Music Commentary--Creative Writing--Cultural Hilarity





"What if there are no cries of anguish to be heard? Who is prepared to take arms against a sea of amusements? To whom do we complain, and when, and in what tone of voice, when serious discourse dissolves into giggles?"--Neil Postman






Thursday, December 27, 2012

Top 20 Records of 2012

 
My 20 favorite records of 2012 ...
 
 
20. Tindersticks, The Something Rain
 
A beautiful, haunting record from a well-established act from Nottingham ... soulful horns meet tragi-comic lyrics and atmospheric, choral vocals
 
 
 
19. Kendrick Lamar, good KID, m. A. A. d. city
 
An epic deconstruction of gangsta rap from a 25-year old young man from Compton ... tuneful and thought-provoking
 
 
 
18. Neneh Cherry & The Thing, The Cherry Thing
 
Avant-garde jazz and soulful pop coexist as if they were met for each other all along ... Neneh Cherry and experimental jazz trio The Thing cover everyone from Suicide to MF Doom.
 
 


17. Divine Fits, A Thing Called Divine Fits
 
Spoon's Britt Daniel and Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handome Furs give us a collection of fun, synth-heavy tunes that combine melody and groove in equal measure
 
 
16. Kishi Bashi, 151a
 
of Montreal's violin player proves that he can write catchy, thoughtful songs built upon looped layers of strings and vocals
 



 
15. Hospitality, Hospitality
 
This debut from the New York-based indie band focuses on the post-college problems of urban liberal arts majors
 
 
14. Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls
 
Dang! ... Brittany Howard can really sing. This "revivalist" group really has the classic Muscle Shoals sound down ... inspirational songs about just holding on
 
 
13. Tame Impala, Lonerism
 
Australian Kevin Parker tries really hard to sound like John Lennon ... and succeeds! ... Tame Impala gives us an instantly classic psychedelic pop/rock record about life on the outside looking in.
 
 
12. Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes
 
Producer Stephen Ellison does jazz-inflected electronica better than almost anyone ... a post-apocalyptic vision of a machine-driven world never sounded so beautiful
 
 
11. Wild Nothing, Nocturne
 
Lots of bands did the 80s this year ... Wild Nothing does it best ... Opening track "Shadow" is a particularly profound single
 
 
10. Jack White, Blunderbuss
 
Jack White defies all expectations in the post-Meg era. Blunderbuss is a multifaceted, playful look at heartbreak. There's more folk and Vaudeville than guitar-driven rock. It's all good, though.
 
 
9. The Men, Open Your Heart
 
The Men do blues, folk and country all through the lens of garage rock. It's a goofy, messy mixture that's somewhat hard to resist.
 
 
8. Chromatics, Kill For Love
 
This record has been called an unofficial soundtrack for the movie Drive so often that it's become a cliche. Nevertheless, this dreamy, synthy record invokes images of dark nights and foggy drives.
 
7. Vijay Iyer Trio, Accelerando
 
2012 was a superb year for jazz records, and this just might be the best. A serious cover of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" sits beside edgy, complex original compositions that never lose their sense of melody and forward motion.
 
 
6. Punch Brothers, Who's Feeling Young Now?
 
Mandolinist Chris Thile's brilliance as a musician has never been in question. On his latest effort with Punch Brothers, though, he shows off his much-improved songwriting chops. For once, the thoughtful songs are as memorable as the hot licks.
 
 
5. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
 
Frank Ocean is undoubtedly the most hyped artist of 2012. He deserves all the praise he's getting. Ocean comments upon distinctively postmodern problems with the grace and dexterity of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.










 
4. The Mountain Goats, Transcendental Youth
 
Is anyone in the music business today as simultaneously prolific and profound as John Darnielle? The singer-songwriter's latest effort focuses on down-and-out characters like drug addicts and petty criminals who project a highly universal quality.
 
 
3. Cloud Nothings, Attack On Memory
 
Dylan Baldi creates aggressive odes to 90s angst ... the perfect soundtrack for anyone who has hoped, at one time or another, to be more than they think they are.
 
2. Japandroids, Celebration Rock
 
This Vancouver drums-guitar duo avoids the sophomore slumps with an album about being thirty and realizing you're not twenty anymore ... equally celebratory and heartbreaking.
 
