December 2005
Record
ELO
Trail of The Dead
Noah Georgeson
One Thousand Pictures
DaylightÕs For The Birds
The Walkmen
Joanna Newsom
Placebo
Ennio Morricone
Karen Dalton
Oasis
PJ Harvey
Underworld and Gabriel Yared
Depeche Mode
Isobel Campbell
Damien Rice
Vetiver
Reviews
ELO
On The 3rd Day (1973), Face the Music (1975), A New World Record (1976)
Epic/Legacy
ELO seem to embody everything punk sought to obliterate; flatulent moog brass, gaudy
ostentation in both sound and their extravagant stageshows. A classicist approach to
music ( chief architect Jeff lynne's slavish, reverential attititude to the masters The
Beatles ans Brian Wilson). Even worse than that was a penchant for 'rocking the
Classics' or 'classicizing rock' (In The Hall Of The Moutain King closes on the 3rd day
in a demented prog-rock form). Add to this lurid sci-fi sleeve designs frequently
involving the then ubiquitous ELO spaceship logo and a band personnel as extensive as a
Cecille B Demille production. You've got the antithesis of punk's spare, primal
immediacy. They make Pink Floyd look like the Buzzcocks. Sort of.
And yet. And yet. These clutch of reissues make it as good a time as any to
reassess ELO's (that's the Electric Light Orchestra to you) legacy. Of course times have
changed since the dark old days of punk's Old/new wave dichotomy. Britpop seemed to make
ripping off the Beatles not somthing to be ridiculed but a prerequisite for any aspiring
band. Similarly. across the pond there was something of Lynne's epic approach in grunge
masterminds like Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan. Finally and perhaps most crucially,
Air released Moon Safari in 1998. Here was an album that was peppered with the kind of
vocoderized vocal effects & sweeping string arrangements that seemed so much a part of
the wistful euphoria that graced ELo's best work (Mr Blue Sky for example). 'Livin'
Thing' was featured in Boogie Nights and they seem to be, according to Q magazine at
least,. the reigning heroes of the whole 'Guilty Pleasures' movement. sweeping Britain.
In the last ten years or so, slowly but surely it has actually become cool to like ELO.
With the Scissor Sisters reference Showaddywaddy and Bee Gees, it was only a matter of
time.
If anything these remasters show how they deserve much more than the ironic
retro-kitsch
niche they have been recently shoehorned into. A trawl through their seventies work
reveals Lynne to be an erratic musical auteur to rival Todd Rundgren. The peaks are as
equally exhilirating as Rundgren's while the low points are if anything not as dire (no
he never produced Patti Smith, but he never produced anything as execrable as Meat Loaf
either). These three records effectively chronicle ELO's trajectory toward world
domination (although 1974's Eldorado is already remastered and is quite possibly their
masterpiece).
1973's On The Third Day sees Lynne still sketching out the ELO sound. Shimmering
orch-pop like Bluebird is Dead and the sublime Oh No Not Susan all saturated in
Bealtes-like rococo elegance. Elsewhere buzzsaw cello rifferama and vertiginous
Clockwork Orange synth swirls all contribute to the mood of madcap musical mayhem. Every
now and then the proggy soundscapes are interrupted by big, meaty and bouncy slabs of
pure rock n'roll like Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (featuring an uncreddited Marc Bolan duelling with
Lynne on speaker splitting gutar). Similarly, Showdown exhibits a gritty Motown
influence, an early hit it lead to Lennon dubbing the band 'son of Beatles' at the time.
It also showed how Lynne's synthesis of disparate influences could be streamlined into
pristine pop perfection.
'Face the music' (1975) repeats Showdown's neat trick with mega-hit 'Evil Woman'
, another economic, funky soul and strings masterpiece. Even better is 'Strange magic',
an exquisitely crafted FM radio lullaby as lush and luminous as an MGM production ( cut
from the same cloth is 'Waterfall'). Their best work has a dream-like, gauzy allure to
it that seems to owe as much to technicolour cinema as it does to Beatles confections.
Not that they weren't as capable of lapses into potentous bombast as anyone else from the
era. Opening instrumental 'Fire on high' is vast,preposterous and more than a little
queasy with its' shifting time signatures and overblown textures. Of all the albums from
ELO's classic period this is perhaps the most uneven. The veering wildly from
multi-tracked noodling to direct pop thrills never adding up to a satisfying whole,
despite the numerous stand-out tracks. It lacks the cohesion of Eldorado,the seamless
symphony that preceded it and the world -dominating pop attack of the follow up, A New
World Record(1976).
