Published first January 27, 2010 at the site of Blogcritics Magazine
Continuing where Part I left off, this list is shorter but no less eclectic.
You’ll see a little post-punk (Elefant), reggae (Ziggy Marley, Matisyahu), melodic death metal (Into Eternity), hip-hop (Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Beck), indie folk (Bright Eyes), and so much more on this list of the last 89 of my 209 favorite tunes of the 2000's.
Of course, with a list this long, some songs meant more to me than others. For instance, Imogen Heap’s collaboration with legendary guitar whiz Jeff Beck, “Goodnight & Go” helped get me through post-surgery complications back in 2006 (along with Radiohead’s underrated “Lurgee”). And Junkie XL’s “We Become One” is the dreamiest, spaciest song I’ve ever heard that Peter Gabriel never wrote. It was also cool to hear the Dropkick Murphys make the suburb they started out in (Quincy, MA, also my hometown) the subject of the chorus of “Finnigan’s Ball.”
In this half of the decade, I found myself discovering and listening to a boatload more female-fronted bands and artists than the first half, including Natasha Khan’s Bat For Lashes, Neko Case, Arch Enemy, Emily Haines’ Canadian troupe Metric, the blue-eyed soul of Welsh singer Duffy, and the lovely Jenny Lewis, among others. Then there were bands I got more into than ever, including hard rock mainstays Clutch, My Morning Jacket, and Royksopp.
Newer favorites included Silversun Pickups, Company of Thieves, Band Of Horses, Torche and The Whigs. And of course, bands I grew up with kept delivering the goods, including Pearl Jam, a reunited Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Now, without further ado, here are the fine 89. As always, feel free to comment on them below.
Part II: 2005-2009
Allen, Lilly “Smile”
Arcade Fire “Keep The Car Running”
Arcade Fire “Wake Up”
Arch Enemy “Nemesis”
Band of Horses “First Song”
Bat For Lashes “What’s A Girl To Do”
Bat For Lashes “Daniel”
Bat For Lashes “Sleep Alone”
Beck “Hell Yes”
Black, Frank “I Burn Today”
Black Eyed Peas “Don’t Lie”
Black Label Society “Suicide Messiah”
Brazilian Girls “Don’t Stop”
Bright Eyes “First Day Of My Life (f/Jesse Harris on guitar)”
Bright Eyes “Lua (f/Gillian Welch)”
Broken Social Scene “7/4 (Shoreline)”
Broken Social Scene “Fire Eye’d Boy”
Case, Neko “Star Witness”
Chemical Brothers “Galvanize (f/Q-Tip)”
Clutch “10001110101”
Clutch ”Electric Worry”
Company of Thieves “Oscar Wilde”
Corgan, Billy “The CameraEye”
Death Cab For Cutie “Cath”
Down "Mourn"
Dropkick Murphys “Finnigan’s Ball”
Duffy "Mercy"
Flaming Lips “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)”
Future Of The Left “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”
Gaslight Anthem “The ‘59 Sound”
Heap, Imogen w/Jeff Beck “Goodnight And Go”
Into Eternity “Timeless Winter”
Iron & Wine “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”
Jay-Z w/Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"/Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind (Part II)"
Junkie XL “Mushroom”
Junkie XL “We Become One”
Killswitch Engage “The End of Heartache”
King, Kaki “2 O’Clock”
Kings of Leon “On Call”
Kings of Leon “Sex On Fire”
Legend, John “Ordinary People”
Lewis, Jenny “Rise Up With Fists!!”
Lewis, Jenny “Big Guns”
Lifehouse “Hanging By A Moment”
Loomis, Jeff “Sacristy”
Low Red Land “Dog’s Hymn”
Marley, Ziggy “Love Is My Religion”
Mars Volta “Goliath”
Matisyahu “King Without A Crown”
MGMT “Time To Pretend”
M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
Minus The Bear “Pachuca Sunrise”
Megadeth “Sleepwalker”
Metallica “All Nightmare Long”
Metric “Monster Hospital”
My Morning Jacket “Anytime”
Muse “Starlight”
Nine Inch Nails “The Hand That Feeds”
Oakenfold, Paul “Ready Steady Go”
Paramore “That’s What You Get”
Passion Pit “The Reeling”
Pearl Jam “Got Some”
Phoenix “1901”
Radiohead “All I Need”
Radiohead “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Snow (Hey Oh)”
The Rifles “The Great Escape”
Royksopp “Only This Moment”
Royksopp “Vision One”
Satellite Party (Perry Farrell) "Milky Ave"
School of Seven Bells “Half Asleep”
Silversun Pickups “Rusted Wheel”
Silversun Pickups “Substitution”
Silversun Pickups “Three Seed”
Smashing Pumpkins "Stellar"
Smashing Pumpkins “That’s The Way (My Love Is)”
Sonic Youth “Incinerate”
Stevens, Sufjan “Come On! Feel The Illinoise!”
Third Eye Blind “Non-Dairy Creamer”
Torche “Across The Shields”
Travis “Selfish Jean”
Travis “Colder”
Tunstall, KT “Black Horse And The Cherry Tree”
TV On The Radio “Wolf Like Me”
West, Kanye “Gold Digger (f/Jamie Foxx)”
Waltham “Cheryl (Come And Take A Ride)”
The Whigs “Right Hand On My Heart”
The White Stripes “Blue Orchid”
Wolf Parade “The Grey Estates”
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Charlie Doherty’s Favorite 209 Songs from 2000-2009: Part I: 2000-2004
Published originally on January 26, 2010 in Blogcritics Magazine
As one would imagine, this was a bit of a hefty project, coming up with a ridiculous amount of music from 10 years gone by and putting it on a digestible list. I don’t know if I actually accomplished that goal, but after dividing it into two parts (2000-2004 and 2005-2009), it does look impressive, if I don’t say so myself.
2000-2004 Overview
In the first half of this decade, I dug everything from nu metal (Disturbed, System Of A Down, Slipknot) retro synth-pop (The Killers) and electronica (Royksopp) to the garage rock revival, led by a bunch of “the” bands (i.e. The White Stripes, The Strokes).
Veterans like U2, Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Filter, Joe Satriani and supergroups of sorts like Broken Social Scene, Audioslave, A Perfect Circle, Velvet Revolver and Zwan were also exciting to follow well into the new millennium - and BSS still is. But it was indie rockers like Death Cab For Cutie, Pinback and “m” bands like Matt Pond PA, Minus The Bear and Modest Mouse that I started listening to and seeing live more and more as the years went by.
There’s music for all moods and seasons in here, whether it’s feel-good hip-hop from Outkast, a metal masterpiece like “Stick Figure” by West Virginian group Byzantine, or more mellow music like M83, Blur’s Cocteau-Twins-esque “Battery In Your Leg,” and Sigur Ros. So yes, as if you couldn’t tell, I like a variety of music, to say the least. The amount of it is insane, I know.
It’s nearly impossible to do a meaningful ranking of all these songs, so here now, in alphabetical order are the 120 songs I remember listening to time and time again that came out during the first five years of the 2000s. Part II, the other 89 favorites from 2005-2009 will be published soon.
If any of these first 120 songs were your favorites too, feel free to comment below.
Part I: 2000-2004
2 Skinnee J’s “Big Beat Evangelist”
311 “Amber”
A Perfect Circle “3 Libras”
A Perfect Circle “The Hollow”
A Perfect Circle “Vanishing”
Adams, Ryan “Nuclear”
Afroman “Because I Got High”
Ashcroft, Richard “New York”
At The Drive-In “Pattern Against User”
At The Drive-In “Invalid Litter Dept.”
Audioslave “Show Me How To Live”
Audioslave “Gasoline”
Beck “Lost Cause”
Black Eyed Peas “Let’s Get Retarded”
Blink 182 “Stay Together For The Kids”
Blur “Battery In Your Leg”
Broken Social Scene “Cause = Time”
Broken Social Scene “Guilty Cubicles”
Byzantine “Stick Figure”
Coldplay “Yellow”
Cypress Hill “Rock Superstar”
Daft Punk “One More Time”
Death Cab For Cutie “Lowell, MA”
Death Cab For Cutie “405”
Death Cab For Cutie “The New Year”
Death Cab For Cutie “A Lack Of Color”
Deftones "Change (In The House of Flies)"
Dianogah "Wrapping The Lamb, Sir"
Disturbed “Stupify”
Dropkick Murphys “The Gauntlet”
Elefant “Misfit”
Eminem “Lose Yourself”
Evanescence “Going Under”
Filter “God Damn Me”
Filter “The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way)”
Flaming Lips “Do You Realize??”
Foo Fighters “All My Life”
Foo Fighters “Times Like These”
Fountains of Wayne “Stacy’s Mom”
Fountains of Wayne “Hey Julie”
Furtado, Nelly “Turn Off The Light”
Godsmack “Sick Of Life”
Gorillaz “Clint Eastwood”
Green Day “American Idiot”
Harvey, PJ “This Mess We’re In (f/Thom Yorke)”
Hot Rod Circuit “Radio Song”
Howe, Greg “A Delicacy”
Idlewild “Idea Track”
In Flames “Pinball Map”
Incubus “Wish You Were Here”
Interpol “Obstacle 1”
Interpol “PDA”
Jimmy Eat World “Sweetness”
The Killers “Mr. Brightside”
The Killers “Smile Like You Mean It”
Lamb of God “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For”
Lekman, Jens “Rocky Dennis’ Farewell Song To The Blind Girl”
Lekman, Jens “The Opposite Of Hallelujah”
Linkin Park “Somewhere I Belong”
Linkin Park “One Step Closer”
Linkin Park “Lying From You”
Ludacris “Saturday (Ooh! Oooh!)”
M83 “Run Into Flowers”
Mars Volta "Eriatarka"
Matt Pond PA “Measure 3”
Matt Pond PA “Summer (Butcher Two)”
Mayer, John “Clarity”
Mayer, John “No Such Thing”
Minus The Bear “Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse”
Modest Mouse “Float On”
Modest Mouse “Paper Thin Walls”
Muse “Hysteria”
Muse “Time Is Running Out”
My Morning Jacket “One Big Holiday”
My Morning Jacket “Mahgeetah”
New Order “Turn My Way (w/Billy Corgan)”
Opeth “Windowpane”
Opeth “The Leper Affinity”
Outkast “Hey Ya!”
Outkast “Ms. Jackson”
Pearl Jam “Thumbing My Way”
Pinback “Concrete Seconds”
Postal Service “Such Great Heights”
Pretty Girls Make Graves “Speakers Push The Air”
Queens Of The Stone Age “No One Knows”
Radiohead “Motion Picture Soundtrack”
Radiohead “Wolf At The Door”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Can’t Stop”
Rehab “Sittin’ At A Bar”
R.E.M. “Bad Day”
The Roots “The Seed 2.0”
Royksopp “Poor Leno”
Satriani, Joe “Until We Say Goodbye”
Satriani, Joe “Up In Flames”
Sigur Ros “The Nothing Song (Njosnavelin)” from Vanilla Sky
Slipknot “The Heretic Anthem”
Smashing Pumpkins “Try, Try, Try”
Soulfly “Jumpdafuckup (f/Corey Taylor)”
Snoop Dog “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
Sparta “Air”
Sparta “While Oceana Sleeps”
Springsteen, Bruce “The Rising”
Springsteen, Bruce “Waiting On A Sunny Day”
The Strokes “Hard To Explain”
Sunny Day Real Estate “The Ocean”
System Of A Down “Chop Suey”
Tool “Parabola”
Travis “Side”
U2 “New York”
U2 “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”
U2 “Yahweh”
Velvet Revolver “Slither”
Weezer “Hashpipe”
Weezer “Island In The Sun”
The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”
Wilco “Heavy Metal Drummer”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Pin”
Yorn, Pete “Life On A Chain”
Zwan “Come With Me”
Zwan “Settle Down”
As one would imagine, this was a bit of a hefty project, coming up with a ridiculous amount of music from 10 years gone by and putting it on a digestible list. I don’t know if I actually accomplished that goal, but after dividing it into two parts (2000-2004 and 2005-2009), it does look impressive, if I don’t say so myself.
2000-2004 Overview
In the first half of this decade, I dug everything from nu metal (Disturbed, System Of A Down, Slipknot) retro synth-pop (The Killers) and electronica (Royksopp) to the garage rock revival, led by a bunch of “the” bands (i.e. The White Stripes, The Strokes).
Veterans like U2, Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Filter, Joe Satriani and supergroups of sorts like Broken Social Scene, Audioslave, A Perfect Circle, Velvet Revolver and Zwan were also exciting to follow well into the new millennium - and BSS still is. But it was indie rockers like Death Cab For Cutie, Pinback and “m” bands like Matt Pond PA, Minus The Bear and Modest Mouse that I started listening to and seeing live more and more as the years went by.
There’s music for all moods and seasons in here, whether it’s feel-good hip-hop from Outkast, a metal masterpiece like “Stick Figure” by West Virginian group Byzantine, or more mellow music like M83, Blur’s Cocteau-Twins-esque “Battery In Your Leg,” and Sigur Ros. So yes, as if you couldn’t tell, I like a variety of music, to say the least. The amount of it is insane, I know.
It’s nearly impossible to do a meaningful ranking of all these songs, so here now, in alphabetical order are the 120 songs I remember listening to time and time again that came out during the first five years of the 2000s. Part II, the other 89 favorites from 2005-2009 will be published soon.
If any of these first 120 songs were your favorites too, feel free to comment below.
Part I: 2000-2004
2 Skinnee J’s “Big Beat Evangelist”
311 “Amber”
A Perfect Circle “3 Libras”
A Perfect Circle “The Hollow”
A Perfect Circle “Vanishing”
Adams, Ryan “Nuclear”
Afroman “Because I Got High”
Ashcroft, Richard “New York”
At The Drive-In “Pattern Against User”
At The Drive-In “Invalid Litter Dept.”
Audioslave “Show Me How To Live”
Audioslave “Gasoline”
Beck “Lost Cause”
Black Eyed Peas “Let’s Get Retarded”
Blink 182 “Stay Together For The Kids”
Blur “Battery In Your Leg”
Broken Social Scene “Cause = Time”
Broken Social Scene “Guilty Cubicles”
Byzantine “Stick Figure”
Coldplay “Yellow”
Cypress Hill “Rock Superstar”
Daft Punk “One More Time”
Death Cab For Cutie “Lowell, MA”
Death Cab For Cutie “405”
Death Cab For Cutie “The New Year”
Death Cab For Cutie “A Lack Of Color”
Deftones "Change (In The House of Flies)"
Dianogah "Wrapping The Lamb, Sir"
Disturbed “Stupify”
Dropkick Murphys “The Gauntlet”
Elefant “Misfit”
Eminem “Lose Yourself”
Evanescence “Going Under”
Filter “God Damn Me”
Filter “The Only Way (Is The Wrong Way)”
Flaming Lips “Do You Realize??”
Foo Fighters “All My Life”
Foo Fighters “Times Like These”
Fountains of Wayne “Stacy’s Mom”
Fountains of Wayne “Hey Julie”
Furtado, Nelly “Turn Off The Light”
Godsmack “Sick Of Life”
Gorillaz “Clint Eastwood”
Green Day “American Idiot”
Harvey, PJ “This Mess We’re In (f/Thom Yorke)”
Hot Rod Circuit “Radio Song”
Howe, Greg “A Delicacy”
Idlewild “Idea Track”
In Flames “Pinball Map”
Incubus “Wish You Were Here”
Interpol “Obstacle 1”
Interpol “PDA”
Jimmy Eat World “Sweetness”
The Killers “Mr. Brightside”
The Killers “Smile Like You Mean It”
Lamb of God “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For”
Lekman, Jens “Rocky Dennis’ Farewell Song To The Blind Girl”
Lekman, Jens “The Opposite Of Hallelujah”
Linkin Park “Somewhere I Belong”
Linkin Park “One Step Closer”
Linkin Park “Lying From You”
Ludacris “Saturday (Ooh! Oooh!)”
M83 “Run Into Flowers”
Mars Volta "Eriatarka"
Matt Pond PA “Measure 3”
Matt Pond PA “Summer (Butcher Two)”
Mayer, John “Clarity”
Mayer, John “No Such Thing”
Minus The Bear “Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse”
Modest Mouse “Float On”
Modest Mouse “Paper Thin Walls”
Muse “Hysteria”
Muse “Time Is Running Out”
My Morning Jacket “One Big Holiday”
My Morning Jacket “Mahgeetah”
New Order “Turn My Way (w/Billy Corgan)”
Opeth “Windowpane”
Opeth “The Leper Affinity”
Outkast “Hey Ya!”
