Curt Smith - Halfway, Pleased (2008)

When last we left Tears for Fears, the boys (Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith) had kissed and made up for a strong return to form with 2004's Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (which is part of this post).

The post-script was Smith's solo effort Halfway, Pleased. I was not really sure what to expect with this album. TFF was Smith and Orzabal's band, but the songs were primarily written by Orzabal; his main co-writer on Songs from the Big Chair was actually keyboardist Ian Stanley. This album is all Smith and co-writer Charlton Pettus (who also wrote with Smith and Orzabal on ELAHE).

Given that, I decided this album deserved the full workout, as described here. First listen: on the commuter rail. I went old school with my CD Walkman. My first impression was actually the CD artwork -- normally this is not a conscious factor (in fact, almost never), but it did strike me in this case. The artwork is simple: photos over white, with black italicized "wedding-type" font. (I'm sure it could be described more articulately than that, but that's all the cultcha I got.) The front picture (included above) is from behind, with Smith and his daughters. My immediate thoughts and impression are: a reflective, mature, sedate album. It may even be a kids' album, for all I know.

First song ("Perfect Day"), first verse: light, poppy, tuneful; Smith has a crooner's sensibility in his vocals and it sounds like I expected. Nice, safe, not terribly edgy; a little slower and more laid back than I thought. It's a song about a perfect day -- well told, but a traveled path. Dandelions. Sunshine. Puppies. No global warming. An economy not in total freefall. Then we hit the chorus. "It's a perfect day/to blow myself away."

Huh.

I rewind to make sure I heard that right. Yup, that's exactly what he said. This was the listening equivalent of sizing your opponent up in a boxing ring and getting sucker-punched in the back of the head by a previously unannounced third combatant. And right there, I knew this was not going to be what I expected. I wanted to see if this was just my reaction, so I tried the song out on Scott, without telling him what was up. Without prompting, he did the same double-take I did, and said, "What did he just say?" Yup, that's exactly what he said.

This album, throughout, mixes a child-like wonder with experienced cynicism. Smith deceptively combines gut-punch twists on children's nursery rhymes alternating with the aged wisdom of a one-legged sailor. And all with classic, pitch-perfect delivery on top of absolutely beautiful music. To make "low-key and sparse" work (at least in my book) is a tightrope-thin line between genius and inane. I generally don't like low-key at all, actually, but I just cannot deny this album. It's great.

Not only that, but it actually works in the car, even at low tempo. It defies logic AND my own personal opinion that car albums need to be at least mid-tempo. On the big stereo it sounds gorgeous. Absolutely great low-key pop -- Curt's superb voice with meticulously placed instrumentation. It's fabulous.

Merch Rating: We're slightly re-defining the Merch rating, starting with this album. At this point I'm collecting my favorite albums on vinyl when I can find them. Yes, I'm buying this on vinyl, assuming an album version was created. It's that good. Were I in LA in March on a Wednesday, there is NO DOUBT I'd be going to The Cactus Lounge to see him play. He is playing there for free. FREE. If you are there and not going, you are out of your mind. I hear that reservations are strongly recommended as the lounge books up quickly, which is not surprising given the price. FREE. Anyways, I'd definitely buy a T-shirt, vinyl (clearly), and any extras from this album. I'd buy his older solo stuff as well if he had it there. Hell, I'd pretty much buy anything at the merch table as he was playing for free, and probably even if he wasn't. Hopefully he'll be in Boston soon; if not, I'll just go to his website and buy some stuff there.

CD Placement Rating: You want to guess? Car CD Changer.

- Snilch

Randy Bewley, 1955-2009

Yesterday was a very sad day: Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley passed away. Most of the obits run like this one, but I don't think they come close to encapsulating the kind of impact his playing, or his band, had on rock music.

I got to know Pylon after they had broken up the first time, when I was in college. I bought a cassette of Hits, which compiled 90% of their entire recorded output at that point (two albums and an EP) into one cassette. Serendipity intervened, as at almost exactly the same time the band re-formed and released their third (and final) album, Chain. I later went out and got Hits on CD as well. I rarely listen to this album, as Mrs. Snilch Report long ago hijacked it for her music collection (and there is no higher praise of my musical taste than that); it remains a thoroughly underrated pop gem. As a band, Pylon consistently remains one of my all-time favorites, despite such a small recorded output of material.

