If two weeks ago was Super Tuesday, this must be Ultimate Tuesday, as there are at least four albums likely to make more than a few year end top 10 lists (there are two likely to make mine -- I'll let you guess which ones). So you'll forgive me if this week's post is late, as the word count has spiraled out of control laying praise on the latest from The Posies, Deerhunter, No Age and Neil Young. Other notables this week include new releases from Abe Vigoda, Women, Glasser, Nellie McKay, Owen Pallet, Ben Folds/Nick Hornby, The Corin Tucker Band, Owen, Grandchildren along with a greatest hits comp from Soundgarden and a deluxe reissue of 2009's list topper Bitte Orca from Dirty Projectors.
I've been a Posies fan going back to 1988, when you could catch them playing the occasional house party near the University of Washington campus. In terms of bias, familiarity can make a sub-par record seem better, but by the same token, it's also fairly difficult to be surprised by someone you've known for nearly 23 years. So when I say the greatness of Blood/Candy shocked me, it's not just hubris void of perspective.
Stringfellow / The Posies / Sasquatch 2010
Initially inspired by a 2009 performance of 93's Frosting on the Beater in it's entirety, B/C was going to be a 'return to roots' rock record for Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum recording the album... the songs just weren't going to cooperate with the initial box laid out for them. The restless Stringfellow has been harder to pin down creatively since the Posies first broke up (and thank God breaking up is the one thing The Posies are horrible at) and his song contributions here seem like they'd be especially difficult initially to button down. Witness the theatrical "Licenses to Hide," the zany Pet Sounds-inspired "Enewetak" - name for the Marshall Islands in the North Pacific which were abused by the US for nuclear testing - and the soaring "For the Ashes." Meanwhile, Auer had his own left-turns up his sleeve, unleashing the challenging "Accidental Architecture," after which it must have become obvious that this was not going to be a 'return to' anything album.
Auer / The Posies / Sasquatch 2010
Sure, there are a couple songs here that fall into the classic Posies sound, and those have always tended to be Auer's contributions, whose confidence in his McCartneyesque songwriting has made him Mr. Reliable (see "The Glitter Prize,""So Caroline" and "Notion #99"). But even the classic (and the almost nursery rhymish "Cleopatra Street") have so much going on that it begs, nay demands, repeat listens to get the full effect. To my ears Blood/Candy is the first album since Auer and Stringfellow's styles started more noticeably diverging (around 1996's Amazing Disgrace) where the potentially conflicting styles mesh in perfect harmony, with both artists reaching forward and out to each other, and it's a wondrous thing to behold.
The slow and steady progression for Deerhunter from damaged art rock to accessible (yet still damaged) pop band has been fascinating to witness. In some respects, we've been witnessing frontman Bradford Cox's split personality gradually merging together, with the tripped-out art of Deerhunter now almost impossible to distinguish from the pop ambitions of his solo project Atlas Sound.
Cox / Deerhunter / CHBP 2009
Witness the Cox's cooing bedroom vocals on the pop nuggets "Revival" and lead single "Helicopter," two highlights from the album (that still don't eclipse Microcastle's "Nothing Ever Happens," but that's to be expected). Cox's lyrics are still kind of a downer and purposely obtuse, but on the final track, the sprawling 7 1/2 minute "He Would Have Laughed" (dedicated to the late Jay Reatard), he comes as close as ever to letting us inside this thoughts. Cox pleads "Where do your friends go?/ Where do they see you?/ What did you want to be? Ah shut the hell up... shut your mouth" and then the song peters out, ending mid-note, much like Reatard's life. It's a powerful coda to an endlessly fascinating release.
Watching No Age play Bumbershoot a year ago, I got the impression that the duo (Dean Spunt on drums/vocals, Randy Randall on guitar) was perhaps a bit bored, drawing mostly from 2008's well-received Nouns. Everything In Between, the band's 2nd proper full length), kind of reinforces this opinion, with No Age mostly amputating nearly all the punk-fueled up-tempo elements ("Fever Dreaming" and "Shed & Transcend" remind us they still have that in their arsenal) that made their last album a dizzying affair.
Spunt / No Age / Bumpershoot 09
The aptly named "Positive Amputation" is a drum-less instrumental that explains this theory better than words can, built as it is from loops and sonic experimentation. Lead single "Glitter" is the perfect distilling of No Age's strengths, combining looping sonic landscapes with Spunt's simple repetition on vocals. The only weakness here for No Age (and it barely can be called that) is that with their leap forward in sonic sound, unfortunately Dean Spunt's vocals just don't seem strong enough at times to hold their end of the bargain. Spunt's laid back Cali skate punk feels at home riding the wave of their punkier numbers (again, see "Fever Dreaming"). Even with the tempo ratcheted down a notch, it's still another dizzying affair.
