CD of the Week: Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros - Here

Posted at 11:59 PM on May 20, 2012 by The Current (0 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Here as a Thank You Gift.

Stream this album in its entirety

It must be a double edged sword for any band to have a huge hit on their first record. For Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, back in 2009 the song "Home" eclipsed everything else that year. It found its way into movies, television shows, an enormous amount of YouTube cover videos and everyone's heads. The collective is back with their sophomore release Here, and many people will probably listen to it hoping to hear another "Home." There's no way of knowing yet, but what the album does give us is a more introspective Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros digging into their spiritual side.

The new album finds the band exploring and melding genres. Since 2009 they've added two permanent members to the line-up, with eight additional touring support members. It creates a full and orchestrated feel to the band, while not detracting from the DIY feel of Up From Below. With so many different perspectives and instruments, collective leader Alex Ebert has his hands full trying to keep everything balanced. He manages to succeed on songs like "All Wash Out" where the elements reach an easy equilibrium. The multiple guitars take even levels, with almost inaudible keys and lap steel in the background that builds up to a rushing crescendo of horns and drums, but all of it with the ease of waves falling across a sea shore.

The album falls flat on some of the more experimental tracks. Reggae soul song "One Love To" seems a little forced and derivative and "Fiya Wata" has backing vocalist Jade Castrinos taking lead to underwhelming results.

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros are hit or miss on the latest album Here so we'll have to wait and see if a "hit" emerges from the album. But from the looks of it, the musical collective isn't too worried about what people think about their music. They're just happy to get on the road and bring their music and message to the masses.

Comment on this post

CD of the Week: Best Coast - The Only Place

Posted at 9:07 AM on May 14, 2012 by The Current (0 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get The Only Place as a Thank You Gift.

Bethany Cosentino returns this month with the much-anticipated follow-up to Best Coast's 2010 debut Crazy for You. Her sophomore release The Only Place represents a small step towards musical maturity, as Cosentino recaptures her love for Southern California, but sheds the juvenile obsession over boys and her best friend Snacks the Cat. Maybe this is the byproduct of her relationship with Wavves' Nathan Williams and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop her own clothing line for Urban Outfitters.

The Only Place isn't just an improvement on Best Coast's debut; it's a harsh reminder that it's a steep fall from grace when you start out as a darling of the indie music blogs. Like Weezer's Pinkerton, this album can't and won't be fully appreciated until fans and critics have their chance to deliver some initial hipster backlash. Admittedly, I too cringe when super-fans describe the new school of Southern California indie rock as noise-pop, surf-pop, garage-pop, lo-fi or even beach-pop. But I don't like this new album because it's an inventive genre. Instead, I appreciate Cosentino's honesty and humility in her approach to song writing.

Best Coast's songs expose Cosentino's ability to display both her narcissistic side and self awareness in three minute snippets. Songs like "How They Want Me To Be" and "Last Year" reveal Cosentino's struggle to deal with life as an iconic indie musician who has received more attention than she may deserve. Yet "The Only Place," the title track of the album, presents superficial emotions of a homesick kid returning from tour (akin to Rivers Cuomo sitting in his dorm room feeling bad for himself). "The Only Place" is an open love letter to Southern California: "We've got the ocean, got the babes, we've got the sun, we've got the waves...why would you live anywhere else?"

Everyone can relate to the universal experiences of being misunderstood and occasionally lonely. And if you want more from Crazy For You, musically this album leaves the same sonic footprint of straight ahead ballads and upbeat garage rock.

Comment on this post

CD of the Week: Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

Posted at 11:59 PM on May 6, 2012 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Neck of the Woods as a Thank You Gift.

Sometimes you have to listen to something over and over in order to hear the details. Neck Of The Woods, the third release from Los Angeles, California's Silversun Pickups, is that record. Whether it was the lyrics or a bassline that grabbed me, I found myself hitting the "repeat" button on songs over and over. Neck Of The Woods started taking shape in the notebooks of frontman Brian Aubert while the band was on hiatus. Aubert was traveling through unfamiliar towns, cities and countries, feeling isolated and introspective. When the band came together to begin work on the record, they all agreed they wanted to do things differently and began looking for a new producer to work with. In the end, they chose Jacknife Lee to help them take a fresh approach at recording. The band gathered in his studio, which is, incidentally, in Aubert's childhood hometown, and brought yet another layer of texture into the creation of the album: the terrifying prospect of growing up. During the recording process, the band allowed the songs to come together on their own, without trying to reign them in or use a formulaic approach.


I love this quote from the band regarding the sound and texture of the record: "We wanted the louder stuff to sound cranky." Oh, it does. Even the tiniest moments of silence have a buzz and a darkness about them.

Neck Of The Woods begins with a gentle, hazy, delicacy and builds into a musical bomb-raid siren in the first minute of the lead-off track, "Skin Graph." The haunting aural layers and echoes couple up with a hypnotic syncopation on "Make Believe" and continue on. The CD's first single tackles one of the most horrifying parts of everyone's childhood: how many times were you talked into looking in a mirror and saying "Bloody Mary?"

Within the cacophony of sound on "Busy Bees" we can detect a bit of The Cure. Is there anything scarier than a spooky sounding song with a chorus which may include children? Find out on "Here We Are (Chancer)." "Mean Spirits" is one of the best examples of filling every space in a song with some kind of sound. "Simmer" has a menacing quality about it from the start, with a spine-tingling, run-the Hell-away kind of feel. The band was certainly channeling New Order's "Blue Monday" through "The Pit," and I feel the vocal work on this song is the strongest of Brian Aubert's career.

"Dots And Dashes (Enough Already)" reminds me of what Depheche Mode or The Cure would sound like if they were attempting to play "surf rock." "Gun-Shy Sunshine" sounds like a danceable love-song performed in a hospital room, reverent enough with plenty of mechanically driven sounds. Each time I listen to the last song on the CD, "Out Of Breath," I have to follow it up with Ozzy's "Crazy Train." Grab your own copy of Neck Of The Woods and prepare to hit "repeat" over-and-over.

Comment on this post

CD of the Week: Rufus Wainwright - Out of the Game

Posted at 11:59 PM on April 29, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Out of the Game as a Thank You Gift.

Any fan of Rufus Wainwright will tell you they love his wit and his way with telling a story set to music that resonates deeply and personally. They love that catch in his voice — an almost cry — and the fact that he's super-dreamy doesn't hurt. But I digress...

He's been called his generation's Cole Porter, and that seems about right. After all, I've never felt there to be a sense of time in his compositions. To be able to make timeless music that's still as strong on melody as his is a wonderful (and uniquely Rufus) accomplishment.

He, unlike many of his musical peers, is comfortable in many areas of music — opera, show tunes, torch songs and more — and he does them all with his unique stamp. There is always a huge pay-off to Wainwright's songs: you need to follow him on the four-minute journey, and you'll be so glad you did. It seems he's always written songs with his own set of rules in mind.

On Out of the Game, Wainwrights's seventh studio album, he enlisted help from producer Mark Ronson (famous for his work with Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen). The curious product of such strong-willed musicians coming together is always exciting, how much does Ronson rein in Rufus? I had read a comment Rufus made about the album being more accessible than any of his previous recordings, and perhaps even suggesting a crossover into the pop music world. If anyone deserves to be huge and reach a whole new audience it's Wainwright. That's right Rufie-philes — it's time to share him with the rest of the world!

Some of the themes of this new record seem to be a reflection of a man going through changes and doing it with his signature sense of vulnerability and grace. Indeed, Wainwright has had many life changes, including the death of his mother, British folk legend Kate McGarrigle. He's also getting accustomed to the domesticity of a relationship that's headed for marriage and having a daughter. All of these experiences play a role in his songs.

Not unlike his previous work, this record finds Wainwright collaborating with several guests, including his über-talented sister Martha, Sean Lennon and the much-lauded talents of The Dap Kings, who can make anyone's record swing.

The results is an album that strikes a balance with its songs. You can literally hear the compromise and collaboration that takes place between the singer/writer and the producer. On Out of The Game, no one loses.

CD of the Week: Jack White - Blunderbuss

Posted at 8:33 AM on April 23, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Blunderbuss as a Thank You Gift.

Jack White is no stranger to making records. From The White Stripes to The Raconteurs, to The Dead Weather and producing records for Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson, he's become a music icon and an admired guitar player. Until now, we've experienced Jack White's trademark sound and vocal style through his various projects and bands. After all this time, he's finally made a record under his own name. It's his debut, solo full-length album Blunderbuss.

Upon first listen, this record feels a little disconnected. The individual songs stand well on their own, but the album lacks any sort of flow. I could set the tracks to shuffle and feel like I was just listening to a collection of Jack White singles. As I spent more time with the record, I picked up on a better sense of cohesiveness. These songs have the Jack White "sound" in common — that's the link. Highlights of the record are the singles "Sixteen Saltines," "Love Interruption" and "Freedom at 21." Fans of Jack White's other projects will find that familiar sound in those three songs. Other stand out tracks are the lead single "Blunderbuss" and the cover song "I'm Shakin." "Blunderbuss" is simultaneously fresh and familiar, invoking the sound of a classic country ballad. It has a touch of Nashville in it since that's where Jack White calls his home. The cover of the Little Willie John song "I'm Shakin'" was a favorite of mine. White does a great job of covering songs, but also making them his own (The White Stripes covering "Jolene" is a good example).

It was a pleasant surprise to hear so much piano as a lead instrument on this record. I've become too accustomed to pairing Jack White with a guitar — it's nice to hear a departure from his main instrument. In his band The Dead Weather, he played the drums. On "Blunderbuss" he showcases just how much he's capable of doing with instruments. You'll still hear plenty of Jack White's distorted guitar sound on this record, but many tracks find White exploring different styles and vibes.

One of the promotions for this new record was the release of 1000 balloons with the "Freedom at 21" single tied to it. I've been wondering if anyone had actually recovered one. My follow-up research brought me to Jack White's label Third Man Records. An update on the website said only about a "handful" had been discovered. If one happens to float into your backyard, make sure to send a message to the folks at Third Man Records in Nashville. Also, keep in mind you vinyl enthusiasts: these are highly collectable records. So, please don't throw it in the trash.

CD of the Week: Dr. John - Locked Down

Posted at 11:59 PM on April 15, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Locked Down as a Thank You Gift.

New Orleans has a great tradition of piano men including legendary figures like Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint, James Booker and Fats Domino. Perhaps the Big Easy's greatest living practitioner is Dr. John who has returned with his best album of the post-Katrina era, Locked Down.

I think this album is his finest since 1998's Anutha Zone, which boasted guests including Paul Weller, members of Portishead, Spiritualized, Primal Scream and Supergrass. On the current album, Dr. John adds to the list of young hipsters with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who produced the album, sang a few harmonies and added his bluesy guitar to several tracks. Auerbach totally unleashes his badass guitar on the track, "Getaway."

As a longtime fan of both Dr. John and The Black Keys, I've been looking forward to this one for some time. Dr. John's profile has been boosted a bit with his appearances as himself in the HBO series Treme. And The Black Keys, who have a Target Center show set for May 15th, are about the hottest rock band in the land.

Locked Down is a perfect match! The album is more personal than your typical Dr. John fare. Auerbach has mentioned that he wanted Dr. John to talk from the Mac Rebennack perspective (Dr. John's real name), as opposed to his stage personae, and Auerbach succeeded in bringing out the Dr. you've always wanted. Lyrically, the album addresses the seedy side of life that Dr. John has operated in. His drug addiction was chronicled in his 1995 book, Under a Hoodoo Moon, but not much in his songs until now.

On the title track, he sings about the prison system, and in one of the album highlights, "Ice Age," he sings of the evils of hustling drugs over some of the album's funkiest grooves. On "My Children, My Angels," he sings of being the absent father who was out on the road, and who tries to make amends. Dr. John has largely abandoned the piano in favor of retro keyboards which are all over the album's lead single, "Revolution," and which might be his best single since his '70s heyday.

Ultimately, what I like best about Locked Down is that it just sounds cool! It's greazy and funky and features plenty of Dr. John's signature N'awlins hoodoo voodoo thing which he's been doing since the '60s. He's part shaman and part Mardi Gras Indian, who has honed his craft on the wrong side of the tracks. But maybe the most exciting thing about this album is a new ingredient in the gumbo: African rhythms! You can hear Nigerian Afrobeat and '70s Ethiopian funk all over it!

Locked Down is a winner. Dan Auerbach and Dr. John work together like red beans and rice! Pick up a copy — there's plenty to go around!

CD of the Week: Trampled by Turtles - Stars and Satellites

Posted at 11:59 PM on April 8, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Stars and Satellites as a Thank You Gift.

Duluth's Trampled by Turtles made a new goal while writing and recording their latest album Stars and Satellites. They wanted to make an album that "breathes."

What does that mean?

From the band's standpoint, they were able to step out of their musical comfort zones and create an album as a whole rather than several segmented pieces that feel like a live show. This meant the approach to making the album changed as well. In the past, they would record albums to feel like the live show or even treated recording like touring by cutting tracks in several different studios. Stars and Satellites was slowed down — recorded in a cabin near Duluth with Tom Herbers, who has worked with Low and The Jayhawks to name a few. They lived, played, wrote and breathed in the same space to create one cohesive album.

For the listener, a new album that "breathes" means you get a peek at their growth process as they focus on songwriting — lyrically and musically. You get a sense that Trampled by Turtles has been sprinting an entire marathon, and this record is a chance to stop and approach their music from a different angle.

For a band that cut its teeth playing live and made their name based on their live energy, this is a completely different approach and challenge not to be dismissed. Throughout the album, you hear the inhales and the exhales.

The inhales:
With its introspective lyrics contemplating our place in the world and building melodies that draw you in, the album's first single "Alone" starts with the strong statement: "You come into the world... alone." "Sorry" has the driving rhythm Trampled by Turtles is known for while singing a song about regret and the end of a relationship: "I never meant to hurt you darling/When you leave me, let me down easy won't you/You'll be sorry, and I'll be sorry."

The exhales:
Probably the next song you'll be playing on repeat, "Walt Whitman" has an incredibly catchy chorus that reaches ear worm status. And "Risk" is the "freight train that could go off the tracks at any moment" instrumental which is characteristic of their live shows.

The resulting album accomplishes its goal, and it's fun to hear an incredibly talented band approach their music from a different perspective and take you along on the journey.

CD of the Week: Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is An Animal

Posted at 11:59 PM on April 1, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get My Head Is An Animal as a Thank You Gift.

Of Monsters and Men... what are they destined for? We'll see. Perhaps nothing big should be considered for these guys yet, if ever. I hate that we seem to do that to our faves in this biz. I have a soft spot in my heart for these guys because, as a Musichead knows, when a band that you feel like you self-discovered then makes it big, it's a very very special feeling. I'd love to lose these guys to the mainstream, whatever that means these days, if that's what they want.

I found their song "Little Talks" on a compilation of recent Icelandic music last summer as we were preparing for a short stop over in Reykjavik on the way to Europe for family visits. I loved it immediately and definitely thought it might make a hit in the footsteps of Mumfords and Edward Sharpe. We didn't get to see them while in Iceland, but I read a glowing review of their live show in the local paper, which kept their name in my head.

I played the song a few times on my evening shift when I got back, but it wasn't added to the regular rotation of songs back then as there was no real context for playing it for anyone else. The album wasn't out over here and they weren't planning to tour.

Then in October our friends on KEXP went to cover the Icelandic Airwaves festival and they were one of the highlighted acts. Something was building.

KEXP's (and ex-Program Director of Rev 105) Kevin Cole had their album in his 2011 Top Ten, even though it was still an import. They were featured on their stage again for SXSW, one of several high profile gigs for them at the hugely influential gathering in Austin TX. It is truly inspiring as "an old radio guy" to see the power of public radio stations across the country influencing the trends within modern music consumption.

Current fans have responded strongly to that song "Little Talks" as well, making it #1 on the Chart Show for the past few weeks, inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Thank you. You and the rest of the public radio audience across America have enabled these six young musicians to come to Austin, Texas and experience something truly magical. A massive crowd at a legendary venue like Stubbs singing along to songs that are 'not yet available' in the traditional sense of that word in the USA.

That was truly amazing for me to be a part of.

I have to say on that night, they almost lost me as a fan four songs in! I have always disliked it when bands sing "lalala's." It never has worked for me. As a lyrics guy, I think they should try to write something and leave it up to us in the audience to go "lala" if we don't know the words. It's just a personal pet peeve. I can understand how it works to a live audience, ironically that might not know your songs, to get them involved early on and these guys obviously honed their material through live performance, there's many shouting along parts that can some off awkwardly on record. Three out of those first four songs had a lot of "lalala's"!!

Now I know that they are the last two songs of this album and the first, so if you listen on CD around the change-over they get bled into each other and again almost turn me off, but.. there is enough elsewhere on this debut to warrant me caring so much about that one song and the fate of it's makers. In fact, they are already playing new songs which seem to be going in a good direction.

"Mountain Sound" is the next big hit, I think, and perhaps the rest will grow, but I am sure they will develop as a band, watching the way they delivered at SXSW. A magic touch has been placed upon them by the expression of love from this new USA audience for a group of young Icelandic fabulists intent on telling great tales set to rollicking tunes about monsters and men. Enjoy.

CD of the Week: Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball

Posted at 11:59 PM on March 25, 2012 by Jim McGuinn
Filed under: CD of the Week

Contribute and get Wrecking Ball as a Thank You Gift.

At his recent SXSW keynote address, in reference to the impact the Sex Pistols made in the '70s, Bruce Springsteen said, "It's easy to be shocking, but it's harder to shake the ground." And it's nearly impossible to compete with your younger self, the self that first electrified the world and shook that ground. Whether it's R.E.M., U2 or The Rolling Stones, most artists reach a point where even for their fans, the umpteenth new album lacks the impact of that moment where they first captured an audience. You can only break through once, right? Maybe on the last Tom Waits record, or every few Neil Young albums, you find someone making brilliant music deep in their career. Bruce Springsteen is fighting the good fight with Wrecking Ball. Nothing he does will ever replace Darkness or Born to Run or Nebraska, but it's clear that Springsteen is determined to keep doing everything he can to shake the ground, to keep writing songs that tell an American tale and to speak for an American spirit that perseveres, even through the confusion and chaos of the last decade.

Wrecking Ball is Bruce Springsteen's 17th studio album, and in many ways it's the most directly topical and political of his career. While most artists his age are reduced to covering Motown songs or touring on recycled glories, the Boss is still working to prove it all night — to make a big rock album that says important truths about where we're at and how we got here. Taking aim directly at who Bruce sees as the architects of inequality in this country, the album is an election year "state of the (dis)union" that at times has more in common with the writings of economist Robert Reich than the story songs of Woody Guthrie. While his early classics focused on the dreams of escape and redemption for every man and woman, the songs on Wrecking Ball are less personal and more angry — taking to task the bankers and power brokers that Bruce sees holding our country back. In "Easy Money," he talks of going out carrying his .38. On "Death to My Hometown" we hear gunshots as the lyrics command us to "send the robber barons straight to hell," while on "Jack Of All Trades" Bruce sings, "If I had me a gun, I'd find the bastards and shoot 'em on sight." A far cry from "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" — and if there's one flaw to the record it's that those previous moments of escape, sex, fun and redemption are few and far between.

Although there are references to his own past work abound ("Death to My Hometown," Wrecking Ball's reference to "the swamps of Jersey"), in many ways this is a new Springsteen — liberated from the E Street Band, working with producer Ron Aniello, who introduces elements of trip-hop, hip hop and Celtic punk to the rock, folk, soul and gospel paths Bruce has traveled on for years. While rock history is littered with too many examples where an established act tried to "update" their sound and failed, on Wrecking Ball the production works — and it's not too surprising to hear Bruce incorporating new sounds, given the company of new turks he's been hanging out with over the past few years, like Tom Morello (whose guitar graces two cuts), Win Butler and Brian Fallon. You can hear elements of Rage in the lyrics, Arcade Fire in the massive sound and Gaslight Anthem in the crackling energy, along with tasteful pedal steel, mandolin, full horn sections and even a rap on the song "Rocky Ground."

But all that is just the warm up for the arrival of the ghost of the Big Man, the late Clarence Clemons, whose sax solos on "Land Of Hope and Dreams" remind us of what a presence he was in the E Street Band. After 40 minutes of anger and sadness about an America that in Bruce's eyes is seriously messed up, Springsteen asks us to get on this train, for people to get ready, and when the big man joins the band, we feel that glimmer of redemption and the possibility of America to rise up and overcome the evils that Bruce has spent the prior nine songs exonerating. It's a transcendent moment of deliverance on the album, and it's the peak of one of the most adventurous records of Bruce Springsteen's career.

CD Review: The Shins - Port of Morrow

Posted at 10:32 AM on March 19, 2012 by The Current (3 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute to Minnesota Public Radio and get Port of Morrow as a thank you gift.

The Shins' new album, Port of Morrow, draws its title from an actual port in the band's adopted home state of Oregon, and a consultation of Google Earth's overhead view reveals an oddly mundane little outpost nestled in the spectacular scenery of the Columbia River. Part of the Shins' mystique has been their ability to conjure intensely evocative mental images out of the sparsest and most minute of details, so having such specific geographical data gives the impression that some of that mystique has been drained away. Is the actual Port of Morrow in any way remarkable, despite its beautiful surroundings?

Port of Morrow is the Shins' first album after a five-year hiatus, but it was no ordinary hiatus for the band. Frontman James Mercer is the only remaining original member of the band; two founding members, keyboardist Marty Crandall and drummer Jesse Sandoval, were essentially sacked from the band in 2009 (Mercer has diplomatically emphasized that his ideas for the band simply required different personnel). Guitarist Dave Hernandez departed soon after, and the Shins roster was re-stocked with an assembly of musicians from the Pacific Northwest, including multi-instrumentalist Richard Swift and Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer. Mercer's autonomous control of the band is nothing new in the annals of rock history, but it still feels a bit weird for him to retain the band's collective identity vis-a-vis the name.

Such changes would be less conspicuous if the music felt like a natural continuation of the Shins' musical universe, which blends (blended?) baroque melodies with Mercer's cryptic lyrics. Port of Morrow feels fleshed out at every turn, as if no rock of instrumentation has been left unturned, due in no small part to Greg Kurstin's production work. A typical Greg Kurstin recording is famous for a multitude of hooks, doled out with all the bells and whistles that a Hollywood studio can buy. All of these songs feel like studio creations, with new and unique bits of instrumentation constantly entering the frame; some serve as one-off augmentations, while others slowly build into a song's main hook. Everything is very pretty, meticulous, and precise, yet there is a decided lack of an organic presence. There's no denying that it's ear candy, and the record is definitely enjoyable and goes down easy, but the hooks feel like decoration, rather than an integral element of the songs. It is thus a key flaw that a band who has built its reputation on invoking emotional reactions fails to strike up any chords that touch the soul.

This may be the Shins' most radio-friendly album yet. "No Way Down" and "Bait and Switch" are instant earworms, as well as opening track "The Rifles Spiral," which coasts along on a recurring piano lick. "Fall of '82" even features a trumpet solo, while "September" comes close to recalling the sound of some of the classic Shins acoustic songs. Producer Greg Kurstin's presence is mostly unobtrusive, although he does bring a few of his sonic signatures to the table (i.e., whistling, whooshing keyboards, electronic-sounding drums). Mercer's lyrics are as oblique as ever, and as with all of his work, these songs will only reveal their true meanings over time, if ever. But it's not difficult to pick up on the self-referential nature of lead single "Simple Song," in which Mercer sings, "I know that things can really get rough when you go it alone," before offering words of encouragement, uplift and love. He feels more confident and secure in his love life than ever, but might there be any self-doubting about the way he's handled his professional situation?

The spine (or metadata) of Port of Morrow will eternally mark that it is a Shins album, but there's a thought experiment that might help bring the album into proper context. For all intents and purposes, the Shins as we know them stopped existing in 2009, so everything since has been James Mercer's own ideas. It's convenient, therefore, to think of his Broken Bells project as a Danger Mouse-produced (and collaborated) first solo work, while Port of Morrow is his Greg Kurstin-produced followup. Mercer is a vital and interesting voice in the alternative rock community, and his highly-regarded output has provided great value to countless music fans, but he's basically going it alone at this point. Mercer and Port of Morrow may resonate, but the Shins as we once knew them are a slowly fading echo against the recesses of our memories.

— Mac Wilson, host

Contribute to Minnesota Public Radio and get Port of Morrow as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD of the Week: The Honeydogs - What Comes After

Posted at 11:59 PM on March 11, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get What Comes After as a Thank You Gift.

Someone forgot to send The Honeydogs the memo. You know the one — it reads "a rock band is a guitarist, a drummer, a bassist and a vocalist." The Honeydogs don't subscribe to this formula. What Comes After proves that rock 'n roll can feature a strings section and a trumpet and asks, "Why shouldn't rock 'n roll feature a flugelhorn?"

I think What Comes After is a textured musical journey that reminds us along the way of what is truly important, the people we care about and simply being happy in our lives and with ourselves.

The album begins with the rootsy, soulful track "Particles Or Waves" and then delivers us into what I can only call a "classic Honeydogs sound" on "Aubben."

The third track on What Comes After is a breathtakingly beautiful, string-laden song called "Everything In It's Place" which feels to me like an affirmation for the future that segues perfectly into the poppy "Broke It, Buy It" (in my notes, I called this tune Ben Folds Five with horns!),

The title track is my favorite. It's at one moment delicate and introspective and then as if someone pushed a "bombastic" button. Then it's a like a Partridge Family sing-along and next it's building into a rock opera!

"Fighting Weight" is a high energy, percussion driven track that will get you moving and singing along in just a jiffy. Then catch your breath and enjoy the sweet, relaxing vibe of "Always A Long Time."

The highly addictive, jangly guitar riff in "Better Word For Love" pours over you like a musical liquid while the sentiment in the lyrics is earnest and simple.

The "Devil We Do" is the perfect tune to listen to as you're leaving work on your way to your local happy-hour, rockin', boozy and bluesy with an epic amount of attitude and plenty of drums for you to practice your air drumming skills.

Enjoy the ride of "Death By Boredom" which starts off with a frenetic cacophony that becomes raw and focused, capturing you whole and then tickles you with string work that is reminiscent of a Zeppelin or old blues tune and begins to build and build back to that frenetic cacophony again. The Honeydogs then bring out the banjo for a foot-stomper on "Blood Is Blood."

As we near the end of our journey, "our GPS is down" and we're "lost and found again" and aimed back towards the things that are truly important, one last time with the help of guitars, horns, string arrangements, keys, pop and catchy hooks, all brought together by the best vocal work of Adam Levy's career.

Nope, The Honeydogs didn't get that "rock 'n roll formula" memo. Or if they did, they ignored it. And we should thank them for it. While it's true that What Comes After is The Honeydog's first studio recording they've released in six years, it is also true that with this10th studio effort, they've released the best CD of their career.

CD of the Week: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself

Posted at 11:59 PM on March 4, 2012 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Break It Yourself as a Thank You Gift.

Andrew Bird fans are not exactly the kind of listeners who demand the conventional. By the time you've committed to your second show by this violin-playing, whistling oddball, you already know a bit more, well, attention is going to be demanded of you than your average indie rock band might ask; that things are going to move a bit more languorously, eccentrically, curiously than they usually do with the typical off-the-shelf indie artist. Indeed, that's probably just what you like about the guy. Andrew Bird likes to meander around an idea, trance-like, waiting to see what little syncopated lines will bubble up — what weirdo verbal turns of phrase will tumble out. Ever since Bird first discovered his voice on his breakthrough effort Weather Systems, he's been leading listeners on a tour of his gorgeously verdant musical brain, like some kooky indie rock Willy Wonka (the Gene Wilder version, of course), showing us the interior of his confectionery, where giant chocolate mushrooms line the path but little hints of menace lurk around every corner too.

Break It Yourself, Bird's seventh studio full-length (not counting his records credited to "Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire," early efforts that found Bird recovering from his near fatal brush with swing music), serves up generous helpings of the woozy, increasingly luxurious music he's been releasing for the better part of a decade, but this time with a bit extra sonic elbow room to the compositions. The songs unspool at an even less radio-conscious pace, with episodic sections and meandering codas, unexpected digressions and changes of tempo, and above all, an almost total disregard for hooks. The tone frequently winds down to a meditative crawl that might test the patience of Bird's less hardcore fans; listeners looking for another "Fitz And The Dizzy Spells" or "Fiery Crash" will likely be disappointed. But if you're a fan who lights up when Bird focuses more on his particular brand of whispered intimacy, this could be the record you've been waiting for — the one that dispenses with a lot of the quirk and goes right for your earnest-bone. Bird's music has never sounded so unapologetically serious, and occasionally stunningly gorgeous, as it does here.

This is not to say that the individual elements of the familiar Andrew Bird vocabulary aren't present. "Desperation Breeds ..." kicks things off with a round-up of sounds in the Bird lexicon: the tick-tocking looped violin pizzicato, the whistling, the glockenspeil, drummer Martin Dosh's jazzy brush-slaps on the snare, and Bird's trademark oblique, bouncy wordplay floating on top. There's another treat in the song, though: a small dose of the white-hot violin soloing Bird has been showcasing for the past couple of years, particularly in his increasingly common solo performances of improvisatory, mostly instrumental loops and noodlings such as that highlighted in his "Gezelligheid" concert tour of churches back in 2009. Rather than come across as self-indulgent though, Bird's solos are joyous, almost ecstatic mini-explosions that will give you at least a smile and at best a shiver.

A song like "Give It Away" could have been a single, but its straightforward 4/4 passages are broken up by sections of jazz-tinged, looped excursions that will sound like — horrors! — "jamming" to those allergic to anything containing a hint of improvisatory freedom. Still, the album's clear radio offering, "Eyeoneye," follows directly, with its repeating lyrics and sing-along chorus. The tune has a slightly perfunctory quality, as if Bird would prefer to not be doing this kind of thing anymore; he's more interested in crouching in more introspective spaces, and he gets right back to them in short order and stays there for the rest of the disc. "Lazy Projector" sounds exactly like its title, and while songs such as "Near Death Experience Experience" and "Lusitania" don't quite serve up the same feeling of inert-ness, they nonetheless suggest an artist fully embracing his melancholia.

There aren't too many genuine surprises on the disc, but when they come, they're delightful. After all these years that Bird has been consciously avoiding any sort of traditional-sounding folk idioms in favor of his trademark genre-less acoustic chamber pop, "Danse Carribe" proves that when he finally dips his toe into folkier waters, we can still count on him to keep us off balance with a tune that manages to sound half-hoedown, half-Celtic, and not really the least bit Caribbean. A couple songs appear to be throwaway filler tracks, but for die-hard Birdians, they'll provide moments of knowing winks: "Polynation" actually foregrounds the mechanical sound of Bird's looping pedals clicking and switching as the poorly-recorded violin strums chunk along behind them as almost an afterthought. "Things Behind The Barn" is another instrumental miniature, its title no doubt an in-joke for fans familiar with Bird's converted recording studio lair where he spins out untold hours of these kinds of lonely, haunting little nuggets of instrumental whimsy that sometimes become songs and sometimes don't.

By the time we arrive at the album's closer "Hole In The Ocean Floor" (not counting an instrumental outro track that's largely ambient percussion), Bird has readied us for the grand emotional exultation, an extended taste of one of those cathedral-sized loop hymns, and a song that raises all the stakes he's set up thus far. Personally, it's hard for me to imagine how a listener couldn't be pulled into this music — gorgeously layered, patiently lovely, like an inhaling, exhaling, organic symphony-machine, its dials and levers manipulated by Bird while he sings along to himself as if he's the last man on earth.

It will be interesting to see if other fans and critics give Bird comparatively lower marks this time out for delivering an album short on the kind of "clever songcraft" he's come to be known for. For this fan, that's not a bug, just a feature. When Andrew Bird's mind is allowed to roam — and his violin and looping-pedals allowed to follow wherever he might lead them — beautiful music is simply the end product, be it in the form of a finely-burnished pop song or a more wistful sonic rumination. Break It Yourself is a rewarding addition to Bird's catalog, a place to settle even more deeply into his eccentric but friendly musical hideaway and make yourself at home.

Comment on this post

CD of the Week: Dr. Dog - Be The Void

Posted at 11:59 PM on February 26, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Be The Void as a Thank You Gift.

The beloved Philadelphia band, Dr. Dog, has a brand new album called Be The Void which might be their best yet! It's nice to see these fellows getting some acclaim for this one.

The group, led by bassist/singer Toby Leaman and guitarist/singer Scott McMicken, began as an offshoot of their other project, Raccoon. After years of road work, Dr. Dog has become quite a rock band, and they've done it the old fashioned way, with the blood, sweat and tears they've earned on the road and in the studio.

Be the Voidis their sixth album and their second with the Anti- label. The new album is the band's slickest and most rocking to date, which says a lot considering it was tracked live in the studio. Dr. Dog is a living, breathing band, both in the studio and on the stage. You get the impression these gents love their craft as much now as when they started some 11 years ago!

On this latest batch of songs, the band continues its mission to deliver their blend of '70s pop and classic rock, but they have also added a few new additions to their bag of tricks. The album opens with the sunny bluesy stomp, "Lonesome," and closes with the country-blues influenced, "Turning the Century," with the fuzzed-out, psychedelic freak out, "Warrior Man," sandwiched inbetween.

One thing I have always enjoyed about Dr. Dog is their focus on songs. Songwriting today can sometimes seem like a lost art form. But there are plenty of classic Dr. Dog tunes on this album, full of their signature harmonies, sharp songwriting, great melody and sing-along choruses. The kind of tunes that make you smile, if you aren't too busy working your own vocal chords! The album's lead single, "That Old Black Hole," is as good as anything they've recorded. It's a perfect song for these long days of winter with lines like, "Take this thorn from my side/Fix this chip on my shoulder/Time is racing with the clock/And I ain't getting any older/It's like that old black hole/No matter how you try/You set out each day/Never to arrive."

Other highlights include the guitar rocker, "These Days," "Get Away," which features some great Beach Boys inspired harmonies and "Big Girl," which shows plenty of rock swagger.

Now that Bon Iver, The Black Keys and Arcade Fire have won Grammies, maybe the climate is right for Dr. Dog to place a Grammy on their mantel.Be The Void might be the rock album of the year!

CD of the Week: Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy

Posted at 11:59 PM on February 19, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy as a Thank You Gift.

Once upon a time — many years ago — modern rock lost its heart*. This was long before Bon Iver's plaintive falsetto, the emotive bombast of Arcade Fire, or Mumford & Sons' rollicking histrionics. It was the mid-90s, when Pavement and Yo La Tengo ruled college radio airwaves and kids began to scour the thrift stories for ironic, too-small t-shirts (before they could waltz into Abercrombie & Fitch and just buy pre-fabricated irony). Back then, a disaffected affect was all the rage, but if you were looking for heart in modern rock (and I don't mean the Wilson sisters), you had to look hard. Emotive music belonged to DC punk (and even that seemed something of a misnomer — more fury than fervor). On the opposite end of the spectrum, Matthew Sweet's jangly valentines might've felt good (and still do), but even they were shot through with a sliver of romantic snark. In music, the glass was half-empty.

From the midst of all this postmodern ennui emerged Nada Surf. While their breakout hit, 1996's "Popular", immediately pegged them as part of that disaffected milieu — a weaker Weezer, even — the hit was in no way indicative of what was to come. And thank goodness, because what Nada Surf brought back to music, like a kiss from a sweet prince, was its heart. Before heart was popular. Nada Surf will never rise to the level of Arcade Fire's sonic swell. They're miles away from the sweetly erudite lyricism of, say, The Decemberists. This is a band that makes straightforward pop songs with simple, at times simplistic, lyrical turns. But their wide-eyed earnestness paved the way for a new kind of emo — not the roiling punk of Fugazi, nor the snotty taunting of emo's commercial-radio offspring — but the real deal.

When I think of Nada Surf, I can't help but think of the word "earnest." not only in terms of their heartfelt lyrics, but their striving. This is a band that will always try. If this band were a student, they'd be that moderately-bright kid who consistently delivers B-grade essays, but just isn't cut out for AP. But there's so much willingness there — you want them to win. Nada Surf are the Rudy of rock'n'roll.

The band's latest and seventh release, The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy, is another B+ record from a perpetually A-For-Effort band. It's the band's first release of all-original material since the lovely Lucky (2008). The album starts off on a terrific note (and I always award bands extra credit for instinctively knowing what makes a good opener): "Clear Eye, Clouded Mind" is a rocker — pairing Matthew Caws' wistful voice and lyrics with locomotive guitar and drums. It's an earworm — lodging the album's title (which features in the song) into your brain for days. "Jules and Jim" combine the band's sugar-sweetness with a tinge of late 80s R.E.M. jangle that's so downright comforting, you easily forgive the familiarity of Caws' lyrics. The tender "Let the Fighting Do the Fighting" and the boppy "Waiting for Something" are classic, pleasing Nada Surf. And the stunner "When I Was Young" finds Caws steeped in nostalgia amidst a sound that manages to evoke both the indie pop of the 90s and 70's-era Top 40. It's impossible not to feel the emotional tug of that song.

There are weak tracks here too. "The Moon is Calling," with its veiled eco-warning is downright meh — the dystopian spike of Granddaddy watered down with too much fruit punch. "Teenage Dreams" ventures into such clichéd territory, lyrically, and such overwrought sentimentality, that it elicits disbelief. (Really, "moved to a tear by a subway break-dancer?" Really?)

Nada Surf are masters at writing solid pop songs, but their strength becomes a weakness when you're faced with the homogeny of their oeuvre. This album is no different. The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy is exactly what you'd expect from a Nada Surf album — equal parts strength and limitation. Some "ah!" moments with just a couple of "please, for the love of God, no." Were we still living in the era of greatest hits albums, perhaps Nada Surf could make a killer collection. But album to album, they always fall just short of greatness.

In all honesty, I can't even conceive of an A+ album from this band. What would it sound like for Nada Surf to push the envelope? To break out of old, familiar patterns? What is Nada Surf's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? Do we even want that to happen, or is it preferable for Nada Surf to just skip along, the perpetual torch-bearers of pensive pop? I vacillate between wanting more from the band and relying on their cozy dependability, like a solid, predictable boyfriend. There's still enough cynicism in the world for everybody — sometimes I just need Nada Surf's gentle optimism.

CD of the Week: Polica - Give You The Ghost

Posted at 11:59 PM on February 12, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Give You The Ghost as a Thank You Gift.

We started playing "Wandering Star" by the new local band Poliça five months ago. Our audience immediately reacted emailing and calling every time I played it, liking it for reasons they often couldn't describe. They feverishly scoured the web for more. Then the album release show at First Ave on Valentine's Day sold out very quickly — the audience had declared, "This is great!" The response when I introduced them at our Saturday Birthday Party was literally unbelievable for such a new band.

You have to wait until track 10 to hear "Wandering Star" on Give You The Ghost and by then the album had completely won me over. I'm not the only one. Last week they were featured on the front page of NPR Music. I'm celebrating 20 years in the local music scene this year and never have I witnessed such a phenomenon. It makes an old radio guy happy.

I'm not suggesting that anyone here at the station knew this would happen. You cannot predict such a thing. It certainly isn't a style, a sound, that you would think would easily and quickly translate to a large audience. When I tried to write what that sound is, I found it easier to describe how it was made and leave out the adjectives of what it is.

Born out of the idea of collaboration, involving artists coming from different backgrounds and style experiences, it is masterminded by Ryan Olson, who up to now has been infamous for instigating Gayngs — a massive cross genre collection of musicians that ended up playing the huge Coachella festival last year. He doesn't perform with Poliça, but obviously brings a lot of his special secret sauce to selecting who to work with. Then he builds the sonic architecture for the rest of the band, the ones who play live, to dance around in their own way. This core song structure is where the attraction lies: it seems to come from an archetypal, universal place — reminding me of whale-songs in the best possible sense!

Singer and lyricist Channy Leaneagh, in Poliça's session with us, described the joy she gets just watching and hearing what this band brings: "People come just to see Chris Bierden play bass." Ironically, on the record you cannot discern how great his playing is by listening for it. It's unobtrusive, like a heartbeat; you don't want to concentrate on it but if it disappears... look out! There's one place on the record, on "I See My Mother," when the bass skips out of the mix and does a belly flop run that doesn't really work for me. But I love the idea in wabi sabi, a Japanese approach to aesthetics, that nothing is perfect, and this slight blemish subtly magnifies the splendor of the whole. I've also always loved two drummers in a band, but it has seldom worked better than here. Ben Ivascu and Drew Christopherson kaleidoscopically weave within each others patterns, giving the music a tribal, organic feel.

The success of this project therefore comes from a combination of all the participants, that indescribable magic element that can cause such a massively positive affect on an audience. But I don't think it would have worked without the bravery of Channy. She was at a place in her life, just after having a baby and having the marriage breakdown, where she could plead vulnerability. Then she stepped outside of her comfort zone as a more traditional rootsy singer in Roma Di Luna to sculpt an entirely different sound with a whole new voice. Manipulated by electronic gadgets it might be, and she uses it as an instrument, but you cannot disguise that soul.

So what is the sound? I still have no adjectives that work, but where it comes from might be a unique quality of our community at this time, coming from a skill-laden collaboration of artists willing to be brave and knowing that there is an audience out there, on the radio and in the clubs, that is willing to support them when they are.

Related Features

CD of the Week: Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

Posted at 9:06 PM on February 5, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Tramp as a Thank You Gift.
Listen to Tramp in its entirety

Whereas Epic had a more haphazard, bedroom project-type sound, Van Etten and Dessner have teamed up to craft a record bursting with meticulous sonic details, while also leaving plenty of space — sonically and lyrically — for contemplation. Most songs settle into the same broodingly melancholic feel of her other work, sometimes slowing to the point where it feels like the music will simply sputter out in its tracks. This only enhances the contrast with her "rock" numbers, of which one, "Serpents," is arguably the best song she's ever written. After a few listens, the song starts to feel almost unbearably intense, circling around a swirl of memories and accusations with no clear beginning or no end. After all, her lyric goes, "In time, you'll stay frozen in time" (or is it, "In time you'll stay, frozen in time"?), which makes the song genuinely haunting and unnerving, all amplified with Dessner's searing two-note guitar lick and a rolling drum track from the Walkmen's Matt Barrick.

Barrick is but one of the guests Van Etten enlists on this new collection (he adds a booming, yet glacially-paced, drum track to the eerie "Magic Chords"). Other guests include Julianna Barwick and members of Wye Oak and Doveman, all of whom make subtle contributions that in no way detract from Van Etten as the central focus. The most overt collaboration is "We Are Fine," a duet with Beirut's Zach Condon, meant to signify an exchange of reassurances between lovers. I wasn't sure about this track at first, as I wondered if Condon's voice spoiled the vibe of the album, but the sincerity of the sentiments won me over. Van Etten's recorded work is often stunningly sparse and lonely, and it's a little heartwarming to hear another (literal) voice offer some comfort and support.

Van Etten's lyrics are largely unpretentious; rather than focusing on flowery language, she tends to build her songs around escalating, evolving linguistic ideas, anchored with terse, memorable refrains. For example, at the beginning of "Ask," she states that she needs "more than a flowers and letters man." This is clever enough on its own, but later, as the song draws to a close, and she repeats the line "it hurts too much to laugh about it," she adds a single use of "man" at the end of the line, which might indicate an idealized partner, or it might just be an under-her-breath admonition. In the tentative "Give Out," she looks out rather than looking down, holds out instead of holding on, before finally giving out rather than giving up. In "Leonard," she adds to her sentiments with each chorus, starting with "I'm bad," progressing to "I'm bad at loving," and culminating with "I'm bad at loving you." Like Bill Callahan, Van Etten is capable of writing words that invert their own meaning, sometimes within a single line or stanza, an intriguing rhetorical device that keeps her songs captivating.

Despite its occasionally bleak outlook, Tramp is a strong next step for Sharon Van Etten, an album that should help her gain an even larger audience, while allowing her to continue building confidence to tackle the serpents in her own mind.

— Mac Wilson, host

Contribute to Minnesota Public Radio and receive Tramp as a thank you gift.

Related Features

Sharon Van Etten in Studio

Sharon Van Etten's TV debut

Sharon Van Etten Tramp listening party

CD Review: Local Current Vol. 2

Posted at 11:59 PM on January 29, 2012 by Jon Schober
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Local Current Vol. 2 as a thank you gift.

