I am total sucker for highly produced 70 pop rock and Jenny Lewis has just released a classic of the genre: think Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac, mid-70’s Linda Ronstadt, Court and Spark Joni Mitchell and the edgy side of The Carpenters. Luscious ear candy where you discover another subtle nuance and layer with every listen.
The album is produced mainly by Ryan Adams, but with contributions from Beck, long time Lewis collaborator Johnathan Rice and Lewis herself. All folks who know how to produce great musical sounds – 3 minute pop symphonies.
As slick as the album as is, it has a nice underbelly of a darkness and quite desperation. The juxtaposition of lush pop arrangements and lyrics filled with regret gives the album some genuine nutritional value – this is not empty calories.
Lewis voice is absolutely gorgeous instrument capable of folk, rock and country. It is emotional and as clean as a brand new white pinpoint shirt.
There is not a bad cut on the album. At well past the half way point of 2014, I can confidently declare this will be on my top 10 list.
My father-in-law Jim Adams passed away this afternoon. He would have been 93 this October. While it is sad to lose him, it is also joyful – he lived a great life. His spirit was strong, but his body was done. He was sharp to the end and died peacefully at home.
Jim was an optimist. If you asked him how he was he would shout: “TERRIFIC!.” If a young person like his granddaughter (my daughter) told him about her new job or a trip he would exclaim “The opportunity!”
Jim was an unashamed “tax and spend liberal.” There was no problem so big or so small that a government program could not solve it. I got endless pleasure teasing Jim about his politics. He always took the ribbing in stride.
I have known Jim 34 years and I have never seen him angry, mean or cruel. At best he might have some righteous indignation about an injustice.
Jim was a people person. He was genuinely interested in everyone he met. He was energized by others. Even in his last year, when a stroke robbed him of most of his speech, he would greet everyone in his line of sight with a wave and a “how are you?”
Jim was a simple man and that is not an insult, but a complement. He lived by a set of upbeat phrases. My son recently got a tattoo with one of Grandpa’s phrases: “patience is a virtue.” Grandpa was proud of that tattoo and made my son roll up his sleeve and show everyone he met.
Jim loved to call you up on your birthday and sing you “Happy Birthday” and hang up before you could thank him.
Jim lived life well and was a happy warrior. He enriched everyone he touched in life. He left the world a better place than when he entered. Rest in peace Jimbo.
I first discovered Ronnie Wood on his 1979 classic Gimme Some Neck. I fell in love with his Dylan cover “Seven Days.” I then proceeded to learn this guy had some amazing rock and roll pedigree. At the time he was a relatively new member of the Rolling Stones (officially declared a member in 1976). I started to research his background and he showed up playing bass in the early Jeff Beck Group, Rod Stewart era Faces and helped launch Rod Stewart’s solo career playing on his early albums and co-writing the classic Rod Stewart songs “Gasoline Alley” and “Every Picture Tells a Story.”
What I love about Ronnie Wood is his virtuoso sloppy style – everything sounds drunken and tossed off – but it is done so tastefully you can’t help but love it. Bands like The Replacements based their whole careers on Wood’s delicious mess. An added bonus is Wood’s Dylanesque rasp.
Some how over the years I have never listened to Now Look. This is Wood’s second solo album. I recently bought a nice vinyl copy at the RockNRoll Music Sale. What makes this album special is that is a collaboration with soul music genius Bobby Womack. Womack helps Wood master his bleary eyed soul. A highlight is Wood’s cover of the Ann Peebles “I Can’t Stand The Rain.”
If you are a fan of the sloppier side of the Stones, the era when Rod Stewart was the greatest rock singer on the planet (early 70s) and soulful rock then I highly recommend this release. You should be able to find a decent copy well under $5.
A couple of weeks ago a buddy of mine invited me to see Trampled By Turtles perform Wild Animals at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis (listen to the stream at The Current). I can’t say I was a huge fan prior to that night, but I had purchased their last album Stars and Satellites when it came out and found it charming, but not mind-blowing. I guess I dismissed them as “just” a novelty string band riding the vapor trails of various acoustic juggernauts (Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers, etc.).