Pylon made their bones in the Athens, GA, scene in the late 70's/early 80's, breaking up just before Athens became ground zero for the next wave of music. Without them, R.E.M. is not R.E.M. - the B-52's and Pylon shaped the scene, and the rest followed. And when they re-formed, R.E.M. returned the favor, putting them on as the opening act for the Green tour. After that tour, Pylon broke up again; their final re-formation came a few years ago (after a 15-year hiatus), when they played the occasional show here and there, and re-released Gyrate. I never saw them live, and wish I had.

Pylon's music has be described as danceable pop tunes with simplistic lyrics. But it was more than that: musically, their songs had a strong sense of urgency, and were brilliant in a simple, understated way. They knew how to write a pop song with a edge to it. And their music did not grow tired after repeated listens.

Randy Bewley's guitar was at the heart of their sound. His playing was laden with hooks -- deceptively simple, consistently smart, and always interesting. A lot of guitar players owe a lot to him. He's an underappreciated legend and a genius, and he will be missed forever.

Here is a much more thorough and well-written tribute, with videos to boot. Godspeed, Randy.

- Snilch

mp3 Albums, Part Two

As promised... Part two of two:

• Editors - An End Has a Start (2007). Eric Lax contribution number two. On this one, I hear a poppier Joy Division, as opposed to Interpol, which was my other touchstone for this one: the distinction lies in that they hit the higher notes vocally and musically, so the music is a little more uplifting, much like JD. I found four tracks I'd call great, and the rest I'd call solid. Very nice stuff.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
  
  
• The Frames - Here Comes the Night (2001). Eric Lax contribution number three. This live double album, recorded on New Year's Eve, 2001, at Ireland's TodayFM studios, is a low-key acoustic effort that has a lot of charm (and a lot of covers). It's also a great snapshot of The Frames after they "made it big" the first time (i.e., before Glen Hansard really "made it big" with the movie Once). It's a great show for Frames fans.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
  
  
• Klark Kent -Kollected Works (1995). Now, I'd happily buy this, but it's $50+ for this long out of print item... which is simply too much for any single album. So I'm stuck with a posted download instead. This is Stuart Copeland's one-man band side project while he was with The Police -- I still have the 1980 release Music Madness from the Kinetic Kid on green vinyl, with the album jacket cut into the letter "K." (It's truly unfortunate that the logo on the front is designed as "KlarK Kent" -- yup, KKK.) Despite what I will assume was a design "guffaw," I've always loved this album -- it sounds like an extension of the experimentation and wackiness from his songs on Regatta de Blanc. So I've been hunting this down, which is the CD version of the first album PLUS everything else he did as Klark Kent. I have to say, though, that something got lost in the translation from vinyl to CD. Think of this as a companion to work by The Police ("Police-lite," perhaps?), a piece of history that shows Copeland flexing his creative muscles at a very raw phase. This album is way too long, and not for everyone -- it fails when it teeters from quirky into self-indulgence. And it does, somewhat often. Also, I like his vocal style, which will not be everyone's cup of tea.
  Verdict: Recommended for Police completists. It will live in my CD Rack.
  
  
• Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007). Eric Lax's final going-away gift. He did not know that I hate OK Computer, and pretty much everything I've heard from these guys since I fell in love with the song "Creep." I tried this first in the car... not a good start. I then played it on the small stereo in my office (JVC, decent fidelity) and I have to admit... it is pretty darn good. This will be my first successful entry into the Radiohead arena; is this the opening to the rest of their library or a one-off? Only time will tell.
  Verdict: Recommended. Portable CD Case.
  
