Lorde - Pure Heroine

The "single of the year" girl releases a big spring hit and gets an album done by fall. And yes, I know that Lorde was all of 16 when you were clubbing to her jam. But before we give young Ella Stevie-Wonder-sized credit, don't forget that her producer/co-writer is 30 and has been at this music game a while.

 

I agree, of course, that "Royals" is a great song. Starting with the understated rhythm track that comes off like a slow sex jam, the song is still immediately danceable. Lorde's voice and the looped over vocal harmonies makes up almost the whole of any instrumentation. And the lyric is a very clever re-establishment of an alternaative youth culture that avoids the trappings of the previously lauded rap-led cash/money/murder life.

 

Unfortunately, I can't say that the rest of the album fares as well. Maybe the duo just needed more time to write some songs. Or get a band together. But the rest of the album feels like lesser versions of Royals. Mellow but danceable beats with some keyboard accompaniment, Lorde's monotoned verses and bigger choruses. Songs about what Lorde and her crew do. Or her generation? You know how in "Royals" she talks about "that kind of lux just ain't for US"? The rest of the songs too seem that she doesn't have thoughts or feelings of her own. She only speaks of what WE do/think/feel. Weird.

 

I expect that Ella will tour, cash her checks and take two years to regroup with a more mature sound and more thoughtful thoughts. (2 of 5 stars)

 

 

Sammy Hagar & Friends

 

Long story short, I'm a huge Sammy Hagar fan. So while this blog doesn't normally dedicate this blog to a track-by-track review of new releases, this week you're in a treat. Song titles will link to audio/video.

"Winding Down"

Mostly acoustic blues about the world state of affairs. Nothing specific, but just throwing out negativity with his declaration “world keep revvin’ up, I be winding down”. The classic Taj Mahal joins Sammy to lend a deeper tone to the vocal, but Sammy’s is really the keen voice here, belting out a classic blues/soul scream. Thick and authentic.

"Not Going Down"

Written by the lead singer of the band I just saw open for Sammy, Rival Sons, this is an ’80 hard rock dirge that reminded me of Dokken’s “Heaven Sent”. The lyric has a fighter’s tenacity theme. While a couple of Sammy’s Montrose teammates join on the track, there also an overbearing girl group vocal which sounds like one line was recorded once and just punched in. For a tune otherwise grungy and earthy, the chorus turns it fake and sterile.

"Personal Jesus"

This is the one that is going to be the biggest talk among my circle of friends. Yes, a real live Depeche Mode cover. Including his Chickenfoot bandmates, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith, with guitar by Journey’s Neal Schon. …And I’m sure those friends will hate the ever-loving shit out of this. But it’s not at all bad. A blues shuffle with a call-and-response gospel background vocal. The shuffle, the jam. That part’s good, excellent even. The gospel chorus, the same girls on the last track…. need to go.

"Father Sun"

Based on the French Polynesian sounds that overcame Sammy on a vacation, this track sounds like a rocked-up Lumineers. Lyrically, the song is a simple good morning beach sun worship tune. The vocal Is a little too clean with this one, though. As If the his regular rasp wasn’t going to be as courting to radio.

"Knockdown Dragout"

This song is a typical Hagar rocker, and those usually take some time to grow on me. Sometimes they take on a better feel in a live scenario. This has a feel somewhere between a Marilyn Manson joint and “Mas Tequila”. Why there’s six fucking songwriters to compose a track that’s little more than “Hey” is beyond me – but I’m nonetheless glad that it’s under 200 seconds long. The worst song on the record should be the shortest song. And one of those writers isn’t even the duet partner, Kid Rock. He couldn’t drum up his own boxing-as-rock-music metaphor. Joe Satriani, too appears for a solo that’s fine but adds no real value.

 

"Ramblin' Gamblin' Man"

The Bob Seger cover worked well when I saw it live last summer. It’s a little too careful here. I mean, this is a simple Detroit skank strut song. And David Lauser is successfully bringing the big beat. But the guitars should be way more out front and Sammy should be as amped up as he is on track one. It’s fun, but I’m still going to prefer my Live Bullet version.

"Bad On Fords And Chevrolets"

A country-ish car tune, written by a couple of country dudes. This one has a fun swing to it. I didn’t need the Dunn of Brooks & Dunn to join in, but then I guess we’d lose the reason for the occasion. The song isn’t unlike an old Hagar cruising track “Let Sally Drive” (which was kinda like “Whole Lotta Rosie”), with a little extra twang and slide guitar. Fun.