Minnesota music is poised for a break-out. Sometimes the isolated nature of the Midwest lends itself to create imaginary borders — and not just in terms of movement. Far too often, the world turns a shoulder to what is happening in this state musically, and that presents a burden for artists in Minnesota trying to garner a larger audience outside of the region.

The last two years though saw major changes in this perception. From the major-label signings of Peter Wolf Crier, GAYNGS, Night Moves, and Howler to growing internet buzz surrounding more underground bands like Buffalo Moon, Fire In the Northern Firs, Food Pyramid, Elite Gymnastics, and countless others, it seems as if people have started to take note, and, forgive the cliché, that we aren't just a state built around Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, and Prince (although those are definite reasons to be proud).

As an out-of-stater myself, I moved to Minnesota with no opinion of the state's music — for one, not many in Texas knew where Minnesota was located on a map to begin with. But it only took a few weeks to realize that the local community here is among the strongest and most diverse I've ever encountered. We have our classic banjo pickin', singer-songwriter style which has always been a trademark of this part of the country. But our hip-hop community and its various branches has also made strides. The electronic scene has blipped itself into the national spotlight. The garage and punk rock of the 80s and 90s has also rekindled itself into something as fresh sounding as ever.

The Current is proud to have been around at a time where such an artistic resurgence is gaining prominence both locally and abroad. That's why we've compiled this second album of local performances from our studios, highlighting just a small portion of the dozens of bands who graced our station in 2011. Local Current Vol. 2 is a 14-track compilation meant to encapsulate what our state's music is all about.

From those who surged to unrivaled exposure in short amounts of time like Polica and Night Moves to experimental artistry that many bands will never match like you find in Brute Heart; from seasoned veterans who claim membership in too many acts to count like Haley Bonar and Halloween, Alaska, to the wild genre-crossing found in Mystery Palace and Doomtree — this thirst to constantly explore and collaborate is what makes the state so unique and active.

Every day there is a new local artist or band that has talent that many haven't yet heard. If the start of 2012 is any indication, Local Current Vol. 3 next year is going to be filled with names that may not have meant much to you in the beginning but became some of the next big players of Minnesota music both here and abroad.

— Jon Schober, Local Music Assistant

CD Review: Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes

Posted at 11:59 PM on January 22, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Clear Heart Full Eyes as a thank you gift.

Clear Heart Full Eyes is the debut solo record from The Hold Steady's Craig Finn. While The Hold Steady had some down time, Finn enlisted the help of producer Mike McCarthy (his credits include working with Spoon, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Heartless Bastards) to try his hand at a solo album. He gathered up some demos and flew down to Austin, Texas, and Clear Heart Full Eyes is the result.

When I heard Craig Finn was working on a solo record, my initial reaction was to be curious. I wondered if there was trouble in The Hold Steady. I wondered if he was going to go in a completely new direction. I didn't have to wonder long when Craig shared some new songs while he was a guest on The Minnesota Public Radio live program, Wits. It sparked my interest to get a taste of what he'd been cooking up. He also provided explanation on the internet (his blog, Amazon page, Twitter) saying how he was interested in trying something new and wanted to have the experience in growing as a songwriter/musician by working outside his usual zone. I can appreciate that and I commend him for recognizing the need to explain his intentions. No need for this radio DJ to analyze a musician's move any further, and for that, I thank you Mr. Finn.

Upon first listen to Clear Heart Full Eyes, it became clear that the focus of this record is Finn's writing. His lyrics are the forefront. I've considered him to be a strong lyricist since the first time I heard his work with The Hold Steady. What's different in this situation than in that of The Hold Steady is that the musical arrangements are more subtle and sort of mellowed out, allowing the listener to concentrate on the words. His delivery and writing style are true to the "Craig Finn style," littered with themes of religion, character development and solitude. What it comes down to is this; Finn is a great storyteller and I think this solo record venture was another opportunity to let his narrative voice shine.

— Jill Riley, Host

CD Review: Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur

Posted at 11:59 PM on January 15, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Voyageur as a thank you gift.

Translated literally as "traveler," the French word Voyageur refers to the French Canadians that facilitated the fur trade in the 18th and early 19th centuries in Canada and the upper Midwest. It also makes for an apt analogical title for the fourth LP from Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards.

Recorded between August of 2010 and May of last year, in the wake of her divorce after five years of marriage to Colin Cripps — her long-time guitarist and band leader as well as the producer for her 2005 album Back to Me — Voyageur chronicles a love affair from the very beginning to the end. More notably, this record is produced with the help of her new love — Justin Vernon, better known as Bon Iver. In addition to production, Justin also contributed instrumentation and backing vocals, which stand out particularly in the fifth track, the agonizing break up narrative "House Full of Empty Rooms," as their voices intertwine the vulnerable lyrics into robust harmonies over minimal piano.

Their collaboration also led to the appearance of several guests on the album. The usual suspects connected to Vernon — including members of Bon Iver, Megafaun and Peter Wolf Crier — appear on the album. There are some surprises, too, like Norah Jones, who sings backing vocals on the last track, "For the Record," and John Roderick, known for fronting The Long Winters, who even co-wrote two of the songs, "A Soft Place to Land" and "Pink Champagne." Co-writing had previously been an intensely private process for Edwards, who saw it as a challenge and approached it with an open mind.

And through the relationship and career metamorphoses, you can sense that Edwards has been on a voyage. You hear reflection in her lyrics, and you hear transformation in her emotive voice. From an alt-country aesthetic on her early records to shimmery indie-pop on her latest, this Voyageur has traveled a long way.

CD Review: Howler - America Give Up

Posted at 11:59 PM on January 8, 2012 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get America Give Up as a thank you gift.

Before their first full-length was released, Howler had already received high praise from far-flung places. Famed British music weekly NME named Howler the third-best new band of 2011; and the BBC and The Guardian heaped more positive excitement — and expectations — on the young Minneapolis band.

Howler's sound? Hmm... picture this: it's like if there were a 6th Stroke and he made a record with his new side project (and I say this as a huge fan of both The Strokes and their various side projects).

America Give Up, the debut full-length CD from Minneapolis band Howler, they seem to have pulled off the unthinkable. They've made a record rotten with singles. The band writes power pop tunes clocking in at three minutes or less — my favorite kind. The first time I heard this band, I knew they were making music just for me. Maybe you'll feel that way too.

The members of Howler, while young to be sure, write with a certain maturity in the way they compose these hand-clappy, shimmery pop tunes with just enough disaffectedness in Jordan Gatesmith's voice. Well-placed "Woo Hoo's" abound and, as I mentioned, gobs of hook-filled hand-clappy goodness.

Howler are not unlike bands such as The Strokes, Guided By Voices, The Jam, and The Buzzcocks, all of which weren't really interested in grand thematic records but rather a collection of single tracks that stand strong enough on their own. So strong that if you were to play only one track for someone that best sums up the band, you could blindly pick any one of them and nail it.

Though it's almost impossible to feature highlight tracks, I'll go with my OCD tendency to hit repeat on the following songs: "This One's Different," "Back To The Grave," and "Black Lagoon."

Anytime a band this young with this much talent comes along, you can't help but feel the, "I knew them when syndrome." If I had a desk to put my feet up on and a cigar in my mouth, I'd say, "This band is goin' places! These kids have got it. They've got Moxie baby!"

CD Review: Guided By Voices - Let's Go Eat The Factory

Posted at 11:59 PM on January 1, 2012 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Let's Go Eat The Factory as a thank you gift.

Your neighbor down the street walks up to you and starts telling you about his really great band, man. You should really check out our show this weekend - there's free beer and everything. You think, yeah right, these drunken fools have no idea what they're doing. But sure, I suppose I can come see your band this weekend, just so your feelings don't get hurt. You show up to the show, your (totally sloshed) neighbor steps behind the mic, and from the first note, your jaw hits the ground, as you suddenly realize that the idiots down the street are actually one of the best rock bands in the world. This rock legend plays out as the dramatic climax of the film High Fidelity, and it also continues to play out in real life in the form of Guided by Voices: a band of everymen who gradually became one of the most beloved acts in alternative rock before apparently disbanding in 2004, only to reunite in recent years for a series of shows and tours, and now, a new studio album, Let's Go Eat the Factory.

The new album reunites the band's "classic lineup" from the mid-1990s, but the fulcrum of the band continues to be Robert Pollard, one of the most prolific and idiosyncratic musicians in modern music. The ex-schoolteacher Pollard has kept busy during GbV's hiatus by recording a staggering volume of solo records under various monikers, branching across the spectrum of rock n' roll in both sound and lyricis. From the get-go, it's tempting to envision Let's Go Eat the Factory being filled with similarly varying, indistinct bashers that Pollard could have whipped up in his sleep (and to be honest, he probably does: he's spoken about his tendency to work random phrases of everyday conversation and dream speech and turn them into entire songs.) But one of the most pleasant surprises about Let's Go Eat the Factory is its reluctance to adhere to traditional songcraft or sonics, instead devolving into disjointed fragments and seemingly half-baked ideas, often recorded through the cheapest boombox at Radio Shack. The kicker, of course, is that the previous sentence also describes the sound of what are considered the band's "classic" albums: 1994's Bee Thousand and 1995's Alien Lanes. Each of those albums is less about individual hit songs than they are about maintaining a flow and building their own world, which is also what the band accomplishes on Let's Go Eat the Factory. The album can sound willfully bizarre and even frustrating, but it's ever intriguing to hear a band carve out its own trademark sonic direction.

This doesn't mean that the album is lacking in hit singles - they're just hit singles viewed through Guided by Voices' own prism. (If you need an example of this, go to YouTube and check out the album version of 1995's "My Valuable Hunting Knife;" it sounds quintessentially GbV, both brilliantly catchy and sounding like it was recorded for $5. Then go check out the Tigerbomb EP version, which was recorded with actual studio equipment and sounds like a potential Top 5 hit. I feel that one of the critical observations of the essence of Guided by Voices is the distinction between the versions: what is the "real" GbV? The Tigerbomb version is awesome radio rock, yet if you sit down and listen to the original version, it becomes its own modern rock hit when you close your eyes and let your imagination fill in the gaps. If Springsteen had released a full-band version of Nebraska six months later (as was his original plan), it would have found its own audience, yet only amplified the strengths of his original, stripped-down recordings. It calls to mind another classic archetype of popular music: are the songs banged out in ten minutes truer to the spirit of rock n' roll than those labored over for months in the studio? Anyway, I inadvertently wound up putting one of my core theses within brackets, so thanks for reading.) Guided by Voices require the listener to step through the looking glass into their own universe, and once you're there, hit singles can sprout up from nowhere. Speaking of which, the perpetually underrated Tobin Sprout actually contributes several of the album's strongest numbers, including "Spiderfighter" and "Waves," which rides on a persistent, buzzing riff, and is one of the most "professional-sounding" songs on the record. Many songs paint vivid portraits and disappear in a matter of seconds; "Doughnut for a Snowman," "How I Met My Mother," and "Chocolate Boy" all flame out in under two minutes. Pollard's Beatles fascination also persists in "Hang Mr. Kite" and "I Invented the Sun." One of the songs we've played on The Current, "The Unsinkable Fats Domino," adheres to a traditional verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure, and actually sounds like a real song (!), and even THAT clocks in at just 1:53. The record loses a little steam towards the end, before wrapping up with the crowd-pleasing encore "We Won't Apologize for the Human Race."

If their past history is any indication, this should be the first of several new releases for Guided by Voices, which will inevitably find the band shaking off any rust and perhaps even turning up the 'rock' knob a little more. For now, Let's Go Eat the Factory is an uncompromising record that takes no shortcuts, instead opting to play upon their own unique traits. As Pollard yells in a song that's practically all chorus, "We are living proof that God loves us!" What other rational explanation is there for how a bar band from Dayton, Ohio earned their proper recognition as one of the best rock bands in the world?

Comment on this post

CD Review: The Roots - Undun

Posted at 11:59 PM on December 25, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Undun as a thank you gift.

Already widely acknowledged as the most respected hip-hop artists employing live instrumentation in the contemporary music scene, the Roots have cemented that reputation with their gig as the house band of Jimmy Fallon, proving every night that they can play anything with anybody with out losing their credibility or fire. This is an important album even though it is their 13th, and they've recently collaborated with John Legend and Betty Wright. They're now a groundbreaking band talking to a whole new audience that they perhaps never thought they had reason to hope to reach. It's a statement of intent about how they are going to use this position, as a mouthpiece for a genre, a community.

Most of the early reviews and an interview with band leading drummer ?uestlove have focused on the fact that it is a concept album built around a story of a young mid-level drug dealer losing his life and looking back. Don't be perturbed if you think this story has been told before or that the idea of concept albums is played out. The first few times I listened to undun I didn't know that premise and enjoyed it just as much, if not more than I do now with that added information. The story doesn't stand out or bedevil the work with details, only explains a few things. The first sound we hear is of one of those bed-side machines in a hospital that gave rise to the phrase "flat-lining," a low humming beep that reminded me of the sound our dishwasher makes when it's done. Funny how details change your perception! The storyline drops in and out of the heavy narrative, but it could be an everyman story, one that is becoming cliché, because it is still so true.

The lyricism flows wonderfully, set in the here and now with a broad perceptive universal poetry. The group's resident wordsmith Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter is keenly precise, never adding extra flourish. That's left to the guests — Big K.R.I.T, Dice Raw, Phonte and more. Many vocalists are added to the mix, but it's the production, rhythm and feel of the album that is the star turn. Of course I love that it is so obviously attempting to be an album, a work of cohesive tension and release, paced for dramatic affect. Unfortunately four interesting musical snippets are added at the end, that could have been musically prescient punctuation points, showing us where the flow of contemporary hip-hop might go. It's even entitled "Redford Suite" after the the main character of the concept, who is apparently inspired by a Sufjan Stevens song and, like the indie wonderkid's music, alludes to classical music movements. But skipping as they do from freestyle jazz improvisations to short string laden chamber orchestra pieces, collaged together they merely act as a buffer zone between the end and the start if you are listening to the album on repeat... maybe that's the point?!

A staple style of the art form that I simply don't understand or appreciate, the rap song that is built around a soul, gospel or R'n'B sample as the hook, happens on almost every song, sometimes they stick in a good way, other times they stick out in a bad way. The band and their guests also reference themselves and their past work in a few of the lyrics too, and I've perhaps missed even more historical markers along the way which deep fans will enjoy. Doubtless there will also be some new fans having discovered them on the telly that think; "is this safe, sanitized rap that I can expose my kids to?" Well...I had a clean copy to review but I'm assuming that most copies will have a heavy dose of the words they still cannot say on TV. But this story is definitely ready for primetime and so are The Roots.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures

Posted at 11:59 PM on December 18, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Lioness: Hidden Treasures as a thank you gift.

When you think of Amy Winehouse, you may think of the tragedies of her short life that played out right in front of us. It's hard not to think about the multiple times we read about her substance-fueled performances or the performances cancelled because she was unfit to take the stage. We remember the volatile relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil. There were stints in rehab and brushes with the law. These things all seemed to be forgettable tabloid fodder that melted from our minds the minute we heard her sing.

I learned that Amy Winehouse had died after returning home from running errands with a friend. She and I had the same reaction once we had plugged in. We simultaneously sent each other the same text. "Amy Winehouse is dead!" Later that evening while in attendance at the U2 show, there was plenty of conversation on the subject and Bono dedicated "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" to Amy.

Amy would have been 28 on September 20. On that date, her duet with Tony Bennett, "Body And Soul," was released. On Halloween, we learned about the posthumous collection Lioness: Hidden Treasures which was released earlier this month. Each time I sat down to write this review I was moved to tears. I think of the talent we've lost and what she would have musically accomplished in her future.

There are times when the effort seems too rushed. Maybe the backing band sounds too canned and corny. Maybe they could have cut out the ramble at the end of a song. But overall this is a bittersweet CD I am proud to have in my collection.

I really enjoyed the reggae twist on "Our Day Will Come" and the earnest rendition of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" It was interesting to hear the demo and stripped down versions of Amy's well-known tunes "Valerie" and "Wake Up Alone."

But there are two big highlights on this recording for me. First, the spot-on performance of "The Girl from Ipanema," which has been covered by so many artists over the years that it was hard to imagine someone could make it sound fresh and new. But she accomplished it! Secondly, "A Song for You," which seems like a heavy dose of foreshadowing with the lines "I've acted out my love in stages / With ten thousand people watching..." and, "And when my life is over / Remember when we were together / We were alone and I was singing this song for you."

Comment on this post

CD Review: The Black Keys - El Camino

Posted at 2:37 PM on December 7, 2011 by Bill DeVille
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get El Camino as a thank you gift.

The Black Keys have always seemed to enjoy their underdog status, but it doesn't seem like they will be the underdog anymore. This is a band firing on all cylinders! I suspect they'll be headlining arenas before all is said and done.

El Camino shows The Black Keys heading in more of a rock direction. They've cited artists like The Clash and The Cramps as inspirations, but I hear artists like T. Rex, Led Zeppelin and ZZ Top. That's not to say they sound like a 70's rock band. Producer Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton is again twisting the knobs on this one, giving it a modern feel without losing the 70's rock spirit.

El Camino is a tight and efficient album with 11 songs clocking in at 38 minutes. The songs are well written and chock-full of the band's trademark gritty grooves. Auerbach recently told Rolling Stone Magazine, "the album is really strong melodically, and it's short and to the point, like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers said, 'Don't bore us, get to the chorus,' that's the model we lived by." They succeeded!

The album opens with the solid, straight-up rocker, "Lonely Boy," which is also the first single. I hear T.Rex all over this one. Not so much in the sound, but in the bluesy, gritty and thoroughly danceable quality. Have you turned on ESPN lately? This song has been tough to avoid. But for whatever reason, I rarely tire of a great Black Keys tune.

The next several tracks rock like a house afire! "Dead and Gone" hints at Iggy's version of "China Girl," and even Motown.

My favorite song from the album is, "Gold on the Ceiling." The Black Keys aren't just a little blues duo anymore. This one is full of layered harmonies, handclaps, tacky keyboards and dirty guitars. Auerbach sings, "They wanna get my Gold on the ceiling/I ain't blind/Just a matter of time before you steal it/It's alright/Ain't no blood in my eye." Could he be forecasting about the trappings of rock-n-roll success? This one to me is an instant classic.

"Little Submarines" might be The Black Keys,"Stairway to Heaven." It starts simply with Auerbach and his acoustic guitar, and then builds to Zeppelin-like proportions. Another highlight is "Hell of A Season" which show the Keys may have listened to a little reggae, or at least The Clash's version of it. Nothin' wrong with that!

The album's final track is "Mind Eraser." When I heard the line, "don't let it be over," it's like The Black Keys read my mind. This album is definitely gonna be spending quite a bit of time in my player!

CD Review: The Minnesota Beatle Project Vol.3

Posted at 12:00 AM on December 5, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get The Minnesota Beatle Project Vol. 3 as a thank you gift.

Audio Samples»

Read more about the MN Beatle Project and sample tracks from Vol. 3

But actually, maintaining consistency and awesomeness over the long haul is not easy. But the Minnesota Beatle Project has done it. Now back with Volume 3 of the series, it's amazing to hear the stylistic diversity and quality of the artists of our community who covered songs of The Beatles this time, as well as the selections from the Beatles' seemingly never-ending well of great songs. Turns out those mop tops wrote a few gems, and while the third edition of, say, a tribute to Colour Me Badd might not be all that interesting, like the first two, MBP3 is chock full of well known hits like "Help" and "Here Comes the Sun," along with some lesser known Beatles songs "Love You To" and "Long, Long, Long."

It's a little intimidating for artists to approach how to cover the Beatles. There's a continuum between "bringing the band to the song" on one end, and "bringing the song to the band" on the other. Some do the former, with faithful versions that celebrate the songs but don't stray far from the originals in terms of presentation or instrumentation — like Motion City Soundtrack's "Here Comes the Sun" or The Arms Akimbo (whose original music is rooted in Merseybeat) doing "You Wont' See Me." Others take more risk and re-imagine the songs in their own styles. Tapes 'n' Tapes reach for an obsessive intensity and squall on Lennon's "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," while the 4onthefloor take "Why Don't We Do It On the Road?" into the Southern boogie swamp. Maybe the boldest move on the album is from Solid Gold, who turn George Harrison's "Love You To" from India to Indie.

As with past MBPs, the artists and engineers donated their time so that the most possible proceeds can go to support and enhance music and art education for students in Minnesota public schools. Already over 15,000 students have been impacted by grants from the first two compilations — the last track on MBP3 is a version of "A Hard Day's Night" by the Anoka Middle School for the Arts, one of the first recipients of help from the MBP. And just as the Beatles' music is morphed into Beatles Rock Band and Circ Du Soleil for a new generation of fans, the Minnesota Beatle Project Vol. 3 takes the most influential musical artist of the past 50 years and uses their music to push our artists creatively while helping give opportunities for the next generation to make some music of their own.

Contribute today and get The Minnesota Beatle Project Vol. 3 as a thank you gift.

Video Premiere: Solid Gold performing "Love You To"

Disclaimer: 89.3 The Current is a proud media sponsor and partner in the Minnesota Beatle Project. And even if we weren't, we'd still think it's a pretty great record.

CD Review: The New Standards and Friends Holiday Show

Posted at 7:59 PM on November 27, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get The New Standards Holiday and Friends Holiday Show as a thank you gift.

Joined by their friends -- and some of the Twin Cities most loved local musicians -- Chan Poling, John Munson, and Steve Roehm have captured this newly found tradition on their new release, The New Standards and Friends Holiday Show. (In the interest of full disclosure, this is a release brought to you by The Current... because how could we resist?) The album is a compilation tracks selected by The New Standards that captures the best moments of their concerts at the Fitzgerald Theater over the past 5 years.

Like the annual shows, this album is an unfamiliar take on some of the most familiar songs. It's a mix of traditional holiday songs and a festive take on some favorite indie and mainstream earworms that have been reinterpreted by The New Standards (or what you might call "standardized"). From "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" to "Do You Realize" (Flaming Lips), and from "Silver Bells" to "Toxic" (Britney Spears), this compilation captures the sincerity and the irony of so many of our holiday traditions.

Not only are the songs familiar, but The New Standards are joined by some of the most recognizable names in Minnesota Music. With an all-star line-up of Minnesota musicians including Dan Wilson, Matt Wilson, Gary Louris, Jeremy Messersmith, and Haley Bonar, the compilation captures the energy and spirit of some of the most memorable moments from the past 5 years at the Fitzgerald Theater. The Scrooge inside you won't be able to resist Haley Bonar's version of Joni Mitchell's song "River," which leads seamlessly into a Jeremy Messersmith original, "Miracles," followed by Dan Wilson singing "Silver Bells."

Most of all, this release is a way to live vicariously through the music. If you haven't been able to experience the New Standards in concert, or seen their annual shows, or if you feel the need to reconnect with the songs from your own holiday tradition, The New Standards and Friends Holiday Show captures the essence of this festive and wistful time of year. A document that will help reminds us of the music, the people, and the place and time in which we exist.

Happy Holidays.

—David Safar

Contribute today and get The New Standards Holiday and Friends Holiday Show as a thank you gift.

A short animated film about the gritty adventures of the lusty stag, Rudolph, as an adult reindeer in the big city. Directed by Bret Farley based on a concept of Chan Poling and John Munson's with music by The New Standards.

CD Review: Doomtree - No Kings

Posted at 11:42 PM on November 20, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week, Local

Contribute now and get "No Kings" as a thank you gift.

Per usual, you have the expected -- yet unknown -- match-ups of the MCs from song-to-song to keep you guessing, but there is also a lot of collaborative production taking place as well (watch the video they made about writing the record). It's those combined forces that make the album sound big and layered with lots of texture, while maintaining a balance between being abrasive and sounding too polished.

Vocally, each MC adds a specific highlightable quality: Cecil Otter, excellent creative technical writing; Sims, great technical rapping; Dessa, diversity of style; Mike Mictlan, aggressiveness; and P.O.S., pure personality and wit.

8 of the 12 tracks have at least 4 of the 5 MCs in the crew and those generally result in the best cuts on the album. The exception to the rule is "Punch Out", which only features Sims & Mike Mictlan on a brutally beautiful Lazerbeak beat. Clocking in just shy of two minutes, it attacks... and abruptly ends in a flurry of maniacal drum rolls, and leaves you wondering what hit you.

Other track highlights include "Beacon", "Bangarang", "No Way" and, the full crew effort, "Fresh New Trash."

"Fresh New Trash" features all 5 MCs and is produced by all of the crew's producers: Cecil Otter, Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger, and P.O.S. It's tracks like this that get your mind wondering which producer added what elements to the song. It serves the album well as the closing track, leaving you hungry for more Doomtree -- both as a collective and as individual members.

While listening to this album, I can't help but think how effectively it is going to translate into the live show. The huge sound is going to fill any room, the sense of urgency in the music will captivate the audience, and the constantly rotating cast of MCs will never leave time, need or want for a breather. Sounds like a perfect set up for the best Blowout yet...

—Kevin Beacham, Redefinition Radio host

Contribute now and get "No Kings" as a thank you gift.

Tune-in December 9 at 7 p.m. for an In-Studio Session with the entire Doomtree crew.

CD Review: Noel Gallagher - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Posted at 11:59 PM on November 13, 2011 by The Current (3 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds as a thank you gift.

Oasis has always been taken to task for their generous lifting of hooks and sounds from some of rock's biggest groups. Interestingly enough, this has never bothered me. Maybe it's because I too love the Beatles, the  Rolling Stones and The Stone Roses.

With the disbanding of Oasis, Liam took the opportunity to in many ways to pick up where the band left off with his new project Beady Eye. Noel's declaration of independence from wingnut brother Liam has resulted in an unexpected endeavor: his solo CD Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. You want it, he's got it in there: big guitars, strings, saws, choirs and horns!

I remember reading an interview with Noel before hearing any of the record and I laughed as I thought he was toying with the writer when he described the sound as ranging from rock to soft pop and Vaudevillian-like tunes. Now that I've heard it, though, I know he wasn't kidding.

Lyrically, it's not a huge departure from Oasis, although on this album, he's maybe  no longer gonna live forever — and maybe even he has admitted to not  knowing what the hell a wonderwall is, or how is it faster than a cannon ball...

At any rate, despite being a solo record, there's nothing overly intimate about this collection of tunes. It's as if Noel was made to write songs for stadium sized sing alongs — again, a fact that does not bother me. Not everyone has to make the Bob Dylan Basement Tapes to earn rock credibility for me.

Not all the songs are fist-pumping soccer hooligan anthems, actually...  far cry from it. "If I had a Gun" unexpectedly  features lap steel and has an easiness that feels truly effortless. "The Death Of You and Me" is both creepy and pretty.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds finds Noel building on twenty years of rock stardom. It's obvious it has all gone to his head in a most productive way... a fact that does not bother me in the least.

— Mary Lucia, Host

Contribute today and get Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials

Posted at 12:07 AM on November 7, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Ceremonials as a thank you gift.

She should take a leaf out of Tori's playbook too and try to be less epic... at least some of the time. Every song on this new collection seems to be striving for the grand orchestrated statement, lots of drama, but little variation in form or intensity. She had so much success with her debut Lungs she perhaps feels too much pressure to make every song live up to the expectations and be effective in front of the huge festival crowds that she'll be expected to perform in front of.

Considering this is only the second release, it may be unfair criticism, especially as we assume that few will partake in the album as a whole, but the real problem might be the lack of any obvious follow up Big Hits! "What The Water Gave Me" has been on our charts for several weeks already and is the only one that has a big enough hook in the chorus. The rest might grow on me, especially "Seven Devils" and "Leave My Body", but only if I start hearing them as singles because I'm afraid I might not go back to listening to the album in its entirety. It's just too tiring, to stay at the exhausting high intensity that Flo' maintains for so long.

The album starts with a great sample of church bells ringing and Florence recounting a childhood memory, but the choir-like voices that work effectively in this opening song "Only For A Night", don't just hang around only for that song, they reappear over and over. I enjoy how she interlaces seemingly disparate musical elements like harps and shredding guitars, and you have to admire the quality of her voice. Reading a recent live review the author noted that one of the biggest cheers of the night was for a high note held for a long time, probably the one in the bridge of "No Light, No Light." Seldom is such pure skill given much credit in the ironic world of indie music, but one can't help think of Adele. Will she be able to keep performing at those heights night after night in the rigorous touring schedules that are expected of new artists now, desperate to cash-in on what is always assumed to be their brief window of opportunity?

Are there good tunes here? A few, as mentioned above. You know me, the lyrics man, so what about the words? What's going on in Flo's universe that she's letting us in on? Well... she doesn't want the "arms of the ocean" to ever let her go... she's breaking down and falling down, but that's alright ... you can choose what stays and what fades away...just keep following the heartlines on your hand. But the heart is hard to translate, it has a language all its own ...and it never makes sense to me at all?!

Ceremonials is an appropriate title, every song is epic enough to be used as a dramatic processional, but if the ceremony lasted too long it would become histrionic, diluting the effect.

— Mark Wheat, Host

Contribute today and get Ceremonials as a thank you gift.

Related Features

Dog Days Are Over (Live at the Minnesota Zoo)

Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) (Live at the Minnesota Zoo)

Cosmic Love (Live at the Minnesota Zoo)

Top 89 of 2010

CD Review: Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

Posted at 12:00 AM on October 31, 2011 by The Current (2 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute today and get Mylo Xyloto as a thank you gift.

The fact that there were actual debates here at The Current over how much to play X&Y and its follow-up, Viva la Vida..., is both preposterous and telling. Why wouldn't you play them?? They're arguably the most successful band with alternative roots since Radiohead -- or U2! Why would we play them? They're corporate juggernauts, tailored for Top 40 radio, banging bodies with the likes of Jay-Z and Gwyneth Paltrow! (Ahem.)

Their fifth album, Mylo Xyloto, is as quintessentially Coldplay as anyone could imagine: a mix of booming anthems designed for stadiums, as well as some low-key acoustic tracks that remind us that they started out as just four guys looking for love.

Mylo Xyloto is unabashedly huge, both in sound and sentiment. Even the liner notes are a breathless mash of color and words (the album was apparently influenced by American graffiti, [sic] whatever that means). Lead vocalist/pianist Chris Martin has built a narrative amongst music journalists that the album chronicles the progression of a relationship, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the band's career; in 2005, I was fond of saying that X&Y played like a concept album about convincing your girlfriend not to break up with you.

Any supposed sweeping lyrical narrative is ancillary: the minute you hit 'play' on a Coldplay album, everyone already knows they're in for various sagas of love and romantic torment. Torment pops up in "Hurts Like Heaven," as the subject utilizes their "heart like a weapon," and Martin bemoans his own torched heart in "Up in Flames". As always, though, he sees reason for optimism in the penultimate, show-stopping "Don't Let It Break Your Heart," where the lovers vow to never part again (at least until Album 6).

Coldplay's music has always sounded universal and huge, but they take on an enormity on Mylo Xyloto that alternately thrills and leaves the listener distant. "Princess of China" is conceived as a duet with Rihanna, yet it comes off feeling empty, cold, and clinical. (It doesn't help that the liner notes freely admit that Rihanna cut her vocals somewhere completely different, cut off from the band.) Some songs experiment with turbo-charged BPMs, which ultimately come off as tiring to the ear (I only listened to the album on a stereo and in the car; I would imagine that listener fatigue is a very real concern for anyone listening on headphones).

Lower-key tracks such as "U.F.O." and "Us Against the World" also fail to make much of an impression. But there are moments where the band explodes to life, such as the so-stupid-it's-good "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" or the I-swear-I've-heard-that-riff-before "Charlie Brown". The highlight for me, though, is the stupendous "Paradise," with a gargantuan chorus that mirrors its protagonist's escape into the world of dreams. It immediately joins the roster of Coldplay classics, along with "Yellow," "Lost!" and 2/3 of A Rush of Blood to the Head.

When I said earlier that one "sensed something inherently special about this band's sound," I was of course referring to the way I felt when I bought A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2002 and felt like I had stumbled into unearthing the best band in the world. Every girl I dated in college had Coldplay on their stereo, computer, iPod, or KaZaA. I've rooted for and followed this band from their first days (when I thought "Yellow" was a Collective Soul song) to their spot at the head of the table of rock bands. Somewhere along the line, their albums became less an event than the moment when 45 minutes of new Coldplay music gets released to the world. Mylo Xyloto doesn't resonate with me as an album, so much it's as another installment in the band's continuing saga. We know what we're getting with Coldplay, and in that regard, doesn't disappoint.

—Mac Wilson, host

Contribute today and get Mylo Xyloto as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Tom Waits - Bad As Me

Posted at 1:08 PM on October 23, 2011 by Barb Abney
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute this week and get Bad As Me as a thank you gift

For someone who has said he doesn't spend a great deal of time in front of a computer, Tom Waits knows how to use the internet to get his message across. Remember the 2008 "press conference" for his Glitter and Doom tour? This time around, he announced some details of his new record (along with a healthy jab at those who leak music online) via the Private Listening Party" announcement back in August.

If you were able to stream the new album via his website or attend one of the actual private listening parties at an your local record store, no doubt you're already hooked.

On his 20th studio album, Tom Waits has once again assembled an incredible collection of musicians to bring this musical vision to life, including: his oldest son, Casey; blues veteran, Charlie Musselwhite; David Hildalgo of Los Lobos; Les Claypool of Primus; Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones (just to name a few).

Bad As Me begins with the driving horn and guitar-drenched tune "Chicago" and ends with a Hellish evening of "Auld Lang Syne" on "New Years Eve." We're taken on a 13 track journey featuring the most incredible vocal work of Mr. Waits' career... tender on tunes such as "Talking At The Same Time" and "Face The Highway." His growl is ever-present on "Hell Broke Luce" (which was reportedly inspired by a tour of Alcatraz where he saw the title carved into a wall) where he sings about war and it's after-effects. "Pay Me" plays like a reinterpretation of an old folk song.

As always, the consummate storyteller, can wag his finger at you in a way that makes you wonder if he's talking to YOU or another part of his own personality on the album's namesake, "Bad As Me." While "Raised Right Man" seems like a societal lament on the importance of strong lifetime relationships or marriage.

I can't help but grin as I listen to "Satisfied." The music and vocal delivery have a gospel like feel. But the fun is in the lyrics with repeated use of the word "satisfaction" and the call out to "Mr. Jagger and Mr. Richards." The song's placement in the album's track-listing is made even more grin-worthy due to the fact it is followed by a duet with Keith Richards called "Last Leaf," a melancholic look at aging and survival.

We waited for seven years to hear a new studio record of original music from Tom Waits. Bad As Me proves to be worth the wait!

CD Review: Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

Posted at 12:00 AM on October 17, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute this week and get A Creature I Don't Know as a thank you gift

Singer/songwriter Laura Marling was only 16 years old when she emerged on the British indie scene in 2007 thanks to a handful of infectious singles made available on her MySpace profile. She quickly made a name for herself throughout the UK thanks to a heavy touring schedule and a few high-profile gigs. Marling started out as part of the English "new folk" scene (which includes bands like Mumford & Sons and Noah & the Whale), but she ended up carving out a path of her own with a starker, stranger and more jazz-inflected sound. Her old-soul persona, husky voice and gift for building quirky, catchy folk songs is very reminiscent of contemporaries such as Martha Wainwright and Feist but delves a bit deeper into the world of '60 folk rock — evoking the legendary Brit-folk voices of Shirley Collins, Sandy Denny, and Linda Thompson.

Now 21 years old, Laura's already on her third album, has garnered two Mercury Music Prize nominations, released an EP produced by Jack White and continues to reap a ton of critical acclaim. It's fair to say that Laura Marling is doing something right. Her latest album, A Creature I Don't Know, takes Laura even further in her musical career with the confidence of someone twice her age. The album has a grassroots Americana feel at times and a much fuller sound, adding touches of chamber pop and more amplified guitar to her traditional acoustic base.

A Creature I Don't Know is Marling's most scenic and adventurous work yet, where we hear her wrestling with expectations, emotions, beasts, deceit and her own personal vices. The record's title comes from British biographer Jehanne Wake's novel Sisters of Fortune and is illustrated by the almost brutal cover art that illuminates Laura's theme of the beast as a metaphor for convoluted, unnatural or unspoken desire.

Her opening track, "The Muse," sets the tone of the album, shuffling along with a blues guitar/banjo combo and a soothing jazz double bass layered underneath. It's also the introduction to one of the reoccurring characters of the album, The Beast, as well as the set-up for the album's theme, which is told through stories that Marling describes as "the difficult balance between wanting and needing."

The album is anchored in the form of the track "The Beast," a devastating tale that tells the story of how the emancipation promised by love was instead replaced by confusion and deception. This ends up producing some very stark and angry imagery: "You're ok now, I suppose / You're not pulled by the rope / I'm pulled by the pull on my throat / I'm pulled by the rope / I swing from the trees into the slope / Hold my head high, just by the tip of my toes... Put your eyes away if you can't bear to see your old lady laying down next to the beast / Tonight he lies with me...and here come the beast."

"Sophia" slowly builds itself into one of the album's most notable moments, beginning with a dusky croon that unfolds into a wry sort of sing-speak. The song begins with a desolate acoustic pace, with the drums making a late entrance around the three-minute mark, only to turn what began as a ballad into an up-tempo folk-rocker.

"Salinas" is an imaginative character sketch set in John Steinbeck's hometown. Marling's fascination with John Steinbeck's third wife, Elaine, was the inspiration, and the refrain "I am from Salinas, where the women go forever" echoes the chronicle of a heroic woman who had the unfortunate circumstance of watching a great man die.

Some people seem to claim that Laura Marling is too aloof and distant to properly connect with, but when has an air of mystery ever really been an obstacle to being a successful songwriter? I find her sense of secrecy to be more alluring and captivating than standoffish. A Creature I Don't Know is an album full of breathtaking songs that deserve to be investigated for months to come. As Laura's career continues, she is slowing unfolding before our eyes, unveiling not only her talents but the deeper, inner secrets she's hidden away in her youth. What's truly the most spectacular thing about her is that, as she comes into her adulthood, her poetic songwriting just continues to evolve into something that much more extraordinary.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire

Posted at 11:50 PM on October 9, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute this week and get Ashes and Fire as a thank you gift

You never quite know what direction he'll take with each new record, so upon first listen, I was pleased to hear that he went for the mellowed-out, melodic sound similar to his Cold Roses album that he did with The Cardinals in 2005. Maybe it's the pendulum swing of albums or maybe it's the fact that he settled down and got married (to actress and singer Mandy Moore). The last track of the album "I Love You But I Don't Know What To Say" points to that. Adams sings "I was lost / I tried to find the balance / I got caught up in the cost / I let it go / When I met you / Clouds inside me parted / And all that light came shining through." That's pretty gushy, (and borderline cheesy) but the vulnerable honesty comes from a man that is clearly head-over-heels in love.

He has many quiet, sensitive moments. The third track on the album "Come Home" has is a somber tone and sounds more like Damien Rice with a steel guitar. But he also expresses his soulful side. Norah Jones guests on "Chains of Love," a soaring mix of strings and piano. You also hear it on the twangier title-track "Ashes and Fire."

The stand-out song on this album is the fifth track, "Do I Wait." Minimal, yet striking, I found instant affinity with this song as it seems evident that he's found his strength in songwriting.

It's always interesting to listen to the growth and progression of an artist. This album feels like Ryan Adams has matured.

—Lindsay Kimball, Program Coordinator

Contribute this week and get Ashes and Fire as a thank you gift

CD Review: Feist - Metals

Posted at 11:59 AM on October 2, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get Metals as a thank you gift.

The real test of a true musician is whether they can consistently make good records while still developing, growing and experimenting. The term "sophomore slump" points directly to this. Often, bands and musicians can't maintain that magic that made the first record awesome, or they just try to recreate it while their audience has grown and moved on. 

Feist's The Reminder was number one on my Top 89 list in 2007. I listened to that record over and over, and I still go back to it often (and even I mentioned how much I was anticipating a new record probably every time I played her music during my shift).

This week, her fourth album Metals is finally being released after four years, so you can imagine my anticipation and hope that this album can live up to my love of The Reminder. That album, her follow-up to Let It Die, proved then that she can develop her sound from one album to the next.

Metals experiments with other sounds while still maintaining what makes Feist, Feist — a voice that is its own distinct instrument and conveys her emotion and meaning. In "The Circle Married The Line," she bounces between notes like a song bird in the spring. In "Anti-Pioneer," her voice is the main instrument in front of subtle bass and sparse snare and cymbal. The album opens with "The Bad in Each Other," one of the best songs on the new album, has a Celtic-ballad feel.



One thing that always stands out to me about Feist is her ability to write and accent certain phrases so that they stand out. In "How Come You Never Go There," she has a sentence that seems to encapsulate everything she's talking about in the song, "You carry on as if I don't love you..." She enunciates it as if to say "I really want you to hear this." It's like the lyrical version of dynamics.

Feist's ability to find a balance between moving forward and maintaining what she does well is the greatest strength of this record and her song writing. I have a feeling her record will land in my Top 89 list this year, too.

— Lindsay Kimball, Program Coordinator

Contribute Today and get Metals as a thank you gift.

Continue reading "CD Review: Feist - Metals"

CD Review: Wilco - The Whole Love

Posted at 2:41 PM on September 23, 2011 by The Current (14 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get The Whole Love as a thank you gift.

The band releases its debut album to considerable acclaim, although overshadowed somewhat by other like-minded records that year. The second album expands on the strengths of the first's sonic template, while their third sees the band expanding their sonic vocabulary in establishing lush, even beautiful landscapes belied by undercurrents of paranoia and desperation. Their fourth album (which they worked on with a famed experimental musician) is immediately hailed as a game-changer and an instant masterpiece, establishing them as one of the greatest rock bands in America. The fifth album expands on many of these same ideas, while not quite receiving the same acclaim—however, in a vacuum, it arguably matches its predecessor on every level. During this time, the band releases an acclaimed live album, and members also collaborate with a British musician on a project incorporating "found" material. From here, the band dials back its experimental tendencies and releases two albums that are very song-oriented, with a particular emphasis on classic songwriting. Fans grow increasingly apprehensive over the change in direction, although the band's live reputation is still sterling. The band's eighth album is a pale washout in comparison to their previous work; tensions between the mercurial lead singer and the rest of the band reach their boiling point, and the band breaks up shortly thereafter.

This band, of course, is the Talking Heads.

Up until the final sentence, however, you could just as easily be describing Wilco. Having recognized the synchronicities as far back as 2007, I was biting my nails in anticipation of The Whole Love, hoping the band could avoid the pratfalls of Naked. I'm happy to report that Wilco's biography will not end the same as the Heads' (yet, anyway).

Continue reading "CD Review: Wilco - The Whole Love"

CD Review: The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time

Posted at 2:35 PM on September 16, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get Mockingbird Time as a thank you gift.

It's been a long time coming, but The Jayhawks are back! The band has been lying pretty low since 2003's Rainy Day Music release. Maybe the most exciting news is that founding member Mark Olson is back in the fold, so the high-lonesome, brotherly harmonies of Olson and Gary Louris are back intact, and, for the most part, sounding as good as ever.  

The Jayhawks got their start in the mid-'80s playing Minneapolis clubs like the 400 Bar and the Uptown. They released their first album, simply called The Jayhawks (a.k.a. "The Bunkhouse Album"), back in 1986. Their second album, The Blue Earth was essentially a collection of demos, but garnered the band enough success that they were signed to the American label, where they made their masterpiece, Hollywood Town Hall. The band's follow-up, Tomorrow the Green Grass, was every bit as good.

The band's country-rock sound was hugely influential around the Twin Cities and elsewhere. They were always my favorite band to see live. Me and fellow 'hawks fans would compare notes on their setlists. To their fans, they were almost a religious experience. Their First Avenue shows were always the stuff of legend!

Olson shocked the band's loyalists when he quit the group and moved to Joshua Tree, Calif. to be with then-wife Victoria Williams. The Jayhawks reinvented themselves and headed in more of a pop/rock direction. The band released Sound of Lies, Smile, and Rainy Day Music with Louris captaining the ship and singing the bulk of the lead vocals. Their albums ultimately sold better in the post-Olson years. Quietly, the band went in hiatus as Louris wanted to spend more time at home to raise his son.

