Sometimes Spotify undermines an album due to lack of investment by the listener. When While You Were Sleeping came out in 2014 I gave it a couple spins on Spotify, but I never really listened.
Recently I found a new copy of the vinyl LP at the Electric Fetus in the closeout rack and I thought I would give it a second chance because No Beginning No End was so good.
When I put down cash on a physical copy of an album I listen to it differently. I am committed – it is not just a drive by.
I have been listening to the album the last few days and I am hooked. James is hard to classify: is it jazz, pop, hip hop, electronica? I love music that is hard to classify – where you are reduced to having to call it merely good or bad music. Needless to say this is good music.
James has a beautiful baritone that he can leap into higher registers with the greatest of ease. It is a smooth fine whiskey.
On this album James strays pretty far from jazz. It is a combination of an electronica and Radiohead vibe, yet very soulful. The production values are top-notch. This would make a great reference record to test drive a stereo. If you like soul music, but are tired of young artist who just rehash the classics and are willing to take an adventure check this album out. José James is a true original.
This collection could have easily been titled Weather Report The Jaco Years. As much as Weather Report was the Joe and Wayne show, when Jaco Pastorius graced the band he was an equal voice. I discovered Jaco via Joni Mitchell and Jaco delivered me to Weather Report’s Heavy Weather. So I am a little biased about Jaco’s prominence in the band.
I was pretty stoked when I saw this collection was coming out because, in addition to being a Jaco fan, this was the era I saw Weather Report live in a Minneapolis theater. I got a little nervous when I read this was mainly soundboard to cassette recordings – but my concern was in vain – the audio quality is 5-star.
Most of my experience with Weather Report is via their studio recordings – and they were very much a studio band. But as I learned that night 35 years ago, these cats are a great live band and this collection is the definitive evidence for posterity.
The collection sprawls four CDs. It is breathtaking. It pops out of the speakers in a way the studio albums never did. This is the band raw, yet they are tight. Wayne Shorter’s role was sometimes a bit too subtle on the studio albums. In these live cuts he shreds.
And then there is Jaco. This was the perfect band for Jaco. Zawinul and Shorter were jazz cats, but they had rock and roll hearts and sense of showmanship. They were the perfect mentors for the bass genius.
Zawinul is at times experimental and esoteric and then swinging. He is a soloist and a horn section. He is sound effects, but never gimmicky. He is the leader and the foundation of the sound. It is an absolute privilege to hear him do it live.
It is going to take me awhile for me to fully digest the four hours of this collection. But the early listens have engaged me. This is one great artifact of a world-class jazz band at the height of their powers. This is what I most love about jazz: sophisticated fun. There is a reason they call it playing music. If you want a shortcut check out CD 4 “Black Market.”
I have been a Coldplay fan since 2000’s Parachutes, which was a pretty brilliant debut. Although I have liked some albums less than others, Coldplay has never issued a stiff. They have continuously evolved their sound, but they have remained true to who they are – an unabashed pop band. I have often considered them U2 wannabes and/or Radiohead-lite. But that characterization seems derogatory for a band I like. They are just a pop band that has been churning out hits for 15 years. If that was so easy, why don’t more bands turn that trick? Paul McCartney proved writing “Silly Love Songs” takes expert craftsmenship if not artistry.
I liked their last album even though it was not full of arena anthems. Head Full Of Dreams is a return to classic arena anthem form. It is pure ear candy. You can imagine every one of these songs as an arena sing-along.
The album opens with the titular track. It is quintessential Coldplay. This track would not sound out-of-place on any of their albums.
“Birds” emphasizes rhythm over melody and nods to hip hop (something the band has been doing since Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends).
“Hymns For The Weekend” opens with a Beyoncé vocal (it helps to have friends I high places). This a hip hop song without a rap. It is the ultimate in-the-moment pop.
“Everglow” has a nice minimalistic Bruce Hornsby feel. A gorgeous ballad.
“Adventure Of A Lifetown” has a disco feel. It. Has a great clubbing sound. It reminds me of Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music with a bit of Daft Punk. This is the debut single.
“Fun” is currently my favorite cut. It absolutely swirls. The second half is a duet with Swedish singer/songwriter Tove Lo.