"Margaritaville"

Well, I guess it was fucking inevitable wasn’t it? I’ll bet a lot of my non-Redhead readers will be surprised to learn that Sammy hasn’t already recorded this song. Having spent the better part of the last fifteen years becoming a very successful tequila entrepreneur and margarita pourer. He had his own agave-hit song and started co-opting everything that had to do with partying and beaches. He's already been dubbed the "Hard Rock Jimmy Buffett"... But no, this track is new for him. And having never been a fan of the song, it’s easier for me to say that I like this version much better. Even with redneck sidekick Toby Keith joining along, Sammy plays it more mellow, with some island ukuleles in place of the originals keyboards. I will not be ashamed to play this in a bar... or to karaoke it.

"All We Need Is an Island"

Another mellow beach porch-swinger with Heart’s Nancy Wilson on duet vocals. Again, simple, sweet. I saw this performed live with Sammy basically solo. The addition here on the album is The Dead’s Mickey Hart has a heavy had in some island percussion. It’s not completely distracting –but kinda.

 

"Going Down"

A barn burner to end the album. The old Freddie King classic that is a constant blues staple. One that Sammy has tread on before in live jam scenarios. (like this one)

This includes the "Personal Jesus" lineup from before, with Chad and Mike out front and loud. And surprisingly impressive is Schon again. He totally rips it up on here like an old Satriani. Just a fun jam, (“live take 1”) but a perfect closer. My only complaint about the album is that everything could have been this stripped down and playful.

Elvis Costello & The Roots - Wise Up Ghost

I will surely be eyeing these tracks through more of a Declan-size spectacles, being a fan of Elvis' for a while. But I am excited about the collaboration. The Roots have done amzing things on the late night show, and particularly with EC- who has graced the stage with them more than once.

 

Skip ahead to track three, which seems to our first cohesive track. "Refuse To Be Saved" is basically an Elvis rap with some sparse samples and horn blasts. The lyrical theme is little more than a sleazy portrait of downtown and the band brings some hot jazzy funk to back him up. I would add some background girl vocals to add to the hotness, but what's there is quality.

 

Up to that track, and what will keep several songs from connecting, is that the pairing seems to be daring each other. Elvis by himself can let his words get in his way. He's got a brilliantly huge vocabulary, but sometimes he tries to say it all at once. And I can't tell here if the band is going faster to catch up to him or vice versa. It gets a little messy sometimes.

 

"Stick Out Your Tongue" is an example of a (kind of beautiful) mess where the band rocks a slow jam while Elvis jams some lyrics of his previous songs into something entirely new. It's too obscure for a general audisnce to make the connection, but fun nonetheless. And another "Come The Meantime" brings the album's only main guitar whail while ?uestlove grooves over a Loveage sample.

 

The record is certainly not perfect, and a completely out-of-place Bacharach-ish ballad closer aside, the next-t-last track is damn near perfect and garners my review an extra half-star. The title track comes on like an epic movie theme closing credits. Like Shaft meets Rocky meets Gone With The Wind. A haunting orchestral riff bleeds into a dark rhythm and the strings are backed with guitar and horns. It's a true song of the year contender and should have finished the album.

 

A great collaboration which can make a Costello fan's head spin with the possibility of re-recording catalog albums. (3.5 of 5 stars)
 

Arctic Monkeys - AM

I've been a huge fan of the Monkeys since their first album. And always with diminishing returns. (But to be fair, they had far to fall.) The second and third albums fared well for me. But the last, "Suck It And See", even with one of my fave songs of that year, was still a disappointment. One- they had an equally genius talent at the producer chair with Josh Homme. And while his influence helped, they wrote some lazy silly songs throughout. But nothing is going to turn me off so much to not give the new one a spin, even though I am confused as to why they named it after Alanis Morissette.

And I am pleasantly surprised to find track one being not only great, but a perfect fit for my year end compilation album. (More on that never) But "Do I Wanna Know?" is a simple rock tune, musically. Unlike the frantic staccato of what will amount to their career best-of. Lyrically, Alex will never cease to tie the tongues of karaokiers from Tokyo to London, and this track is no different. The theme though is an awesomely laid-out pining of the distant woman, wondering if she'll love him back without having the balls to ask.

 

"We both know that the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day"

 

Track two "R U Mine?" is similarly vocabularically satisfying, but the real draw here is musical. Like I said, the band is generally running at as frantic a pace as Turner's mouth. Here, though, they take a lesson, no doubt from Homme (who isn't producing, but still shows up). What results is not psychedelic by any stretch, but still disjointed but still rhythmically together but still in a very awesome way. (stutter intentional)

 

There's also a straight-up quality love song, in the vein of the band's "Cornerstone" or "Only Ones Who Know", with "No. 1 Party Anthem". It's darkly toned - but sweet and sexy all at once. Other tracks seem boring, but listen again. "Arabella" and "Mad Sounds" for example are both examples of where the band seems to be lagging off, and they're definitely simpler; but really these are excellent songs. It just takes a close listen for your brain to shift into a feel that's unlike what you're used to.

