Return to Cookie Mountain

I have never fully understood TV on the Radio.  The band, not the concept.  What type of music are they?  Are they a new version of funk?  Are they indie rock?  Are they rock at all?  When I first heard “Wolf Like Me”, I wasn’t a big fan.  I got tired of the looping vocals, and the music didn’t really cry out to me to listen.  But my brother, who’s always had some influence over my musical tastes, kept saying they were a good band, that I should check them out, so I persevered.

The band formed in 2001 around two key members—Tunde Adebimpe (the singer and loops guy) and David Andrew Sitek (everything else).  Adebimpe and Sitek released OK Calculator in 2002, which caught the ears of Kyp Malone, who joined soon after in 2003 (also on vocals and loops with the addition of guitars).  The number of members in the band grew to five in 2005, and they released Return to Cookie Mountain in 2006 after garnering critical and commercial success with Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes.  Cookie Mountain is the subject of my next post.

#50 – TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain (Metascore = 88)

If I were to describe my initial impressions of their sound (based off of hearing “I Was a Lover”), I would say they are an experimental rock group willing to switch song keys in a heartbeat.  They also mix in elements of funk and electronica, as evidenced in “Hours”, one of my favorite tracks of theirs.  I’m drawn to the “ooos” that open the song, mixed in with the funky drum beat and dancing bass lines.  I also like what sounds like a baritone saxophone or something (oboe?).  Their lyrics are oblique, but that could be the avant garde coming out.

In “Province” the band welcomes David Bowie as a guest vocalist.  Bowie has been an ardent fan of the band and wanted to contribute in some way to the band’s music.  Musically it has a different feel from “Hours”, featuring a more Coldplay sound with pianos and soaring vocals.  “Playhouses” is ok but really does not do much for me.  Then comes “Wolf Like Me”.  Over time I have grown more tolerant of the song…I even like it to a degree.  Musically there’s a lot going on here, with the driving drum beat, baritone sax, and droning guitars.  Lyrically the concept of the wolf or, more specifically werewolf, is used for the wild nature of the man.

I cannot say that TV on the Radio is not interesting musically.  The band finds ways to take their sound and craft into whatever type of music they want.  Check out “A Method”.  The song sounds like a choral chant about a head trip.  Contrast that with the other songs on the record, and you can see that they can be an interesting listen.  The rest of the album draws on the palette of sounds they have created on the previous tracks, rounding out with “Wash the Day” (for the original pressing of the album), which sounds like the band is disappearing into another cosmic realm, leaving us to wonder where they are headed.

As I listened further into this record, I can understand the critical praise it received and the direction that Dear, Science would take them.  Not every track on this record was a winner, but the tracks that are right on have some really magical moments.

A Band Now Defunct

When the White Stripes exploded onto the scene with “Fell in Love with a Girl” in 2002, they essentially took over the music world.  The video for that song was quite unique; Jack White and Meg White were portrayed by LEGO portraits playing their instruments.  I subsequently saw them on the MTV Movie Awards and became more aware of them.  For some reason or another, though, I didn’t check out their CDs until a few years later (I was in college and just trying to finish at that point).

The White Stripes had released two other records prior to the record that “Fell in Love with a Girl” was on (White Blood Cells, which I’ll be discussing), The White Stripes and De Stijl.  Jack White is the focus here, being the primary songwriter, guitarist, and instrumentalist, while Meg played drums.  Rumors abound about their relationship outside of the band, but I’m not going to focus on that.  Jack is an amazing talent who has played with numerous other bands during his lifetime, serving as drummer in some, lead guitarist in others, etc.  He and Meg formed the White Stripes in 1997 and began performing in Detroit, Michigan.

White Blood Cells propelled them to superstardom and fueled the do-it-yourself movement to further heights (the DIY movement had a resurgence in the 1990s with the explosion of grunge and modern rock and bands looking to release their music).  The White Stripes’ minimalist approach of just drums, guitars, and vocals was a refreshing tactic noted by critics; their songs were catchy yet sharp-witted, which helped get the music to the buying public.  From White Blood Cells they recorded three other studio albums before ultimately breaking up earlier this year.

# 141 – The White Stripes, White Blood Cells (Metascore = 86)

The album opens with one of my favorite songs of theirs, “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”.  The song opens with White plugging his guitar into his amplifier and letting the feedback soar into the speakers.  Once the song kicks into gear, you get a fuller sound of multiple guitars layered in over the drums.  “Dead Leaves” is followed by the folkier “Hotel Yorba”, an acoustic jam that has Jack reminiscing about an old hotel near his neighborhood where he and friends used to goof off.  “Yorba” is followed by “I’m Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman”, a bluesy jaunt on the complications of trying to be the person he was before love and trouble found him.  “Gentleman” is followed by the uber-popular “Fell in Love with a Girl”.