“Kaleidoscope” is an ambitious segue that has spoken word (poem by Persian poet Rumi) and a sample of Obama singing “Amazing Grace.”
No “Army Of One” is my favorite song on the album. An ear worm. The track includes a hidden track “X Marks the Spot” at 3:23 mark. That hidden track is pure Kanye.
My wife remarked,when hearing “Amazing Day,” that it had a prom slow-dance feel. I could not have said it better myself. Close your eyes and you can see the disco ball shards of light littering the room.
“Colour Spectrum” is a brief interlude.
“Up&Up” is a wonderful finale. It pulls all the stops. A full on champagne supernova – featuring a brilliant Noel Gallagher solo of course.
I don’t know who the hell Stargate is, but he/she/it is one hell of a great collaborator with Coldplay as the primary producer along with long time Coldplay producer/engineer Rik Simpson on this album.
I believe this may be Coldplay’s best album since their 2002 breakthrough A Rush of Blood to the Head. My only complaint is that it is not on Spotify – I would have bought the physical copy anyway, but it is damn inconvenient that it is not on my streaming service.
Overall a great album and this will clearly be on my best of 2015.
Coldplay is now available on Spotify. Assume it because Spotify will filter availability to premium customers .
This album was first released in late 2008 and I had a download version. It was an extremely well recorded live set that was basically a greatest hits album. It was also a DVD, but I have never watched that. This past summer a deluxe edition was released with a second disk and Record Store Day – Black Friday released that deluxe edition on vinyl.
To me, Jeff Beck is the most talented of the 60s guitar gods. Well at least he is the most diverse in his styles: blues, heavy rock, funk and jazz rock fusion (sometimes in the same song). He has gorgeous tone and is a great interpreter of songs. He can showoff with the best of the guitar heroes, but his gift is his lyrical playing – his guitar sings.
This album is a great introduction to Jeff Beck’s work. The original album (disk 1 and 2 of this vinyl version) do not have single clunker. For a live album, it has studio quality sonics. The LP version of the album is lush (of course I am comparing to an MP3).
A great sequence that defines Jeff Beck is LP 2 Side 1 (AKA Side C). It opens with “Angel (Footsteps),” which is Beck at his most lyrical – he sounds more like a horn player than guitar player. Think late 50s Miles Davis. He juxtapositions that with “Scatterrbrain” which is pure guitar god pyrotechnics (this version was features on the hardest set list of Guitar Hero 5). He closes out with the pure jazz of Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” which segues into “Brush With The Blues” which is down and dirty (yet pretty damn fancy) blues . I won’t bore you with a track by track account of the whole album. This sequence pretty much defines the album: brilliance, genius and most of all joy. And by the way his band is perfect.
The bonus disk side 1 (side E) is filled with guest vocalists: Joss Stone for one song, Imogine Heap for two songs and Eric Clapton for a couple (and of course he adds a little fret work with his appearance). The vocalist distract you from Beck’s guitar, but if you give it a careful listen you realize what a sensitive accompanist Beck is. For me Imogine Heap and Beck work the best because she matches closest to his lyrical ballad style (although “Rollin’ And Tumblin'” is pretty damn bluesy). Clapton is a gentleman and does not try to get into a guitar cutting session with Beck, opting for a friendly conversation and deferring to Beck for the big statements.
The final slide is with The Big Town Playboys who accompanied Beck on his 1993 Gene Vincent tribute Crazy Legs. Clearly Jeff Beck enjoys playing vintage rock and roll. This genre may seem corny, but this is no different from Wynton Marsalis playing Dixieland jazz – this is foundation stuff. You need to acknowledge the base. For me it is Chuck Berry, but Vincent must have been Beck’s drug of choice.
Overall this album is a great overview of Jeff Beck’s career in one sitting. An extraordinary document of the guitar genius and guitar diversity that is Jeff Beck.
There are not many mega pop stars that I followed from day one, but Adele is one of them. Her debut album 19 was great and “Chasing Pavements” was an amazing single (and the fact she invented a clever phrase was a triple bonus). 21 was even better and she became the biggest and brightest star in the pop world. People loved her music so much they actually paid for it. She has made her fans wait 4 years for the follow-up – this is one of the most anticipated releases in a long time. It sold a record setting 2.3 million albums in the first three days.
