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There's
just not enough I can say about this CD. One or two critics
have gone so far as to invoke Born to Run in talking
about Million Star Hotel, and here's the cold, hard,
truth: that's not hyperbole. The difference between the level
of success enjoyed by Foster and Springsteen is that Bruce
was lucky enough to be born into the right era. MSH
is every bit as great a disc, and if fate had switched the
two men at birth, we might be here right now lamenting that
an effort as spectacular as Born to Run was consigned
to relative obscurity because the artist had the misfortune
to be born too late. Foster's master stroke is sweet, haunting,
beautiful, painful...it evokes memories of driving an open
road under a massive sky, alone except for the memory of love.
Most
years this would be the clear Slammy winner. Heap's alt/electropop
solo effort is more musically ambitious than her Frou Frou
side project (which treads a bit closer to the trip-pop trail
blazed by Portishead, Mono and Saint Etienne), and its more
experimental tracks are its most fascinating ("Hide and
Seek" is an absolutely mesmerizing vocoder-driven a
capella exploration, for instance). I guess I have a weakness
for melody and aural depth of field. Or maybe I'm just a sucker
for a girl with a synthesizer and pretty voice. In any case,
it's nice to see proof that pop can be intelligent and innovative.
With
this outstanding effort FF has emerged as the best of the
nu wave (for the moment, anyway – we'll have to hear
what the second offering from The Killers sounds like.) As
is always the case with movements inspired by retro styles,
a vast majority of the current bands taking their cues from
late ‘70 New Wave and ‘80s electropop are essentially
imitators. Their songs are wonderfully enjoyable for a guy
like me, but there's nothing new going on. The only question
is who the tribute is to. Franz Ferdinand seems determined
to be more than a glorified Holiday Inn Tribute to New Wave
band, though. YCHISMB is simply a better CD in just
about every regard, and unlike so many of their contemporaries,
they're sounding more like themselves than their influences
with each new note they play. I'm going to be very interested
in their next record – we'll see if they can reach escape
velocity.
The
first Gorillaz project was a collaboration, with so many players
moving in and out that it was often hard to find the center.
Which made it an interesting, if confusing listen. On the
sophomore effort the "glorious commune" philosophy
is gone – Gorillaz is Damon Albairn, and while he lets
a lot of fascinating characters into the studio, there's no
question as to who's in charge. And you know what – it
works a lot better. As you'd imagine, the CD is more consistent
end to end, but frankly the songs are better, too. As much
as I loved the best of the debut, there was plenty there I
had no problems ffwding through. That's not the case with
Demon Days. No, there's not a single on it that touches
"Clint Eastwood," but hell, most musicians go their
whole careers without ever writing anything that catchy.
Back
when they broke in the mid-‘90s, Garbage was this innovative,
powerful, smart rock alternative. Then after a couple records
they disappeared, meaning that they became irrelevant, right?
Uhhh, no. The music industry changed, from recording to new
media to the collapse of radio to whatever the fuck went down
at MTV, but for those of us who kept paying attention, Garbage
kept on cranking out smart, powerful music. I can't say this
disc is especially better than any of the others, and maybe
it seems less edgy because they're not the new kids on the
block anymore. But it's a Garbage record, and a damned fine
one, and it's a shame that this has to come as news to anybody.
Still
one of the best bands in America, and sadly, still one of
our best-kept secrets. With this record, the band takes a
raw, stripped-down approach that emphasizes the detail of
David Bielanko's working class street poet act in ways that
were less obvious on the last couple releases. It's like if
Springsteen had done The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street
Hustle after Born to Run.
I
have a rule – if I contributed to the disc, I don't rate
it, and I was fortunate enough to co-write "Bittersweet"
for this year's Paul Lewis release. (Needless to say, that's
my favorite track, although with everything Paul touches there's
no shortage of things to praise.) He possesses one of the
finest pure rock voices in the business today, and has a knack
for creating songs that perfectly serve its smoky blend of
soul, funk and gravel. "The Marker," in particular,
captures the inherent drama of Paul's acutely personal musical
narrative, and I've been waiting on the re-work of "The
Painting" hidden in the last track for years. Beautiful
work, and highly recommended. Even if I am biased.© Lullaby Pit. All text, images, & concepts copyright 1994-2005 by Samuel R. Smith except where indicated. All rights reserved. Respect the terrier!
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© Lullaby Pit. All text, images, & concepts copyright 1994-2005 by Samuel R. Smith except where indicated. All rights reserved. Respect the terrier!
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