CD reviews
Silverstein
Discovering The Waterfront Victory Records/ 2006 ♥♥♥♥ |
Silverstein’s Discovering The Waterfront is an example of how maturity can change a band for the better. Despite the fact that their debut When Broken Is Easily Fixed was a good record, it often lacked a sense of maturity, and at times had sounded constructed instead of natural to them. A combination of experience and enlisting producer Cameron Webb (Sum 41, Motorhead) has provided a much more natural-sounding album. At times it is considerably mellower than their debut, but in “Defend You,” and “Fist Wrapped In Blood” it doesn’t lack fast-paced tracks. The second track “Smile In Your Sleep” definitely stands out as a stronger track, and showcases the band’s great songwriting as well as providing an opportunity for a guest appearance by Sean Mackin of Yellowcard; it delivers a perfect combination of both their mellow and harder sides. Vocalist Shane Told sounds much more confident than on previous
work, especially on the slower songs such as “My Heroine” and
the title track, “Discovering The Waterfront.” Both stand out
as their best work to date, and are great choices as singles for
the album. As a re-release, the artwork is a great remix of the
original artwork, and the bonus material is OK. The DVD offers
some live material and music videos, and the CD has an additional
cover track, but neither are anything to make you rush out and
re-purchase the package. |
Outkast
Idlewild LaFace/Arista/ 2006 ♥♥♥½ |
The hardest-working, maybe the most talented duo in current rap music (possibly in contemporary music altogether) has returned with a soundtrack that accompanies their musical- comedy picture Idlewild, which they co-wrote and star in. Idlewild is an abstract concoction that could only be expected from the ATLiens. Always pushing the envelope, one wonders what else Outkast can do. When it comes down to it, this is the major flaw of the album. On their masterful previous double LP, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Andre 3000 and Big Boi separated to test their solo waters, but they still marketed the album as a team. While that album ignited with instant classics like the poppy “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move,” Idlewild is much a more diluted affair. Andre’s solo bluesy attempts to sing sorrow on “Idlewild Blues” and “Chronomentrophobia” will quickly wane. On the other hand, Big Boi surprisingly provides the stellar performances of the soundtrack on the introspective “The Train” and the threatening “In Your Dreams.” Moreover, the track that dominates this album is the surreal “Hollywood Divorce,” which features Snoop Dogg and Lil’ Wayne, and is possibly one of hip-hop’s best posse cuts since the late ’90s. In the end, Idlewild is nothing spectacular because the pair
fall short in sparking the same rapport they had pre- Stankonia,
earlier this decade. Where will Outkast go from here? Well, where
can they go? |
Arthur Russell
Springfield Audika Records/ 2006 ♥♥♥♥ |
Despite having died of AIDS in 1992 (at the age of 40), this is the fifth disc of Arthur Russell’s music to be released since Soul Jazz Records’s superlative 2004 compilation The World of Arthur Russell, which, along with the ceaseless praises issuing from snobbily excellent British music magazine Wire, seems to have spearheaded the recent upsurge in critical appreciation of this tragically underrated singer/cellist/composer/ disco-producer/weirdo. Audika Records too deserves much credit: this is their second release of Russell’s material this year after the excellent double album First Thought Best Thought. Before anyone cries foul, accusing Audika of cynically exploiting a dead legend (see Tupac’s 20-odd posthumous releases, courtesy of the soulless assholes at Interscope), it should be noted that Russell was notorious for recording oodles of material and then not making plans to release it. Furthermore, the song “Springfield,” featured in three different versions on this album, was a piece of music that Russell had every intention of finishing and releasing, but he died before he was able to. Audika therefore commissioned acclaimed production team the DFA to finish Russell’s work. Apart from the DFA’s respectful and beautiful electro-dub mixes
of the titular “Springfield,” the album contains a number of great
and strange unreleased tracks, some unheard before now, some simply
alternate versions of (relatively) well-known Russell songs. Most
of the songs here are beatdriven pseudo-pop gems featuring keyboard,
electric-cello, and Russell’s voice, which is bizarre, beautiful,
melancholy and (at first) somewhat alienatingly indistinct. The
cumulative effect is overwhelming and dreamlike, especially on
highlights “Hiding Your Present From You” and “You Have Did the
Right Thing When You Put that Skylight In” (good title!). I’m
sure most Russell fans would claim that this isn’t the ideal introduction
to his work, but his music is all so strange that this seems as