'Tightrope' opens with a colossal orchestral overture but within a minute this has
given way to a crunchy glam-rock swagger. The melody, propelled by a life-affirming joy
easily transcends the silliness of the track's components, its' cod-apocalyptic pomp and
choral ostentation. It is in good company, Livin Thing is another grand, air-punching
anthem that you probably know well. Telephone Line is one of the most played songs on
American radio and yet such overexposure fails to diminish its multi-layered loveliness.
Shamelessly sentimental ? For sure but few pop singles surpass its otherwordldly beauty.
The glacial synth washes and an aching, tender vocal from Lynne illuminate the
heartbreaking loneliness at the song's core. There's a sensitivity here that seems
overlooked, obscured as much by the band's own excesses as by their detractors' focus on
them.
Mission ( A New World Record) is one of thier atmospheric epics - more sci-fi
synths and faraway vocals. For a band so frequently derided as ersatz and 'cheesy',ELO
could be surprisingly haunting. The tantalisingly brief 'Above The Clouds' with its
harmonies and theremin would make Brian Wilson smile.'Do Ya' a reworking of a track from
Lynne's days in The Move is as sweaty and swampy as anything by Thin Lizzy. Its
idiosyncratic flourishes (marching band breaks) make it the kind of barmy AOR that
Lindsey Buckingham would steer Fleetwood Mac to with Tusk 3 years later.There's not a
duff track here. All neon-lit pop extravaganzas must bow to its majesty.
A New World Record finally resulted in the kind of sales that matched the band's
pole-vaulting ambition.By the end of 1976, it had sold 5 million copies. These reissues
show that beyond the sometimes flabby ornamentation, Jeff Lynne was often in the grasp of
something approaching genius. ELO occupy a bizarre midpoint between classicism and yes if
you must, kitsch, between The Beatles and Abba (1979's Confusion is a perfect
tear-stained flipside to 'Dancing Queen'). For all thier Black Country masculinity, they
could be as preening and as flamboyant as Queen. You couldn't imagine a 100% heterosexual
rock band putting a still from Wizard Of Oz on their album cover now.Or recording a
number single with Olivia Newton-John as insanely camp as 'Xanadu'.
In his book 'Rip It up and Start Again' Simon Reynolds coins the phrase ' record
collection rock ' to decscribe bands that evolved in the 80's with bands like Jesus And
The Mary Chain. With his magpie's ear for a tune and cheeky referential nods to The
Beatles and others, maybe Jeff Lynne got there first. And Jesus & Mary Chain never had a
spaceship. So there.
Matthew Lindsay
Trail of The Dead
So Divided
Interscope
Trail of The Dead is a talented band from Texas that has been around for
while. This is their fourth album. They have released many EPs and have gone
through many change of members. I met them around the time of Source Tags & Codes,
which was their best album. They came out with a decent record a few years ago
that was good, but it didn't catch on. Now they have this new one that sees
them getting stripped down and getting back to their early sound. Heavy rock
and figurative art have been big influences all the way through their career.
Lead singer Conrad creates some of the artwork for the albums. You have a few
cool songs with "Stand In Silence" and "Wasted State of Mind." They are
constantly experimenting with percussion and new instruments. "Naked Sun" and "So
Divided are like their glam rock songs. "Segue: In The Realms of The Unreal"
is a reference to the work of Henry Darger. This album is a more focused
effort. It's more Beatles than Zeppelin. It's more like Abbey Road than the White
Album. They have done something good here. It may not be a fad, but it is
important music. Trail of the Dead are one of the best bands in America.
Noah Georgeson
Find Shelter
Plain Recordings
Noah Georgeson is one of the most musical gifted artists I have ever known.
He gave me an early demo version of this record a year ago. It was just a dozen
songs without any titles. I would recognize the song "Find Shelter" when he
would play it during Devendra Banhart's Cripple Crow tour. These songs were
very magical and dense. It sort of reminded me of some of the lush production
work of The Divine Comedy and Scott Walker. "Walking On Someone Else's Name"
has always been a favorite. "Build and Work" has some amazing guitar playing.