Outkast “Ms. Jackson”
Pearl Jam “Thumbing My Way”
Pinback “Concrete Seconds”
Postal Service “Such Great Heights”
Pretty Girls Make Graves “Speakers Push The Air”
Queens Of The Stone Age “No One Knows”
Radiohead “Motion Picture Soundtrack”
Radiohead “Wolf At The Door”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Can’t Stop”
Rehab “Sittin’ At A Bar”
R.E.M. “Bad Day”
The Roots “The Seed 2.0”
Royksopp “Poor Leno”
Satriani, Joe “Until We Say Goodbye”
Satriani, Joe “Up In Flames”
Sigur Ros “The Nothing Song (Njosnavelin)” from Vanilla Sky
Slipknot “The Heretic Anthem”
Smashing Pumpkins “Try, Try, Try”
Soulfly “Jumpdafuckup (f/Corey Taylor)”
Snoop Dog “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
Sparta “Air”
Sparta “While Oceana Sleeps”
Springsteen, Bruce “The Rising”
Springsteen, Bruce “Waiting On A Sunny Day”
The Strokes “Hard To Explain”
Sunny Day Real Estate “The Ocean”
System Of A Down “Chop Suey”
Tool “Parabola”
Travis “Side”
U2 “New York”
U2 “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”
U2 “Yahweh”
Velvet Revolver “Slither”
Weezer “Hashpipe”
Weezer “Island In The Sun”
The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”
Wilco “Heavy Metal Drummer”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Pin”
Yorn, Pete “Life On A Chain”
Zwan “Come With Me”
Zwan “Settle Down”
Charlie Doherty's 40 Favorite Songs of 2009
Link to original Blogcritics Magazine article is HERE
After years of reading respectable music magazines (PASTE, SPIN, Rolling Stone), and online sites (Pitchfork) and their year-end so-called "best of" lists, I've realized that they never truly reflect more than 40-50% - if that - of the music I dug in a given year. It's become an almost completely useless exercise for me.
Now if you're talking about someone's list of "favorite" songs/records of the year, they are more valuable, not to mention less arguable than "best of" lists, for the authors usually give a more personal and passionate explanation as to what a certain song or album meant to them. Such write-ups may convince you to check out such music yourself to see if you get that same reaction.
Therefore, when you read a list such as the one below, it only reflects my personal taste, not my "music critic" side, though some of these songs were ones I did indeed discover as a reviewer. With audio/video links and descriptions accompanying many of these choices, I hope you find this list at least somewhat useful since you are taking some time out of your busy life to read it.
Without further ado, here are my Top Forty Favorite Tracks of 2009.
40. Appleseed Cast “Raise The Sails”
A dreamy, shoegaze tune that (top music blog) Stereogum is directly responsible for me hearing. Thanks!
39. N.A.S.A. "Spacious Thoughts (f/Tom Waits & Kool Keith)"
Whoever came up with the idea of pairing up a crazy cool veteran underground rap star in Kool Keith with this legendary New Jersey elder statesman of rock deserves to be paid handsomely.
38. The New Up "Bitch"
A young San Francisco band with a female lead singer (ES Pitcher) that’s being compared to Chrissy Hynde and Emily Haines definitely got my attention this year. This track is the clear highlight from the group’s Better Off EP.
37. Jack’s Mannequin "Swim"
This is one heck of an inspirational and hope-filled song written by Andrew McMahon, a cancer (leukemia) survivor.
36. Julian Lennon "Lucy"
Speaking of inspiration, the last song I added to my Top 40 list is a tribute to the late Lucy Vodden, who as a young girl inspired a drawing by Julian Lennon, which his dad John Lennon saw and wrote into a song with his fellow Beatles you may have heard of, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds."
35. Let Me Run “Like A Fish”
Love the punk spirit here.
34. Rocketboys “All The Western Winds”
Discovered via PASTE magazine late in the year, these guys deliver slightly ethereal alt-rock in the vein of the best aspects of Coldplay.
33. Amazing Baby “Headdress”
The twin guitar work here impresses me every time.
32. Dead Weather “New Pony”
Jack White holds his own on the skins while the band rocks out '70s garage hard rock style.
31. Wild Light “California On My Mind”
The lyrics might be angry/negative but this is a care-free, fun, guitar pop tune with some happy harmonica parts to boot.
30. Washed Out “Feel It All Around”
Listening to this track, I picture a slightly cloudy, summery day circa 1986. It's retro chill music indeed, from South Carolina.
29. Prince "Ol’ Skool Company"
If you wanted to order a tune with a fresh mix of soul, rock and funk this past year, this hot (and slightly political) track was it.
28. Serena Ryder “Little Bit of Red”
She could be the next Melissa Etheridge with more tunes like this.
27. Cut Off Your Hands “Happy As Can Be”
It’s like Echo & The Bunnymen, but less dark - for New Zealand.
26. Street Sweeper Social Club “Promenade”
This bouncy rap rocker features some of Tom Morello's finest soloing in years.
25. Kentucky Nightmare “Caroline & I”
A little Americana never hurt anyone.
24. Phoenix “1901”
2009 was a breakout year for these guys, and this is arguably their best song yet.
23. Favours For Sailors “I Dreamt That You Dreamt You Loved Me In Your Dreams”
This infectious powerpop rocker will have you wondering when they will get their big break. They'd be a perfect opening act for Weezer. (Hint, Hint)
22. Future of the Left “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”
It’s loud, ridiculous and most importantly, fu***** rocks your socks off.
21. Annie “Anthonio”
The Norwegian electro-pop singer/DJ always has a sweet or downright hot voice to match her music, and this track is no different.
20. Kiss “Modern Day Delilah”
Simply the best song they've written in more than a couple decades.
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs ”Heads Will Roll”
A great workout/dance song that also rocks from Karen O and the boys.
18. U2 “Magnificent”
They've made more elite albums than No Line On The Horizon, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have great material. This one made the list for its memorable chorus alone, the end of which slightly recalls the chorus of Achtung Baby favorite “Even Better Than The Real Thing.” And that’s a good thing, of course.
17. Silversun Pickups “Substitution”
I'm so glad they released this as a single as it is one of the most dynamic tracks on 2009 CD Swoon.
16. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse “Revenge (w/Wayne Coyne)"
A late night track perfect to relax to after a long day.
15. Metric “Blindness”
Definitely the most emotion-filled track on the Fantasies disc, one that sees Emily Haines presumably empowering herself to overcome drug addiction.
14. Clutch “Struck Down”
Yet another ace track from the veteran Maryland stoner rockers, this tune proudly wears its current blues rock influence on its collective sleeves.
13. Jay-Z “Run This Town (w/Rihanna/Kanye West)”
You couldn't avoid liking this tune if you tried, mostly because of Rihanna's stadium-sized vocals.
12. Jay-Z w/Alicia Keys “Empire State Of Mind”
As anthemic and cool as this version is, Keys' own piano-based version turns it into a beautiful number that's just as great, if not better.
11. Neko Case “People Got A Lotta Nerve”
A short, jangly hooky pop song from one of the best female indie rock artists of the 2000s.
10. Imogen Heap “First Train Home”
The genius of electronic pop hits a home run again with this one.
9. Third Eye Blind “Non Dairy Creamer”
The subject matter may be political, but it's also humorous. And the music (pop rock) is undeniable ear candy.
8. Royksopp “Silver Cruiser”
Phenomenal production, out-of-this-world soothing sounds. Electronic music doesn't get cooler than this.
7. Pearl Jam “Got Some”
It's their most urgent and energy-packed loud rocker they've released since "Go" came out in 1993.
6. Bat For Lashes ”Sleep Alone”
A hot beat behind retro electronic drums and synths, and The Cure-ish atmospherics equals an A+ track to these ears.
5. Passion Pit “The Reeling”
These Boston boys came out of nowhere to score a hit with the most swirly, hypnotic, synth-pop tune I've heard in years.
4. Low Red Land “Dog’s Hymn”
Discovered via SPIN magazine, this San Fran group's best song evokes Minus The Bear (one of my favorite bands of the 2000s). Thus, it easily became one of my favorite songs of the year.
3. Bat For Lashes “Daniel”
This darkly romantic '80's-style synth rocker ruled my world this year - not to mention my mp3 player.
2. Bright Eyes w/Gillian Welch “Lua”
First released in 2005 solo acoustic, this beautiful re-recording is the most improved version of any song I've ever heard, period.
1. Company Of Thieves “Oscar Wilde”
It's got a funky bass line, emotive guitar work, a fine vocalist with powerful pipes and a message that serves as an indictment of humanity: "We are all our own devil/And we make this world our hell." It's my song of the year and thanks goes to Carson Daly for introducing the Chicago band to the world in 2009.
After years of reading respectable music magazines (PASTE, SPIN, Rolling Stone), and online sites (Pitchfork) and their year-end so-called "best of" lists, I've realized that they never truly reflect more than 40-50% - if that - of the music I dug in a given year. It's become an almost completely useless exercise for me.
Now if you're talking about someone's list of "favorite" songs/records of the year, they are more valuable, not to mention less arguable than "best of" lists, for the authors usually give a more personal and passionate explanation as to what a certain song or album meant to them. Such write-ups may convince you to check out such music yourself to see if you get that same reaction.
Therefore, when you read a list such as the one below, it only reflects my personal taste, not my "music critic" side, though some of these songs were ones I did indeed discover as a reviewer. With audio/video links and descriptions accompanying many of these choices, I hope you find this list at least somewhat useful since you are taking some time out of your busy life to read it.
Without further ado, here are my Top Forty Favorite Tracks of 2009.
40. Appleseed Cast “Raise The Sails”
A dreamy, shoegaze tune that (top music blog) Stereogum is directly responsible for me hearing. Thanks!
39. N.A.S.A. "Spacious Thoughts (f/Tom Waits & Kool Keith)"
Whoever came up with the idea of pairing up a crazy cool veteran underground rap star in Kool Keith with this legendary New Jersey elder statesman of rock deserves to be paid handsomely.
38. The New Up "Bitch"
A young San Francisco band with a female lead singer (ES Pitcher) that’s being compared to Chrissy Hynde and Emily Haines definitely got my attention this year. This track is the clear highlight from the group’s Better Off EP.
37. Jack’s Mannequin "Swim"
This is one heck of an inspirational and hope-filled song written by Andrew McMahon, a cancer (leukemia) survivor.
36. Julian Lennon "Lucy"
Speaking of inspiration, the last song I added to my Top 40 list is a tribute to the late Lucy Vodden, who as a young girl inspired a drawing by Julian Lennon, which his dad John Lennon saw and wrote into a song with his fellow Beatles you may have heard of, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds."
35. Let Me Run “Like A Fish”
Love the punk spirit here.
34. Rocketboys “All The Western Winds”
Discovered via PASTE magazine late in the year, these guys deliver slightly ethereal alt-rock in the vein of the best aspects of Coldplay.
33. Amazing Baby “Headdress”
The twin guitar work here impresses me every time.
32. Dead Weather “New Pony”
Jack White holds his own on the skins while the band rocks out '70s garage hard rock style.
31. Wild Light “California On My Mind”
The lyrics might be angry/negative but this is a care-free, fun, guitar pop tune with some happy harmonica parts to boot.
30. Washed Out “Feel It All Around”
Listening to this track, I picture a slightly cloudy, summery day circa 1986. It's retro chill music indeed, from South Carolina.
29. Prince "Ol’ Skool Company"
If you wanted to order a tune with a fresh mix of soul, rock and funk this past year, this hot (and slightly political) track was it.
28. Serena Ryder “Little Bit of Red”
She could be the next Melissa Etheridge with more tunes like this.
27. Cut Off Your Hands “Happy As Can Be”
It’s like Echo & The Bunnymen, but less dark - for New Zealand.
26. Street Sweeper Social Club “Promenade”
This bouncy rap rocker features some of Tom Morello's finest soloing in years.
25. Kentucky Nightmare “Caroline & I”
A little Americana never hurt anyone.
24. Phoenix “1901”
2009 was a breakout year for these guys, and this is arguably their best song yet.
23. Favours For Sailors “I Dreamt That You Dreamt You Loved Me In Your Dreams”
This infectious powerpop rocker will have you wondering when they will get their big break. They'd be a perfect opening act for Weezer. (Hint, Hint)
22. Future of the Left “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”
It’s loud, ridiculous and most importantly, fu***** rocks your socks off.
21. Annie “Anthonio”
The Norwegian electro-pop singer/DJ always has a sweet or downright hot voice to match her music, and this track is no different.
20. Kiss “Modern Day Delilah”
Simply the best song they've written in more than a couple decades.
19. Yeah Yeah Yeahs ”Heads Will Roll”
A great workout/dance song that also rocks from Karen O and the boys.
18. U2 “Magnificent”
They've made more elite albums than No Line On The Horizon, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have great material. This one made the list for its memorable chorus alone, the end of which slightly recalls the chorus of Achtung Baby favorite “Even Better Than The Real Thing.” And that’s a good thing, of course.
17. Silversun Pickups “Substitution”
I'm so glad they released this as a single as it is one of the most dynamic tracks on 2009 CD Swoon.
16. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse “Revenge (w/Wayne Coyne)"
A late night track perfect to relax to after a long day.
15. Metric “Blindness”
Definitely the most emotion-filled track on the Fantasies disc, one that sees Emily Haines presumably empowering herself to overcome drug addiction.
14. Clutch “Struck Down”
Yet another ace track from the veteran Maryland stoner rockers, this tune proudly wears its current blues rock influence on its collective sleeves.
13. Jay-Z “Run This Town (w/Rihanna/Kanye West)”
You couldn't avoid liking this tune if you tried, mostly because of Rihanna's stadium-sized vocals.
12. Jay-Z w/Alicia Keys “Empire State Of Mind”
As anthemic and cool as this version is, Keys' own piano-based version turns it into a beautiful number that's just as great, if not better.
11. Neko Case “People Got A Lotta Nerve”
A short, jangly hooky pop song from one of the best female indie rock artists of the 2000s.
10. Imogen Heap “First Train Home”
The genius of electronic pop hits a home run again with this one.
9. Third Eye Blind “Non Dairy Creamer”
The subject matter may be political, but it's also humorous. And the music (pop rock) is undeniable ear candy.
8. Royksopp “Silver Cruiser”
Phenomenal production, out-of-this-world soothing sounds. Electronic music doesn't get cooler than this.
7. Pearl Jam “Got Some”
It's their most urgent and energy-packed loud rocker they've released since "Go" came out in 1993.
6. Bat For Lashes ”Sleep Alone”
A hot beat behind retro electronic drums and synths, and The Cure-ish atmospherics equals an A+ track to these ears.
5. Passion Pit “The Reeling”
These Boston boys came out of nowhere to score a hit with the most swirly, hypnotic, synth-pop tune I've heard in years.
4. Low Red Land “Dog’s Hymn”
Discovered via SPIN magazine, this San Fran group's best song evokes Minus The Bear (one of my favorite bands of the 2000s). Thus, it easily became one of my favorite songs of the year.
3. Bat For Lashes “Daniel”
This darkly romantic '80's-style synth rocker ruled my world this year - not to mention my mp3 player.
2. Bright Eyes w/Gillian Welch “Lua”
First released in 2005 solo acoustic, this beautiful re-recording is the most improved version of any song I've ever heard, period.
1. Company Of Thieves “Oscar Wilde”
It's got a funky bass line, emotive guitar work, a fine vocalist with powerful pipes and a message that serves as an indictment of humanity: "We are all our own devil/And we make this world our hell." It's my song of the year and thanks goes to Carson Daly for introducing the Chicago band to the world in 2009.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Brand New Music From Julian Lennon: Lucy EP
Tuesday, December 15 marks the release of new music by John Lennon's son Julian for the first time in 11 years with the release of the Lucy EP.
The back story of the four-track EP goes back as far as The Beatles' legendary Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record and as recently as a couple of months ago. The song "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was recorded by John Lennon for Pepper's upon seeing a painting Julian did of his childhood friend and classmate Lucy Vodden.
During a conference call with journalists around the world last week - which including this author - Mr. Lennon revealed that he met a "developing artist" named James Scott Cook in New York just a couple of months ago and soon started recording new music. They eventually co-wrote what became the pop rocker "Lucy," a tribute to Lucy Vodden, who died of Lupus disease during the recording sessions. By coincidence, Cook's 89-year-old grandmother also suffers from Lupus.