Neil Young is in the enviable position where he really doesn't need you to like him, which makes his album choices always an event of sorts. Take Le Noise, an album that is very recognizably a Neil Young joint (it's just Neil and his electric guitar playing within his idiom) and yet manages to be kind of out there through the funky mix job by Daniel Lanois. The result is a swirl of guitars and echoing vocals dancing around what are otherwise superb Young songs. Compare this with fellow rock legend Eric Clapton, who's vanilla offering this week challenges nobody, and we're reminded again why Young is such a treasure (I'd say national treasure, but some Canadians might scoff at the thought). In concert with the album, Young's YouTube channel is streaming the album as a short film, with artful black & white footage of Neil in the studio intercut with some crazy effects (much like the album itself) - see below:
The random Gods of funny grace us with two viral masterpieces in one day. First is The Muppets take on the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," and then from last night's episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Fallon does a sublime Neil Young covering "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Both are made of WIN.
The Muppets - "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Jimmy Fallon does Neil Young covering "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon):
Back in 2006, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunited for a tour called "Freedom of Speech," which served not only as old rock nostalgia, but also as a tour of political action, featuring many songs from the Neil Young album of Anti-Bush sentiment, Living with War, which was released that same year. Bernard Shakey (Young's alias) brought a camera crew along and directed the documentary CSNY: Deja Vu, which, along with the accompanying soundtrack, was released last week.
In the film, there's a funny segment featuring Neil Young's appearance on The Colbert Report that year, where he 'tricks' Colbert into playing along to "Let's Impeach the President." I bring that up because Crosby, Stills and Nash (sans Young) make an appearance Tuesday with the Colbert Nation, promoting the album and film (and current tour). That CSNY are back is testament to the tide turning again to protest, and while it's a shame that there's no Neil this time around, we at least still have the video from his last visit (see video below).
Elsewhere, if you missed my urging of two weeks ago to see The Hold Steady (video,) you have another chance as they take their hyper-literate classic rock to the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on Friday. I just saw them live again Saturday night, and have yet to come down from that Stay Positive, straight-edge-for-the-post-prom-set high. Craig Finn is one front man who doesn't bother to hold in his geek moves in check and his enthusiasm for whatever song he's singing is hard to resist.
Recorded between After the Goldrush (1970) and Harvest (1972), this live performance captures that moment in time beautifully, with Young stripped down and in storyteller mode. He'd just moved to the ranch in Laurel Canyon, and much of the new songs that would appear on Harvest are reflective of that change in location. Highlights include an early rendition of "Heart of Gold" snuck in as an interlude in the song "A Man Needs a Maid." Recorded in Toronto, Canada, it marks a sort of homecoming for Young, as he'd just recently hit the big time and was returning as the conquering hero, and the love between audience and performer is clearly felt.
Live at Massey Hall 1971 doesn't come out until next week (March 13, along with a simultaneous release of concert DVD) but we get it in Rhapsody a week early, so enjoy.
Appropriate to follow Neil Young with a follower in Son Volt. This, the second release of Son Volt 2.0 (Okemah and the Melody of Riot being the first,) the band reformed following lead singer Jay Farrar's sketchy solo outputs, finds the band stretching from it's friendly alt-country surroundings. Horn arrangements, phase-effected and backward looped guitars and distorted vocals distract the songs from being as direct as they could - airing frustrations about the current administration. Farrar hasn't sounded this confident since their 1995 debut Trace, and while it doesn't measure up to that gem, it's a worthy followup to Okemah and the Melody of Riot.
The Strokes rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. steps out for a relaxed mix of pop gems. When I say relaxed, I'm talking a Robert Pollard Sunday afternoon of recording... kicking back with some beers and friends and cranking out some melodies. It's not a whole lot more then that, but do we really need much more. Kudos for the Guided By Voices cover of "Postal Blowfish" (another Pollard Sunday afternoon gem) buried towards the end of the album.
The slow and steady progression for Deerhunter from damaged art rock to accessible (yet still damaged) pop band has been fascinating to witness. In some respects, we've been witnessing frontman Bradford Cox's split personality gradually merging together, with the tripped-out art of Deerhunter now almost impossible to distinguish from the pop ambitions of his solo project Atlas Sound.
Watching No Age play Bumbershoot a year ago, I got the impression that the duo (Dean Spunt on drums/vocals, Randy Randall on guitar) was perhaps a bit bored, drawing mostly from 2008's well-received Nouns. Everything In Between, the band's 2nd proper full length), kind of reinforces this opinion, with No Age mostly amputating nearly all the punk-fueled up-tempo elements ("Fever Dreaming" and "Shed & Transcend" remind us they still have that in their arsenal) that made their last album a dizzying affair.
Neil Young is in the enviable position where he really doesn't need you to like him, which makes his album choices always an event of sorts. Take Le Noise, an album that is very recognizably a Neil Young joint (it's just Neil and his electric guitar playing within his idiom) and yet manages to be kind of out there through the funky mix job by Daniel Lanois. The result is a swirl of guitars and echoing vocals dancing around what are otherwise superb Young songs. Compare this with fellow rock legend Eric Clapton, who's vanilla offering this week challenges nobody, and we're reminded again why Young is such a treasure (I'd say national treasure, but some Canadians might scoff at the thought). In concert with the album, Young's YouTube channel is streaming the album as a short film, with artful black & white footage of Neil in the studio intercut with some crazy effects (much like the album itself) - see below:
