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Or, The Whale: Or, The Whale

October 21, 2009 /


RIYL: The Jayhawks, The Parson Red Heads, Wilco

Note to Alison Krauss and Bob Dylan: give Or, The Whale a call next time you’re looking for a hot young opening band to help carry your Americana torch. Indeed, a tinge of that days-of-old feeling permeates the sweet, harmony-laden sounds of San Francisco’s rising alt-country starlets in Or, The Whale. On the band’s self-titled second album, steel and acoustic guitars provide the rural flavor, and the vocals of Lindsay Garfield, bassist Justin Fantil, keyboardist Julie Ann Thomasson and guitarists Alex Robins and Matt Sartain seal the deal. They lead, coalesce, and otherwise intertwine in ways that suggest a deep down happiness that transcends the heartbreaking subject matter, like the agoraphobe in “Never Coming Out” and dead dog lament “Datura.” These are all fine and dandy, but the album’s clincher is the slow building centerpiece “Count the Stars,” where sound, feel and execution meet to achieve a harmonious balance that rivals the one inherent in the band’s own vocal strength. (Seany 2009)

Or, The Whale MySpace

Americana, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews

Steal This Song: Gazpacho, “Winter Is Never”

October 21, 2009 /

The problem with a band reaching the upper reaches of the rock star food chain is that inferior bands begin to imitate them. And the band that has inspired the largest number of shitty copycats of late, sadly, is one of this writer’s favorites.

Muse_14 edit

Yep, Muse.

The thing about Muse is that their approach is a lot simpler than it appears. The song, by and large, comes first, whereas the band’s copycats see the flashy solos, the lightning-fast drum fills, and the busy bass lines and instantly forget about writing and concentrate on playing. Big, big mistake. Without a tune, that stuff is just masturbation.

Which brings us to Gazpacho, which seems an odd name for a group of Norwegians, but then again we suppose that everything is served cold there. (This moment of cultural insensitivity brought to you by Jack Daniel’s.) This is the first Muse-y band we’ve heard since “Knights of Cydonia” that seems to understand the order of things. They can play, and they make sure that you know they can play, but it’s not their endgame. And, in the case of “Winter Is Never,” the haunting ballad that closes their new album Tick Tock, the song comes first, second and third. David Gray is probably gnashing his teeth over this one, as this could pass for a White Ladder outtake, with a few Buckley-isms from lead singer Jan Henrik Ohme in the second chorus. Gorgeous stuff, and best of all, it’s free! The download link is below.

Groepsportret Gazpacho

In the meantime, those who felt a tad disappointed by Muse’s new album The Resistance would be wise to check out Tick Tock. It won’t make anyone burn their copies of Black Holes and Revelations, but for a mere $6.23 to download, it’s a steal. Dig in.

Gazpacho – Winter Is Never

Gazpacho MySpace page
Click to buy Tick Tock from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, Downloads, Gothic, Melodramatic, Rock, Steal This Song

Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue

October 21, 2009 /


RIYL: Soundgarden, Godsmack, Staind

In a sense, the fact that Alice in Chains have reformed and released a new album isn’t all that improbable. Though their earliest albums were marked by the passionate, fiery vocal performances of original lead singer Layne Staley, he began to withdraw during the band’s later years as his addictions got the best of him. By the time of the band’s final, self-titled album in 1995, Layne – who eventually died of an overdose in 2002 – sounded almost like he wasn’t really there, a shadow of his former self.

Alice_in_Chains_04

Fourteen years after the original band’s swan song, Layne Staley’s ghost is ever-present throughout Black Gives Way to Blue. Guitarist and chief songwriter Jerry Cantrell blended his voice so well with Layne’s back in the day that whether he’s singing to his own multi-tracked vocals or in harmony with new lead singer William DuVall, one could be forgiven for thinking that Layne had come back from the dead to add his stamp to the record. Not only that, the album has more in common with Alice in Chains than with any of the band’s other records; Cantrell shares the lead vocal spot more frequently than he did on Dirt or Facelift, the overall tone is more melancholy and dire than manic mindfucks like “Sickman,” “Real Thing” or “Them Bones” ever aspired to be, and other than “Take Her Out” and the catchy lead single “Check My Brain,” pop hooks are few and far between.

