verse that takes place in the halfway house, the character watches Bush's State of the Union address, with everyone in the house cheering, as well as the rest of the U.S. That's the double meaning, comparing the Bush years to eight years of addiction. The music provides a quiet but angry counterpoint to the lyrics; it seems as ready to explode as Shindell is.
The other songs are not quite as bleak, but they are never sweet, just songs about people trying to live life the best they can, sometimes succeeding, and sometimes not. Put these clear-eyed lyrics together with thoughtful, quiet, but emotional music, and this is a great album. [www.richardshindell.com]
Andrea Weiss
Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
Anti
Case likes her music tranquil, but not soft, and that's a big part of what makes this album so great. Some cuts feature Case accompanied by Paul Rigby on guitar, others include a full band and even a "piano orchestra"; Case collected half a dozen free pianos from Craigslist, in various states of disrepair, on which she and five other people, including Carl Newman, accompany some of the songs. It's a wonderful idea, and not only does it work, they light up the music with their gaiety and add color and shape to the songs.
The many backing voices here, including Lucy Wainwright Roche and Sarah Harmer, whether hanging back or soaring, create tonal depth and variety. Case shows more sides to her voice, too, not always belting it out, calm when she needs to be, like on the title track or "The Next Time You Say Forever", or powerful like on "People Got a Lotta Nerve" and "The Pharaohs".
It doesn't matter if these songs are fiction or not, or whether they are addressed to men or women, these are fascinating lyrics, bracingly honest and never flinching from hard truths. In "This Tornado Loves You" she literally is a tornado coming to get you, blowing away everything in her path just for love. But, it could also mean "I'm doing everything I can to prove I love you, so why don't you believe me?" The lyrics are sad, but the way Case sings them is seductive and sexy. It's easy to fall for her on this song, and on the similarly dark "Fever" and "Polar Nettles".
"People Got a Lotta Nerve" could have two different meanings as well. One is what Case has said in interviews, that it's about people mistreating animals. The other could be that she will destroy you because she is a "maneater." She sounds both fierce and alluring.
She is at her most honest in the title song, where she admits she needs love too, but she knows, from her rueful tone, that she may never get it. In "Prison Girls" she says "I love your long shadows and your gun powder eyes" to the girls on work release who are cleaning her room, as a come-on -- a dreamscape of being trapped in a hotel room, shadows under the door, and the Girls.
"Marais La Nuit" (French for "The Night Marsh"), the last track, is a field recording Case made at her barn, 31 minutes of crickets chirping, peeper frogs peeping, and thunder in the background, that create a dreamlike mood like the middle of the night, or walking in the woods in the moonlight, of love, of sex. It's a type of music all its own, animal, not human.
All in all, Case creates wonderful songs, dark as they sometimes are. This album is a winner. [www.nekocase.com]
Andrea Weiss
Tom Alford
Second Foundation
self-released
Don't be fooled by the rockabilly opener “Yes, It's You.” The rest of the album is gentle, jangly power pop, and it's well worth a listen. A paisley pop revival wouldn't be a bad thing, in my book, and this could start one off. Indeed, Alford was a part of that scene, having played in Wednesday Week, and designed posters for many an important 80s California band. With stylistic elements reminiscent of the Three O'Clock, the dBs, Badfinger, and mid-60s Beatles, this album is chock full of prettiness, in the vocal harmonies, the bright, melodic guitar playing, and the hooks. But don't just take my word for it. Check out some of his songs at his MySpace page (I highly recommend “Strawberry Robot” and “Someday Girl”), and you can see some of his visual art at his official page. [www.myspace.com/tomalford] [tomalford.com]
Jen Grover
A.C. Newman
Get Guilty
Matador Records
A.C.(Carl) Newman's second solo album prompts the question, "The New Pornographers without Neko Case and Dan Bejar?" The answer is marked with an asterisk. While mixing TNP's last album, Newman decided to write more songs, but also figured that it was too early for another New Porn album. Most of the songs ended up on Get Guilty, except for two that he felt were right for TNP, and held back for that reason.
Newman has said in interviews that he writes mostly about past relationships or situations he has faced in the past, but here he leaves the lyrics up to interpretation.
Get Guilty is punchy power pop -- bright and bouncy, much the same as any TNP album. What is different are the backing vocals by Mates of State and Nicole Atkins, who stay firmly in the background, where as on TNP albums, Neko and Dan are more up front.
Newman writes wonderful melodies, for instance the grandeur of "There are Maybe Ten or Twelve...", the stomp of "Elemental", the grace of "The Palace at 4 AM", and the sweetness of "All of My Days and All of My Days Off". Could Neko and Dan have sung some of these songs? Would there have been room for Dan's songs on the album? Probably. But like on his first solo album, The Slow Wonder, it's nice hearing Newman on his own, especially on an album that is better than his first solo effort. [www.myspace.com/acnewman]
Andrea Weiss
Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer
American Noel
Signature Sounds
These eight songs are the only holiday songs the late Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, who is alive and well, recorded together. According to the liner notes, originally the recordings were gifts from the president of a national hardware chain to his employees. Carter and Grammer were invited to contribute to the project three years in a row; this album compiles their contributions from that period.
The musical backing is spare. The only musicians on most of the tracks are Carter and Grammer. Arlene Hale is a guest vocalist on the title track. But whatever they play -- guitars, violin, percussion, bass -- the instruments ring out, adding to the air of good cheer, and Carter’s trademark mysticism in the lyrics. Some of these songs are home recordings from Tracy’s kitchen. Others are studio recordings, but still sound homemade.
Most of the mysticism on this album is Christian in nature. Jesus is born, Mary and Joseph look after him, the three wise men are on their way to find the Christ child. Some songs Carter wrote himself, and some are traditional carols. One cute, funny song is “Giddyup Said Santa Claus,” in which Carter gets lost on Christmas Eve, asks Santa for help, and Santa takes him along for the ride. By the end of the song, Carter has agreed to ride shotgun with Santa every year. It’s pretty clear from the gentle romp of the music that Carter and Grammer had fun playing this song.
Dave Carter was on a Jeff Buckley-like rise in the folk music world, destined to break into the mainstream, when he died of a massive heart attack in July 2002, a tragedy that echoed throughout folk music. This compilation is as good as any of their albums as an introduction to his work. He is a performer worth listening to. It’s his wise, but never wooly mysticism, his happy, positive music and speedy guitar playing, and Tracy Grammer’s wonderfully smooth voice and melancholy violin playing that made them, together, icons of modern folk music. [www.tracygrammer.com]
Andrea Weiss
Eagles of Death Metal
Heart On
Downtown Records/Rekords Rekords
Boots Electric and Baby Duck (a.k.a. Jesse Hughs and Josh Homme) are back, abetted by such partners in grime as Troy Van Leeuwen, Alain Johannes, and Brian O'Connor, with more sleazy, groovy, fun rock and roll. The kind of fun we used to have listening to the Stones back in the 70s, and beneath Homme's searing lead licks, several songs are fueled by Stonesian riffs a la "Brown Sugar". Yet between all the "Tight Pants" and "Prissy Prancin'" is the gentle, disillusioned, been done wrong "Now I'm a Fool", a standout track for me. Some reviewers have complained that this disc sounds more like Queens of the Stone Age than earlier EoDM albums did. A little. I ain't complaining. If you're tired of nearly everything that rocks these days taking itself too seriously, this is the disc for you.
Jen Grover