"Hand Me, Please, A City" is a real clever song, and is an improvement from the
songs he did in The Pleased. Some of this music sounds much like a music
soundtrack. Georgeson's musical palette is so large. Georgeson is sort of linked
to the freak folk and Weird America bands. But most of this album is superior
to all of that limited skill. A favorite song here is "Wooden Empire." It is
just an amazing sound. This is an amazing sounding record. It is timeless
music. Noah Georgeson has created a work of true beauty.
One Thousand Pictures
One Thousand Pictures
Columbia
I saw One Thousand Pictures by accident recently. I saw them open for the
Feeling. But I thought they were a very interesting band. They are a band from
San Diego with a real unique sound. They have great songs with a sort of upbeat
feel. Songs like "Long Way" and "As I Am' are really cool. There is a lot of
hope and felling in their songs. They are pretty much different from all the
bands out there. They are very fun and playful too. Nothing they do seems
sentimental or melodramatic. They recently played with Mew and Kasabian. So they
have proved that they can rock with big acts from Europe. One Thousand Pictures
may be one of those bands that we will be hearing about in 2007.
Daylight's For The Birds
Trouble Everywhere
Bellhop Music
Daylight's For The Birds grew out of the New York band On!Air!Library. OAL
was one of the best bands to come out of the NYC scene that included Interpol
and Calla. I got to see the band play in New York in 2004. It was wonderful.
They soon went on to support Interpol on their American tour that year. Soon
after the band broke up. Main songwriter, Philip Wann, went on to form this new
band with a member of The Boggs. After Claudia Deheza left the band, they found
a regular singer. Songs like "Worlds Away" remind me of the great moments of
the previous band. They were like an old band on the 4AD label. They take the
music to a new level. This album is already one of my favorites. "For Now"
reminds me of some of the early New Order tracks. Daylight's For The Birds is an
astonishing record.
The Walkmen
Pussy Cats
Record Collection
The Walkmen have been one of the most intelligent and prolific bands to come
out of the NYC scene. They came out with a great album earlier this year. It
baffled some people. So here they are back already with "Pussy Cats." This is
based on a famous album created by John Lennon and Harry Nilsson almost thirty
years ago. It's often a record you don't hear much about. They got a few
friends together like Svenonius and Rockwell to help sing the lead. Some songs
like "Many Rivers To Cross" seem like a perfect song for the Walkmen.
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" sounds a little too loose. There are some cool ballads.
"All My Life" is a great song. Another favorite is "Old Forgotten Soldier."
The song "Rock Around The Clock" is pretty funny. This is a quality album. One
of the weirdest records of the year.
Joanna Newsom
Ys
Drag City
This is the most ambitious album of the year. Joanna Newsom came out of the
San Francisco music scene almost four years ago. She was involved with the
Pleased and played with Devendra Banhart very much in the early days. There was
always a more serious classical influence in her music. She studied with Terry
Riley and is familiar with the Avant Garde traditions in music. I did an
interview with her in June 2003. I saw some of her early performances. It was
obvious that she was more than a novelty act. When her first album came out she
moved from the Banhart/Vetiver world to the Smog/Will Oldham world. Whole groups
of people on the Internet were fascinated with Joanna Newsom. They thought she
was some disembodied spirit. All these agendas were formed about what her
music was about. Joanna herself was upset with some of notions that she was
childlike. She said, "I am not innocent." Now we have the real album that she
really wanted to do. From album artwork to the songs themselves: everything seems
focus, arty, and blind ambitious. Of course this doesn't still to well with
Joanna fans. They complain about the length of the songs. They are upset that
certain "songs" are only one part of a longer song. The first song "Emily" is
much like a song off of Milk-Eyed Mender. It's not we get to "Monkey & Bear"
do we get a bit of the new sound. Van Dyke Parks is all over this. The vocals
have a new maturity about them. "Sawdust & Diamonds" seems like the most
narrative song, and the least musical. Much of this album is about the loss of the
past. Dreams, memories, and animals float in and out of consciousness.
Probably the most complex and difficult song is "Only Skin." This is an amazing
record. It's like a whole other musical language. It's a record by the most
original American musician now making music.
Placebo
Placebo (10th Anniversary Edition)
Virgin/EMI
Placebo is one of the last bands of the Britpop Era (1994-1996). Most of
these bands are ten years older and most of them have put out "Best Of"
collection in the past few years. This period of music has continued to be popular.