 
1. The Walkmen, Heaven
 
Is it possible for a brooding indie-rock band to make an authentic record about raising kids and owning a house and being in a long-term relationship? The answer is "yes" if we're talking about The Walkmen. Heaven features odes to"the good years" and reminders about "what we fight for," but a dark undercurrent lurks below this positive surface. This record is as intriguingly complex as the people that made it.
 
I encourage you to check out the end-of-year lists from Spectrum Culture and PopMatters, both of which I contributed to.
 
Happy holidays and such!


Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Not 27


A "found poem" containing lyrics from some of my favorite songs of 2012

We’re behaving like teenagers
Making less than minimum wage,
Jumping in front of trains all day.

We mosh for enlightenment,
Telling each other what nobody knows
after three or four Old Fashions.
Washing off last night’s troubles
in clean white shirts.

Every time we write our lives in disappearing ink,
It becomes taboo.
Every time we take pictures with our phones,
It turns out right.

Once, you said, “you’re going to like this”
in a dark room.
I can’t remember if you liked what I said.
But I woke up at noon,
missing someone I don’t know.


by Jake Adams

Monday, December 24, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Divine Fits/Cold Cave Concert Review


Divine Fits put on a great show in Chicago. Here's my review for Spectrum Culture. 

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Donald Fagen, Sunken Condos


Donald Fagen of Steely Dan fame gets funkyish on his latest solo LP. Here's my review at Spectrum Culture. 

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Paul Banks, Banks


Remember that band Interpol? Here's my Spectrum Culture review of lead singer Paul Bank's solo debut effort. 

Friday, December 21, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Ellie Goulding, Halcyon


New on Spectrum Culture, my review of pop star Ellie Goulding's latest effort. 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Earlimart, System Preferences


New on Spectrum Culture, my review of the latest record from indie band Earlimart. 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Memory Tapes, Grace/Confusion


New on Spectrum Culture, my review of the new LP from chillwave master Memory Tapes. 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Capital by John Lanchester


New on Spectrum Culture, my review of an excellent novel by John Lanchester called Capital

Monday, December 17, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Deftones, Koi No Yokan


New at Spectrum Culture, my review of the latest in a long series of records by nu-metal band Deftones.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

A Clean Way to Talk Dirty


We were never exactly pure animation.

Each time we touched,
Fidgeting in the off-kilter moonlight,
We took road trips ending
at dilapidated Disneylands,
Calling each other’s ex-lovers
some mornings before breakfast.

We watched spontaneous explosions
on Saturday morning cartoons,
Thinking long and hard
about the way flirtatious vampires
wear sunglasses in Victorian England,
joking that no one ever really goes home again.

It’s funny how a room with the lights out
Can remind us of permanent Halloween masks,

How we still get nostalgic about
the way blood drips from an I.V.

Alaskan summers have nothing on us. 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Psychedelic Pill Record Review

 
 
Neil Young has neither burned out nor faded away yet. His latest LP with Crazy Horse is one of his best in a while. I review this fascinating, slightly profound album at Spectrum Culture:
 
If anyone has earned the right to ask his listeners to sit through a 90-minute, two-disc album consisting of only eight songs, it’s the 66-year-old Neil Young. The Canadian singer-songwriter’s music has alternated between sublimely beautiful (see After the Gold Rush and Tonight’s the Night) and maddeningly bizarre (see Trans and Everybody’s Rockin’). Through it all–the unambiguous masterpieces and the oddball career moves–Young has remained resolutely himself, a philosopher, a poet, a musician and a sometimes absurdist comic in equal measure. With his 35th studio effort, his first album of original songs with Crazy Horse since 2003’s Greendale, Young has made a contemplative, self-reflective work, one that looks simultaneously backward at the long, storied road in the rearview mirror and forward to the challenges of living in the world of 2012. Psychedelic Pill might just be Young’s Old Man and the Sea, a summation of the principal sounds and themes of the artist’s career, albeit one that challenges the audience with its emotional immediacy and uncompromising vision.
Click here to read the rest.