Starting December 15, the Lucy EP can be purchased through Lennon's new full-service, musician-based company and website The Revolution, as well as through Amazon.com. A copy of Julian Lennon's original watercooler drawing of Lucy Vodden comes with all physical releases. The title track itself will be sold via iTunes exclusively from the 15th through the end of the year.
The EP also features an acoustic version of "Lucy," a Cook-only composition ("Sober") that will appear on his solo debut next year (via The Revolution), and Lennon's sentimental piano-based number "Beautiful," from his sixth album Everything Changes, also to be released in 2010.
It will be Julian Lennon's first studio release since 1998's Photograph Smile. He has been recording records sporadically since his much lauded 1984 debut record Valotte, which spawned radio hits including the title track and "Too Late For Goodbyes."
Fifty percent of all proceeds of the Lucy EP will go to Lupus causes such as St. Thomas' Lupus Trust and Lupus Foundation of America.
Note: First posted at Blogcritics December 14, 2009
The back story of the four-track EP goes back as far as The Beatles' legendary Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record and as recently as a couple of months ago. The song "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was recorded by John Lennon for Pepper's upon seeing a painting Julian did of his childhood friend and classmate Lucy Vodden.
During a conference call with journalists around the world last week - which including this author - Mr. Lennon revealed that he met a "developing artist" named James Scott Cook in New York just a couple of months ago and soon started recording new music. They eventually co-wrote what became the pop rocker "Lucy," a tribute to Lucy Vodden, who died of Lupus disease during the recording sessions. By coincidence, Cook's 89-year-old grandmother also suffers from Lupus.
Starting December 15, the Lucy EP can be purchased through Lennon's new full-service, musician-based company and website The Revolution, as well as through Amazon.com. A copy of Julian Lennon's original watercooler drawing of Lucy Vodden comes with all physical releases. The title track itself will be sold via iTunes exclusively from the 15th through the end of the year.
The EP also features an acoustic version of "Lucy," a Cook-only composition ("Sober") that will appear on his solo debut next year (via The Revolution), and Lennon's sentimental piano-based number "Beautiful," from his sixth album Everything Changes, also to be released in 2010.
It will be Julian Lennon's first studio release since 1998's Photograph Smile. He has been recording records sporadically since his much lauded 1984 debut record Valotte, which spawned radio hits including the title track and "Too Late For Goodbyes."
Fifty percent of all proceeds of the Lucy EP will go to Lupus causes such as St. Thomas' Lupus Trust and Lupus Foundation of America.
Note: First posted at Blogcritics December 14, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Book Review: Wicked Good Year: How The Red Sox, Patriots & Celtics Turned The Hub Of The Universe Into The Capital Of Sports by Steve Buckley
Posted at Blogcritics December 9, 2009
Steve Buckley has been a sportswriter for 30 years, the last 15 for the Boston Herald, and has also been a frequent face on local TV and radio sports talk shows in Boston, MA, and author of several books, the latest of which is called Wicked Good Year.
Chronicling the highly successful 2007-2008 seasons of the Boston Red Sox, Celtics and New England Patriots, Buckley uses historical research and personal stories from athletes, coaches, team personnel and fans to paint a narrative as to how extraordinary a time it was to be a fan of major Boston sports teams between October 28, 2007 and June 17, 2008. That seven-month span is when the Red Sox won the ’07 World Series, the Patriots achieved an undefeated 16-0 season (before losing the ’08 Super Bowl) and Celtics won the ’08 NBA title.
Doc Rivers' Motivational Techniques
The book starts out with the history of “Duck Boats,” first their use for transporting American soldiers in World War II and starting in 1994, its use as a tourism vehicle in and around Boston. Rivers also knew the Patriots and Red Sox rode them in celebrations of championships in 2002, 2004, and 2005. So just as Celtics training camp for the 2007-2008 season got underway, Doc took the new Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen on a private Duck Boat tour so they can see what it means to win a title in this town.
The C’s coach also found a way of stressing team unity via the South African word “ubuntu,” which means “I am because we are.” Buckley writes that (professor) Rivers even had the rookies, led by Glen “Big Baby” Davis do a presentation of the importance of ubuntu in front of the veterans during training camp, which they aced, of course.
The Fan Perspective: The Nantucket Gals, Andrew J. Urban II & Donnie Wahlberg
Perhaps more unique in the telling of Boston sports success stories than most other Boston-based sports books is the view of it all through the eyes and ears of dedicated fans. Whether it was pro autograph collector Andrew J. Urban II, former New Kids On The Block and avid Celtics fan Donnie Wahlberg making front row friendships with fellow C’s enthusiasts Marty Joyce and Mike Rotondi, or 1995 collective Patriots Fan Of The Year, the Nantucket Gals (sisters Jane, Jeanne and Joan), Buckley masterfully writes of their life stories and perspective on the successes, setbacks and controversies of their favorite teams.
One fan moment among many stands out in this book. Wahlberg, it turns out, not only knows his Celtics past very well but this Boston native predicted the future as well. During an ESPN interview that took place before Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett, he declared with a straight face that Boston would have three championship teams in one year, including his beloved Celtics and the Red Sox – he was a few minutes and an incomplete pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII away from being incredibly correct on all three fronts.
How Dustin Pedroia Came To Boston
Throughout Wicked Good Year, Buckley does a page-turner of a job of writing how the C’s, Pats and Sox planted the seeds of success, which is to say that he writes of the dark years, disappointments and trades and draft picks that eventually paid off. His insight into the Randy Moss trade with Oakland is excellent but the most revealing story is how second baseman Dustin Pedroia got drafted to Boston out of Arizona State. The Sox scouting department initially looked at teammate Jeff Larish as its potential pick from the squad, Buckley reveals, but took a closer look at him after 2003 draft pick Jeremy West told an intern at the scouting department in the fall of ’03 that Pedroia was ASU’s best player. In the 2004 baseball draft, Epstein chose Pedroia after all, passing on catcher Kurt Suzuki as well.
Useful And Obscure Patriots, Red Sox And Celtics Facts
One thing readers of this book will notice is that there are more useful factoids than you’ll know what to do with. For example, the Red Sox won the first ever World Series in 1903 vs. Pittsburgh as the Boston Americans, 5 games to 3. The New England Patriots were the Boston Patriots of the AFL until the 1970 merger with the NFL, which permanently placed them in the AFC East division. The Boston Patriots, with Gino Cappelletti and the late Ron Burton as star players, played at Nickerson Field, formerly the home to the Boston Braves, in its first three seasons (1960-1962) and then played six seasons at Fenway Park.
On the more obscure front, Red Sox manager Terry Francona’s father Tito was part of a Cleveland Indians team that hit four homers in a row off of LA Angels pitcher Paul Foytack on July 31, 1963. In April 2007, Terry himself saw four Sox hitters accomplish this same feat for only the second time in MLB history, off of young Yankees pitcher Chase Wright. Buckley not only relays these facts but was able to find out that Foytack (then age 76) watched this game and felt compelled to write Wright a letter of encouragement afterwards, having gone through this rare shellacking himself.
Also, the official NBA logo’s white silhouette you see on the bottom-left of every NBA game backboard was modeled after Lakers great Jerry West. This is barely scratching the surface of fascinating sports facts, and reading this book will reward you far more than I could ever list here.
Nobody’s Perfect
With all the great research and game recaps of C’s/Pats/Red Sox 2007 regular season and playoff games, interview quotes and historical analogies in this book, there are some errors to point out, however trivial they are. First, Buckley contradicted himself in Chapter 5 (“Savior?”) by writing on page 46 that the late former Sox owner Tom Yawkey bought the “laughingstock” that was the Red Sox in 1932, then (correctly) saying he bought the franchise in 1933 on page 49. Also, 110-85 was not the score to “Game 2” of the ’08 Eastern first round playoff series between the C’s and Hawks, it was Game 5.
Also surprising was some contextual omissions on Buckley’s part in regard to the “Spygate” chapter 12, and his insight and recap of the ’08 NBA Finals. First, the author does an excellent job in laying out the similar background Pats coach Bill Belichick and his once protégé Eric Mangini have but makes no mention of his Jets’ own questionable taping of the Patriots in a wildcard playoff matchup in January 2007 at Gillette Stadium, which the Pats contended the Jets never got permission from the Pats to do in the end zone.
The chapter focuses on a lot more subjects than Spygate itself (and thus should’ve had an expanded title), and I’m not about to rehash the whole thing. But as Buckley wrote, the Jets-Pats ’07 opener that turned into the Spygate game was dedicated to the late Marquis Hill, a young Patriots player who died in a tragic accident earlier in 2007. His telling of Patriots players who paid tribute to Hill throughout the season by wearing in games some of the late player’s equipment, including Super Bowl XLII is valuable and powerful insight.
With regard to this respected sportswriter’s analysis of Game 1 of the ’08 Finals between the C’s and Lakers, I would respectfully argue that his declaration that Paul Pierce’s dramatic comeback from injury in the game the Celtics would later win at home was either a great miracle or one of the best “acting jobs” in modern sports history is way off.
The truth is, The Truth never asked for a wheelchair and drama that made his knee injury seem worse than it was. As he would later say, he was hurting but could still play; Pierce just could not bend the knee down all the way without pain. It was the Finals and he did play through whatever ailed him to lead his team to victory in Game 1 and eventually the NBA title in six games, after which he was named Finals MVP.
Conclusion
All told, Wicked Good Year accomplishes the tall task of weaving together the necessary facts and inside (athletic and fan) stories of the successes of three of Boston’s major sports franchises that occurred in a span of seven months and twenty days. It goes well with other Boston championship-minded items like the fan-centered DVD Return To The Rafters, about the Celtics’ 08 NBA title run, Red Sox Rule, Michael Holley’s semi-bio and story of Terry Francona and his Red Sox’s ’07 World Series run, as well as another excellent read, Peter May’s comprehensive recap of Celtics title #17, Top Of The World.
Buckley uses tons of historical facts to put present-day accomplishments in perspective – and perhaps to show off his thorough research skills as well. And they’re not just Boston-related ones but pro baseball, football and basketball facts in general. It might actually take you multiple reads of the same page just to digest them all. And it is fascinating, enjoyable material to read if you’re an avid sports lover. Even Yankees fans like author Jonathan Eig raved about this book. And enjoying what you read is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?
Boston sports fans and other curious minds, get yourself ready to set aside enough time to get through this 317-page journey, because reading Wicked Good Year will be time well spent. In fact, “Spygate” and Super Bowl XLII aside, you’ll definitely have a wicked good time reading it all the way through.
4 1/2 stars
Steve Buckley has been a sportswriter for 30 years, the last 15 for the Boston Herald, and has also been a frequent face on local TV and radio sports talk shows in Boston, MA, and author of several books, the latest of which is called Wicked Good Year.
Chronicling the highly successful 2007-2008 seasons of the Boston Red Sox, Celtics and New England Patriots, Buckley uses historical research and personal stories from athletes, coaches, team personnel and fans to paint a narrative as to how extraordinary a time it was to be a fan of major Boston sports teams between October 28, 2007 and June 17, 2008. That seven-month span is when the Red Sox won the ’07 World Series, the Patriots achieved an undefeated 16-0 season (before losing the ’08 Super Bowl) and Celtics won the ’08 NBA title.
Doc Rivers' Motivational Techniques
The book starts out with the history of “Duck Boats,” first their use for transporting American soldiers in World War II and starting in 1994, its use as a tourism vehicle in and around Boston. Rivers also knew the Patriots and Red Sox rode them in celebrations of championships in 2002, 2004, and 2005. So just as Celtics training camp for the 2007-2008 season got underway, Doc took the new Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen on a private Duck Boat tour so they can see what it means to win a title in this town.
The C’s coach also found a way of stressing team unity via the South African word “ubuntu,” which means “I am because we are.” Buckley writes that (professor) Rivers even had the rookies, led by Glen “Big Baby” Davis do a presentation of the importance of ubuntu in front of the veterans during training camp, which they aced, of course.
The Fan Perspective: The Nantucket Gals, Andrew J. Urban II & Donnie Wahlberg
Perhaps more unique in the telling of Boston sports success stories than most other Boston-based sports books is the view of it all through the eyes and ears of dedicated fans. Whether it was pro autograph collector Andrew J. Urban II, former New Kids On The Block and avid Celtics fan Donnie Wahlberg making front row friendships with fellow C’s enthusiasts Marty Joyce and Mike Rotondi, or 1995 collective Patriots Fan Of The Year, the Nantucket Gals (sisters Jane, Jeanne and Joan), Buckley masterfully writes of their life stories and perspective on the successes, setbacks and controversies of their favorite teams.
One fan moment among many stands out in this book. Wahlberg, it turns out, not only knows his Celtics past very well but this Boston native predicted the future as well. During an ESPN interview that took place before Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett, he declared with a straight face that Boston would have three championship teams in one year, including his beloved Celtics and the Red Sox – he was a few minutes and an incomplete pass to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII away from being incredibly correct on all three fronts.
How Dustin Pedroia Came To Boston
Throughout Wicked Good Year, Buckley does a page-turner of a job of writing how the C’s, Pats and Sox planted the seeds of success, which is to say that he writes of the dark years, disappointments and trades and draft picks that eventually paid off. His insight into the Randy Moss trade with Oakland is excellent but the most revealing story is how second baseman Dustin Pedroia got drafted to Boston out of Arizona State. The Sox scouting department initially looked at teammate Jeff Larish as its potential pick from the squad, Buckley reveals, but took a closer look at him after 2003 draft pick Jeremy West told an intern at the scouting department in the fall of ’03 that Pedroia was ASU’s best player. In the 2004 baseball draft, Epstein chose Pedroia after all, passing on catcher Kurt Suzuki as well.
Useful And Obscure Patriots, Red Sox And Celtics Facts
One thing readers of this book will notice is that there are more useful factoids than you’ll know what to do with. For example, the Red Sox won the first ever World Series in 1903 vs. Pittsburgh as the Boston Americans, 5 games to 3. The New England Patriots were the Boston Patriots of the AFL until the 1970 merger with the NFL, which permanently placed them in the AFC East division. The Boston Patriots, with Gino Cappelletti and the late Ron Burton as star players, played at Nickerson Field, formerly the home to the Boston Braves, in its first three seasons (1960-1962) and then played six seasons at Fenway Park.
On the more obscure front, Red Sox manager Terry Francona’s father Tito was part of a Cleveland Indians team that hit four homers in a row off of LA Angels pitcher Paul Foytack on July 31, 1963. In April 2007, Terry himself saw four Sox hitters accomplish this same feat for only the second time in MLB history, off of young Yankees pitcher Chase Wright. Buckley not only relays these facts but was able to find out that Foytack (then age 76) watched this game and felt compelled to write Wright a letter of encouragement afterwards, having gone through this rare shellacking himself.
Also, the official NBA logo’s white silhouette you see on the bottom-left of every NBA game backboard was modeled after Lakers great Jerry West. This is barely scratching the surface of fascinating sports facts, and reading this book will reward you far more than I could ever list here.
Nobody’s Perfect
With all the great research and game recaps of C’s/Pats/Red Sox 2007 regular season and playoff games, interview quotes and historical analogies in this book, there are some errors to point out, however trivial they are. First, Buckley contradicted himself in Chapter 5 (“Savior?”) by writing on page 46 that the late former Sox owner Tom Yawkey bought the “laughingstock” that was the Red Sox in 1932, then (correctly) saying he bought the franchise in 1933 on page 49. Also, 110-85 was not the score to “Game 2” of the ’08 Eastern first round playoff series between the C’s and Hawks, it was Game 5.
Also surprising was some contextual omissions on Buckley’s part in regard to the “Spygate” chapter 12, and his insight and recap of the ’08 NBA Finals. First, the author does an excellent job in laying out the similar background Pats coach Bill Belichick and his once protégé Eric Mangini have but makes no mention of his Jets’ own questionable taping of the Patriots in a wildcard playoff matchup in January 2007 at Gillette Stadium, which the Pats contended the Jets never got permission from the Pats to do in the end zone.
The chapter focuses on a lot more subjects than Spygate itself (and thus should’ve had an expanded title), and I’m not about to rehash the whole thing. But as Buckley wrote, the Jets-Pats ’07 opener that turned into the Spygate game was dedicated to the late Marquis Hill, a young Patriots player who died in a tragic accident earlier in 2007. His telling of Patriots players who paid tribute to Hill throughout the season by wearing in games some of the late player’s equipment, including Super Bowl XLII is valuable and powerful insight.
With regard to this respected sportswriter’s analysis of Game 1 of the ’08 Finals between the C’s and Lakers, I would respectfully argue that his declaration that Paul Pierce’s dramatic comeback from injury in the game the Celtics would later win at home was either a great miracle or one of the best “acting jobs” in modern sports history is way off.
