Category: Alternative (Page 38 of 155)

Broken Bells: Broken Bells

March 4, 2010 /


RIYL: Danger Mouse, The Shins, Beck

The latest collaborative project involving the seemingly indefatigable Danger Mouse (billed here under the name his mama gave him, Brian Burton), Broken Bells presents the music press with its first opportunity for hype overload in 2010. One half of Gnarls Barkley teaming up with Shins guitarist and singer James Mercer? Are you kidding? This album doesn’t have a prayer of being reviewed objectively – which is probably why Burton and Mercer kept Broken Bells under wraps until late last year, when they digitally released the album’s first single, “The High Road,” to thunderous online applause.

The full-length is finally here, and here’s the bad news: None of it’s as deliciously addictive as “The High Road.” On paper, Broken Bells looks like the type of album that’s so cracked it either has to be terrific or abysmal, but in reality, it’s just sort of a pleasant listen – which is ultimately disappointing, because if nothing else, you expect to be provoked by any project that places its creative principals in unfamiliar surroundings.

Broken_Bells_01

Broken Bells, though, keeps the listener at arm’s length; like a lot of Burton’s work, there’s a coolness about it that starts to feel pretty chilly after a while. The production is undeniably interesting – this is definitely a headphones record – but all the swirling, blooping synths, distortion effects, and layers of ghostly sound can’t obscure the album’s lack of an emotional center. This probably sounds harsher than Bells deserves – it isn’t a bad album at all – but with this much talent in the studio, who wants to award partial credit?

Listening to Bells’ third track, “Your Head Is on Fire,” you’re struck by the beautiful emptiness of it all – spectral vocals floating between stacks of synths and subtle guitars, with Beach Boys harmonies unspooling around sonar sound effects. Problem is, that’s the record in a three-minute nutshell: Sweet pop melodies and a musically adventurous spirit, drowned mercilessly in a sea of frictionless sound. Broken Bells is a pretty enough place to visit, but don’t plan on staying long – or if you do, bring your warmest winter coat. (Sony 2010)

Broken Bells MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews

Serj Tankian: Elect the Dead Symphony

March 3, 2010 /


RIYL: System of a Down, Primus, Deftones

Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if Serj Tankian of the dormant System of a Down took his solo record and performed it with an orchestra? You now have your answer in the release of Elect the Dead Symphony. The record was recorded with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at the Auckland Town Hall. For the geographically challenged, that’s in New Zealand. Serj performs material from 2007’s Elect the Dead, a tune from the Axis of Justice release and a new composition. There is no System stuff to be found here.

The backing orchestra is extraordinary beautiful, but it just doesn’t mesh with Serj and this material. The strength of Serj both in his solo work and with System is the insane tempo changes and maniacal construction of the music. The orchestra plays the material wonderfully and precisely, but it slows things down even in the most deranged of moments. That leaves his voice completely in front and after a while, without the craziness, it isn’t as interesting or captivating and for the first time, sounds a bit vulnerable. In “Money,” where the music gets chaotic in the background, Serj shouting over the orchestra is more irritating than entertaining. That is very different than the original recording when he is shouting over a metal overload.

The production is pristine and the orchestra mix is fantastic. The combination of Serj’s voice with the orchestra just doesn’t blast out the speaker with the same weight as when accompanied by rock musicians. Oddly, it is a great sounding record without being a great record. Serj performs “Beethoven’s Cunt,” which is a hilarious title considering the accompaniment, but without the dangerous sounding metal behind him, it falls flat. (The lyrics have nothing to do with Beethoven or a vagina by the way.) For those of you excited that Soundgarden will be reuniting after a 12-year hiatus, this writer is hoping for a System return. You can’t fault Serj for trying something different; he is an artist who’s normal material is full of risk and surprise, but the safety of an orchestra rubs that edge away and safe sounding is not what we expect from this brilliant mad man. (Reprise 2010)

