Author: John Paulsen (Page 6 of 19)

What Made Milwaukee Famous: What Doesn’t Kill Us

May 2, 2008 / John Paulsen

What Made Milwaukee Famous hails from Austin, Texas. (Insert geographical joke here.) But seriously, like fellow Austinites Spoon, WMMF’s wheelhouse is perfectly hooky indie rock. The album’s signature song, “The Right Place,” is two minutes of bliss accentuated by the steep changes in frontman Michael Kingcaid’s vocals. The band pulls off an update of Billy Joel’s “My Life” on the infectious “Sultan,” which combines that classic acoustic guitar with a horn section, some keyboard play and a few drum flourishes. Some might find “Middle of the Night” repetitive, but the chorus (or is it the verse?) – “somewhere in the middle of the night / everything’s gonna be all right” – followed by the verse (or is it the chorus?) – “what you need is love / sweet love” – is so damned basic and pretty that it’s the perfect pick-me-up after a bad day. (If this sounds good, go back and listen to “Bldg. a Boat from the Boards in Your Eye” from Trying Never to Catch Up, the band’s debut.) What Doesn’t Kill Us isn’t going to win any Grammys, but it’s a strong sophomore effort full of good, if not great, songs. (Barsuk 2008)

What Made Milwaukee Famous MySpace Link

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, Pop, Rock

Yael Naim: “New Soul”

January 22, 2008 / John Paulsen

If you’ve seen the commercial for the new Apple laptop, the MacBook Air, you’ve heard the new tune by Yael Naim, “New Soul.” Apple successfully used Feist’s “1234” in an ad, and it seems like they’ve tapped another infectious tune for the Air ad. Here’s the YouTube vid:

Looks like that tiny apartment has some unexpected square footage.

Alternative, Artists, External Music, Pop, Rock, Songs, Videos

Sheryl Crow’s new single, “Love Is Free”

January 3, 2008 / John Paulsen

Sheryl Crow has a new album (Detours), and the video for its first single, “Love Is Free,” is up on YouTube.

Crow said this about the song:

“The song ‘Love Is Free’ is inspired by New Orleans. What struck me about it is the stoicism of the New Orleans people, they are spiritually based. You can see it in their eyes that they aren’t going to give up, they are going to rebuild.”

It sounds pretty sunny and optimistic to me.

What do you think?

Artists, External Music, Rock, Songs, Videos

Pitchfork gives music 6.8

September 10, 2007 / John Paulsen

I love The Onion.

Music, a mode of creative expression consisting of sound and silence expressed through time, was given a 6.8 out of 10 rating in an review published Monday on Pitchfork Media, a well-known music-criticism website.

According to the review, authored by Pitchfork editor in chief Ryan Schreiber, the popular medium that predates the written word shows promise but nonetheless “leaves the listener wanting more.”

Schreiber’s semi-favorable review, which begins in earnest after a six-paragraph preamble comprising a long list of baroquely rendered, seemingly unrelated anecdotes peppered with obscure references, summarizes music as a “solid but uninspired effort.”

CD Reviews, External Music, News

The Police @ the Honda Center in Anaheim (6/21/07)

June 24, 2007 / John Paulsen

After a short 21-year break, The Police are touring again, and Thursday night they stopped at the Honda Center in Anaheim, the second of three Southern California dates.

Though there was no official split, Sting left the band all those years ago to pursue a solo career, but it’s safe to say that his creative output in the five years with the band meets (or exceeds) his 16-year output as a solo artist. Even at 56 years old, his voice still sounds smooth, especially considering that the band played Staples Center the night before.

The set list played like a greatest hits compilation with a few lesser-known songs – such as “Next to You” and “The Bed’s Too Big Without You” – sprinkled in for good measure. The highlight of the night was “So Lonely,” a Outlandos d’Amour single that was left off the band’s first (and most well known) compilation, Every Breath You Take: The Singles. Andy Summers’ guitar work was solid, even if the minute-long solos seem a little dated given the current musical trends. But drummer Stewart Copeland, the backbone of the band, played with so much passion and ferocity that it looked like he had been locked in his basement playing Police songs for the last two and a half decades. He is one of rock’s underrated drummers so it’s good to see him playing in front of big crowds once again.

As well as they work as a duo, the two guitarists don’t seem to actually enjoy playing together. Twice, as Summers worked on a solo, Sting came over to play with him and the resulting camaraderie seemed forced at best. There were a couple of rough transitions from one part of a song to the another, so it’s clear that the trio doesn’t have all the kinks worked out quite yet. These were noticeable, but not distracting.

Ticket prices are pretty steep, but given the set list, the show is a solid value. The truce seems fragile, so fans better act quickly.

Artists, Concerts, External Music, Rock