While the title track tastefully pays tribute to the band’s fallen singer, its much-hyped Elton John appearance on piano ultimately disappoints; what could have been an epic memorial and a signature piece of the reborn band comes off more like a demo, and one that’s still searching for a bridge and a suitable conclusion, ending far too soon. Even now, Alice still has one up on copycats like Godsmack and Staind, but Black Gives Way to Blue falls just short of what they’re truly capable of achieving. (Virgin 2009)

Alice In Chains MySpace
Click to buy Black Gives Way to Blue from Amazon

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Metal, Rock

The Flaming Lips: Embryonic

October 21, 2009 /


RIYL: Beck, early ’70s Miles Davis, pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd

It would be far too easy to call the Flaming Lips’ new album Embryonic “trippy.” Any of the albums they’ve released over the past decade could fit that description. But as it stands, the 18-track double disc affair is in fact pretty far out, even for the Lips. Drawing from the sound palettes of early ‘70s Miles Davis (the instrumental “Scorpio Sword” is particularly reminiscent of the edge-of-insanity performances that marked the days when Chick Corea and Tony Williams pushed Miles into serious avant garde territory) and pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd (think of Floyd’s soundtrack work on More), Wayne Coyne and crew have woven a heavy, dynamic soundscape that works best as a piece.

Flaming_Lips_15

Indeed, few songs stand out from the whole, one of the exceptions being the typically novel “I Can Be a Frog,” which is impossible to hear without thinking of its accompanying video. And while Wayne’s voice has taken a beating over the years, he sings to his strengths and lets the fuzzed-out guitars and vintage electric piano sounds take center stage throughout the disc. In fact, in most cases vocals are mixed about equally with the rest of the instruments, avoiding pop melodies and song structure altogether.

This very well could be the greatest album the Flaming Lips have concocted to date, though there’s so much happening here that it might take a few years to sink in. The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots can retain popular favor in the meantime, but Embryonic is bound to fascinate and confound for years to come. (Warner Bros. 2009)

The Flaming Lips MySpace
Click to buy Embryonic from Amazon

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Psychedelic, Rock

Blind Boys of Alabama: Duets

October 21, 2009 /


RIYL: Temptations, Mavis Staples, Al Green

Long revered in gospel circles but never more than teetering on the fringes of popular appeal, the Blind Boys of Alabama opt for a strategy not unlike others in the same predicament, namely, to co-opt some popular names and join forces in a series of duets. While such a stance often diminishes the artists in question, here they find some favorable symmetry even though they’re mostly forced to take a supporting role in the proceedings. The mesh is especially ideal when they’re paired with reggae great Toots Hibbert (“Perfect Peace”), Solomon Burke (“None of Us Are Free”) and Ben Harper (“Take My Hand”), each of whom possess the power, conviction and singing style as their musical hosts. Likewise, its no wonder that Lou Reed’s “Jesus” is the most stirring song he’s offered since his days with the Velvets.

Unfortunately, handing the spotlight to guest stars does have its drawbacks; when lumped in the company of other eloquent voices – Susan Tedeschi on the powerful “Magnificent Sanctuary Band,” Bonnie Raitt with the eloquent “When the Spell Is Broken” and Timothy B. Schmidt on the ballad “Secular Praise” – it’s hard not to shake the impression that the Blind Boys are merely along for the ride, relegated to the role of hired hands on their own album. Wisely, the producers confine most of the material to an inspirational context, those soaring gospel harmonies being at their best in the service of faith and belief. Here’s hoping that by linking their fortunes to these marquee names, the Blind Boys of Alabama not only rally their faithful but rouse non-believers as well. (Saguaro Road 2009)

Blind Boys of Alabama website

Adult Contemporary, Americana, Blues, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Christian, R&B, Soul

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