  
• The Suffocation Keep - A Few Minor Modifications of the Stars (2004). A free download, but this one I would have happily paid for. The brainchild of Built to Spill's Brett Nelson, this is just a great album. The vocals are a bit off at times, but I'll forgive them for that. They wear their influences are on their sleeves: the keyboardist clearly listened to a lot of Rick Wakeman (Yes), the guitarist loved Billy Duffy (The Cult), the drummer emulated Stuart Copeland (The Police), the vocalist wished he had the range of Tony Lewis (The Outfield), and the bass player... well, what bass player wouldn't emulate Chris Squire (Yes) or John Entwistle (The Who)? It all sounds great together... I'll have to find their commercially available release as well. I've been wavering on the vocals (I have to bring that up again, because they are a major factor here) between "great" and "off-key"... it changes from day to day. I still think it's great stuff.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Go to their website and decide for yourself -- the link to the free album is available at their myspace page. Car CD Changer for me.
  

- Snilch

mp3 Albums, Part One

I think I've made it clear I'm not a big fan of mp3's, as they encourage a further degradation of sound quality from CD's (which, to start with, are higher fidelity but still really samples themselves) and vinyl. These albums I am reviewing here are as high-quality as I could find; sometimes, downloads are all you have to work with.

So I'll clear off the hard drive and go through these albums. Part one of two:

• Faunts - Faunts (2007). This is actually an mp3-only album, so this forced me into a corner; a true full mix would be interesting to hear. High Expectations, Low Results went over like a lead balloon; this one features "M4," the soundtrack to the Mass Effect videogame. This is very relaxing... and I'm not sure if that's good or not. Pet peeve: track one is "M4 (Part II)"; track three is "M4 (Part I)." Either put them back to back (which I think would work in this case) or spread them out, but put them IN ORDER please. Annoying. I also wish this had more vocals. The songs don't go anywhere, which (I think) is more of a problem with the genre than these guys.
  Verdict: listen to "M4 (Part II)"; the rest I'm on the fence on. CD Rack for now.
• Al Hotchkiss - From the Dark and Bloody Ground (2007). This was a free download. In this case, however, "free" did not mean that there was not "a cost," which would equate to "a portion of my life I will never get back."
  Verdict: Don't eat yellow snow. Pile of Death.
  
• Keith Lubrant - Searching for Signal (2007). Thanks to Pandora for this one. Lubrant kind of reminds me of the John Faye Power Trip (which I loved and Denis hated) as very pleasant pop. The album goes on forever -- and not in a good way. "Disconnected" and "Too Late" are standouts.
  Verdict: Lightly recommended. CD Rack.
  
• Really Red - New Strings for Old Puppets (1982). Believe it or not, this actually finally wraps up one of my first posts from two years ago. For melodic hardcore, this was surprisingly not great in the car, but I still heard what I needed to. I really love this. I would love to hear more stuff by them... but everything else is long out of print. "I Was a Teenage F@$#up" is not for the kids, but is a great song.
  Verdict: Recommended to download for free here. Portable CD Case for me.
  
• Sleater-Kinney - BBC Sessions (1998, 1999, 2000). This is a compilation of three BBC sessions, and surprisingly good for live recordings. It's a good set list and a great snapshot of one of my all-time favorite bands.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
  
• Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild soundtrack (2007). On his way out the door from Mrs. Snilch Report's place of employment, faithful reader Eric Lax (not to be confused with Eric Salt), dropped a few albums on The Snilch Report's doorstep. He may or may not know that I'm not really a Pearl Jam fan; I respect them but simply don't listen to them all that much. I did not have high expectations for Eddie, and I generally don't like soundtracks, so this was a big surprise. Think Eddie Vedder reigned in (which is a good thing) -- it's a controlled burn. It's listenable in a non-self-indulgent way, which was the opposite of what I WAS expecting. I'm honestly surprised at how good this is (did I say that already?). This will get some more spins for sure.
  Verdict: Surprisingly recommended. Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Just the Stats, Ma'am

We've reached the end of year two. I figured it's about time to quantify and tabulate this sucker.

So I did some research; if you are interested, here are a lot of numbers:

In 2007, there were 19 posts, 17 of which were posts that included album reviews.
In 2008, there were 28 posts, 20 of which were posts that included album reviews.