Some of the British bands that have stuck together over the years have benefited
from the wider audience (especially in America). Now we still have Supergrass
and Placebo still very big. Jarvis Cocker has come out with a record. Damon
Albarn has a few side projects up his sleeve. This album was originally released
on some small label in America. So most Americans only got into Placebo on
the second album, when they toured more heavily over here. This disc documents
the early days of the band. The original album is here plus some famous b-sides
like "Slackerbitch." This first album holds up really well. Some of the
early songs like "Come Home" and "Teenage Angst" explore musical ideas that
would be developed on subsequent albums. Guitars with alternate tunings and
two-chord jams are all through this album. "Hang On To Your IQ" is like an early
version of "Without You I'm Nothing." Some of the early singles like "36
Degrees" and "Bruise Pristine" have a lot of energy and are fresh. Their biggest
early single "Nancy Boy" was like a red herring. They would rarely play this
song in concert after 1997. The DVD that comes along with this includes all
four album videos, plus some TV and concert footage. Some of the stuff from Big
Breakfast and Top of The Pops is pretty funny. "36 Degrees" at the recent
Wembley show is a new slow version. One of my favorites from the early days is "I
Know." It's more acoustic and slower. They didn't really go into this
direction much. They did touch on glam and new wave in the second album, dance and
rap on the third, and electronic music on the fourth, and sort of a hodgepodge
of everything on the latest one. They are sort of like a British version of Foo
Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. This is a good one.
Ennio Morricone
50 Movie Theme Hits
Cooking Vinyl
When I was a kid some of the first movies I saw were Clint Eastwood films.
All the Sergio Leone films. The music by Morricone was like a character itself.
When I was older I saw Once Upon A Time in America. I saw the longer four-hour
version in a theater. The movie was so long that there was an intermission. I
remember this being like the first arty film I had ever seen. Again Morricone
was involved. His music is unique and expression. His work on soundtracks
over the years has influenced everyone. It has been influential in pop music too.
He might have been an avant-garde composer if he had come at the beginning of
the century. But luckily for him, film was the modern idiom. He gave the
screen ambiance and style. This collection is amazing. Most soundtrack recordings
are difficult to listen to in their entirety. This is a well-crafted edited
collection that brings his best work together.
Karen Dalton
In My Own Time
Light In The Attic
Karen Dalton is a name that could have been forgotten. You hear about her a
little in the Bob Dylan biographies. Then you would hear people like Nick Cave
and Devendra Banhart talking about her. This is an amazing album. It first
came out in 1971. It kind of reminds me when I was listening to a lot of Candi
Staton a few years ago. Dalton has a great voice. Blues and gospel influence it.
"Something On Your Mind" is just an amazing song. The chord changes are
mind-blowing. Dalton also does a few songs that have been popularized by others,
such as "When A Man Loves A Women" and "How Sweet It Is." She really puts her
own stamp on them. She sings like a blues singer but the music is mostly like
folk rock. "Katie Cruel" was a big influence on Nick Cave. The opening to
"In A Station" is so great and evocative. The band sounds like it goes through
ten different instruments. There is a great banjo sound on "Same Old Man." The
song "One Night Of Love" sounds very modern. This is a great album of ten
solid tunes. This is definitely a big deal.
Oasis
Stop The Clocks
Epic
Noel Gallagher said that they would never release these greatest hits, but
here it is. Much like their peers, Blur, Pulp, Supergrass, Suede, and Verve,
Oasis has all released greatest hits CDs after ten years. Britpop is now a decade
old. It is still popular, and very few bands, other than Arctic Monkeys, and
Libertines, have come and replaced them with something better or equal. Oasis'
recent tour featured most of the songs from this collection, plus a few more
from the new Don't Believe The Truth. These songs have soaked into the British
sensibility like no other recent UK band. Of course we have "Live Forever"
and "Supersonic" from the first album. There are "Wonderwall" from the
second. But there is not so much from after Be Here Now. Half of the album is from
the first two albums. The other half is early b-sides, and one or two tracks,
from the rest. It's kid of an odd collection. Most of the Oasis fans have all
these tracks on the previous releases. Some of the other Britpop bands offered
some new tracks or unreleased material. Placebo had a DVD included. I guess
Oasis is saying to all future generation: "Here is the classics, if you want to
look into it further, check out the other albums." Great cover by Peter Blake.