Then, a few years ago, Olson and Louris tested the waters and did a small tour, which led to an album from the duo. Next thing we knew, the Jayhawks were soaring again, and booked a few gigs with Olson back in the fold.

Here we are in 2011 with the Jayhawks releasing an album with Olson in the group for the first time since 1995. Mockingbird Time is also the first produced by Louris. The album shows a kinder, gentler Jayhawks, with fewer blazing Louris guitar solos, but still with plenty of the band's signature "close harmonies," as heard in one the album's highlights, "She Walks In So Many Ways." It's also one of the few tracks where you can hear the voices of drummer Tim O'Reagan and pianist Karen Grotberg, who's also back in the band for the first time in years. This one might be the album's "Blue," the band's "shoulda been" hit, the kind of tune that makes you want to sing along. This isn't the only tune in that classic Jayhawks mode. The album's first track, "Hide Your Colors," would make the Jayhawks setlist in any era, with it's elegant string arrangement and a solo from Louris that sounds like it's straight from the George Harrison playbook. There is also the album's prettiest track, the lovely "Pouring Rain at Dawn," which sounds like it could have been recorded on the front porch with Olson and Louris and their trusty acoustic guitars.

Maybe the best thing about Mockingbird Time is that they aren't trying to make another Hollywood Town Hall or Tomorrow the Green Grass. The band shows a few new tricks with a pedal steel on one track, some bluesy guitar licks, and even a fiddle on "Black- Eyed Susan," which has an almost Fairport Convention feel. There's also the spirited "High Water Blues," which shows a whimsical side of the 'hawks with some uncharacteristic twists and turns.

"Tiny Arrows" is a sprawling Americana tune, with an arsenal of guitars, from Spanish, to the fuzzed Crazy Horse guitar style Louris often favors, to a few blues licks . This one also features plenty of the lyrics that the team of Olson and Louris have always favored. Lines like, "sit and watch the river flow/try to touch the sky." They don't sing about the bling! Their lyrics almost always seem to favor the earth and the weather with lines about the sunshine, rain, clouds, and flowing rivers, which are often metaphors for love and love gone wrong.

The Jayhawks sound like a band refreshed, and it seems they may have a bunch of music left in them.  Mockingbird Time is a welcome return for the Jayhawks. Pick it up, slap it in and sing along.

Contribute Today and get Mockingbird Time as a thank you gift.

CD Review: Mason Jennings - Minnesota

Posted at 12:53 PM on September 12, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get Minnesota as a thank you gift.

Minnesota, the ninth album from Mason Jennings, is a sonic collage rooted in themes of growing up, finding a sense of place and love. Minnesota distances itself from the dark themes and sound of 2009's Blood of Man and instead is centered in the line from the opening track, "Bitter Heart:" "Our world is filled with only what we see/Can we see love now?" Finding, keeping and letting go of past love are all threads tying together Minnesota.

Although born in Hawaii and raised in Pittsburgh, Mason Jennings has established a sense of place in the state of Minnesota. It only makes sense that the place where Jennings has lived for most of his adult life—and where he began his career and started a family—would be where he considers home. Minnesota touches on all the love he has found along the way.

Reflecting the changing seasons and landscapes of Minnesota, Mason has created his most collage-like and eclectic record to date. Each track on Minnesota has something different to offer. "Bitter Heart" and "No Relief" anchor the album to an emotional, piano-based core. "Clutch" carries on the simplistic piano sound with a more upbeat tempo and a horn section. "Clutch" reminisces on early stages of love and the honeymoon feel to a new relationship. The single "Raindrops on the Kitchen Floor" is the song to fall in love and stay in love to. This airy pop tune captures the sincere love found in a lasting relationship. Mason's own wife lends her vocals to this track, along with friend Jason Schwartzman, who plays the toy piano.

The most notably different piece of the collage—and my favorite track on Minnesota—is "Well of Love." The jazzy, horn- and accordion-infused number about being down and out on love is a new sound for Mason and one I would love to hear him explore further.  The gritty, sultry swing is similar to the recent Florence and the Machine cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away." "Well of Love" features Jack Johnson's drummer Adam Topol and his side band The Living Room.

Minnesota finds Mason Jennings at home: at home with his sound and career, at home with his role as a husband and father, and at home in Minnesota.

— Bethany Barberg, Local Music Assistant

Contribute Today and get Minnesota as a thank you gift.

CD Review: Peter Wolf Crier - Garden of Arms

Posted at 11:59 PM on September 4, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get Garden of Arms as a thank you gift.

On the heels of their 2010 debut Inter-Be, locals Peter Wolf Crier are out with their sophomore release Garden of Arms just fifteen months later. They took six of those fifteen months to write the record, all while playing over 100 shows in that same time period. Considering they wrote Inter-Be in one frantic night, six months probably felt like a copious amount of time even while playing constantly.

Living in the Twin Cities but originally from just across the border in Eau Claire, Wisc., the Peter Wolf Crier story sounds familiar—an Eau Claire band that breaks and signs to Jagjaguwar Records, a trail blazed by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. The duo of Peter Pisano and Brian Moen began in Eau Claire. Pisano was fronting Wars of 1812 and Moen was drumming for Amateur Love and Laarks. As those bands went their course, the pair began this new project in Minneapolis and recently picked up Kyle Flater on keys and guitar for the live shows.

Not just the story, but the sound is familiar too. The "Eau Claire Sound," born of a small but fertile music cohort, is full of jazz band kids and musicians that have all played in each other's bands. The theme seems to be technically virtuosic musicians with unbridled creativity and the ability to see a composition as a whole, not just a song. It's not just Bon Iver. It's Megafaun, Volcano Choir, Laarks and Collections of Colonies of Bees, most of which are interconnected (and usually by Vernon).

Peter Wolf Crier fits right into this mold. It is evident on Garden of Arms that this is a whole album and not just a collection of songs. While several songs—like "Settling It Off," with its evocative organ, and "Beach," which could be mistaken for a Radiohead song if it weren't for the vocals—are beautiful pieces on their own, several songs—including the opening track "Right Away," with reverse loops that start a cascade of other loops—really shine within the context of the rest of the record. Using guitar pedals like paint brushes with a palette of colors, Pisano manages to make the duo fill every inch of the musical canvas with bright sounds and thick melodies, resulting in a lush feel. PWC get some help from Zach Rogue of Rogue Wave, who guests on "Hard Heart." Compared to Inter-Be, this album feels fuller, more produced and thoughtful, and I suppose that's what six months versus one night will do.

In spending more time recording, it is evident that Peter Wolf Crier has grown immensely in the last year. There's a sense that Peter Wolf Crier have honed their sound and found their musical identity within the numerous Eau Claire bands. Just like a set of twins, there are always defining features to tell them apart.

Contribute Today and get Garden of Arms as a thank you gift.

CD Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

Posted at 2:05 PM on August 26, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get I'm With You as a thank you gift.

With nine albums already under their belts, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have the sort of name recognition that allows you to know what a new album would sound like without hearing it. You know there will be funk, a bit of punk, some of that chilled out surfer-style ska, heavy on the bass with Anthony Kiedis's half-rap vocals sputtering and holding over the beat. And, if that's what you love about the RHCP, you won't leave the new album, I'm With You, disappointed. I was more intrigued by the songs that stretched beyond the expected. Sounding sober, tight and focused on their tenth studio release, the band offers up a little something for everyone.

If you're a long time fan and looking to sink into the RHCPs you know and love, you'll be digging "Ethiopia", a classic Chili Peppers jam. Full of funky heavy bass that only Flea can deliver. There's also "Look Around," with Kiedis doing some old school rapping over another heavy Flea bass line. If it's getting towards the end of the night and you want to get some hormones raging, toss on "Did I Let You Know," which mixes in steel drums and trumpets to give a tropical and sexy feel to the surfer rock.

I was surprised by the piano intro to "Happiness Loves Company," with a marching drum beat that rolls along, the sort of song that keeps a good mood going. The band throws in a couple of slower ballads, too. "Police Station" unfolds as a beautiful love story, Kiedis's voice sounding light, gentle and melodic. The piano is brought into this one as a mid-song solo, adding dramatic tension to the song. One of the highlights on the album for me was the other ballad, "Brendan's Death Song." Starting off with just the acoustic guitar and a lonely Kiedis crooning, "Like I said you know I'm almost dead, I'm almost gone", with the drums kicking in to speed things up and plugging in as the song rolls along to the three-minute mark, where the drum solo crashes with a force sounding more like Cold War Kids or Kings of Leon.

My only complaint with the album is the single that they put out first, "The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie." It sounds like it could have appeared on any Pepper's album. With so many more funky, beautiful or soaring songs to choose from, it's the most obvious choice. I'm With You showcases that they've got more up their tennis socks than that—and they shouldn't have to bend to our expectations.

Contribute Today and get I'm With You as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD Review: tUnEyArDs - whokill

Posted at 11:59 PM on August 21, 2011 by The Current (4 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get w h o k i l l as a thank you gift.

Periodically, a work of art comes along that's so new, so original, that it makes your head explode a little bit. If you're in your forties, think of when you first saw Star Wars. There was so much new information crammed into those frames in such ingenious, fresh ways that it felt like your cortex was being shocked with 5000 volts.

When this happens in music, the result can either change the direction of the art form (see Dylan, Beatles, hip-hop in general) or end up as a little more than a significant cul de sac—an enjoyable ride for a while, but ultimately a dead end, if only for its inability to meld its offerings with the prevailing zeitgeist (see: prog rock). Halfway between these two poles, there are the countless little swats that move pop music forward down its evolutionary trajectory, some nudging it just a little, some giving it a hefty kick down the playing field.

When you encounter a new one, you instantly know when your brain is tripping on a drug that it has never experienced before, and you think: boy howdy, this is cool. Laurie Anderson's "O Superman"; Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime"; Public Enemy's "Fight The Power"—these are all fine examples, and to this list, we can now add the music of Merrill Garbus, who performs as Tune-Yards (specifically stylized in print as tUnE-YarDs, but I'll refrain from that affectation here for the purposes of typographic efficiency).

Garbus began her public life creating avant-garde works for the stage, but moved into music after a friend gave her a digital recorder and she began experimenting with the possibilities of looping her voice and simple sounds. The gonzo homemade wonkiness of her debut, Bird-Brains, saw her sorted into the "lo-fi" bin, but it also led to comparisons to artists like Bjork and Joanna Newsom—trailblazing, genreless musicians who revere sonic exploration above all else. As it was, Bird-Brains was just too out there to have much chance of communicating beyond an elite group of quirk-music fetishists. With whokill however, Tune-Yards' astounding second offering, the gap between just plain freaky and "holy s***, you have got to hear this" has been closed (whokill is also stylized with spaces between each letter as w h o k i l l, but I've spared you that here as well).

The similarities between Tune-Yards and Talking Heads are worth noting, in fact. In 1980, David Byrne and Brian Eno mixed African polyrhythms with Byrne's own trademark postmodern schizo-stylings, and the result was the brilliant future-music of Remain In Light—a gob-smackingly original mashup of third world pulse and spastic western post-punk. Garbus, who has lived in Africa and New England and now resides in the urban grit of Oakland, comes by her inspirations organically. But if her sonic amalgamations were merely calculated, we'd be left with Patrick Wolf attempting afro-pop.

Merrill Garbus' songs drip with un-self-conscious musicality and an unmistakable, audible joy. That's not all, though: this music is absolute sonic hot sex. The fact that Garbus is such a plain jane—the antithesis of the Florence Welch alterna-fox archetype—actually amplifies her eroticism. Listen to her nearly explicit lyrics and scorching (and virtuosic) vocal melismas on "Powa," and instantly, the faux-soulful "sincerity" of so many contemporary pop singers is revealed for what it is: hollow gymnastics, the musical equivalent of a track-and-field event. Tune-Yards is the sound of guttural, animalistic inspiration expressed through total creative whimsy.

The synthesis is almost frightening; Garbus represents such an unleashed, unfamiliar new life form that you just don't know what to do with her, but you're completely sucked in by her combination of soulful warmth, astoundingly malleable and nimble vocal skills, and brainy, technological gizmo-mastery. It's afro-pop meets math-rock, Captain Beefheart meets Prince, Nina Simone meets a Boss RC-50 Loop Station while tweaked on speed.

The songs on whokill attest to Garbus' ample exposure to African music: she compliments her ersatz high-life rhythms with a kind of Fela Kuti-esque pidgin-English that would sound affected in a less liberated performer, but coming from her, it comes across as simply inspired. "You Yes You," "Gangsta" and "My Country" all contain these nods to afro-pop, but they're merely part of Garbus' overall audio-collage—one that features everything from Laurie Anderson-ish sampled "ah-ah-ah"s to punk guitar blasts to sweet-as-cream vocal croons to fleeting nerd-girl spoken asides. It's a ridiculous collision of elements that should all collapse into a steaming hot mess, but it never does. The album reaches its apotheosis with "Bizness," a slowly additive crescendo of tracks and instruments with Garbus chanting "Don't take my life away!" as if to plead with the universe to allow her hair-brained creativity to flourish unhindered.

Will Tune-Yards' ingenious melding of experimentation and funky, flesh-and-blood accessibility result in Merrill Garbus attaining the status of one of the new decade's first true geniuses? A geeky, sexy, hyperactive spazmatazz with an astounding compositional ear and one of the most elastic voices in modern pop? There's no justice if she doesn't. Whokill is a joyful, exuberant lark, bursting with giddy enthusiasm and some of the purest, most undiluted creativity you will likely hear in the near future.

— Steve Seel, host

Contribute Today and get w h o k i l l as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD Review: The Wombats - This Modern Glitch

Posted at 11:59 PM on August 14, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get This Modern Glitch as a thank you gift.

I remember discovering The Wombats.  It was the fall of 2007 and I was surfing a British music blog when I came across a funny song title and clicked.  Although I'm used to hearing probably 1000 new bands per year and falling in love with only a couple dozen, it took just one chorus for me to be hooked—"Let's dance to Joy Division/And celebrate the irony!"  There was a gleeful, cheeky, winking intelligence on top of pure adrenaline that exploded through the speakers. This early promise was fulfilled by the band's debut album, The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love Loss & Desperation.   

Led by singer, guitarist, and main writer Matthew Murphy, The Wombats formed at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts—like Fame but funded by Paul McCartney (seriously!)—back in 2003.  While the debut saw limited success in the states, in the UK the band hit the Top 10 and they found themselves at Glastonbury and other festivals, setting the stage for album number two, This Modern Glitch.

Working with some big American modern rock producers like Rich Costey (Muse, Rage, Interpol, Bloc Party, NIN), Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, Smash Mouth, Good Charlotte), Butch Walker (Marvelous 3, P!nk, Pete Yorn) and Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., Weezer), the record sounds big and loud.  Could the charm and joy of the Wombats survive overproduction?  Then I really listened to the songs—in particular, "Techno Fan," the first single we chose to play on The Current, and a track that's been near the top of the Chart Show for the past two months.  It's a simple song but one that resonates with almost everyone—for who hasn't changed themselves for love, and gotten lost in the heat of the moment?  "The lasers fill our minds with empty plans/I never knew I was a Techno Fan." 

From there I dug into the odd love song "Anti-D" ("Please allow me to be your Anti-depressent/I too am prescribed as freely as any decongestant") and a wistful desire to get back to the Wombats' teenage kicks of "1996," and the heart in The Modern Glitch opened up to me.  These are great songs!  So what if some of the keyboard parts are cheesey? The big production doesn't obliterate Murphy's way with words and the band's youthful energy.  And while not sonically reminiscent of 1996 musically (speaking of Smash Mouth?), if you were into the "post-punk/new wave revival" of music that came out of the UK and flashed briefly in the early 2000s (Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Maximo Park, The Futureheads) the Wombats are like those bands but before the hangover, with enough sauce in them to make the tongue sharp and the arrangements witty. 

Listening to The Wombats makes one wistful for a little courage or the foolish ambition to tour the world with your mates and think you could actually get away with it, which The Wombats do throughout This Modern Glitch. 

— Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Contribute Today and get This Modern Glitch as a thank you gift.

CD Review: Cults - Cults

Posted at 11:59 PM on August 7, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get Cults as a thank you gift.

In the early '80s, news stations were abuzz with rumors of tainted Halloween candy. It was mostly urban legend, but our parents nonetheless checked every Hershey's miniature and Bit-O-Honey for needles and pins, every apple for a razor blade. It signaled the slow death of trick-or-treating as we knew it; these days few parents take their kids door-to-door.

Cults is the New York duo of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion (they're a couple, too.) The first time I heard the band, earlier this year, the image that came to mind was tainted candy—a pink piece of bubble-gum shot through with a needle. Cults' songs are perfect, sugary tributes to Phil Spector and '60s girl groups. Songs rarely clock in over three minutes, and each are glazed with Follin's wistful, girlish voice. But there's something dark and defiant that runs through these songs. It begins, obviously, with the band's name (which is maybe even a nod to the '50s/'60s music industry cult of the teenager), but gets pushed into the actual architecture of the songs—insolent lyrics, creepy metaphors, tinny lo-fi production, distortion and reverb.

There are three types of people when it comes to Cults: there's those who love the band, and those who don't, only because they haven't heard them yet. (That's two, I know.) And then there are The Doubters—those who are suspicious of industry buzz, or anything they might be likely to hear over the loudspeaker at Urban Outfitters. They're quick to dismiss well-connected musicians—they wrote off The Strokes entirely, and will write off Madeline Follin for being the child of parents who regularly hung out with Dee Dee Ramone. The Doubters are the kind of people who cling so desperately to their need to be individuals that they're actually more susceptible to having their identities wiped out by cults, musical or otherwise. (I'm kidding! No, I'm not.) Don't be a Doubter! Don't be turned off by the hype, or the way Cults endears itself to American Apparel shoppers and wearers of clip-on feathers. This is a totally solid album, with nary a clunker in the bunch.

The album opens with my favorite song, "Abducted." (If they'd consulted me, I'd have moved the track to the middle—this album gives it up too quickly.) "Abducted" is the most indicative of Cults' sound and of what's to come: the distortion, the edgy metaphor of love-as-abduction. This song makes me squeal like a lovesick teen. "Go Outside" bops along nicely as a transition into the standout Supremes-esque ballad, "You Know What I Mean." The next track, "Most Wanted," is maybe my least favorite. Follin's voice takes on a snotty pre-teen quality, but in context of the lyrics ("I'm leaving my family for my foes"), even that works—it's Gidget or Skipper's farewell note before she skips off with Charles Manson. The next six tracks are unremarkable, but don't take that as a critique—they're good. This is the album you put on poolside and just let spin out all its silver-tinged sunshine. It ends with another favorite, "Rave On," marked by a jarring chorus that booms in stark contrast to Follin's bedroom murmur, and feels like a fitting place to end. In keeping with the band's name, several of the tracks are laced with audio of cult leaders addressing their followers—Manson's at the party, as well as Jim Jones, Patty Hearst, and possibly Warren Jeffs—the samples are often so well integrated into the songs, that they're hard to decipher.

I vaguely remember a passage from Jeffrey Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides, describing the wonder-verging-on-fear felt by the daughters' father—so many teenaged girls under one roof almost frightened him. Cults seems to hint at the same idea—girls are scary!—with eleven kicky tracks perfectly suited for the dark, cool corners of summer's hot heart.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Dawes - Nothing is Wrong

Posted at 11:59 PM on July 31, 2011 by The Current (6 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get Nothing is Wrong as a thank you gift.

Dawes has returned with its highly anticipated new album, Nothing is Wrong. The Los Angeles band's debut, North Hills, was largely influenced by the California folk/rock scene of the '70s, which centered around the Laurel Canyon area where the album was recorded. This is a band steeped in rock tradition. They recently backed Robbie Robertson of The Band for some TV appearances, and their new album even features Jackson Browne's background vocal on the song "Fire Away."

Dawes' second album is no sophomore slump! Instead, it seems like an album from another era. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Tom Petty come to mind, among others. But great songs come from all eras. These are expertly crafted and full of warm, sun-drenched harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. You can feel Taylor Goldsmith's ache on his songs of love and love gone wrong. It's that "special kind of sadness" that's mentioned in the album's lead track, "Time Spent in Los Angeles." Goldsmith has wisdom beyond his 25 years. His lyrics seem like they'd come from a man who's spent 25 years on the road.

Nothing Is Wrong isn't the freshest album in the world. Many tracks wouldn't sound out of place among the warhorses you'd hear on a classic rock channel. But if you're a fan of songs, this album might suit your palate. It's a hearty portion from the aforementioned appetizer, "Time Spent In Los Angeles," to the album's dessert, "A Little Bit Of Everything," where Goldsmith sings, "I want a little bit of everything/the biscuits and the beans/whatever helps me forget about the things that brought me to my knees/so pile on the those mashed potatoes and an extra chicken wing/I'm having a little bit of everything." This track could have been written at a buffet table in anytown, USA while staring at his food, daydreaming about the gal he loved who's getting married to the other dude.

There's plenty to feed on here. "My Way Back Home," a gentle road song full of angelic harmonies and a majestic guitar break, transports you.  Another highlight is "If I Wanted Someone," where Goldsmith declares, "I just want you to make the day move easy," then unleashes a ferocious guitar straight out of the Neil Young cookbook. You wonder if these songs are all autobiographical. Could one young guy, in a band on the rise, be dumped this many times?

In any case, Dawes has cooked up another good batch with Nothing is Wrong. Get it while it's hot! There's plenty to go around!

— Bill DeVille, host

Comment on this post

CD Review: Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs

Posted at 10:59 AM on July 25, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute Today and get Ukulele Songs as a thank you gift.

So, why did he choose the ukulele for this album? It does seem that he went a bit beyond his comfort zone choosing such an unassuming instrument. For a front man who helped shape the grunge movement of the 90's, it's a bit of a stretch. You can't really shred on a ukulele, can you? But once you learn more about Vedder, the choice of this accompaniment seems to make more sense.

Vedder had a rough childhood and found solace not only in music such as The Doors, The Who and Neil Young, but in surfing as well. Now, I know Seattle's not really well known for its waves, but Vedder's residence while growing up actually alternated between Chicago and San Diego, (San Diego being one of the great surf meccas of California). The ukulele is synonymous with Hawaiian culture and surfing. So, it's fitting that he chose this instrument. It represents him as an individual and also strips down the musical arrangement to better showcase his weathered, deep baritone.

He opens to album fittingly, strumming furiously along to a Pearl Jam cover, '02's "Can't Keep". But soon after, his rocker-self takes a back seat on the other fifteen tracks where he reveals that he's a shameless romantic. Ukulele Songs removes Eddie the activist, the raging ball-of-fire rock star. It's more about him and his role as a husband and father. Vedder sings of the difficulties and joys of relationships, of fatherhood, and of love in general. He does a few duets that are worthy of mention: Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, joins him for a campy, but sweet cover of "Tonight You Belong to Me"; Swell Season and Frames front-man Glen Hansard joins him for a lovelorn duet of the Bryant & Bryant classic "Sleepless Nights".

Quite frankly, I think Eddie Vedder would sound great singing most anything. He's got one of those rare voices that, can not only carry a tune, but also has enough character to make any song his own. Whether or not you're a fan of Pearl Jam's music, it's undeniable that Eddie Vedder has become one of the most recognized and respected songwriters today, and Ukulele Songs captures him in top-form.

—Melanie Walker, Co-Music Director

Contribute Today and get Ukulele Songs as a thank you gift.

CD Review: Haley Bonar - Golder

Posted at 3:36 PM on July 18, 2011 by The Current (2 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week, Local

Contribute today and receive Golder as a thank you gift.

It's no secret that this was the direction she was moving toward. The sparse instrumentation and simple production on her earliest records have gradually given way to bigger sounds over time. However, I was unprepared for what I found on Golder. It's massive. Deep, explosive drums, robust and rumbling bass, walls of fuzzy guitar and keyboards that would leave Mr. Spector drooling... and then there's the vocals. Unique combinations of reverb and delay expertly applied by engineer Brent Sigmeth give Bonar's already more-than-pleasing voice an unprecedented breadth and an otherworldly presence; a beauty of the highest order.

Though the song writing is all Haley, this record feels like a band record — a group effort, built by many rather than few. Credits confirm the involvement of members of the now defunct Spaghetti Western String Co. Michael Rosetto, Nicholas Lemme and Ethan Sutton contributed banjo, mandolin and cello respectively. Drummer Luke Anderson and multi-instrumentalist Michael Lewis on the bass make up a powerful and driving rhythm section. Guitar wizards Jacob Hanson and Jeremy Ylvisaker do the work of five guitarists.

Everyone's contributions are in perfect taste, matching some of Haley's best material to date. The ping ponging tremolo guitar, flying saucer sounds and electric piano in a grain silo make the already potent "Anyway Rattlesnake" lethal. On "Silver Zephyrs," the shimmering wall of sound and lazy groove speak in union with Haley's lyrics. The instrumental excursion "Leo" (a great gesture of equality, illustrative of the importance of the band on this album) speaks volumes in emotion without using a word. Songs like "Wendy Bird" and the McCartney in outer space "Daddy" are a fresh and slightly augmented take what Haley does when she is performing by herself. But it's the first track on the album that should be crowned best in show.

"Candy Machine Gun" sounds like some silly San Francisco collection of musical hippies from 1967. Nope. It's gold. It's golder than gold. Beginning like something from her 2003 album The Size of Planets, just a strummed acoustic guitar and Haley singing a descending lyric-less phrase. But by the second pass, you know you are in for something completely different. Drums of war announce the lazy but airtight hypnotic sixteenth note groove that drives the song. The bass blows the bottom out and you're floating. "We began where we began..." A simple repeating melody for the verse. Cymbals crash like waves. A cello drones. Guitars swell and ricochet robotic and trance inducing tremolo bouncing through the bridge. "I try to figure out...who you were at all..." A smart chorus. "...something of a garden, something of a martyr, I'm helpless in your hands..." This has gotten serious. "Lemonade flavored poison..." It all builds until it looks like it will break, and then does. There's another repetition of the phrase that opens the song, but with extra sauce. In the second verse, a banjo mirrors the drums adding pulse. You feel it growing again. More. Bigger. They oblige. Haley's voice like fireworks in the eye of the storm and you along for the ride. Toto in the bike basket. It all grows to a point where you aren't sure it can support the weight. A final repetition of the opening phrase built broad with harmonies slashes like lightning as the sky meets the ground in an explosive collision sending everything back from whence it came.

Too visceral? Yep. Bad grammar? There's no other way to say it. Haley Bonar and her mighty, musical companions have created something marvelous indeed. Now go and tell your friends and let's make her famous.

-David Campbell, host

Contribute today and receive Golder as a thank you gift.

(Oh yeah. Did I mention they can pull it off live?)

Comment on this post

CD Review: Various Artists - Rave On Buddy Holly

Posted at 11:59 PM on July 10, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Rave On Buddy Holly as a thank you gift.

Rave On Buddy Holly is this week's CD Of The Week. It is a collection of songs made famous by Buddy Holly which is being released just in time for what would have been his 75th birthday. In the liner notes, Randall Poster tells us that they contacted the 19 artists/bands that they wanted to take part in the recording of the project and then watched in wonder as each went through Buddy Holly's catalog choosing their perfect song.

From the up-and-coming Jenny O to a Beatle, the A-list of musicians collected is astounding! You've already heard us playing a handful of the tracks on air, including The Black Keys performing "Dearest"; "Not Fade Away" from Florence and The Machine; Cee Lo Green's take on "(You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care" and Fiona Apple and Jon Brion teaming up for "Everyday." Those tunes are all very strong and let's face it, who wasn't a little excited just to hear Fiona's voice again? But with all of these tracks, we're still just skimming the surface of the goodness of this compilation.

I stuck this CD in my player and tried NOT to pay attention to who was singing each song; to just let it flow and avoid the temptation to hit pause and dig around to find and listen to the corresponding original to see how each artist had changed things up. This is where I found myself surprised. As I listened to "It's So Easy" I thought I must surely be listening to Jon Spencer or Boss Hog because of the "growl" in the singer's voice. Nope, that over-the-top growl belongs to Sir Paul McCartney! Later, I found myself bobbing my head to "Well All Right." I can honestly say that I have NEVER in my life enjoyed the work of Mr. Rock or "Kid" or whatever he goes by, but here I was, bopping along to him!

Modest Mouse's dry interpretation of "That'll Be The Day" almost makes it seem like Isaac Brock wrote the song himself. Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas delivers a rockin' take on "Rave On" and Supermodel Karen Elson reminds us she's not just another pretty face with the lovely, layered harmonies on "Crying, Waiting, Hoping."

Patti Smith's version of "Words Of Love" is both spooky and beautiful. Lou Reed's distortion-heavy "Peggy Sue" sounds like it was a forgotten Velvet Underground classic and She and Him delivered a sugar-coated pop gem with "Oh Boy!"

This amazing collection of songs really highlights the musical legacy of an artist who was taken from us much too young. Buddy Holly was in his early 20s when he died. Can you even imagine what his catalog would have looked like if he was with us to celebrate his 75th birthday? The release of Rave On Buddy Holly is a grand way to celebrate this occasion.

— Barb Abney, host

Contribute today and get Rave On Buddy Holly as a thank you gift

CD Review: Neil Young - A Treasure

Posted at 11:59 PM on July 3, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

A Treasure, the new album from Neil Young, is part of his Archives series, which has been putting out (mostly) live performances from various points in Young's long career. This time, instead of material from a single show, A Treasure compiles recordings from a series of tours in the 1984 and 1985. After a series of albums took stylistic detours, Young eventually was sued by Geffen Records, for "not making Neil Young albums." Two of those diversions were among the worst-selling albums of Young's career: the proto-rockabilly of 1983's Everybody's Rockin' and 1985's Old Ways, which leaned heavily into country music. In between these releases, Neil took the musicians who had been working on these records out with him on the road, dubbed them The International Harvesters, and from those tours A Treasure is taken. Thank goodness someone was rolling tape along the way and recorded this band, because in some ways, the playing on A Treasure is better than any in Neil Young's career. By taking some crack Nashville pros on the road with him like Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle, Ben Keith on pedal and lapsteel, and Pig Robbins on piano, he's upped the ante considerably from the ragged glory of Crazy Horse. Featuring a mix of previously unreleased tunes and old classics, A Treasure captures a great band and fills in a gap in Neil Young's career. It also completely nullifies anything Geffen Records could have claimed about his music being unrepresentative — it's quintessential Neil.

Here's what Neil recently had to say about that time and his trouble with Geffen Records. "They told me they wanted me to play rock 'n' roll, and told me I didn't sound like Neil Young," he said. "So I gave them Everybody's Rockin' and said, 'This is a rock 'n' roll album by Neil Young after someone tells him what to do; this is exactly what you said you wanted.' And we got way into it. I really liked it. As long as it's good music and I'm playing with my friends, I don't care what genre it is. All my music comes from all music — I'm not country, I'm not rock 'n' roll, I'm just me, and all these things are what I like."

At the time I recall thinking Neil had possibly lost his touch between the run of Old Ways, Everybody's Rockin', and the electro-tinged Trans, but maybe he was just way ahead of us — establishing the Artist as Auteur template that Beck and others would emulate in the decades since. 1985 was also before the world had heard of Uncle Tupelo or the Jayhawks, and Gram Parsons wasn't the legend he's become since. Maybe we've been listening to lots of Trampled By Turtles or other rootsy music the past few years, but this stuff doesn't even really sound all that country. You've still got Neil's Les Paul cranked to 11 on tracks like "Grey Riders," and in the context of today, having banjo, pedal steel, and mandolin grace a rock song like "Southern Pacific" feels totally natural. In fact, the previously unreleased "Grey Riders" may be the track that best merges Young's entire career sonically. A country stomper that suddenly breaks into blasts of guitar squall, only an artist as forward moving as Young would leave a song like this on the shelf for 25 years.

As often seems the case, Neil gets the last laugh. THIS is what Geffen was so afraid of? Not only is it a better album than what Young put out at the time, it's mix of rock and country with killer tunes and musicianship stands proud with the other great live albums of his career.

— Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Contribute and get A Treasure as a thank you gift.

If you want to learn more about the record, check out this video of Neil explaining the release and what video footage they found for the Blue-Ray version of the album.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See

Posted at 11:59 PM on June 26, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Arctic Monkeys: Suck it and See

It's an ambitious album in an era when there are few 'new' real basic 4-man, meat-and-potatoes rock outfits out there big enough to headline a festival. Even the cover of the album, thankfully sent to us on vinyl, has echoes of The Beatles and U2. The outside cover being just the title in plain black type set against an off white sleeve. Will it be forever known as the 'off-white album'?!?! Inside a gatefold sleeve are the four figures dwarfed by a big landscape a la Joshua Tree. Like U2 of that era, AM have one foot on either side of the pond. Singer Alex Turner spends time living in New York and the band recorded their last album with Josh Homme in the desert. Their sound has matured with these influences, and Matt Helders is an especially good drummer. Try to isolate his sound and follow his runs through a whole song... it's tough.

In conversation, Alex Turner can still be hard to understand, as Bill and Mary have found out in sessions, but his delivery here is clearer than ever. His side project The Last Shadow Puppets was string-laden and slower, involving more real singing, and there are shadows of that work here, too. His voice control is exceptional. He knows his range but adds little tricks and ticks, simple clicking sounds, to his delivery that enrich his words. Words are big for Alex, he's a clever writer, sometimes too clever. He has to tone it down deliberately so that he's not too nuanced for a 3-minute pop song. The perfect example here is the single that we've been playing, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair." For me, the chorus phrase harks back to schoolboy pranks which are not very smart, and it's not strong enough to work as a sing-a-long unless you absolutely don't care what it means. But when the phrase is juxtaposed with the rest of the song, it does become tangled up in delightful double meanings.

Having listened to it on the vinyl copy, I've noticed the pacing of this record too: it's deliberately double sided. That single is track 5, solidifying the first side as a progression, but a familiar one. Tellingly the side ends after the next song "Library Pictures' with a brilliant, laughable, kiss-off for such an accomplished lyricist: "Give me an eanie, meanie minie mo/ Or an ip, dip, dog s**t rock and roll," as if to say yeah this stuff is easy for us now, let's try something different.

Side two is more nuanced, with strong ballads and more attempts to fly musically and with words. You can even see it on the lyric sheet; the songs are longer and more involved on the page. Sometimes, it doesn't work — "That's not a skirt girl that's a sawn off shotgun/ And I can only hope you've got it aimed at me" — and sometimes it soars, even in the same song, 'Suck It And See': "You're rarer than a can of dandelion and burdock/ And those other girls are just postmix lemonade."

Perhaps that ONLY works for me as I used to love the drink when I was young, and you don't see it over here. If the idea of a soda made from dandelion and burdock makes you wince or if Arctic Monkeys have never worked for ya, try this, you might like it. Suck it and see indeed!

— Mark Wheat, Host

Contribute today and get Suck It and See as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Dangermouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome

Posted at 8:18 AM on June 13, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The making of Rome was no easy task. Danger Mouse and Luppi spent five years working on the record, on and off, in Italy. They used vintage equipment and some very well seasoned Italian musicians (who were no strangers to playing the music of Spaghetti Westerns). There's a modern twist to the album though, with the addition of Jack White and Norah Jones on vocals. Jack White even wrote his own lyrics on the tracks he sings on. (C'mon, you can't expect someone like Jack White to just walk in a studio and lay down some vocals and leave, can you? He's such a talented musician and producer, I'm glad Danger Mouse and Luppi utilized him in that way.) White even suggested the female lead of Norah Jones to Danger Mouse.

Not all off the tracks feature a distinct vocal lead, however. There are some beautiful instrumental interludes, and those interludes are the bread and butter of this record.

The score of a film, the music, can bring what we see on the big screen to life. Especially if it's done well. Again, in this case, there is no actual movie. The visual cues come from the listener's imagination. Everyone will have a different experience with Rome.

Danger Mouse has the ear for the retro, vintage sound. He's proved that on music he's produced so far in his career. Daniele Luppi makes his living as a film composer. Rome is proof that their collaboration was a success. It's a gorgeous listening experience. I recommend listening to this record from beginning to end, with your eyes closed and your imagination ready to run wild.

—Jill Riley

Contribute and get Rome as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Posted at 12:56 PM on June 19, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Bon Iver: Bon Iver

Since then, the subtle and unassuming music of Bon Iver has moved from a cabin in the northern Wisconsin woods to prominence on a national scale. Justin Vernon, the man behind the moniker, has found his music on the popular Twilight soundtrack, had his song "Flume" covered by Peter Gabriel, and worked with Kanye West on his album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Compared to the minimal composition on For Emma..., the follow-up is more expansive and even experimental. The lead track on the album, "Perth," has a lush sound with multipart harmonies, prominent drums and horns. Yet the new album still maintains the simplicity of the debut, which is especially heard on "Holocene" with the pairing of Vernon's trademark falsetto and reverb-heavy guitar.

One thing Vernon does particularly well, is that he maintains his signature sound, while still exploring and growing. He doesn't abandon what worked on his first album; but he doesn't just recreate it either. While Bon Iver is playing large festivals and sharing the stage with well-known names, the feel of Bon Iver is that you're still in that cabin. Still in the north woods. But with more clarity this time.

— Lindsay Kimball

Contribute today and get Bon Iver as a thank you gift.

CD Review: Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys

Posted at 12:01 AM on June 6, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD of the Week

Contribute now and get Codes and Keys as a Thank You Gift.

If a band has been operating for more than a decade, they invariably need new ways of branding their product, other than saying, "here's a batch of 11 new songs!" In Death Cab's case, band members indicated in pre-album interviews that Codes and Keys is intended as a move away from guitar-driven rock and into one more populated with keyboards and other textures. This notion gained legs, to the point where no one would have been surprised if the new album sounded like Ben Folds Five. Naturally, the lead single from the record, "You Are a Tourist" debunked these ideas entirely: a booming, guitar-riff-driven song that felt like the natural extension of their recent, arena-ready tracks like "Meet Me on the Equinox."

While Chris Walla's guitars haven't gone away entirely, the foundation of the band's sound is indeed rooted in pianos and strong bass lines. (side note: the bass has played such a prominent role in recent albums, I mistakenly thought for a long time that producer Chris Walla must, by extension, be the bass player. Wrong.) A few songs, notably "Unobstructed Views," wander into the same open ether that marked past single "I Will Possess Your Heart." There are also elements of Krautrock and dub, which also happen to be two notable genres that artists like to emulate in efforts to broaden their sound. The classic, lush Death Cab sound hasn't gone away entirely, present in soon-to-be-hits like "Underneath the Sycamore."

I've always found it difficult to come up with artists that Death Cab for Cutie have clearly influenced or been influenced by. This may be in part due to Ben Gibbard's distinctive, one-of-a-kind vocals as frontman. Gibbard is capable of being either the hang-up or the hook when it comes to the band's music; on Codes and Keys, he takes on a slightly more relaxed, pleasant tone that is sure to not offend. If anything, the sentiments (if not the words) recede into the background, requiring a little more attention from the lyrical end. As per usual, there are songs of yearning and songs of angst. A few tracks dive into weighty, metaphysical issues, like the ultimate fate of the human soul. "Doors Unlocked and Open" posits that we'll exist in a sort of watery, free limbo, while "St. Peter's Cathedral" bluntly reminds us that "there's nothing past this." It isn't all gloom, though, as Gibbard also adds a few happy odes to new love (no doubt inspired by his recent marriage to Zooey Deschanel), including the cheery album closer "Stay Young, Go Dancing," which suggests exactly what the title implies.

Death Cab for Cutie have made an album that is both deep and immediately enjoyable, a rich tonic for the days and nights of summer.

— Mac Wilson

Contribute now and get Codes and Keys as a Thank You Gift.

CD Review: My Morning Jacket - Circuital

Posted at 9:44 PM on May 30, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Contribute and get Circuital as a thank you gift.

At some point last year, My Morning Jacket leader Jim James sat down and listened to a CD called Siamese Soul, Thai Pop Spectacular vol 2, 1960s-80s.  From a song in a foreign tongue that translates in English to "Advice Column for Love Troubles," James knicked the garage-y guitar riff and background shouts that would morph into My Morning Jacket's "Holding On to Black Metal," the first single from Circuital, the 6th album from the Louisville quintet, and first since 2008's Evil Urges.  That James was inspired by Thai garage rock is becoming less surprising as he seems intent on re-inventing My Morning Jacket with each release, as the band's original reverb-laden Americana-meets-Neil Young vibe has itself influenced a score of artists with similar agendas — from Band of Horses to Fleet Foxes, to even Bon Iver. 
 

After a year that saw James guest on a Roots album, cut an EP of George Harrison covers, and make and album and tour with pals M. Ward and Conor Oberst as Monsters of Folk, My Morning Jacket convened in the gymnasium of a church in their hometown of Louisville in late 2010 to make what would quickly be termed in the press a 'back to basics' album after some of the questionable experiments of Evil Urges (particularly the Southern rock meets Prince funk of "Highly Suspicious").
 

Circuital opener "Victory Dance" sets an impressive tone, building with tension and release from a dark whisper to a cacophonous conclusion.  The title song shifts gears several times, from a single note guitar pluck to furious strumming that almost recalls the Who, while James sings of "spinning out gradually / going nowhere / I am older / but still going back for my childhood way."  That mid-30s circle of life questioning is rampant through the album — even with "Black Metal" wanting "refills of Lucifer's cup" but "it don't belong in a grown up."  James recently named The Muppets as one of his biggest influences, and a playful sense of humor shines strong on the drug dealing car thief-turned married and settled down narrator in "Outta My System" ("They told me not to do drugs, but I didn't listen / never thought I'd get caught and wind up in prison / guess I just had to get it outta my system"), while the band chugs out a Beach Boys surf rocker.
 
The press were looking for MMJ to return to their mythical early roots, but maybe there are no more 'roots' for MMJ to go back to.  It's like expecting Radiohead to make The Bends again — it's just not going to happen.  Though, like Radiohead and the glimpses of pop that show up on even their most experimental releases, Circuital takes elements of the 'classic' MMJ sound that was honed on 2003's It Still Moves and morphs it into something new, as James sounds wiser for his musical and life travels, especially on the ballad "Wonderful" and the elegiac closers "Slow Slow Tune" and "Movin' Away" that bring the listener back around and coast into home.  It's the end of a journey, not just thru My Morning Jacket's past, but their present and perhaps future as well.  With a detour to Thailand along the way.

—Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Contribute today and get Circuital as a thank you gift

My Morning Jacket will be headlining our Rock the Garden event June 18th. Tune-in the week of June 6 to win tickets.

CD Review: Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'

Posted at 7:29 AM on May 23, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Saadiq is immensely talented. He can do it all — sing, write, produce and perform. Maybe you saw him tearin' it up with Mick Jagger on a salute to the late soul singer Solomon Burke at this year's Grammy Awards.

Raphael Saadiq continues his mission on his 4th album, Stone Rollin'. Right out of the gate, on the album's lead track, "Heart Attack," you can tell this is grittier and more electric than its predecessor. When Saadiq sings, "You're givin' me a heart attack," he sounds as wicked as the late Wilson Pickett!

It's kinda fun to play "Spot the Influences" when listening to this album. I hear Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Curtis Mayfield and the Psychedelic Soul era of the Temptations. That Tempts influence is all "Go to Hell," another of the album highlights, which is full of lush strings and gospel harmonies, with a hint of psychedelia and Saadiq's impeccable vocal styling.

If you ever thought this guy was just following the Motown template, think again. He's been to Soulsville, U.S.A (Memphis) as well! There's a Stax-Volt groove all over "Radio," and it's ready for your dance party! On the track, "Day Dreams," you can hear hints of bluesmen like Muddy Waters or Howlin' Wolf. Robert Randolph adds his soulful sacred steel to this one.

Saadiq isn't just a "retro" or "old school" artist. (Check out the sultry rap from Taura Stinson on the track "Good Man.") He mentioned in a recent interview in USA Today that he is wary of those labels applied to his musical sensibility. "Isaac Hayes once told me — and rest in peace, Mr. Hayes — that there's no such thing as old-school. He said, 'You either went to school or you didn't.' I just follow great people. If you want to play like a pro, you learn from the pros."

Call Stone Rollin' anything you want. I'll call it a "classic." Keep on learning, Mr. Saadiq!

— Bill DeVille

Contribute today and get Stone Rollin' as a thank you gift!

Comment on this post

War Child - by Heroes

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

In my mind, a bad cover has the ability to ruin a perfectly good song forever. So how do you piece together a collection of covers good enough that it doesn't ruin our memory or enjoyment of the original? You have an important cause and ask sixteen artists to cover songs hand-picked by the original artists who inspired them.