I love Adele, but it is annoying she is not streaming the album and she issued the vinyl LP without a download. Oh well, that just forces me to listen on my home system and fully appreciate the sounds vs. listening in the car or on Spotify through buds. This is big music that deserves to be listened to in the proper context.
I did listen to the pre-album single and LP opening song “Hello” before buying the LP and I thought it was a Lionel Richie song. The song did not grab me at first, but on repeated listens it has grown on me. When I bought the LP and looked at the liner notes I was surprised it was not a Ritchie song. I pulled out Can’t Slow Down just to make sure. It is a different song but clearly inspired by the Richie original. Ultimately this is a great single – a worthy calling card for the rest of the album.
“Send My Love (To Your New Lover) has a Radiohead like guitar riff, which is a pretty cool way to frame Adele.
“I Miss You” is a nice contemporary sounding song with echoey Phil Collins drums. It has just a touch of funk and risk.
One of the things I like about Adele’s voice is that it conventionally pretty, but it has just a touch of a growl. Her production values are epic, yet not over powering. The focus is always on the voice. “When We Were Young” is a great example of what I am talking about. This is my favorite song on the album.
“Remedy” closes side A with a simple voice and piano arrangement. Adele sings her ass off and you don’t need anything more. Her voice is an orchestra.
“Water Under The Bridge” open side B and is one of the more anonymous songs on the album. It is catchy but it seems a bit light weight for Adele. Over produced and it already sounds dated (seems like she is trying to be Taylor Swift – a move that is unnecessary).
“River Lea” is a Danger Mouse production. Adele and DM are a pretty good duo: his cinematic production values and Adele’s epic voice. You can imagine this song behind the end credits of a great movie and you would be Shazaming it because it sounded so foreign and familiar at the same time. This song begs for more Adele/Danger Mouse collaborations.
“Love The Dark” is a simple piano and strings arrangement that allows Adele to shine on the top. A real showcase for her.
“Million Years Ago” has a beautiful stark arrangement-just Adele and guitar (with some other subtle shading). It has a very retro feel to me. This could be from a 60s chanteuse.
Adele does a second simple arrangement in row (just voice and piano) with “All I Ask.”
The album concludes with “Sweet Devotion” – a bang. This is a big room anthem.
So does it live up to the hype and is it worthy of earning the all time one week album sales record? Nope, but no album could live up to that hype. This is a solid album and a worthy follow-up to 21. Adele does not sell out, she just does her thing (which just happens to monetize really well). I like the record but there is nothing on it that blows you away like “Rolling In The Deep.” I like that it has a diversity of styles but holds together. Ultimately it is Adele’s voice that defines her – she could sing a telephone book. Amazingly her cowriters/producers don’t get in the way, but properly elevate her. In the end this album appeals to me more than Taylor Swift’s 1989. It is a more grown up album and is fits better into my baby boomer aesthetics. It is gimmick free – just a great voice showcased.
Again it does annoy me this album is not streaming and even worse the vinyl did not come with a download (especially without a streaming option). It comes off as a money grab and disrespectful of the fans. It leaves just enough of a bad taste in my mouth to keep me from totally falling for the album (and frankly it just won’t be convenient enough to fall for).
I am not much of a punk music fan so I ignored Titus Andronicus despite all the hype over that last few years. I recently heard the band’s leader Patrick Stickles on a WTF podcast and was absolutely charmed and intrigued to check out the band’s ambitious new album The Most Lamentable Tragedy.
I listened to it on Spotify and was blown away. This is epic Born To Run Springsteen, The Who, Queen, Johnny Rotten and The Pouges inspired rock and roll. The band’s tag line for the album is: “a rock opera in five acts.”
I am in no position to provide a plot synopsis. So I will defer to the Pitchfork review:
The Most Lamentable Tragedy is a story told in five acts that follows the Hero, an unnamed man (who’s someone like Stickles) in an unnamed city (which is somewhere like New York) grappling with his neuroses. He’s confronted by his doppelgänger—an alternate self that seems to have everything figured out, and pushes him to find solace outside of sin. It’s a protracted allegory for manic depression, which Stickles has publicly struggled with since the band first came to attention.
