Thursday, December 31, 2015
THE SPILL BEST/WORST OF 2015
Article for www.spillmagazine.com http://spillmagazine.com/the-spill-best-worst-of-2015-review/
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Elliott Smith - From A Basement On A Hill
For those who prefer Smith at his simplest, fear not. Let's Get Lost is a classic simple guitar ditty with dreams of escaping ("find some beautiful place to get lost"), yet self-loathing permeates this track ("I had true love, I made it die, I pushed her away"). Later, The Last Hour and Memory Lane have a similar stripped-down feel. But the order of the day here is weariness, and tracks like Pretty (Ugly Before), Don't Go Down and Strung Out Again have this in spades, in a sort of late 60s Beatles kind of way.
A Fond Farewell is a kind of 'more-filled out' version of the unadorned Elliott Smith sound, and is quite pleasing to the ears. On the other hand, the Christmas-themed King's Crossing is largely unsettling, with its bursts of static-tiinged instrumentation and Smith's ghoulish proclamation ("give me one good reason not to do it"). Later, Shooting Star is as close as Smith gets here to sprawling, messy rock. That's just a handful of the fifteen tracks contained here. It's not the tacky cash-in one might fear, but a worthy line drawn under Elliott Smith's musical career.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Songs: Ohia - The Lioness
For Jason Molina's fourth album as Songs: Ohia, The Lioness, he decamped to Scotland and recorded with Alasdair Roberts and David Gow and Aidan Moffat from Arab Strap. The results were released in 2000, and from the opening chords of The Black Crow it's clear things his outlook has darkened a little. Molina sings a long, bleak tale of dead crows and getting weaker over simple, descending chords. The track builds gradually, developing into a pounding rhythm towards the end. Tigress shows that he can still do slinky, and this one harks back to previous albums like Impala or Axxess & Ace. The sound of the album is pretty consistent throughout, tracks like Nervous Bride, Coxcomb Red and the title track work as a song cycle, rather than a bunch of songs just bundled together. Being In Love sounds like it's using one of Arab Strap's drum machines as Molina sings "being in love means you are completely broken". Later, Back On Top and Baby Take A Look are two of the sparser, slower moments here, with echoes of Smog thoughout both.
Definitely stronger than its predecessors, The Lioness shows a major leap forward Jason Molina, setting him up for future, fuller albums.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Robert Forster - Warm Nights
Robert Forster's fourth solo album was released in 1996. It's quite the groovy affair kicking off with the slinky pairing of I Can Do and the title track, which feature some great guitar soloing from what could be Edwyn Collins (he's credited on the sleeve). Cryin' Love is more of a vocal tour de force, a sort of arch, egotistical ballad where Forster sings about how "he cannot be as good looking as me", while Snake Skin Lady is slower, a picked acoustic track harking back to his Danger In The Past material with a hint of Springsteen.
Further into the album it gets more uneven. Songs like Jug of Wine, Fortress and Rock n Roll Friend are fairly ordinary. However the album finishes with two decent songs, the sparse, acoustic guitar and cello combination of On A Street Corner, and I'll Jump - a jerky yet relaxed guitar song. I'd say this one is positioned oddly on the album, it doesn't sound like a closing track on an album, more like track 2 or 3. Like some of his best material, the album sounds like nothing initially but gradually grows on you...