"Heroes" is the newest compilation from War Child International, an organization dedicated to working to help children affected by war. The organization has been working with musicians since 1995 to raise money to support their cause and its work. Their first compilation brought together Radiohead, the Stone Roses, and Brian Eno. "Heroes," their fifth release, is the ultimate cover album which combines sixteen legends and the musicians they inspired.

The album includes covers of The Clash, Joy Division, The Kinks, and The Ramones, performed by Lily Allen, Hot Chip, The Kooks, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and more. Its title is taken from the final track, David Bowie's "Heroes" performed by TV On The Radio. The album will be available in stores on February 24.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

Dark Was The Night (A Red Hot Compilation

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Some recent all stars of the independent music scene have come together to record exclusive songs for "Dark Was the Night," a double-disc album of covers and rare collaborations whose proceeds will benefit the Red Hot organization's work with AIDS research. The album features an incredible array of artists such as David Byrne, Feist, Spoon, Cat Power, My Morning Jacket, Iron & Wine, the Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, the New Pornographers, and many others.

Named after "Dark Was The Night," a track written by the Delta bluesman Blind Willie Johnson, this compilation was produced by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National. They'd been discussing the idea with the Red Hot foundation of creating an album that would showcase the independent music scene while also helping to educate the public and spotlight the HIV/ AIDS epidemic.

Since 1989, Red Hot has produced fourteen groundbreaking albums, related television programs, and media events incorporating the talents of leading performers, visual artists, producers and directors to raise funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. "Dark Was The Night" will be available in stores Feb. 17.

Melanie Walker, Music Director



Various Artists - DARK WAS THE NIGHT: A Red Hot Compilation

THIS DISC
1. Knotty Pine - Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
2. Cello Song (Nick Drake) - The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
3. Train Song (Vashti Bunyan recorded, written by Alasdair Clayre) - Feist and Ben Gibbard
4. Brackett, WI - Bon Iver
5. Deep Blue Sea - Grizzly Bear
6. So Far Around the Bend - The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly)
7. Tightrope - Yeasayer
8. Feeling Good (popularized by Nina Simone) - My Brightest Diamond
9. Dark Was the Night (Blind Willie Johnson) - Kronos Quartet
10. I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan) - Antony Bryce Dessner
11. Big Red Machine - Justin Vernon Aaron Dessner
12. Sleepless - The Decemberists
13. Stolen Houses (Die) - Iron and Wine
14. Service Bell - Grizzly Bear Feist
15. You Are The Blood - Sufjan Stevens


THAT DISC
1. Well-Alright - Spoon
2. Lenin - Arcade Fire
3. Mimizan - Beirut
4. El Caporal - My Morning Jacket
5. Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis) - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6. With A Girl Like You (The Troggs) - Dave Sitek
7. Blood Pt 2 (based on original song "You are the Blood" by the Castanets) - Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
8. Hey, Snow White (Destroyer) - The New Pornographers
9. Gentle Hour (Snapper) - Yo La Tengo
10. Another Saturday (traditional song) - Stuart Murdoch
11. Happiness - Riceboy Sleeps
12. Amazing Grace (traditional song) - Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
13. The Giant Of Illinois (Handsome Family) - Andrew Bird
14. Lua - Conor Oberst Gillian Welch
15. When t he Road Runs Out - Blonde Redhead Devastations
16. Love vs. Porn - Kevin Drew

Further Complications - by Jarvis Cocker

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Erstwhile Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker returns with his second solo release, Further Complications. For this record, Cocker teamed up the notoriously prickly Steve Albini to craft a mix of cynical ballads and crunchy rock, all while displaying his signature wit.

The emphasis in Cocker's songs has always been on his dense and clever wordplay, ranging from thoughtful introspection to groan-worthy puns. There is no lack of either on Further Complications, with many "quirky" turns of phrase that will stick in your head long after the disc is finished playing. Albini's presence in the producer's chair leads the album's sound away from the symphonics of Cocker's 2006 release Jarvis; ranging from '80s guitar licks, honking saxophones, and even a disco beat on the appropriately-titled "Discosong". No two songs sound quite alike, which is a nice touch, as the listener is never sure what is next to come.

I could easily see Cocker entering Morrissey territory with this album. Think about it: the wordsmith from a renowned (and defunct) UK band strikes out on his own to craft records with his own brand of wryness. With his first two solo releases, Jarvis Cocker has shown he may yet match the peaks he attained with Pulp.

Mac Wilson, Host

Sounds of the Universe - by Depeche Mode

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

"Sounds Of The Universe" is the 12th studio album from synth pioneers Depeche Mode-their best since 1990's "Violator." The theme throughout the album is very dark, and while that isn't necessarily new ground for these guys, I feel like this record is coming at the end of a relationship gone bad. Don't get me wrong: there certainly is an ebb and flow of positive messages hidden within the darkness. It's like a declaration of independence after being held back, emotionally damaged and physically tortured.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Depeche Mode album if there wasn't a dance-y tune, such as this release's "Little Soul." The most uplifting song on the record, "Peace," is a Gore and Gahan duet, which sounds like it was meant to accompany a meditation with the trance-like affirmation: "Peace will come to me." If this record were a journey that ended with this song, it could be considered a happy ending. But that doesn't happen here. "Peace" is smack-dab in the middle of the record, which leads to another bump in the flow.

The song that has me hitting the repeat button is the very first track, "In Chains." I don't know if it's the way the song's intro builds like the sound check at a Billy Thorpe concert, or the longing of the lyrics, I just can't get enough! (Pun certainly intended.)

If you're at the end of a relationship, and you're ready to move on, this is just the aural therapy that the doctor ordered.

Barb Abney, Host

Together Through Life - by Bob Dylan

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Minnesota's greatest legend of all, Bob Dylan, has a new album called Together Through Life. We were pleasantly blindsided with this one. Nobody saw the album coming until the early press reports dropped a couple months ago.

This album finds Bob sounding like a man on a mission as he and the band-including longtime mates Donny Herron of BR549 and bassist Tony Garnier- sound like the house band at a cantina just outside of El Paso or like a rough-and-tumble blues band from Chicago's Southside.

Dylan also enlisted longtime Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo with some tasty accordion, and his old friend, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who co-wrote most of the tunes. (Maybe you remember Bob's Down in the Groove gem "Silvio," which Hunter also co-wrote.)

Dylan pulls off a surprisingly soulful, even tender vocal on the track "Life is Hard," a drunken love proclamation over a slow-and-muddy, Texas-inspired groove that makes me think of the legendary Doug Sahm. "This Dream of You" could also pass for a Texas Tornadoes song, straight out of Doug Sahm's songbook.

Dylan salutes many of his heroes on this album. On "My Wife's Hometown," he borrows from the legendary Chess sideman and songwriter extraordinaire Willie Dixon. Dylan sings like the devil's right hand man on this one. You can almost hear the evil laughter in his voice. His voice throughout the album is rugged, dusty, gritty, but surprisingly softer than it's been on recent recordings.

The blues is all over this album. "Shake Shake Mama" sounds like a lost Howlin' Wolf song, "Jolene" is a Chicago blues stomp and "It's All Good" is the kind of boogie blues John Lee Hooker delivered for 50 years. Bob sings in his best rasp, "Buildings are crumbling all over the neighborhood/but there's nothing to worry about/cuz it's all good/ It's all good." Yes it is!

Among the highlights are the swamp voodoo track, "Beyond Here Lies Nothin," and "I Feel A Change Comin' On" with lyrical nuggets like, "I'm listening to Billy Joe Shaver and I'm reading James Joyce/Some people they tell I've got the blood of the land in my voice." There is even a tone of optimism on this one.

Ultimately, it's nice to see Bob continuing to deliver the goods late in the game. Together Through Life is a worthy addition to his already monumental body of work.

Bill DeVille, Host

Art Brut vs. Satan - by Art Brut

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Eddie Argos and the gang are back with Art Brut's third album, "Art Brut vs. Satan." Formed in 2003, the band quickly saw success with their first UK single, "Formed A Band." Their debut album, "Bang Bang Rock and Roll," received critical acclaim and produced hits even before the band toured the U.S. with stops at Coachella and Pitchfork fests. The band, or more appropriately Argos' following, presumably stems from Argos' unapologetic transparency and wit in his lyrics.

"Art Brut vs. Satan" was recorded in 12 days with Frank Black in the producer's chair. The album is rough around the edges but maintains the group's sarcastic tone. Argos continues to celebrate the ironic moments of life in a rock 'n' roll band with songs such as "Alcoholics Unanimous."

Although the album doesn't have the chart-worthy songs of the band's previous releases, it's a step in the right direction. A glimmer of Argos' ascent towards something real is seen on earlier tracks but only time will tell when this class clown can really grow into himself.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

Swoon - by The Silversun Pickups

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

The Silversun Pickups debut "Carnavas," released in 2006,  was a slow burn hit, building it's reputation organically with constant touring on both sides of the Atlantic rather than through a blog bonfire. This year they did get a bit of buzz from SXSW, but it's funny now to see their tour itinerary contain just a few big festivals - Coachella, Sasquatch, All Points West - as if they are declaring that they have to be heard on a gigantic sound system in the middle of a big field on a hot day!  That's an ambitious way to try to survive the sophomore slump! Will they succeed? As they say at the end of track seven, appropriately entitled "sort of "... "Is it way beyond our reach?" Perhaps. 

They try to do what every LA band should. There's no California sound to be a part of, even the famous Silver Lake neighborhood, home to so many musicians, has no definable signature sound. But it strikes me that if Hollywood makes movies that need to be global hits, but which are still quintessentially American, then Silversun Pickups seem to be trying to do the same musically. Their sound could literally come from anywhere in the world. They could be a bunch of scruffy Mancunians or a street-smart clique of Japanese teens, as long as they love My Bloody Valentine and Smashing Pumpkins, are respectful of Sonic Youth, and like hints of the shy delivery of Death Cab for Cutie. It will sound great on the radio anywhere on the planet because of the rock archetypes that it trades in: epic, mysterious and grand.

Brian Aubert's vocals do remind me of The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan without too much affectation. He uses audible intakes of breath as a rhythmic device. He knows how to mould a wonderful swirling wall of guitar sounds, but it's the actual rhythm section that lifts the songs and make them literally bounce. Nikki Monninger's bass brings out the highlights of "panic switch". Christopher Guanlao elevates "sort of"  by making you wonder where the drums are going to go next.

As an album, it is nicely paced. "it's nice to know you work alone" (track 4) is a subtle change of pace, with some nice vocal harmony which happens too rarely in today's music. The slow ballad of "draining" (track 6) adds a nice dynamic range. At ten songs, Swoon knows when to leave, but the last song should be optimistic.  The lyrics suggest paranoia; "is it perfect in our little world....we're surrounded, let's demonize our softest injuries...is it perfect in our little hell." Perhaps they are putting too much pressure on themselves to succeed beyond their fine beginnings, trying to make the great American music to sell to the rest of the world. Rather than sitting in a field all day to see them, get your headphones, a few soft pillows, and swoon.

Mark Wheat, Host
As an added bonus, Program Director Jim McGuinn hosted a Theft of the Dial with the members of Silversun Pickups at this year's South by Southwest. You can only listen to the entire session here!

Embed | Help

Copy and paste the HTML below to embed this audio onto your web page.

Audio player code:
<iframe title="minnesota_the_current_features_2009_04_17_totd_silversun_pickups_20090417_128s_player" type="text/html" width="319" height="83" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/syndicate.php?name=minnesota/the_current/features/2009/04/17/totd_silversun_pickups_20090417_128" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>

sponsor:

Fantasies -by Metric

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Metric holds a soft spot in my heart next to beer and grilled cheese sandwiches- all things that I never get sick of. With the release of their fourth album and first since 2005's "Live It Out," "Fantasies" is a well-balanced mix of Metric's New Wave beginnings that were solidified in the previous three albums with a push towards straight-forward pop-tinged rock. It also features the softer, poetic side of Emily Haines. Metric could easily find its way into the hearts of fans of Garbage, Stars, Veruca Salt or Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The Toronto- and Brooklyn-based band has decided to release this record DIY-style. Getting only promotional help from Last Gang Records in Canada and Arts and Crafts in Mexico, they are handling the release of "Fantasies" in the US without the help of a label.

"Fantasies" begins with the haunting lyrics, "I tremble/They're gonna eat me alive" on the pulsing song "Help, I'm Alive." The album meanders through catchy hooks and infectious sing-able choruses, like those on "Sick Muse" and "Gimme Sympathy"-which despite its depressing title could easily be a dance hit. The album hits its apex at "Collect Call." Freezing the listener in time with its stark contrast to the rest of the album, the song sounds more like something on one of Haines' solo efforts. Dancing over delicate guitar and synth, Haines' deep yet vague introspective lyrics provide a blurry view into her psyche.

After the momentary diversion, Metric finishes "Fantasies" just as strong as it started. "Stadium Love," the final track on the album, has an epic feel -like the listener is experiencing the end of a rock show complete with the urge to pump your fist, crowd-dominated oooh-oooh-ooohs, air drum-able fills, and guitar distortion that fades out as the band exits.

I know we're barely through a third of 2009, but I'm getting a strong sense that this album will end up on my year-end list. You'll have to check back in December when we start voting for the Top 89 of 2009.

Lindsay Kimball, Assistant Producer

A New Tide - by Gomez

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

While writing this review of the new Gomez record, I really tried to think about who they are. What's their identity? What are they about? They're a band that I don't really think has an identity and has actually struggled to create one for most of their career. Gomez really created quite a flurry back in 1998 when their 0debut record, "Bring It On," won the notable UK Mercury prize. But after that they seem to have been pigeonholed into the world of adult alternative. It's a term that gets thrown around way too often these days, but one that I think Gomez encapsulates quite well. We can't all be blowing minds and breaking molds like Animal Collective or The Dirty Projectors. Somebody has to make a good, straight-ahead pop tune and that is what Gomez does.

Their latest release, "A New Tide," is a collection of Brit pop and American roots arrangements that I wouldn't necessarily call bland but they can borderline on being too accessible at times. The best tracks are the ones that are a bit more experimental and less predictable. "Win Park Slope" does a decent job of creating textural tension balancing the synthetic and organic elements of their signature sound. I can always get into a beat that struts and staggers, which is exactly what "Airstream Driver" does. In "Airstream Driver," its simplicity is its biggest strength, which is a bit perplexing considering they have created a reputation for being more imaginative with their songwriting.

I can't say that I loved the new Gomez album, but I didn't dislike it either. I found "A New Tide" to be a pleasant listen. Who's to say they should be writing songs according to industry expectations? They're not reinventing the wheel of musical innovation, but Gomez's new record A New Tide does feel like it's on its own trajectory. The album feels unforced and does successfully shed a bit of the slick, glossy formula that Gomez narrowly avoids.

Melanie Walker, Music Director

It's Blitz - by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

New wave, rock, punk, danceable. All words that can be used to describe "It's Blitz!"-the new record by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Lots of folks are using another word to describe "It's Blitz!" That word is synthesizer. Have the Yeah Yeah Yeahs gone in a new direction with this record? I would say so. The heavy, rock-and-roll guitar sounds we've heard in previous Yeah Yeah Yeahs releases have been replaced with a whole lotta synth sounds. More dancing is the result.

The album kicks off with the strongest tracks, "Zero," followed by "Heads Will Roll." It's safe to say they're the most disco dance-inspired tunes on the whole album and the most likely to make you dance, whether you want to or not. There are a few rockers as the album progresses. "Dull Life" and "Shame and Fortune" have the more classic Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound, though still mixing elements of rock, punk and new wave. Surprisingly enough, there are plenty of chilled out moments on "It's Blitz!"The last three tracks on the record are much slower in tempo and way more chilled out and spacey. Especially on the closer, "Little Shadow". It's almost as if you've been through a dance workout listening to this record and the music closes on a mellow note just to get your heart rate back down to normal. My biggest criticism of the album isn't the music. The album artwork doesn't really do it for me. Chick's (as in woman's) hand-breaking an egg. Meh. But in the digital age, who talks about album art anymore? Just the old fashioned thinkers like me, I suppose.

The star of "It's Blitz!" is surely Karen O. She is simply one of the best female vocalists in the music business today. Hell, one of the best front persons of my generation. Her live performance is an experience in and of itself. I predict songs like "Zero" and "Shame and Fortune" will be high points for anyone in the audience at a Yeah Yeah Yeahs show this year.

Due to the record being leaked online, the release date was pushed up. "It's Blitz" was released early online as a digital download. It's out this week in the U.S. and April 6 worldwide.

Jill Riley, Host

The Hazards of Love - by The Decemberists

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

We've all been warned of the hazards of love, but the new album from The Decemberists' is no after-school special. In this weird world, the hazards of love are impregnation by forest shape-shifters, abduction by murderous rakes, and death by retributive river.

The Hazards of Love is a strange concoction brewed from Colin Meloy's obsession with the British folk revival of the 1960s. It's as if the archetypes and themes of those folk songs were sucked up by an F5 twister (Meloy) and dropped into a foreign landscape: the rock opera.

And it is a rock opera, of sorts. It seems no accident that My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden, as The Queen, invokes the same maternal formidableness as Tina Turner's Acid Queen in Tommy.

Recalling Disney's rendition of "Peter and the Wolf," the music in Hazards illuminates character. Our heroes — the star-crossed lovers Margaret and William — are embodied by plucking banjo, syrupy pedal-steel guitar and sweetly crooned vocals in songs like "Isn't it a Lovely Night" and "The Hazards of Love 4." Bombastic metal guitar heralds the appearance of the story's villains —  Margaret's dark father, the forest Queen (see "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid") and the licentious Rake. Eerie harpsichord underscores the chorus of the Rake's spectral rugrats, who return to give Dad a taste of his own medicine.

There are no pauses between songs on this album — you're buffeted through it from start to finish, as if on a river's current. Consequently, it's impossible to ignore the lyrics, or the narrative arc they create: a strange, cautionary tale of the lengths lovers will go to in order to be together.

There are no pirates here, and you won't find tender gems like "Red Right Ankle." But it seems that this album is the consummation of the band's earlier attempts at epic narrative (think the cinematic scope of "The Bagman's Gambit," or the three-part suite of "The Crane Wife.") Listening to The Hazards of Love, you may wish you had Cliff's Notes handy, but stick with this one. It's nothing if not fun.

Jacquie Fuller, Host

Years of Refusal - by Morrissey

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Ah, Stephen Patrick Morrissey. Love him or lump him, it's hard to believe he's been in our collective consciousness now for over 25 years. While his work in the Smiths with Johnny Marr in the '80s was almost uniformly groundbreaking and precedent setting, his solo career has been a bit spotty. Not unlike a singing version Christopher Walken, a once fiercely unique style that found itself reduced to self-parody at times during the '90s – it seems that no matter what he does to his voice, you can name that Mozz in three notes. And that's not always such a bad thing, especially when he cranks up the crank and writes from his angry place, as he does on most of Years of Refusal, his ninth solo studio album. Sonically in a league with Your Arsenal, his most rock and roll album to date, Morrissey seethes from the opener "Something Is Squeezing My Skull"'s "thank you, drop dead" to the final "Nooooooooooo!" of set closer "I'm OK By Myself."

After a late-90s draught Morrissey announced his return to form with 2004's You Are the Quarry, featuring production by the late Jerry Finn – who had worked primarily with American pop-punk bands like Green Day, Blink 182, and Sum 41. After a sidestep with legendary glam producer Tony Visconti for 2006's Ringleader of the Tormentors, Morrissey worked with Finn again for Years of Refusal, and his longstanding partners like guitarist Boz Boorer are supplemented this time out sometime Beck sideman Roger Manning, trumpeter Mark Isham (who adds a mariachi feel to several cuts), and even Jeff Beck (!), who offers a guitar solo on one track. While it's doubtful that this far into his career Morrissey is going to win over oogles of new converts, if you've been there in the past, you're probably gonna like Years of Refusal – one of Morrissey's best solo outings to date.

Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Middle Cyclone - by Neko Case

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Just who is Neko Case and why is she quietly making some of the most provocative albums of the last decade when she possesses one of the biggest voices in the indie-rock world? Everyone wants to know. To hear her story is to become curious. To hear "the voice" is to become enamored and inquisitive. To see her perform ... well, that's where most fall in love; it is inevitable. It is also imperative for Neko's career to work. You see, Neko is not easy, nor obvious - it's not really pop and calling it alt-country is nothing more than lazy. So who is she anyway and why should we meet her half way and if we do, will it be worth it?

Neko's fifth studio album in 12 years, Middle Cyclone, is a timeless and genreless collage of sounds and styles. The key word here is versatility - both Neko and the rest of the musicians involved. Guest appearances by M. Ward, members of The New Pornographers (her other band), Los Lobos, Calexico, The Sadies, and most appropriately Garth Hudson of The Band are welcome additions to an already crack crew of her longtime touring band. Perhaps her most personal and lyrically dense to date, Middle Cyclone is another piece of the puzzle revealed. Dense with the natural imagery and animals references that have been constant in her work from her first album "Blacklisted" on, Neko talks about life (possibly her own) and love (perhaps her own) with a clarity that seemed to be lost in the imagery on albums past. Middle Cyclone is loaded with this. What it is not loaded with is hits. It is a headphones album and an evening album and a sneaky album, which will confuse you at first and leave you wondering, but will have you completely and for good by the third listen.

I once read somewhere that Neko intended to build her following the old fashioned way: "one fan at a time." She wasn't kidding. An actively updated website and the requisite social networking outposts are new only in the last three years. What is not new is an uncompromising adherence to her own unique artistic vision and voice. As the muse calls Neko responds in her own time and in her own way.

David Campbell, Host

No Line on the Horizon - by U2

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

U2 - No Line on the Horizon

• Official website
  
• Buy album

The Irish rock legends U2 return with their first album in four years, "No Line on the Horizon." The band has been busy during that time, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, winning the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2006, collaborating with Green Day, recording with Rick Rubin, and frontman Bono being named one of Time's Persons of the Year. For their new album, however, the band returned to their tried and true production trifecta of Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite.

After a return to their "classic sound" on their past two albums, one might expect "No Line on the Horizon" to be another batch of uptempo guitar rock, but U2 have always been a band to subvert expectations. This is a low-key, often moody collection of songs that waxes and wanes in intensity over the course of the album. The sound ranges from the riff-driven "Get On Your Boots" to the seven-minute epic "Moment of Surrender," the longest song the band has released to date. Bono's lyrics touch upon the usual themes of war, peace, love, and God.

"No Line on the Horizon" may not be as immediately captivating as some of U2's other albums, but it is still a thoughtful and challenging addition their catalog. This is the sound of a band unafraid to embark on some new directions, even 25+ years into its career. The album will be available in stores on March 3.

Mac Wilson, Host

The Eternal - by Sonic Youth

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

For a Sonic Youth fan, the last couple of years have probably seemed exceedingly empty. It's been almost exactly three years since the release of "Rather Ripped," their final record for Geffen. This is the longest time span in the band's 27 years of releasing music that they haven't made a new studio album available. Enter "The Eternal."

This record also celebrates a few "firsts" for the band... It's the first time that Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo all share vocal duties on several of the tunes, including "What We Know" and "Poison Arrow," as well as my favorite, "Anti-Orgasm.". Bassist, Mark Ibold, who has toured with the band, joins them for the first time on a studio recording.

There's also some familiar territory here. The band is once again an indie band after leaving the major label and signing with Matador. You'll also hear the distorted, fuzzed-out and ethereal sounds next to rifts that sound like they belong on a '90's metal album.! In other words, the sound that you've probably come to expect from this band.

On While making this record, the band really letallowed the fans get an inside view of the recording process by with regular updates via the band's Twitter account and Wwebsite. Messages like "john thinks he's teaching us a thing or two about feedback. in the meantime mix#4 was completed - something about a Mailbu Gas Station" whetted our appetites just enough to log on each day just to check the album's status. The John that they spoke of in that tweet, btw, is John Agnello, who worked with the band on "Rather Ripped" and has also worked with The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers.

In my opinion, "Walkin' Blue" is Lee Ranaldo's best vocal performance. I expect to see this album on many a top 10 list at the end of the year.

Barb Abney, Host

A Brief History of Love - by The Big Pink

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

Do you remember your first encounter with love? It was probably more like a teenage infatuation, which is far shorter, lived and concentrated but sometimes just as painful or sweet. When you're very young you wear your heart on your sleeve and everything is terribly serious and intense. That first taste of obsession is hypnotizing and all encompassing. It's not a surprise that artists, writers, film makers, and musicians have been so captivated by the subject of love.

Brace yourselves for The Big Pink. When I first heard their song "Velvet" in the dead of winter this last January it hit me equally as hard as a crush. Nine months later I'm still obsessed with this song. Their new album A Brief History Of Love is a sensual palette of sound that lead singer Milo Cordell says encompasses "every different aspect of love. The good, the bad, the boring, the exciting, the dreams, the nightmares, the whole thing."

Multi-instrumentalists and childhood friends Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell formed the Big Pink in their home studio in London in 2007. Furze had previously been the guitarist for bands Panic DHH and Alec Empire, while Cordell's day job as the founder and owner of Merok Records which had him fostering the musical talents of bands like the Teenagers, Klaxons, and other British bands. They named themselves after The Band's Music From Big Pink, but their influences are far from The Band, sticking closer to what they grew up listening to like The Jesus And Mary Chain, Spaceman 3, Echo and The Bunnymen and The Pixies. The buzz can spark a blaze quickly these days with the powers of the internet. Soon folks were senseless for The Big Pink. Their success came quickly signing to 4AD records almost as soon as winning the prestigious Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act at the NME Shockwave Awards.

A Brief History Of Love is engorged with anthemic properties, ambient atmospheres, metallic chiming guitars and electronic textures reminiscent of the late 90's Radiohead's "Ok Computer" or Autechre. This record not only sounds dark, but is dark. But, don't christen them anti-romantic because of that. The darker side of love can be just as tender and passionate as that first fiery spark. Matching the fervor of love with the enormity of their sound, The Big Pink has recreated the feeling and Neo-psychedelia of 90's Shoegaze while equally capturing the ecstasy of a tortured soul in love.

Melanie Walker, Music Director

Neil Young Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

This week's CD of the Week is actually eight (discs, that is) as we showcase the long anticipated Archives Vol. 1, from Neil Young.

Covering the first 10 years of Young's career from 1963 to 1972, Archives Vol. 1 (the first of 5 decade-spanning box sets Young hopes to release) is chock full of rarities, out takes, and some of the most varied output from one of rock's most enduring and beguiling artists. Archives has been called a "game changer" for the presentation and distribution of music, as the sheer scope and volume of material makes it one of the most ambitious sets ever released. With the box coming out on CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray formats, it's the Blu-Ray version that has been leaving fans speechless, not only for its state-of-the-art fidelity and the incredible multi-media included, but also for the fact that Neil isn't done compiling. The Blu-Ray technology allows Neil himself to digitally send extras to fans as he uncovers more material – "you've got mail, it's another song from Neil Young!"

While it's easy to get lost in the amazing technology behind the set, it's what's in the grooves that makes Archives Vol. 1 such a revelation. From his earliest days with his high school surf rock band (from Winnipeg – think about that!) The Squires, the set follows Young's evolution as a guitarist, writer, and (eventually) singer. Following Young's evolution from Dylan-esque folkie to psychedelic rocker and alt-country pioneer with Buffalo Springfield, the box covers early solo efforts, mega-stardom with Crosby Stills Nash and Young and solo classics like Harvest and After the Goldrush. As Neil said later, "'Heart of Gold' put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore, so I headed for the ditch." While we'll have to wait for Archives Vol. 2 to hear the results of those mid-'70s forays off the road, Archives Vol. 1 gives us a fascinating view of every lane on Neil's highway up to that point, plus his garage, songwriting attic and a few wipeouts along the way. Some of the box's live sets have been made available over the past two years as Young geared up for the full set's release, but with 128 songs included (plus a few dozen extra tracks hidden as "easter eggs" in disc menus and navigation panels), there are surprises to be had for even the most completist Neil Young fan. From early versions of "Sugar Mountain," "Birds," and "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere" to his early biggest hits and up through the first ever reissue of Young's 1973 film Journey Through The Past.

Archives Vol. 1 is far from the first attempt form Neil Young to put his work into perspective. Starting with Journey Through the Past, he has been an artist that looks both forward and backward simultaneously. Even as he was always striving ahead to follow his artistic whims (whether commercially viable or not), Young also set the bar high when he first compiled much of this material on 1977's Decade triple-album.

Inside Archives Vol. 1's leather bound 236-page book are dozens of revealing photos (Neil catching a fish at age 4!), handwritten lyrics, and a detailed master list of sessions – which leads to the only complaint so far from the hardcore fans: where is the rest of the unheard material? Could the set have included still more demos and outtakes, and what about the intriguing songs recorded by The Mynah Birds (a short-lived Motown-signed rock band from the mid-'60s featuring both Neil Young and Rick James!)? One hopes that the Archives will keep growing down the road with more of these nuggets and surprises from Neil.

In the meantime, if you're a fan of Neil – or of the current generation of Young disciples like Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Blitzen Trapper et al – and you've got a long weekend to get lost in a haze of multimedia bliss, Archives Vol. 1 is an amazing portrait of one of our greatest artists.

Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Blood of Man - by Mason Jennings

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

It turns out it's pretty easy to adapt to Minnesota, winters and all. But just as there's a rhythm of these seasons that a Hawaiian might never experience, there can be a deadening routine to living here, and like that January Thaw-cation escape, sometimes you need to bust out before the rut sets in.

Welcomed into the Twin Cities music community since moving here from Pittsburgh more than a decade ago, Mason Jennings has been prolifically turning out albums while maintaining the tricky hipster-to-sorority girl fan coalition. Blood of Man is his 8th release, but a shift from what we've come to expect from Jennings - he's daring to rock like never before. According to Mason, the sea change came about when his 3-year old saw an electric guitar Christmas ornament and told his dad he didn't know what it was. After Mason plugged in his wife's electric, the kids went wild, and soon he was penning songs about blood and murder, with riffs like early Zeppelin. Thinking this departure might never see the light of day, he kept going on his impulse, gathering a collection that adds a new dimension to his discography. And while it's mostly cloudy and cold like November on the prairie, there's something elementally rewarding about those short, dark days that enable us to savor the glory of our summers.

The first time you hear "Ain't No Friend of Mine" you probably won't believe it's the same guy that sang "Hey hey little Fighter Girl" on last year's Boneclouds. With taunt blues runs and creepy lyrics about bones, bodies, and blood on our hands, it's unclear exactly what's going on, and the mystery sucks us into the vortex of the song. The emotional linchpin of the album is "The Field," one of the best songs you'll hear in this or any year, bringing you into the mind of the father of a dead soldier with a visceral intensity and tenderness that connects Jennings to the best work of a Billy Bragg or early Dylan, making politics personal and heartfelt.

Murder, deceit, love lost, suicide, blood - this ain't your mom's Mason Jennings album. But just when you think the world's turned black, Mason brings us back from the brink with life affirming melodic sweetness in "Sunlight" and "Lonely Road," reminding us that "the point is never where you're headed, it's what you're going through."

Working alone in his cabin outside the Twin Cities, Jennings crafts his albums by himself - often writing and recording a song the same day, playing all the instruments. The result is roughly hewn, whether flailing away on the drums or keeping a vocal take where levels and harmonies are flawed but breathe with life, not pitch correction. In the hands of the wrong artist these songs would be perfected, and ruined - the road is littered with hundreds of dreaded and dreadful singer-songwriters who polish and rub the music so hard that any contrast and spark is lost in the gleaming finish. But a lot of Mason Jennings' charm comes from his ability to toss off lines and hooks effortlessly, connecting with a spontaneity that might be more like Neil Young than the oft-mentioned comparison to another legendary Minnesotan folk-rocker. And like Neil Young or even Beck, the hard left turn in the sound on Blood Of Man adds to the sense that this is an artist for the long haul, and not a flavor of the month. Thanks to Mason's son for rekindling Jennings' own love of the rock. Who knows that will happen if we send him a drum machine ornament this winter for his tree.

Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Secret, Profane and Sugarcane - by Elvis Costello

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Way back in 1981, Elvis Costello released Almost Blue, an album recorded in Nashville and produced by the legendary Billy Sherrill. It was a country album from an angry young man known for his punk attitude, and it was so far out of left field that it contained a sticker that read: "WARNING: This album contains country and western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners." It was his own Nashville Skyline. Elvis Costello has been doing the unexpected ever since.

Mr. Costello can sing any genre with ease and credibility. His latest batch, Secret Profane & Sugarcane, is produced by his old friend T-Bone Burnett, who sprinkled it with some of that "Oh Brother" fairy dust, giving it an old-time bluegrass feel, although most of the songs are more like ballads than your typical bluegrass music. Elvis' ability for a well-turned phrase makes him a natural country and bluegrass writer. I found myself singing along on one of the album's highlights, "My All Time Doll," which features Costello singing over a strong bohemian groove with a phat standup bass: "You're my all-time doll / You're all I adore / I'd swear to it now / but I already swore."

T-Bone Burnett co-wrote a couple songs including the excellent "Sulphur to Sugarcane," where Costello sounds downright playful, reeling off lines like, "I gave up married women 'cause I heard it was a sin / but now I'm back in Pittsburgh / I might take them up again."

The album sounds as though he and veteran Nashville cats Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan and Dennis Crouch, and recording artists Emmylou Harris and Jim Lauderdale are sitting in a semi-circle having a "guitar pull" with Elvis leading the band. The genuine good feelings are apparent on tracks like "Complicated Shadows," with a beat almost replicating the sound of an old manual typewriter, and on "Hidden Shame —" a song with that familiar freight train beat which was actually written by Elvis for Johnny Cash's long forgotten Boom Chicka Boom album in 1990.

Elvis Costello at 54 hasn't lost a thing vocally. He sings with conviction and soul throughout the album, and his voice is highlighted on "How Deep is the Red" and the album's closer, "Changing Partners," a song popularized by Bing Crosby.

It's been a fun ride watching Elvis Costello throughout his four-decade career. This guy can jump around musical genres with ease. Unless you're a narrow minded listener, Secret Profane and Sugarcane belongs in your collection.

Bill DeVille, Host

Curse Your Branches - by David Bazan

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website

What happens when one of the leading lights of Christian–crossover indie rock loses his faith?

In all the years that David Bazan worked under the band moniker Pedro the Lion, his devout Christianity rarely forced itself into the forefront in his lyrics – lyrics that were always just oblique enough that the casual listener might have missed their religious overtones at all. And so, if you're not paying close attention, Bazan's new release, Curse Your Branches (his second release under his own name and first actual full-length), might not sound all that different from his oeuvre that preceded it. Upon closer inspection, though, you discover that something dramatic, even life-shattering, has happened: David Bazan has passed through an existential wall, and is now standing on the outside of a belief structure that defined everything in his life since childhood – and that's a simultaneously liberating and terrifying place to be.

Curse Your Branches opens with "Hard To Be," a gorgeous combination of winsome, alienated piano, poppy synth and gently pulsing guitars that almost seems to be an instrumental culmination of the sonic territory Bazan has staked out over the years – from the indie–guitar tapestries of Pedro the Lion, Casio–esque experiments of his Headphones project, and chunky electric textures of 2007's Fewer Moving Parts. Bazan's voice enters, and instantly, we hear the reassuring and familiar recipe: deliberate, almost metronomic phrasing of verse and melody, but delivered with that aching sincerity and vulnerability, a combination that somehow manages to straddle detachment and dead seriousness. And then, the lyrics hit: "Wait just a minute/you expect me to believe/that all this misbehaving/grew from one enchanted tree?" Holy cow. The meaning of the title suddenly dawns: it's an encapsulation of Bazan's questioning of his faith. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the knowledge that has supposedly thrust us out of the garden, has created all the pain and suffering, all the sin, in the world? To Bazan, it seems like a rigged game: in "When We Fell," he expresses bitterness toward a God that would arrange such a situation for Adam and Eve to begin with: "When you set the table/when you chose the scale/did you write a riddle/that you knew they would fail?"

To me, there's almost no one better suited to this kind of subject matter than Bazan. Simultaneously tragic and deadpan, hangdog sad and sharply funny, dark and damned catchy, his songs carry a weight that would be almost too much to bear if they weren't delivered in his characteristic dry wit. It may seem odd for a guy who's lyrics verge on the morose to be described as a comedian, but that's Bazan's true secret; his timing is impeccable, with songs constructed in such a way that his simple punch lines still sneak up on you even though you know you're overdue for one. And then there are insights so economically profound they almost make you slap your head: "I discovered Hell to be the poison in the well," he sings in "Bless This Mess." Living a life of forgone conclusions, always at the ready to curse those who question them, might just be more of a pathway to Hell in Bazan's eyes than the act of renouncing his faith could ever be.

At times, it occurs to you that these catchy little tunes can barely contain the gut-wrenching introspection within them. Bazan is up front about the alcoholism that he sunk into when he first started to wrestle with his doubt. The doubt itself, though, is clearly the struggle that overpowers all the others, and it reaches its apex in the final track, "In Stitches," when he confesses,

I might as well admit it
Like I even have a choice
The crew have killed the captain
But they still can hear his voice
A shadow on the water
A whisper in the wind
On long walks with my daughter
Who is lately full of questions
About you

The struggle isn't over for David Bazan. Indeed, if he's up for the challenge, things are probably just now about to get truly interesting.

Steve Seel, Host

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - by Phoenix

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
• Buy album

Think less but see it grow/like a riot, like a riot, oh!

The boys of Phoenix have long been a band just on the cusp of breaking. Watching friends Air and Daft Punk hit it big, Phoenix must be ready for its turn. With the release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the French foursome seems ready to build on the sparks of 2004's Alphabetical and 2006's It's Never Been Like That and grow to something riotous…and perhaps Wolfgangian.

Frontman Thomas Mars wants to fill some pretty big shoes. Besides name-dropping Wolfgang, Mars has mentioned in a few interviews that he was listening to Lou Reed's Street Hassle during the making of this release. Reed's work might have influenced the five-minute contemplative instrumental "Love Like A Sunset Part 1" and its minute-long sequel. While the songs may fulfill the wannabe classical artist, they seem out of tone with an album that is all about building up into a riot.

The first track "Lisztomania" is based on a phrase coined to describe the Beatles-esque frenzy that surrounded Franz Liszt, classical music's first pop star. And while the album may not induce you to grab your hair and scream like a fan, it will definitely induce you to dance. Which, let's face it, is what Phoenix has always been good at doing. With plenty of synthy organs, dance-floor filling drum beats and Mars' trance-like voice, this is Phoenix as it has always wanted to be.

There is a hazy summer feeling to the album. Fuzzy guitar and a rolling drumbeat undulate in "Rome," making it feel like a vacation day where you wake up and suddenly realize you have no idea where you are. Mars' vocals seem equally dreamy in a way that is distinctly his own. He lazily drones his way, in the greatest possible way, through the songs, creating a trance that makes you close your eyes, think less and just dance.

While they may not be living up to the likes of Mozart, Liszt or Reed, Phoenix is growing. Perhaps by pushing themselves to be like the greats of years past, Phoenix has finally created the album that will give them a name of their own.

Jade Tittle, Host

Ellipse - by Imogen Heap

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Imogen Heap's third solo album, Ellipse, is finally here. This new record feels long overdue, considering her last release was in 2005.

"Fantasy" and "futuristic" are the words that come to mind when listening to Imogen Heap's music. She's a classically trained musician who creates a mix of electronic, indie, alternative, ambient music and everything in between. Her trademark is using a fair amount of vocal effects in her mixes, but without going overboard (she is NOT a part of the Auto-Tune madness).

Imogen Heap's first record, i Megaphone, was released in 1998. In 2005, her Grammy-nominated album, Speak for Yourself, yielded a few singles with "Say Goodnight and Go" and the vocodered gem "Hide and Seek." In between records, she worked on a number of projects, most notably Frou Frou. Scoring a project for Disney was another item on her to-do list, but she decided against it so she could focus on Ellipse.

Between the writing, producing and engineering credits, she's put some serious work into Ellipse. On top of making an album, she was still working on other projects and making sure the promotion of Ellipse was properly done. Setbacks or not, Ellipse is here and it has some fine moments. The opening track and first single, "First Train Home," is a dreamy pop song. The lyrics describe the stresses Imogen Heap experienced while she was trying to write new songs, move into a new house and see her loved ones all at the same time. Other standout tracks are "Tidal," "Bad Body Double" and "Canvas."

Jill Riley, Host

Humbug - by The Arctic Monkeys

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Formed in 2002, The Arctic Monkeys from Sheffield England came Mardy bum rushing out of the rock gates with their second single, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor," securing their place with critics and rock fans alike as the next HUGE thing.

The fickle UK press, I think, actually puts more pressure on UK bands. In my humble opinion they have more than lived up to the hype.

Singer/guitarist Alex Turner combines the sexiest combination of being both a rocker and a sensitive lad who wears his heart on his sleeve:smart lyrics, slightly surreal at times though always seeming to be based on personal experience.

Humbug, the band's third album, was recorded at Rancho De Luna in Joshua Tree and was produced by Queens of the Stone Age /Eagles of Death Metal's Josh Homme.

Cynics see their prolific tendency to put out material on the heels of other newly released material and side projects as money grubbing. The band has always countered that they make music not to make money but to avoid boredom.

The first single from Humbug "Crying Lightning"-- with its gut rattling bass lines and squinky guitars -- still maintains the promise that life may feel crummy but you can still have a laugh, and maybe even dance while you're at it.

Many of the tunes still capture Turner's unique take of broken heart on a bender, which he has practically mastered at the tender age of twenty one.

Wrapping it up in a pop song can be tricky, but these dudes make it seem as easy as falling off a pub stool.The final track, "Potion Approaching," features a dirty glam riff, sporadic handclaps, and even falsetto.

It's maybe the closest track to have the scent of Josh Homme. Hoo Wa!

The Kill's/ Dead Weather's Alison Mosshart appears on the track "Fire and Thud," which potentially could've been an explosive pairing but feels a little meandering. A few other tunes spend a little too much time drinking at the Bleak and Brood Buffet.

Overall I'll give them a pass as who can possibly expect them to regurgitate the pop perfection of "Fluorescent Adolescent" with each new studio purging. Humbug is slightly uneven given to a few clunky missteps.

That said, the band is one of the more exciting live acts in recent memory. Whatever it is The Arctic Monkeys are selling I'll take two.

Mary Lucia, Host

Everything is New - by Jack Peñate

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

24-year-old Londoner Jack Peñate is back with his second album, Everything is New, the follow up to 2007's Matinee, a gold record in England, which was often savaged by the critics. His debut blended ska and skiffle sounds and was generally considered as lightweight as the 80's pop band, The Housemartins.

On Everthing is New, it seems Jack threw the past behind and started over. The sound is influenced by Philly soul, New Orleans brass bands, afrobeat, and even Brazilian tropicalia. "Give Yourself Away" is like the song you'd want to hear at a late-night party in Rio de Janeiro.

Everthing is New was produced by Paul Epwirth, who has also worked with artists like Bloc Party and Friendly Fires. Epwirth expertly gives the album a vintage sixties soul feel, sounding as though it's live in the studio with everyone having a ball. It reminded me of an old Ray Charles album. Jack Peñate is the kind of artist you want to root for. He doesn't necessarily have the "matinee idol" good looks or even the greatest voice, but what he has he uses to great effect.

With the exception of "Be the One," which I found to be as slick and stylish as a Rick Astley tune, every song on this album is worthy. Jack Peñate delivers his lovelorn lyrics with passion and grit. When he sings, you believe him. The album has several highlights including the opener, "Pull My Heart Away," which features Peñate's blue-eyed soul vocals sung in a very British style. The album really comes together on "Tonight's Today" which has an optimistic tone with hints of gospel and soul, and guitar work straight out of King Sunny Ade's playbook. Unless you're wearing cement shoes, this one will get your toes a tappin'! I was also impressed by the song, "Let's All Die," featuring brass band styled horns worthy of a second line - the celebration after a New Orleans funeral - which seems to be where Jack Peñate is at with his fine new album.

Bill DeVille, Host

Music for Men - by Gossip

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

I say it's about time that Portland, Ore. natives Gossip released a full length studio record! After all, it's been three years since they put out "Standing In The Way Of Control." In the meantime, there was a remix EP and the Rick Rubin-produced "Live In Liverpool." They've toured the world, and Beth has even begun designing clothes. But for a Gossip fan, it just wasn't enough. Until now, because the band have certainly made up for the long hiatus on their fourth long-player, "Music For Men."