Spectrum Culture: Divine Fits Concert Review




Divine Fits gave an awesome live show in Chicago a couple weeks ago. Their debut LP A Thing Called Divine Fits is pretty amazing as well. Click here to read my report at Spectrum Culture.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Spectrum Culture Roundup

 
I have been quite busy at Spectrum Culture these days. So much so that I haven't even had time to post links to all of my reviews, features, etc. So, here are just a few of the highlights from the past few weeks:
  • My review of newish British indie-rock band Alt-J's debut LP. Most people seem to either love 'em or hate 'em. I lean towards the former category.
  • Coverage of Brookly-based indie-pop band Hospitality's fun show at Chicago's Schubas. They sing a lot about the problems of post-graduate liberal arts majors. Something I relate to ... believe it or not.
  • My review of a pretty decent new book about why The Beatles' Revolver is the most influential, most accomplished Fab Four record, not the overrated Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
  • My take on one of my favorite records of the year, The Mountain Goats' Transcendental Youth. Listening to this collection of twisted tales about drug dealers and losers is guaranteed to brighten up your day. I mean that.
  • My review of a disc I was a bit lukewarm about, the new one from the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. I mean not everyone can be Japandroids or Cloud Nothings, right?
  • A review of a book I truly enjoyed, one that made me revisit the music of a band I have always had the upmost respect for. The Velvet Underground are more than just a banana on a cover. Author Rob Javanovic demystifies it all. By the way, check out the Velvets' 3rd LP if you haven't. A true masterpiece ... especialy Side One.
  • An admittedly personal take on Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow, as part of the Revisit/Rediscover series.
  • My coverage of another very good, slightly profound, show at Chicago's Schubas, of Montreal member Kishi Bashi with the Connecticut-based folk-rockers The Last Bison. It was elevating.
  • My noble attempt to say something new about the new Bob Dylan record.
  • My review of an interesting book about one of the most important records of all time. Producer Ken Caillat tells us what really happened during the making of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.
Dang! I've been working harder than I even thought. I don't know about you, but I need a break. Happy reading!
 
 
 


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Signs and Stars


Like anyone,

I don’t suspect

We’ll live through this.

 
Left with

just enough hope

to build bridges                              

out of wood chips 

 
It turns out

The wind itself

is the greatest detriment

to freewill

 
We are pulled

like orchard apples

 
We are sung by

Auto-Tuned pop stars

in padded rooms

 
We want to turn out

to not be  blades of  grass

scorched on cloudless afternoons

in the suburbs

 
The sky erases

all understanding.
 
 
By: Jake Adams

Monday, August 13, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Woody at 100: The Centennial Collection



Woody Guthrie is still as relevant as ever, and this collection is a good introduction to his work. I review it on Spectrum Culture:
Singing along with Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” is a childhood memory for such a large percentage of American adults that it’s almost a cliché to mention it in a discussion of Smithsonian Folkways’ new collection of archival Guthrie recordings. The anthology gives us the “standard” version of the American classic, the one that so many schoolchildren have internalized alongside “The Star-Spangled Banner” and The Pledge of Allegiance. But, we also hear the “alternative” version, the one that, unremarkably, isn’t taught in schools. We get that extra verse, the one fraught with ambiguity, anger and optimism, the one that sums up what makes Guthrie Guthrie and why he still resonates so strongly 100 years after his birth. Near the end of this alternate rendition, Guthrie sings, “There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me/ Sign was painted, it said private property/ But on the back side it didn’t say nothing/ This land was made for you and me.”

Click here to read more.




Friday, August 10, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Espen Eriksen Trio, What Took You So Long?


New on Spectrum Culture, I review underrated Norwegian jazz group Espen Eriksen Trio:

It’s fair to say that the piano trio format is alive and well on the contemporary music scene. Browse the “new music” section of your local jazz record store—if you’re fortunate enough to live in one of the few cities that has one—and you’ll find discs from the likes of the Bad Plus, Jason Moran and the Vijay Iyer Trio, all vital, forward-thinking artists who mix together the styles of such masters of the format as Red Garland, Bill Evans and Chick Corea with rock ‘n’ roll attitude and occasional covers of both underground and mainstream pop tunes. College kids from Toronto have even interpreted Tyler, the Creator and Kanye West through the trio lens, under the self-deprecating name BADBADNOTGOOD. All of this to say that the North American jazz market is somewhat saturated these days with gifted, energetic 21st-century trios.

Read more here.





Thursday, August 9, 2012

Spectrum Culture: We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash



New on Spectrum Culture, I review a pretty nifty Johnny Cash tribute DVD/CD:

Calling Johnny Cash a “country singer” is as limiting as labeling Miles Davis a “jazz trumpeter” or the Rolling Stones a “rock ‘n’ roll band.” Cash’s music, uncompromisingly accessible yet subtly sophisticated, has an almost universal appeal. His legions of fans extend far beyond those who typically gravitate towards country music. His life, imbued with darkness and light, tragedy and triumph, earthly struggles and spiritual longings, has inspired and fascinated people from all walks of life.
Click here to read more.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Respiration and Revelation


There are only so many ways to be alone.

