A Regular ol’ Record Review

The Fratellis – Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied

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It seems to me that The Fratellis international debut Costello Music has followed the band as an albatross since its 2006 release. Whether this is fair or not is of little importance as every review seems to have allowed that album to define everything they’ve recorded since.

It really is unfortunate as Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied should stand or fall on its own merits as opposed to the lofty expectations placed on it by someone wishing to relive 2006-07. With that in mind, The Fratellis have leapt into 2015 not by exploring their own past, but those of others to take on new sounds and influences. Carnival like surroundings with a funky beat runs through “Dogtown” and a distinct disco feel on “Thief” has pictures of the dance floor running behind Jon Fratelli’s twist of a phrase.

Even the ever familiar guitar heavy sounds are sometimes suppressed to focus on more atmospheric fare as on “Slow” and “Rossana” which again live and die on Jon Fratelli’s ability to play with his lyrics.

As the songs stand individually each tells a new and interesting story that fit well into the various playlists you might create based on your own mood. Which leads to the only real problem with Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied… its lack of momentum as a whole. A ‘song’ can rock, but ‘songs’ have difficulty sustaining attention over a lengthy period. Like the famous bird/metaphor, it can capture your attention, but whether it is a good omen (album) or bad depends on your plans. Are you looking at the beauty of the bird, or working on a plan to put an arrow through it?

Not Afraid To Run With The Bulls or Langhorne Slim – The Spirit Moves

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Sometimes it’s just best to drop the whole genre tag and just say: “dude, it’s rock ‘n’ roll at its finest.” Langhorne Slim has elements of country, folk, soul and alt rock flowing through the speakers all at once, and like a good mixed drink, the end result is finer than any individual part. Slim boasts “I’m tough enough to run with the bulls,” and while my use of the metaphor is out of context with the songs, it does describe his song writing.

Slim is a bit of an eclectic master with themes of joy and misery intermingling with equal passion. Essentially, he is fearless in bending songs around multiple influences. Horns play on a number of tracks and in a different way each time. On “Spirit Moves” he uses them as a counter melody similar to Johnny Cash’s classic “Ring Of Fire” and then brings them back later for “Life’s A Bell” as a Memphis Horns/Stax/Otis Redding tool for emotional emphasis. With the ever present acoustic instruments some songs drift towards sounds reminiscent of Nick Drake and Cat Stevens but the album as a whole pulls everything back into that unique Langhorne Slim vision.

The Spirit Moves is filled with moments that seem both intimate and celebratory, resulting in a record that gives inspiring highs and tragic lows. As the needle rises off of side B, you find yourself flipping it back to side A for another listen… and things can’t get much better than that.

You can pick up The Spirit Moves on all the usual mediums or order it direct from Dualtone with extra swag. Unfortunately, the coke bottle green vinyl seems to be sold out.

 

Delivering a Musical Journey: Led Zeppelin – Coda (Deluxe Edition)

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As record reviews go, this isn’t going to walk the normal path. Let’s face it, you don’t want another edition of Zeppelin’s last studio album. Jimmy Page had remastered that a while back and done a fantastic job. What you really need to hear are the companion discs. In essence, listening to those has caused me to re-evaluate how I view that entire record.

In 1982 when Coda was first released, I wasn’t interested. John Bonham had died and it seemed to me that Coda was a record put together without a focal point. Led Zeppelin had always been about releasing a full and cohesive album with every song being a part of a larger picture, and songs taken from past sessions throughout their career didn’t fit the bill. In fact, I didn’t own a copy of Coda until I bought the Complete Studio Recordings (1993). The 93’ version of Coda was expanded to include “Baby Come On Home”, “Travelling Riverside Blues”, “White Summer/Black Mountain Side” and “Hey, Het What Can I Do” from the 1990 Box Set, but hadn’t included anything to make me reconsider my previous position. That was a long time ago, and it took the Jimmy Page Listening Event on July 21st to totally reconsider my point of view.

Perspective is a strange thing. My original analysis of Coda still holds up if you place it up against Zeppelin’s previous work. However, if you tweak your thinking a little and look at Coda as an original soundtrack to a comprehensive biography – boom – it becomes mind blowing. The companion discs shine such a light.

