Much like Autolux, Beulah enjoys pristine production. Unlike Autolux, the substance quotient underneath is also there. When Your Heartstrings Break has a lot more grit than their 2001 follow-up The Coast Is Never Clear, which the Bishop of Jamaica Plain will like: there is less saccharine and more oatmeal here. The first two songs ("Score from Augusta" and "Sunday Under Glass") are just impossibly good and reflect that edge that The Coast Is Never Clear lacks.
Beulah - "Score from Augusta"
On an 11-hour plane ride where I listened to music the whole time, the only song I felt compelled to re-play was "Sunday Under Glass." (I played it four times in a row.) Sure, the album flags a little towards the end, but who cares? Enjoy it, you snob!
The world's best high school band EVAH rolls on with their third album. The first track ("T.O.R.N.A.D.O.") is an immediate step forward for their sound: a funky realized follow-up to their stunning 2004 debut Thunder, Lightning, Strike. It's an anthem-like song, and one of the best that they've ever (er, EVAH) put out. And it addresses their core issue: since that first album, they have not expanded their sound. Unfortunately, that solution is only momentary: besides that standout first track, the rest of the first half of the album is Interpol-like in re-covering familiar ground (much like The Go! Team's own 2007 sophomore effort, Proof of Youth). By the third and fourth songs ("Apollo Throwdown" and "Ready to Go Steady"), they are essentially covering themselves -- reworking old songs ever so slightly, but it's all been done before. And seven songs in, and they are officially on the Interpol/Bloc Party/Franz Ferdinand "Prove Me Wrong List Before I Buy Again" list. Now if this was the first time you'd heard The Go! Team, you'd love the album; but if you were a fan of the band from the start, you'd understand that this is re-tread brilliance. For the latter group of fans, the high of "T.O.R.N.A.D.O." will be long forgotten by this point -- it's a very languid listen.
The Go! Team - "T.O.R.N.A.D.O."
But then... it's as if on the second half of the album, the light has come on. Finally! It's a slightly different approach, and that step forward I've been looking for, starting with "Voice Yr Choice." It still has that same basic sound, but plays within a much larger palette -- the highlights are the last two songs, "Rolling Blackouts" and "Back Like 8 Track." Is there a song on the second half on the album as good as "T.O.R.N.A.D.O."? No. Is the second half of the album as good as Thunder, Lightning, Strike? No. But it IS different, and very good in its own way, which makes the band's outlook much more interesting looking forward. Thus the second half of the album is an encouraging step from a great group; hopefully this signals a new direction. I am struck by the thought that if the album was structured in reverse, I'd be less optimistic, and this review would instead be all about how they had instead made an EP. But that is the power of an album: order does still have meaning.
CD Placement Rating:1st half - Sellback Pile 1. 2nd half - Car CD Changer. Overall - we'll split the difference and call it Portable CD Case.
How it took me nine years to listen to this is beyond me. Former Verbow frontman Jason Narducy's return from being Robert Pollard and Bob Mould's sidekicks turns out to be a bit more White Out and a little less Chronicles. It's a rocker (not surprising, given the company he was keeping) that is a bit heavy on the effects, which it really doesn't need as the songs are strong to begin with. Overall, this EP is very infectious right from the start -- it immediately gets under your skin. A heavier John Faye Power Trip (somewhere, Denis just shuddered) comes to mind.
Rockets Over Sweden - "So in Love With You and Me." No, this is not how they normally look, dress, or perform.
Good to very good throughout, this is very solid pop-rock with some twists. Quite good, albeit occasionally a little too forced. But it cannot be denied.
Thanks again to Alan for turning me on to these guys. As faithful readers will recall, their show in March 2013 was terrific (and the post includes a video of their ridiculously fabulous appearance on David Letterman, which you should check out if nothing else), and thus I needed to check the studio release out. This album starts out like a preacher revival house of fire with "Hand Me Down Blues": I'd call it a "live recording that happened to take place in a studio." It's the closest to rock that they get into on the album (and I do prefer their more up tempo offerings), but they really are great at any speed. It's really good stuff and worth a listen for blues and rock fans; they wear it all on their sleeve, and wear it well. The lead singer is a classic crooner, the lead guitarist a virtuoso, and the rhythm section is tight and talented. Their finesse and deft touch is what's most impressive here -- they make spaces in the music work for them. Chapeau.
Vintage Trouble - "Hand Me Down Blues"
My only slight criticism: while enjoyable, there are way too "same-y" songs at the same tempo which blur together musically. They could have chopped three songs off the album and been more impactful, rather than Rainer Maria-rehash their way through parts of the album. But. But. BUT. I still enjoy listening to the album, despite that. Go see them -- they have an outstanding live presence and precision, and the sheer tornado force of their lead singer is worth the price of admission alone.