Not only is this record the definition of the exact place where punk and dance music meet, "Music For Men" is also a personal landmark for Gossip: it's the band's first release on their very own new label, the GLBT-friendly Sony imprint Music With a Twist.

Normally, I hate reviews with the "this sounds like this mixed with this.." set-up. But you can easily play "spot the influence" as you listen to this record. When Beth sings the line, "Shines like the real thing, real thing, real thing" on the song "Dimestore Diamond," you can practically hear Bowie's "Fame." You want some Marvin Gaye? Try "Love Long Distance," with its lyrical reference, "Heard it through the bass line / not much longer would you be my baby." I also hear a nod to Duran Duran on "Pop Goes The World," while "Vertical Rhythm" smacks of Falco! "Love And Let Love" samples a tiny bit of Salt 'n' Pepa and echoes Gang of Four.

I think one of the crowning acheivements of this record -- and for the Gossip's whole career -- is the song "Men In Love." I honestly think that this tune should replace "It's Raining Men" as a fresh new anthem for the gay community! Here's hoping the Gossip don't wait another three years to deliver another record full of such awesomely funky and dance-punky tracks.

Barb Abney, Host

LP - by Discovery

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

"What are those robot sounds coming from your area?" I had my speakers turned up in the open workspace of The Current and our curious host Dave Campbell wanted to know if I'd hidden a C-3PO in my cube. Nope, no Star Wars characters in sight, but I did have the new album from the shimmery electro-pop duo Discovery.

Discovery is a side-project of sorts for Vampire Weekend's keyboardist and producer, Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot singer Wes Miles (even though this project started in 2005 before either of their bands had formed). Four years later, they've finally completed an album entitled "LP" released on XL Recordings.

The original goal for these two friends was to create futuristic sounding music with lots of vocal harmonies, synths and hand claps. "LP" starts with those synths and hand claps in "Orange Shirt," and keeps the harmonies coming until the end. Mission accomplished. They even throw in some snapping in the Hot Chip-like "It's Not My Fault (It's My Fault)" just for good measure. Discovery also brings out the (in)famous auto-tune/vocoder, which is used by T-Pain, Kanye West, Daft Punk and even Bon Iver to create new textures in their music. While the use of the auto-tune has developed a love-hate relationship with music listeners, it dots the album and goes the distance in the Jackson 5 cover "I Want You Back," giving it a just-shot-into-space sound. Angel Derodoorian from Dirty Projectors shares her vocals with Wes Miles on "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" in a style not too dissimilar to that of Mariah Carey.

Unfortunately, as of right now, Discovery has no plans to tour in promotion of this album due to the schedules of their respective bands. The future of this side-project is rather murky, but what is known is that their primary bands, Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot, will continue to be the priority and Discovery will be icing on a delicious cake.

Lindsay Kimball, Assistant Producer

Veckatimest - by Grizzly Bear

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

"Veckatimest" is the third full-length album from Brooklyn-based quartet Grizzly Bear. Named after a tiny, uninhabited island in the chain of Elizabeth Islands in Dukes County, Mass. - which most locals can't actually identify or pronounce the name of - the rich lore with this album begins there. Do your best to try and keep up with the rest. You may end up with more questions than answers in the end, but that will mean you've learned something and are no longer the same as you once were.

Legend has it that the band we know as Grizzly Bear began to take shape when a little home recording project of Edward Droste's took a turn toward serious. He enlisted the help of utility man Christopher Bear and the result was their first record "Horn of Plenty." Add multi-instrumentalists and key vocal contributors Chris Taylor and Daniel Rossen to the equation for seasons of tireless touring, and the movement was born. The deceptively simple instrumentation of primarily acoustic and vocal-based songs on "Horn of Plenty" made way for a full band presentation of the other worldly sonic universe that Grizzly Bear favored for their second album, "Yellow House." The standout single, "The Knife," blew minds. A true love child of '60s vocal gems like Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" and Brian Eno pop oddities, this track was the exclamation point at the end of a sentence "Grizzly Bear is here and they came to play!" "Yellow House" was widely regarded as one of the finest releases of 2006.

2009 finds the band having built a list of accolades and accomplishments most require an entire career to assemble: appearances on all the late-night television programs and at all the most prestigious festivals, an opening slot on second leg of Radiohead's 2008 North American summer tour, and performances with the Los Angeles and Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestras. Now they add the completion and release of their third album, "Veckatimest," to that list.

"Veckatimest" shines with the development made in song writing, arrangement and recording since "Horn of Plenty" and "Yellow House." The low-fi style of that first record has been left behind for a richness that perfectly suits the band's classical bent. Collaboration with contemporary classical composer/conductor Nico Muhly provided beautiful string and choral arrangements. "Veckatimest" songs like "All We Ask" and "Fine For Now" are perfect examples of the emotionally intense pop symphonies that Brian Wilson set out to create as he and The Beach Boys came to a stylistic crossroads at "Pet Sounds" and "Smile." In fact, the former may be this album's closest counterpart. And then there's the song "Two Weeks." Like "The Knife" on "Yellow House," "Two Weeks" is the hit that great albums require to achieve their timeless status and draw you back to them five, 10, or 20 years after their release. It is purely perfect pop. Grizzly Bear's modus operandi for "Veckatimest" seems to have been employing composition strategies and technology from all over the musical universe. In this way, they've created an album that is instantly familiar, undeniably catchy without surrendering to obvious, and still challenging- and a sound that belongs solely to them.

David Campbell, Host

The Ecstatic - by Mos Def

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Let's do the new dance invented by Mos Def; Step Up - Crossover - Step Back - Crossover - Mis-Step Back - Crossover - Step Back Up!! No other artist has ever pulled off this dangerous groove, but Mos Def does it with his newest release "The Ecstatic"

Few musical performers who've crossed over to acting have ever gone back to music with any level of success, and none have achieved the level of artistic achievement in each realm as Mos Def has with this album.

After reaching legendary status with his 1998 "Black Star" album collaboration with Talib Kweli, he has regularly made appearances in award-winning movies and on Broadway. But he failed to regain critical respect for the rap-rock genre with his all star band, Black Jack Johnson. His third solo "True Magic" in 2006 left many thinking he didn't care about making any more albums. But those were different times in the both the music business and politically. Mos Def always likes to deal with contemporary political issues in his music, so this year seems perfectly suited for him to return with a CD that starts with a sample saying: "We're living in a time of extremism, a time of revolution."

Perhaps inspired by his recent delightful appearance as Chuck Berry in "Cadillac Records," Mos Def's new approach seems loose, as in the way the best kind of jam session can be. This is especially amazing because the beats are produced by several different producers. The first eight tracks flow together beautifully, as if pieced together by a live band, with lyrical and musical themes linking the tracks. The crescendo of this arc, the blistering "life in marvelous times" almost falls apart at one point, where the music edit seems blurry and his vocals falter as if caught in a free-styling hiccup. Then track eight "The Embassy," starts with dialogue, the longest connecting skit on the record that could be from a movie or Saturday Night Live episode. Airline pilots, in their confidence-giving cadence, describe what guns they have as they explain what can be seen out of their windows. It's almost like saying: "Don't worry. NOW we have the situation under control and THAT will not ever happen again!"

One of the recurring themes--Iraq--seems to set the stage for other themes such as Brooklyn, Boogieman, smoke, eastern music and religion to act as characters trying desperately to make sense of how to react to the war and the challenge thrown down by the sample at the beginning of the album.

"People in power have abused it and now there has to be a change/A better world has to be built and the only way it will change is with extreme methods".

The political content is not dense nor claustrophobic or preachy. There's no real answers suggested, but the right questions are being asked.

Some tracks later in the album are less successful, making it a bit too long for a single piece. This is disappointing, as the album relies on the thematic cohesion to establish itself as a major work. In today's single-jammed hip-hop field, this will hamper him from big "proper" crossover success on the Billboard charts.

But the final song, "Casa Bey"--which magnetically unites many of the lyrical themes --is an apt way to redefine where Mos Def sits in the modern rap lexicon. He's a crossover hero, a shining black star who could teach us all a new dance.

Mark Wheat, Host

American Central Dust - by Son Volt

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Son Volt's latest release, American Central Dust, delivers the sound you've come to know and love from them (even if what you really loved was how much Son Volt sounded like Uncle Tupelo.) The title of this one alone should be an indicator that this album finds principle songwriter Jay Farrar traveling pretty familiar territory.

Like Uncle Tupelo before them, Son Volt's music swings like a pendulum between lazy ballads and rockin' guitar-driven numbers. And though Uncle Tupelo mastered all the territory in-between, it's at the zenith of either of these points that Son Volt shines. Unfortunately, American Central Dust resides mostly at the fulcrum.

The slow songs are gorgeous. "Dust or Daylight" is a sexy, syrupy waltz; the refrain of "Love is a fog and you stumble every step you make" wrapped in velvety pedal steel guitar and weepy fiddle. "Pushed Too Far," a post-Katrina love song, follows in a similar, albeit sparer vein. "Exiles" is sweeping and lush -- a good song for a heartbreak drive at 4 in the morning.

But the pendulum never quite makes the full swing back to the rock of past albums. "Down to the Wire" falls just short, and finds Farrar's lyrics bogged down by the weight of his social agenda. Ditto for "When the Wheels Don't Move," Farrar's ode to the dying auto industry -- which recalls Lucinda Williams' "Changed the Locks," minus the punch.

And then there are the songs I don't really know what to do with. "Cocaine and Ashes," a weird tribute to Keith Richards, has me on the fence—the music is lovely, but the sentiment is a stretch. (B+ for effort, though, for trying to pull off a ballad with the lyrics "tears and blow on my mind.") "Sultana" is the album's token culled-from-true-events track -- about an 1865 steamboat disaster -- but it doesn't hold a candle to the heart-splitting sincerity of "Tear-Stained Eye" (from their first album, Trace.)

Though American Central Dust, finds Son Volt operating at half-capacity, it's still a solid album when judged independent of their past work. It's pure Americana—a good soundtrack for late summer nights on the porch swing. But as we close the books on another decade, my wish for Son Volt is the same as my wish for their sibling band, Wilco: a shot in the arm.

Jacquie Fuller, Host

Horehound - by The Dead Weather

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

After a long weekend in White Stripes frontman Jack White's Third Man recording studio, a private performance and an unhealthy amount of buzz in the blogosphere, The Dead Weather has released its debut album, "Horehound."

Jack White teamed up with fellow Raconteurs Jack Lawrence and Dean Fertita alongside Allison Mosshart, front woman for The Kills. Mosshart and White's collaboration has fueled speculation that the White Stripes have called it quits and that The Dead Weather has risen from the ashes of Meg's breakdown in late 2007.

Although The Dead Weather might not be worthy of being called a "supergroup," their debut exhibits White's growing abilities as a producer and songwriter. The album's 11 tracks perfectly balance the piercing guitar riffs of the White Stripes with the eclectic instrumentation of The Raconteurs. Mosshart and White sound like ex-lovers as they trade lyrics in call-and-response on "Treat Me Like Your Mother" and a cover of Bob Dylan's "New Pony."

Whether The Dead Weather is just another side project for Jack White or a replacement during the White Stripes hibernation, "Horehound" is sure to glean the kind of self-indulgent attention White's come to expect, and like all things Jack White, it's with good reason.

"Horehound" is in stores this week.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

Wait For Me - by Moby

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Does anyone really pay much attention to Moby anymore? Is he still considered a relevant artist to music lovers? Moby has just released his ninth studio album titled "Wait For Me." He's been a staple in the music industry for 17 years. It's no doubt that Moby is one of the most important dance figures of the early 90's. He helped bring dance music to mainstream audiences in both the US and the UK. But, considering the heydays of techno and dance music are now a good 15-20 years old, what does he really have new to bring to the table? It's a fair question to ask to someone who's been such an influential figure in a genre that's seemly permeated most other music genres today.

I'll be honest; every time a new Moby album is due to be released I'm immediately skeptical of it. His first major release in 1995 titled "Everything Is Wrong" is one of the albums that have helped to shape my musical taste and spark my music frenzy. That album was this pure, cerebral sanctuary for me in a society saturated with the commercialization of grunge and alternative music. Then Moby became this rock star hanging with Incubus and Eminem. There would be sightings of him at the MTV music awards with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and Gwen Stefani doing guest vocals on his newest single. His album "Play" was an incredibly versatile blend of down tempo and blues, but it was everywhere. It was in advertisements, film soundtracks, TV shows; you couldn't go a day without a Moby song providing the soundtrack to something. I felt like I was totally scammed. I have a feeling Moby might've felt like that too. Success is a very tight rope to walk.

But, I have to say Moby has completely redeemed himself to me with his recent release "Wait For Me." Moby made an album this time folks. It has no big name guest vocalists - he has friends doing the vocals on these tracks. No frills and elaborate productions - Moby recorded this album at home in his studio with his friend Ken Thomas, who's worked with Sigur Ros, Throbbing Gristle, and M83. Thomas helped produce and mix this record using only analog equipment in true stereo. It's an album that holds itself to higher standards than what the commercial music industry measures as a success.

"Wait For Me" is a return to me of Moby's introspective, intelligent, transportive sounds. He's going back to his roots on this new album and making music that has the essence of his soul again. These aren't club hits. This is music that whispers melancholic melodies and creates cinematic sounds capes perfect for a quiet moment of personal reflection that is truly affecting. Moby stated that "In making this record I wanted to focus on making something that I loved, without really being concerned about how it might be received by the marketplace." I'd say that is one of the smartest career moves he's made to date and an incredible statement to make to an industry that's been off center kilter for quite awhile now. Thank you, Moby for sharing yourself with us once again. You've made one of your best works to date with "Wait For Me."

Melanie Walker, Music Director

Wilco (the album) - by Wilco

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Wilco returns with its 7th album which I'm reviewing with a heavy heart as I remember the late Jay Bennett, a key contributor on such Wilco classics as Being There, Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, who was found dead in late May.

Wilco has been fun to watch since the 1995 debut album, AM, and has a pretty good track record to date. I don't think they've ever made a bad album, but since the beginning I've expected the unexpected. So it's interesting that their current album brings me back to the golden-era sound of late-60s/mid-70s AM pop radio.

Wilco (the album) isn't really that unexpected. It could almost pass for leftovers from the Sky Blue Sky sessions. But these are five-star restaurant leftovers - the kind that are better when you reheat them at home! Especially when the take-out container features the tasty licks of guitarist Nels Cline, the group's secret weapon for the last couple albums, although he's in a more restrained state for this one. Another key player is piano man Mikael Jorgensen, whose groove is the foundation of many songs including the album's opener, "Wilco (the song)," which Tweedy may have written as a nod to the group's longtime fans. "Do you dabble in depression/Are you being attacked?/Oh, this is a fact that you need to know/Wilco will love you, baby!" That piano is also evident on the album's most adventurous song, "Bull Black Nova," which is full-on rock with a piano-driven groove. Tweedy's vocal builds to a scream amidst of cacophony of noise led by Cline.

Let's not forget that Jeff Tweedy is the star of the show here. He's all about the songs, and is developing into a classic "great American songwriter" with something to say. Take the song, "You Never Know." "Come on children you're acting like children/Every generation thinks it's the end of the world." He could be addressing Armageddon, or the doom and gloom of these "tough economic times." The song also features Cline's rather obvious nod to George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord," which the quiet Beatle actually borrowed from The Chiffons hit, "He's So Fine." Harrison pops up again on "Sunny Feeling" where the slide guitar sounds like it's straight out of the '70s hit, "Crackerbox Palace."

The up-tempo ballad, "I'll Fight," has the sad refrain, "I'll die for you," sweetened by B-3 organ and pedal steel guitar. It's a breezy little southern soul number that could have been written by songwriter Dan Penn. I think the album highlight is "Deeper Down," featuring Tweedy's amazing ragged and soulful vocal. Feist even makes an appearance, as Wilco's first ever special guest vocalist, on the pretty, "You & I."

For what this album lacks in adventure it makes up for in song. Wilco (the album) is a comfortable album with a soulful, vintage feel. Wilco has still not made a bad album. Album number 7 sits nicely amongst the band's already impressive body of work.

Bill DeVille, Host

Transference - by Spoon

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

I have to start this review with full disclosure: I'm a bit of a Spoon groupie.

I was 24 when I first found Spoon, after a friend loaned me A Series of Sneaks. I lived in San Antonio, seventy miles south of Austin, TX. As a result of the proximity, I've seen Spoon play live more times than any other band. I've, on numerous occasions, shamelessly tried to endear myself to Britt Daniel (to no avail.) You could say, then, that I'm the least qualified to provide a review of Spoon's seventh album, Transference. That I'm biased. But you wouldn't ask your mechanic about a pain in your abdomen, right? You'd go to an expert. And I've been studying this band intensely for eleven years.

Okay, maybe there's a little bias. When I found Spoon, I was in the right place to receive what they had to offer. I was an undergraduate in Art History, therefore quick to notice the Italian futurist artwork on the cover of Sneaks. Moreover, I was working on a huge thesis about Donald Judd – a minimalist. Spoon's bare-bones, aggressive sound became the soundtrack to late nights spent poured over slides of stark metal boxes glinting in the West Texas sun. Judd and his minimalist pals were an intellectual fraternity, and like them, Spoon's music was all boyish bravado and lean muscle.

But that's Sneaks. A few years later, we'd find Spoon stretching into more melodic, and at times even wistful, territory on Girls Can Tell and Kill the Moonlight. (Did I mind? Not at all. I swooned harder.) 2005's Gimmie Fiction brought us "Sister Jack," a near-hit, were its radio friendliness not delightfully undermined by a fractured time-shift. With 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, the band reached a sort of melodic zenith, and rode those mariachi trumpets all the way to the top ten. But in all of this, echoes of a sparer Spoon – the band of Sneaks and earlier releases – persisted. (Think the hand claps of "They Never Got You" or the lone flamenco guitar that concludes "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case.")

So Spoon decide to self-produce with Transference, and what we find is that those moments weren't persistent ghosts, but the band's actual skeleton showing through. If you came to Spoon via Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, listen: you might not like Transference. This isn't just the long-buried bones of a band, it's a gift to die-hard fans who long for the muscle and swagger of early Spoon. If you're one of those fans, prepare to reap the rewards: a ballad stripped bare by her bachelors in "Goodnight, Laura," the shimmery reverb on "Who Makes Your Money," the stutter-step contratiempo of "Written in Reverse," the cocky punch of "Got Nuffin." The elements that make up these songs are familiar:  Daniel's cryptic lyricism and soulful yelping, spatterings of distortion and vocoder, the Spoon-typical push and pull of instrumentation. But it's solid stuff.

My favorite visual artists have always been those who take their work – not themselves – seriously. That's Spoon, too.  This is a band that plays friendly little pranks on its listeners, as if to shake you out of your minimalist reverie and remind you that it's just rock and roll, man. Remember the complete tease of Sneaks' "Car Radio?" How perfect, yet painfully short, that song was? Prepare to get punked again on Transference, when "The  Mystery Zone," hypnotizes you for four minutes and fifty-eight seconds and then …

Jacquie Fuller, Host

Monsters of Folk - by Monsters of Folk

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

Let's start with the labels and get them out of the way. Yes this band is a super group. In indie-rock terms, it doesn't get much bigger than this. It's our generation's Traveling Wilburys. Perhaps I can only get away with it this month, but the expectations are that they could be The Beatles of our time. Never have three songwriters who sing come together for such a project in such a diplomatic way, even to the point of taking it on tour.

But who is who? Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) is baby faced like Paul, M Ward has collaborated with an artist, who he convinced to make music, but Zooey Deschanel just married Ben Gibbard! Jim James (My Morning Jacket) definitely likes to sing about his spiritual quest like George did, but Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) is definitely no Ringo! He's the special sauce, a multi-instrumentalist who adds especially tasty steel guitar and mandolin and produced the whole thing. In fact he might be a George Martin of our time, having produced more new stuff that we have played on The Current than perhaps anyone else. So it is a monster combination and if you are a fan of any of the three major players, then you will want to hear it. But, own it as an album? I'm still not sure you need go that far, unless it's to start your complete collection of Mogis' work!

Back to labels... folk? I think not. It's not that simple. There are many more flavors to this margarita. Indeed if you approach the work in chronological order, you are going to be convinced of that by track three, if you succeed in sitting through track one, "Dear God"! Personally, I'm not a fan of James' high-pitched voice, but he seems to regard it as his best quality and is the member who pushes his own envelope the most. Because of the subject matter, God, track one is both the most soulful track and the coldest. A clinical drum machine is balanced against James' angelic voice but they never quite mesh. Then Oberst and Ward sing too, and I would have liked more of this sharing the lead duties throughout. Here, however, it distracts from the meaning of the song. The rock roots are exposed on track two, "Say Please." It sounds great as a radio single, with the most blistering guitar solo of the whole album, apparently played by Mogis, despite the reputations of his cohorts. But if you approach this album as a fan of guitar interplay, then you will also be disappointed-it never really erupts again.

So many expectations, so little space, on one CD. Perhaps that's why they tried to have 15 tracks. But that doesn't work either, there is some filler here or at least tracks that could have been on solo releases. The promised alchemy that could only happen because of this collaboration is missing far too much, especially through the midsection of the album, after track six, "Baby Boomer," where the chemistry works beautifully.

In the end the biggest comparison I can make to the Beatles is that some of these songs could be big hits, given the right place to be played. "Whole Lotta Losin'" barrels along like a roadhouse blues staple that could get any party started right. "The Right Place" has some of that sweet steel and might not sound out of place on mainstream country radio?!? They're universally simple songs that have you singing along immediately.

Increasingly young musicians are jumping from one project to another more fluidly than ever before. The band that stays together for a whole lifetime is a fading artifact. A sequel of Masters of Folk might not be necessary but I'm glad their busy schedules and well developed egos allowed this to exist and I bet they put on a hell of show!

Monsters of Folk play October 29, 2009 at The Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis.

Mark Wheat, Host

Contra - by Vampire Weekend

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, and Chris Tomson formed the band Vampire Weekend early in 2006, when they were finishing up their studies at Columbia University on the Upper West Side of NYC. Playing house parties, they would sing cheeky songs about the lives of their peers perched on minimal beats that seemed to suggest an African flavor. "Upper West Side Soweto" was born, a place that only exists in the realm of Vampire Weekend. They continue the journey through this world on their second full length release Contra. With lyrical references to diplomats and aristocrats skiing and hanging out in a Richard Serra skate-park, pop music has seldom been privy to this world, and it makes for an interesting ride. Literate songwriting with a global musical swing hasn't been done so well since Talking Heads.

"Horchata" is the first single that we've been playing for several months (in fact, it's about to be inducted into our Chart Hall of Fame), but there's four or five other tracks that will work well on the radio. Those who think the sweet pop bounce of "Horchata" is - like its subject matter - apt to be a little too much if over indulged in, try the whole album. The whole thing really does work as a set of songs that play off each other and it builds resonance with repeated listens. It's the right length as well, with ten tracks and a mid-section change of pace that works well.

They also try to stretch out of the three-minute ditty, especially on "Diplomat's Son." It appears to be a personal story is set in 1981, but these boys are too young to be the subjects of it and they leave the narrative hanging without resolution.

This is at the heart of their appeal: an ability to create an intricate fantasy world constructed of apparently simple pop songs. It's only the final song (the title track) that doesn't work for me. Its structure doesn't hold together well enough to make a conclusive musical exclamation point. Perhaps I'm too concerned about the political ramifications of the word "contra," indelibly stamped by The Clash's "Sandinista." Vampire Weekend could be referring to the video game of the same name!

The band is still remembered as being one of the first to blow up big by being boosted by the blog buzz that they received in the Summer of ‘07. They solidified their reputation with a string of shows in their home base of Manhattan at the College Music Journal festival and it remains to be seen if there will be the almost predictable backlash from the notoriously fickle blogosphere. I hope not. But even if that does occur, I really think Vampire Weekend have navigated the difficult sophomore album and are ready for prime-time!

Mark Wheat, Host

Blakroc

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Blakroc is a collaboration between The Black Keys and an all-star line-up of hip hop artists. The roster includes Mos Def, Ludacris, Q-Tip, RZA, Raekwon and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. The album has been described as the rap-rock album of the year, but if you were expecting the "Walk This Way" of the new millennium you will be sorely disappointed.

That's because Blakroc isn't a rock album. It's the rhythm and blues of The Black Keys with an unlikely combination of MCs. The album has been conveniently mischaracterized in an attempt to crossover to an audience not privy to the work of A Tribe Called Quest or Wu-Tang Clan. Regardless of what genre you file Blakroc under, this album stands alone as an example of great production combined with real talent.

The project was the vision of producer Damon Dash, a co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, and engineer Joel Hamilton. Dash worked outside the confines of the major record labels to make this project happen by forming an independent label to release the album. If you think this is another pseudo-indie super group you will change you mind after hearing the first track. The MCs have no boundaries and The Black Keys make no attempt to please those dying for a great sample to make a commercial hit out of.

In this way, as an album, Blakroc succeeds in overcoming the conflict caused by the success of independent artists. Artists who are known for their independence and creativity are often restrained from experimenting or collaborating with other artists because of their own success. Conversely, the commercial stars are rarely measured by their true abilities and written off by indie music fans and a product of the music industry.

While the traditional role of a producer, being one who brings together song-writers, musicians and engineers might seem antiquated, for Blakroc it's the answer to overcoming the status quo.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

Phrazes for the Young by Julian Casablancas

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

Looks like the Strokes will return with tour dates and possibly a new album in 2010. While they continue their hiatus, the band's singer, Julian Casablancas is the last (but not least) Stroke to have a side project. His solo album is called Phrazes for the Young. The album was produced by Jason Lader and "it producer" of the moment, Mike Mogis.

It's an odd little album. Little it is, it contains only 8 songs, though most of them clock in at over 5 minutes in length. By the sound of it, Mr. Casablancas has a fondness for the 80's. "Glass" reminds me of Gary Numann, "Left & Right in the Dark" hinted at, of all things, Flock of Seagulls. Most tracks feature more keyboards, synthesizer and electronic drums than electric guitar. You can also detect that he had a bunch of fun making this album.

Once you get past the initial shock of the 80's sheen, Phrazes for the Young is a very charming album. On the album's lead track, "Out of the Blue," Casablancas shines, delivering his vocals with less of that "singing through a megaphone" style he uses so successfully with the Strokes. His lyrics aren't too shabby either. I love the line, "Yes, I know I'm going to hell in a leather jacket/But at least I'll be in another world while you're pissing on my casket!" The song has a jangly rock sound, less of that punky edge favored by the Strokes. It's sunny, blissful & soothing.

The album isn't all cheesy 80's sounds. "Chords of the Apocolype" features a church like organ and an incredibly soulful, almost gospel, vocal from Casablancas. The guitar is straight out of Queen song. Another highlight is, "Ludlow Street." A boozy little carnival tune, as he reminisces of a stroll through New York's lower east side. The very odd banjo featured in this one makes me grin!

Phrazes for the Young shows a fun and interesting side from the singer of one of the 2000's most beloved bands. It appears to me that Julian Casablancas has raised the bar for the next Strokes album.

Bill DeVille, Host

Give up the Ghost - by Brandi Carlile

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

"I believe this to be true / Nothing sacred nothing new." The lyrics seem to sum up Brandi Carlile's third album, Give up the Ghost. On the heels of 2007's The Story, which elevated Brandi to main stream attention via the doctor drama Gray's Anatomy, Give up the Ghost could have been lost to the preverbal commercial wasteland.

Instead, Brandi pushed into a louder, tougher area. She is not sweet, she's not cutesy, there is no irony here–let's face it she's no Regina Spektor. Nor should she be. With her raw vocals even the cliché filled "Dying Day" with lyrics like, "I miss you and I just want to kiss you" sounds sincere and earnest.

The harder sound has some thanks due to the producing help of Rick Rubin (with Johnny Cash, The Beastie Boys and Gossip's latest all under his belt Brandi is in great hands) who helps keep things rootsey and clean. Letting Brandi's beautifully crafted vocals and acoustic guitar pick and strum away in the forefront. He and Brandi work to balance enough of the country in the album without getting lost in the twang and adding some twists to keep things unexpectedly interesting.

And, let's face it, it never hurts to add the star power of one Elton John. (ELTON FREAKIN JOHN!) He jams away on the piano with a bit of a Dixie land swing and sings a bit of a duet with Brandi on "Caroline". Besides the southern Dixie feel, there is the break out ballad "Before it Breaks" with Carlile showing of her vocal range in tone and emotion plus it is the only song to also include a wailing guitar solo. There's even some Beatles love going on in the backing vocals in "Oh Dear." But the roots that Carlile has been growing from are definitely in the country and her voice throughout the entire record holds on to it's country tinge

She is the Loretta Lynn of the Radiohead generation. There is room to grow, but the album is satisfying, feeling old and new at the same time.

Jade Tittle, Host

Strict Joy - by The Swell Season

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

After years of huge success in his native Ireland with his band The Frames (second only to U2 in popularity there, it's often said), Glen Hansard was finally about to get a taste of international recognition. Ironically, it wouldn't be with the band he'd toiled with for some 15 years, but as an actor - starring in a film about a guy, a girl, and the music they made together. Once also went on to win the Grammy for Best Original Song, "Falling Slowly," written by Hansard (originally for The Frames) and performed by him and his co-star, the Czech singer Marketa Irglova.

As it turned out though, there was much more going on here than a sweet movie and some attractive songs. Hansard and Irglova the couple - both musically and romantically speaking - had come first, and the success of Once only provided a vehicle for their creative partnership to blossom. Prior to being invited to appear as the nameless couple in the film, they had released an album together called The Swell Season, and before long, they began to use that name as a "band" moniker for themselves as well. Since that auspicious debut and the success of the Once project, however, two significant things happened: Glen and Marketa's romantic relationship came to an end, and their professional one clearly changed in ways that may have a little or a lot to do with that breakup. The details of the working partnership remain private of course, but the exterior result is a record that is markedly different from its predecessors. Different as it may be though, it is still a musical revelation in its own way.

Strict Joy is, without a doubt, as grippingly gorgeous a record as anything we've come to expect Glen Hansard to be associated with over the years. And that's part of the ironic disappointment, if there is any, that this record possesses: Marketa Irglova, ostensibly half of the "duo," hardly seems to be providing equal the input. This is Glen Hansard's affair: he sings most of the vocals (when Marketa appears on the vocal lines at all, she's usually in harmony capacity), and the "band" is made up much more than last time with quite a few of his band mates from The Frames. Absolutely none of this has an impact on the power of the final musical product. It's just odd, for something that purports to be a collaboration between two the two people whose likenesses are pencil-drawn on the CD cover. How much of this has to do with the breakdown of the couple's relationship we can only speculate (Irglova does lend her lead vocal to two tracks, "Fantasy Man" and "I Have Loved You Wrong").

Still, if this is a Glen Hansard-led project, the end result is still stunningly cathartic stuff. The predominant atmosphere is one of late night reflection and wistfulness, of fires glowing in distant windows, of whiskey as its warmth begins to swell in the belly (and both the positive and negative release that that can bring). Hansard has mastered the art of the gradual emotional crescendo, and the arrangements here unfold at the rate of a single-malt intoxication each time (an effect that also has a quasi-"northern" quality as well, an oceanic ebb-and-flow mastered by the likes of U2 but also typified by such bands as Sigur Ros).

The lead single "Low Rising" has a distinct Van Morrison-y gospel quality to it, and the effect is certainly satisfying. But the balance of the tunes possess a different kind of unearthliness, like the dizzying whirl of "The Verb" (marked by a backing vocal of multi-Marketas that achieves near sonic levitation) and "The Rain," which takes a Frames-like metronomic pulse as a perfect foundation for a quintessential Hansard vocal.

Perhaps one shouldn't question the vagaries of Strict Joy's conception, but simply revel in its radiant pleasures. While I personally lament the end of a relationship that initially set the stage for such a promising musical partnership, I am quite happy to accept any circumstances that would make such a beautiful record as this to come to be. Period.

Steve Seel, Host

Minnesota Beatle Project Volume I

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

At best, the tribute album is a very dicey proposition for the music fan. Any time you are dealing in the world of purchasing re-recordings or re-interpretations of material by a favorite artist, there is a great potential for dissatisfaction. It might be some low-grade re-recordings that are pretty much the same as the original and done by some no name, sound alike, studio rats. Yuck. Or, you may find that even though you like the original artist, and you like the artist or band paying tribute to said artist, you don't like they way they handle the material. Double loss. But under the right conditions, a tribute record can be great fun for everyone! It can provide music fans with an additional, different version of something they already like to love. It can give the artist a chance play karaoke and see how one of their favorite songs might sound if they were singing. And in the case of the Minnesota Beatle Project Volume I, it might help rebuild and enhance music and art education for children in Minnesota Public Schools. Really.

The Minnesota Beatle Project Volume I is a compilation composed entirely of Minnesota musicians recording their own version of their favorite Beatles' songs. Some chose to drastically re-imagine what that song could sound like. Mark Mallman's electro take on "Fool on the Hill", Heatbox's version of "Octopus's Garden" made exclusively with the human mouth, and Jeremy Messersmith and Zach Coulter's (Solid Gold) Drakeish bend on "Norwegian Wood" all explore a far different path from the original. Some chose a subtler reinterpretation of the song with their own signature moves. Romantica's version of "Something" complete with pedal steel, Roma Di Luna's gorgeous rootsey adaptation of "I Will" that occasionally buzzes with robotic keyboard noise and Ice Palace's signature clunky indie-rock sound applied to "Strawberry Fields Forever." And some do it just like you remember the original sounding, but in their own voice. Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles' "Sexy Sadie" and Dave Simonett & Friends ' "Two of Us" are exactly what you are looking for when you pick up something of this nature in the first place. In fact, all of the songs on the Minnesota Beatle Project Volume 1 experiment in one way or another with instrumentation or arrangement but remain true to the original melody of some of the greatest pop songs ever written by the greatest pop band to ever live.

But the most amazing thing about this project is that Vega Productions, who has been making sizable charitable contributions to public schools in the way of instruments over the past four years, has committed 100% of the net proceeds from this collection to benefit music education in our public schools. Sit back and glow while taking in the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band medley by the Susan B. Anthony Middle School Band Class of 2008/2009 knowing they are performing it with instruments given to them via the work of Vega Productions. It feels good and sounds good for both fans of the Beatles and the local musician alike.

David Campbell, Host

XX - by XX

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

There's been a lot of hype about this London band, and I'm often skeptical of hype. When I heard the first single, "Crystalised," all I could think was, "What's the big deal?" Dig a little deeper into The XX, though, and you'll be rewarded.

I wouldn't call XX a polarizing album, or even an acquired taste, but my sense is that folks will be in one of two camps about it. There's a fine line between music that's "atmospheric" and "monotonous." If you're in the latter camp, you might think all the songs on XX sound the same. I'm going to argue for the former, though. Like comparison bands American Analog Set and Interpol, The XX make music for a particular mood. This is not the CD you want to play while driving in your car on a sunny day. This is after-hours music. All the songs do sound the same, and the result is a heady, atmospheric soundtrack for your next make-out session. You heard me right: these are Songs To Make Out To. This is what I think of when I hear the phrase "adult album alternative."

And I'm pretty sure this was the band's intention. Band mates Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft practically coo to one another in songs thematically laced with love, lust, heartbreak, desire - all manner of relationship stuff. Their voices ride on simple, spooky compositions that keep the vocals front-and-center: pulsing bass, plucky surf guitar, and the lo-fi sound of a drum machine. And the music is where the comparison to Interpol ends. Interpol's Paul Banks' performs a vocal impersonation of Ian Curtis that sounds like so much dark barking. In contrast, Sim and Madley Croft sound downright soulful. Sim's disaffected vocals are punctuated, here and there, by the slightest Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers) moan, and Madley Croft's voice, especially on songs like "Shelter," evoke Tracy (Everything But the Girl) Thorn's blue-eyed soul.

Listening to XX, you'll find yourself thinking, What does this song remind me of? XX invokes the spirits of random influences, without ever feeling derivative, or costumed in the sound of an era (ahem, Bat for Lashes.) Is that the slightest hint of Vampire Weekend at the beginning of "Basic Space?" Maybe, The XX seem to say, maybe not. Is there a tiny�bit of Mazzy Star in Madley Croft's singing on "Islands?" Does the baseline in "VCR" remind me of Bowie's "Heroes," or some Jesus and Mary Chain Song? Dunno. Don't matter. Because this is what makes this debut from this young band so masterful - that they've managed to repackage our musical nostalgia into something new and modern. And - oh, yeah - sexy.

Wait for the sun to set. Find a couch, and someone you like to share it with. Put this album from The XX on your CD player, on repeat. All the songs sound the same, so you won't have to worry about changing the music.

Jacquie Fuller, Host - Teenage Kicks

Twilight: New Moon - Official Soundtrack

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

Here is my confession: I am the resident "Twilight geek" on the Current staff. I voraciously read the series earlier this year and I was eagerly awaiting the release of this record. While I'm not a member of any of the tween-crazed Twilight online communities, I did know that there was a lot of buzz surrounding the soundtrack. The lead single from the album was previewed in mid-September at an MTV awards show. The full tracklist announcement came out a week later. All of the songs are originals that were recorded exclusively for the soundtrack. With every little detail, the buzz was built.

Just in case this nugget of pop culture is not on your radar, Twilight: New Moon is about vampires. You'd expect dark, moody and sinister, right? Well, that's what you get. What I find intriguing is that "dark," "moody," and "sinister" can be used in the same sentence as Ok Go and Death Cab for Cutie, bands that are often known for their light and poppy sound. If these bands haven't already hit mainstream love, this should do it. Prepare to share them with your younger sisters, cousins or kids, these guys aren't your favorite little indie bands, anymore!

Honestly, this record has a little something for everyone. You want brooding and sparse? Then you'll enjoy the new Thom Yorke track "Hearing Damage" and Lykke Li's "Possibility." The lilting vocals on the Bon Iver and St. Vincent pairing, "Rosyln" blend perfectly as well.

A little more darkness? Check out the selections from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Sea Wolf and Editors. There's yet another one of those "quiet" Killers tracks where you'll swear Lou Reed is lending the vocals! I really enjoyed tracks from some of the newcomers like Anya Marina and Band of Skulls (No, the vocalist DOESN�T sound like Jack White this time around!) This soundtrack is how I learned that Steve from Longwave was recording solo material under the moniker of Hurricane Bells... and it rocks!

I'm sure many would agree, the MOST anticipated song on the record is the track from Muse. Stephanie Meyer the author of the Twilight series, has written little thank you notes to the band, in her books because listening to their music helped her write the books. This song alone, is worth the cost of admission.

Barb Abney, Host

Them Crooked Vultures - by Them Crooked Vultures

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

It needs to be said that upon being given the advanced copy of this CD to review, I felt like I was handling Plutonium. Don't look directly at this. Don't point at it. Don't tell anyone you have it. Granted, when Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones decided to put a musical group together, they knew the levels of expectation and interest would be off the charts.

My half-witted and not-terribly-insightful observation of this CD is that it is EXACTLY what you think it will sound like, and that my friend is a really good thing. You hear your favorite elements of Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal and a little unknown band that never quite made it (Led Zeppelin) in every tune.

"No One Loves Me and Neither Do I" is going to blow your Decemberists CD right out of your player, out your front door and 2 blocks down. It will then lodge itself half way through a telephone pole. There is so much signature Zeppelin heaviness and so much of the humor of Josh Homme that you can't help but wonder if Robert Plant is secretly thinking, "dammit why did I make that sincere and sensitive Grammy award winning record with Allison Krauss when I could've been singing lines like, 'Well if sex is a weapon, then smash, boom, pow, how ya like me now? You can't always do it right, you can always do whats left.'"

When the Current first started playing the single "New Fang," I found myself singing the hook to Zeppelin's Dancing Days right along with it. Normally something like that might bug me but it's like making a record with 50 cent and nobody bragging about getting shot. Of course the Zep influence in both Grohl and Homme is huge and they honor it by surrounding that influence with their own brand of unique humor and rock.

My standout favorite song is "Mind Eraser, No Chaser." This is one sexy heavy petting zoo of a tune. You can hear the fun these dudes are having playing together at every turn and it makes you realize how rare that actually is.

Mary Lucia, Host

Raditude - by Weezer

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

The new album from Weezer, Raditude, proves that the band is not ready to take themselves too seriously. Especially when you let a funny man like Rainn Wilson (The Office) help name the album. Rivers Cuomo and the rest of the band prove they still know how to write a catchy pop hook, with heavy guitars and goofball lyrics. The general theme of the album is about having fun and being young. But the question remains, will River Cuomo ever write about how he actually got the girl? Maybe when he grows up, but there's no indication of that happening yet. That's a good thing. Weezer fans, young and old, should get some enjoyment out of the new record.

Raditude opens with the first single "If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To). Other stand out tracks are "I'm You're Daddy," "The Girl Got Hot" and "In The Mall." Lil' Wayne makes an appearance in "Can't Stop Partying." Is this an example of Weezer's funny bone? Or are they making songs for a new generation who expect the rap cameo in a song? Either way, it somehow works and it could give them a chance to work with artists from the new generation of music fans (but probably their last opportunity to work with Lil' Wayne for awhile since he may be serving some time behind bars on a weapons charge).

In the age of quick and easy downloads, bands have to be creative when it comes to promotion of special bonus material to get fans to buy an old fashioned CD. Weezer does offer special access to songs if you're in the Weezer club. Again, proving they haven't lost their sense of humor, Weezer is the first band to have their own Snuggie. You know, those wearable blankets as seen on TV. If you buy a standard blue Weezer Snuggie, you get a copy of the CD. I thought that promotion was fake when I saw the Weezer Snuggie infomercial on Youtube. But alas, it's a real promotion. Check out Weezer.com to see it for yourself. Oh, and if you get the Weezer deluxe package, you get the zebra print Weezer Snuggie and the Raditude Deluxe CD (with special bonus material).

After making albums for 15 years, Weezer has managed to stay relevant. Raditude may not satisfy all the hardcore Pinkerton fans, but anyone who loved the Blue Album will appreciate Raditude for it's similar themes and catchy hooks. The awkward rejects (like me) who were young when the Blue Album was big will be able to revisit and reflect on those days with this new installment into the Weezer discography fondly and with the a hint of a smile.

Jill Riley, Host

Lungs - by Florence and the Machine

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

I need to preface this with the admittance that I judge female singer-songwriters more harshly than any other type of musician. This is something I have always done. Most times I find it mildly annoying when a girl is out front and the only thing she can sing about is some dude and his inability to acknowledge her existence and how he would really see how in love they were if he would just have a conversation with her. With that out of the way--I like Florence and the Machine.

As the latest enqenue from the UK, it may be easy to package Florence Welch, the front woman of Florence and the Machine, with a neat bow in a gaggle of soulful brit singers. The recent winner of the Brit Award, with her debut album Lungs, didn't get her break by going to the right vocal school and hiring the right management team. She saw a local DJ in the bathroom at a club and decided to belt out a song.

This is not a girl lacking moxy, case in point: "Kiss with a Fist". With lyrics like "I broke your jaw once before / You broke my leg in return," it's not hard to see how this has become one of the more controversial songs in recent Current playlists. Welch claims that the lyrics are metaphorical for the pain that you feel when you are in love. You can make your own call on the meaning, but when Florence sings, you feel what she's feeling. It's Kate Bush by way of Stevie Nicks by way of PJ Harvey with a dash of Whitney Huston (at least in the vocal inflections in "You've got the Love").

The album on a whole is a bit all over the board. There's the summer-day-invoaking-pop-happiness of "The Dog Days are Over", Imogen Heap electro-dreamyness of "Rabbit Heart(Raise it Up)," the folksy pared down love note of "I'm Not Calling You a Liar" and the straight up pop of "You've Got the Love". What all the songs have in common is suicidal, throw yourself off a cliff, burn you to cinder, all-consuming love. But at the end of the album you are singing your own lungs out with her... or at least I was. Maybe I've become a bit of a rock chick lover.