That night a the Cedar Cultural Center I heard something different – a band with a unique voice. This might be a stretch of an analogy, but if Hüsker Dü was a brilliant pop band masquerading as a hard-core punk band, similarly Trampled By Turtles is a brilliant pop band masquerading as a string band. “Brilliant Pop Band” is a big compliment in my book – Big Star is a brilliant pop band.
A few days later I picked up a CD version of the album ($8 for a CD vs. $20 for the wax – I guess I was not really that committed to the cause). I have been listening to it every day for over a week now and it is not wearing thin. TBT has officially captured my attention.
Low’s Alan Sparhawk has done what great producers are supposed to do with this album: bring their own point of view without overpowering the band and inspiring the band to go to new (but not unnatural) places.
The boys have toned down the string band machismo in favor of quieter more contemplative arrangements that focus on the song vs. technique and speed (although they occasionally throw a little bluegrass gasoline on the fire to remind the fans what they are capable of – just like the Replacements juxtaposing the punk sass of “Tommy Got His Tonsils Out” with the thoughtful pop art of “Androgynous” on Let It Be).
I now find myself wondering about them. I noticed on the CD case that all the songs are written by vocalist/guitarist Dave Simonett – has that always been the case? How do the other guys feel about that? What does it feel like to catch a little wind in your sails? Do the guys feel Sparhawk had too much influence on the sound of the album? Do they feel like they have sold out or that they have painted their masterpiece? Hmm, now I am a TBT fan. Sure is fun to discover a band – even when you are late to the party and half the hip music fans in the state of Minnesota would likely say “no shit Sherlock.”
In 2012 I was blown away by Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s Big Moon Ritual. In fact it was my #1 from that year’s “best of list.” I am a long time Black Crowes fan (it is hard to believe that is a 25 year pursuit), so I come to Rich Robinson’s new album (The Ceaseless Sight) with a pretty positive bias. CRB’s has had a few equally cool releases since Big Moon Ritual, including an amazing Record Store Day release. The last couple of years have been Chris, but this year is Rich. I will state right up front that this album is a front-runner for my album of the year for 2014.
First kudos to Rich Robinson for doing vinyl right and making the vinyl edition the deluxe package it should be at two to three times the cost of a CD. I am so sick of paying $20-$30 for a new album on crappy vinyl (pop, clicks and static on the first play) and the “bonus” of an MP3 download (could you at least provide CD quality lossless format?). Robinson uses high quality vinyl (that is visual gorgeous too – see below), provides a CD version of the album and has a side D of bonus material not available anywhere else other than on the vinyl edition – and priced at about $22 (the low end these days for a double disk). Thanks for treating your highest paying customer (the vinyl buyer) right!
Given that Rich Robinson is an established guitarist in a pretty famous guitar based rock band, I would have expected this to be a guitar slinger’s LP. There is great string play here, but Rich is first and foremost a songwriter and his guitar playing is focused on support of the songs rather than showing off his guitar-god prowess.
The first few times through the album I was handicapping Rich’s voice as he did not have the classic rock and roll pipes of big brother Chris. But the more I listened I began to really appreciate the relaxed subtle nuance of Rich’s voice. Like his guitar playing, his voice is there to support the song vs. being the star of the show. There are several textures to his voice – he seems to introduce a different texture on every song.
I am always careful about trying to classify music as the labels can be so deceiving, but if you are not familiar with an artist labels are helpful to determine if this is someone you want to check out. So here goes the label: bluesy-folk-rock, with just a touch of jam band. Influences seem to range from classic Stone’s boogie to Nick Drake belly button contemplation.
The secret sauce for this album is keyboardist Marco Benevento. His contributions add significantly to the overall sound of this album. One of the elements I always loved about Lynyrd Skynyrd was Billy Powell’s contribution. Great keyboards are very underrated in a guitar based rock band – that add some serious soul to proceedings.
Some quick thoughts on each cut:
“I Know You” Sounds like Karl Wallinger of World Party fronting the Stones.
“Down The Road” This song highlights a more acoustic sound. I can imagine lying on my back in the grass at a jam band festival enjoying this one.
“One Road Hill” Another acoustic based song with a folk/country feel. This is the song that made me think of Nick Drake.