Side one alone is stunning, containing alternate takes on some familiar songs. “If It Keeps On Raining (When The Levee Breaks)” has Robert Plant’s vocals take on a lower more ominous tone full of echo resulting in a more haunting impression. “Bonzo’s Montreux” is slightly deconstructed with a more earthy touch that allows for John Bonham’s power house drums to flow and show genius. “Baby Please Come Home” sees the whole band in fine form with John Paul Jones giving extensive Hammond flourishes while Plant exercises his inner Otis Redding.

As the album continues, it’s this perspective that allows for the full comprehension of what Led Zeppelin accomplished in only ten short years. The band has been history for 35 years now but this version of Coda, as its name suggests, is the best final statement Jimmy Page can give. It balances a line between showing a legendary musical legacy and just being one hell of an entertaining ride.

On July 21st, while at the Masonic Temple in Toronto, Jimmy Page suggested we would be taken on a “musical journey.” Coda and its companion discs definitely deliver on that promise.

You can hear Jeff Woods entire Jimmy Page interview on Q107 tonight between 9 & 10 pm.

“Good From Far, but…” or The Maccabees – Marks To Prove It

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Let us suppose for a second that artists are looking to direct your attention to a universal truth. That brush strokes are meant not only to communicate emotion but also to enlighten a patron on the depths of the human condition. Within that context, picture a bespectacled man walk to a microphone, clear his throat, drink from a glass of water at the podium, and finally speak these words: “Dude! Growing up kinda sucks! Ya know what I mean?”

This is the dilemma of The Maccabees

Guys who once sang love songs to “Lego” suddenly ‘growing up’ enough to tell us that life can be a drag in over arching metaphor is a pretty big leap. So when Orlando Weeks sings “tell yourself you’re getting wiser / the truth is we’ve all done the same” on “River Song” you can’t help but wonder if it is a hangover talking, or a real attempt at artistic expression.

It’s this idea that becomes rather distracting. For a band that was once full of twenty something fun, their conversion is disconcerting. Yes there is high energy in much of Marks To Prove It, which plays well with their new ‘confusion and anger,’ but when they drift towards the more melancholy the record loses cohesion.

This entire idea plays itself out in the title track which starts as an ‘all hands on board’ rocking number, but finishes in raindrop falling keyboard loneliness. Throughout the record they spend a lot of time describing things, but not much on drawing you in. Like my ‘bespectacled surfer dude’ the idea is amusing, but the realityis not compelling enough to make you stay.

A friend of mine used to have a saying a long time ago that best suits Marks To Prove It – “Good from far, but far from good.”

Mining The Unconscious Depths or Tame Impala – Currents

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A few years back Grandaddy and The Thrills tried their hands at expanding our musical psyche by creating a more atmospheric brand of pop using electronic elements to create complex landscapes. Tame Impala has just taken that idea and upped it by a large margin. Perhaps it’s the drugs; maybe the work of a deeper genius; whatever it is, Kevin Parker has taken Tame Impala into a hazy dance utopia and Currents is the staggering result.

Parker has admitted in interview that the concept for this album came from a mix of mushrooms, coke and the classic Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive.” This makes perfect sense as Currents removes the fun elements of disco and replaces it with a laid back reflective quality. The funk is slowed to a point where dance is done in a slow fluid sway. Instead of John Travolta doing a 12:30 AM splits with arm raised, you picture a 5 AM sway of people who refuse to let the party die.

Parker sings “giving in to all this bullshit / is this what you want? / is this who you are?” on the song “The Less I Know The Better.” However the atmospherics reduce the sentiment to more of a lazy refrain than an accusatorial question. A sort of “I’m quite tired, and this is so a conversation for tomorrow” thing.

Currents has an emotional resonance that rises slowly from unconscious depths only to reach an epiphany when you stop trying to grasp it. Like a great sunrise, it is best if you just lie back and enjoy the moment.

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Currents was available in limited coloured vinyl… but it sold out. Oh well…

Five Great Albums From 2015 (so far!)

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So the mid way part of the year has passed and with a bit of time to reflect, here are my top 5 of 2015 so far. It is hard to rank, as so many great records have been spinning their way into my psyche. So I reserve the right to change my mind later.

5) Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool

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Built around strong guitar work and soaring vocals, Wolf Alice bridges the gap between the 90’s alt-rock revival and the more modern Brit-Rock led by the Arctic Monkeys and their recent disciples Royal Blood. It would have been fun to play Guitar Hero to their tunes.