Friday, December 18, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Friday, December 11, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Songs: Ohia - Axxess & Ace
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Elliott Smith - Either/Or
The next two tracks might well represent the 'heart' of the album. Two 'soft' tracks, Ballad of Big Nothing has a Beatles gone fatalistic feel about it while the whispered Between the Bars a slow, muted tune that wraps itself around you late at night. The guitar playing on these songs is recorded fantastically, it's one for the headphones. After this Pictures of Me is more propulsive and darker, Smith spitting out lyrics about being "so sick and tired of all these pictures of me", and later "who'd like to see me down on my fucking knees". There's a sort of decaying weariness at the heart of many of these songs. No Name No. 5 sees him crooning about how "everybody's gone at last". Later, Cupid's Trick has a similar feel, Smith sounds blasted and shattered singing "it's my life, should've lit me up"
Rose Parade is totally different, sounding more upbeat, you could imagine this one on daytime radio. Angeles and the appropriately named 2.45 AM are pure late night listening. Consisting mostly of Elliott Smith's guitar picking, they're the closest thing here to anything on his first two albums. Overall this album works really well, it won't upset anyone who likes the early stuff but it acts as a bridge between that and his more fleshed out, later material. Essential.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Songs: Ohia - Impala
Hard work? Perhaps. But a dense and mysterious album.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith
The songs are kind of equal parts wide-eyed innocence and deeply troubled, and if that sounds like a contradiction it probably is. Lyrics about how "the moon is a sickle cell, it'll kill you in time" (Coming Up Roses) are a prime example of this. St Ides Heaven feels a little like Nirvana at their most basic and stripped down, while Good To Go has a more seventies singer/songwriter feel. Towards the end, The White Lady Loves You More is a bit of a departure, feeling almost symphonic, despite the troubling subject matter. But a really strong album for the most part.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
There are exceptions to this. The bashfully slow Tears Are In Your Eyes features a fine icy vocal from Hubley. On the other extreme, the totally out of place rocker Cherry Chapstick barrels along in the manner of their earlier, harder-edged material ie it's a bit like Sonic Youth. In fact the stronger material is towards the end of the album, From Black to Blue and Madeline are quite dozy but they noodle along in a sort of interesting way, with decent almost-choruses. The furtive organ piece Tired Hippo sets the scene nicely for the final track Night Falls on Hoboken. Starting with a gentle strum it builds gradually for seven minutes, becoming a full on drone piece for the remaining ten minutes. It's hugely self-indulgent but kind of cool all the same.
Some of Yo La Tengo's other albums are more varied, and in many ways more enjoyable, but this one has a lazy charm.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
EP Review: Songs: Ohia - Hecla & Griper
Probably not the ideal place to start with Molina.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
Album Review: Songs: Ohia
The wintry, backwoods feel of Gauley Bridge and Tenskwatawa brings to mind kinsmen such as Bonnie Prince Billy and early Smog and many of these tracks are quite brief, around the two minute mark. The brooding Blue Jay introduces an uncredited wind instrument which may be a saxophone, played tastefully, while Our Republic has the stripped back sound Smog were perfecting on Red Apple Falls, with more added saxophone.
It sure is a one-paced, repetitive album, difficult to get to know but it has a charm that's hard to define. When you listen to it first it seems like there's not much there, but then you find yourself listening again... and again...
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Album Review: Elliott Smith - New Moon
It's not all quiet, acoustic tracks. New Monkey is one of the more fleshed-out tracks here, featuring electric guitar, bass, drums and a soaring, singalong chorus, One track which has appeared elsewhere is an early embryonic version of Miss Misery. And the one cover here, Big Star's Thirteen is rendered in a faithful, almost child-like version.
The second CD is arguably not as strong but still has its fair share of gems. The impassioned strum of Georgia, Georgia would have fitted on Smith's earliest albums, while the frantic strum of Big Decision and the introspective sleigh-bells (!) of Seen How Things Are Hard are a less than comfortable listen. Elsewhere there are the fragile, fingerpicked Placeholder and New Disaster, along with fuller, band tracks like Fear City and Either/Or. Towards the end, Almost Over showcases his guitar dexterity, here he manages Nick Drake-like skills on one of the finer tracks here, all dispatched in two minutes.
It's a great service to Elliott Smith fans that these tracks were unearthed, and this collection is as worthwhile as anything else in his catalogue.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs' third album, released in 2014, is an extraordinary beast. On first listen it seems to drift by, each track running into each other with little variation. Similarly on subsequent listens. However after some time it burrows its way into your brain BECAUSE each track runs into each other with little variation. Ok, enough of the smart-assery. The album opens with the tone setting Under The Pressure, all ringing, liquid guitars and a positively euphoric sounding Adam Granduciel on vocals. A huge anthemic sound. Even more anthemic is the following track Red Eyes, with soaring keyboards washing across the track.
Suffering is slower, sparser, like a slowed down spaced out version of the first two tracks, with the palette of sound very much drawn from Under The Pressure, featuring some gorgeous shimmering keyboards. By the net track An Ocean In Between the pace has picked up to sort of mid-eighties Don Henley standard (think: Boys of Summer). All of this is quite unremarkable except for the actual playing, the musicianship in this album is superb. On the aforementioned track lies a guitar solo that really lifts it to the heights of the rest of the album. Disappearing is the centrepiece. It's nearly seven minutes of absolute lushness, a laid-back atmosphere, beautiful keyboards and gorgeously simple chord changes. At seven minutes it's just not long enough.