“The Giving Key” Great Laurel Canyon/Southern California 70s vibe. Love the organ and female back up vocals courtesy of Levon Helm’s daughter Amy.
“Unfortunate Show” has that Black Crowes’ bluesy vibe dripping with Stones and Faces influences.
“In Comes The Night” I love the nice acoustic intro. This is classic folk rock and proof that Rich has some great pipes of his own.
“Inside” has a great funky and playful groove.
“I Have A Feeling” I love songs like this that simmer and then boil. This song has a Traffic feel that is sexy and seductive.
“I Remember” Rich shows his full set of skills: Allman Brothers’ groove, strong guitar lead across the track and yet another solid vocal.
“In you” Rich treats us to a Gary Louris like (Jayhawks) vocal and Stephen Stills like guitar solo.
“Trial and Faith” Marching drums lay a nice foundation for searing guitar work.
“Obscure the day” The album ends on with beautiful instrumental track. It has that acoustic Led Zeppelin feel to it. It has shifting moods from quite lullaby to subtly menacing. Side D (LP only) is filled out with similar acoustic based instrumentals.
As I said at the beginning of this post I am quite smitten by this album. If you are a vinyl person you are richly rewarded with a great presentation in that format. One of my definitions of a great album is that with every listen the album reveals more – this album keeps revealing more and sounds better with each listen.
My 23-year-old daughter Al bought her first turntable a week ago and I could not be prouder. We have been talking about this for a while now she finally pulled the trigger. We went to the Needle Doctor and had a few models in mind: a Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 (my main table) a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (my living room table) and a a Rega RP1. I was kind of hoping for the Rega as I was interested in having yet another table in the family. Fortunately I have raised my daughter right and her idea of buying a turntable is not a Crosley toy from Urban Outfitters.
Patrick from the Needle Doctor helped us and added to our list of possibilities the Music Hall mmf-2.2 le. We were intrigued. It appeared to be a Pro-Ject that had been hot-rodded (the Music Hall is manufactured in the same factory as Pro-Ject and shares some components). The Ferrari red color did not hurt its cause either.
As we were weighing our options we got some influence from Leland Leard (VP of Sales and Marketing) and Roy Hall (founder) of Music Hall who happened to be visiting the Needle Doctor that day. When Leland walked over to give us a pitch, Al had already dialed into the Music Hall and the only open question was if she was going to upgrade to an acrylic platter or not. The fact that the guys from Music Hall were there was too heavy of karma to deny – Al was hooked and so was I. She ended up going with the acrylic platter upgrade.
Once our decision was made the Music Hall guys invited us for a wee dram of Scotch (Roy Hall is a Scotsman after all). And this was no mere Scotch, but Lagavulin (a 16-year-old single malt Islay).
Al cashed out and we headed over to her apartment to set things up. I loaned her an old Yamaha bookshelf unit (her next purchase is an amp and speakers – but the Yamaha should buy some time).
A few weeks earlier Al had purchased a nice piece of furniture from Nadeu Furniture in Minneapolis. The piece was the perfect size to store vinyl LPs and the top was a good platform for the new turntable.
I set up the stereo and plugged in my iPhone and played some Lake Street Dive via Spotify (Al had turned me on to the band earlier this year). Now it was time to set up the turntable. Al unpacked it and I set it up. Pretty simple set up – assuming you have some familiarity with turntables – unlock the motor, level the table, drop on the platter, balance the arm and put a little weight on (1.75). Within a few minutes we were ready to play some wax.
I brought over some LPs from my collection and I presented Al with a table-warming-gift for the occasion: Ryan Adams Gold. This album has a lot of sentiment for us as we played it on repeat in the car for months when it first came out in the fall of 2001 – she would have been 10 at the time. The first concert she attended was about a year later and it was Ryan Adams – I remember it well. We got dressed up and went to dinner in downtown Minneapolis at the Cafe di Napoli which used to be across the street from the State Theater where Adams was playing. It was very special night.
We zipped through several selections as I demonstrated the tricks of pulling an LP out of its sleeve without touching the face, cleaning a record and dropping the needle in the groove. We were a little rushed for time so we moved on.
