After a lengthy absence due in part to a finals schedule that only an excessive masochist could love, I’m back in action once again. For the sake of time, I figured I would compress my reviews into a couple of "Quick Hits" segments– one for music and one for films. Here is the first portion, the musical portion, which contains reviews for Arctic Monkeys, Wilco, Feist, and Blonde Redhead. Before we get to that though, here’s a bit of news:
News
Kanye West’s inauspicious single "Can’t Tell Me Nothing" released
The bookend of the Kanye West college trilogy Graduation, will be released this fall, but in the meantime "Can’t Tell Me Nothing" has found its way around the internet. As a possibility for the next lead single, this is by far Kanye’s darkest work, but also comes off a bit tired. It’s nice to hear something other than Kanye inflating his already over-inflated ego, but Kanye (and every other rapper really) needs to stop singing. Furthermore, the production, while full as anything else that Kanye has ever done does not seem to be nearly as vibrant, so it will be interesting to see what the rest of the album will have in store for us when it is released.
Hot Hot Heat refuses to "Give Up"
As much as I hate the sound of the lead vocalists voice– his whiny and nasal tone makes Billy Corgan sound like Pavorati– I have to admit that Hot Hot Heat have put together a slew of solid albums in their career. Based on the sound of "Give Up?" their newest single, the next album should be more of the same. Featuring a nifty cowbell intro and a heavily percussive foundation, there is a lot more depth to their sound now than they had before– definitely worth checking out.
Paul McCartney finds an "Ever Present Past," whatever that means
From a quirky Canadian indie band to an established piece of rock royalty, Paul McCartney, fresh off of signing a deal with the Starbucks label now has an exclusive pre-order offer running over at the iTunes store (hopefully that means The Beatles catalog is next? Please?). In the meantime, "Ever Present Past" has found its way online, and while the single is certainly nothing special– I have to admit, it’s so 80’s pop-riffic that it almost sounds like it should’ve been in the Music and Lyrics soundtrack– the album is certainly going to do well. The album Memory Almost Full will be released June 5.
Spoon’s "The Ghost of You Lingers" making fans go Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Talk about something out of left-field, Spoon’s latest has just about thrown every fan for a loop. "The Ghost of You Lingers" is centered entirely around a rhythmic piano with disconnected and sporadic vocals hauntingly sweeping in and out of the song. While the alienating first listen might have you think you accidentally put on an AIR record or something, most fans have gotten to the point after a few repeated listenings of actually liking the song. The album as a whole looks to be a departure, but how much of one isn’t quite yet certain. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is to be released in July.
Reviews
Arctic Monkeys
Favourite Worst Nightmare
94
I’d like to take this time to apologize to the Arctic Monkeys, not that they’ll ever read this anyway. I admittedly wrote them off as being nothing more than a flash-in-the-pan one-year wonder last year, figuring that once people got over the diaper Libertines hype they would fade off into the sunset. Boy was I wrong, and it only took me the raucous opening track of "Brianstorm" to figure that out. Everything on this album is smart, well-written, and, most importantly, incredibly well-executed. The album is as lean as their debut effort, but they make the most out of the playing time with such highlights as the anthemic "Teddy Picker," the engaging "Fluorescent Adolescent," and the absolutely beautiful slow number (!) "Only Ones Who Know." There’s definitely enough chops on this albums to impress those who loved the debut album, and there’s a great deal of maturity here that will impress even the cynics like me.
Blonde Redhead
23
90
23 finds Blonde Redhead at their most atmospheric, seamlessly integrating the sonic tones of My Bloody Valentine into their already familiar Sonic Youth-influenced foundation. This is immediately apparent on their opening title track, which has soaring guitars swirling around Kazu Mikano’s haunting vocals. The first half of this album is simply astounding, with songs such as "Dr. Strangeluv," "SW," and "Spring and by Summer Fall" and only towards the end of the album do Blonde Redhead seem to run ever so slightly out of steam. "My Impure Hair" is the exception to this rule, and it probably would have served best as the closing track of the album, but is nevertheless outstanding. With its dissonant guitars and perhaps some of Mikano’s best vocals, the song would have been a perfect ending to this album. As it stands however, 23 is a very significant album, and stands as one of the better releases in Blonde Redheads library.
Feist
The Reminder
89
After enjoying Feist’s debut album Let It Die immensely, I was very excited to see what she had in store for her sophomore album– that was until I heard "My Moon My Man" anyway. I’m not really sure who thought it was a good idea to release this song as the first single, but the last thing the radio needed was another generic, slow, wanna-be groove. Fortunately, tracks like that are few and far between on The Reminder and Leslie Feist has shown considerable growth from her debut album. She has just about mastered the slow stuff as evidenced on the opening "So Sorry" and "The Park," and she gets her groove going on "Sea Lion Woman." The real highlights however are on "I Feel It All," "Past In Present," and, in particular "1234." Each of these show her growth not only as a songwriter but also in making her songs diverse and interesting while still maintaining a sense of mainstream appeal. The Reminder is leaps and bounds better than Let It Die, and Feist is improving greatly as a singer/songwriter with every release as well. There’s no sophomore slump here, just more good times that lend to rewarding repeat listens.
Wilco
Sky Blue Sky
91
I have to admit, I was less than pleased the first time I’d heard the new Wilco stuff online. While I liked the songs that I’d heard them perform in concert, everything that I’d heard on the album sounded so incredibly linear and simplistic that– especially when compared to the dense and intricate nature of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born– it seemed borderline dull. Now, it is almost impossible to look at this album in the same vein of those two albums, or really anything that Wilco has done from Summerteeth on, but if you’re doing that anyway, you’re missing the point. The beauty this time around lies within the rawness of the production; the stunning arrangement of the instruments that, while hardly flashy, is never overdone. Sky Blue Sky is a lazy Sunday afternoon record, whose beauty only shines through when you allow it to. Both "Either Way" and "You Are My Face" are examples of this, as neither show exemplary lyrics– they’re both fairly straightforward, however within the context of each song and the album, they leave a striking impact. "Impossible Germany," "Please Be Patient With Me," and "On and On and On" are easily the three strongest tracks on this album. Each one is an embattled love song, with "Impossible Germany" offering a superb jam at the half-way point of the song, while "Please Be Patient With Me" is decidedly the most poignant and personal song Tweedy has done since Wilco released Being There. Quiet, steady and true, Sky Blue Sky is a sleeper Wilco classic– it may not push the envelope like their other releases, but Sky Blue Sky has definite staying power.
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