A perverse sort of pleasure holds each solitary breath hostage,

As if anything—up to and including the silence under my own skin—

Could replace raindrops melting on our backs,

Half-lines whispered in tentative candlelight,

Or second-hand hip-hop played

In another’s used kitchen.

Who can face the impossible future, quietly, comfortably,

By one’s self?


By: Jake Adams

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Monthly Mixtape July 2012



New on Spectrum Culture, our monthly mixtape. I contribute a blurb on a tune from Neneh Cherry & The Thing's steallar new record. Click here to read/listen.

Monday, August 6, 2012

PopMatters: Top 10 Performances of American Standards from Miles Davis Records



New on PopMatters, I consider the top 10 performances of American Standards from Miles Davis Records:
Jazz musicians have long been taking the popular tunes of their day and revamping them for their own purposes. The tradition of covering “standards” began near the dawn of jazz and continues to this day. Groups like the Bad Plus and the Vijay Iyer Trio shape the pop songs of the last couple generations (i.e. Nirvana, Michael Jackson, the Pixies, etc.) into their own improvisational mini-masterpieces.
Click here to continue reading.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Playlist: Midway 2012


Yeah, so this playlist has nothing to do with a famous battle or Chicagoland's second airport. It does have to do with the year in music, though. I'm late to the game posting my favorite records of the year so far and, frankly, I find the enterprise a bit tedious. This is a good list to check out, if you're into such things. 

But, I'm all about trying to spread the word on some of the year's best music. So, here's a playlist of some of my favorite songs of the year so far. This is by no means comprehensive. I choose 25 songs, but I could have easily chosen 100 more. I tried to represent the diversity of musical styles/artists I have loved this year, though that's never an easy task. There's obviously a ton of music I haven't heard yet, and the year is only a little more than half over. So, happy listening and all that.  

If you have Spotify, you can click here to hear all the songs.

1. "We Can't Be Beat," The Walkmen from Heaven
2. "Candy," The Men from Open Your Heart
3. "Give Out," Sharon Van Etten from Tramp
4. "2B2," Lambchop from Mr. M
5. "Love Interruption," Jack White from Blunderbuss
6. "Little Brother," Tallest Man on Earth from There's No Leaving Now
7. "You Ain't Alone," Alabama Shakes from Boys & Girls
8. "Sambo Joe From the Rainbow," Willis Earl Beal from Acousmatic Sorcery
9. "Show Me Everything," Tindersticks from The Something Rain
10. "Every Single Night," Fiona Apple from The Idler Wheel ...
11. "Cashback," Neneh Cherry & The Thing from The Cherry Thing
12. "God," THEESatisfaction from awE naturalE
13. "Freddie Freeloader," Chano Dominguez from Flamenco Sketches
14. "Saint Nothing," Daniel Rossen from Silent Hour/Golden Mile
15. "Pink Matter," Frank Ocean and Andre 3000 from Channel Orange
16. "Movement and Location," Punch Brothers from Who's Feeling Young Now?
17. "Myth," Beach House from Bloom
18. "Eigth Avenue," Hospitality from Hospitality
19. "No Future," Craig Finn from Clear Heart Full Eyes
20. "I Bought My Eyes," Ty Segal Band from Slaugherhouse
21. "Fall In," Cloud Nothings from Attack On Memory
22. "Younger Us," Japandroids from Celebration Rock
23. "Take a Walk," Passion Pit from Gossamer
24. "The Full Retard," El-P from Cancer 4 Cure
25. "Last Land," John Talabot from Fin

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Spectrum Culture: POP ETC, POP ETC


New on Spectrum Culture, I consider the "debut" album by POP ETC (formerly known as Morning Benders). It's really a pretty awful record:

San Francisco indie outfit The Morning Benders recorded two very excellent records, the low-fi, folky Talking Through Tin Cans and the bigger, more psychedelic Big Echo. The band found out that their name has derogatory homophobic connotations in parts of the U.K. and didn’t want the meaning of “Morning Benders” to be misconstrued. The group, now consisting of bandleader Chris Chu, his brother Jon Chu and Julian Harmon, has transformed itself into POP ETC. It would be wonderful to report that the change is basically in name only, that the band has continued their streak of creative, authentic indie-pop. Instead, the outfit’s self-titled “debut” has fundamentally nothing in common with those earlier releases. POP ETC is an unabashed attempt to pander to all that is superficial and trite in contemporary, radio-friendly pop music. It’s a rather dismal, exasperating record to listen to. 
Click here to read more.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Mini-Record Review: Sleigh Bells, Reign of Terror