The truth is, The Truth never asked for a wheelchair and drama that made his knee injury seem worse than it was. As he would later say, he was hurting but could still play; Pierce just could not bend the knee down all the way without pain. It was the Finals and he did play through whatever ailed him to lead his team to victory in Game 1 and eventually the NBA title in six games, after which he was named Finals MVP.
Conclusion
All told, Wicked Good Year accomplishes the tall task of weaving together the necessary facts and inside (athletic and fan) stories of the successes of three of Boston’s major sports franchises that occurred in a span of seven months and twenty days. It goes well with other Boston championship-minded items like the fan-centered DVD Return To The Rafters, about the Celtics’ 08 NBA title run, Red Sox Rule, Michael Holley’s semi-bio and story of Terry Francona and his Red Sox’s ’07 World Series run, as well as another excellent read, Peter May’s comprehensive recap of Celtics title #17, Top Of The World.
Buckley uses tons of historical facts to put present-day accomplishments in perspective – and perhaps to show off his thorough research skills as well. And they’re not just Boston-related ones but pro baseball, football and basketball facts in general. It might actually take you multiple reads of the same page just to digest them all. And it is fascinating, enjoyable material to read if you’re an avid sports lover. Even Yankees fans like author Jonathan Eig raved about this book. And enjoying what you read is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?
Boston sports fans and other curious minds, get yourself ready to set aside enough time to get through this 317-page journey, because reading Wicked Good Year will be time well spent. In fact, “Spygate” and Super Bowl XLII aside, you’ll definitely have a wicked good time reading it all the way through.
4 1/2 stars
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Music Review: Kiss - Sonic Boom
Rock ‘til you drop. Or at least until you can’t do it anymore. For B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Daltrey and so many other active icons of rock and blues circuits, those are words to live by. And 35 years after influential NYC quartet Kiss came on the scene with its self-titled debut and immediate follow-up Hotter Than Hell, they too are back touring the world and releasing new music.
Released last month exclusively to Walmart as a three-disc set, Sonic Boom is Kiss’s 19th studio album and first since its 1998 album Psycho Circus. Disc one has 11 new tracks, disc two has 15 re-recorded Kiss Klassics, and disc three is a six-song excerpt from a Kiss show this past spring.
Age is of no concern to this band – half of whose members are pushing 60 years of age. Nor does it show on record or in concert for these make-up-wearing mega rock stars. Founding member and rhythm guitarist/singer Paul Stanley still has his dynamic vocal range and knack for writing instant hard rockin’ classics, like album opener “Modern Day Delilah.”
Co-founder and bass machine Gene Simmons still effortlessly spouts out groove-laden licks (not to mention fire, in concert) and gruff vocals. Guitarist Tommy Thayer, who plays a similar style of lead guitar as the “space man” he replaced, Ace Frehley, does a more than admiral job throughout the album of playing exciting leads and fills, as on “Delilah,” the excellent ‘80s-ish “Danger Us,” and the Simmons-sung “I’m An Animal.”
Not all 11 tracks are A-material, however. Recycling is good for the environment but doesn’t always work in a musical setting. For example, the Thayer-sung and cowbell-strong “When Lightning Strikes” again recycles the same old AC/DC chords and rhythm in its chorus you’ve heard before. Thayer’s ascending guitar solo is the song’s pure highlight. “Never Enough” has an anthemic-sounding chorus but from its beginning sounds like “Rock And Roll All Nite” if it was written by AC/DC or Ozzy (think: “Flying High Again”). And silly, clichéd lyrics like “If it’s too hot, then you’re too cold” drag down “Hot And Cold” a bit.
Disc two’s Kiss Klassics compilation was, before this release, exclusively sold in Japan in 2008, along with a live 11-track DVD of a Kiss show in Budokan in 1977. Most of these re-recorded Kiss Klassics don’t veer much from the originals. But, the new version of fan favorite “Black Diamond” (with drummer Eric Singer replacing Peter Criss on drums and lead vocals) is an improvement over the original simply because the slowed down tape at the end lasts for under 30 seconds now instead of going on and on for nearly two whole minutes.
Disc three, the six-song DVD, is a short excerpt of a Kiss show from Buenos Aires, Argentina in April of this year during its KISS Alive/35 World Tour. And the selections from it are all aces, from “Deuce” and “Hotter Than Hell” to “Watching You” – one of Kiss’s most underrated hard rockers – and closer “Rock And Roll All Nite,” the band’s signature party rock song. Also included is a stretched out version of “100,000,” which on record and on stage still has a vintage Black Sabbath-type rhythm to carry it along.
The only disappointing aspect of the DVD portion of this release is that it is only six songs long. Ones guesses that the band had to resort to the short DVD in order to keep this three-disc set at a reasonable price. Kiss fans can certainly live with and appreciate that. And besides, any fan looking for a full Kiss show has decades of live albums and bootlegs to choose from. Ones does hope that eventually Kiss will release this full Buenos Aires show, as the rowdy, enthusiastic fans down in Argentina always seem to bring out the best in bands who play there, especially metal bands.
In short, Sonic Boom, even with its few flaws, is a fun, sleazy hard rock and roll record mostly in the vein of its ‘70s material. In other words, it’s the album Kiss fans have been wanting the band to make for over 20 years and likely wondered would never be made.
With 33 tracks for a recession-friendly price of $12 at your local Walmart, it’s one hell of a bargain (though one wishes it was available at this price at other actual music stores). Nonetheless, if you’re a new or longtime fan, you’d be a fool to not pick it up. And with the holiday season fast approaching, Sonic Boom will make a great stocking stuff for dad as well.
3.5 stars for the album
4.0 stars for the whole package
FYI, Kiss will continue its current tour in the USA and Canada in November and December. For dates and more info on Kiss, visit KissOnline.com.
Please note: This article was first published by Blogcritics 11/5/09
Released last month exclusively to Walmart as a three-disc set, Sonic Boom is Kiss’s 19th studio album and first since its 1998 album Psycho Circus. Disc one has 11 new tracks, disc two has 15 re-recorded Kiss Klassics, and disc three is a six-song excerpt from a Kiss show this past spring.
Age is of no concern to this band – half of whose members are pushing 60 years of age. Nor does it show on record or in concert for these make-up-wearing mega rock stars. Founding member and rhythm guitarist/singer Paul Stanley still has his dynamic vocal range and knack for writing instant hard rockin’ classics, like album opener “Modern Day Delilah.”
Co-founder and bass machine Gene Simmons still effortlessly spouts out groove-laden licks (not to mention fire, in concert) and gruff vocals. Guitarist Tommy Thayer, who plays a similar style of lead guitar as the “space man” he replaced, Ace Frehley, does a more than admiral job throughout the album of playing exciting leads and fills, as on “Delilah,” the excellent ‘80s-ish “Danger Us,” and the Simmons-sung “I’m An Animal.”
Not all 11 tracks are A-material, however. Recycling is good for the environment but doesn’t always work in a musical setting. For example, the Thayer-sung and cowbell-strong “When Lightning Strikes” again recycles the same old AC/DC chords and rhythm in its chorus you’ve heard before. Thayer’s ascending guitar solo is the song’s pure highlight. “Never Enough” has an anthemic-sounding chorus but from its beginning sounds like “Rock And Roll All Nite” if it was written by AC/DC or Ozzy (think: “Flying High Again”). And silly, clichéd lyrics like “If it’s too hot, then you’re too cold” drag down “Hot And Cold” a bit.
Disc two’s Kiss Klassics compilation was, before this release, exclusively sold in Japan in 2008, along with a live 11-track DVD of a Kiss show in Budokan in 1977. Most of these re-recorded Kiss Klassics don’t veer much from the originals. But, the new version of fan favorite “Black Diamond” (with drummer Eric Singer replacing Peter Criss on drums and lead vocals) is an improvement over the original simply because the slowed down tape at the end lasts for under 30 seconds now instead of going on and on for nearly two whole minutes.
Disc three, the six-song DVD, is a short excerpt of a Kiss show from Buenos Aires, Argentina in April of this year during its KISS Alive/35 World Tour. And the selections from it are all aces, from “Deuce” and “Hotter Than Hell” to “Watching You” – one of Kiss’s most underrated hard rockers – and closer “Rock And Roll All Nite,” the band’s signature party rock song. Also included is a stretched out version of “100,000,” which on record and on stage still has a vintage Black Sabbath-type rhythm to carry it along.
The only disappointing aspect of the DVD portion of this release is that it is only six songs long. Ones guesses that the band had to resort to the short DVD in order to keep this three-disc set at a reasonable price. Kiss fans can certainly live with and appreciate that. And besides, any fan looking for a full Kiss show has decades of live albums and bootlegs to choose from. Ones does hope that eventually Kiss will release this full Buenos Aires show, as the rowdy, enthusiastic fans down in Argentina always seem to bring out the best in bands who play there, especially metal bands.
In short, Sonic Boom, even with its few flaws, is a fun, sleazy hard rock and roll record mostly in the vein of its ‘70s material. In other words, it’s the album Kiss fans have been wanting the band to make for over 20 years and likely wondered would never be made.
With 33 tracks for a recession-friendly price of $12 at your local Walmart, it’s one hell of a bargain (though one wishes it was available at this price at other actual music stores). Nonetheless, if you’re a new or longtime fan, you’d be a fool to not pick it up. And with the holiday season fast approaching, Sonic Boom will make a great stocking stuff for dad as well.
3.5 stars for the album
4.0 stars for the whole package
FYI, Kiss will continue its current tour in the USA and Canada in November and December. For dates and more info on Kiss, visit KissOnline.com.
Please note: This article was first published by Blogcritics 11/5/09
Monday, November 02, 2009
Bushisms & Bidenisms: The Gifts & Gaffes That Keep On Giving
I had originally planned on doing a comparative summary of the worst political gaffes ever made by ex-president George W. Bush and current vice president Joe Biden for Suite101.com. It would've been a Bushisms v. Bidenisms type of piece. But that article ran WAY too long, to the point of becoming nearly unreadable.
Therefore, I put together two distinct Top 10 compilations of Bush and Biden's weirdest, funniest, and most embarrassing statements ever uttered in public - who knows what kind of buffoonery they've engaged in private over the years.
These are by no means the "ultimate" lists, since neither of these politicians are capable of going a year without making another political gaffe and thus will likely continue to make embarrassing remarks for years to come. These lists, however, are up-to-date, through comments made in 2009.
First, here's my best of Bushisms article, followed by a best of Bidenisms article.
Note: The articles in the above links were originally published at Suite101 in late October.
Therefore, I put together two distinct Top 10 compilations of Bush and Biden's weirdest, funniest, and most embarrassing statements ever uttered in public - who knows what kind of buffoonery they've engaged in private over the years.
These are by no means the "ultimate" lists, since neither of these politicians are capable of going a year without making another political gaffe and thus will likely continue to make embarrassing remarks for years to come. These lists, however, are up-to-date, through comments made in 2009.
First, here's my best of Bushisms article, followed by a best of Bidenisms article.
Note: The articles in the above links were originally published at Suite101 in late October.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Music Review: Imogen Heap - Ellipse
Published originally by Blogcritics Magazine October 22, 2009
English songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Imogen Heap is a one-woman machine. For over 11 years, she has made a distinctive brand of music that is a mix of electronica, experimentalism, electro-pop, and rock.
Sound-wise and vocally, her songs range from the dramatic to the majestic, and contain hints of everyone from Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, and Tori Amos, to Annie Lennox and Bjork. In fact, Heap’s ex-Frou Frou partner Guy Sigsworth co-wrote songs with such noted non-conventional pop artists like Seal and Bjork in the early and mid-1990s before co-producing Heap’s 1998 debut album i Megaphone with Lennox’s Eurythmics bandmate Dave Stewart.
Since then Heap has made three records, one with Frou Frou (2002’s Details) and two more solo full-lengths, including the two-time Grammy nominated Speak For Yourself (2005) and its eagerly anticipated follow-up, Ellipse (RCA/White Rabbit).
Her new album debuted at a personal career-high #5 on Billboard’s 200 chart last month and also debuted #1 on Billboard’s Internet album and Dance/Electronic album charts. When you take a close listen to the album’s 13 tracks, it’s not hard to see why.
To start, the warm electro-pop track “First Train Home” retains the infectiousness of Heap’s prior album’s hit single “Goodnight and Go” and is an instant album highlight.
Besides being a call-to-action to clean up our planet, “Earth” is an experimental all a cappella track with a digital vocal harmonizer coloring its melodies, much like Speak For Yourself hit “Hide & Seek.” It also contains some of the oddball lyrics Heap is known for coming up with, such as her imagination of “lego land empires.”
The album loses steam for a bit on the calm but largely unmemorable electronic track “Little Bird.” It picks up its perkiness once again with the slightly spooky electro-pop love song “Swoon.”
Ellipse was recorded in various places around the world, including Hawaii, Japan, China, Thailand and at her newly built studio inside the basement of her family’s 18th century home in London, England. The new album’s name is a reference to the “elliptical” shape of this house.
“Bad Body Double,” written in Japan, is about looking at oneself in a bathroom mirror one day and not liking the image staring back at you. The sight of healthy and fit Japanese women surrounding Imogen Heap and the sudden realization that her own body was out of shape inspired this album highlight. Besides its overtly catchy rhythm, it features brilliant production, complete with actual bathroom-sounding reverb for a short stretch early on and a snare drum made via a sample of Heap slapping her own buttocks, according to an interview of Heap in The Sunday Herald in August. (Talk about experimental sounds!)
The romantic number “Between The Sheets” features some of the catchiest piano phrases Heap’s written yet, but is over before you know it (and seems a lot shorter than 2:54).
“Aha!,” with its brooding synths and Middle Eastern-sounding and cinematic strings is a typical enchanting Imogen Heap track, one clearly ready for a future soundtrack to a scary film. In fact, “Aha!” appeared in a 2009 episode of the new Melrose Place, and “Bad Body Double” appeared in the current (and fourth) season of Heroes, which is no surprise given her contribution of the song “Not Now But Soon” to the 2008 soundtrack to this hit NBC show.
Heap has become a master of marketing her music to TV, films, and soundtracks over the years, from the Garden State soundtrack (with Frou Frou) to The Chronicles of Narnia and the teen drama The O.C. being just some examples.
Elsewhere, spacey, warped beats accompany the romantic cellos of “2-1,” while “The Fire” recalls “Candlelight” from her debut album, as well as Under The Pink-era Tori Amos, due to its ghostly melodic piano runs. Album closer “Half Life” has delicate strings and Sarah McLachlan-esque piano chords - think “Angel” – but doesn’t actually sound like the Canadian songstress overall.
In all, Ellipse is a well-written and arranged album (by Heap), at least 80% of which is worth re-experiencing again and again. Compared to the British songwriter’s other two solo works, this one is, relatively speaking, her quietest collection, even if at least half the material is full of upbeat music.
It’s the first album in which she does not have at least one outright rocker to shake things up a bit, even if "Tidal" does rock a bit towards its end. It’s not a disappointment but a sign of a new direction. And with a batch of engaging songs like Ellipse has, Heap’s rabid fan base will surely continue to follow her career in whatever direction it takes her.
4 Stars
Stream Imogen Heap’s entire Ellipse album at her website, and in exchange for one tweet, download the "Canvas" video to your computer. You can also view a recent video interview from Shockhound.com.
English songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Imogen Heap is a one-woman machine. For over 11 years, she has made a distinctive brand of music that is a mix of electronica, experimentalism, electro-pop, and rock.
Sound-wise and vocally, her songs range from the dramatic to the majestic, and contain hints of everyone from Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, and Tori Amos, to Annie Lennox and Bjork. In fact, Heap’s ex-Frou Frou partner Guy Sigsworth co-wrote songs with such noted non-conventional pop artists like Seal and Bjork in the early and mid-1990s before co-producing Heap’s 1998 debut album i Megaphone with Lennox’s Eurythmics bandmate Dave Stewart.
Since then Heap has made three records, one with Frou Frou (2002’s Details) and two more solo full-lengths, including the two-time Grammy nominated Speak For Yourself (2005) and its eagerly anticipated follow-up, Ellipse (RCA/White Rabbit).
Her new album debuted at a personal career-high #5 on Billboard’s 200 chart last month and also debuted #1 on Billboard’s Internet album and Dance/Electronic album charts. When you take a close listen to the album’s 13 tracks, it’s not hard to see why.