 

At the end of the day, this is a major upstep. Where I thought that "Suck It" had too much suck, "AM" has more... (sorry- I have no writer tricks to link "AM" to "good") My point is, this is easily my favorite Monkeys record since the debut. (5 of 5 stars)

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks

I recently reconnected myself with NIN after a period of dormancy. [With_Teeth] was especially awesome, but the overtly political Year Zero also had good shit to offer. I even found something to take home from the two-disc ethereal instrumental Ghosts album. Having said that, my favorite of Trent is the guitar-centered rage of the Broken EP.

 

It's important to note that as to where I'm coming from, because there's nary a sight of guitar on Hesitation Marks. Which is okay. Clearly the focus of Nails has always been the synthesizer. My biggest draw against this record is not its lack of rocking. Through all the sounds, it still "rocks".

 

But I feel a formula. I feel a stagnation. With this record in total, as opposed to fractions of previous albums, I feel like Trent is purposefully employing only what is the most basic elements expected of him. There's always a disjointed electro beat to introduce the tune. It always grows with a more tuneful electronic blip pattern. Low registered vocals kick the song out. Greater synthesized drones kick up the noise level as live drums make the beat steadier. Vocals get louder and more impassioned. Vocals get doubled to attempt to avoid repetition. Song out.

 

The lyrics are also all the same. If Trent gets a nickel for every time he asked that he could get away from wherever he was currently at, he'd be a rich man. It's aggravated regret over and over with out substantially describing the emotion. And he got by on that once. As a young artist, "Down In It" was an awesome way to say nothing more than, "This sucks." And as a mature artist, I don't require that you actually grow or change, but I do have to believe that you're not just phoning it in.

 

Outside of my own bitching, I actually do have a favorite. "Everything" is an upbeat, dancey, noisy new wave tune that stands out like a sore thumb against the rest of the tracks. The bass riff could have been lifted from a Green Day outtake. The bridge between verses could bleed itself into a "Just Like Heaven" cover. It gives me hope that Trent will live another day and not hesitate to grow a little. (2 of 5 stars)

 

Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

The latest from the Scotlanders is not going to surprise anyone. If you're at all familiar with the band, then this collection of songs will deliver what you'd expect. Upbeat danceable rock tunes with a monotoned vocal and some sing-along choruses.

 

It's hard to say anything else about it. A quick blast of thirty minute fun. One of the notable things I found was in the lyrics. Alex gets a little wordy in order to follow the syncopation in a way that I haven't heard since Gary Cherone. "Outside fresh avaricide, but inside our love, you'll be alright"  And other times, it's downright silly: "While I'm away you can let the mouse go down on you." Or the other song where he relates his fleeting relationships with losing his car keys. Or being king of the trees and animals. I could go on...

 

But the album is mostly about breakups, my favorite rock topic. My favorite is the rockiest. "Love Illumination" is almost a garage tune with the slick '70s riff. But also valuable is the mellowest. "The Universe Expanded", the promise of a separating couple to meet again when the universe retracts. The album closer is the perfect capper to this mood. "Goodbye Lovers & Friends" toys with the idea that this is not the end, but then finally assures us that it is indeed.

 

An album title that mostly does not lie. (3.5 of 5 stars)

 

Julia Holter - Loud City Song

A universally acclaimed record, I feel enough like giving it a shot as nothing else jumped out at me this week. And while I won't be giving it such praise, hopefully I'll be descriptive enough for you to judge whether or not you'll agree.

The album kicks off with a minimalist "World". It's clear that Julia is a much more competent multi-instrumentalist than she is a vocalist. She whispers and faintly sighs and remains a general bore until track two. "Maxim's I"  does not include any greater vocal prowess or melodic sensibility, but the underlying instrumentation feels like a breezy carnival in a winter wonderland.

The whole of the album has an experimental air, like Laurie Anderson traded her sterile electronica and mixed her style with a more Enya-like ethereal drone. The live player accompaniment is a definite bonus to the tuneless song style Julia projects. Don't get me wrong, this is not the stuff of Tom Waits and hot jazz. But "In The Green Wild" for example, plays against a strong jazz bass background that adds a romance where Julia does not herself.

In summary, Julia does indeed build some splendid aural landscapes. But I prefer my music to be less musical score and more "song". (2.5 of 5 stars)