A few days ago Al emailed me to say how much she was enjoying the turntable and how much Adam’s Gold impressed her on vinyl. I find it interesting how music reveals itself on vinyl. Some of this is because it actually sounds better, but I think the biggest thing is “active listening.” Vinyl forces you to slow down and smell the roses vs. audio wallpaper that is most music we “listen” to.
Welcome to crate digging kiddo!
Here is an appetizer to the upcoming Toki Wright & Big Cats album Pangaea. My son turned me on to 2009’s A Different Mirror by Toki Wright when it first came out and I really liked it. Big Cats’ For My Mother was on my “best of” list in 2012. So I am really looking forward to this album later this year.
This past weekend I saw a partial set of Toki Wright and Big Cats at the Lyn Lake Festival. It sounded real good. I ran into Toki on the street and introduced myself – he offered me this EP and suggested I try it on my ears.
Well this little taste makes me want the whole meal. Great beats, nice flow and thinking man’s lyrics. Just what you expect from these gentlemen. Take a taste yourself.
I am not quite sure how I discovered St. Paul & The Broken Bones, but I think stumbled across the “Call Me” video (see below). I think it might have been a Saturday morning in bed. My wife asked me what I was listening too/watching and I told her. She wondered if they are coming to town. I Googled and found out they were playing in town within the next couple months. We just bought tickets out of the blue – that is way more spontaneous than normal.
After buying the tickets I listened to the band several times on Spotify. I loved this band, but I decided it did not want to spoil my appetite and was going to keep my chastity for the live experience. So I put it out of my mind with a promise to myself that I would pick up a vinyl LP at the show.
Fast forward to last night – it has been a long time since I have been at a show that has given me sustained goosebumps and completely separated me from my troubles for 90 minutes. Paul Janeway is an absolute force – a voice that channels Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Sam Cook and a body that …well doesn’t match. And the cherry on top is that Jameway has great stage presence – a true entertainer.
His voice on the LP sounds great, but to hear the instrument live is beyond belief. If he can sustain his soul scream for a couple of years he will be a star. It has the intensity of a fire hose and the agility of a butterfly. I am no expert on the neo-soul scene, but this guy has got be the shining star.
The LP is filled with soul classics – but it is not – it is all originals. You swear you know these songs. At the Varsity they played the album through with a few covers – and you could barely tell the difference between the originals and covers – it all sounded classic.
The show was 5 star, but the band took it up a notch when Janeway pulled Lizzo on to stage for a soulful game of volleyball via “Change Is Gonna Come.” They crushed it – but there was more – a Muscle Shoals version of “Hey Jude.” The sold out crowd at The Varsity was signed, sealed and delivered. This show reminds me why I love music – it was a soul kiss/pure bliss. Thanks to my lovely wife for suggesting the spontaneous purchase of tickets a couple of months back.
Check out the StarTribune/Vita.mn review here.
I have been a Coldplay fan since their debut Parachutes in 2000. At the time I was a big Radiohead fan who was confused by Kid A. Coldplay sounded more like Radiohead than Radiohead sounded like Radiohead at the time. Coldplay has never been a particularly original or innovative band, but man do they know how to execute. They may seem like Radiohead lite or U2 lite, but they do it so well it is impossible to criticize. They followed their debut with a masterpiece of pop: A Rush of Blood to the Head – every song on that album was perfect. If they did nothing else they would have a place in pop history.
Ghost Stories shows that nearly 20 years into the game they still have their pop chops. Coldplay is confident enough to step down from the arena stage and make a stripped down and simple affair. Less anthems, instead quite storms. It is cotton candy, a guilty pop pleasure.
“Always In My Head” starts the album in a in an atmospheric swirl. It is mellow and whimsical. It abruptly ends.
“Magic” mashes early pop Radiohead with John Mayer.
“Ink” invokes Peter Gabriel with lighter lyrics.
“True Love” is pure Coldplay with a rare guitar solo.
“Midnight” is Bon Iver only better – a true ear worm
“Another’s Arms” has a cool sample (Jane Weaver’s Silver Chord) which seems like it was designed for Coldplay. The female vocal is a very nice variation.