To start, the warm electro-pop track “First Train Home” retains the infectiousness of Heap’s prior album’s hit single “Goodnight and Go” and is an instant album highlight.
Besides being a call-to-action to clean up our planet, “Earth” is an experimental all a cappella track with a digital vocal harmonizer coloring its melodies, much like Speak For Yourself hit “Hide & Seek.” It also contains some of the oddball lyrics Heap is known for coming up with, such as her imagination of “lego land empires.”
The album loses steam for a bit on the calm but largely unmemorable electronic track “Little Bird.” It picks up its perkiness once again with the slightly spooky electro-pop love song “Swoon.”
Ellipse was recorded in various places around the world, including Hawaii, Japan, China, Thailand and at her newly built studio inside the basement of her family’s 18th century home in London, England. The new album’s name is a reference to the “elliptical” shape of this house.
“Bad Body Double,” written in Japan, is about looking at oneself in a bathroom mirror one day and not liking the image staring back at you. The sight of healthy and fit Japanese women surrounding Imogen Heap and the sudden realization that her own body was out of shape inspired this album highlight. Besides its overtly catchy rhythm, it features brilliant production, complete with actual bathroom-sounding reverb for a short stretch early on and a snare drum made via a sample of Heap slapping her own buttocks, according to an interview of Heap in The Sunday Herald in August. (Talk about experimental sounds!)
The romantic number “Between The Sheets” features some of the catchiest piano phrases Heap’s written yet, but is over before you know it (and seems a lot shorter than 2:54).
“Aha!,” with its brooding synths and Middle Eastern-sounding and cinematic strings is a typical enchanting Imogen Heap track, one clearly ready for a future soundtrack to a scary film. In fact, “Aha!” appeared in a 2009 episode of the new Melrose Place, and “Bad Body Double” appeared in the current (and fourth) season of Heroes, which is no surprise given her contribution of the song “Not Now But Soon” to the 2008 soundtrack to this hit NBC show.
Heap has become a master of marketing her music to TV, films, and soundtracks over the years, from the Garden State soundtrack (with Frou Frou) to The Chronicles of Narnia and the teen drama The O.C. being just some examples.
Elsewhere, spacey, warped beats accompany the romantic cellos of “2-1,” while “The Fire” recalls “Candlelight” from her debut album, as well as Under The Pink-era Tori Amos, due to its ghostly melodic piano runs. Album closer “Half Life” has delicate strings and Sarah McLachlan-esque piano chords - think “Angel” – but doesn’t actually sound like the Canadian songstress overall.
In all, Ellipse is a well-written and arranged album (by Heap), at least 80% of which is worth re-experiencing again and again. Compared to the British songwriter’s other two solo works, this one is, relatively speaking, her quietest collection, even if at least half the material is full of upbeat music.
It’s the first album in which she does not have at least one outright rocker to shake things up a bit, even if "Tidal" does rock a bit towards its end. It’s not a disappointment but a sign of a new direction. And with a batch of engaging songs like Ellipse has, Heap’s rabid fan base will surely continue to follow her career in whatever direction it takes her.
4 Stars
Stream Imogen Heap’s entire Ellipse album at her website, and in exchange for one tweet, download the "Canvas" video to your computer. You can also view a recent video interview from Shockhound.com.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Music Review: Radiohead - Hail To The Thief: Collector's Edition
Radiohead is such a powerful and insanely creative force that in 18 years of recording, it has not and probably can not repeat itself from album to album if it tried. Even if its much hailed early 2000s works Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) shared a common theme of experimentalism, almost every song was a new revelation. The same was true for the recently reissued follow-up to Amnesiac, 2003’s Hail To The Thief, now complete with a second bonus disc of live tracks, remixes and demos.
When you read critics or fans say – as they have - that Hail was, among other things a slight return to the more guitar-heavy sound of Radiohead’s 1990s output, this should not be taken to mean it sounds like old material, though there are a couple of hints of older songs to be found. The “slight return” really means that pure, delicate acoustics, clean and distorted electric guitars, and actual solos via Jonny Greenwood are present here more than on the band’s previous two albums.
In fact, guitar-centered tracks are a significant minority - six by my count - on Hail but are nowhere near as numerous as they are on the band’s first three records, Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer.
At nearly an hour in length and 14 tracks long (plus 14 more on a bonus disc), Hail To The Thief is at its core a healthy, complex mix of forward-looking experimental beats, electronics and other synth/keyboard-heavy technology and more conventional instruments like guitar, bass, drums, and Thom Yorke’s methodical piano work. In political terms, it has bipartisan appeal, with just enough guitar work to satisfy old fans and a lot of creative, adventurous sounds for the more versatile music fan.
Looking back, this is a stronger and more consistent album than I originally thought it was, with guitar-central tracks “There, There,” “Go To Sleep,” “2+2=5,” and “A Wolf At The Door” not only being the album’s highlights but among true Radiohead classics. The latter track ("Wolf"), with Yorke's rambling and frantic lyrical verses that give way to the band's swirly melodies in the refrains, along with Yorke's gorgeous falsetto at song's end all combine for a soothing and well selected way to close out the album.
As impressive as it is, Hail has just a few clunkers that prevent the album from being one of Radiohead's best: the deep bass booming and tape loop-dominated “The Gloaming,” which is a noble experiment but in the end an uneventful track, the funeral music/vocals of “I Will,” and the slow and sour piano-based “We Suck Young Blood.” Not that they are bad songs, but the latter two tracks may suck the life out of any room they're played in and would’ve been better off as b-sides.
On the newly included bonus disc, highlights include the lovely, folky acoustic "Go To Sleep” b-side “Gagging Order,” a live acoustic rendition of its A-side, the Four Tet remix of “Scatterbrain” and an exciting live 2003 performance of “2+2=5”. Other tracks are fairly intriguing at first but lose its cool upon repetitiveness or lack of substantive content, like the strange strings and funky bass of “Paperbag Writer” and the quasi-industrial experiment “I Am Citizen Insane.”
This 14-track bonus disc complements HTTT pretty well as a total package but isn't quite as essential as it would be if it contained a full show or comprehensive disc of demos and b-sides from the era.
HTTT was the last proper album Radiohead recorded specifically for a record label (EMI). And though it may not be the band's very best CD, its inventiveness and songwriting depth was truly remarkable for a sixth album and should not be under-appreciated. In that respect, it’s at least better than debut Pablo Honey, which itself is an underrated album. Radiohead, you see, doesn't make bad records.
In sum, if you’re a Radiohead or alt-rock fan who missed HTTT the first time around, it would be an unwise move to miss out again on an album with as much rich music as this one has.
Note: Originally published October 2, 2009 in Blogcritics Magazine
When you read critics or fans say – as they have - that Hail was, among other things a slight return to the more guitar-heavy sound of Radiohead’s 1990s output, this should not be taken to mean it sounds like old material, though there are a couple of hints of older songs to be found. The “slight return” really means that pure, delicate acoustics, clean and distorted electric guitars, and actual solos via Jonny Greenwood are present here more than on the band’s previous two albums.
In fact, guitar-centered tracks are a significant minority - six by my count - on Hail but are nowhere near as numerous as they are on the band’s first three records, Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer.
At nearly an hour in length and 14 tracks long (plus 14 more on a bonus disc), Hail To The Thief is at its core a healthy, complex mix of forward-looking experimental beats, electronics and other synth/keyboard-heavy technology and more conventional instruments like guitar, bass, drums, and Thom Yorke’s methodical piano work. In political terms, it has bipartisan appeal, with just enough guitar work to satisfy old fans and a lot of creative, adventurous sounds for the more versatile music fan.
Looking back, this is a stronger and more consistent album than I originally thought it was, with guitar-central tracks “There, There,” “Go To Sleep,” “2+2=5,” and “A Wolf At The Door” not only being the album’s highlights but among true Radiohead classics. The latter track ("Wolf"), with Yorke's rambling and frantic lyrical verses that give way to the band's swirly melodies in the refrains, along with Yorke's gorgeous falsetto at song's end all combine for a soothing and well selected way to close out the album.
As impressive as it is, Hail has just a few clunkers that prevent the album from being one of Radiohead's best: the deep bass booming and tape loop-dominated “The Gloaming,” which is a noble experiment but in the end an uneventful track, the funeral music/vocals of “I Will,” and the slow and sour piano-based “We Suck Young Blood.” Not that they are bad songs, but the latter two tracks may suck the life out of any room they're played in and would’ve been better off as b-sides.
On the newly included bonus disc, highlights include the lovely, folky acoustic "Go To Sleep” b-side “Gagging Order,” a live acoustic rendition of its A-side, the Four Tet remix of “Scatterbrain” and an exciting live 2003 performance of “2+2=5”. Other tracks are fairly intriguing at first but lose its cool upon repetitiveness or lack of substantive content, like the strange strings and funky bass of “Paperbag Writer” and the quasi-industrial experiment “I Am Citizen Insane.”
This 14-track bonus disc complements HTTT pretty well as a total package but isn't quite as essential as it would be if it contained a full show or comprehensive disc of demos and b-sides from the era.
HTTT was the last proper album Radiohead recorded specifically for a record label (EMI). And though it may not be the band's very best CD, its inventiveness and songwriting depth was truly remarkable for a sixth album and should not be under-appreciated. In that respect, it’s at least better than debut Pablo Honey, which itself is an underrated album. Radiohead, you see, doesn't make bad records.
In sum, if you’re a Radiohead or alt-rock fan who missed HTTT the first time around, it would be an unwise move to miss out again on an album with as much rich music as this one has.
Note: Originally published October 2, 2009 in Blogcritics Magazine
Dead Red Special Edition: A Sunday Afternoon with the Lowell Spinners
Note: Originally published September 5, 2009 in Blogcritics Magazine as part of my "Dead Red" weekly Boston Red Sox column
The Boston Red Sox may have their share of pricey free agents on its roster, but from Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury to Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen, a growing amount of essential players are in fact, homegrown. This season, especially has seen a plethora of talent come up from the minors to help the big club, including Josh Reddick, Chris Carter and perhaps most notably, Daniel Bard.
As fun as it is seeing players like these develop on the big league level, I thought it would be a great idea to see and cover some of these future big leaguers in their own element someday. That someday was last Sunday.
It was around quarter-to-four on the afternoon of August 30, with nary a cloud in the sky in Lowell, MA when I arrived at LeLacheur Park, home to the Lowell Spinners. It is a Red Sox single-A affiliate that has seen future stars like Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury play there, among many others.
Game time was set for 5:05 pm, but as a credentialed media member, I was there to get my media pass and hopefully make my pre-game time eventful. In other words, I was hoping to interview at least one Spinner before game time.
Once I got my pass and went upstairs, I saw a guy writing out in blue marker the starting lineups of the Spinners and their opponent, the Brooklyn Cyclones. To my surprise, local product Alex Hassan was written into the lineup, starting at RF. He grew up next to my hometown of Quincy, MA in Milton, so many in my town are quite familiar with this hitter/pitcher’s success at BC High, then Duke University and now career with the Red Sox, whom drafted him in the 20th round of the 2009 draft.
Hassan was previously in Lowell for a few weeks before getting promoted to single-A Greenville. I didn’t see any pregame reports mentioning he was back in Lowell for Sunday’s game, but was glad he was there.
One of my goals was to interview the biggest name and prospect on the Spinners, Ryan Westmoreland, an outfielder who unfortunately broke his collarbone trying to make a play in a game two days earlier. I saw him walk across the field minutes after I arrived but found out later he left the premises soon after.
So my next choice to interview was, you guessed it, Alex Hassan. After asking an usher when and how the media does interview players here, she radioed down to Jon Boswell, the head of media relations for the Spinners and had me meet with him downstairs.
Next thing you know, I race downstairs and the two of us (Boswell and I) walk past the tunnel area that leads to team locker rooms, and into the Spinners dugout, where I awaited Alex Hassan to interview. At this point I didn’t keep track of time but it was before 4:30 pm and I was about to accomplish my main goal of scoring a player interview.
He came out a couple minutes after Boswell left to get him. The rightfielder was taller in person than I thought but he was a low-key kind of guy, which made the interview experience less intimidating. After telling him how pleasantly surprised I was to see him in today’s lineup, he told me that he and Chris McGuiness were told to report from Greenville to Lowell today. He didn’t look at this move as a demotion when I asked him, just looked at it as “a chance to play.” When asked, he was also happy with his progress offensively and defensively, though is always looking to improve. And no, he’s not going to pitch anytime soon.
After a couple more minutes of questions (including what it was like to play for Duke, which he loved and elaborated on for a bit), the interview was over. Boswell tried to get me another interview, with the speedy leftfielder Wilfred Pichardo, but he (much like the rest of the team) were busy getting ready for the game. So one interview was enough for me. Mission Accomplished.
It was then time for me to decide where to sit for the game, as the Spinners staffers let me know I had that freedom to go anywhere I liked. Should I sit with the sold-out crowd of over 5,000 in the hot sun, or take advantage of my press pass and see if there’s room for me in the (cooler) press box. And the press box is indeed where I spent the game, taking notes on my laptop and note pad, chatting with the other couple of staff members and media members who were there, all of whom were friendly and very much into this well-played game.
As I sat down to set up, everyone in the ballpark roared for the ceremonial first pitches, thrown by newly re-signed Boston Celtics big man, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, and legendary Celtic JoJo White. The crowd gave a mixed response to Davis bouncing his pitch to home plate while cheering for the older but still very strong-armed Jo Jo White’s excellent throw. Then it was game time.
The Cyclones got to Spinners starter Pedro Perez early, scoring one run in the first. He had control issues over his four innings, allowing five walks. And the Spinners had little answers for their starter Brandon Moore, who’s only run allowed over six innings occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning when Pichardo scored on a double by shortstop Derrik Gibson.
But as the lights came on and the evening got dark, the Spinners bats got hot. In the bottom of the eighth, this 1-1 game became untied when centerfielder Ronald Bermudez singled home designated-hitter Drew Hedman, who doubled to start the inning. Alex Hassan, who reached first on a throwing error, scored the insurance run to make it a 3-1 game. And with Cesar Cabral pitching four score innings in relief of Perez, and closer Jordan Flasher pitching a scoreless top of the ninth, that’s how it stayed, with Cabral getting the win.
It was one heck of a game, and manager – former California Angels player and Massachusetts native – Gary DiSarcina deserves credit for his part on managing the pitching staff, the clear strength of this year’s team.
Getting to cover the Lowell Spinners was a truly eye-opening experience for me. And did I mention fun? I wasn’t the only one, of course, as Glen Davis had a ball with the fans in between innings, throwing them souvenir balls, dancing around and then helping to give away an autographed basketball to a lucky fan. The friendly atmosphere extended to the stands as well, as one lucky handicapped kid got a foul ball handed to him from a fellow fan he didn’t know. And all the kids got to line up and run the bases after the game was over.
It’s no wonder why the Spinners sell out their games year after year. That and the fact they are now a playoff team for the second year in a row helps too, having clinched the Stedler Division in the NY/Penn League on Wednesday.
When it was time to pack up and leave for the night, some kid with an autographed baseball asked for my autograph (and those of anybody coming out of the media room) which I politely declined, telling them I’m nobody that special, just a member of the media for a day. If I become the next Sean McAdam or Peter Gammons, then that’s different. But you’ve got to start somewhere, and for me, that was Sunday, August 30 at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA, covering the Lowell Spinners.
The Boston Red Sox may have their share of pricey free agents on its roster, but from Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury to Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen, a growing amount of essential players are in fact, homegrown. This season, especially has seen a plethora of talent come up from the minors to help the big club, including Josh Reddick, Chris Carter and perhaps most notably, Daniel Bard.
As fun as it is seeing players like these develop on the big league level, I thought it would be a great idea to see and cover some of these future big leaguers in their own element someday. That someday was last Sunday.
It was around quarter-to-four on the afternoon of August 30, with nary a cloud in the sky in Lowell, MA when I arrived at LeLacheur Park, home to the Lowell Spinners. It is a Red Sox single-A affiliate that has seen future stars like Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury play there, among many others.
Game time was set for 5:05 pm, but as a credentialed media member, I was there to get my media pass and hopefully make my pre-game time eventful. In other words, I was hoping to interview at least one Spinner before game time.
Once I got my pass and went upstairs, I saw a guy writing out in blue marker the starting lineups of the Spinners and their opponent, the Brooklyn Cyclones. To my surprise, local product Alex Hassan was written into the lineup, starting at RF. He grew up next to my hometown of Quincy, MA in Milton, so many in my town are quite familiar with this hitter/pitcher’s success at BC High, then Duke University and now career with the Red Sox, whom drafted him in the 20th round of the 2009 draft.