The blood-stained Keds shoes on the album cover pretty much say it all. Sleigh Bells, the duo of Alexis Krauss and Derek E. Miller, made a name for themselves a couple years ago with their loud, loud debut Treats, a record on which clipping was held up not as an unwanted byproduct of bad mixing or mastering but rather a sonic goal in and of itself. Their sophomore effort Reign of Terror is just as loud, though the ferociousness of the metal-inspired hooks (think AC/DC and Def Leppard here) is tempered with some emotionally stirring, empathetic lyrics about suicide and death.

Back to those Keds on the cover … You see, Treats was derided and/or praised by many as a “cheerleader album.” The goal was to chant simple, often anti-melodic phrases over and over again on top of crunchy power chords. I suppose you could consider Reign of Terror a “cheerleader album” as well, if your squad is chanting about really dark stuff. Personally, I find the odd juxtapositions a little disconcerting, though I guess that is the desired effect. I haven’t quite found myself in the emotional territory this record is aiming to capture. I love a good dark emo album as much as anyone (the new Cloud Nothings ventures into that territory). I liked the peppiness and the naïve superficiality of Sleigh Bells’ debut release. I’m just not sure what to feel when I’m listening to this one.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Concert Review: Iceage/Milk Music/Skrapyard/Ooze





New on Spectrum Culture:

I went to a punk show in Wicker, Park Chicago featuring the bands Iceage, Milk Music, Skrapyard, and Ooze. Here's my report:

http://spectrumculture.com/2012/07/concert-review-iceagemilk-musicskrapyardooze.html/

Thursday, July 26, 2012

New Trax: Fort Frances, "Summertime"


So, it's really freaking hot throughout most of the U.S. right now. Nothing says hot, scorching summer like Will Smith and DJ Jazzy's 1991 hit "Summertime," right? Well, I bet you haven't heard it quite like this. Fort Frances, a most excellent indieish/folkish band from Chicago, has given us a creative, fun cover of the beloved classic. You can stream and/or download the tune below via Soundcloud.

By the way, if you haven't heard much of Fort Frances' music, check it out as soon as possible. You won't regret it.



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Spectrum Culture: DIIV, Oshin


Beach-pop, or post-rock? Either way, DIVV'S debut LP is okay. My review, new at Spectrum Culture:
DIIV’s debut record, Oshin, is a perfectly fine piece of introspective, beach-combing dream-pop, the kind that tends to hit hard during this hot summer season. The record thrives on the strength of its melodic, atmospheric guitar riffs. In fact, DIIV might best be understood as a primarily instrumental band, one that is influenced as much by post-rock as dream-pop. Several tunes contain long vamps with melodious guitars played over one or two simple chords. Songs like “Past Lives” and “Follow” are memorable primarily because of their striking lead guitar lines, just as beautiful and natural as the vocal melodies.
Read more here: http://spectrumculture.com/2012/07/diiv-oshin.html/

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Ty Segall Band, Slaughterhouse


New on Spectrum Culture, I review Ty Segall Band's Slaughterhouse, quite an explosive piece of garage rock, I do believe: 
If you still love rock ‘n’ roll—dang!—this has been quite the year for it. We’re only halfway through 2012, and already it has been proclaimed as the year of records that just flat-out rock. It’s easy to see why. Japandroids, Cloud Nothings and The Men, among others, have released high-profile albums drowned in crunchy distortion and good ol’ punk-inspired grooves that shake the listener to the core. While the ubiquity of immediate, loud, garage-like rock in today’s indie market may be viewed as a welcome change of pace from other recent trends, especially the tendency towards the atmospheric, the electronic and the chilled, there’s always a danger that we might get too much of a good thing.
Click here to continue reading: http://spectrumculture.com/2012/07/ty-segall-band-slaughterhouse.html/

Monday, July 9, 2012

Mini-Record Review: John Talabot, fIN


Electronic dance music as a genre is maligned by some because it is, by definition, functional. The tunes are produced for the purpose of providing an outlet for people to dance. Of course, dance music throughout all of history has always been viewed with a skeptical eye by artistic purists. If a musician wants you to move to his or her tune, that doesn’t mean that the song can’t be a great work of art. To be sure, there are plenty of true artists working in dance music today. Barcelona’s John Talabot is one of them, and his debut record fIN is a fun, emotionally stimulating mixture of techno, dance-pop, and house music.