In 2007, I reviewed 40 albums. They broke down like this:

8 (20%) Car Changer
10 (25%) Portable
4 (10%) CD Rack
9 (22.5%) Sell-back 1
9 (22.5%) Pile of Death

In 2008, I reviewed 148 (!) albums, which is insane - that's a 370% increase in production! (I think I need to talk to the auto makers.) They broke down like this:

23 (16%) Car Changer
55 (37%) Portable
36 (24%) CD Rack
23 (16%) Sell-back 1
11 (7%) Pile of Death

In terms of the ratings:

• Both years, most albums (35% overall) went into the Portable CD Case. Now, if I were reviewing all albums and albums "cold" (i.e., with no reviews or recommendations), I'd expect that number to shift downward towards the CD Rack or Sell-back 1; because I'm selective to begin with, the CD Rack or Portable CD Case would be what I expected in terms of landing spots. Conclusion: I like good music. (This is a self-fulfilling prophesy.)
  
  
• The percentage of "bad" albums (Sell-back 1 & The Peaches Pile/Pile of Death) dropped almost exactly in half between 2007 and 2008 -- from 45 to 23%. The primary beneficiary was the CD Rack, which jumped from 10% to 24% of albums reviewed. Conclusion: I listened to Pitchfork less this year.
  
  
• I've reviewed 96 albums I'd call very good to great in the last two years. That is WAY too much. Conclusion: I listen to WAY too much music.

Prior to this post, I had never actually posted in either January or April, for whatever reason.

And that's The Snilch Report, by the numbers. Good night, and good luck.

- Snilch

Year-End Roundup, Part 3

Thank God for 10-12 hour car rides. Final installment for 2008.

• The Cribs - The New Fellas (2005). After declaring these guys the next big thing on my radar, I felt a strong need to go back to check this album out. It's not as good as Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, but it is a solid, decent effort; there are more dead spots here, but it's still very good.
  Verdict: Recommended. It's a CD Rack-quality album that gets into the Portable CD Case based on their 2008 effort.

• James - Pleased to Meet You (2001). Reviewed here, after their Greatest Hits compilation it seemed like the chapter was closed on these guys. This, their "spectacular" return to form (quoted from allmmusic.com), is not as rock oriented as their previous efforts; lead singer Tim Booth has a great voice, but the previous successes of the band were based on contrasting his voice with the music. Here, they blend his voice with the music, which is fine, but just not as interesting to me. There's no song that reaches out and grabs you, which is what James is all about in my book; this is thus more consistent in a bad way. It needs more bite and a hit single.
  Verdict: Slightly recommended. This goes into the CD Rack for now, but I'd be surprised if the album is still there five years from now.

• LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (2006). This was commissioned by Nike to be a long-form song suitable for a 45 minute workout, which intrigued me. Here's what I read at Wikipedia (after I had bought and listened to the album): "The track is, strangely, 45 minutes and 58 seconds long, and was claimed to 'reward and push at good intervals of a run.' However it was later revealed that this was not the case, but that [LCD Soundsystem songwriter and frontman James] Murphy merely wanted the opportunity to create a long piece of music." Thanks for nothing then. In fact, the "track" is boring, monotonous, and plodding. (Hey, isn't that what we're trying to escape from during a workout?) I didn't like LCD Soundsystem before, and this effort and deception does them no favors with me for the future.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Run away (get it? get it? WOW I am clever). Pile of death.

• Naked Raygun - Jettison (1988). Here's what you need to know about Naked Raygun: they know how to write a heavy guitar riff. It's old school, aggressive, viciously effective guitar play. This album includes four bonus tracks, which are well worth it: the cover of Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device" is absolutely great. If it were more consistent, it'd be in the Car CD Changer... but it's not. Still damn fine punk/rock 'n roll.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.

• Ride - Nowhere (1990). Ride was a significant shoegazer band in the early 90's, but history swallowed them up (like most of the other bands in the genre) in the mighty wake of shoegazer geniuses My Bloody Valentine. This is a great second place to MBV; time and the rock canon appear to have conspired to allow this one to fall through the cracks. It shouldn't be. It's not as layered and flowing as Loveless, but it's great in its own right.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Car CD Changer.