Hassan was previously in Lowell for a few weeks before getting promoted to single-A Greenville. I didn’t see any pregame reports mentioning he was back in Lowell for Sunday’s game, but was glad he was there.
One of my goals was to interview the biggest name and prospect on the Spinners, Ryan Westmoreland, an outfielder who unfortunately broke his collarbone trying to make a play in a game two days earlier. I saw him walk across the field minutes after I arrived but found out later he left the premises soon after.
So my next choice to interview was, you guessed it, Alex Hassan. After asking an usher when and how the media does interview players here, she radioed down to Jon Boswell, the head of media relations for the Spinners and had me meet with him downstairs.
Next thing you know, I race downstairs and the two of us (Boswell and I) walk past the tunnel area that leads to team locker rooms, and into the Spinners dugout, where I awaited Alex Hassan to interview. At this point I didn’t keep track of time but it was before 4:30 pm and I was about to accomplish my main goal of scoring a player interview.
He came out a couple minutes after Boswell left to get him. The rightfielder was taller in person than I thought but he was a low-key kind of guy, which made the interview experience less intimidating. After telling him how pleasantly surprised I was to see him in today’s lineup, he told me that he and Chris McGuiness were told to report from Greenville to Lowell today. He didn’t look at this move as a demotion when I asked him, just looked at it as “a chance to play.” When asked, he was also happy with his progress offensively and defensively, though is always looking to improve. And no, he’s not going to pitch anytime soon.
After a couple more minutes of questions (including what it was like to play for Duke, which he loved and elaborated on for a bit), the interview was over. Boswell tried to get me another interview, with the speedy leftfielder Wilfred Pichardo, but he (much like the rest of the team) were busy getting ready for the game. So one interview was enough for me. Mission Accomplished.
It was then time for me to decide where to sit for the game, as the Spinners staffers let me know I had that freedom to go anywhere I liked. Should I sit with the sold-out crowd of over 5,000 in the hot sun, or take advantage of my press pass and see if there’s room for me in the (cooler) press box. And the press box is indeed where I spent the game, taking notes on my laptop and note pad, chatting with the other couple of staff members and media members who were there, all of whom were friendly and very much into this well-played game.
As I sat down to set up, everyone in the ballpark roared for the ceremonial first pitches, thrown by newly re-signed Boston Celtics big man, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, and legendary Celtic JoJo White. The crowd gave a mixed response to Davis bouncing his pitch to home plate while cheering for the older but still very strong-armed Jo Jo White’s excellent throw. Then it was game time.
The Cyclones got to Spinners starter Pedro Perez early, scoring one run in the first. He had control issues over his four innings, allowing five walks. And the Spinners had little answers for their starter Brandon Moore, who’s only run allowed over six innings occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning when Pichardo scored on a double by shortstop Derrik Gibson.
But as the lights came on and the evening got dark, the Spinners bats got hot. In the bottom of the eighth, this 1-1 game became untied when centerfielder Ronald Bermudez singled home designated-hitter Drew Hedman, who doubled to start the inning. Alex Hassan, who reached first on a throwing error, scored the insurance run to make it a 3-1 game. And with Cesar Cabral pitching four score innings in relief of Perez, and closer Jordan Flasher pitching a scoreless top of the ninth, that’s how it stayed, with Cabral getting the win.
It was one heck of a game, and manager – former California Angels player and Massachusetts native – Gary DiSarcina deserves credit for his part on managing the pitching staff, the clear strength of this year’s team.
Getting to cover the Lowell Spinners was a truly eye-opening experience for me. And did I mention fun? I wasn’t the only one, of course, as Glen Davis had a ball with the fans in between innings, throwing them souvenir balls, dancing around and then helping to give away an autographed basketball to a lucky fan. The friendly atmosphere extended to the stands as well, as one lucky handicapped kid got a foul ball handed to him from a fellow fan he didn’t know. And all the kids got to line up and run the bases after the game was over.
It’s no wonder why the Spinners sell out their games year after year. That and the fact they are now a playoff team for the second year in a row helps too, having clinched the Stedler Division in the NY/Penn League on Wednesday.
When it was time to pack up and leave for the night, some kid with an autographed baseball asked for my autograph (and those of anybody coming out of the media room) which I politely declined, telling them I’m nobody that special, just a member of the media for a day. If I become the next Sean McAdam or Peter Gammons, then that’s different. But you’ve got to start somewhere, and for me, that was Sunday, August 30 at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA, covering the Lowell Spinners.
Music Review: Blur - Midlife: A Beginner's Guide To Blur
Though largely underappreciated by the States for much of its career, British rock quartet Blur was one of the biggest and most versatile bands the UK produced in the 1990s and into the current decade before going on hiatus in 2003. With seven studio albums to its name over a 12-year span, plus a best-of album that was released three years before its last LP, 2003’s Think Tank, there has yet to be a compilation that encompasses highlights from all of Blur’s works. Until now.
The Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide To Blur (Capitol/EMI) collection, which hit stores during the heart of summer in late July, features 25 tracks spread over two discs. It contains most of the usual hot tracks that put Blur on the map, including “Girls And Boys,” “Song 2” and “She’s So High.” But the band members themselves selected the tracks for both discs. Thus, there are some serious gems here, but in a couple places, curious choices as well.
Not so unpredictably, CD 1 starts out with the opening track from Blur’s most popular – at least here in America - self-titled 1997 album, “Beetlebum.” Graham Coxon’s zigzag guitars carry the core of this easygoing pop song that also has musical refrains and chord progressions underneath singer Damon Albarn’s falsetto that are not too different stylistically from British rivals Oasis.
Of course, there’s no mistaking these two seminal groups - Blur was the more consistent and musically adventurous force. One need not look any further than the inventive (and lyrically regret-filled) “Death Of A Party,” another ’97 self-titled album essential track on CD 1 to prove this point. It features some of the leanest and meanest Coxon guitar sounds in Blur’s catalogue. And its scary-to-bright melodies – the verses being spooky and choruses more pleasant-sounding – go back and forth like they were always meant to be together. It’s bloody brilliant, as British lads might say.
There really is no apparent chronological sequence to the tracklisting of both discs, but again, plenty of variety of sound. So on CD 1, you’ll hear the noisy “Bugman” (from the 13 LP) after hard-chargin’ sports stadium smash (1997) hit “Song 2,” both of which come after the lovey-dovey “Blue Jeans.” And, the near disco-dance pop of (1994 album) Parklife standout “Girls And Boys” comes right after “Beetlebum.” Elsewhere, the celebratory and horns-filled (1995 album) Great Escape single “The Universal” appears directly after “Death Of A Party,” and the early shoegaze-ish sounds of (debut 1991 album) Leisure track “Sing” appears near disc’s end.
The gospel/soul pop of (1999 album) 13’s lead single “Tender” leads off Midlife CD 2, and is followed by the only other Leisure track on the compilation, the dreamy guitar pop of “She’s So High.” The once out-of-print 1992 single “Popscene,” which later made its way onto the 1993 album Modern Life Is Rubbish, also appears on CD 2, along with excellent choices like the electric/acoustic straight out rocker “Chemical World” and “Advert” from that same record.
In fact, if you count “Popscene,” five tracks from Modern Life appear on Midlife. Four tracks each from Parklife, Blur’s self-titled 1997 CD and follow-up 13 album are included, along with three each from The Great Escape and final album Think Tank, and two from Leisure.
Aside from its non-chronological track list, this new compilation has a couple of minor flaws worth noting. First of all, most of the selections are either no-brainers or smart choices by the band. But given the fact that Blur released a best-of in 2000 that featured 18 studio tracks – 10 of which are repeated on the new disc – plus 10 more live ones, at 25 tracks, Midlife could’ve used a few more tracks, deep album cuts in particular, like “Jubilee” or the exotic punk rockish “We’ve Got A File On You.”
Also, though it may mean something to the band (which also includes bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree), I don’t think most fans would view “Strange News From Another Star,” from the ’97 CD, as an essential Blur song. And though “Battery On Your Leg” has memorable dark and Cocteau Twins-esque guitar lines, Blur could’ve chosen somewhere else for it other than ending CD 2. Perhaps the loud ‘n’ fast guitar licks of ’97 self-titled standout “M.O.R.” could’ve both substituted for “Strange News” and closed this compilation out with a bang.
Alas, as the title of this collection suggests, Midlife is only an introduction to Blur. It is most likely geared towards newer fans who know Damon Albarn mainly from his post-Blur group Gorillaz, and perhaps for those only vaguely familiar with the Blur catalogue – which probably includes Gorillaz fans as well. Its release coincides with the band’s short-lived reunion tour, which took place over the summer, with shows in native England, Ireland and Scotland in June and July.
The band may or may not tour or record again anytime soon and go on another extended hiatus, but in the meantime, if you need a comprehensive course on Blur’s rich library of music, Midlife is the right two-disc collection for you, either on its own or as a complement to its best-of release from nine years ago.
This review was originally published in Blogcritics Magazine 9/12/09
The Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide To Blur (Capitol/EMI) collection, which hit stores during the heart of summer in late July, features 25 tracks spread over two discs. It contains most of the usual hot tracks that put Blur on the map, including “Girls And Boys,” “Song 2” and “She’s So High.” But the band members themselves selected the tracks for both discs. Thus, there are some serious gems here, but in a couple places, curious choices as well.
Not so unpredictably, CD 1 starts out with the opening track from Blur’s most popular – at least here in America - self-titled 1997 album, “Beetlebum.” Graham Coxon’s zigzag guitars carry the core of this easygoing pop song that also has musical refrains and chord progressions underneath singer Damon Albarn’s falsetto that are not too different stylistically from British rivals Oasis.
Of course, there’s no mistaking these two seminal groups - Blur was the more consistent and musically adventurous force. One need not look any further than the inventive (and lyrically regret-filled) “Death Of A Party,” another ’97 self-titled album essential track on CD 1 to prove this point. It features some of the leanest and meanest Coxon guitar sounds in Blur’s catalogue. And its scary-to-bright melodies – the verses being spooky and choruses more pleasant-sounding – go back and forth like they were always meant to be together. It’s bloody brilliant, as British lads might say.
There really is no apparent chronological sequence to the tracklisting of both discs, but again, plenty of variety of sound. So on CD 1, you’ll hear the noisy “Bugman” (from the 13 LP) after hard-chargin’ sports stadium smash (1997) hit “Song 2,” both of which come after the lovey-dovey “Blue Jeans.” And, the near disco-dance pop of (1994 album) Parklife standout “Girls And Boys” comes right after “Beetlebum.” Elsewhere, the celebratory and horns-filled (1995 album) Great Escape single “The Universal” appears directly after “Death Of A Party,” and the early shoegaze-ish sounds of (debut 1991 album) Leisure track “Sing” appears near disc’s end.
The gospel/soul pop of (1999 album) 13’s lead single “Tender” leads off Midlife CD 2, and is followed by the only other Leisure track on the compilation, the dreamy guitar pop of “She’s So High.” The once out-of-print 1992 single “Popscene,” which later made its way onto the 1993 album Modern Life Is Rubbish, also appears on CD 2, along with excellent choices like the electric/acoustic straight out rocker “Chemical World” and “Advert” from that same record.
In fact, if you count “Popscene,” five tracks from Modern Life appear on Midlife. Four tracks each from Parklife, Blur’s self-titled 1997 CD and follow-up 13 album are included, along with three each from The Great Escape and final album Think Tank, and two from Leisure.
Aside from its non-chronological track list, this new compilation has a couple of minor flaws worth noting. First of all, most of the selections are either no-brainers or smart choices by the band. But given the fact that Blur released a best-of in 2000 that featured 18 studio tracks – 10 of which are repeated on the new disc – plus 10 more live ones, at 25 tracks, Midlife could’ve used a few more tracks, deep album cuts in particular, like “Jubilee” or the exotic punk rockish “We’ve Got A File On You.”
Also, though it may mean something to the band (which also includes bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree), I don’t think most fans would view “Strange News From Another Star,” from the ’97 CD, as an essential Blur song. And though “Battery On Your Leg” has memorable dark and Cocteau Twins-esque guitar lines, Blur could’ve chosen somewhere else for it other than ending CD 2. Perhaps the loud ‘n’ fast guitar licks of ’97 self-titled standout “M.O.R.” could’ve both substituted for “Strange News” and closed this compilation out with a bang.
Alas, as the title of this collection suggests, Midlife is only an introduction to Blur. It is most likely geared towards newer fans who know Damon Albarn mainly from his post-Blur group Gorillaz, and perhaps for those only vaguely familiar with the Blur catalogue – which probably includes Gorillaz fans as well. Its release coincides with the band’s short-lived reunion tour, which took place over the summer, with shows in native England, Ireland and Scotland in June and July.
The band may or may not tour or record again anytime soon and go on another extended hiatus, but in the meantime, if you need a comprehensive course on Blur’s rich library of music, Midlife is the right two-disc collection for you, either on its own or as a complement to its best-of release from nine years ago.
This review was originally published in Blogcritics Magazine 9/12/09
Music Review: The New Up - Better Off EP
Note: Published originally 8/20/09 in Blogcritics Magazine
San Francisco’s The New Up is a quintet of alt-rock rockers that have quickly made a big impression on the indie rock world. Having recorded three EPs worth of music in 2008 - because albums are so yesterday – and releasing Broken Machine, the first of them last year and second one Better Off this week, the female-fronted group was recently picked as one of three finalists for MTV’s “Best Bay Area Breakout Awards.” The winner will be announced during the live broadcast of the annual MTV VMA’s on Sunday, September 13.
This is quite an accomplishment for a group with only a couple of EPs and one album out (2007’s Palace Of Industrial Hope).
They are led by ES Pitcher, a talented front woman and guitarist who has been compared to everyone from Chrissy Hynde and Metric’s Emily Haines to Gwen Stefani. I’m not sure about Stefani but certainly the Haines comparison is apt, especially on New Up tracks including “Top of The Stairs,” a power-popper from Broken Machine.
While that first EP was a fine first outing in this trilogy of EPs, the brand new Better Off EP shows a stronger sense of musical melody and vocal harmony than anything The New Up’s released in the past.
Opener “Dear Life,” with its crunchy power chords, rocks like a cross between The Pixies and a faster version of the refrain of Weezer’s beloved hit “Say It Ain’t So.” Only this hot track hits hard right from the get-go and features a flute and wah-wah-pedaled guitar in the bridge section that is purely The New Up. Bonus points for the cowbell in the choruses.
The title track of Broken Machine sees Pitcher singing of “taking chances.” But on the quintet’s latest, its willingness to diversify its sound is more conspicuous the deeper you go into the EP’s five tracks.
Better Off’s namesake shows off Drew Bertrand’s percussive skills, a little sitar and Hawk West’s ever melodious flute. But the sure-to-be showstopper of this release is third track “Bitch,” with its pinnacle being the mid-song bridge that features a steady, dance floor-ready beat followed by a Kirk Hammett-like guitar solo by lead guitarist Noah Reid. The hard rocking guitar riffs that set up the solo are as memorable as those on older New Up tracks like “Chewbacca’s Garden.” Reid also does well on vocals, joining Pitcher as co-lead vocalist, singing the lower harmonies while she handles the high ones.
Though not as instantly memorable as others on this EP, “F*** You Roger (Until Further Notice)”, with its hypnotic and psychedelic single note guitar lines and strong group vocal harmonies that end it, it’s still a great number that exemplifies how The New Up has not only grown as a band over the years but why they can’t be boxed into any particular genre. The New Up brings something different to the table not just with every release but with every new song.
Broken Machine had a relatively soft and lovely closing track called “Just Because” whose melancholic feel isn’t too dissimilar from fellow female-fronted San Francisco group Minipop’s “Precious.” On Better Off, The New Up again chose a chill-out track to close an EP. “Wait” reveals the group’s urban mid-western roots and charm, with ES Pitchers’s Chrissy Hynde-like vocal prowess soaring above dense piano chords and Hawk West’s serene flute lines truly standing out on this, the softest – and depending on your preference, weakest – number on the EP.
The New Up’s sound may recall familiar rockers from the past at first but after the EP is through, it will be clear as day to you The New Up is their own band, and getting better at what they do all the time.
In sum, Better Off is a versatile and mostly rockin’ EP. If you liked the first one (Broken Machine), you’ll definitely love this second one. The third EP in this trilogy will hit shelves in 2010. (4 stars)
For more on this buzz band, including a full stream of this EP and current tour information, check out thenewup.com or visit its Myspace page.