Eyes To The Wind and the title track are more rootsy, Granduciel doing his best Bob Dylan impression but the sound is full and uplifting. On the other hand The Haunting Idle is more mood setting atmospherics than any of the previous tracks Burning is like U2's Bad on speed, crossed with some guitar out of The Cure's Disintegration, and the album finishes with the Tunnel of Love era Springsteen of In Reverse.
It's the stadium rock it's ok to like. Built from some arguably pedestrian influences, they are blended to thrilling effect.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
Supergrass - In It For The Money
From here on the album settles into a rocky groove with tracks like Tonight, G-Song and Going Out which are built around a steadily repeated riff. Late In The Day starts off acoustic but builds to a soaring electric guitar solo at its climax, the aural equivalent of the sun rising over the hills. Sun Hits The Sky is another hard riffer with some superb guitar work by singer Gaz Coombes. Some of the latter tracks could be classed as filler - It's Not Me, Cheapskate, Hollow Little Reign. You Can See Me is a late highlight, opening with a pulsing keyboard it builds to a barnstorming track. But overall on this album, they sound like a proper 'rock' band, who CAN be taken seriously. One of the better 'Britpop' era releases.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Album Review: The Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
Another high point is a cover of The Velvet Underground's Sweet Jane. Again, it's slowed right down to narcoleptic pace with a soaring vocal, which arguably betters the original. It's not all covers, the dark lament To Love Is To Bury conveys enormous yearning in an understated vocal. 200 More Miles is sassier, a kind of bluesy sway with a sort of a bitter tinge, as Timmins sings "there'll be no warm sheets or welcoming arms to fall into tonight". One or two tracks drag towards the end, but otherwise it's a pretty special album. Even many years on, its one of the finer exponents of spooked-out country.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Album Review: The Posies - Frosting On The Beater
The album is definitely informed by the prevailing musical mood at the time in America, which was grunge, hence it was produced by Don Fleming (Sonic Youth, Screaming Trees, TFC etc). But it works terrifically - the rollicking Definite Door is absolute gold. Opening with a defiant guitar flourish, the track barrels along with a killer melody batted back and forth by hard-riffing guitars.
Some of it can be self-indulgent, Burn & Shine goes on a bit with an extended guitar outtro, as if they were trying a little too hard to show off how well they can play their guitars, while later Lights Out can be a little repetitive. The album actually improves in the latter half, many of the better tracks have been squirrelled away here. 20 Questions could be something off Neil Young's Ragged Glory, the Posies cranking out the riffs in a very Crazy Horse manner with Mike Musburger pounding the drums as if his life depends on it, and How She Lied By Living is in a similar vein, almost grunge-like in its intensity. The album finishes with the downcast, bluesy Coming Right Along.
This is an album that defines that over-used term, power pop, as there is plenty of both here. Anyone who likes Teenage Fanclub will surely enjoy this.
Monday, August 24, 2015
True Widow: As High as the Highest Heavens and From the Center to the Circumference of the Earth
Wither features some really fine guitar playing, Phillips unleashing economic yet effective braincrushingly heavy riffs. Later, the lengthy Boaz builds up gradually, with the full onslaught holding off for four minutes or so before guitars take flight, while Night Witches and Doomser are practically metal on ketamine, trudging along with huge riffs. If you like your guitars heavy yet controlled, this is worth checking out.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Midlake - The Courage of Others
But at its core this album proclaims its love for seventies soft rock like Crosby Stills and Nash (Fortune, Children of the Grounds), Blue Oyster Cult (Rulers, Ruling All Things, The Horn) and Fleetwood Mac (the title track). It's not all hoary old dinosaur music, Bring Down could be early Radiohead wearing flower garlands, and there's enough variety with the guitar playing to prevent Midlake from being total retreads, the Marr-like picking on closing track In The Ground being a fine example of this.
The album suffers a little from lack of variety, it's a little one-paced. Although the musicianship, playing and the overall sound of the album is excellent, the odd burst of noise here and there wouldn't go astray.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
Such an opening is hard to sustain, and they don't quite manage it. There isn't much wrong with heavy riffing tracks like Last of My Kind, A Looking In View and Acid Bubble. Elsewhere they trot out a few moody ballads such as Your Decision, When The Sun Rose Again and the title track. Again, nothing wrong with these but they aren't especially distinctive. Later tracks Lesson Learned and Take Her Out growl along very agreeably over heavy guitars. But overall, for those who badly missed Alice In Chains in 2009, this album recreated their sound perfectly.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Thursday, August 20, 2015
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