“Oceans” – Every alr-rocker want to be Nick Drake. Coldplay puts on that mask and spices up the acoustic strum with a sonic cherry on top (a sonar ping in the right channel). It is pretty damn beautiful. It ends with a cool instrumental coda.
“A Sky Full Of Stars” is classic Coldplay – the big epic single. It is arena ready. It has a bit of a hip hop feel begging for a rap over or Rihanna cameo. Close your eyes and see the confetti falling through the disco ball shards. This is a roll your windows down, turn up the volume summer single.
The album ends quietly with a piano ballad “O.” It is a sonic seagull floating in the wind. It thickens at the end.
The Target bonus CD has three more songs:
- “All Your Friends” which is a throw away.
- “Ghost Story” is the brightest add-on – a simple but elegant arrangement that is a true bonus. In an another era it would have been that obscure, but brilliant B-side single.
- O (Reprise)” gives us a fat surf guitar: it is dripping – it is soaking.
In summary this is not ground breaking stuff, but it is so perfectly executed you just need to appreciate it as the custard filled Bismark that it is.
There is nothing better in rock and roll than the break up album: anger, bitterness, regret and melancholy are great inspirations. The Black Keys’ Turn Blue is a great break up album in the grand tradition as Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors and Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. I am a long time Keys fan and I think this is their best album to date. It is a progression – the growth of their sound. As much as I like the Keys there has been a sameness to the sound of their albums. Turn Blue has their most diverse sound yet. Producer Danger Mouse is a full partner – his Spaghetti Western shtick plays well with the Black Keys. Dan Auerbach is no longer content with just cool riffs, he has discovered is inner guitar god and is squeezing out sparks with real guitar solos. Even better Auerbach has unleashed his vocals and it turns out he has an awesome falsetto among other voices he has been hiding in the mud.
The first cut is an epic Neil Young/Pink Floyd sounding mash-up: “Weight of Love.” Clocking in at close to seven minutes this psychedelic song sets the mood for the album: this is not going to be the usual Keys dirty riff rock, but an evolutionary – if not revolutionary – sound.
Next comes “In Time” which has the strong presence of producer Danger Mouse. Auerbach gives a great break up line:
“You got a worried mind
I got a worried heart”
“Turn Blue” his a mellow tune with a My Morning Jacket feel.
The lead single “Fever” is the most typical Black Keys song on the album. Although it is nice hit single, it does the album a disservice as a calling card to what grand progression Turn Blue is to the Black Keys resume. But you can’t beat the cheesy Farfisa organ.
“Year in Review” gives us the great break up lament: “Why you always wanna love the ones that hurt you?”
“Bullet in the Brain” reprises the sound of “Weight of Love.”
“It’s Up to You now” gives us another great jamming guitar solo. I am sure songs like this are what really pisses Jack White off about the Keys, but I am not sure how a music thief like Jack can every cry foul about getting ripped off.
When I first heard “Waiting On Words” I assume it was a guest vocalist. This is a beyond-belief falsetto from Auerbach. There is nothing false about this falsetto. This is what I love about this album – not a typical Black Keys song at all. A bonus is the line “My love for you is real, I….” Love the dangling “I…”
“10 Lovers” has that strong Danger Mouse feel. Vocally Auerbach echoing himself call and response and the lead voice is John Legend suave and soulful. Honey vocals and vinegar lyrics – A heartbreaking dagger at an ex-lover that that plays dirty by bringing the kid into the battle:
“The little girl can’t comprehend
She had another dream that her mama’s gone
She’s alright, but you’re all wrong”
If Paul McCartney where using the Black Keys for his back up band it might sound like “In Our Prime” Key line from the album: “We made our mark when we were in our prime”
The album ends with another atypical song “Gotta Get Away,” which would not be out of place on a 80s Rockpile album.
After successfully elbowing themselves into legitimate arena rockers, I think this is a pretty daring album. Not content to rest on their laurels, the Keys take a giant step forward – not by being weird, but by sharpening their pop chops. I love that Auerbach is spinning out long-winded guitar solos. I fully endorse Danger Mouse making the Keys a threesome. This is a great pop-rock album and should make a great summer soundtrack.
A great introduction to this album is the recent All Songs Consider interview/preview of Turn Blue.
Axl's Catch Groove 