San Francisco’s The New Up is a quintet of alt-rock rockers that have quickly made a big impression on the indie rock world. Having recorded three EPs worth of music in 2008 - because albums are so yesterday – and releasing Broken Machine, the first of them last year and second one Better Off this week, the female-fronted group was recently picked as one of three finalists for MTV’s “Best Bay Area Breakout Awards.” The winner will be announced during the live broadcast of the annual MTV VMA’s on Sunday, September 13.
This is quite an accomplishment for a group with only a couple of EPs and one album out (2007’s Palace Of Industrial Hope).
They are led by ES Pitcher, a talented front woman and guitarist who has been compared to everyone from Chrissy Hynde and Metric’s Emily Haines to Gwen Stefani. I’m not sure about Stefani but certainly the Haines comparison is apt, especially on New Up tracks including “Top of The Stairs,” a power-popper from Broken Machine.
While that first EP was a fine first outing in this trilogy of EPs, the brand new Better Off EP shows a stronger sense of musical melody and vocal harmony than anything The New Up’s released in the past.
Opener “Dear Life,” with its crunchy power chords, rocks like a cross between The Pixies and a faster version of the refrain of Weezer’s beloved hit “Say It Ain’t So.” Only this hot track hits hard right from the get-go and features a flute and wah-wah-pedaled guitar in the bridge section that is purely The New Up. Bonus points for the cowbell in the choruses.
The title track of Broken Machine sees Pitcher singing of “taking chances.” But on the quintet’s latest, its willingness to diversify its sound is more conspicuous the deeper you go into the EP’s five tracks.
Better Off’s namesake shows off Drew Bertrand’s percussive skills, a little sitar and Hawk West’s ever melodious flute. But the sure-to-be showstopper of this release is third track “Bitch,” with its pinnacle being the mid-song bridge that features a steady, dance floor-ready beat followed by a Kirk Hammett-like guitar solo by lead guitarist Noah Reid. The hard rocking guitar riffs that set up the solo are as memorable as those on older New Up tracks like “Chewbacca’s Garden.” Reid also does well on vocals, joining Pitcher as co-lead vocalist, singing the lower harmonies while she handles the high ones.
Though not as instantly memorable as others on this EP, “F*** You Roger (Until Further Notice)”, with its hypnotic and psychedelic single note guitar lines and strong group vocal harmonies that end it, it’s still a great number that exemplifies how The New Up has not only grown as a band over the years but why they can’t be boxed into any particular genre. The New Up brings something different to the table not just with every release but with every new song.
Broken Machine had a relatively soft and lovely closing track called “Just Because” whose melancholic feel isn’t too dissimilar from fellow female-fronted San Francisco group Minipop’s “Precious.” On Better Off, The New Up again chose a chill-out track to close an EP. “Wait” reveals the group’s urban mid-western roots and charm, with ES Pitchers’s Chrissy Hynde-like vocal prowess soaring above dense piano chords and Hawk West’s serene flute lines truly standing out on this, the softest – and depending on your preference, weakest – number on the EP.
The New Up’s sound may recall familiar rockers from the past at first but after the EP is through, it will be clear as day to you The New Up is their own band, and getting better at what they do all the time.
In sum, Better Off is a versatile and mostly rockin’ EP. If you liked the first one (Broken Machine), you’ll definitely love this second one. The third EP in this trilogy will hit shelves in 2010. (4 stars)
For more on this buzz band, including a full stream of this EP and current tour information, check out thenewup.com or visit its Myspace page.
Music Review: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (Remastered, 2-CD Edition)
Ill Communication took on a whole new meaning when Adam Yauch (aka MCA) announced through a Youtube video post July 20 that he had a form of throat cancer that is localized in one area in the neck but which miraculously doesn’t affect his voice and is “very treatable.”
As a result, the Beasties have postponed all concert dates as well as the release of new album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1 until late in 2009. Yauch says he will be fine after surgery and radiation treatment. Here’s to hoping he does indeed make a full recovery.
Debut record Licensed To Ill introduced the world to the Beasties in the mid-‘80s but between 1989 and 1994, the young (and healthy) Beastie Boys departed from party rap-rock hero status and instead became ambitious, influential innovators of hip-hop. While the masterpiece and sample heaven of 1989 sophomore LP Paul’s Boutique was the trio’s artistic statement, the 1992 follow-up Check Your Head and 1994’s Ill Communication in particular solidified their coolness and success in hip-hop and alternative rock circles.
Originally released in May 1994, I.C. was well timed to be unloaded on the masses, as America (and the entire rock world) was still coping with the loss of Kurt Cobain over a month earlier. It rocked alternative rock radio (as well as MTV via the “Sabotage” video) and came out during a memorable year in rock that saw the rise of the likes of Weezer and Hole, the Smashing Pumpkins co-headline Lollapalooza (in place of Nirvana) with the Beasties, modern and classic rockers coalesce for Woodstock ‘94 and Pearl Jam take on Ticketmaster.
Produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (aka Mario C.) and remastered by the Boys and Chris Athens, Ill is a relentless and remarkable mixture of cutting edge and old-school style hip-hop, cop-show themed proto-metal (“Sabotage”), jazz-funk fusion and Buddhism-inspired soundscapes (“Bodhisattva Vow”). It is available to buy on vinyl, 2-CD and eco-friendly digital formats.
Early standout “Sure Shot,” with its bluesy looped flute is a freestyle joint which name drops Rod Carew and Caldato, among others. And in an instance of lyrical maturity not found in a lot of mainstream rap records out there, it features a call by MCA for “disrespect to women” to stop and an offer by him to respect all the “mothers” and “sisters” to the end. Of course, the Beasties themselves threw in some immature (though admittedly fun) lyrics into some of its early, classic cuts (i.e. “The New Style”) but here and elsewhere, are lyrically bold and clever without being classless.
With CYH and I.C. having been released closer together than any other two Beastie Boys studio albums, one would rightly think they share some common characteristics (besides being multi-platinum records). For one, the cowbell-dominant “Alright Hear This” and “The Scoop” from I.C. have the same distorted mic sound that worked so well on C.Y.H. hit “So What’cha Want.”
Number two, both LPs contain short, raw skate-punk cuts: I.C.’s rough and tough “Tough Guy” and “Heart Attack Man” aren’t too dissimilar from the prior album’s “Time For Livin.’” Even more important, both records also feature more organic sounds than the Beasties’ first two (‘80s) albums, via the multi-talented MCs’ ability to play their own instruments live and sample their own creations.
Also, where the Dust Brothers were the secret to the success of Paul’s Boutique, producer Mario C. and keyboardist “Money Mark” Nishita were unheralded significant contributors to the Beasties’ next two records, with the latter shining on hits including C.Y.H.’s “So What’cha Want” and Ill’s “Root Down.” And on Ill’s many instrumentals (i.e. “Sabrosa,” “Futterman’s Rule,” “Shambala”), session musicians like percussionist Eric Bobo and Nishita gel well alongside MCA on bass guitar/upright bass, Ad-Rock on guitar and Mike D on drums.
From the downloadable hour-long audio commentary the Beastie Boys recorded to accompany this remastered LP, you learn among other facts that the many sounds of “Root Down” were “chopped up” from just one record, and the group’s favorite loop on this album is the one that carries the ultra cool (and foul-mouthed) “Get It Together.” This bass and beat-heavy track, featuring A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, was one that could’ve fit just as well on a Tribe record as this one.
“Get It Together” may have an old-school feel to it, but with the four-man tag team trading rhymes back and forth here, it still sounds as fresh today as it did back in 1994. Speaking of old-school, friend of the Beasties Biz Markie cameos on the standout body movin’ track, “Do It.”
On the half hour-long bonus disc, you get rarities like a laugh-filled live acoustic version of “Heart Attack Man,” b-sides that should’ve been album cuts like the killer telephone signal-looped “Resolution Time” and “Dope Little Song.” And if they could have cleaned up the rough production of the rockin’ punk of “Mullet Head,” which features one of the first known uses of the term “mullet,” it too would’ve been a solid album track for this or any Beasties era.
There’s amusing but non-essential filler too, including “Atwater Basketball Association File No. 172-C,” which is just audio of the Boys playing an intense game of b-ball, a favorite pastime of theirs. But flaws like this are few and far between on this release.
Ill Communication was then, as it is now, a record full of the cool, crossover and kickass hip-hop you’ve come to expect from the NYC trio. As a re-issued set with a bonus disc of rare mixes and some golden b-sides, this essential collection of 32 tracks has even more gems now than you bargained for. All told, this LP was the Beasties’ third instant classic in three tries and listening to it all over again without hitting the skip button once only confirms that it was and still is one of the top hip-hop records of the 1990s.
(4 1/2 stars)
To get more info on the remastered Ill Communication, stream all 32 remastered tracks and download the Beasties’ recent audio commentary on the making of the album, visit this link.
Note: This review was originally published at the website of Blogcritics Magazine
As a result, the Beasties have postponed all concert dates as well as the release of new album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1 until late in 2009. Yauch says he will be fine after surgery and radiation treatment. Here’s to hoping he does indeed make a full recovery.
Debut record Licensed To Ill introduced the world to the Beasties in the mid-‘80s but between 1989 and 1994, the young (and healthy) Beastie Boys departed from party rap-rock hero status and instead became ambitious, influential innovators of hip-hop. While the masterpiece and sample heaven of 1989 sophomore LP Paul’s Boutique was the trio’s artistic statement, the 1992 follow-up Check Your Head and 1994’s Ill Communication in particular solidified their coolness and success in hip-hop and alternative rock circles.
Originally released in May 1994, I.C. was well timed to be unloaded on the masses, as America (and the entire rock world) was still coping with the loss of Kurt Cobain over a month earlier. It rocked alternative rock radio (as well as MTV via the “Sabotage” video) and came out during a memorable year in rock that saw the rise of the likes of Weezer and Hole, the Smashing Pumpkins co-headline Lollapalooza (in place of Nirvana) with the Beasties, modern and classic rockers coalesce for Woodstock ‘94 and Pearl Jam take on Ticketmaster.
Produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (aka Mario C.) and remastered by the Boys and Chris Athens, Ill is a relentless and remarkable mixture of cutting edge and old-school style hip-hop, cop-show themed proto-metal (“Sabotage”), jazz-funk fusion and Buddhism-inspired soundscapes (“Bodhisattva Vow”). It is available to buy on vinyl, 2-CD and eco-friendly digital formats.
Early standout “Sure Shot,” with its bluesy looped flute is a freestyle joint which name drops Rod Carew and Caldato, among others. And in an instance of lyrical maturity not found in a lot of mainstream rap records out there, it features a call by MCA for “disrespect to women” to stop and an offer by him to respect all the “mothers” and “sisters” to the end. Of course, the Beasties themselves threw in some immature (though admittedly fun) lyrics into some of its early, classic cuts (i.e. “The New Style”) but here and elsewhere, are lyrically bold and clever without being classless.
With CYH and I.C. having been released closer together than any other two Beastie Boys studio albums, one would rightly think they share some common characteristics (besides being multi-platinum records). For one, the cowbell-dominant “Alright Hear This” and “The Scoop” from I.C. have the same distorted mic sound that worked so well on C.Y.H. hit “So What’cha Want.”
Number two, both LPs contain short, raw skate-punk cuts: I.C.’s rough and tough “Tough Guy” and “Heart Attack Man” aren’t too dissimilar from the prior album’s “Time For Livin.’” Even more important, both records also feature more organic sounds than the Beasties’ first two (‘80s) albums, via the multi-talented MCs’ ability to play their own instruments live and sample their own creations.
Also, where the Dust Brothers were the secret to the success of Paul’s Boutique, producer Mario C. and keyboardist “Money Mark” Nishita were unheralded significant contributors to the Beasties’ next two records, with the latter shining on hits including C.Y.H.’s “So What’cha Want” and Ill’s “Root Down.” And on Ill’s many instrumentals (i.e. “Sabrosa,” “Futterman’s Rule,” “Shambala”), session musicians like percussionist Eric Bobo and Nishita gel well alongside MCA on bass guitar/upright bass, Ad-Rock on guitar and Mike D on drums.
From the downloadable hour-long audio commentary the Beastie Boys recorded to accompany this remastered LP, you learn among other facts that the many sounds of “Root Down” were “chopped up” from just one record, and the group’s favorite loop on this album is the one that carries the ultra cool (and foul-mouthed) “Get It Together.” This bass and beat-heavy track, featuring A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, was one that could’ve fit just as well on a Tribe record as this one.
“Get It Together” may have an old-school feel to it, but with the four-man tag team trading rhymes back and forth here, it still sounds as fresh today as it did back in 1994. Speaking of old-school, friend of the Beasties Biz Markie cameos on the standout body movin’ track, “Do It.”
On the half hour-long bonus disc, you get rarities like a laugh-filled live acoustic version of “Heart Attack Man,” b-sides that should’ve been album cuts like the killer telephone signal-looped “Resolution Time” and “Dope Little Song.” And if they could have cleaned up the rough production of the rockin’ punk of “Mullet Head,” which features one of the first known uses of the term “mullet,” it too would’ve been a solid album track for this or any Beasties era.
There’s amusing but non-essential filler too, including “Atwater Basketball Association File No. 172-C,” which is just audio of the Boys playing an intense game of b-ball, a favorite pastime of theirs. But flaws like this are few and far between on this release.
Ill Communication was then, as it is now, a record full of the cool, crossover and kickass hip-hop you’ve come to expect from the NYC trio. As a re-issued set with a bonus disc of rare mixes and some golden b-sides, this essential collection of 32 tracks has even more gems now than you bargained for. All told, this LP was the Beasties’ third instant classic in three tries and listening to it all over again without hitting the skip button once only confirms that it was and still is one of the top hip-hop records of the 1990s.
(4 1/2 stars)
To get more info on the remastered Ill Communication, stream all 32 remastered tracks and download the Beasties’ recent audio commentary on the making of the album, visit this link.
Note: This review was originally published at the website of Blogcritics Magazine
Product Review: Digitech HarmonyMan Intelligent Pitch Shifter Pedal
Note: Originally published in Blogcritics Magazine
Whether it’s the Whammy pedal or the GNX 3000, Digitech has a long history of designing quality floor pedals and boards, particularly ones that help take a guitarist’s sound to unforeseen levels (think Tom Morello). And while Digitech’s invention, the HarmonyMan carries over certain characteristics of Whammy pedals of old, this bright red box is a whole other beast.
Features
The HarmonyMan has four different types of pitch-shifting effects, all of which can be seen through alphanumeric displays above the “Voice 1” and “Voice 2” knobs: triad-centered (for three-part harmonies), scale-based (key harmonies), chromatic (or “fixed), and detune. The last of these four effects is a group of four distinct “detuned” chorus-like effects found at the end of the “Voice 1” or “Voice 2” knobs, which are used to select all harmonies. The four detuned/chorus choices are labeled “D1,” “D2,” “D3,” and “D4.”
It also contains a built-in guitar tuner (via holding down the left black footswitch, which doubles as the HM's on/off switch). The tuner uses seven LEDs at the pedal’s center and the “Voice 1” note display window above the “Voice 1” knob for accurate tuning. The pedal features four memory locations (via the pressing the black footswitch on its right side), viewed via four LEDS, and a “store” button to store your harmony presets to these memory locations. In all, the are 42 different voicings/effects in the pedal's Voice knobs, including 24 semitones.
Other features include the “musIQ” button (for key recognition), a “Mix” knob (which controls the mix between lead guitar and harmony effects), “Distortion Send/Return” loop (for stompboxes), “Harmony Key” display, and “Sidechain Input/thru” jacks (for a rhythm guitarist to be the chord recognition source).
Setup
Before trying out the HarmonyMan, I needed three quality instrument cables to connect my guitar to it, another floor pedal (for distortion, reverb) and an amplifier. Therefore, I plugged my Fender Stratocaster into the HM’s guitar “input” slot, then connected the “Left (mono)” output of the HM to the guitar input of my Digitech GNX3000 Multi Effects Pedal, then cabled the GNX’s “Left” balanced 1/4'' slot to one of the “Line In” channels on my Behringer KX1200 Keyboard/PA system. Of course, if you want just a clean signal, you can always plug the HM straight into an amp, using the “Left (Mono)” or “Right” outputs. On occasion, I connected my pedal to an old Marshall amp.
Performance
I was excited to try out the pedal for its ability to create triad-centered (a.k.a. three-part) harmonies. For those not theory-trained or who may need a quick refresher course, triads are created by hitting/fretting three notes: the root (the bottom or first note), the third (a major or minor sound), and the fifth (perfect/P5, diminished or augmented).