Jade Tittle, Host

Sainthood - by Tegan and Sara

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

I root for Tegan and Sara. Most of the time, they are a band of twin sisters who write catchy (if airless) pop songs, but every so often, they produce a moment that flat out clicks. It's when the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when the drums kick in on "You Wouldn't Like Me" or the "bye bye" refrain in "Nineteen" -- I'm there. I want these gals to be one of the biggest bands in the world. With their new album, Sainthood, have they taken a step in that direction?

The first thing you notice upon hearing Sainthood is that everything is bigger. Producer Chris Walla (taking a break from his duties as bassist for Death Cab for Cutie) has added a heavy dose of muscle and freneticism; there's nothing quaint or precious about these doubletracked guitar riffs, driving rhythm parts, or big keyboards. One of the sisters Quin, Tegan, has enlisted the songwriting help of AFI bassist Hunter Burgan in an apparent effort to align the band's sound with that of modern rock. Lead single "Hell" blisters by as Tegan tears through a saga of unrequited love (a consistent T&S theme) and urban decay. Sara Quin's contributions are slightly less aggro; her songs have always been slightly poppier and the trend continues here, particularly "Arrow" and the chiming "Alligator." "Arrow" features one of the record's best vocal hooks, backed by a heavily-processed synth loop. There's a song here that sounds like MGMT's "Kids," there's a song that recalls Gary Numan's "Cars," even a sad breakup song called "The Cure." Yet for as cluttered as everything may sound, Walla does an excellent job in keeping the sound clean -- that is to say, nothing is processed into murky gloom, a la Snow Patrol. The Quin sisters' voices are always front and center, allowing the listener to enjoy and appreciate these tales of love woe. The lyrical themes revolve around conceptions of one's lover (hence the album title) and are what we've come to expect from the band.

With each new record, single, or collaboration in pop culture, I find myself hoping they gain wider acceptance and success. They've been covered by the White Stripes, remixed by Tiesto, guest starred on The L Word, and collaborated with Against me! (Tegan added vocals to "Borne on the Waves of the FM Heart") yet it feels like they can't quite break through to the other side. Will Sainthood be the album that brings Tegan and Sara mainstream success? In any case, it is a record that will provide plenty of enjoyment, and maybe even a moment or two that stops you in your tracks. I'm still rooting for Tegan and Sara. I know you feel it too.

Mac Wilson, Host

End Times - by Eels

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Mark Oliver Everett may not be a household name, but his story is one of the most unique in all pop music.  His saga has already been well-chronicled in his utterly essential memoirs Things the Grandchildren Should Know, so I'll keep it concise: Akin to an indie-rock Forrest Gump, Everett watches his loved ones all meet horrible fates (suicide, cancer, heart attack, 9/11) as he navigates the maze of mid-'90s music industry machinations, all while continuing to write songs at a prodigious rate, first performing them under the name E before enlisting a rotating cast of friends for live shows and playing under the name Eels.  Like I said, it's a fascinating story (which is why I'll plug his book for the second time this paragraph).  With Eels' new record, End Times, E has built a song cycle about loss, abandonement, and the simple human fear of dying alone, capturing the modern zeitgeist in what must feel to many people like the actual end times.

It may seem heretical to compare it with a record that has virtually been beatified (particularly here, with its deep local ties), End Times is a similar listening experience to Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks.  While this album doesn't quite compare with Tracks in terms of emotion, delicacy, profundity, ambiguity, melodicism, trenchancy, or wit, there is a similar tone of loss and regret.  These themes should resonate with anyone familiar with Eels' oeuvre, ranging the cancer-themed Electro-Shock Blues to the epistemological ruminations of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.  Eels' most recent album, last year's Hombre Lobo, was a record of unrequited lust; here, he's lost the girl all over again and is trying to take the next step forward.  It is impossible to read these songs as anything but autobiographical; for example, the now-46-year-old Everett wonders how he would have fared post-breakup in his younger days in, naturally, "In My Younger Days".  Everett writes simple, unpretentious songs that can be unlocked with a basic sense of empathy and human understanding.  The honesty of songs like "I Need a Mother" takes them near the border of overbearingness, yet giving them the ability to shatter the listener.

If this is his Blood on the Tracks, then "Paradise Blues" is his "Meet Me in the Morning," driven by a loping bassline and a ghostly organ.  I wish Everett had further fleshed out his opening suicide bomber metaphor, as it had the potential to make a good song even more compelling.  The title track is difficult to listen to: even while emulating a homeless man warning of the pending apocalypse, E breaks your heart with his haggard & exhausted vocal.  There are momentary moments of escapism and lightness as well, in "Mansions of Los Feliz" and the deceptive "Gone Man".  The best song of all may be the simplest: "Little Bird" features a gorgeous guitar line and E adds another to his repertoire of bird songs (once you read the explanation in his autobiography, go back & listen to "Little Bird" and try not to get a lump in your throat).

For all the bleak sadness and sorrow that envelops so much of Eels' music, E is always careful to leave the listener with a note of hope.  All the Eels albums end with a song that contextualizes the entire album and looks ahead to face the next day.  Here, it's a song called "On My Feet", and the title basically says it all.  At six minutes, it meanders a bit, yet provides Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' essential fifth stage of grief: acceptance.

But one thing I know that is true in this world
Is the love that I felt for you

One sweet day I'll be back on my feet
And I'll be alright

Every time I begin to worry about Mark Everett, he leaves us with a glimmer of light; a tiny nod of reassurance, as if he's telling us that he -- and we -- will be okay. Even after the end times, we'll wake up tomorrow morning, take a look around, and go forth.  If we're like E, we'll have a song in our brain.

Mac Wilson, Host

I and Love and You - by The Avett Brothers

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

I don't frequent the country section at record stores... ever... but after searching the new music walls and the "A" section without success, I gave up and asked the clerk at the record store, "Do you have the new Avett Brothers album?" "Yeah, it's in country." For a band that draws from several genres - folk, rock, roots, bluegrass, country, and even punk - I was surprised by this classification. If the Avett Brothers are considered country, then call me a country fan. I will cross the aisle. I wandered past the likely influences - Neil Young, the Louvin Brothers , Johnny Cash - until I reached the Avett Brothers' new album I and Love and You.

With a healthy discography of five full-lengths, two EPs, and two live albums all released independently, North Carolinian brothers Scott and Seth Avett, along with upright bassist Bob Crawford, teamed up with music magician Rick Rubin to produce their major label debut I and Love and You. Having worked with musicians like Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond, Rubin seems to have a penchant for accenting an artist's strengths. In the case of the Avett Brothers, the music has been simplified while maintaining its intensity and depth. The lyrics, probably their greatest strength, come to life with minimal banjo and guitar on "Ten Thousand Words," and with full orchestrations in the hopeful political ballad "Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise."

Known for their emotionally naked lyrics, the Avett Brothers don't hide behind elaborate metaphors or vague language. They sing about the highest highs and the lowest lows in love. "Ill With Want" captures all of those feelings: "I am sick with wanting / and it's evil and it's daunting how I let everything I cherish lay to waste." In "Incomplete and Insecure," the lyrics tell of the struggles of an adult male developing an identity: "I haven't finished a thing since I started my life / I don't feel much like starting now / Walking down lonely has worked like a charm / I'm the only one I have to let down."

Beyond the beautiful simplicity and honest lyrics, this is a really solid, memorable album. From the title track to "Incomplete and Insecure," there isn't a humdinger in the bunch. It's proportioned right - just enough ballads and a couple of foot-stomping, hand-clapping tunes to balance it out. I and Love and You has the potential to reach new audiences ...even those who never visit the country section of a record store.

Lindsay Kimball, Assistant Producer

Embryonic - by The Flaming Lips

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

The Flaming Lips are a band from Oklahoma. That sentence, one that has certainly found a place at the beginning of many reviews and at the top of many descriptions of this band out of sheer desperation, works in that it is true and it is indisputable and it is easy. It's one of the few easy things you can say about The Lips. Most everything else is a complicated. The personnel, the personalities, and most importantly the themes and the music. And that's exactly how they like it. It's also what makes The Lips such a great story. Plenty of challenges overcome, enough contractions to keep you guessing, strange victories in even stranger place... It's a 26-year story of winning with weird. Embryonic is simply the newest chapter.

Embryonic is the twelfth studio album from The Flaming Lips and it has arrived as a double - surprisingly the first that the band has ever released. Conceived as such as far back as 2006, something sprawling and unique to them and their career seems like the least logical choice for a band on the heels of two gold records and a third which will appear on "greatest albums of all time" lists for years to come. A sharp detour from the clearly marked trail ahead into the thick underbrush. But the least logical choice is the route that has served the band best creatively from its beginnings. When in doubt, do something different.

The songs on Embryonic are not what you might expect if you've been a fan solely of the last two album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and At War with the Mystics. The lush textures and string arrangements which have been a Lips / Dave Fridmann production hallmark on the last three albums are there, but in a much less noticeable way. Most of the songs on Embryonic are fueled by a potent combination of super fuzzed out bass and Steven Drozd and Kliph Scurlock's Bonhamesque drumming. Sessions for this record took place in the living room of a house that Steven was unable to sell. The live band sound that The Lips had experimented with on At War with the Mystics was again employed to create new "embryos" for songs via jamming. What eventually became the album are pieces of these jams shaped into songs and treated with the usual Lips overdubbing to create a dark and heavily repetitious record of druggy psychedelic sounds. Songs like "Convinced of the Hex" and "Aquarius Sabotage" will remind you of a hi-fi version of the Lips of old - way old. For the sensitive Lips fan, tracks like "Evil" and the strikingly beautiful "If" will remind you of what you fell in love with the band for in the first place. And then there is "The Ego's Last Stand," a song about watching a kitten die on Wayne's mom's front porch. Whoa!

When there were no expectations for them at all, they gave us loud, loose and weird. When people expected that, they decided to get really good and even weirder. When people expected them to fail, they made the most complex and powerful work of their careers and won a Grammy - twice. When I expected them to sell out, they made Embryonic, possibly the most challenging work they've delivered their current fan base at any given time in the band's career. I should have known better. With the Lips, it's best to expect nothing beyond something unexpected.

David Campbell, Host

2 - by Retribution Gospel Choir

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

If there's one thing that's certain about 2, the straightforwardly-titled second outing from Duluth's Retribution Gospel Choir, it's this: unlike the bulk of material from frontman Alan Sparhawk's other band Low (his primary project for the past two decades), this record will not be ignored.  For years, Low made its name on its tantalizingly gentle, whispery aesthetic; by contrast, 2's in-your-face, anthemic classic-rock wallop hits you immediately on the record's first track and lead single, "Hide It Away," which may be the most fist-pumping hunk of melodic guitar pop Sparhawk has ever offered up.  You will bow down to its awesome rock awesomeness, and it's gorgeous, mile-wide hook will guarantee that you'll be quite happy all the while you're doing it.

Alan Sparhawk formed Retribution Gospel Choir in the mid-aughts as one of a number of Low side-projects seemingly designed to give him the chance to rock out in precisely the ways his main band assiduously avoided (another being the Zeppelin-y blues vehicle Black Eyed Snakes, in which Sparhawk barked his distorted vocals through a tinny harmonica microphone).  Originally, the RGC lineup included Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon), whose professed love of Neil Young's chunky, grizzled Crazy Horse guitar sound made him a natural partner in the project.  Kozelek has since left the lineup, but he produced the band's first full length in 2008 - and while a Sparkawk-Kozelek pairing always seemed like one of the great never-fully-realized dreams of indie rock, Sparhawk's sole leadership just might be exactly what RGC always needed in the first place.  Because even though the pair's shared love of grungy riff and melodic hook is abundantly clear, it's the muscle in Sparhawk's voice that knock these songs over the back wall.

It's actually rather funny to be talking about Alan Sparhawk in terms of vocal muscle and assuredness, since part of the appeal in his early performances with Low was precisely his nonchalant lack of those things.  But having matured into the best kind of capable, compelling rock n' roll singer, Sparhawk now seems to relish that role, and on 2, he and Retribution Gospel Choir build songs around his commanding rock presence and obvious interest in power-pop epiphanies.

After "Hide It Away," 2 wavers a bit from it's spellbinding opener's promise, with some detours into near parody (or perhaps full, willing parody - it's not entirely clear) of hoary rock tropes in the name of arena-rock ecstasy.  "Workin' Hard" hails from the KISS school of rock rave-ups (it's precedent more "Shout It Out Loud" than "Detroit Rock City," though), while "White Wolf" sounds like the bastard child of Styx and Aldo Nova - a second-hand interpretation of third-hand rock clichés. But that might be exactly both songs' unapologetic intention.  The balance of the tunes seem to achieve their rawk bona fides without sacrificing any of the hard-won gravitas Sparhawk has built up over the years through Low's earnest, aching songs and tensile, restrained performances.  "Poor Man's Daughter" sounds like it could have been a Low tune, reconfigured with multi-tracked Sparhawk harmonies and Eric Pollard's propulsive drumming.  The epic "Electric Guitar" achieves a twofer: it paints a haunting lyrical landscape but delivers it in cathartic, martial power-chord clothing (and it also comes along at exactly the point one imagines it would be placed in a RGC live set - right before the encore - to work the crowd into an air-drumming, lighter-lofting hysteria).  The record's only clear failure is "Something's Gonna Break," a three-minute orgy of noisy nooding who's resolution in its final thirty seconds only makes the preceding experience all the more frustrating, assuming you even stick around to discover it.

2 probably won't rank among the brighter suns in the Sparhawk firmament, such as Low's Long Division or Secret Name, but in the end, that's not a problem; its methods are just different enough that it still achieves its intended ends.  Once upon a time in a galaxy that seems far, far away now, Sparhawk's name was associated with music that seemed closer to ghostly lullabies than rock songs; it's been fascinating to watch his projects evolve from whispery to withering ever since.

Steve Seel, Host

Us - by Brother Ali

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  
  

Over the past two years, Brother Ali's name and image has become synonymous with Twin Cities hip hop. An early member of the Rhymesayers crew, Ali's first albums went relatively unnoticed outside the Midwest indie hip hop world. On his debut self produced cassette release, Rites Of Passage, Ali laid the groundwork for themes that have persisted through his career - the anger, pain, and politics of his life as a human born different.

In 2007, Ali followed up the narrative of personal hardship from "Shadows of the Sun" with politics and compassion on, The Undisputed Truth. The album gave Ali his first Billboard debut along with some criticism for the strong anti-government message on the album's second single "Uncle Sam ---damn."

Success hasn't diluted Brother Ali's message but on his new release, Us, he stops short of drawing a line in the sand. His point is clear, this release isn't about me or you, it's about us, and Ali is going to lead the way. The album moves from themes of his recent success to stories of domestic abuse and poverty to the uplifting title track at the very end of the album.

Beyond the lyrics, this is Brother Ali's most organic album, full of live drums, guitars and organ riffs interweaved with samples and electronic beats. Sonically this is his best album to date. Us is out on Rhymesayers and in stores now.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

Heaven is Whenever - by The Hold Steady

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Heaven is Whenever is the 5th album from the Hold Steady, and is self-described by the band as a "less anthemic and more complex" CD. Singer Craig Finn has certainly carved out his place as a great musical storyteller and this new CD is no exception. Lyrically, there is more introspection than in previous albums, fewer stories about other people and perhaps a little more about Finn himself.

For those who deem 'classic rock' as dirty words, the Hold Steady is not the band for you. But if you think about a band in 2010 that writes straight ahead rock and roll, what else will they be referred to in 20 years if not 'classic rock?'

Vocally, it's a little less "Craig Finnish" and perhaps more melodic with both lead and backing vocals; sleigh bells, cowbells, hand claps and tamborines round out the straightforward instrumentation on Heaven is Whenever.

Being a New York band for so many years now, there are far less references to MPLS (Finn's beloved home town) on this record. However, "Barely Breathing" -- a stand out track -- name checks the 7th Street Entry.

There are beefy riffs and the same cleaver wordplay you've come to expect from a Hold Steady record. But if you looking for the experimental techno dub Hold Steady record, this ain't it.

Mary Lucia, Host

Together - by The New Pornographers

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

With the fifth album from Vancouver's The New Pornographers, "Together," can we still call a band that's probably now more defined as a primary vehicle for most of its members a "supergroup"? I suppose if we take the Led Zeppelin or Cream examples - groups made up of established artists who carved out a distinct band identity with their new vehicles - then yes. If it's, say, Zwan we're talking about ... probably not so much. But no matter. How's the new record? Have Carl Newman and company served up another helping of up-tempo sugar-rush power pop? Yes and no - but the "no" is not such a bad thing.

As always, Carl (also known as A.C.) Newman, the New Pornographers' core member and chief songwriter, proves that he is truly a practitioner of making every moment count. If he sometimes writes a tune that sounds like filler, it's only because the bulk of the songs sound as if they were conceived not just as singles, but as if each one were his only chance to make your cortex tingle with his most effective tricks. The difference on "Together" is that there is a ever so slightly less of the amped-up wallop of records like "Electric Version" and "Twin Cinema" and a bit more, well, glide . That's not to be confused with "coast "; quite the contrary; the medium-tempo songs on "Together" offer some of the disc's most satisfying moments.

The album's advance single, "Your Hands (Together)" is a fine song in that classic New Pornos style, but it's not only not the best tune on the album, it's almost a clearing house for some of Newman's less-awesome tendencies: a reliance more on pomp and propulsion than melody, jacking up the horsepower as a compensation for the lack of otherwise appealing aesthetics. It comes as a relief (and then some) when sitting down with the full record for the first time that "Moves," the album's opener, serves up an instant earful of awesome hooks and just-unpredictable-enough melodic twists - the kind of inventiveness that puts Newman in the pantheon of the true power-pop greats. By track two, "Crash Years," Neko Case (the only band member who's outside career unquestionably is higher profile than her role in the group) takes the lead vocal, and while the energy is turned up half a notch from the first track, the songs still lives in that sweet-spot of melody and jangly arrangement that yields quite more than the sum of its parts. And it's clear why "Crash Years" is slated to be the CD's first official single: all of the New Pornographers' best pop immediacy is there, but there's a songsmithing subtlety that lines the corners of the tune with a velvety glow that casts of a greater array of secondary and tertiary colors than we're used to from their songs.

Second-guy-in-charge Dan Bejar chips in on a couple tunes as usual: the lovely "Silver Jenny Dollar" and the revelatory "If You Can't See My Mirrors" - the latter an absolute high of windows-down, sunny-day driving musical ecstasy. It's too short at 2:57, but it truly leaves you wanting more, so that's probably about right. Yes, there are a couple of lulls: the Neko-sung "My Shepherd" doesn't have the tune to give flight to its cumbersome religious allusions, and the closer, "We End Up Together" not only comes off as tacked-on but too long by half. My only other gripe is that the contributions of the record's various high-profile guests (Zach Condon of Beirut, Annie Clark [aka St. Vincent], Will Sheff of Okkervil River, and the horn players from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings) barely register, if at all. Still, the disc clocks in at the sacred running time of 45 minutes, holding our attention and then letting it go just about right on schedule (or at least about two minutes after that).

Despite these charms, many will likely say that "Together" isn't The New Pornographers' best effort. It's true that it's tough to compete with previous achievements like "Use It" and "Sing Me Spanish Techno" - pulsating meldings of rock muscle and frosting-eaten-right-out-of-the-tube melodic sweetness. But if accepted as a somewhat slighter effort, "Together" has its own solid appeal. Not a meat-lovers pizza followed by a carton of ice cream, perhaps, but a subtler, quieter confection. A sacher torte.

Steve Seel, Host

Shame, Shame - by Dr. Dog

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Dr. Dog started out as a garden variety indie-rock band based in Philadelphia with their 2001 debut release Psychedelic Swamp. Over the past nine years and six albums, the band's sound has varied from psychedelic rock to lo-fi 60's pop. The band went mostly unnoticed until their 2005 release, Easy Beat, when they were invited by Jim James to tour with My Morning Jacket.

With the support of James and Park The Van Records, Dr. Dog released their fourth studio album, We All Belong, in February 2007. Despite the album being self-produced, the band managed to shed their lo-fi roots to create a more sophisticated sound, making them the unexpected heroes of the 60's pop revival. Shortly after We All Belong was listed as one of the 50 best releases of 2007 by Rolling Stone magazine, Dr. Dog released a follow-up album titled Fate.

Embracing sounds from the Beatles to The Band, the group's singer and frontman Toby Leaman continues to refine the group's sound on their new album Shame, Shame. The band enlisted co-producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, The Vines and Elliot Smith) and songwriter Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys). Auerbach co-wrote the stand-out track, “Shadow People,” adding a down temp blues texture to the album's opening. Of course the line-up wouldn't be complete without support from Jim James, credited as Yim Yames, on the album's title track. The new album, Shame, Shame, is out now on Anti records.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

Congratulations - by MGMT

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

One of the great pratfalls of our new, digital age is the concept of the 'sophomore slump'. Let's say an artist releases their debut album to hype, adulation, acclaim, and/or commercial success: the pressure is now on the artist to follow up with something that is even better yet still maintains the endearing qualities of the debut. "Succeed," and your de facto two-game winning streak will buy yourselves another few years in the game. "Fail," and the mp3 blogs will declare you 'overrated' and you'll show up on VH1's Top 100 One-Hit Wonders of the Aughts shows. It's not fair, but that's the way the game works. When it comes to second albums through history, we've seen everything from stunning successes to crushing disappointments to slapdash retreads intended to satiate the masses until the band can really reinvent themselves. The pressure has allowed countless artists to both flourish and wither with their sophomore albums.

Which brings us to MGMT.

The Current's listeners voted MGMT's debut, Oracular Spectacular, to the #1 of the Top 89 of 2008. It seemed a little hard to believe at first, but I feel it ultimately came down to a simple point: those songs sounded fantastic on the radio. "Time to Pretend," "Electric Feel," and "Kids" quickly became party jam staples that could enliven the playlist at any time of day (also becoming some of the most requested music in the history of the Current). It was made all the more remarkable by the fact that before Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden wound up in movie trailers and opening for Paul McCartney, they basically cooked up the songs in college just for yuks. So when it came time to record their second album, MGMT decided not to 'play the game:' rather than churning out another batch of hit singles, they instead pursued their own, unique brand of disjointed psychedelia. The rumor was that they would release no singles from the album, in terms of aesthetics AND practicality. Not since the heyday of Eminem has a major-label artist so thumbed their nose at both industry machinations and their own past success.

But is it any good?

I expressed my very first impressions on Twitter, after listening to the album for the first time: "MGMT's Congratulations is totally baffling." The record eventually begins to take shape, but it remains a wild, madcap experience even after several listens. The songs are frenetic and fast, with the band taking a page from Of Montreal and incorporating multiple melodic movements into individual songs. Not that the individual songs are supposed to matter; the band has repeatedly hinted that this will be a "singles-free" record. The most sweeping connotation, then, is that MGMT has decided to slaughter their golden goose (the hit single) in favor of a longer body of work. It's an admirable concept, yet it's a concept that may have worked better if the fabled 'album-long-statement' weren't so consistently chaotic, heavy, and LOUD. The band may have switched producers (going from Dave Fridmann to Spacemen 3's Pete Kember) but they maintain Fridmann's affinity for enormous, disorienting swaths of (heavily-compressed) sound. For being a record that supposedly hinges on the immersive, album-length experience, Congratulations will have the ability to leave even the devotees completely drained and exhausted.

But is it any good?

With so many different melodies, moods, and sentiments spread over nine songs, it's possible to be entertained at one moment while checking your watch the next. The band does appear to have locked in on a specialty, which is a particular brand of whirring pop song that still displays a semblance of structure. "Flash Delirium" features walls of keyboards, liquid basslines, and verses-slash-bridges that nick the melody from David Bowie's "Beauty and the Beast," eventually culminating in a breathless burst of screams. At first, it's gibberish, but after a few listens, it becomes unironically catchy. Opener "It's Working" works similarly, melding more brash synths with Duane Eddy guitars over a chord progression straight out of '50s doo-wop. For all I've thus far belabored the loud passages, there are quieter moments as well, and they are among the album's best; the wispy "Someone's Missing," in particular, is a hidden gem. At first glance, the 12-minute surf epic "Siberian Breaks" and instrumental "Lady Dada's Nightmare" seem inexplicable and pretentious, but remember: Bowie used to fill entire LP sides with lengthy, washed-out instrumental passages. Whether or not you agree on MGMT's bold change of direction, there is a perverse logic in their structure and execution.

Congratulations is a bold, disorienting, sometimes abrasive album of experimentation run rampant. With this album, MGMT is answering to no one, yet everyone. It's possible they will eventually refine these sounds and ideas, and this will one day be viewed as a steppingstone on the path to a new, 21st century psychedelia that revolutionizes modern pop music. Or perhaps they will return with another record of arena-ready rock anthems, and Congratulations will be viewed as another record that they did just for yuks. At the very least, they have made an album that sounds like nothing else, and for that, they deserve recognition. As for commendableness, I may just need to give it a few more spins. Which is exactly how MGMT would want it.

Mac Wilson, Host

Volume Two - by She & Him

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Like a lot of us, Zooey Deschanel has a "day job" (her words) and a hobby: she's been writing and recording songs since she was a kid. In 2001, she formed a cabaret act, If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies, with a fellow actress in L.A. In 2006, she met M. Ward while making the film, The Go-Getter. He knew her singing (M. Ward saw Elf, too!) and wanted to know: Did she have a record? She did not. But she had a home full of demos, which she shyly shared with Ward. He convinced her to take her hobby to the next level, and She & Him was born.

It's an auspicious match for many reasons. Gruff, husky Ward is the unlikeliest of fairy godmothers, but his arrangements make Deschanel the belle of the ball. And just as important — he blesses She & Him with an indie cred, without which poor Zooey would might not have been given a fair shake.

But with Ward as her shepherd, Zooey presents nine new original songs on Volume Two. There are also two covers: a sunny track from 70s rock band NRBQ, "Ridin' in My Car," and the coy "Gonna Get Along Without You Now," originally by 60s country/pop crossover Skeeter Davis. (Maybe the NRBQ/Davis collaboration, She Sings, They Play, is in Deschanel's record collection.)

Volume One spotlighted Deschanel's songwriting with its simplicity, but lacked cohesiveness as an album. It felt more like an experiment, and appropriately so. Volume Two is bolder and lusher, with thick arrangements and layered harmonies.

Volume Two's best moments are on tracks like "Thieves," a rolling wave that starts Sam Cook and finishes Roy Orbison, and finds Deschanel's singing at its finest: crooning, yearning, a little world-weary. Deschanel lives in constant danger of Cute Overload; consequently, it's when her voice is slightly cracked and wistful that it's most palatable. The juxtaposition of that voice with Ward's sunny, surfey melodies is pure bliss. But perky, peppy Zooey — the one that's running for student council president of your heart — misses the mark, and sometimes takes Ward down with her. On "Over it Over Again," Deschanel's voice is a squeaky toy you seriously wish your dog would devour. The ba-da-das of the breezy "Sing" make you feel like you're on hold with your bank. But the low moments are few and far between. "You and Me" is gorgeous (even if I find myself wishing Ward's pedal steel had just a little more muscle.) "In the Sun" and "Don't Look Back" strike just the right balance of sunshine and sourpuss, and "Lingering Still" is a fun, Marty Robbins-esque cha-cha.

All in all, She & Him's Volume Two is solid. It's not going to change the world, or even you. If you're looking for something epiphanic, look elsewhere. But if you want an album that feels like a Saturday with your BFFs, spent digging through the bargain bin at the record store, Matt and Zooey send their love.

Jacquie Fuller, Host

Sigh No More - by Mumford and Sons

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

When you think of trendy London, England, you often think of more futuristic "cutting edge" musical styles. Recently, however, London seems to be in the midst of a folk renaissance. Fans and critics alike are taking notice of a more organic music performed by artists like Fanfarlo, Johnny Flynn, Laura Marling and the band which often backs the British chanteuse, Mumford and Sons.

The group's namesake is founder Marcus Mumford, who also sings and plays guitar. This English quartet has been on a white-hot run since forming in 2007. Their career has taken off since an appearance at the SXSW festival, and they've become big in Australia.

Mumford and Sons new album, Sigh No More, as catchy as H1N1, is inspired by folk and bluegrass. Their songs are simply about the human condition, and remind me of artists like Fairport Convention, the Waterboys, or the Pogues, without all the liquor. That's not to say the band's sound isn't intoxicating. The track "Winter Winds" is like an Irish folk tune that makes me want to hoist a pint and sing along.

Marcus Mumford is an old fashioned "street-busker" singing his "love gone wrong" songs full of banjos and fiddles, like a personal form of therapy. Their songs often build to a big blissful moment of triumph, as heard in the track, "The Cave," where Mumford delivers lines like, "And I will hold on hope/And I won't let you choke/On the noose around your neck/And I'll find strength in pain/And I will change my ways/I'll know my name as it's called again."

I imagine that performances from this band are like group therapy, where fans literally take over the song. That's especially evident on the band's, "Little Lion Man," where Mumford takes the blame for his relationship gone bad singing the expletive-riddled chorus, "It's not your fault but mine/I really f-ed it up this time." Thank goodness for this invention called the "radio edit!"

Other highlights include the kiss-off song, "Awake My Soul," and the soulful, "Thistle and Weeds," in which Mumford sings the line "I Will Hold On" like he is trying to sell himself on the idea.

Sigh No More is an album that makes you believe in the power in music. Mumford and Sons songs make you feel like we are all in this so-called life together.

Bill DeVille, Host

Congratulations - by MGMT

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

One of the great pratfalls of our new, digital age is the concept of the 'sophomore slump'. Let's say an artist releases their debut album to hype, adulation, acclaim, and/or commercial success: the pressure is now on the artist to follow up with something that is even better yet still maintains the endearing qualities of the debut. "Succeed," and your de facto two-game winning streak will buy yourselves another few years in the game. "Fail," and the mp3 blogs will declare you 'overrated' and you'll show up on VH1's Top 100 One-Hit Wonders of the Aughts shows. It's not fair, but that's the way the game works. When it comes to second albums through history, we've seen everything from stunning successes to crushing disappointments to slapdash retreads intended to satiate the masses until the band can really reinvent themselves. The pressure has allowed countless artists to both flourish and wither with their sophomore albums.

Which brings us to MGMT.

The Current's listeners voted MGMT's debut, Oracular Spectacular, to the #1 of the Top 89 of 2008. It seemed a little hard to believe at first, but I feel it ultimately came down to a simple point: those songs sounded fantastic on the radio. "Time to Pretend," "Electric Feel," and "Kids" quickly became party jam staples that could enliven the playlist at any time of day (also becoming some of the most requested music in the history of the Current). It was made all the more remarkable by the fact that before Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden wound up in movie trailers and opening for Paul McCartney, they basically cooked up the songs in college just for yuks. So when it came time to record their second album, MGMT decided not to 'play the game:' rather than churning out another batch of hit singles, they instead pursued their own, unique brand of disjointed psychedelia. The rumor was that they would release no singles from the album, in terms of aesthetics AND practicality. Not since the heyday of Eminem has a major-label artist so thumbed their nose at both industry machinations and their own past success.

But is it any good?

I expressed my very first impressions on Twitter, after listening to the album for the first time: "MGMT's Congratulations is totally baffling." The record eventually begins to take shape, but it remains a wild, madcap experience even after several listens. The songs are frenetic and fast, with the band taking a page from Of Montreal and incorporating multiple melodic movements into individual songs. Not that the individual songs are supposed to matter; the band has repeatedly hinted that this will be a "singles-free" record. The most sweeping connotation, then, is that MGMT has decided to slaughter their golden goose (the hit single) in favor of a longer body of work. It's an admirable concept, yet it's a concept that may have worked better if the fabled 'album-long-statement' weren't so consistently chaotic, heavy, and LOUD. The band may have switched producers (going from Dave Fridmann to Spacemen 3's Pete Kember) but they maintain Fridmann's affinity for enormous, disorienting swaths of (heavily-compressed) sound. For being a record that supposedly hinges on the immersive, album-length experience, Congratulations will have the ability to leave even the devotees completely drained and exhausted.

But is it any good?

With so many different melodies, moods, and sentiments spread over nine songs, it's possible to be entertained at one moment while checking your watch the next. The band does appear to have locked in on a specialty, which is a particular brand of whirring pop song that still displays a semblance of structure. "Flash Delirium" features walls of keyboards, liquid basslines, and verses-slash-bridges that nick the melody from David Bowie's "Beauty and the Beast," eventually culminating in a breathless burst of screams. At first, it's gibberish, but after a few listens, it becomes unironically catchy. Opener "It's Working" works similarly, melding more brash synths with Duane Eddy guitars over a chord progression straight out of '50s doo-wop. For all I've thus far belabored the loud passages, there are quieter moments as well, and they are among the album's best; the wispy "Someone's Missing," in particular, is a hidden gem. At first glance, the 12-minute surf epic "Siberian Breaks" and instrumental "Lady Dada's Nightmare" seem inexplicable and pretentious, but remember: Bowie used to fill entire LP sides with lengthy, washed-out instrumental passages. Whether or not you agree on MGMT's bold change of direction, there is a perverse logic in their structure and execution.

Congratulations is a bold, disorienting, sometimes abrasive album of experimentation run rampant. With this album, MGMT is answering to no one, yet everyone. It's possible they will eventually refine these sounds and ideas, and this will one day be viewed as a steppingstone on the path to a new, 21st century psychedelia that revolutionizes modern pop music. Or perhaps they will return with another record of arena-ready rock anthems, and Congratulations will be viewed as another record that they did just for yuks. At the very least, they have made an album that sounds like nothing else, and for that, they deserve recognition. As for commendableness, I may just need to give it a few more spins. Which is exactly how MGMT would want it.

Mac Wilson, Host

Scratch Your Back - by Peter Gabriel

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Often times, I think releasing a covers album usually means an artist needs a break or maybe they are trying to keep their name "out there," but when it's been eight years since your last album, and you've had a successful career spanning over forty years, it means something altogether different. In the case of Peter Gabriel's latest release Scratch Your Back, he did it to challenge his creativity. With the belief that artists are more creative when told what they can't do, Peter Gabriel made two rules: No drums. No guitars.

Without drums and guitars, Gabriel enlists the help of a full orchestra. Brimming with lush orchestrations that expose the vocals and lyrics, Peter Gabriel zeroed in on the emotion in the songs that he chose to cover. The result is an album of covers with new intensity and meaning. Bon Iver's "Flume" is a great example of how Gabriel lays bare nearly incomprehensible lyrics and uses wildly dynamic french horn instead of a falsetto to re-interpret the song. This approach is applied to the other songs he covers. With an impressive list of bands that looks like a musichead's inner monologue, Gabriel also re-envisions Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Elbow, Talking Heads, and David Bowie.

The original idea for the album was for Peter Gabriel to cover a list of songs from different artists, and the artists whom he covered would cover his music - a you scratch my back, and I'll scratch your back concept. Hence the album title, Scratch My Back. The songs would be collected and released as a double album. Working with other bands' scheduled proved to be difficult, so Scratch Your Back is being released as one album with the intent to release Scratch Your Back at a later date.

We had a glimpse into Peter Gabriel catching the cover-making bug when we heard his cover of Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" where he lyrically joked about being name checked in the song. "It feels so unnatural / Peter Gabriel too / And it feels so unnatural / to sing your own name." Whether or not that song sparked the idea for the album, I don't know. What I do know is that his interpretation of these songs makes the originals even stronger.

Lindsay Kimball, Assistant Producer

Plastic Beach - by Gorillaz

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

If you believe the latest, this album will be the last under the name Gorillaz. But how much of the cartoon band do you believe in? Damon Albarn of Blur and his illustrator partner Jamie Hewlett are behind the concept project which is now a bigger commercial success than anything else either have ever done. The group has sold over 6 million copies of the previous two releases and went straight to number one in the UK this week. Weirdly, it still seems to come off like a minor side project that they do for fun, inviting as many of their friends and heroes to join them!

The title for the album apparently came from Damon sitting in the sand by his house, which was financed by this monster hit that he'd created, and looking at all the plastic trash on the beach. If you've become more successful than your wildest dreams and you still can't get away from it all, what's the point?! If an arty collaboration scheme that you dreamt up to challenge the pop culture excess is swallowed whole by that culture, turning into a pan-global hit in a way that still few have achieved...what IS next?!

Collaboration is the key word here. As far as I know we have not gotten to the point where cartoon characters can come up with riffs and beats and orchestral arrangements, but this CD tries to convince you otherwise. On previous albums other producers were always key components of the listed collaborators, Dan the Automator and Dangermouse. This time that is not the case and it shows. There are no obvious big hits of the caliber of ... "Feel Good Inc.," "Clint Eastwood" or "Dare" on here and some of the tracks sound like I did in my bedroom in the early 80's on my Casio keyboard! Perhaps that's the aesthetic that they wanted.

Apparently some of the vocal sessions were done in one take under difficult circumstances and the remaining members of The Clash were only in the studio for one day! Some of these feel like wasted opportunities and leave a flimsy veneer of faux soul on the whole thing. The track with Lou Reed works by capturing an essence of him. The vocal is vintage and fresh at the same time. Perfect. I've always liked Damon's delivery so he carries many of the better tracks. But I suppose my biggest disappointment is purely personal. I was excited to hear that Mark E. Smith of The Fall was going to be on here too. I'm afraid the 3 snippets of his voice that build no real song are hugely ineffectual. Then they almost make up for it with Bruce Willis on the first video for "Stylo!"

If you're a fan of the whole concept and are following the story, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Threads and characters re-appear and weave the plot together and there are even references to the Monkey Opera that they worked on in China last year. Realizing that no one has really tried to create a pop culture phenom in quite this way before in an era when the flat world theory seems most plausible when observing global music consumption, they are genius. Those high standards are the only way to assess them and this potential swan song leaves a little to be desired, but ties up some loose ends. Who else could they collaborate with?!

Mark Wheat, Host

Broken Bells (self-titled)

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

During an interview with Pitchfork last May, The Shins frontman, James Mercer spoke briefly of a side-project he was working on, but refused to give any more details at that time. Fast forward to the end of last September. Pitchfork announced that the mysterious project was with Danger Mouse and the collaboration was called Broken Bells. True story, before the announcement of this project I'd never known Danger Mouse's "real" name. It's Brian Burton, BTW.

Apparently the guys met several years ago and learned they were big fans of each others music. They started playing around in the studio almost two years ago. Their eponymous debut is our CD of the week.

If you're expecting Gnarls Barkley meets The Shins, you wouldn't be completely off base.. but you wouldn't be completely accurate either. For this self-titled record, all of the instruments were played live and James Mercer does things with his voice we've never heard before. Is it slickly produced? Of course, but you can also tell that this isn't a record made solely on computers.

I have been in love with "The High Road" from the very first time I heard it. "Vaporize" sounds alot like a Shins tune, poppy and airy, but with some bombastic percussion. The third track, "Your Head Is On Fire" makes me think of California. It's psychedelic and has a surf-rock sound. "The Ghost Inside" sounds a bit like a missing Gnarls Barkley tune in the beginning, until James Mercer unveils his incredible falsetto. "Sailing To Nowhere" is all over the place. There's quiet delicate moments and then the vocals and music build to a crescendo. The remarkable harmonies on "Trap Door" make this song one of my new favorites. On the tunes "Citizen" and "October" you could swear there's a full choir behind James Mercer! "Mongrel Heart" is like Art Of Noise playing an indie tune. The record's closer "The Mall & Misery" is quickly becoming one of my favorites with it's Gang Of Four-like guitar riff, simple lyrics and layered harmonies.

I'll be looking for this one to make many a top 10 list by the end of the year.

Barb Abney, Host

Something For Everybody - by DEVO

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Considering this is Devo's ninth album and their first record in over 20 years, I had no idea what to expect. Twenty years is an awful long time and as far as comebacks go, most artists end up taking a belly-flop as opposed to blowing us all out of the water. Surprisingly, I found myself loving Devo's new record, Something For Everybody.

I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't sure how I'd react to the resurrection of the new wave art rocker's primal nerdiness and synthesized dance rock. Sure, it was fun when I was a kid, but as an adult I was skeptical. I first heard the album when it was streamed online continuously on its release date along with a live video stream of twenty cats rocking out. As a huge cat lover, I actually tuned in to watch the kitties, not necessarily listen to the album. But, those Devo boys are awfully smart. After listening to the album while watching the kitty party, I began to find their blend of hyper catchy riffs, synth pop and comical commentary on American corporate culture and conformity thoroughly entertaining.

Producers Greg Kurstin (who's worked with indie pop starlets like Lily Allen, Sia) and Santi White added freshness to Devo's sound that doesn't compromise the essence that made them so sonically iconic. This album comeback has impeccable timing dropping Devo in the middle of a music scene that they've clearly influenced. Bands like the UK's nu-ravers Klaxons, the shimmering disco of Hot Chip and electro rockers LCD Soundsystem all clearly have sonic references to the synth pop of the early 80's and artists like Devo.

Some of the tracks on Something For Everybody, like "Fresh" with its "Whip It"-like synth slaps and unforgettable refrain, sound cryogenically preserved from 1982. While other tracks like the crunchy dance floor beats of "Don't Shoot (I'm A Man)" and the anthemic postmodern sheen of the last track on the album "March On," show a more updated sound for the group.

After 20 years Devo have surprised me with an album that not only entertains but shows some promise that they can reinvent themselves and blend in with modern pop culture. Do I think they'll be a huge Devo resurgence? Probably not. I'm guessing this album might transcend better with an audience more familiar with the slapstick, electro sounds of Devo. But, regardless, it's still fun, fresh and entertaining.

Melanie Walker, Music Director

High Violet - by The National

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Our CD of the week is High Violet, the fifth full-length from The National. This has certainly been the most well received album of the band's career, thus far. You've heard the term "heartbreakingly beautiful" before, but there is no better way to sum up this record.

There was a story that came out during the early days of the recording of High Violet that said the band had decided to record a more positive, poppy album and that lead singer Matt Berninger had even taped the word "happy" up on his wall. Somewhere along the way he tore the word down and the band proceeded to record the music they were feeling. Let's face it, Matt Berninger's voice would sound completely alien if it was spouting shiny, happy lyrics, anyway.

Listening to the lyrics of "Sorrow" repeat "I don't want to get over you," or "I don't want anybody else" from "Anyone's Ghost" or "I was afraid I'd eat your brains 'cause I'm evil" from "Conversation 16" leads me to wonder if this is an introspective look into a relationship that slipped away. Though, I'll admit that a) I don't know anything about the band member's personal lives these days and b) I am not a songwriter. So, maybe things seem darker because Matt's baritone has an inherently sinister quality about it.

The line "I still owe money to the money to the money I owe" from "Bloodbuzz Ohio" is completely infectious and the driving percussion makes this the stand-out track on the record.

The record's first song "Terrible Love" starts off sounding like a rough, live recording, and it continues to build symphonically and vocally up to the crashing end.

"Lemonworld" screams to be placed on a mixtape next to Chris Bell's "You and Your Sister," and "Runaway" is just a simple, beautiful song with delicate yet complicated layers.

If High Violet isn't the perfect record for summer, then just wait, because it has autumn written all over it! In the meantime, think of it as the perfect accompaniment to a cloudy day or a break up. I'll say it again, "heartbreakingly beautiful."

Barb Abney, Host

One Life Stand - by Hot Chip

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard started playing music together while they were teenagers growing up in London. They formed Hot Chip in 2000 and released their debut album, Coming on Strong. Three years later, Hot Chip gained their first mainstream success with the single, "Over and Over" from their second release The Warning.

Goddard and Taylor followed up their second album with the well received 2008 release Made In The Dark. The album included a few of the group's signature organic electronic ballads but also reached for pop perfection with "Ready for The Floor." Less lo-fi than their previous works, Hot Chip was now poised to join the ranks of their British electro-pop predecessors. It's not surprising their newest album sounds more like The Human League, New Order and Yazoo than other indie-dance contemporaries.

Hot Chip's new album, One Life Stand, is a clear step forward musically and emotionally. The production is more consistent throughout the album without the previous missteps into indie rock-fused jams. Goddard and Taylor deliver their lyrics more confidently in line with the beats while meticulously weaving strings and guitars over programmed synth drum and bass lines.

Lyrically the duo has hit a peak not present in their previous work. The lead track, "Thieves In The Night" strikes a bittersweet chord with the repetitive line, "happiness is what we all want, may it be that we don't always want." The sound of the album may be attributed to a focus on song writing. This album is much more balanced as a combination of playful dance tracks and the vulnerable emotion of their previous work.

Hot Chip's One Life Stand is out and in stores now on Astralwerks.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

The Reluctant Graveyard by Jeremy Messersmith

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Jeremy Messersmith is the nicest guy in the room. He has won over critics with his top-notch musicianship, and his earnest and humble demeanor has charmed audiences across the Midwest. After a mostly acoustic singer-songwriter debut record and a glossier, Dan Wilson-produced follow-up, Messersmith has returned with a whimsical, brand-new bouquet of ear-catching melodies. Yet for all the ear candy on display, Messersmith has taken this perfectly nice batch of pop songs, smirked across the room, and killed all his protagonists. Standard horror-movie trick: you never expect the nice guy to be the killer. Welcome to The Reluctant Graveyard.

Messersmith played coy with the promotion of the album, hinting at the strong possibility that the characters in each of the record's 11 songs may very well be dead. It's an ambiguity that adds a layer of interest while also providing the opportunity for new interpretations with each listen. Viewed in this light, ostensibly cheerful songs suddenly take on dark undercurrents: read the lyrics to "Violet!" without the ridiculously cheery melody, and the plight of the narrator gradually becomes more and more unnerving. Meanwhile, the explicit 'death' songs make death seem not so frightening after all. The eponymous narrator of "Deathbed Salesman" reassures the living as he sings, "Once you're gone, you'll never want to live again." These songs capture brief, vivid moments from the lives of John, Lucy, Toussaint Grey, the repo man and others. Messersmith's specificity makes it feel as though each character is destined to repeat those same moments, each permanently trapped in the purgatory of their own three-minute song.

Musically, The Reluctant Graveyard is as glorious, colorful and eye-popping as any album released this year -- by anyone. Even with the underlying 'undead' theme, these songs transpire in a relentlessly catchy, 30-minute blur. It's an easy album to put on repeat, just to hear the glorious hooks emerge time after time. It would be a crime not to recognize the contributions of Messersmith's band: Andy Thompson, Brian Tighe and Dan Lawonn provide an endlessly entertaining array of organ riffs, guitar licks, drum fills, bold keyboards and string parts that are alternately cheerful and tear-jerking. As Messersmith and his band swirl together decades of pop music, it becomes easy to play the old 'spot the influence' game. But we would be wise to avoid the temptation of name-dropping Messersmith's historical counterparts, as evidenced by Messersmith's own song, "Dillinger Eyes." The song's protagonist robs banks, is chased by police, gets gunned down and is then immortalized in a newspaper photograph. Yet everyone the bankrobber meets seems only to notice that his eyes bear a striking resemblance to the even more notorious criminal, John Dillinger. Hmmm, let's see here: setting out on your own line of work, being very successful at it, yet your defining characteristic is how you are directly compared to someone else. Messersmith's high degree of self-awareness is impressive, amusing and refreshing. Even more cynically, a news photographer swoops in to photograph the dying bankrobber and winds up winning the Pulitzer, yet another beneficiary of the Dillinger resemblance. It's only a matter of time before someone starts to emulate Jeremy Messersmith, and really, why wouldn't they?

I'll be the first to admit I've probably overthought this. The Reluctant Graveyard is a thoroughly entertaining album from start to finish; for all the talk of death, proceedings never even approach dreariness. Messersmith has also hinted to the press that this may be his last pop album; to paraphrase what he said to City Pages' Andrea Swensson in a recent article, his next record may be something that could never get played on the radio. While I applaud Messersmith for his ingenuity and reinvention, it feels a bit like Michael Jordan walking away from the NBA at the height of his powers (coming off three straight championships) to go play baseball for the Birmingham Barons. Of course, MJ eventually returned to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 72-10 record and three more titles... so the local scene shouldn't prepare for the retreat of the Messersmith juggernaut any time soon. He may be the nicest guy in the room, but he's also the best, and he isn't afraid to show it.

Mac Wilson, Host

Odd Blood - by Yeasayer

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Robot children? Check. Influences ranging from a 1930's boxer to the female drug lord of Miami to Coldplay? Check. Yeasayer's Odd Blood was being touted as the best album of 2010 for months leading up to its release. While I'm not going to give up listening to all other music and hand the trophy over to Yeasayer right now, the album is definitely on my short list for the year.

Odd Blood starts in with a jarring cacophony of sound. Chris Keating, the lead singer of Yeasayer, said in an interview that he wanted to start the album on a whole different note than 2007's All Hour Symbols. The firsts track "The Children" definitely sets the tone. You feel transported to a future land where we are all robots working in a robot coal mine, and I'm not sure if we're happy about it. From this sort of starting point the album could go anywhere, luckily the rest of the album is more accessible. "Ambling Alps," a song written with boxer Primo Carnera (whose nickname the title comes from), is all falsetto and synth. With the cheerful "stick up for yourself son" lyrics it is the anthem for the underdog. After the dark land of "The Children" it's a nice place to be.

The experimentation and artisan abilities of Yeasayer are found in every song. Using looping, sampling of television shows, synth, and toy instruments the trio creates songs that mix hippie with hipster, reggaetron beats with fluty synth to create some beautiful music. And while I'm talking about beautiful music, I have to mention "I Remember," I wish the album had come out before Valentine's Day, because this song is one of the most romantic and beautiful songs I have heard in quite some time. The piano sounds dreamy and beautiful with trippy fluty riffs fluttering in every now and then.

We'll have to wait and see if it lives up to the full hype as the year goes on, but Odd Blood is currently my front runner for the year. Dancey, dreamy and experimentally beautiful it's a strange trip to a futuristic land that I wouldn't mind living in.

Bill DeVille, Host

The ArchAndroid - by Janelle Monáe

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The most ambitious and challenging album of the summer might end up being the sophomore release from the little known pop sensation Janelle Monáe. She's far from being a household name but has spent the past seven years building the support of artists like Big Boi, Saul Williams and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Monáe's debut album, The Audition, followed by her 2007 concept EP, The Metropolis (Suite I), was the birth of Monáe's amorphous pop concept that is fully played out on her new album, The ArchAndroid.

The album follows a loose tradition of afro-punk, funk and pop music from the past 40 years. As if George Clinton's mothership traveled through time and collected the sounds of Sly Stone, Michael Jackson, Prince, James Brown and Grace Jones. But The ArchAndroid isn't all R&B and pop, there is more. Monáe jumps genres with songs like "Come Alive (The War of The Roses)" which sounds like the soundtrack to an animated musical, and "57821," a dreamy folk ballad with sounds from the mid sixties.

What's challenging about The ArchAndroid isn't the music or production, but Monáe's ambitious effort to create an epic 18 track album. She takes her time getting to the story of her android world, and just when you think her world makes sense, Monáe shifts focus with an upbeat single like "Tightrope" or "Cold War." The android world is exciting at first brush, but she may be asking too much for newly converted fans.

Monáe's most redeeming quality, next to her hypercreative persona, is her voice. With The ArchAndriod she establishes her talent as a vocalist and songwriter. It's her voice that has pushed her into the mainstream and helped her gain the attention of her music industry stakeholders like Combs. So enjoy the sci-fi fantasy while it's here because a more mainstream Suite IV is a likely next step for Monáe. The AnchAndroid is out now on Bad Boy Records.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

This is Happening - by LCD Soundsystem

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

There are some bands that release new albums, and you can't wait to hear what they are going to do next and how they might reinvent their sound. Then there are other bands that release a new album, and you hope they keep their formula and make a record just like your favorite song from the last record. LCD Soundsystem strike the perfect balance between the two.

In anticipation of This is Happening, their third album, I had my fingers crossed that I'd hear another "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" from their 2005 self-titled double-disc, but I also want to hear “Someone Great” from their 2007 release Sound of Silver. They answered the call. Songs like “Drunk Girls” and “Pow Pow” continue to do what LCD Soundsystem does best - catchy, driving post-punk dance songs. Similar to “Someone Great,” they still show their softer, melodic side in the ballad-like “All I Want.”

There are nuggets of innovation that suggest that frontman, and co-found of the DFA record label, James Murphy is still ahead of the musical curve and has his finger on figuring out the next direction. "Dance Yrself Clean" starts the album with an intro of contemplative, circular lyrics over a minimal bed, which upon first listen left me dumbfounded as to where this new album was going. Then just over three minutes later, as if Murphy is musically yelling "PSYCH!," it busts out into the most energizing dance rock riff and instantly turns "Dance Yrself Clean" into my new favorite song.

With an insanely high rating of 9.2 from Pitchfork.com, a main stage slot at Coachella, followed by a world tour with sold out shows, it would appear that 2010 is primed to be the best year yet for James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem. Yes, This IS Happening.

Lindsay Kimball, Assistant Producer

Heligoland - by Massive Attack

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Heligoland is the fifth studio album from Bristol's Massive Attack. It's been a long seven year wait for the record, which I think you'll find has been well worth it.

Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall - known respectively as "3D" and "Daddy G" - are the founding members and driving force behind Massive Attack. I've been a fan of this band since my first listen to their full length debut, Blue Lines, back in the very early 90's. Massive Attack have their own "sound." While many trip hop bands sound a bit similar, Massive Attack stands out, yet offers a kind of certainty. It's not like the samey-same sound of one of The Ramone's songs versus another. It's more like a flow and a similarity to even their most decidedly different downtempo beat.

While Massive Attack have never been a "rainbows and sunshine" band, I was surprised at the darkness of this record. Heligoland opens with a dirge-like number called "Pray for Rain" featuring Tunde Adebimpe from TV on The Radio. The hypnotic percussion lulls you in to the darkness from the very first moments of the song. Martina Topley-Bird, known both for her solo material and as a long-time collaborator of Tricky, lends vocals on two of the "lighter" songs on the record - "Babel" and "Psyche." We're reminded that Tom Waits isn't the only guy who can sound like Tom Waits on the track "Splitting The Atom."

One of the dancier numbers on the record - "Girl I Love You" - builds from something you might hear in a dance club to something that seems destined for an action-adventure thriller. Maybe the work these guys have done on soundtracks during the breaks between releasing records has colored their own studio work.

Guy Garvey from Elbow sings masterfully over the tension that builds in "Flat Of The Blade." Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval couldn't sound more delicate through the instrumentation of "Paradise Circus." The highlight of the record for me is the keening and pleading of Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) singing "Do you love me, or is there nothing else?" from the song "Saturday Come Slow." The record ends with "Atlas Air," which reminds me of a a ride on a merry-go-round: the ups and downs while constantly moving in circles.

The band's sound continues to move and break new ground while still remaining comfortably familiar as Massive Attack.

As always, Massive Attack's records feature an impressive list of guest vocalists. Damon Albarn from Blur and Gorillaz, Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star, Guy Garvey of Elbow, Tricky's "muse" Martina Topley-Bird, Horace Andy and Tunde Adebimpe from TV on The Radio.

Barb Abney, Host

Sea of Cowards - by The Dead Weather

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Official website
  

Sea of Cowards is the new album from The Dead Weather. Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs), Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack "Little Jack" Lawrence (The Raconteurs) are back with the blues-rock-driven follow-up to their debut, Horehound. The Dead Weather has a distinct sound, with Jack White's signature production stamped on it.

What exactly is The Dead Weather sound? It's a combination of fuzzed out, distorted guitars, that bluesy organ and Alison Mosshart's raw vocals. Highlights include the first single "Die by the Drop" with Mosshart and Jack White tag teaming on the vocals, "Blue Blood Blues" features the vocals of Jack White and sounds like it could have just as easily been a White Stripes song, and "Hustle and Cuss" is a cool, blues rock groove, penned by Mosshart and Lawrence.

The more I listen to Sea of Cowards, the more appreciation I gain for Jack White's label, Third Man Records. Third Man Records, to me, is like this generation's Sun Records or Stax Records. The label is turning out a particular sound and gaining a cool reputation. Jack White is reviving the idea of a label's catalog, 7-inch vinyl singles and exciting B-sides. You know, all that old fashion stuff that labels used to be all about.

There was a lot of build up and anticipation prior to the release of Sea of Cowards. It was available to stream on number of websites, lots of indie record stores held listening parties and the video for "Die by the Drop" was released. The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi. She's directed music videos for The White Stripes, Muse, Marilyn Manson, Interpol and is now more widely known as the director of The Runaways movie. Her trademark style is all over the "Die by the Drop video, with the choppy, jumpy camera work and goth imagery (think Manson's "The Beautiful People" video).

Sea of Cowards is proof The Dead Weather isn't just a one off, "supergroup" side project of Jack White. They're a legitimate band, with a gritty, blues rock sound and we can probably expect to hear more from them in the future.

Jill Riley, Host

Interpol - Interpol

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

With over 13 years of post-punk revivalism under their belt, New York natives Interpol have released their self-titled fourth album. Since forming in 1997, Interpol have been compared to their rock predecessors The Cure, Echo and the Bunny Men, The Chameleons and Joy Division. Paul Bank's distinctively deep voice and richly dark melodies add to the grandeur and weighty soundscape that Interpol is known for.

Interpol entered the indie music world with a somber yet powerful bang, as their 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights propelled the band into the top spot on Pitchfork's Top 50 releases of 2002. 2004's Antics and 2007's Our Love to Admire found the band in a brighter and lighter-sounding place.

On Our Love to Admire, keyboards were utilized in Interpol's sound for the first time, and the band also explored increased orchestration. This set the groundwork for their most recent release. Interpol is full of prominently placed keyboard parts, eerie orchestration, weighty basslines and percussive beats that pump the whole album through.

Highlights:

· "Summer Well" (Track 3): This tune's crisp piano-and-snare intro soon unlocks a dance-worthy chorus. The darker underside comes through, however, in the song's somber lyrics of love lost: "I miss you but it looks like you summer well." This also gives the track a cold weather feeling, as Interpol's weighty sound wraps around you like a fall sweater.

· "Lights" (Track 4): Start with reverberating guitar, add simple piano and vocals, cue the drums and you have a buildup that has a sense of urgency, and the only kind of release is turning everything up to 11. Finish it off with the poignant repeating of "that's why I hold you near." End with a smooth fade, and you have the epic structure that is Interpol.

Bethany Barberg, Local Music Assistant

The Orchard - Ra Ra Riot

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The Orchard is very apt title for the sophomore release from Ra Ra Riot, the six-piece indie band whose debut, 2008's The Rhumb Line, was a sleeper indie hit that year. Last summer, the band headed to upstate New York, where they're from, to work on new material. They recorded in a house, on a farm, surrounded by trees bearing ripe peaches. You may find that much of the material on this CD is just as sweet as that location suggests.

The record leads off with the beautifully string-laden title track, which takes us on a journey that feels melancholy one moment and buoyant the next. We've been spinning the track "Boy" for a while, and I fell in love with the drums and bassline of this song immediately!

Meanwhile, Frontman Wes Miles' voice is pure pop perfection on "Too Dramatic." I imagine this tune is destined for many "relationship-in-peril" mixes in the near future. Similarly, "Foolish" just is the musical equivalent of that moment when you sit down with someone you've been involved with for some time and have "the talk."

Before we can get weighted down with heavy thoughts, however, we're treated to "Massachusetts," perhaps the catchiest state-titled song since "Oklahoma!" It's definitely the song that I have been walking around singing as I'm out running errands (my apologies to the band). Cellist Alexandra Lawn provides the vocals for "You and I Know", which is one of the moodiest songs on the record—not to say it isn't incredible; it is!

As I listened to both "Shadowcasting" and "Do You Remember," I wondered what it was about these songs that seemed so familiar. Then it dawned on me... they remind me of "that Vampire Weekend side project." Well, of course they would, as Discovery was the side project between Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot's Wes! If you know Discovery, I'm sure you'll have the same experience with those tracks—they just like something I've heard and enjoyed many times before! The record concludes with strong, moody strings on "Kansai" and the sparse, hushed finale of the tune "Keep It Quiet."

As I listened to The Orchard, I often thought of the triumphs and tragedies that Ra Ra Riot have gone through since they got together a few years ago. From losing John Ryan Pike, their original drummer, in a tragic drowning accident to selling over 50,000 copies of their debut record, this band has already experienced a handful of the extremes of the indie music world. Now, let's sit back and listen as their career comes to fruition on The Orchard.

Barb Abney, Host

Tomorrow Morning - Eels

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

I'm all for not judging a book by its cover, but Eels front man Mark Oliver Everett is known for lyrically wearing his heart on his sleeve. So I feel like the album sleeve is a bit telling: in the middle of a pastel pink page there is a sweet, beautiful tree overflowing with bright purple flowers. E (the moniker Everett typically goes by) has been known for his straightforward and simple lyrics expressing loss, loneliness and unrequited love. The cover art makes it known, however, that Tomorrow Morning is an entirely different entity.

E has said in a couple of interviews that Tomorrow Morning is the end of a trilogy that began with 2009's Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire and continued with this year's End Times. The trilogy followed E searching for love and acceptance, finding utter rejection and failure and now, at last, arriving at some redemption. The negative press for the past few albums was focused on them being overwhelmingly self pitying and depressing. However, after enduring emotionally distant parents, their subsequent deaths, his sister's suicide and other unfortunate circumstances, E's lyrical candor has a justified basis for its depressing tone.

What was always peeking out, even in those dark, heartbreaking songs, was the smallest bud of hope. On Tomorrow Morning, it feels like E has finally realized that he's weathered the storm and the sun is peeking out. It seems like E is talking to those critics, especially in "Looking Up," where he takes to the pulpit and, with hand-claps and a choir, preaches about his awakening: "It took a little while but I'm a real fine man now." There is no self-pity, no pain, just a guy who is finally allowing himself to be OK with being happy and let go of his self-torture. In fact, many of the songs feel like a response to earlier tunes where he saw nothing good in himself. He's talking to that old self in "What I Have To Offer," telling him, "What I have to offer/ well, there's a lot." E even goes on to name all of his great traits.

The stories, while cheerful and uplifting, are still told in E's straightforward and almost childlike rhyming simplicity, such as when he sings, "Now I'm pretty sweet/ back on my feet/ walking down the street." The music, however is a lot fuller than either Hombre Lobo or End Times. There are choirs, electronic loops, airy keyboards and full strings. This is a lush album, designed to illustrate someone who has finally come outside and realized that there is more to the world than the dark, dank basement. Sonically, it's very much in the vain of Eel's 2005 release, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. Where Hombre Lobo and End Times had a sparse one-man approach, it sounds like everyone is on board for the final chapter of the story.

This sunnier side to E is entirely refreshing. I am glad that this is the closure to the trilogy. I never thought that I'd see a purple flower on the cover of an Eels album, and I hardly expected E to write an entire album with a smile on his face. But nothing feels inorganic or forced. Maybe after nine albums, one book and fourteen years, it's time for a change. It's a nice reminder that after End Times, there is always Tomorrow Morning. We've all been pretty down and cynical, and sometimes you have to go all the way down to be able to see the light.

Jade Tittle, Host

How I Got Over - The Roots

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

I remember the exact moment I went from liking hip-hop to falling head over heels in love with it. In 1999, I was working at a public radio station and we had a couple of DJs that had a hip-hop specialty show in the evenings that turned me on to so much amazing music. One night I was listening and on came The Roots' "Act Too (Love Of My Life)" from their acclaimed 1999 release, Things Fall Apart. It was like time stood still for a moment listening to the band's mix of jazz scats, neo soul and big beat under the poetic lament of MC Black Thought talking about what hip-hop means to him. It was a mind-blowing experience for me.

Philadelphia's The Roots have been paving the way for a new breed of mainstream conscious rap since the early '90s. Their brand of both unpredictable live jam sessions and thought-provoking lyricism helped broaden their fan base and introduce hip-hop to folks who otherwise hadn't taken much interest in the genre. The Roots' ninth studio album, How I Got Over, is probably their strongest work to date since the huge breakthrough success of Things Fall Apart. They continue to reign as one of hip-hop's most innovative acts, particularly on this album-which features contributions from some not so hip-hop acts such as The Dirty Projectors, Monsters Of Folk and Joanna Newsom alongside contemporary soul singers like John Legend and great MCs like Blu, Dice Raw and Phonte.

The Roots have a pretty good life right now. Being the house band for Jimmy Fallon has offered them lots of opportunities to collaborate with a revolving door of incredible artists that come through the show as guests. I'm guessing that might possible be the inspiration for some of their off-kilter collaborations on this album. What's really amazing, though, is that they could've written a record about living the good life. Instead, they chose a more interesting and artistic route. Black Thought, ?uestlove and the rest of The Roots gave us a record crowded with very honest themes about personal doubt, troubled neighborhoods, social problems, the economy and the environment. They really open up about a number of topics and manage to spin those subjects into inspirational mantras. Black Thought delivers these messages with such incredible strength and confidence, not to mention a resilence that is so convincing that he makes you believe he has the answers to all the problems plaguing the world.

After nine albums, you expect a band like The Roots to deliver a near perfect product for you. They've always been a band that I admired for not only their musicianship but their commitment to their craft. How I Got Over is one of their best works to date and carries on The Roots' tradition of innovation and revelation.

Melanie Walker, Music Director

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Is it just me, or does the release of Arcade Fire's third full length album The Suburbs feel like the biggest moment in indie rock since Radiohead dropped Ok Computer on us back in 1997? Like Radiohead at that point, Arcade Fire are in a place where every move they make is dissected and analyzed. The pressure is on to live up to and surpass what they've already done, which isn't easy when so many bands have taken their template and built of late. But build on it is what they do - taking their strengths further, and like Radiohead, just maybe delivering a career masterpiece.

While Arcade Fire 2007's Neon Bible implored us to "Keep the Car Running" till we reached a place where "No Cars Go," on Suburbs the cars seem to be going round and round, searching for a connection that's fleeting. Dissecting North America's love/hate/safety/boredom relationship of growing up in The Suburbs is far from new lyrical territory in 2010. But like their previous loosely conceptual albums ruminating on Life, Death, and Cold (Funeral) and Celebrity Culture, Religious Zealots, and War (Neon Bible), Arcade Fire have delivered a tremendous album, filled with anthems and observations both societal and private, and unlike most indie rock, they aren't afraid to be anthemic and big (sans irony), while also being intimate and personal.

Before relocating to Montreal and forming Arcade Fire, band leader Win Butler grew up outside of Houston as the town was sprawling out, a time he returns to in the title track that kicks off the record ("when all the houses they built in the '70s finally fall / it meant nothing"). Restless days, car keys, furtive meetings, the album returns much of our urban hipsterdom to a time both more simple and more nuanced. Like so many city dwellers that grew up in the 'burbs, those cul-de-sacs were both havens and traps for us. As part of a generation growing up between Vietnam and Iraq, Butler reflects on the transitory nature of suburbia ("This town's so strange, they built it to change, and while we are sleeping the streets they re-arrange"), and manages to celebrate and bemoan it simultaneously.

Arcade Fire, with their 7-member collective vibe, their smart update of David Byrne's paranoia/grace/voice, and their general Canadian-ness have gone in the 7 years since we met them from Cool New Thing to Standard Bearer in Rock. Now the phrase "Arcade Fire-ish" has been tossed around so easily and the amount of copycat/influenced artists grows weekly. Maybe because I have a simliar mix of sun-drenched nostalgia and cynical disdain for suburbia, but this record resonates on all levels to me - more so than Funeral or Neon Bible, and those were some of my favorite albums of the '00s. While one could debate who was the most important band of the past decade - (Radiohead? Wilco? Arcade Fire? White Stripes?), with the first shot fired of the new decade, Arcade Fire have created what might be their best album yet.

Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Dark Night of the Soul

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Dark Night of the Soul, the title of first and presumably last collaboration between David Lynch, Sparklehorse primary Mark Linkous and Danger Mouse, really says it all. A common metaphor for point in a person's life when one feels alone and unable to get right with God, this collection of songs feels custom made for aimless moping. And not feeling just a little a bit blue, but thinking on the big questions and coming up with nothing in the way of solutions or answers. How appropriate then for an album of this thematic nature to be held captive by the record label, only to be finally released months after it's companion piece (a 100 page book of David Lynch's photos inspired by the music of Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse, a blank CD-R and instructions to "use it as you will") was available for purchase. And only then after Mark Linkous had taken his own life. Pretty heavy. But the struggles releasing the album and the loss of one of this generations vastly underappreciated talents and completely tortured souls only stands to amplify what these three set out to do: make a heavy record. And they did.

If only to admire the assemblage of talent, Dark Night of the Soul deserves your attention. The three curators of this project are just the tip of the iceberg. All the songs on the album are credited as being co-written by Danger Mouse, Mark Linkous and whomever was behind the microphone for that particular piece - which includes The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Jason Lytle, Julian Casablancas, Black Francis, Iggy Pop, James Mercer, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt and of course David Lynch. The songs are fantastic and the production is that perfect hybrid organic and inorganic technique. The Flaming Lips' "Revenge" is a song you wish was on the latest Flips record. Gruff Rhys's whimsical Beatles piano/bass vibe with 2010 throwing up all over it is certainly a highlight too. James Mercer's "Insane Lullaby" reminds us all why people love The Shins so much and Jason Lytle's classic Grandaddy chorus of ahhhhhhs dripping all over back ends of each verse of "Jaykub" are just heavenly.

Listen alone in the dark and at top volume (preferably on a system with a sub). Flip through the photos in the book by candlelight and let it all wash over you. Think macro and see where it leads you. Dark Night of the Soul is music made to contemplate by.

David Campbell, Host - The Local Show

Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

A writer recently asked me to help him define "indie rock." I couldn't, not in his language of words. It's a sensibility for the connoisseur, and who else cares? But if during the holiday season one of your relatives, trying to meaningfully connect with you, quickly says, "So what does this 'indie rock' that you like so much sound like?"—just hand them Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest.

First of all, it's out on 4AD (ironic that record labels still matter, huh?) But bands like Deerhunter were weaned on the art of labels like this and aspired to one day be on one... now they are, and deservedly so. The sensibility is reverent, using sonic textures from previous musical styles that they've loved and making something new. They've even been credited with coming up with one of the only new musical genre labels that I like: "ambient punk." But this band is so steeped in the canon they could be called Classic Indie Rock!

They also play with hints of other much-lionized musical heroes. The sax sounds on the track called "Coronado,' which I thought hinted at Springsteen, were actually, according to lead singer/songwriter Bradford Cox "inspired by the Rolling Stones' album Exile On Main Street. Saxophones are becoming this thing. That's why we did it early. Next year everyone's gonna have a saxophone on their record because saxophones are just cool." We'll see about that, but it's a perfect example of how their sound can veer off at any moment so that you're never sure what's coming next.

Deerhunter still love the concept of the album format, too. Eleven tracks at 46 minutes is a perfect length, the only problem being the last track, which is one of my faves, is literally cut off cold as if the meter ran out on how much time they had allowed themselves. Perhaps this is because it's dedicated to their friend Jay Reatard (Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.), who died suddenly earlier this year. There are also some lovely segues between tracks, especially "Fountain Stairs" into "Coronado," so try to sit with the album as a piece, and check out the art work with lyrics, as it will give you a better understanding of songs like "Helicopter."

These days, having a side project also seems de rigueur for indie rockers and two songs on this album are written by multi-instrumentalist Lockett Pundt who's solo project is Lotus Plaza. The last album from Atlas Sound, Bradford Cox's other project, has also spent many hours in my CD player this year. He was recently voted #71 coolest person of 2010 by the NME in the UK, and they said, "He's been so good for so long now, we're in danger of taking him for granted." This could be considered hyperbole as Deerhunter was only formed in '01 in Atlanta GA, but also (typically for indie rock heroes) the mainstream don't know his name yet. Maybe they still won't, even though Halcyon Digest is so good it got a 9.2 from Pitchfork. Quintessential indie rock, you see, will never jump the shark!

>Mark Wheat, Host

Expo 86 - Wolf Parade

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

In May of 1986, Canada held its second world's fair: The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply, Expo 86. A small city was built on 173 acres in Vancouver, and most of it was dismantled and auctioned off after the fair. Some of the structures remain, monuments to quickly dated notions of progress and modernity. Over 22 million people attended the fair, among them, the young band mates of Canadian rock band Wolf Parade. Co-songwriters and frontmen Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner were just wolf cubs then -- nine and ten, respectively -- and it would be years before any of the band members would meet. But Expo 86 was a Big Deal for them. Not so much a defining event as a collective experience, writ large, no doubt, in the golden glow of childhood memory and the washed-out blur of Kodak 110 film.

So what's this got to do with a rock record? According to Boeckner, not much. "I don't think there's any relation to the significance of the album title with the song content," he told Pitchfork in an April. But the eleven tracks on Wolf Parade's third full-length release, Expo 86 -- most of which were recorded live with minimal overdubs -- are noisy monuments of classic rock and disco ensconced in starkly modern arrangements.

Boeckner looks like a young Iggy Pop, has a fascination with Russia, and is the guy that usually brings the Rawk. Baby-faced Krug is a little less goth and a little more D&D -- his lyrics are introspective and fantastic, with songwriting that's complimentarily moody and phantasmagoric (don't get me wrong: when Krug rocks, he rocks, but even those songs tend to be delightfully woozy). And they each have respective side projects that showcase their strengths: Krug's Sunset Rubdown and Swan Lake (with New Pornographer Dan Bejar) and Boeckner's marital collaboration, Handsome Furs. Wolf Parade, then, has always served as the place where the songwriters' distinct styles meet. Expo 86 finds the band at it's most cohesive. Though Krug and Boeckner still share creative duties, the feel is less bifurcated. Most say this is a good thing.

But I'm not Most. The band's first full-length, Apologies to the Queen Mary, knocked my socks off. And it was the very complaint of critics -- the band's dual nature -- that I found so compelling. Would Krug sing now, or would Boeckner? Are we going to rock out, or go on a heart-exploding rail? For me, what Wolf Parade gain in cohesion, they lose in sonic interest. To be fair, though, it could just be that the band we hear on Expo 86 is the band Wolf Parade always wanted to be, as opposed to the band I wanted them to be. (Their last release, At Mount Zoomer, saw them heading in this direction, albeit proggily.)

But let's pretend we'd never heard of Wolf Parade. From that stance, Expo 86 is a whole lot of fun. It starts like good rock records should -- with the blast of "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain" (such a Krug title) and some David Byrne-esque barking from Boeckner. For a band that told Sub Pop, "No singles!" on its last album, "Palm Road" is surprisingly compact and radio-friendly. "Little Golden Age" is classic Wolf Parade, and "Ghost Pressure" finds Krug in Rapture territory. Krug's "Oh, You Old Thing" and Boeckner's Russian cosmonaut love song, "Yulia," are thoroughly enjoyable, despite the fact that they lack the exigency and ache of early Wolf Parade.

I admit I'm biased. Musically, I'm a masochist: the fastest way for a band to win my heart is to break it, and that's what Wolf Parade did with their debut five years ago. But Expo 86 is an old fashioned suitor, determined to win me over with its good hooks. In time, it probably will.

Jacquie Fuller, Host

Come Around Sundown - Kings of Leon

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

With their fifth album, Come Around Sundown, Kings of Leon have a lot at stake—the band is struggling to hold onto their crowns as dirtbag arena rock royalty.

Here's the basic breakdown on this Tennessee band: the Followill boys grew up traveling around the South with their preacher Father. The three brothers recruited their cousin, and Kings of Leon was born. Some might forget that the band was together making music for years before their massive mainstream success of their fourth full-length, Only By the Night, in 2008. In fact, the band released a handful critically adored records like 2004's Aha Shake Heartbreak and 2007's Because of the Times before delivering on their early buzz by breaking into commercial radio.

Propelled by the mega-hits "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody," Only By the Night dominated the charts and airwaves throughout the world (I just want to imagine some southern bride using "Sex on Fire" as her walking down the aisle wedding day song). Interestingly, the Followhills have publicly denounced their biggest hit and have expressed their disinterest in playing it live.

Come Around Sundown, which was produced by the same team as Only by the Night, contains some anthemic sounds that will be familiar to fans of the previous record, such as on the tunes "Radio Active," "Sundown" and "Mary." The latter song even adopts a poppy, almost '60s vibe. Also peppered throughout the record are pedal steel and occasional fiddle, as if to set down a few country roots to keep alive their Southern-rock credibility.

Overall, Come Around Sundown contains glimpses of the same swagger and charms as the previous CDs, and will reward both fans of their radio hits and of their down-home flourishes. Clearly still a band that owes much to the bands making rock records in the early '70s , Kings of Leon still enjoy the rewards of that style—"getting busy" and drinking whiskey. If this record gets the same attention as their last, they may get to partake in that lifestyle for years to come.

Mary Lucia, Host

/\/\ /\ Y /\ - by MIA

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

MIA is a cultural phenom. Born out of the long civil war that has engulfed Sri Lanka and raised in the pop melting pot of London, with its insatiable appetite for music and visual art, she now resides over here as music business royalty, daughter-in-law to one of the biggest record executives left standing, Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. It's a story with a wonderful dramatic sweep, and, as she says on one track here, "I just want my story told." She seems to be in total control of telling that story too, still working with the corps of producers that have gotten her to where she is now, Diplo, Switch and Blacqstarr. They are getting better with every album, and their new songs are packed full of percussive venom and mad squeaks and peaks. She's even got her own label now, N.E.E.T., which has just released another very "out there" CD from Sleigh Bells.

When she came in to do a session with us several years ago, I said that she probably wouldn't be back, as next time she'd be too big. She laughed nervously and I couldn't have predicted how right I am. After the success of "Paper Planes" she's HUGE—even bigger than she was when she was pregnant on the Grammys!!

It's amazing that a major label, struggling to survive the changing business model, instead of playing it safe, releases one of the most challenging artists that has ever been on a major label, one that might be worthy of a bio movie one day (perhaps tomorrow). She's an artist of the moment, and how long can this moment last?

She's also an extremely personal artist: the title of this album is her real name, her first was named after her Dad and the second was a tribute to Mum. But because of her background and present position, the personal is made collective—her life is a universal story of how flat our world has become and how, as a new media artist, she's shrewdly aware of the power of the video and the tweet.

First and foremost, she's a visual artist. One of her first trips to America was making a film with the band Elastica, before she'd begun to make her own music, and so it's appropriate that the launch of this album started months ago with the very controversial video for "Born Free." Showing US storm troopers rounding up ginger haired individuals for sadistic "execution as sport" in the desert, it was banned by YouTube. A less-than-flattering recent New York Times magazine feature caused her to start a tweet spat with the writer. She's in uncharted territory for pop artists, trying to appeal to the tweet hungry masses and make biting social commentary. The two have yet to go hand in hand.

So her album should be considered in this context and also as a potential inflection point in the unraveling of the music industry. There are more demands and expectations now. How does that affect the sound of this record? Well it's frenetic musically, trying on different styles like reggae and sacred harp singing with limited success. But perhaps most surprising, for such a controversial artist, is the lack of solid lyrical content. The messages that stick with me are that she wants her story to be told, she was born free, she's not going to be something that she isn't and it is possible to make a killing without forgetting the feeling.

Is that enough substance? Would more become simple sloganeering? Is it possible to have substance and succeed in pop music? MIA's back story is authentic and she's desperately trying to keep it real, and so this is the latest litmus test: can an artist like her be as big as Gaga? The label needs her to be, and so do we, her early fans that want authentic voices to survive.

Mark Wheat, Host

Belle & Sebastian Write About Love< - Belle & Sebastian

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Disclaimer: I am a terribly huge fan of Belle & Sebastian. Every second of every song they have written is subject to multiple interpretations. This review attempts to address a few such interpretations. Belle & Sebastian are an easy band to lose yourself in.

At first, the title of Belle & Sebastian's new album seems awkward: Belle & Sebastian Write About Love. The addition of the band name to the title initially feels superfluous, almost like a band pulling the time-honored trick of releasing a self-titled album several records into their career in a painfully transparent attempt at reinvention. But careful analysis reveals what we should have known all along: Belle & Sebastian know exactly what they're doing. You see, Belle & Sebastian have always felt like part of their own mythos, often writing songs about the transformative nature of, well, writing songs. (see "Judy and the Dream of Horses" or "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song"). When we see the band name in the title, we as listeners should expect that Belle & Sebastian are here to write about love in their own signature way: strong melodies, alternating moods of sadness and cheer, and a wavering nature of what is real... and what may not be.

The centerpiece of Belle & Sebastian Write About Love is its title track (sidenote: really, shouldn't any album with a title track have it be the centerpiece?). "Write About Love" is a marvel, a flawlessly constructed song that stands with the very best the band has ever done. Never mind the fact that any other band would kill for just one of the four separate melodic sections (intro, verse, chorus pt. I, chorus pt. II), never mind the way each instrument carves out its own hook. I want to focus on the song's layers. Lead vocalist Stuart Murdoch handles the verses, imploring the as-yet-unknown protagonist to escape their situation by writing about love. Sounds straightforward enough. The choruses are handled by actress Carey Mulligan, singing of her humdrum existence as a bored office worker who takes extended lunch breaks to write fanfic about an imaginary boyfriend.

Straightforward enough? Look closer. Murdoch's lines would indicate that the protagonist is "sick" and unwell. Maybe he's imploring her to escape her own reality through the act of writing. Better yet, what if Mulligan's chorus sounds so joyous because it's merely escapist fantasy? To summarize: Carey Mulligan is a woman, who --> is an actress by trade, who --> plays the role of singer in a rock band, who --> sings as a sickly invalid, who --> writes about love to emulate a bored office worker, who --> "escapes" her own job to the roof where she writes about a man, who --> may very well be either Jesus, Stuart Murdoch, or a separate character entirely (who knows, maybe other songs on the album are sung from his perspective?). And here you thought Inception was multi-layered. All of this mirrors the experience of a music listener, who is listening to the song with the intention of escaping their own reality for two minutes, 49 seconds.

Belle & Sebastian Write About Love seems fascinated with this idea of unreality, the idea that all of the songs' protagonists—and all of us—are writing out their/our own histories and fantasies as they go along. Warped memories and perceptions abound: the titular characters of the Norah Jones duet "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" are revealed at songs' end to be **SPOILER ALERT** inventions in Norah's head to distract her from the guy she wishes she'd have dated longer. The narrator of "Come on Sister" can't decide whether to imagine his mate as a movie star or... as she actually was. While one would think "I'm Not Living in the Real World" to be part of this trend, in true Belle & Sebastian irony, its narrator is arguably the most grounded character on the album.

There's a track on the album near the end that is easy to overlook, yet lyrically, it's as vital as any to the overall concept. It's called "Read the Blessed Pages," and I'll try to be as concise as possible. Stuart Murdoch sings of an old flame from years ago— it's one of those songs that seems so obviously to be about Isobel Campbell, it almost can't be about her, which of course means it actually is— describing his own personal experiences with the overlap between love, literature, and songwriting. "Moan about the present/venerate the past," he sings, and I notice a great obsession (and yes, I think that's the right word) with events and figures from the past, starting with the first lines of the album. There's a great deal of venerating the past, and Murdoch even finds time to castigate the "calculating bimbo" for doing just that, imploring her, "I wish you'd let the past go." However, as "Write About Love" instructs us, the artistic creations here "can be in any tense, but it must make sense," so we also see instances of clairvoyance, supernature, even (gasp!) appreciating the present. The final song, "Sunday's Pretty Icons" is a timeless reverie that may or may not be taking place in heaven.

Oh yeah, fun fact: as with just about everything else Belle & Sebastian have recorded, it's possible to read each song as a parable for various aspects of Christian soteriology. Have fun with that.

Like I said earlier, Belle & Sebastian are easy to lose yourself in. But I feel I haven't yet answered what you're probably wondering: is it any good? Well yes, it is. This is a pleasant and engaging record that isn't as immediate as their last few albums, and yet not as understated as their early work. Until you start to pick up on the themes and concepts, things can feel a little disjointed or even sluggish; they could have done a better job at spacing out the slower tracks to avoid "sagging." This is an album that will entertain immediately and still provide ample rewards over time. Every Belle & Sebastian album is an entry point to the band's mythos in its own distinct way, allowing Belle & Sebastian Write About Love to be accessible for newcomers, while remaining essential for the fans. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go pore over "The Ghost of Rockschool" a few more times to figure out if it is, indeed, a metaphor for the history of the band and of all rock and roll. When Murdoch mentions "Lawrence and Phil," do you think he's talking about Taylor and Simms? I mean, he has written an entire song about the baseball Giants before ("Piazza, New York Catcher"), so isn't it conceivable that he would tackle the football Giants? But how does that tie into God?

Mac Wilson, Host

Infinite Arms - by Band of Horses

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The long-awaited follow-up to 2007's Cease to Begin finds Band of Horses in a different state of mind. The 2010 version of Band of Horses has a completely swapped out line-up, a new major label to call home, and a more musically mature sound.

Band of Horses have witnessed a few line-up changes in their five year history. So many that Ben Birdwell is currently the only member to have worked on all three albums. The present line-up of Ben Bridwell (vocals and guitars), Tyler Ramsey (guitar), Bill Reynolds (bass), Ryan Monroe (keys), and Creighton Barrett (drums) spent 19 months writing and recording their latest offering. Minnesota even gets a production credit as the band spent some time in northern Minnesota working on the album, presumably secluded in cabin.

Predominantly self-funded and self-produced, Band Of Horses held the reins through much of the recording process. Producer Phil Ek, who worked on the bands first two albums as well as with Fleet Foxes and Built to Spill, threw in his two cents, but the band really honed their own sound and ownership of Infinite Arms.

Infinite Arms marks the band's departure from The Pacific Northwest indie mainstay Sub Pop Records. Leaving behind the label that put out their past two records, Band of Horses took the 'Do-It-Yourself' approach and started their own label, Brown Records. After realizing how much work it was to start a label from scratch and organize worldwide distribution, the band was gratefully swept up a major label and signed to Columbia Records. With the added help of a major label, Infinite Arms has become the most commercially successful Band of Horses record to date since it was released in mid-May. It debuted on the UK charts at 21 and landed in the 7th spot on the US Billboard Charts.

If you are looking for the force that drove songs, "Wicked Gil," "The Great Salt Lake," and "Island On The Coast" or the melt on the spot tenderness of "Part One" and "No One is Ever Going to Love You," you might not find the same level of emotions on Infinite Arms. "Factory," Compliments," and "Laredo" start Infinite Arms with a kick but lack the heartfelt 'umph' of past hits. "On My Way Back Home" and "Evening Kitchen" offer the down tempo tenderness, and the track "Older" hits listeners with a country glitz curve ball. Infinite Arms sounds like a band that has come into its own musically with added instrumentation, richer arrangements, and lush layered harmonies. But even the best parts of Infinite Arms still lack the raw energy found on past releases.

Bethany Barberg ----- EXTENDED BODY:

Lisbon - The Walkmen

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Disclaimer up front: I have never been a terribly huge fan of The Walkmen. Second disclaimer: this review is about being won over. It's just about the only kind of review I'm in a position to write.

I wouldn't say that "everybody" knows The Walkmen's 2004 hit "The Rat"—obviously, in a country of 310 million people, some of those folks are a bit more familiar with the entire oeuvre of Taylor Swift many times over than are even slightly acquainted with The Walkmen's biggest single. However, in indie rock circles, "The Rat" is one of those definitive songs of the '00s. Its insistent guitars, its desperate drums and the indignant, croaky vocals of that guy singing way too high for his range became a familiar staple on college radio. I always admired its sheer propulsion and sense of plain pissed-off-ness, but mostly just abstractly. That guy though? Hamilton Whatshisname? Why does he do that cartoonish rising-and-falling thing with his vocal lines, a la Dylan? Wasn't my taste.

Sitting down with Lisbon, the band's new record, reminded me of a few things, though. 1) Almost no single song has ever fully encapsulated an artist or band, 2) Even a DJ forgets that simply letting songs just kind of "pass by," only half-listened-to, does both the band and the listener a disservice, 3) Man, listening to a whole album can change everything, and finally, 4) I should really read more reviews more often—because everything I discovered on this record is the stuff countless reviewers have been saying about this band for years.

Duh, right? OK, give me a second here. No, "The Rat" isn't even that representative of what The Walkmen are about at all. These guys are masters of texture and atmosphere, and furthermore, atmosphere in the service of beautifully dejected, I'm-the-last-guy-at-this-bar kind of heartache. Ironically, I love artists who tread in this territory: Tom Waits, American Music Club, The Pogues—and here was another one right under my nose! There is an awful lot of seduction in The Walkmen's music. It reveals sonic spaces that reside just down at the end of the alley, or at the other end of the bar, inviting you to approach them rather than them coming to you.