Listening to fIN, one gets the feeling of a hot summer night in a crowded city (or on a sweaty, beyond-capacity dance floor). Talabot strikes the right blend of intoxicating repetition and sonic variation. Opener “Depak Ine” is an epic journey through disco and ‘80s dance-pop. The complex layers of sound include obscure, animalistic noises. “Destiny” is the closest thing to a pop hit the record gives us, featuring simple, emotionally direct lyrics (“You, come and get over here/ And give me your hand”). The dark and brooding “El Oeste” stands alongside “Last Land,” which has a relentlessly infectious call-and-response melody. If this is Talabot’s first effort, I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. Despite the finality suggested in the record’s title, I can’t help but think this is only the beginning.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Japandroids Live Review


New on Spectrum Culture, my review of the best show I have attended this year so far, Japandroids with Cadence Weapon at Chicago's Lincoln Hall:

In a recent Spectrum Culture interview, Japandroids guitarist Brian King told me, “Punk is no more a music genre than Pluto is a planet.” He went on to discuss the limitations and irrelevance of musical labels. It’s not surprising, then, that the opener for the Vancouver-based duo’s Lincoln Hall show was not another garage rock band, but a rapper originally from Edmonton, Alberta named Rollie Pemberton, otherwise known as Cadence Weapon. The crowd admittedly looked a bit skeptical at first, but they quickly warmed up to Pemberton’s brand of articulate, personal hip-hop. The rapper gave the audience plenty of chances to get involved with songs like “Jukebox” and “Real Estate,” shouting out lines for them to chant along with.
Click below to read the rest:
http://spectrumculture.com/2012/06/concert-review-japandroidscadence-weapon.html/

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Mini-Record Review: Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls


Alabama native Brittany Howard has one of the most memorable voices that has emerged recently. It’s gritty, yet irresistibly sweet, virtuosic, yet always relatable, youthful sounding, yet laced with the wears and tears of time and experience. Her range as a singer is remarkable, with her lowest registers and highest falsettos possessing equal power. Alabama Shakes has been hyped like crazy lately, and for good reason. Howard and company capture that magical Muscle Shoals sound without playing the role of mere historical reenactors. Their debut LP Boys & Girls demonstrates plenty of antiquated musical influences but at the same time expresses timeless human emotion.


On lead single, “Hold On,” Howard sings, “Didn’t think I would make it past 22 years old.” Indeed, {Boys & Girls} is to a large degree a record about survival. As the album’s title suggests, the main thematic concern here is relationships, especially of the painful, complicated variety. There’s an intriguing blend of carnality and spirituality, though. Tunes like “Hold On,” “I Found You,” and “Hang Loose” suggest a kind of mystical transcendence, a rising above all the trials and tribulations. “Goin’ to the Party” and “Heartbreaker” invoke the feeling of wallowing in the grime and grit of small-town life. No matter what Howard sings about, her voice is so commanding as to make it interesting and relevant. {Boys & Girls} is a stunning debut. If Alabama Shakes can match its vitality and energy with their next effort, it will constitute a small miracle. 

Monday, June 25, 2012

Spectrum Culture: Metric, Synthetica


New on Spectrum Culture, I review the latest record from Canadian band Metric:

"The fifth full-length record from Canada’s synth-pop/New Wave/post-punk/garage band Metric, is a concept album of sorts about the role of technology and artificiality in modern culture. As if to reinforce the sense of alienation and ennui expressed through frontwoman Emily Haines’ lyrics, the music is mostly predictable, mechanical and largely devoid of anything that resembles personality. We have before us an extraordinarily, sometimes maddeningly, consistent album, one that fills the listener with the sensations of a streamlined society, the kind Donald Fagen was talking about on his 1982 hit “I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World).” There’s no denying that Haines and friends evoke a specific world throughout Synthetica. It’s just not one that’s especially original, or even pleasurable to explore."
Read more here:


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Spectrum Culture: List Inconsequential: One Album Wonders


New on Spectrum Culture, a list of the greatest one-album wonders of all time. I contribute a blurb on The Avalanche's Since I Left You: http://spectrumculture.com/2012/06/list-inconsequential-one-album-wonders.html/