And the first foray into this territory, as well as all subsequent ones did not disappoint, no matter what setup I used. Since you the reader (and guitarist, presumably) do not have the pedal in front of you, keep in mind that there is only one way to create triad-based harmonies, and that is to use both the “Voice 1” and “Voice 2” knobs on the left side of the pedal.
For instance, turning the “Voice 1” knob to “5H” (a perfect fifth above the root note you are playing, plus that root note) and turning the "Voice 2" knob to "3L" (a major or minor third interval below the same root note you are playing) gives you three distinct notes, thus a three-part harmony/triad. As you play around the guitar neck using this setting, you’ll find yourself sounding a bit like Brian May of Queen (without having to double or triple the guitar parts yourself, of course) or the Allman Brothers. Talk about instant gratification.
One can still create the same kind of two-part harmonies found on Whammy pedals of old using one Voice knob at a time. But what makes the HarmonyMan different and powerful is its ability to recognize the chords and keys you are playing. The aforementioned black footswitch on the HM's right side can be pressed on while hitting any major or minor chord and when you let go of it, the circular display of all 24 major and minor keys, called the “Harmony Key,” will instantly and correctly light up the key you are playing the chord in.
This is highly impressive and indeed, it is where the “Intelligent” aspect of the pedal truly manifests itself.
Using the “musIQ” button on the right side is also smart, as it automatically figures out the scale and key you are playing in. One can use this feature when a second guitarist plugs into the “Sidechain” input/thru channels, so while he/she strums chords that the musIQ uses to identify the chord's key, you solo over but in key with that other guitarist. This full and loaded sound will definitely turn some heads.
With 42 different voicings, there’s a ton of creative possible harmony combinations guitarists can come up with. For example, though there are four distinct “detuned” effects here (from swirly-sounding to warbly), a basic chorus effect can be created instantly by turning both Voice 1 and Voice 2 knobs to the same pitch-shifting voice, whether they are both set to “5L,” “3H” or other voicings.
About the only slightly disappointing feature of this otherwise brilliant pedal is that one can only store up to four harmony presets at one time. With the many voicing combinations one can play around with using the two Voice knobs, storing four of them at a time seems a little small.
That said, playing guitar with this pedal, clean or distorted, is a trip. And the real-time left-side footswitch that turns the HarmonyMan on and off instantly is another plus, whether you want to flash your stored (or experimental) harmonies for seconds or several minutes at a time. So is the pedal’s realistic bass guitar replications (“2o,” as in two octaves below and “8L”). The high Whammy-like octave voicings can be a bit warbly but have high-class tone and accuracy.
Bottom line: Digitech’s HarmonyMan pedal, since it’s release last year can be purchased at a reasonable price these days (in the $300 range). But the creativity one can engage him or herself in using this pedal is priceless. Therefore, it is definitely a keeper.
For a quicker overview and demonstration of how the HarmonyMan pedal works, check out this video.
Whether it’s the Whammy pedal or the GNX 3000, Digitech has a long history of designing quality floor pedals and boards, particularly ones that help take a guitarist’s sound to unforeseen levels (think Tom Morello). And while Digitech’s invention, the HarmonyMan carries over certain characteristics of Whammy pedals of old, this bright red box is a whole other beast.
Features
The HarmonyMan has four different types of pitch-shifting effects, all of which can be seen through alphanumeric displays above the “Voice 1” and “Voice 2” knobs: triad-centered (for three-part harmonies), scale-based (key harmonies), chromatic (or “fixed), and detune. The last of these four effects is a group of four distinct “detuned” chorus-like effects found at the end of the “Voice 1” or “Voice 2” knobs, which are used to select all harmonies. The four detuned/chorus choices are labeled “D1,” “D2,” “D3,” and “D4.”
It also contains a built-in guitar tuner (via holding down the left black footswitch, which doubles as the HM's on/off switch). The tuner uses seven LEDs at the pedal’s center and the “Voice 1” note display window above the “Voice 1” knob for accurate tuning. The pedal features four memory locations (via the pressing the black footswitch on its right side), viewed via four LEDS, and a “store” button to store your harmony presets to these memory locations. In all, the are 42 different voicings/effects in the pedal's Voice knobs, including 24 semitones.
Other features include the “musIQ” button (for key recognition), a “Mix” knob (which controls the mix between lead guitar and harmony effects), “Distortion Send/Return” loop (for stompboxes), “Harmony Key” display, and “Sidechain Input/thru” jacks (for a rhythm guitarist to be the chord recognition source).
Setup
Before trying out the HarmonyMan, I needed three quality instrument cables to connect my guitar to it, another floor pedal (for distortion, reverb) and an amplifier. Therefore, I plugged my Fender Stratocaster into the HM’s guitar “input” slot, then connected the “Left (mono)” output of the HM to the guitar input of my Digitech GNX3000 Multi Effects Pedal, then cabled the GNX’s “Left” balanced 1/4'' slot to one of the “Line In” channels on my Behringer KX1200 Keyboard/PA system. Of course, if you want just a clean signal, you can always plug the HM straight into an amp, using the “Left (Mono)” or “Right” outputs. On occasion, I connected my pedal to an old Marshall amp.
Performance
I was excited to try out the pedal for its ability to create triad-centered (a.k.a. three-part) harmonies. For those not theory-trained or who may need a quick refresher course, triads are created by hitting/fretting three notes: the root (the bottom or first note), the third (a major or minor sound), and the fifth (perfect/P5, diminished or augmented).
And the first foray into this territory, as well as all subsequent ones did not disappoint, no matter what setup I used. Since you the reader (and guitarist, presumably) do not have the pedal in front of you, keep in mind that there is only one way to create triad-based harmonies, and that is to use both the “Voice 1” and “Voice 2” knobs on the left side of the pedal.
For instance, turning the “Voice 1” knob to “5H” (a perfect fifth above the root note you are playing, plus that root note) and turning the "Voice 2" knob to "3L" (a major or minor third interval below the same root note you are playing) gives you three distinct notes, thus a three-part harmony/triad. As you play around the guitar neck using this setting, you’ll find yourself sounding a bit like Brian May of Queen (without having to double or triple the guitar parts yourself, of course) or the Allman Brothers. Talk about instant gratification.
One can still create the same kind of two-part harmonies found on Whammy pedals of old using one Voice knob at a time. But what makes the HarmonyMan different and powerful is its ability to recognize the chords and keys you are playing. The aforementioned black footswitch on the HM's right side can be pressed on while hitting any major or minor chord and when you let go of it, the circular display of all 24 major and minor keys, called the “Harmony Key,” will instantly and correctly light up the key you are playing the chord in.
This is highly impressive and indeed, it is where the “Intelligent” aspect of the pedal truly manifests itself.
Using the “musIQ” button on the right side is also smart, as it automatically figures out the scale and key you are playing in. One can use this feature when a second guitarist plugs into the “Sidechain” input/thru channels, so while he/she strums chords that the musIQ uses to identify the chord's key, you solo over but in key with that other guitarist. This full and loaded sound will definitely turn some heads.
With 42 different voicings, there’s a ton of creative possible harmony combinations guitarists can come up with. For example, though there are four distinct “detuned” effects here (from swirly-sounding to warbly), a basic chorus effect can be created instantly by turning both Voice 1 and Voice 2 knobs to the same pitch-shifting voice, whether they are both set to “5L,” “3H” or other voicings.
About the only slightly disappointing feature of this otherwise brilliant pedal is that one can only store up to four harmony presets at one time. With the many voicing combinations one can play around with using the two Voice knobs, storing four of them at a time seems a little small.
That said, playing guitar with this pedal, clean or distorted, is a trip. And the real-time left-side footswitch that turns the HarmonyMan on and off instantly is another plus, whether you want to flash your stored (or experimental) harmonies for seconds or several minutes at a time. So is the pedal’s realistic bass guitar replications (“2o,” as in two octaves below and “8L”). The high Whammy-like octave voicings can be a bit warbly but have high-class tone and accuracy.
Bottom line: Digitech’s HarmonyMan pedal, since it’s release last year can be purchased at a reasonable price these days (in the $300 range). But the creativity one can engage him or herself in using this pedal is priceless. Therefore, it is definitely a keeper.
For a quicker overview and demonstration of how the HarmonyMan pedal works, check out this video.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Music Review: Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Please note that this review was initially posted on the website of Blogcritics Magazine 5/27/09
After touring their collective butts off for over three years behind debut EP Pikul (2005) and the ensuing debut record Carnavas (2006), Los Angeles foursome Silversun Pickups found themselves being rewarded with critical praise, a couple of hit singles and an expanding fan base drawn to its rocking yet atmospheric dream pop sound.
For a band with only a couple of EPs and records out, Silversun Pickups have already mastered the art of studio recording and production, with the help of Dave Cooley and mixer Tony Hoffer. Their Carnavas songs had a healthy amount of depth and repeat-worthy material (“Rusted Wheel,” “Three Seed,” and “Lazy Eye” being among them). The same team of musicians and producers helmed its follow-up Swoon (Dangerbird Records). Although there is arguably more layers of sound on the new album, the difference between it and the first record is that this new effort is just a few truly captivating songs short of being a truly great record.
Before the review itself goes any further, setting the record straight is in order here. SSPU may use Siamese Dream-like levels of distortion and fuzz on their records, but comparisons to the Smashing Pumpkins are overstated and in fact, should be minimal. Bandleader Brian Aubert is flattered by the comparison but has told the media over the last couple of years (myself included) he never really understood it and didn’t listen to early Pumpkins material until well after Carnavas garnered critical praise and was made aware of such a comparison.
The band is instead more influenced by the master of over-distorted guitars Kevin Shields/My Bloody Valentine, along with Secret Machines and Sonic Youth. FYI, one of the main reasons Siamese Dream has the overloaded guitar sound it has is because the Pumpkins dug MBV and its mixer Alan Moulder so much they hired him to mix the now classic alternative rock record.
Thus, anyone who still insists SSPU are or were influenced by the Pumpkins frankly has no idea what they are talking about. Carnavas never truly did sound like Siamese Dream. It just so happens that this group has brief similarities to the Windy City alt-rock legends here and there – “Lazy Eye” at times perhaps has a tiny weenie bit of “Quiet” in it.
Likewise, Silversun Pickups’ new album has maybe just one Pumpkins-esque song as well, the opener “There’s No Secrets This Year,” which has chord progressions mid-song that sound like a sped-up version of the early Billy Corgan/James Iha b-side "Plume." Other than that, it’s hard to pick up other obvious influences on the record, though thick, Kevin Shields-type guitars can still be heard at times, as on album closer "Surrounded (Or Spiraling)".
Swoon’s best moments are when it gets a little epic, a little sassy, or aggressively heavy. Where “Draining” exemplifies the group’s newfound grand ambition, with its delicate and dark guitars that contrast with bright strings, “It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone” represents SSPU’s sexy side (particularly when bassist Nikki Monninger takes the mic). The betrayal-themed “There’s No Secrets This Year,” fuzzed-up loud rocker “Panic Switch,” and the crunchiest parts of “Substitution” represent the best of its heavy material. Speaking of “Substitution,” one of the many tracks that alternate between the light and the heavy, its lighter parts lead you to believe this could be seen as the peppy sequel to Carnavas track “Three Seed.”
Overall, there are no turn-offs or unlistenable tracks on Swoon, just a few songs that test your patience as you wait for the big, loud and fuzzy payoff. The fearless “Growing Old Is Getting Old,” which sees Aubert singing with a pre-pubescent-sounding tenor, is one such track.
All of the subtle and sonic elements of Carnavas are still present here (courtesy of keyboardist Joe Lester). What there is less of on this album is the shoegaze-like material of its earlier work. It instead has a mix of soft and loud guitars with lots of strings weaving above and below them – at least half of Swoon’s ten tracks contain some level of strings. Still, the music here is quite dramatic and dynamic, just not quite as dark as in the past.
Swoon is not exactly SSPU’s answer to The Verve’s Urban Hymns but the heavy amount of strings on this album makes you wonder what direction SSPU is going in. It’s their own sound for sure (despite the influences you may hear), one which could be categorized as soft-to-loud ‘n’ heavy chamber or dream pop. Whatever you want to call it, Swoon is a fine follow-up to Carnavas and the band itself is still exciting to follow. [4 stars]
Key tracks: “There’s No Secrets This Year,” “Substitution,” “Sort Of,” “Panic Switch,” “It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone.”
For tour and other Silversun Pickups info, click here.
After touring their collective butts off for over three years behind debut EP Pikul (2005) and the ensuing debut record Carnavas (2006), Los Angeles foursome Silversun Pickups found themselves being rewarded with critical praise, a couple of hit singles and an expanding fan base drawn to its rocking yet atmospheric dream pop sound.
For a band with only a couple of EPs and records out, Silversun Pickups have already mastered the art of studio recording and production, with the help of Dave Cooley and mixer Tony Hoffer. Their Carnavas songs had a healthy amount of depth and repeat-worthy material (“Rusted Wheel,” “Three Seed,” and “Lazy Eye” being among them). The same team of musicians and producers helmed its follow-up Swoon (Dangerbird Records). Although there is arguably more layers of sound on the new album, the difference between it and the first record is that this new effort is just a few truly captivating songs short of being a truly great record.
Before the review itself goes any further, setting the record straight is in order here. SSPU may use Siamese Dream-like levels of distortion and fuzz on their records, but comparisons to the Smashing Pumpkins are overstated and in fact, should be minimal. Bandleader Brian Aubert is flattered by the comparison but has told the media over the last couple of years (myself included) he never really understood it and didn’t listen to early Pumpkins material until well after Carnavas garnered critical praise and was made aware of such a comparison.
The band is instead more influenced by the master of over-distorted guitars Kevin Shields/My Bloody Valentine, along with Secret Machines and Sonic Youth. FYI, one of the main reasons Siamese Dream has the overloaded guitar sound it has is because the Pumpkins dug MBV and its mixer Alan Moulder so much they hired him to mix the now classic alternative rock record.
Thus, anyone who still insists SSPU are or were influenced by the Pumpkins frankly has no idea what they are talking about. Carnavas never truly did sound like Siamese Dream. It just so happens that this group has brief similarities to the Windy City alt-rock legends here and there – “Lazy Eye” at times perhaps has a tiny weenie bit of “Quiet” in it.
Likewise, Silversun Pickups’ new album has maybe just one Pumpkins-esque song as well, the opener “There’s No Secrets This Year,” which has chord progressions mid-song that sound like a sped-up version of the early Billy Corgan/James Iha b-side "Plume." Other than that, it’s hard to pick up other obvious influences on the record, though thick, Kevin Shields-type guitars can still be heard at times, as on album closer "Surrounded (Or Spiraling)".
Swoon’s best moments are when it gets a little epic, a little sassy, or aggressively heavy. Where “Draining” exemplifies the group’s newfound grand ambition, with its delicate and dark guitars that contrast with bright strings, “It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone” represents SSPU’s sexy side (particularly when bassist Nikki Monninger takes the mic). The betrayal-themed “There’s No Secrets This Year,” fuzzed-up loud rocker “Panic Switch,” and the crunchiest parts of “Substitution” represent the best of its heavy material. Speaking of “Substitution,” one of the many tracks that alternate between the light and the heavy, its lighter parts lead you to believe this could be seen as the peppy sequel to Carnavas track “Three Seed.”
Overall, there are no turn-offs or unlistenable tracks on Swoon, just a few songs that test your patience as you wait for the big, loud and fuzzy payoff. The fearless “Growing Old Is Getting Old,” which sees Aubert singing with a pre-pubescent-sounding tenor, is one such track.
All of the subtle and sonic elements of Carnavas are still present here (courtesy of keyboardist Joe Lester). What there is less of on this album is the shoegaze-like material of its earlier work. It instead has a mix of soft and loud guitars with lots of strings weaving above and below them – at least half of Swoon’s ten tracks contain some level of strings. Still, the music here is quite dramatic and dynamic, just not quite as dark as in the past.
Swoon is not exactly SSPU’s answer to The Verve’s Urban Hymns but the heavy amount of strings on this album makes you wonder what direction SSPU is going in. It’s their own sound for sure (despite the influences you may hear), one which could be categorized as soft-to-loud ‘n’ heavy chamber or dream pop. Whatever you want to call it, Swoon is a fine follow-up to Carnavas and the band itself is still exciting to follow. [4 stars]
Key tracks: “There’s No Secrets This Year,” “Substitution,” “Sort Of,” “Panic Switch,” “It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone.”
For tour and other Silversun Pickups info, click here.
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