The opening four tracks set the tone for the rest of the album.  Every musical element/genre is represented there and further represented on the remaining tracks.  The majority of the album’s songs refer to love and relationships, the emotions around these.  “The Union Forever” is the song of a man who is regretting this love union he’s in, saying “’cause it can’t be love/for there is no true love”.  “We’re Going to Be Friends” is a sweet song about friendship; the video that accompanies this song is also very sweet. 

The thing about this record that impresses me to this day is the musicianship of Jack White.  Too often showmen of Jack’s type tend to make things more difficult than they really should be, but he doesn’t do this.  This is not to say the music is simple; I think Jack White knows what a song needs and at what point that sound is needed.  When he produces the sound, he doesn’t make it sound like Eddie Van Halen finger-tapping up the fret board; the solos fit the song exactly as they should.  The organ blasts occur at the moment you would think an organ blast is necessary.  Meg’s drumming is not complicated; this is a known fact.  But what she does and when she plays is just as key, and she does a fantastic job here.

If you know the history of the White Stripes and the success they achieved with Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan, and Icky Thump, you will enjoy this record because Jack and Meg lay the groundwork for those records here.  White Blood Cells is packed with great songs and in my opinion deserves a higher score than the 85 Metascore it received.

Power’s Out

Since winning the Grammy award for Album of the Year earlier this year, the Arcade Fire has enjoyed growing success (despite outcries from different namby pambies that I commented on in my other blog http://jwhisperyrants.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-grammy-fallout.html), with The Suburbs jumping in Billboard’s Billboard 200 albums list to #12 from #52.  Their other records have subsequently received a boost in sales due to this win.

All of their recent success has been long overdue in my opinion.  Win Butler and crew have written three excellent full-length albums that are engrossing lyrically and musically.  Win Butler and Régine Chassagne lead the band, whose lineup has shuffled a couple of times to its current lineup, which also includes Win’s brother William on drums.  They are a powerful live band with a strong message and personalities that have weathered several personal storms to get to where they are today.  Their first wide release, Funeral, is the subject of my next entry.

# 23 – The Arcade Fire, Funeral (Metascore =90)

Funeral was released in September 2004 on Merge Records, who picked up the band after hearing their self-titled EP.  Funeral has an interesting history as the album was recorded during dark emotional times within the band members’ lives.  Chassagne’s grandmother, Win and William’s grandfather, and multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry’s aunt all died in the period leading up to the recording.  As such, a lot of the lyrics reflect this period of grief, struggle and coping that had taken place.

Four of the songs’ titles start with “Neighborhood #” and then refer to some event going on.  For instance, “Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)” references the dog of the same name that was sent by the Soviet Union into space with no intent of coming back.  The character in the story does this same sort of thing, though when I hear it I could relate the lyrics to some friend who has abandoned his family and friends for another life without coming back.  In “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)”, one of my favorite songs from this record, Butler has spoken about the song, that it shouldn’t be seen negatively but as an uplifting look at neighbors sharing love and “light” in their hearts to help others.  Another look into the lyrics, though, and you could see a reference to people that hide secrets about themselves from their neighbors, how you can’t always hide when the “powers out”.

Thematically you can hear the tie in with the losses that members of the band felt while recording this album.  In “Wake Up” the character seems bitter at the loss of his love and passes that bitterness down to his children.  “Haiti”, in a slight departure in location, refers to loved ones from Chassagne’s homeland of Haiti that still live there during the reign of notorious dictator Duvalier.  But throughout the record, there are references, whether told in first person or third person, that drive this theme through the record.  Obviously this gives the album depth and purpose, something that always makes critics happy.

Musically you can hear the fervor in the band’s performances.  Each song has a drive to it that fits the lyrics of the song.  For instance, “In the Backseat” is Chassagne’s dirge to her grandmother, and the band plays with a slow, chugging force that helps the listener feel Chassagne’s pain in the loss.  “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” has a sharper, faster drive that gives the song a feeling of anxiety and recklessness that are carried in the lyrics.

I have been a strong supporter for the Arcade Fire and their music over the past year though I have known of them for at least four years.  Funeral is the album that launched their career and is also their highest rated record to date.  Of the three it is the strongest and also their rawest.  As they progress album to album, the sound becomes richer as the production process becomes richer.  I think this is a great album worthy of at least a listen.

It’s a Shame Their End is Near

The concept of “LCD Soundsystem” as a band name is not hard.  The concept of what an “LCD Soundsystem” would be is another matter, but I won’t go into that.  James Murphy is the heart and soul of this band.  Murphy has done many things in his life besides music, including being offered to write for the sitcom Seinfeld and leading a record label into international success.  LCD Soundsystem is his most known project.