4) Best Coast – California Nights

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Gone is the warm washing fuzz of reverb on everything that had the words lo-fi and surf rock attached to their records, and in is a more ‘nineties-esqe’ alt-rock tone that could be slipped into a mix between the Lemonheads and Garbage. California Nights has a way of sinking under your skin and making you want to play them over and over again.

3) Leon Bridges – Coming Home

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He’s got the brass sounding like the legendary Memphis Horns, a deep groove reminiscent of Duck Dunn and the minimalist guitar leads that you might swear were coming off Steve Cropper. Then you mix in a style that slides in a suave 60’s Bacharach martini dance party and you get a glimpse of the power possessed in Coming Home. In essence, Bridges is the ‘new old soul.’

2) Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

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Sarcastic and playful in the most observational of ways, Courtney Barnett makes stinging shots sound like a musical sit-com. Characters inhabit a ‘Seinfeld-esqe’ place where nothing seems larger than life and decisions don’t necessarily lead to conclusions. However, the journey is one hell of an adventure.

1) Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color

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If Alabama Shakes debut Boys & Girls was a first shot across the bow against musical mediocrity, then Sound & Color is a full on declaration of war. Not content to merely ride the wave of being the best rock ‘n’ soul or Southern rock band to currently grace the planet, they expand and grow. It’s the kind of growth and experimentation one got from Radiohead when they leapt from The Bends to OK Computer; or in other words – WOW!

Super Heroine “Seether” Emerges From The Flames With A Guitar In Her Arms or Veruca Salt – Ghost Notes

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How exactly the musical time cycle works (you know, that comic book like mystical place that makes old things new again) is beyond me, but I’m pretty damn appreciative of it at times.  Such is the case with Veruca Salt and the ‘new/old original line up’ who sound like they just picked up from a few weeks off rather than the 18 years between albums proper. As they put it themselves on Facebook: “hatchets buried, axes exhumed.”

Ghost Notes begins with the self proclamation anthem “The Gospel According To Saint Me” which promises “it’s gonna get loud” in a bold RAWK star posture. They may very well sing it in those pretty harmonies, but there is no mistaking that ‘us against the world’ stance that is willing to blast you away with amplification. The second track “Black and Blonde” starts to chug through the opening chords and that “us” impression is completely verified as Louise Post has her ‘drop the mic’ moment cracking “I’m the greatest fucking thing that ever happened to you.”

Even the reminiscences of “Empty Bottle” fit the ‘don’t screw with us ‘narrative’ as Post belts “count the stars and we can bring them down.” The song may be a promise of loyalty but the lyrical imagery of gushing blood and universal destruction exude power immeasurable.

Perhaps that is the point and perhaps not, but Veruca Salt are now playing music with the confidence of a Stan Lee superhero. Picture it, Super Heroine “Seether” emerges from the flames with a guitar in her arms. Having beaten the ghosts of years past she emerges the conquering hero.

Now, grab the popcorn sit back and give it a listen.

Ghost Notes comes out on July 10th and is currently streaming on NPR.

http://www.npr.org/2015/07/02/418654442/first-listen-veruca-salt-ghost-notes

“Rock Star” not “Pop Star” or Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool

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Outside of Courtney Barnett, no one has received the tremendous pre-release expectations that Wolf Alice has with the lead up to My Love Is Cool. Dropping new singles every few weeks has helped to build momentum and gather fan support for the album. The result is that Wolf Alice is seeing print in almost every music mag and newspaper for today’s release… but does it hold up?

Well actually, it doesn’t disappoint.

Built around strong guitar work and soaring vocals, Wolf Alice bridges the gap between the 90’s alt-rock revival and the more modern Brit-Rock led by the Arctic Monkeys and their recent disciples Royal Blood. Subtle whispers turn to moments of shoegaze before exploding into an all out “throw your hair around and play air guitar” press as “Giant Peach” blasts out.

“Bros” starts with a Juliana Hatfield Three rhythm before going all “1979” Smashing Pumpkins as if Tanya Donnelly (Belly) was singing. The thing is, Wolf Alice isn’t playing at nostalgia but instead inhabits a space that fits in well with the narrative of ‘rock star’ rather than the dreaded ‘pop star’. When “You’re A Germ” lets the slow verse flare into the heavy chorus of screams and thundering guitar, the impression is that these guys play music that makes them want to ‘rock out’ along with their listeners. Just when you think you’ve pegged their sound, “Your Love’s Whore” throws in a groove that flies into Soundgarden mixed with a Dandy Warhols’ feel. Then you get “The Wonderwhy” which drones on with a buzz that is simultaneously terrifying and mesmerizing.

My Love Is Cool on first listen might sound very 1994, but with each subsequent spin you discover new reasons to forget the past and enjoy the moment. For Wolf Alice, that moment is now and be prepared, you’re going to be hearing a lot more from them.

My Love Is Cool is released on June 23.

 

 

Punk-By-Numbers or Third Eye Blind – Dopamine

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Oh yeah, I remember those post-grunge late 90’s; the punk-by-numbers take on power-pop and bands that had albums built around radio-friendly hit singles. I also remember the crash and burn as there just wasn’t enough Shrek soundtracks to keep them in the public eye (yes I’m looking at you Smash Mouth). All those bands with numerals in their name; I never could keep them straight… and now we have 90’s revival tours…

So here we are in 2015 with that “Semi-Charmed Life” band, Third Eye Blind, releasing a new record and touring. It’s cool, I mean the Sex Pistols and Pixies have given fans a second and third chance to bask in their grand-ness so why not Third Eye Blind?

Problem is they were never really grand to begin with. Yes they had hit songs; tunes that were fun, sometimes gloomy and always catchy about quirky romances, witty break-ups, and just trying to figure out life’s little twists. Sure they’ve also put out four records since the good old days that were received well by their dwindling fan base. It’s just that when you put Third Eye Blind on with their contemporaries, well – they kinda blend into the background.

Dopamine does the same. It isn’t a bad record, but it isn’t memorable either. Stephan Jenkins dreamy brand of poppy-punk bliss rests on his ability to turn a quick phrase, but with lyrics (from “Everything Is Easy”) like “go ahead take up my heart / roll it up like a joint / smoke me out ‘til the feeling gets cashed / when you look at my face it’s like you forget the point,” it just comes off as looking for a metaphor to bring in the teens as opposed to being meaningful.

Essentially Dopamine is like those toys your kids get at fast food restaurants, great for a short time, but ultimately discarded within a short period of time.

The New Old Soul or Leon Bridges – Coming Home

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leon bridges

Let’s be clear, Leon Bridges is not the second coming of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett; he is his own singer/songwriter that has chosen to play music in a style that is familiar to fans of 60’s R&B coming out of Memphis. He’s good… really damn good, but to stand beside the Soul gods, you need more than one record of gospel inspired glory.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Bridges isn’t shooting for the stars. His music isn’t just inspired by Memphis but actually seems to embody the sound. His peer group may include contemporaries like Nick Waterhouse and Raphael Saadiq, but Bridges’ ups the game of capturing old-school R&B by pulling in music that could’ve been created by the Blues Brothers Band. He’s got the brass sounding like the legendary Memphis Horns, a deep groove reminiscent of Duck Dunn and the minimalist guitar leads that you might swear were coming off Steve Cropper. Then you mix in a style that slides in a suave 60’s Bacharach martini dance party and you get a glimpse of the power possessed in Coming Home. In essence, Bridges is the ‘new old soul.’

The title track acts as both a mission statement and anchor to the unfolding of the album. “Coming Home” rolls out as a having an influence in doo wop, gospel and a soul flavoured pop  delivered in a voice rich with southern longing. “Better Man” pulls the laundry list of things one is willing to do to access forgiveness. The themes are classic across the board. Lust (“Brown Skinned Girl” & “Smooth Sailin”), faith (“Shine”), family (“Lisa Sawyer”) love (“Flowers”) and love lost (“Pull Away”) all mingle together in a familiar Stax like setting. There is even a little nod to soul legend Sam Cooke on the song “River” which starts with a Ben E King “Stand By Me” opening before drifting off into the classic storytelling that makes one search for spiritual meaning.

Coming Home is indeed a record steeped in the traditions of past musical glories; in following that path Leon Bridges may have begun a journey towards becoming a legend himself. Time will tell.

Coming Home will be released on June 23 on all the usual formats. For vinyl fans there is a lithograph bundle that can also be picked up.

Enjoy