One Liam song is included.
PJ Harvey
The Peel Sessions 1991-2004
BBC/Island
PJ Harvey has been one of the most interesting musicians of the past 15
years. The records have been hit or miss. But there have always been great songs.
John Peel was an early enthusiast. Remember when Polly Harvey came on the
scene, we were recovering from heavy metal, rap, and rave, and just at the
beginning of grunge. This is probably the greatest female music done after Patti Smith
and The Pretenders. There are early bits like "Oh My Love" and "Victory"
from 1991. Some stuff she did with John Parrish. Not a lot of hits here. A few
cover songs. One by Willie Dixon. PJ Harvey has a lot of records out there.
This is another one for the pile. More a tribute to John Peel than a showcase for
rare tracks. Pretty good anyway.
Underworld and Gabriel Yared
Breaking and Entering OST
V2 Records
Underworld has been involved in a lot of projects. They have created graphic
art, video installations, and other bits. They have lost Darren Emerson. But
now they have a new collaborator in Gabriel Yared. And this is an Anthony
Minghella film. He is always closely involved with the film sound. I listen to
these tracks. It's more ambient. It's more background music. There is nothing
like "Born Slippy" on this soundtrack. There is barely any percussion. It has a
feeling of the future. Underworld have made something very subtle and very
beautiful.
Depeche Mode
The Best of
SIRE
What can be said about Depeche Mode? They are definitely a major band. They
are the only band from the era to stay popular for 25 years and "be new"
constantly. They are the only rivals to REM and U2. Those rare bands that
constantly do new albums that are interesting and can play large arenas and not seem
like a nostalgia act. This "Best Of" collection may not be for the real Depeche
Mode fan. They probably have all these tracks. I just saw them for the first
time last year, and was thrilled. They came out of the electronic scene that
John Foxx, Gary Numan, and New Order created. I don't think it was until
"Everything Counts" that Depeche Mode had broken away from the pack. It has been
said that they took their music into a dark place in the last 1980s, and they
only got more popular. I find myself being attracted to "Shake The Disease"
most of all from the early material. It just sound like the most advanced thing
they ever did musical, and vocally. I also like "Precious" a lot. This is a
cool collection.
Isobel Campbell
Milkwhite Sheets
V2 Records
This album seems like it was influenced by medieval folk. I wonder why she
spent so much time in Belle & Sebastian and did that Mark Lanegan record.
Campbell creates interesting moods. Her songs don't really stand out, but it seems
worthwhile. I like listening to her. She looks great too.
Damien Rice
9
Warner Bros
Damien Rice came out a few years ago and blew everyone away. He has always
been more popular in America than the UK for some reason. Damien Rice sort of
started this thing that others like James Blunt and Keane have continued. I
wasn't such a big fan before. I saw him play for a long time at the KCRW year-end
show. I got to meet him too. But a new Damien Rice record seems like a breath
of fresh air compared to the thought of another James Blunt offering. Damien
Rice said that he wasn't going to tour this album, but he has already toured
with Fiona Apple. I think he is playing a few more shows. "9 Crimes" is a
wonderful opener. There are more strings on songs like "The Animals Were Gone."
The song "Elephant" reminds me of stuff on the previous album. Over the years,
Damien Rice has formed a band around him. Lisa Hannigan is very important to
the sound of this record. The whole record sounds like a band effort and not
just a solo artist. This is not really my thing, but it's pretty good anyway and
despite of me.
Vetiver
To Find Me Gone
DiCristina
I have been a fan of this band for a while. I saw some of their early shows
in San Francisco three years ago or more. Their first was cool but had too many
all-star musicians on it. Was this a real band or just another sort of This
Mortal Coil? I saw them again earlier this year, and it dispelled for me that
this was a Devendra Banhart side project. Vetiver leader Andy Cabic has been
touring with Banhart for a few years now. But seems to have found some original
footing with "Been So Long" and "You May Be Blue." This is sort of like
Cabic's All Things Must Pass. This album did come out a while ago. Unfortunately I
left it in a rental car. It took me three months to get it back. I have been
impressed with the new Vetiver. The early version was still limited in many
ways. But this full version is definitely somewhere between George Harrison and
the Grateful Dead. It's a swell journey.
Alexander Laurence
