Glee is back after what feels like forever, but is even more problematic than ever. At least when there's a terrible episode, there are things to talk about. Here? Yawn. Too bad they mostly wasted another return of Holly Holiday (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Lykke Li performs "Get Some" on Conan Thursday, March 10
It's mostly a week of repeats (I picked the wrong week to take off!), but Conan's got Drive-By Truckers and Sweden's fabulous Lykke Li, so all is not lost.
Back from my time off in Mexico and it seems like we're still experiencing a little dry spell with new releases. Of note are new releases from Sweden's Lykke Li, The Baseball Project, Lucinda Williams, Middle Brother, Dum Dum Girls, Anna Calvi, Papercuts and Ron Sexsmith.
With her debut of Youth Novels in 2008, Lykke Li quickly established herself as Sweden's best professional-dancer=turned=singer. With spare but inventive production again from the Bjorn third of Peter Bjorn & John, Li has built upon her fascinating debut and made it better in every way. The prostitute-angled "Get Some" is raucous highlight, but is that's all you hear from it, you'll be missing out on a dynamic sophomore release.
For the past couple weeks, both the late night talk shows and this column were on vacay thanks to Olympic coverage, but now both are back, and much like one of those human interest pieces on the Olympics, this week's lineup is rich with gritty comebacks and graceful debuts.
Representing the country of Sweden (medal count = 5) comes the 22-year old Lykke Li (pronounced Lick-ee Lee,) a former professional dancer who's wonderful debut album, Youth Novels, was released this past week. Co-written and produced with fellow Swede Björn Yttling (Peter, Bjorn & John,) the album is a stripped-down affair that's as intimate a pop album I've heard in some time. Lykke's voice can certainly sound shy ("My hips they lie 'cause in reality I'm shy, shy, shy," from "Dance, Dance, Dance") but the lyrics sometimes betray something more, like this refrain from her first single "Little Bit": "And for you I keep my legs apart / And forget about my tainted heart." Lykke, who appears on Conan Friday night, could very well be this year's Feist. And if that means she's singing "I'm Good, I'm Gone" to monsters on Sesame Street next year, so much the better.
Another female artist who's shy sounding voice betrayed much fiercer lyrics is Juliana Hatfield, who was the queen of the kiss off in the early 90's, both solo and prior with her band The Blake Babies. She's still got the angst, it's just buried under a more mature outlook on life - heck, even her album title seems like a more mature version of the kiss off, How to Walk Away. The still lovely Hatfield plays Leno on Monday, and while the new album is alright, I must admit I'm far more interested in reading her upcoming memoir, When I Grow Up, which examines what happens to an artist when they lose faith in their dream, and how to come back from disappointment.
Speaking of comeback, there's a couple of great stories this week making live appearances on the late nights this week. First is the "Rhinestone Cowboy" himself, Glen Campbell, appearing on Kimmell and who's taken the route that Johnny Cash did and re-interpreting songs from the likes of U2, Green Day, Velvet Underground and more on his latest release, Meet Glen Campbell. The songs don't always work, but it's hard not to smile at the 72-year old singing The Replacements' "Sadly Beautiful," about watching his child grow up. Meanwhile, celebrating their 50th anniversary is the doo-wop band Little Anthony & The Imperials, who will play "Hurt So Bad" on Letterman, marking the fourth time the band has played at Ed Sullivan Theater, going back to the days of Sullivan's "really big show." Apparently, (Little) Anthony Gourdine wowed Late Night bandleader Paul Shaffer last year at the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year, and the deal was done. Thanks to the writer's strike and all these vacation days, it took 14 months to follow through, which, when you've been playing for 50 years probably doesn't seem that long.
It's a deep week for releases, topped by the latest Swedish pop star to grace our shores, Lykke Li, and the debut of Jaguar Love (The Blood Brothers rise again). Elsewhere there are new releases from Stereolab, Delta Spirit (an early look,) Ra Ra Riot, Juliana Hatfield, The Stills, Jennifer O'Connor, Don Caballero, Uh Huh Her, Jeff Hanson, David Byrne, Human Highway and the great reissue of the 1970 cult classic from the enigmatic Rodriguez.
The 22-year old Swedish former professional dancer has created an album beyond her years, swirling together the pop sounds of her countrywomen (Robyn, El Perro Del Mar, Anna Ternheim) while injecting a bit more into the equation, and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out what that 'more' exactly was. Sure, Björn Yttling (Peter, Bjorn & John) co-wrote and produced the spare sound, but it wasn't until I noticed that two of Lykke's favorite artists are Madonna and Tom Waits that it all started to make sense. The Madonna thing has been brought up before, but it's the Waits influence that makes her sound different. Instead of a junkyard for rhythmic sounds, Lykke seems to be hanging out in a child's music room, employing instruments that are both cute and don't quite work like their adult counterparts do. Much as been made about her advance single, "Little Bit," with it's suggestive lyrics, and Lykke seems to recreate that magic in many of the other songs, like "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "I'm Good, I'm Gone" but there are also misteps here that almost derail the whole effort ("Complaint Department," two spoken word pieces too many). Still, given that she's so new to songwriting, it's easy to forgive her for indulging. Can't help looking forward to seeing what she does on her second album.