• Tears for Fears - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (2004). This is a reunion I doubt anyone saw coming. Childhood friends Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith hadn't spoken since an acrimonious breakup of their songwriting partnership in 1992; Orzabal even made two more albums as TFF without Smith. In 2000, they were forced to communicate with each other for the first time since the break over some legal matters; they patched things up and decided to give it another go. Now, this is no Songs from the Big Chair (their 5x Platinum breakthrough), but it is a nice, pleasant, poppy, Beatles-esque album. It's listenable throughout, and a more mature sound, but "Quiet Ones"... well, that separates this reunion from others. It's classic TFF, and an absolutely sky-searing pop tune. Phenomenal. That song alone is worth the price of admission -- if they have more like this left in the tank, I hope they come back for at least one more rodeo.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. "Quiet Ones" takes this album on its shoulders and moves it from the CD Rack into the Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

Year-End Roundup, Part 2

Our year-end cleanup, part deux.

• Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose (2002). As indicated here, I did in fact decide to look at Against Me!'s back catalog; when I saw this title I knew that was the one to try. "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" was a good start, but the rest is a bit raw; this experience dictates that I won't venture back into the rest of their catalog but will continue with them forward.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Sell-back Pile 1.
  
  
• John Cale - Close Watch: An Introduction to John Cale (1999). After seeing him perform on Later with Jules Holland, I was intrigued. This album was less rock-oriented than the live effort, but nevertheless enjoyable. Think David Byrne meets Pink Floyd and Discipline-era King Crimson, with a dash of Arcade Fire and The Alan Parsons Project. Very sparse, very cool, sophisticated, and jazzy; at times the music is almost pristine, and at others it's very rough. I'll need a lot more time with this one -- it's complicated.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case. Great for the casual fan; for the hardcore fan, it's not worth the money.
  
  
• Faunts - High Expectations, Low Results (2005). An aptly named album. After hearing the 2007 epic track "M4 (Part II)," I went back and found this album. I had high expectations. I experienced low results.
  Verdict: Not recommended. Pile of Death.
  
  
• Haircut 100 - Pelican Brief (1982). I had never really had these guys on my radar until I saw their reunion as part of VH1's Bands Reunited (a canceled show that I am still obsessed with). Any band that can take the stage for the first time in 20+ years and make it sound like they had been playing together all along gets at least a listen from me. This album is so poppy it almost makes me sick listening to it. Yet... I find it really compelling. There's definitely something cool happening here. So, despite their terrible videos and occasional "teeny-bop" moments, I have to conclude that this album is excellent, fun pop that is well-produced; their songwriting and musicianship is too good to dismiss. It's too bad lead singer Nick Heyward had a nervous breakdown after the first album and this is their only group effort with him; there are solid foundations here that indicate this group could have gone on to do something great.
  Verdict: Highly recommended for a trip down cultural memory lane. Portable CD Case.
  
  
• The Moonbabies - At the Ballroom (2007). I love The Moonbabies sound -- a little retro, a little ultra-modern, with great harmonies. The one problem I have with them is that they have dragged out the song "War on Sound" (granted, a fantastic song) around for three years, as its appeared on at least there (!) official releases. They have other strong songs as well, and this album is great; time to find another cow to milk, though.
  Verdict: Highly recommended. Portable CD Case.
  
  
• The Outfield - Any Time Now (2006). After the commercial blockbuster Play Deep in 1985, The Outfield actually released five more albums from 1986-1999; I still feel 1986's Bangin' was the only album of theirs worth owning (including Play Deep). This one, written over a four year period, is the second. It sounds like they wrote it in 1987 -- no surprises musically, although the subject matter (which is more political and religious than their early material) is a bit more mature. There are even a few excellent tunes here (like "No Fear"). They have no pretense of changing their formula, which is fine by me. The second half drags a bit, but it's a nice listen overall.
  Verdict: Recommended. CD Rack.

- Snilch