good a place as any to dive right in. |
Chingy
Hoodstar Capitol/ 2006 ♥½ |
Here we go again: another self-proclaimed superstar selling his beat-backed bragging jams to the masses, across North America and maybe the world. Chingy’s latest effort Hoodstar is lazy, unoriginal and significantly dull. Both the lyrics and the music are uninspired. Each track sounds like it would be much better in a club through a loud speaker, but that really isn’t saying anything; almost everything is better loud. Sure, Hoodstar could possibly get a club moving, but almost anybody could have made this album. In fact, I think it has been made on a weekly basis ever since the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. All the necessary, clichéd references are here: -Shoes? (“Nike Aurrs” to be exact. A reference that is both dated and lame at the same time.) Check. -Asses? (aka booties). Check. -Guest stars? (Dupri and Tyrese in da house!) Check. -Money? (aka a bunch of synonyms designed to rhyme with words like “yeah,” “me” and “uh.”) Checkmate. Ah, rhyming; a lost art really. In the track “Hands up” Chingy rhymes “top” with “top” at least 17 times! Repetitiveness is a grim but common trend I’ve noticed in commercial hip-hop. Tell you what: avoid repeating your listening experience and avoid this album and its ilk. Save yourself and check out the likes of Sweatshop Union, Sage Francis, Del the Funky Homosapien or perhaps Dan the Automator and Danger Mouse’s projects. Maybe just stick with the old school (from Grandmaster Flash to NWA) that brought innovative talent to the table, not cheesy commercials and bloated ego strokes.William O’Donnell |
Beck
The Information Interscope Records/ 2006 ♥♥♥♥ |
Three years in the making, Beck’s new album The Information has finally been unleashed upon our ears. It wasn’t really a surprise when I learned that The Information was produced by Nigel Godrich, who has produced Beck’s Sea Change and Mutations as well as Radiohead’s OK Computer and Kid A. The album is full of ambient backgrounds, weird electronic samples, and has a very trippy, surrealistic, final impression, all of which can be associated with the production work of Nigel Godrich. Of course, a surreal, ambient, trippy album from Beck isn’t exactly unheard-of. Even when Beck changes the sound of his music, whether it be funk, country, hip-hop, or whatever other genre he pulls his inspiration from, he maintains certain themes. One aspect that seems to remain the most constant throughout his albums is his singing style. The alternation between talking and singing in his songs works quite effectively to help create order in what is otherwise often a chaotic arrangement of a million different sounds through an incredibly expansive list of genres. Interestingly enough, The Information is actually quite reminiscent
of the aforementioned albums (Radiohead’s, Beck’s Sea Change and
Mutations), which leads me to believe that the weakest part of
the album doesn’t stem from Beck himself but from Nigel Godrich.
The album tries to pull too much from past projects and other
bands to really make this album great. However, it is still a
good album with some memorable songs including “Think I’m In Love”
and “Nausea,” among others. Essentially, there is something for
any Beck fan, no matter which style you feel best suits Beck. |
Doc MacLean
Narrow House Independent/ 2006 ♥♥♥ |
This album is a veritable love letter to the dirty blues of the southern USA. Doc MacLean, along with all of his cronies appearing on this album, has a very distinct love of the blues and the songs on Narrow House illustrate that. This album features musicians with very prestigious musical backgrounds, including members of Tom Waits’ band and some of O Brother Where Art Thou?-soundtrack fame. Most notable is producer/musician Colin Linden. Having spoken personally to Linden about the blues and his affection for it (and trust me, talking to this man about the blues is like talking to a child about their favourite toy), it is clear why everything to which he contributes turns into the genuine article. Together, Linden and MacLean have a long history of playing the blues. Listening to their latest collaborative work (note: MacLean is the primary composer) conjures up images of Mississippi and blues joints built on foundations of toil and hardship, images to which it seems only a black man from the 1930s could truly relate. Not bad for some white boys making an album mostly out of Canada. MacLean’s voice does not bear the same unique soul as the bluesmen
he clearly idolizes. I can hear him trying for the sounds he wants,
but it ends up resembling Scott Walker at times (see the liner
notes for a funny quote about his singing). I can envision some
listeners finding trouble with his voice, or maybe finding the
music repetitive instead of driving. That aside, I find this to
be a fine testament to the blues, a genre that needs to be recognized
and revered. Four stars for a blues fan; a cautious three for
a blues virgin. |