I can speak to the music. It is both majestic and messy. It is both stadium rock and dive bar punk. It has tremendous anger and tender moments.
This is the second three-LP masterpiece I have enjoyed this year. Kamasi Washington’s The Epic being the first. Washington mined a couple of generations of jazz for his album. Titus Andronicus has done the same with rock and roll.
Patrick Stickles has an amazing voice. Once you get used to the shredding vocal chords and phlegmatic scream you come to appreciate what a brilliant and expressive instrument it is.
This is never garden variety garage rock, it is more in line with the ambitious wall of sound of mid-70s Springsteen. Lots of big guitar, but also plenty of keyboards, woodwinds, strings and back up vocals. If you want to dip your toe in the water with one of their more accessible yet complex numbers try “Lonely Boy.”
Some may find the album pretentious, I prefer to call it ambitious. It is albums like this that restore my faith in rock and roll. This is a dramatic presentation of raw human emotion: pissed, in love, self loathing, in lust, adrenaline fueled euphoria and an occasional fist through the wall. In short: rock and roll and I like it (if you don’t póg mo thóin).
I learned about Lenny White from his drumming with Return To Forever (RTF). RTF was one of the great fusion bands of the 70s where every member of the band was a virtuoso.
I don’t know the story of this album, but it is a hodgepodge.
The LP opens with the titular track where Lenny joins forces with Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express and the Tower Of Power horns. As you might expect it is badass jazz rock with a twist of funk.
The next is a soul jazz ballad featuring vocalist Linda Tillery and pianist Herbie Hancock. “Sweet Dreamer” is pretty anonymous, except for the Hancock keys.
Lenny juxtapositions the ballad with two disjointed “Interludes.” The first is a minute jam between Lenny and bassist Marcus Miller. The second a minute and half of an orchestra.
Lenny takes another hard turn on extended jam between Lenny, Herbie Hancock and Ray Gomaz (on guitar). “Rapid Transit” Is a punk-jazz jam. This song would have sounded perfectly fine after the first cut.
Side one ends with drum solo (“Ritmo Loco”) and an uncredited heavy guitar riff for a couple of bars.
Side two starts out with “Dreams Come And Go Away” a literal definition of jazz rock fusion. Heavy guitars from Journey’s Neal Schon and jazz piano from Onaje Allan Gumbs.
White then presents the ambitious “Enchanted Pool Suite.” A RTF-like composition featuring Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Jerry Goodman (violin) and Jan Hammer.
The album ends with a live cut featuring Brian Auger and the dueling guitars of Neal Schon (left channel) and Ray Gomez (right channel). A dash of sax from from Bernie Maupin spices things up.
Although this is a disjointed album, the individual cuts are worth the price of admission. The best cuts are on the rock side of the fusion spectrum. This album must have a following amongst collectors: used CDs are $100 and quality vinyl is in the $25 range. I picked up a decent vinyl copy for $4. I just wish the album had a little more continuity to it. It reminds me of another fusion drummer’s brilliant mess – Tony Williams The Joy Of Flying from about the same era. The album is not on Spotify, so start digging.
My conscious introduction to Allen Toussaint was from Robert Palmer’s Double Fun album where side two opened with “Night People.” I thought that was the funkiest shit I had ever heard at 19 years old. Unconsciously I had heard his pop hits before, but did not know it. It was the dawning of my musical enlightenment and I read LP credits like a hungry dog. I learned the song was by Allen Toussaint – whoever he was.
About a year later I was crate digging at Woolworth’s in downtown Minneapolis on my lunch break in the two for a dollar cut-out bins when I found Toussaint’s 1978 LP Motion. Its opening cut was “Night People.” Now that was some seriously funky shit.
I learned yesterday of Toussaint’s passing via ?uestlove’s Instagram. I will leave it to bigger music heads and professional journalists to write Toussaint’s obituary.