After last year's "Twelve Blogs of Christmas," it's pretty clear that my only self-motivation to write prolifically is gimmicks. So here we go: 14 Reviews to start 2014. (I picked "14," obviously, because it's the uniform number of both Otto Graham and Larry Doby. Or because I am cheap, easy, and lazy. No one knows.) First victim: Autolux. After Failure's breakup, the two main creative forces in the band took productivity paths parallel to Hüsker Dü after their split. Ken Andrews became Bob Mould, putting out a steady stream of excellent music (at least until 2007), which included stints with his bands On and Year of the Rabbit, as well as solo work and tons of producing. Autolux's Greg Edwards, on the other hand, followed the Grant Hart model: a glacially slow musical output (three albums in two bands over 15+ years), all the while dealing with the perception that his drug addiction broke up his previous band. And he's not the main creative force here, either; all songs are collectively written by the three-piece group. Now onto the task at hand: six years after Autolux's impressive 2004 debut (Future Perfect), 2010's Transit Transit isn't bad; it just isn't good.
Autolux - "Supertoys." Probably the only song you need to listen to on this album.
Except for "Supertoys," (and MAYBE "Census," but the jury is still out) there is absolutely no emotional resonance or connection here. At all. The production is pristine, but it ultimately turns the album into a super-smooth, polished turd (with glass-like consistency, no less). Every ounce of life has been drained from this technically proficient, emotion-free disappointment.
This is like a corpse someone microwaved. Sure it's warm, but it's not going anywhere.
CD Placement Rating:Sell-back 1. Avoids the Pile of Death by the slimmest of margins.
So I've been a bit busy with work these days. Primarily I've been going back into my Portable CD case and listening to all of those albums I've reviewed but haven't had time to listen to further. It's not like I have drafts of 11 reviews I just don't have time to get around to. That would just be silly.
Another setback with reviews is a purely technical issue. Simply put: I can't get any of my reviews off the device I recorded them on, except to re-do them all by hand. Very annoying. If any of you have experience with this particular issue, I would really appreciate any support you could offer. It's called the "Portable Analog Pulp Enhanced Rewriteable" device ("Paper" for short). I can't even find an interface on this sucker for the life of me, and my penmanship is TERRIBLE. Perfect storm.
In and around the Portable CD listening, there are a few songs that have caught my attention and grabbed hold. Here they are (as always) in alphabetical list form:
1. The Beatings - "Other Side" (2002) -- I could not find a clip for this one. But let me tell you, it is GOOD. Also, I think this is NOT the Boston group The Beatings, as I could not find this song on their website. If anyone knows more, please comment below or email me.
2. Beulah - "Sunday Under Glass" (1999). Purty.
3. Black Breath - "Murder" (2008). For Bubba and Scott K. mainly. Enjoy the screaming!
4. Devo - "Post-Post-Modern Man" (1990). This one was sparked by Ben and Robyn's marital music issues. Good times.
5. Gang of Four - "I Love a Man in Uniform" (2005). This is the Return the Gift version, which begs the question as to why they did not record the original this way. Awesome.
6. Gem - "Only a Loan" (1995). Rawk.
7. Joy Division - "Digital" (1979). So I'm a little late to the entire Joy Division catalog (despite Yves and Scott B. pushing me in that direction with various albums to listen to). Don't look at me like that.
8. The Kills - "Future Starts Slow" (2011). Once every few years, I hear a song on a television show that makes me immediately run to iTunes. So thank you to Person of Interest for this one. Now get rid of Shah and get on with it.
9. Lush - "Light from a Dead Star" (1994). Haunting.
10. North Atlantic Oscillation - "One Good Reason" (2012). This is a Bob Mould cover, and if you didn't think there was going to be at least one Bob Mould-related item in this list, you have not been paying attention. (And for the record, Bob Mould is Bob Mould.)
11. Andy Taylor - "When the Rain Comes Down" (1986). Miami Vice meets Duran Duran, yo. In 1987, I bought Andy Taylor's solo album Thunder on cassette, think that "Thunder" was the meteorlogical hit that I was into. Wrong. Of course, it only took me 25 years to realize this song was the soundtrack-only cut I loved at the time. Who the hell releases two rain-related songs in two years? Asshole.
12. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - "Under the Hedge" (2001). The song actually ends at 3:15. But it is the best thing I have ever heard them do, and probably where I start and stop with this band. (Sorry, Denis.)
Dear Corridor: First of all, there is no damn way I am accepting the capitalization of "corridor - REAL LATE," which is how it comes up in iTunes. This is a 99% deal-breaker out of the gate, you jackasses. I'm not joking here -- I almost didn't listen to the damn album simply based on that. Second of all, that stupid capitalization MAKES NO SENSE as the music behind it is totally smart, very restrained, basically virtuoso folk rock. It really pisses me off that this is so good, as I am pretty sure (based on capitalization alone) that you guys wear Miami Heat hats with a flat brim, backwards, and slightly tilted to the side. (Yes, I just described the worst kind of human being.) Therefore, for the love of all that's holy, accept what you are -- folk maestros crossed with world music leanings -- and stop pretending you are some stupid punks. You are clearly better than that, so just get rid of that diamond-studded nose ring and get on with it. It's a great album; accept your "real musicianship" status. I know it's frightening, but you can be grown-ups now to match your music.
Corridor - "Objective Lens"
Thank you in advance for stopping your campaign of pissing me off. Please continue in the music vein, however. It's quite excellent. Yours, Snilch CD Placement Rating: CAR cd CHANGER. Jerks.