It's an old story, really. Man records record. No one buys it. Records another one. No one buys it. Moves on to do other things. Then, unbeknownst to him, he becomes an underground star in South Africa. Sixto Diaz Rodriguez lived out this age old story (with a twist) and his album Cold Fact (1970) finally gets a reissue (first time on CD here in the US) this week. Rodriguez comes off like a cross between Bob Dylan, Donovan and Arthur Lee of Love, mixing poetic folk with drug-fueled psychedelica, as best exemplified in the opening track, "Sugar Man":
Sugar man met a false friend On a lonely dusty road Lost my heart when I found it It had turned to dead black coal Silver magic ships you carry Jumpers, coke, sweet Mary Jane
The plaintiff folk however quickly gives way to the power chord attack of "Only Good for Conversation," and it's at this point you realize that this is truly a special album. "My statue's got a concrete heart / But you're the coldest bitch I know -- so help me". Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey discovered him in a club, playing with his back to the audience and coaxed him into the studio, backed by Motown's Funk Brothers, to record Cold Fact, adding a nice punch to his otherwise plaintive protest folk. It's a story and album that's done justice by Light in the Attic's usual attention to detail in liner notes and packaging, as is their specialty. Now that Rodriguez has toured Australia (1981, playing with the likes of Split Enz, Men at Work and Midnight Oil) and South Africa (1997, documented in the documentary, Dead Men Don't Tour,) one hopes he'll soon make the rounds here as well.
Rising from the ashes of the much beloved The Blood Brothers comes Jaguar Love, and as much as I like their debut Take Me to the Sea, I know it's bound to disappoint folks on both sides of the BB aisle (those who like, those who don't really know). The upper-register vocals of Johnny Whitney along with Cody Votolato's guitar work make the Blood Brothers' connection unmistakable, but it's lean to pop conventions are bound to frustrate more than a few hardline BB fans, which is too bad. Meanwhile, folks not accustomed to Whitney's vocals are usually repelled instantly (again, too bad). "Vagabond Ballroom" reminds me of the mighty aMiniature (with an organ,) "Highways of Gold" might be as close to conventional as The Blood Bros. ever got, and there's even a ballad, "Georgia," which is rightfully earned by the surrounding moments of sonic brilliance. Because everyone knows ballads are a privilege, not a right.
For the past couple weeks, both the late night talk shows and this column were on vacay thanks to Olympic coverage, but now both are back, and much like one of those human interest pieces on the Olympics, this week's lineup is rich with gritty comebacks and graceful debuts.
Another female artist who's shy sounding voice betrayed much fiercer lyrics is Juliana Hatfield, who was the queen of the kiss off in the early 90's, both solo and prior with her band The Blake Babies. She's still got the angst, it's just buried under a more mature outlook on life - heck, even her album title seems like a more mature version of the kiss off, How to Walk Away. The still lovely Hatfield plays Leno on Monday, and while the new album is alright, I must admit I'm far more interested in reading her upcoming memoir, When I Grow Up, which examines what happens to an artist when they lose faith in their dream, and how to come back from disappointment.
The 22-year old Swedish former professional dancer has created an album beyond her years, swirling together the pop sounds of her countrywomen (Robyn, El Perro Del Mar, Anna Ternheim) while injecting a bit more into the equation, and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out what that 'more' exactly was. Sure, Björn Yttling (Peter, Bjorn & John) co-wrote and produced the spare sound, but it wasn't until I noticed that two of Lykke's favorite artists are Madonna and Tom Waits that it all started to make sense. The Madonna thing has been brought up before, but it's the Waits influence that makes her sound different. Instead of a junkyard for rhythmic sounds, Lykke seems to be hanging out in a child's music room, employing instruments that are both cute and don't quite work like their adult counterparts do. Much as been made about her advance single, "Little Bit," with it's suggestive lyrics, and Lykke seems to recreate that magic in many of the other songs, like "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "I'm Good, I'm Gone" but there are also misteps here that almost derail the whole effort ("Complaint Department," two spoken word pieces too many). Still, given that she's so new to songwriting, it's easy to forgive her for indulging. Can't help looking forward to seeing what she does on her second album.
It's an old story, really. Man records record. No one buys it. Records another one. No one buys it. Moves on to do other things. Then, unbeknownst to him, he becomes an underground star in South Africa. Sixto Diaz Rodriguez lived out this age old story (with a twist) and his album Cold Fact (1970) finally gets a reissue (first time on CD here in the US) this week. Rodriguez comes off like a cross between Bob Dylan, Donovan and Arthur Lee of Love, mixing poetic folk with drug-fueled psychedelica, as best exemplified in the opening track, "Sugar Man":
Rising from the ashes of the much beloved The Blood Brothers comes Jaguar Love, and as much as I like their debut Take Me to the Sea, I know it's bound to disappoint folks on both sides of the BB aisle (those who like, those who don't really know). The upper-register vocals of Johnny Whitney along with Cody Votolato's guitar work make the Blood Brothers' connection unmistakable, but it's lean to pop conventions are bound to frustrate more than a few hardline BB fans, which is too bad. Meanwhile, folks not accustomed to Whitney's vocals are usually repelled instantly (again, too bad). "Vagabond Ballroom" reminds me of the mighty aMiniature (with an organ,) "Highways of Gold" might be as close to conventional as The Blood Bros. ever got, and there's even a ballad, "Georgia," which is rightfully earned by the surrounding moments of sonic brilliance. Because everyone knows ballads are a privilege, not a right.