I must have spun “Night People” a thousand time over the years and I have never sickened of it. Over time I learned who Toussaint was and his broad subtle influence on pop music.
I got to see Toussaint live many years ago at the old Guthrie Theater. He was solo at a grand piano pumping out his songbook. It is one of my great concert memories. Not only the music, but what gentleman he was – it just radiated out of him.
Toussaint is a great interpreter of his own work, but he is more famous as a producer and songwriter. There are so many great covers of Toussaint songs, from schmaltz artists like Glen Campbell, to the edgy and hip like the Rolling Stones. His duet album with Elvis Costello is pretty great.
Toussaint’s music is soul music, but it is unique in that is always dripping in Nola funk – it has a unique groove – even when covered by the most milk-toast singer. A national treasure is lost, but his music lives on.
Recommended listening is his Warner Brother’s sides from the 70s:
I am pretty late to the party. I am just now listening to Taylor Swift’s 1989. I am not a hater, but I have never listened to T-Swift (at least that I am conscious of) in my life. I just have not had the opportunity – especially in light of her not being on Spotify.
I like the concept of Taylor Swift. A pop star who is fully conscious of being a pop star. Kind of like U2 embraces being rock stars. No irony and no pretensions. Authenticity fake and in total control. A mirror reflecting on itself. I like that there appears to be no Svengali. But some how I was never interested to listen until now. I am a Ryan Adams fan, so I had to check it out what the hell has inspired him.
I listened to the Ryan Adams cover of 1989 the day it came out and I thought it was the blandest thing Adams had ever done. I have been giving the Taylor Swift original repeated spins and it is catchy as hell. And I admit I have heard “Shake It Off” prior to this serious listen.
I come to T-Swift as a fully blossomed pop star vs. country pop princess. So there is no shock that she opens the album with a Lady Gaga like anthem: “Welcome To New York.” That song could be performed by any pop diva, so a little underwhelming.
Adams turns the song into a late 70s Springsteen arena anthem, which seems like a pretty appropriate take.
“Blank Space” sounds exactly what I imagined Taylor Swift would sounded like both musically and lyrically – a boy crazed predator.
Adams puts on his best Nick Drake mask on. Every singer songwriter can’t seem to help having a Nick Drake moment. Interesting twist on the original.
“Style” opens like a long-lost Blondie track. The chorus is a fast forward from the 80s to contemporary pop. This is an extremely fun song and reeks of T-Swift’s sexy librarian image.
Ryan turns it into an Arcade Fire song.
“Out Of The Woods” is like a short movie. It tells a story like the best commercials. I am starting to realize what a great songwriter she is.
This is the first time Adams makes one of the songs totally his – this could easily be on one of his albums. Mellow and contemplative and dripping with emotion.
“All You To Had To Do Is Stay” is a wonderfully bitter. No delicate flower, Taylor is not heartbroken – she is pissed.
Another shade of Adams – the pop rock Ryan. Again this would not sound out-of-place on several of his albums.
“Shake It Off” is what a great pop song should be – multiple dimensions: a playful dance song, a sing along, a stadium anthem and a fuck you.
This is where it gets tricky – tackling a ubiquitous single that most people love just for the hook. Adams slows it down and gives it a Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” groove. He savors each word and helps you understand that under the pop sheen of the single there is a gorgeous song. Adams has taken this tactic before when he took the Stone’s “Brown Sugar” and deconstructed it to reveal its disturbing lyrics.
“I Wish You Would” is heartbreak but with your chin up. Hurt but still defiant.
This is the closest to the original, yet purely Ryan Adams.
“Bad Blood” is a cooler single to me than “Shake It Off.” It is darker and more complex musically. Everyone has a friendship gone bad and can embrace this anthem.
Pure Ryan Adams – this absolutely could be his own song. He follows the dynamics of the original, but the instrumentation and voice is all Ryan.
“Wildest Dreams” finally slows down. I like that this is quite song after all the bombastic songs before it. An embrace of love you know is going to go wrong.
Ryan pulls out his alt-country groove on this one. The opening guitar riff is thick and twangy. This has the roll down the windows on the car / turn up the stereo and go cruising groove. Upbeat melancholia.