All of their records have been critically acclaimed.  The one I am going to write about today, Sound of Silver, was my introduction to them.  Since then I have checked out all of LCD Soundsystem’s music and more or less enjoyed it all.  With their music they try to blend electronic music with rock and folk and anything that Murphy can think of.  For the most part, their records are all the work of Murphy, though occasionally members of his touring band will appear to lend help on vocals or other instruments.

# 104 – LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver (Metascore = 86)

I first latched onto this record based on the single for “North American Scum”.  The title is what got me, but then listening to the song I liked the punk electronic element it had.  I loved the hand claps and the chorus.  I liked its ironic lyrics.  So I wondered prior to getting the record whether or not their sound would be the same.  It is not, as I came to find out.

Sound of Silver followed the record that created a fitness sensation, 45:33 (that’s not entirely correct; 45:33 was created by Murphy for people with iPods that wanted something to work out to).  “Get Innocuous”, with its infection beat, chiming pianos, and otherworldly vocals, continued this upbeat trend.  The word “innocuous” means “inoffensive” or “not interesting”.  This song is anything but that, but who am I to argue with a song name.  “Time to Get Away” also has a really great beat to you, driven by the thumping bass line and Murphy’s take on soul music.

“Someone Great” is an interesting song.  Murphy’s lyrics are so mournful here, like he dreads the current when the past had so much good in it.  Moving on just doesn’t seem like the right thing, yet there’s really no other way to go.  Lyrically to me this is the best of all the songs on the album.  Thematically, the songs seem to echo this feeling of being in the wrong place (New York?) and being unable to get life together.

This record is a dance record through and through.  There’s not a song on here that doesn’t have a danceable beat to it, whether it’s the slower numbers (“Someone Great”, “All My Friends”) or the fun numbers (“North American Scum”, “Watch the Tapes”).  How this record didn’t register a higher Metascore than 86 is beyond me.  The ongoing themes, the steady music, and creativity of Murphy and his band should have been music gold to the critics.  I love this record!

Modern Times

Enough has been written about Bob Dylan that I’m not going to bore you with many details other than to say he’s probably the greatest songwriter who ever lived.  Ok, perhaps that is an overstatement, but he certainly has left an indelible mark on modern music, particularly in folk music and rock music.  In the last 10 years he has released four studio albums, which seems low considering his career output is close to an album per year.  But really, what do you expect from someone who was 60 in 2001 when he released “Love and Theft”?

Modern Times continues the modern renaissance of his music, which really began with Time Out of Mind in 1997 and more recently includes Christmas in the Heart.  The modern Bob Dylan is still quite the storyteller, though his song styles have drifted more towards country blues than the traditional folk he is most famous for.  Modern Times was another heralded album and is my subject for today.

#31 – Bob Dylan, Modern Times (Metascore = 89)

While Modern Times was critically applauded upon its release, it has had its share of controversy.  While certain critics still praised his lyrics and songs, a few questioned him as to whether he borrowed lines from other artists’ songs in his own songs and taking credit for the words.  One DJ in New Mexico even claimed that Dylan took lines from the works of Henry Timrod, a Civil War poet.  Dylan has defended his position much the same way other folk artists have, in that he may have stolen some lines here and there but he reworked them in his own words to compliment what he wrote.

His voice is stronger and less gravelly here than I have heard on other records.  His band is also in fine form.  At times this record has a jazzy edge where Dylan has a plaintive voice (“Spirit on the Water”).  At other times it has that old man blues feel (“Someday Baby” or “Rollin’ and Tumblin’”).  There’s Hank Williams, Sr. country sadness in “When the Deal Goes Down”.  For me, I thought the guitar lines by Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman were just beautiful throughout because they were so simple yet so powerful.

A drawback I get in listening to this album is how traditional it sounds.  Unlike Time Out of Mind or the single “Things Have Changed” (one of my favorite songs of his) from the movie The Wonder Boys, which had originality and depth to them, the tracks from Modern Times feel familiar, as if I had heard them all my life in some form or another.  This seems too safe for Dylan, the same man who in his early days was writing protest songs left and right against the establishment, then openly discussed not playing songs the same way when performing live.  “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” is one of the biggest examples of this.  Blues artists the world around have covered this song, even if Dylan modified the lyrics.

Despite this drawback, this album has a playfulness to it that will keep listeners listening.  I love classic blues regardless of how it’s performed, whether it’s Eric Clapton going off on some Robert Johnson riff or it’s Bob Dylan growling back to you in “Someday Baby”.  Dylan is still writing stories about current events, too.  In “Workingman’s Blues #2” he writes on topics such as the sting of lower wages for the blue collar workingman and the advance of urban sprawl on places he used to love.

With all of this in mind, I would knock this record down just a little.  89 is a high Metascore for an album that seems too safe for Dylan.  This is an enjoyable record no doubt, but it’s lacking that originality that made Time Out of Mind and “Love and Theft” interesting records.