Serj Tankian MySpace page

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Beth Thornley: Wash U Clean

February 26, 2010 /


RIYL: Aimee Mann, Anya Marina, Ben Folds

It takes real talent to create music that is hip, yet melodic; accessible, yet not forced; and catchy yet not catchy to the point that you don’t want to listen after five spins. Piano songstress Beth Thornley has done this on her third album, Wash U Clean, a bouncy collection of pop tunes that are as infectious as any piano-driven ditties you’ve ever heard. Thornley herself is apparently amazed at the variation between the artists she is compared to, but that’s because that variation is genuinely as wide as the Grand Canyon – even from track to track. That’s just one of the many reasons to like this terrific set of music, and it’s a bonus that you’ll feel as cool as some hipster blogger while listening to it. The title track features a horn riff that will remind you of the synthesizer in Gary Numan’s “Cars,” but the soaring chorus is like one of those long-lasting wads of bubble gum. From there, Thornley weaves in and out from Ben Folds-like anthem (“Still Can’t Hide” and “It’s Me”) to the Aimee Mann-ish “There’s No Way” to the best track of all, the stunning ballad “What the Heart Wants” – the musical version of a lazy Saturday afternoon. Beth Thornley has really delivered a beauty with Wash U Clean, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a bad song on it. (Stiff Hips 2010)

Beth Thornley MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Rocky Votolato: True Devotion

February 19, 2010 /


RIYL: Steve Earle, Rogue Wave, Damien Rice

When you’re at the bottom of a well, looking up, your surroundings are likely to be cold, damp, dreary and bleak. As Seattle-based singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato battled his own demons, namely depression and near suicide, that’s probably how things felt to him at the time. But in pulling himself from that proverbial well, he found writing songs to be therapeutic, and in the process he’s delivered to us some of his finest material yet. True Devotion is trademark Votolato vocally and melodically, but this effort is a more stripped-down record, almost solely acoustic. It’s a set of songs that have Votolato brimming with hope while at the same time dealing with his issues head on – and the best part is that he has a way of using his quirky melodies and chord structures to create a mood that reflects both his lyrics and his rainy day Seattle surroundings. He also has the vocal tone to stand up to an acoustic album. Rocky is good at belting it out and rocking a bit as he does on “Red River,” but he really shines on the simply arranged, darker material, the best of which are “Lucky Clover Coin” and “What Waited for Me.” (Barsuk 2010)

Rocky Votolato MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Veil Veil Vanish: Change in the Neon Light

February 18, 2010 /


RIYL: Pom Pom Diary, The Sounds, White Lies

Metaphor time. Take a chocolate cake, for instance. Even a bad one has some tasty bits, and a good one is always a treat, no matter how many times you’ve had it before. Sure you can feel like you’ve OD’d on too much chocolate, but give it a little time, and you’ll be back for more.

A lot of rock music genres are the same way. The musical elements that define them as a genre or style are the same elements that become quite familiar and overused, both appealing and repetitive all at once. The heavily ’80s-influenced post punk revival of the past decade fits this description to a “T”, as does the debut album by Veil Veil Vanish, Change in the Neon Light. Only seconds in, it is obvious where the San Fran quartet got their recipe; it is all Cure, spiced with Echo & the Bunnymen, sprinkled with early U2 and iced with Gene Loves Jezebel. There is nothing subtle here, and one could argue it is derivative, but that is only on the surface. Take one big bite and you’ll find that Change in the Neon Light is one helluva good chocolate cake.

The atmospheric qualities of the entire album are shimmering and driving, an album full of layered guitars and danceable percussion. The opening title track and final song “Wilderness” perfectly bookend the darkly emotive mood that fills the album. Keven Tecon’s vocals are plaintive but never whiny, while Robert Marzio deserves MVP accolades for signature drums that carry every song forward relentlessly. The album never lets up. From beginning to end there is not a weak track, and it really hits its stride in the second half with “Secondhand Daylight,” where Amy Rosenoff’s bass line and Cameron Ray’s guitars play off each other expressively, and “Detachment,” which serves up Siouxsie Sioux-like power. “It’s no fun if it doesn’t leave a mark,” they sing, and this album proves the point.

Veil Veil Vanish (a name just ridiculous enough to stick) is a surprisingly strong as a band on this debut, and it bodes well for the future. They haven’t drastically changed the recipe in creating Change in the Neon Light, but they definitely know how to cook. Their debut sets a high bar for the next course. Recommended. (Metropolis Records 2010)

Veil Veil Vanish MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Gothic, Pop, Rock

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