“How You Get The Girl” sounds like it would be a pure country song if it was arranged differently.
Ryan gets his most contemplative, opening the song with just acoustic guitar strumming and soft voice. Then an occasional kick drum to emphasize the heartbreak. Taylor’s version is sassy and sarcastic. Ryan’s has a more kicked in the nuts heartbreak feel.
“This Love” is a gorgeous ballad. The least adorned song on the album. It has a purity and a vulnerability. Interestingly it is the only song on the album where Swift does not share writing credits.
Adams also takes a stark minimalist take on the song – even more unadorned than the Taylor original.
“I Know Places” is us against the world.
Ryan makes it an Elvis Costello song – what could be more against the world than that!
“Clean” ends the album with a nice atmospheric feel. It floats. Lyrically it is coming up for air after almost drowning. Redemption.
Adams goes Eagles flavored country rock on his take.
So after listening to T-Swift’s album several times I get why Taylor Swift is such a big thing. She has got the looks, the hooks and there is no gobbledygook. You fall for the character and assume it is autobiographical, but you can’t be sure if you are being deceived. You feel like you know her, but you also now she is unattainable. It is one hell of an act.
The fact that Ryan Adams would fall for T-Swift should not surprise us. He was married to Mandy Moore and used Creed to inspire Jenny Lewis. I believe he is genuinely gob smacked by Taylor and 1989. He is not ironic and this is not a career move. He loved the album enough to make it his own. Listening to the Adams’ cover after studying the original is better than hearing it cold. It is required to live in the shadow. It is not a standalone – but a genuine companion piece – which is makes it even more a love letter from a fan to the star. I now officially love Ryan’s 1989.
Taylor Swift deserves the magazine covers and mega success. I can’t remember a pop star who is so comfortable in the spotlight, yet not pandering. The fact that she has a super-fan like Ryan Adams who is willing to risk is artistic integrity by hooking on to her train is one hell of a compliment.
Sorry no Taylor – remember she hates Spotify – her one blemish.
This post has been sitting in draft status for a couple of months now. Other releases have somehow leapfrogged it. But I consistently come back to it the LP, so I owe it a post. Now it is time to write my best of 2015 post, so I feel compelled to get it out of draft status.
Craig Finn takes a different approach from his day job with The Hold Steady on this album. But his voice is so distinctive it is hard for him to stray too far.
He lures us in by throwing a familiar pitch with the opener “Maggie I’ve Been Search For Our Son.” On repeated listens this song has a lot more going on than the usual arena-bar anthems of The Hold Steady. It has Lindsey Buckingham pop finesse.
Finn throws a change-up with the second cut “Roman Guitars.” That song incorporates horns and vocals in a very anti-rock and almost dissonant way. At first It did not really work for me, but on repeated listen I started to appreciate the Tom Waits beauty of it.
“Newmeyer’s Roof” is straight ahead rock, but in a different style than the arena-bar anthems of The Hold Steady. A little more straight 80s Springsteen channeled through Arcade Fire. It is pretty deep lyrically as Finn recounts 9/11 and watching the Twin Towers fall from roof of a friend’s apartment and the years of recovering from witnessing that tragedy firsthand.
“Sarah, Calling From A Hotel” has a minimalist Bruce Springsteen Nebraska feel. It has a nice sense of despair about it.
“Going To A Show” has a wonderful sway to it. Guitar and piano. This would not be out-of-place on a Wilco album. It includes the great lyric: “I try so hard not to talk to myself/But it is hard ’cause I’m always alone.”
“Sandra From Scranton” is a portrait of desperate adulthood: “She don’t go to go to shows anymore.”
If ever a character from the bible deserved a rock song is St. Peter. “St. Peter Upside Down” flip-flops between the story of the crucifixion of St. Peter and a modern tale. The song has a great horn accent.
“Trapper Avenue” is a surreal tale that sounds like the bastard love child of Springsteen and Lou Reed.
“Christine” is the sound of longing. A nice portrait of unrequited love.
“I Was Doing Fine (Then A Few People Died)” might be the best song on the album. A great arrangement with a foundation of horns and cool background vocals. It is just short enough to be a tease.
Axl's Catch Groove 