On Lisbon, a song like "Blue As Your Blood" begins completely unassumingly, then sneaks up on you with a giant bloom of aural majesty, the string pad in the chorus sounding like dawn peeking through a hangover. The military-band brass of "Stranded" is also a touch that gives the song a kind of elegiac, funeral-party-raising-glasses-at-a-wake kind of wooziness. The band even has the audacity to title a song "Woe Is Me"—a move even the aforementioned American Music Club's famously brooding Mark Eitzel wouldn't attempt— but it works, without being maudlin or sinking into parody. Why? I'm not sure, I think it might be magic or something.

The rawk is still there, of course: if there's an analogue to "The Rat" on Lisbon it's "Angela Surf City." This time around, it's not quite as straightforward lyrically (indeed, whatever Hamilton Leithauser is singing about here, I'm missing it), but the tune still packs a pretty hefty, growly punch. "Follow the Leader" could be seen as a two-minute throwaway of raspy slop, but in the album's overall cinematic context, even this song feels at home as a kind of odd sonic way-station in the narrative.

And Leithauser's singing? It grew on me. More than that; I now hear it as an integral, and even (*gasp*) seductive component of the whole romantic, amber, almost nostalgic canvas The Walkmen are working with.

I am very happy to say that I'll go back to The Walkmen's Lisbon again and again, and also that I'm much more inspired to check out their entire back catalog now than ever before. All Music Guide described Lisbon as on the "happier" side of The Walkmen's output. If that's the case, I'm excited to discover even greater delights of gorgeous dejection ahead.

Steve Seel, Host

Twilight Eclipse - soundtrack by Various Artists

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The Twilight Saga is a story of teenage romance, vampires, and unconsummated desire. The books, authored by Stephenie Meyer, popularized a niche market of vampire romance novels and created a rabid fanbase through the film adaptations featuring Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan. The first installment of Twilight soundtracks, "Twilight Soundtrack," looked like an effort to create a chart success with the faint hope of getting indie cred. The line-up included Linkin Park, Paramore, and Collective Soul next to Muse, Iron and Wine, and The Black Ghosts.

If there were insecurities from the first movie's ability to sell a soundtrack, they were lost on the curators of the second soundtrack. "Twilight: New Moon" was stacked with a list of who’s who indie artists: Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent, Thom York and Death Cab for Cutie all contributed to the films cross-over appeal to indie music fans.

The move to attract music fans must have worked because "Twilight: Eclipse," the third film's soundtrack, is chock full of exclusive collaborations and "indie-indie" like the whisper of Kristen Stewart's eyebrows... if such a thing exists. The highlights of the album include Beck working with Bat for Lashes on "Let's Get Lost," and Alison Mosshart's steadfast vocals on The Dead Weather track, "Rolling In On A Burning Tire."

Musically the soundtrack delivers what you would expect from each artist. The Black Keys sound bluesy, the Bravery are predictably bland, and Cee Lo Green is comfortably soulful. Like the movies, the soundtrack never fully reaches it's potential. "Twilight: Eclipse" is a typical soundtrack that puts a glossy finish on everything leaving you wanting the real thing rather than the Hollywood version of indie rock.

David Safar, Assistant Music Director

Le Noise - Neil Young

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Live Current Volume 6

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

It's hard to believe that it's almost been six years now of recording some of our favorite bands and songwriters here in The Current studios. We've had hundreds of bands come in over the last several years, but this past year has got to have been the best thus far. I'm very proud of this new edition to our Live Current library, as it's the best representation of The Current so far.

We have more local music featured on this CD than in years past. It's got tracks from Twin Cities talents such as hometown hero Brother Ali, our newest local sensations Peter Wolf Crier, Mason Jennings, hometown sweetheart Dessa and a songwriter who we've championed for most of The Current's existence, Jeremy Messersmith. This line up of local music is a perfect example of the diverse and thriving music scene we have here in the Twin Cities. We've been extremely committed to keeping our cultural community strong. We believe that all great trends start locally, and we always want to be available as a foundation for those great trends to be built upon.

Live Current Volume 6 also features a number of new bands that have had huge debuts here in the Twin Cities, such as Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, The Heavy, Free Energy, The Rural Alberta Advantage and Local Natives. Here at The Current, we've made a great effort to be supportive of music that we not only love but that we believe in as well. We're thrilled that all of these bands have not only become favorites of our listeners but have also had a lot of success nationally as well.

This album also showcases some artists that have become staples to our musical playlist here at The Current, such as Spoon, Bat For Lashes, David Bazan and She and Him. All of these bands were once new to the music scene, but they have now become part of the musical fabric of future decades.

There are some professional dreams that I'll admit I hope to accomplish one day. It would be a dream come true to have David Bowie visit us, or for Stevie Wonder to sit at our grand piano, or even have our hometown legend Prince play a few licks in our studios. We did have the amazing opportunity to host interviews with some musical legends this past year, as Brian Eno, Booker T Jones and even David Byrne all dropped by to chat with our hosts. It was also our honor and pleasure this year to host sessions with greats like Sonic Youth, Moby and local favorites The Jayhawks.

The Live Current series is more than just a bunch of CDs to us here at The Current. It's basically our way of memorializing the best of each year past. So you could call Live Current Volume 6 a sonic time capsule of sorts. 30 years from now, it'll be a great reminder of all the hard work and amazing music we witnessed and experienced in 2010. None of it would've been possible with out the support of our listeners and our members. So, thank you Current listeners for helping to make every year for the station a huge success!

Melanie Walker, Music Director

Wake Up - John Legend and The Roots

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Wake Up, the new collaboration from John Legend and The Roots, was conceived in the Summer of 2008, as the nation prepared to vote in a pivotal presidential election. In the crucible of the passion around Barrack Obama's historic campaign, two Middle Eastern wars, and the impending economic collapse, Legend and Roots drummer ?uestlove hashed out the idea to dig through their crates and came up with 10 covers from the glory years of soul in the '60s and '70s (plus one Legend original). But rather than re-creating the obvious (Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Stevie Wonder), they dug deep to unearth treasures by Harold Melvin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, Baby Huey and others. Merging Legend's skilled R&B vocals with the Roots untouchable musicality, Wake Up is a collection that manages to be both timely and timeless, as these masters of today re-shape the music of their past and cast a new light on it for a new generation. Sensing that Obama's victory was the beginning, not the end, they set about creating a set of tunes would impart the urgent sentiments of a past generation upon today's youth. And they succeeded.

One knock on John Legend for the past few records has been that his gifts are wasted, especially as the material he's recorded has became slicker and slicker. The problem with the Roots has been that, while they are readily acknowledged as the best band in hip-hop (and maybe all music today) too few of their songs are truly great and have the hooks that can take them to a wider audience. In the ultimate peanut-butter-in-my-chocolate move, Wake Up allows John Legend to put more edge in his vocals, and lets the Roots display their skills on a set of tunes that stick to your bones like a rack of ribs. From opening number "Hard Times," you can see how the combination of John Legend and Roots MC Black Thought melds the best of R&B, hip-hop and soul into a stew that sets the tone for album.

A highlight of the record is their version of "I Can't Write Left-Handed," a song written by Bill Withers at the height of the Vietnam era, and one that resonates today with wounded veterans coming home from the Middle East. Legend sings expressively, and the band locks into a groove the builds tension until Roots guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas unleashes an extended solo that recalls Hendrix, Funkadelic's Eddie Hazel or Prince at his most explosive. A 12-minute epic on a record made by an R&B vocalist and a hip-hop band? It's like nothing else released this year, and it also drove me to go pick up the Bill Withers album with the original on it. That's a cool side effect of doing these fairly unknown covers: it drives you to discover the roots (no pun intended) of where this music comes from—like Les McCann and Eddie Harris, whose "Compared to What" is given a scorching treatment by Legend and the Roots.

Some covers projects are for fun, some to cover writer's block or songwriting laziness, but what The Roots and John Legend have created on Wake Up is an inspired and compelling album that meshes their talents seamlessly, and raises their respective games to new heights.

Jim McGuinn, Program Director

Band of Joy - Robert Plant

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Next to Elvis, Lennon, McCartney, Bowie, Morrison, Dylan and Hendrix, Robert Plant is one of the most recognizable voices in the history of rock'n'roll. Robert Plant could easily refrain from ever releasing another track to the public and avoid the scrutiny of die-hard Zeppelin fans who want nothing more than a re-hashed version of "The Battle of Evermore." Instead, Plant continues to take risks and release new music that piques the interest of fans across genres.

"Raising Sand," his 2007 collaboration with Allison Krauss, earned five Grammys and was a staple of critics' end-of-the-year lists. There were rumors of a follow-up release from the duo, but supposedly the magic on "Raising Sand" couldn't be re-created.

His latest, "Band of Joy," will need a disclaimer—this album is not to be judged by its cover. Yes, like many of Plant's solo releases, the album artwork appears amateurish and dated, and provides no insight on what you should expect when you hit play. However, if you get past the cover art, this album has a distinct sound that must be credited to Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin, who leave their mark on this collection of thoughtful cover songs. Miller and Griffin work to give the album a Nashville sound that complements Plant's voice and style.

"Band of Joy" does include one original song, co-written by Plant and Miller. "Central Two-O-Nine" fits the album's sonic mold, but lyrically, it leaves much to be desired. Fans of Plant and others will enjoy the highlights of the album, which are Plant's interpretations of Low's "Monkey" and "Silver Rider." Plant's delivery is evenly tempered. Rather than try to impress his personality on these songs, he simply provides a voice, which still maintains the same bold and unique character of his younger years.

David Safar, Associate Music Director

Hurley - Weezer

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

What does the new record from Weezer and the TV show Lost have in common? Aside from the album's name being Hurley and a headshot of Jorge Garcia (whose Lost character was named Hugo "Hurley" Reyes) as the cover art, not much when it has to do with the music. But anyone familiar with the goofball antics of Weezer knows it's just part of the fun. I mean, is it any sillier than the Weezer Snuggie?

After leaving Geffen Records and signing with indie label Epitaph, Weezer are back with, believe it or not, their 8th studio album. The songs are very Weezer-ish pop/rock tunes with an interesting twist. Rivers Cuomo brought in a mix of songwriters to co-write the majority of the tunes. Before even hearing the songs, I had to chuckle at the list of songwriters and producers Rivers Cuomo was able to wrangle up. But I guess after being in the industry for as long as Cuomo has, he can pretty much do whatever his (young-at-)heart desires.

For starters, Minnesota folks will recognize the name of local-boy-done-good Dan Wilson (Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic), who co wrote "Ruling Me." Does the name Desmond Child mean anything to you? He shows up on Hurley too, as the co-writer of a song called "Trainwrecks," but he's famous for writing songs for Bon Jovi, Kiss and even Ricky Martin (that's right folks, Mr. Child gave us such hits as "Livin on a Prayer," "I Was Made for Lovin You," and "Livin La Vida Loca"). Almost every song has a different co-writer with names like Greg Wells (who produced records for Mika and Katy Perry), Ryan Adams, country singer Mac Davis and even Linda Perry (leader of 4 Non Blondes, but has made her living as a songwriter for stars like Pink, Christina Aguilera and Courtney Love).

The opening track and lead single from this record is "Memories." Years from now, it's likely people will connect that song to Hurley just as "Buddy Holly" is connected to The Blue Album, "Island in the Sun" to The Green Album, "Beverly Hills" to Make Believe, and so on.

"Hang On" and "Smart Girls" are stand out tracks. "Hang On" was co-written by Rick Nowels, best known for writing "Heaven is a Place on Earth" for Belinda Carlisle, and features actor Michael Cera on background vocals, hurdy gurdy and mandolin. "Smart Girls" has the classic Weezer pop hook and its own interesting mix of songwriters—No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal and Jimmy Harry (writer of RuPaul's big 90's hit "Supermodel") helped Rivers Cuomo hold the pen on that one.

Jorge Garcia's photo as the album art, naming Hurley after a Lost character played by Garcia, the off the wall list of songwriters tapped for the record� is it all just a Rivers Cuomo gimmick? Maybe and maybe not. Critics seem to be giving Hurley favorable reviews. It debuted as the seventh best-selling album of the week on the Billboard 200 chart. That has to mean something, right?

I'll just say this. Thank you Mr. Cuomo (and the rest of Weezer) for continuing to give me something to tap my foot to, and for not taking life too seriously.

Jill Riley, Host

The Sound of Sunshine - Michael Franti and Spearhead

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Michael Franti and Spearhead delivers his new LP, The Sound of Sunshine, flush off the success of the top 20 single "Say Hey (I Love You)." That song appeared on 2008's All Rebel Rockers, and helped make that LP Franti's highest-charting to date.

The new record is a sharp turn away from the reggae-tinged protest rock that established Franti's career and has been his touchstone all along. There's a lot of acoustic guitar on this record, and more Franti-esque songs about connections to family and friends. Franti has said he wanted all of these songs to be danceable—not necessarily four-to-the-floor club bangers, but more traditional world dance music.

Franti says the positive vibrations and renewal for love of life showcased on this record were inspired by a near-death experience he had after a ruptured appendix in August of last year. He claims to have woken every morning to see if the sun was shining and what kind of feeling of optimism it gave him. He claims that if it was cloudy he'd go back to bed and find the sunshine in his mind, seeking an interpretation of what the sun sounded like through his guitar and voice—hence the new album's title.

Franti and Spearhead recorded The Sound of Sunshine in Jamaica with legendary legendary reggae production duo Sly and Robbie, who also co-produced All Rebel Rockers. Franti and company will be touring in support of the record hopefully through Christmas in North America. Fans can expect the usual live Spearhead experience: pre-show sidewalk performances, mass yoga sessions and even more family-friendly dates so children can see the band. Be sure to check them out on tour and give the new record a listen.

Mary Lucia, Host

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

I’ll admit that, while Kanye West may be obnoxious at times, I can’t deny that he’s sonically one of the more interesting hip hop producers on the scene right now.  He dares to be odd and challenging in a world where pop music can easily repeat itself.  But as one of the most polarizing artists in recent pop culture, people seem to go to extremes and either love him or hate him.  So, when I heard his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was slated to release, I was anxious to put my ears on what one of the most notorious MC’s out there was concocting next.

Upon first listen, I have to give the guy some credit for at least being glaringly honest.  Kanye doesn’t hide behind his supernova persona, but openly admits most of his faults whether it’s being jerk or having repeated public emotional breakdowns.  He is probably the most openly self-aware MC out there right now.  This album itself is a deeper look inside the dark corners of his twisted psyche.  Tracks like "Blame Game" and "Runaway" end up becoming public confessions of his own overbearing bravado.  Kanye knows he takes it too far sometimes, but that’s part of his rock star guise, to be over the top with everything and we can take it or leave it. 

While West went minimal on his last release, 808’s and Heartbreak, he takes it to extremes on this recent release.  Musically, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, delivers with lengthy instrumentals layered with hip hop epics, R&B ballads, other-worldly electronics, prog-rock samples, and surprise guests from Bon Iver to Fergie to Chris Rock … even Elton John shows up on it with a piano solo.  This is Kanye’s hip hop manifesto and it delivers with music that is often-times exhilarating, often abrasive, never predictable, and simply said just stunningly gorgeous.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ultimately ends up being a surreal look at an artist embracing his pop-star/super-villain persona, while he struggles to connect with the creative potential as a producer that made him garner attention in the first place.  The album is completely different from everything he's done thus far, but it’s still irrevocably Kanye.  Am I fan of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy?  Absolutely.  Am I a fan of Kanye West the man?  To be determined.  Yet, I’m not one to judge someone’s art based purely on their personality alone.  Hopefully, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy will push hip-hop in a bold new direction and survive the entire backlash that all potential classics must eventually meet head on.

Melanie Walker, Music Director

Then the Morning Came - Roma di Luna

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Contribute today and get Then the Morning Came by Roma di Luna

From the first track on Then The Morning Came, the latest release from local group Roma di Luna, listeners may be able to tell that this band has gone through a transformational period: entering parenthood. The baby noises and musical chaos on "Baby Hotel" was created by babies from four of the band members. Alexei and Channy, the husband and wife duo that started Roma di Luna in 2006, recently became a trio at home with the addition of their daughter Pelagia and a sextet on stage adding guitarist Ben Durrant, bassist James Everest, drummer Ryan Lovan, and backing vocalist Jessi Prusha.

4 of the 6 band members of Roma di Luna entered parenthood. The explosion of new life and the joy it brings is evident on Then The Morning Came, but it is coupled with loss and death. Throughout the making of the record Channy lost a man who she considered a second father, and Ben Durant lost his mother to a long battle with throat cancer.
The title of the album sums up the duality of the themes on this recording. While the band was in studio on The Local Show, Channy explained the meaning of Then The Morning Came .

"Morning, you know as in the two sides of it, there was a lot of sadness before the babies came with the loss of Ben’s Mother and our family friend, and then once all the babies came there was this new feeling where the night time became this madness where you couldn’t get any sleep, and you are trying to figure out how to deal with this new life. Then the morning would come and I get to try again, so I‘ve got a new day and I can do something differently to get the baby to sleep. It ties into the metaphor that we are going to struggle through this death this loss and then the morning would come."

The title of the album can also be found on the song "Below our Feet," which was written as a memorial to the people the band lost over the making of the album and then the new life they met. "oh its strange living with the dead below our feet/ my friends and loved ones bury this grief with me. "

Then the Morning Came marks a shift in Roma di Luna’s Americana folk sound. The band takes on a jazzy gospel horn-filled sound on "Before I die," and a steel guitar bluesy sound can be found on "Miss You too." Then a soul groove is present on "Hey Lover." Part of the shift, Channy explained, was her becoming more comfortable as a singer, which allowed her to develop new sounds. This album also marked a difference in Roma di Luna’s songwriting pattern with a child in the house. Alexei and Channy would take turns sneaking away at naptime to write; and Channy wrote a majority of the songs on this album while her daughter sat on her lap.

The album was recorded at Ben Durrant’s studio, Crazy Beast, which has also been used by Andrew Bird and many other artists. The recording process took longer than 2007’s Find Your Way Home, and 2008’s Casting the Bones. The bands changing dynamics and the added difficulty of getting 6-7 people in one room at the same time added to the prolonged recording time. The result of the almost two years of work on Then the Morning Came resulted is a beautifully haunting juxtaposition between life and death and a finely crafted third full length release.

Bethany Barberg, Local Music Assistant

The Lady Killer - Cee-Lo Green

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Almost everyone agrees that Cee-Lo's hit single "Forget You" (wink wink!) is the best song of the year. Spin made it their #1 and Rolling Stone #2 in the year end polls—amazing for the mainstream edge of the music media to be proclaiming the virtues of a song with the F-bomb in the chorus! It's a highly deserved follow up to his '06 hit "Crazy," recorded with Danger Mouse as Gnarls Barkley, but for me this cements his reputation as a singles guy. A whole album of his riotous genre-hopping is a hard sell, literally leading to him being dropped by his old label Jive after his previous solo albums.

Perhaps tempered by this experience, you can feel him trying to reign himself on his new one, The Lady Killer, attempting to wrap the album in a concept that will make it work. He would have done well to cut at least two tracks from the weaker second half, where the clichés overcome the soulful celebration. But initially, I was more disturbed by the Licence to Kill-referencing "The Lady Killer Theme" that starts the album (although musically it also sounds like a Bond movie, which is good in my book).

It seems like a tired affectation to do this kind of skit intro, and tied to some of the lyrics in later songs, it really does seem nasty, typically misogynistic. When asked by the NME about the inspiration for "Forget You," co-written with Bruno Mars, Cee-Lo explained that it was aimed at the industry. "Just like we call a storm or a ship by a girls name, similarly this is about having to be kind and court the industry and put up with it's BS," he mused. "Killing is business, murder is emotion, I'm killing the game."

Apparently he was a goth kid when he was growing up, and he shows his respect for the indie-rock community by covering Band of Horses at the end of the album. How well the song fits, bringing this stylish, string-laden soul record to a close, suggests that there's more crossover potential between genres than any of us realize. Cee-Lo's strength is attempting to meld these disparate pieces together in a unique way. Considering The Lady Killer came together with the help of a large and varied group of producers—including Mars, Salaam Remi, Jack Splash and Fraser T Smith—it's amazing how distinctly old school, soulful (in the true sense of the word) and cohesive it sounds. But it's Cee-Lo's voice that carries the project and compared to all the other artists who are attempting similar R'n'B revival stuff, he's the best. It's been suggested that this album is an attempt to pick up where Barry White left off, and he succeeds once or twice, which is great when you realize that no one has really ever tried that before!

Mark Wheat, host

Sidewalks - Matt & Kim

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

When you start listening to Sidewalks, the third full album from Brooklyn duo Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, it feels like you're listening to a much larger band.  The married couple —  who go by the moniker Matt and Kim — fill the album with layer upon layer of synths, yelps and yeahs, syncopated steady drum beats and even some orchestrated horns and strings. 

This is a far cry from the band's previous two albums, which were still heavy on the synth, but leaned more towards the DIY punk-pop side of things. The previous albums had a raw and adolescent vibe, with the last two being recorded in Matt's room and produced by just Matt and Kim. This time they've teamed up with Ben Allen (who had a hand in the most recent Animal Collective album, as well as Gnarls Barkly's debut), who has a way of pulling a more polished and pop-driven album out of the most unlikely places. What does this mean for Matt and Kim? Well, the raw jubilation is still there, but it's mellowed a bit and rounded out on the edges.

Sidewalks starts out with rock anthem sing-a-long "Block After Block" kicking and punching at the drums and keys for a fist pumping three minutes. The energy continues with the first single from the album "Cameras," which has the same infectious energy, but with a slower build up and bleating horns starting off in uneven pacing. Matt's synth and yelping vocals join in and speed up the song.

One of my favorite moments on the album was the slow and dreamy "Northeast", going back to the simplicity of the keyboard and drums, with some sleigh bells and Kim's harmonies up front and center. It's a really beautiful song and after pounding beats it's a pleasant breath in the album.

Matt and Kim are maturing with the third album. With the label, Fader, putting out the album and hooking them up with producers it's bound to change the sound and feeling of the band. We all have to grow up and get a job at some point. It's not selling out, it's just a part of life. That being said, while Sidewalks takes the band in more of a straight-up pop direction, the exuberant energy and jangly fun that has always been a part of the duo's charm is still there, "and all our hopes/and all our friends/through parking lots/it's where we've been." It seems like the album is a hindsight version of your past where you gloss over the hard parts and only see the sweetness.

Jade Tittle, Host

Minnesota Beatle Project Vol. 2 - Various Artists

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

With The Beatles catalogue finally available on iTunes, and The Beatles Rock Band video game available, and their entire catalogue digitally re-mastered and reissued in 2009, The Beatles are readily available to newer, younger audiences to discover and appreciate just like the many generation before them. It’s fitting, then, that The Beatles  — a band enjoyed by both young and old — were selected as the theme for a series of CDs whose proceeds were to provide support for the music and art programs in Minnesota public schools.

The second volume of The Minnesota Beatles project features some of our favorite new and heritage acts of the local scene performing originally arranged compositions of their favorite Beatles songs.  The album also features Minnesota public school student bands that have benefited from this project.

Check out this stellar line up below!
01 Good Morning Good Morning – Soul Asylum
02 Revolution – Total Babe
03 Child Of Nature – Mason Jennings
04 Fixing A Hole – Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons (Humans Win! Remix)
05 Real Love – Lookbook
06 Happiness Is A Warm Gun – A Night In The Box
07 It's All Too Much – Polara
08 Tomorrow Never Knows – Meat Puppets feat. Alison Scott
09 I Am The Walrus – Pert Near Sandstone
10 Michelle – The New Standards
11 And Your Bird Can Sing – Rogue Valley
12 Dear Boy – P.O.S.
13 I Want To Hold Your Hand – Edison High School
14 Golden Slumbers – Communist Daughter
15 Hey Jude – Sounds Of Blackness
16 Good Night – Curtiss A’s D’Lando Flaques*ffaire *Rockestra

The CD is available in stores and online on 12.7.2010 in CD, mp3 and new, very limited-edition double vinyl formats. Sales of the CD help provide instruments for children in Minnesota public schools.  A CD release party for the album will take place on Wednesday, December 8 at First Avenue during Curtiss A's annual Tribute to John Lennon concert.

Melanie Walker, Music Director for The Current

Lonely Avenue - Ben Folds and Nick Hornby

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

This is one of the most visual recordings I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. Full disclosure—when I heard about this project for the first time I was very excited... but I was excited more about Nick Hornby than Ben Folds! I'm definitely a fan of Mr. Hornby's writing, and while I enjoyed the music of Ben Folds Five and the Fear Of Pop record, it's been almost a decade since I've purchased any of Ben Folds' solo material.

The first thing you'll notice about this collective effort is the packaging and the back and forth notes between Hornby and Folds, teasing the material of the final track, "Belinda." This almost made me want to listen to that song first, but that just wouldn't be right. It would be like reading the final page of a book to make sure there's a happy ending awaiting you. Don't get me wrong—there is a happy ending, but you have to wait for it and weather through some pain and darkness first.

Inside the CD, you'll find full lyrics along with a synopsis of each song, as well. Again, I didn't want to run through the "Cliff's Notes" version of this story before experiencing it. I encourage you to do the same. Journey through the self-deprecation, pain and imagery once without a map.

The disk starts off with "A Working Day." Anyone who creates for a living is fair game for someone who thinks that they can do what you do. Of course, not only could they do it better, but they can go onto their blog and tell the whole world about it! It's like this song was written for you, as "Some guy on the net thinks I suck, and he should know, he's got his own blog" is a powerful earworm!

We then take a painful, vivid look outside the window of a hospital room in London on New Year's Eve in "Picture Window." Through the pain and bitterness we're reminded that there is always hope.

Like me, you might find yourself feeling sorry for Bristol Palin's baby-daddy in "Levi Johnston's Blues." The liner notes say that the chorus is based on comments Levi made on his now defunct Facebook page. And you'll remember a few months ago he was just a teenager doing the things that teenagers do... Okay, maybe not all teenagers are going to go out and "kill some moose."

As we listen to "Doc Pomus," we might wonder if we're learning the secret to Doc Pomus' '50s and '60s hits. Was he people-watching while writing songs about the comings and goings of the clientele of a hotel when he wrote "This Magic Moment" or "Viva Las Vegas"?

You may have heard snippets of "Your Dogs" recently featured on William Shatner's latest TV series. It's as much about those people in your neighborhood that have the annoying, badly behaved dogs as it is about social acceptance through pushing your own values on someone else.

"Practical Amanda" contains a sweet message about the woman who holds a family together by taking care of the details that no one else can be bothered to attend to.

I am not a child of divorce, but as I listened to "Claire's Ninth," I could see and feel the nine year old girl suffering through an uncomfortable situation with her parents on her birthday. In Hornby's notes, he tells that this was the title of the first story he was paid to write, but before it was published, the magazine that bought it went out of business.

The first time I listened to "Password," I thought it was about a guy hacking into a girl's computer and developing an imaginary relationship with her thinking "I know everything about you, now." But after a couple of listens, I finally grasped the reality... This is about a suspicious guy who hacks into his girl's account only to find out that his suspicions were warranted, and he was really saying "It's because I know you, that I was able to discover what I was regretting. And now I don't know you at all."

By now we've all heard "From Above," a song about not realizing that the person we claim as our "soul mate" may not be. Maybe that one perfect person was someone we only met briefly along the way.

By the time "Saskia Hamilton" started playing, I realized that I was enjoying Ben Folds' voice and music just as much as the stories that he was telling. I swear Ben Folds is channeling the howl of someone else... Jack White? Brendan Benson? This could easily pass for a Raconteurs tune!

And alas, we've reached "Belinda." You can easily imagine that this song was written by Ben Folds because it tells the story of a rock star that wrote a song about his ex while they were still together and it became a hit. Years later, he and she are no longer together, but his audience still wants to hear the hit that he wrote for her. And he understands that people love the song and they want to hear the song when he performs live. He comes to grips with that, and he copes by imagining that each time he sings the chorus, he's actually sending out an apology for his infidelity and for breaking her heart. I couldn't help but wonder "Could this be 'Kate'?" This is where the happy ending comes in, as promised. No, there's no reconciliation, rainbows or unicorns. But there is a hidden track about a minute after the "Belinda" fades. It's a Beatle-esque little rocker that delves a little further into "Belinda."

I should mention that the this CD could/would/should feature an explicit language sticker. While much of the music is very poppy, I don't think you'd want to explain to the principal why your kid is singing the lyrics to "Levi Johnston's Blues."

Thank you Nick Hornby... for re-introducing me to Ben Folds!

Barb Abney, Host

Collapse Into Now - R.E.M.

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

As a teenager, I was totally bonkers about R.E.M. I adorned both bedroom and school locker with Michael Stipe's plaintive stare, and seeing them live for the first time—touring for Green—was a near-religious experience. Though my interest in the band cooled from rabid fervor to slow-burn love, I remained a fan in college, too—even through the growly weirdness of Monster and the sprawling, spooky New Adventures in Hi-Fi.

Then Bill Berry left the band, and I never really got over it. I gave the next four albums little more than fleeting listens (my loss, no doubt.) Sullenly, stubbornly, I listened to Murmur and Reckoning in the dark, pining for the days before Stipe's incomprehensible lyrics were printed on album sleeves (or searchable on the Internet.) And I prayed—not often, but periodically—that the band would come to its senses and make another Life's Rich Pageant. Naturally, when I heard rumors that R.E.M.'s fifteenth album was a "return to form," my interest was piqued. Had the saints of rock finally received this girl's secret prayer? Yes, and no. And yes. And partially.

Collapse Into Now got its title from Stipe's BFF Patti Smith, and it fits. For me, it conjures images of the band's thirty-year career careening into the present moment. And if the word "careening" also makes you think "car wreck," so be it. This album is a kind of car wreck, in ways both delightful and frustrating. Collapse Into Now launches with all the raucous bang a good album should. "Discoverer" swaggers into the room like a Monster out of the closet. The energetic "All the Best,' follows nicely. But by the third track, "Überlin," and its echoes of Automatic for the People's "Drive," I start to wonder if Collapse Into Now is merely an album of really decent R.E.M. covers.

Bear with me through the lower points: "It Happened Today" could've never happened and I'd have been okay. It's a "why not?" kind of song with a "why?" kind of chorus, and a wholly unnecessary Eddie Vedder cameo that you don't even notice until the very end. (Did someone think, "Michael Stipe's vocals just aren't emotive enough... bring in the Vedder!") "Every Day is Yours to Win" is pleasant enough, as is the soft shuffle of "Walk it Back."

"Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter" is a lesser "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," again with a cameo (Peaches) that doesn't add much. The final track, "Blue," is one big befuddler, with Stipe reciting lyrics over Patti Smith's crooning like it's open mic night at the coffeehouse. What was maybe intended to be a sort of answer to New Adventures in Hi-Fi's dazzling "E-Bow the Letter" ends up feeling like a cheap imitation.

But now to the high points. "Mine Smell Like Honey" sounds like early R.E.M and Superchunk had a really attractive baby. "That Someone is You" also fulfills, coating the crunchiness of IRS-era R.E.M. in a harmonic veneer that recalls The New Pornographers. The Decemberists recently paid tribute to R.E.M. with their album The King is Dead, and R.E.M. repays the favor with what could have easily been a gratifying Decemberists song, "Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I." The best moment, for me, is the fourth track, "Oh My Heart." Just as I was about to write off another latter-day R.E.M. album, this one got me in the gills. (Mandolin and accordion and Mike Mills' backing vocals like a shower of shiny silver coins? Damn you, R.E.M.)

Collapse Into Now isn't perfect, or groundbreaking, or even a complete return to form, but it proves that this band—in their thirty-first year—is still capable of making satisfying songs.

Jacquie Fuller, Host

Bad Time Zoo - Sims

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

A friend recently said something to the effect of: "2009 was a great year for P.O.S. Dessa ruled 2010. Look out 2011, here comes Sims!" ...and Sims is off to an incredible start with the recent release of Bad Time Zoo.

Allow me to make a prediction: Bad Time Zoo will be a big part of your summer soundtrack! You're going to hear the songs from Bad Time Zoo spilling out of car windows as they cruise down the road, from CD players and boomboxes in the parks and alleyways—and you can bet I'll be singing them as I'm walking through the grocery store. While we're waiting for those summer days to get here, though, we can start familiarizing ourselves with the tunes now, and perhaps it will make time go faster.

As you listen to Bad Time Zoo, notice the intricacies and the diversity of the musical layers. One second you may feel as if you're listening to the difficult harmonies of a Bulgarian choir over the frenzied percussion of a tribal drum circle. Then there'll be a lyrical nod to Grandmaster Flash, a reggae beat to ring in an ode to love that isn't "some big depressing mess," a screeching guitar lick that would make Eddie Van Halen proud, bridging the gap between metal and hip-hop. Bad Time Zoo literally has something for everyone.

There's nothing more appealing than a well-written record that was written by a well-read artist. After spending a few weeks with Bad Time Zoo and hearing numerous references to "The Veldt" I felt compelled to do some digging for the meaning of "The Veldt" and what I discovered was a 60-year-old Ray Bradbury short story. It's almost as if the story has waited all these decades for Bad Time Zoo, the perfect companion piece, to be written. Both Bradbury's story and this CD share some dark, nearly-apocalyptic overtones and commentary that draw you in. In a time when it's never been so easy to numb ourselves with outside stimuli—such as chemical addiction, a drive for status or becoming lost in the digital realm—we've become disconnected as a society. Sims is here to remind us of what's truly important. And in the end Sims' view is the more positive of the two. At least in Bad Time Zoo you have the opportunity to fix what's wrong with the way you live your life and move forward. Wake up! Money is not the answer! Connect with people, again. Do good things.

In my opinion, Bad Time Zoo is the story of a talented artist trying to spread a message of hope and thanks to the numerous local references (such as "the state where it rains purple," Loring Park and Peace Coffee) we can always claim him as one of our own and take pride in that as he spreads that message in the days to come.

These are my favorite tracks: "Future Shock", "Burn It Down", "In My Sleep", "Too Much", "The Veldt" and the hidden track "Staring Down The Ocean."

Barb Abney, Host

The King of Limbs - Radiohead

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Radiohead are a band with a knack for turning an album release into an event. 1998's OK Computer and 2000's Kid A (as well as the latter's sister album, Amnesiac, released the following year) were hailed for their fascinating synthesis of genres and trends as well as their epoch-capturing sense of both alienation and possibility. Ultimately, though, these releases were eventful by virtue of their stark breaks from the band's previous work. It was this sense of innovation, unexpectedness and radical self-redefinition that Radiohead gleefully cultivated and that soon became their calling card.

In some ways, their last album, 2007's In Rainbows, was the biggest event of all--less for its music (although it was some of the band's best ever) than for its surprise release and its infamous pay-what-you-please digital release model. In Rainbows circumvented not only the traditional model for marketing music but also the hype circuit which had assigned such massive relevance to their earlier work. Then, after nearly over three years of cryptic mumbling about their next release, the band announced on February 14 that their latest, The King of Limbs, would be released digitally in five days (though you'd have to pay for it this time).

Given how the suddenness of the King of Limbs announcement paralleled that of In Rainbows, it seemed that this album was destined to be another event. Instead, The King of Limbs is something a bit more like the band's 2003 LP Hail to the Thief: a chance for the band to pause and collect its thoughts and ideas and to draw upon their innovations without laboring under the expectation of crafting a masterpiece.

The King of Limbs consists of eight strange and understated songs. There are no anthems and no multi-part epics, no nostalgic returns to form and no game-changers. Instead, it's the kind of record that a band their age should and would make: modest in scope, yet unselfconscious, exploratory and wise.

What's most striking about these songs is their openness--and I mean that in every sense possible. There's a literal expansiveness of sonic space in this record's production, as if various instruments, whirring electronics and Thom Yorke's yearning voice were all moving in strange, shifting orbits, sometimes cavernously far apart yet sporadically reunited. The band also takes an eagerly inventive, wide-eyed approach to sound, erratically pulling in ramshackle polyrhythms, skewed loops, eerie digital effects and spare, gentle live instrumentation in dizzying combinations.

Perhaps the broadest sense in which this album feels open, though, is in the attitude Radiohead seems to evince. They sound unencumbered by their longtime status as an important band. Instead, with total goodwill towards each other and their audience, they've set about playing with their inspirations and fixations in whatever fashion they like, neither embracing pure experimentalism nor sticking to standard rock forms.

At first, The King of Limbs sounds underwhelming and even confusing. With repeat listens, it becomes clever and intricate. The first half of the album is the more difficult, insular one. Opener "Bloom" builds upon an uneasy piano loop with thudding, cluttered drums, Yorke's mournful wailing and what sounds like a sample from Kid A's "In Limbo." The band then dips into drowsy, nerve-wracked rock on "Morning Mr. Magpie" and "Little by Little." On these songs, the different instruments and the vocals often sound a bit out of sync with each other, creating a peculiar atmosphere.

"Feral," though, is the record's strangest moment, aping British electronic music's recent trends while approximating a live-band feel with its hurried percussion and throbbing, repetitive bassline. Yorke's vocals, meanwhile, are processed nearly beyond recognition, fluttering spectrally in and out of the mix.

Things really pick up steam on the record's second half. Single "Lotus Flower" is powered by a sinister groove, cryptic lyrics and Yorke's yearning vocals, building to a lovely emotional climax that recalls In Rainbows highlight "Reckoner." "Codex" is a slow piano song in the vein of Amnesiac's "Pyramid Song" or Hail to the Thief's "Sail to the Moon," but where those songs were frail and fraught, this one sounds genuine and lovely.

"Give Up the Ghost" is the album's high point. Swathed in reverb and anchored by a gentle acoustic guitar, the tune features a distant-sounding, constantly repeating sample of Yorke's falsetto singing "Don't hurt me/ don't haunt me." As he delivers the powerful lead vocal, a swarm of spectral, static-caked voices descends, dancing wraith-like around the song before the whole thing dissolves.

Closing track "Separator" is the most conventional Radiohead tune here. Powered by crisp, propulsive drumming, it's a beautiful mid-tempo number that sports a sprightly treble guitar figure redolent of Vampire Weekend. "Wake me up, wake me up, wake me up," Yorke croons, and indeed, the gnarled, playful experimentalism of the preceding tracks feel dreamlike in contrast to this clean, clear ballad.

"Separator" ends with the lyric, "If you think this is over, then you're wrong," which prompted fans disappointed by The King of Limbs to propose that more new music is on the way from the band. Indeed, Thom Yorke has long threatened to shift the band's focus to shorter albums and EPs, and this is the band's shortest album. "None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again," he told The Believer in 2009, adding that "we've actually got a good plan, but I can't tell you what it is, because someone will rip it off. But we've got this great idea for putting things out." So it's possible we'll get more music as a part of this album, or that was recorded during these sessions. Perhaps Radiohead will even take a route similar to Swedish singer Robyn's trio of Body Talk mini-albums last year, or maybe The King of Limbs' different formats (digital, vinyl, CD) will each contain different music.

For now, though, it's safest to assume that the eight songs released as The King of Limbs is all we'll get. And if that's the case, Radiohead may have finally abandoned the album as event, instead giving us exactly the album they wanted to make--no more, no less.

Peter Valelly, Web Producer

21 - Adele

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Boys—and particularly the heartbreak they've caused—are the centerpiece of the new sophomore album from Adele, the 22-year-old British singer-songwriter and 2009 Best New Artist winner at the Grammy's. Just as she did with her debut Mercury Prize-nominated release 19, this album is called 21 after her age when she wrote it.

21 focuses upon the demise of relationships and the feelings, thoughts and confusion involved, while avoiding sounding like one big cliché. At the same time, it's her voice that stands out throughout the album. With a mix of blues, gospel and disco throughout, Adele's rich and versatile vocals tie the variety of genres together, which is especially evident in her first single, "Rolling in the Deep."

Adele worked with a variety of producers on 21, including the famous producer Rick Rubin, who has produced artists ranging from Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Beastie Boys, but she also worked with Florence and the Machine cohort Paul Epworth and our local favorite, Dan Wilson, who not only produced but co-wrote several songs including achingly beautiful "Don't You Remember" and the unforgettable, heart-stopping ballad, "Someone Like You."

Instead of hitting the infamous "sophomore slump," Adele seems to have been able to maintain her authenticity while still evolving not only as a musician but a person as well.

Lindsay Kimball, Programming Coordinator

100 Lovers - DeVotchKa

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The cover for DeVotchKa's newest album, 100 Lovers, depicts drummer Shawn King gliding over the desert, buoyed by two umbrellas. It's an image that is whimsical, evocative—and obviously staged. It stands as a fitting metaphor for DeVotchKa's trademark sonic blend: a swirl of influences from Europe, Mexico, and the American folk tradition, all served up by an unassuming quartet from the unassuming city of Denver.

DeVotchKa's music is part of a trend that includes artists like Andrew Bird, Beirut, Calexico and Gogol Bordello, seemingly sprung from an alternate reality in which the British Invasion never reached American shores and yet the alternative movement flourished anyway. Their sound is rich with horns, violins, accordions, flamenco guitars, and other assorted bits of instrumentation that waft in and out of various songs. One of their most famous songs, "Till the End of Time," capitalized on the whistling trend of the mid-2000s and was featured prominently in the film Little Miss Sunshine; the film helped the band reach greater prominence and allow them to transition to the acclaimed ANTI- label.

100 Lovers could be divided into three "movements". The first four songs drift through various hopes and insecurities of what might either be a burgeoning or fading love affair. A brief instrumental interlude follows, giving way to a pair of up-tempo tracks, eventually closing with another batch of torch songs. While the middle "movement" is the briefest, it is also the most compelling. The propulsive, jagged guitar lines of "The Man from San Sebastian" recall Joy Division, of all bands. Aided by the guitars and equally nervy accordions, the song exudes mystery and a hint of danger. "Exhaustible" has an almost Beatle-esque chord progression, augmented by a children's choir. Lest we not recognize that we're listening to a children's choir, once the song ends, we hear the kids burst into laughter during the fade. It seems like every band utilizes this little trick with choirs, and it's dangerously close to becoming a cliche.

I was a little surprised that a band this entrenched in their own distinctive sound could even approach the realm of cliche, largely in the relatively underwhelming final third of the record. At various times, the album sounds like the Magnetic Fields' "World Love," which deliberately aimed to parody (albeit affectionately) those modern rock musicians who attempted to emulate multiculturalism by grafting on various "world music" affectations. The half-baked Spanglish of "Ruthless" seems particularly dispiriting coming from a band that has seamlessly incorporated Mexican influences before. "Contrabanda" aims to juxtapose a volatile relationship with the volatile controversy surrounding the U.S./Mexico border, but winds up petering out before any conclusions can be reached. DeVotchKa's sound has become a signature sound over the past decade, so it may well be that they are becoming bored with that sound themselves.

When we began playing the quasi-title track, "100 Other Lovers," it failed to register with me for the first 3-4 times. As I listened to the album, though, it began to take shape. The band reaches various peaks and valleys over four minutes, driven by a subtle, almost Krautrock-ish keyboard loop. My own experience with the title track will probably mirror the listening experience for many with the album: a slow-burning collection of songs that will appeal to anyone looking for something just a little bit different.

Mac Wilson, Host

Angles - The Strokes

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The Strokes' fourth album, Angles, comes on the heels of a five-year band hiatus that saw numerous solo projects and sparked doubt over whether the band would ever record together again. Now, a new narrative has apparently been put in place: this is supposedly their most collaborative effort to date, infused with a new spark and confidence that makes it their best album since their 2001 debut, Is This It. I mean, listen to their return to that stripped-back sound, and all the band members have writing credits, as opposed to Julian Casablancas writing all the songs! While this is the narrative they'd like us to swallow, other articles suggest far more fractious recording sessions, and raise new doubts over the band's long-term prospects. So who do we believe?

I believe the closest spiritual cousin to Angles is Weezer's 2001 self-titled album, colloquially known as "the Green Album". In both cases, a beloved alternative band went on what seemed at the time like an indefinite hiatus, and returned five years later with a collection of songs that aimed to display all the band's strengths and renewed fertility at once. In the case of Angles, you'll hear plenty of the band's signature double-guitar attack from Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi, augmented by slick synths and the constantly-improving rhythm section of bassist Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fab Moretti. In several cases, Casablancas has re-added filters to his voice, making large sections of the lyrics largely unintelligible (even his signature bellowed choruses). On the surface, it really does sound like the natural evolution of the classic Strokes sound, taken into the second decade of the 21st century (and the band!). But like the Green Album, once the initial rush and novelty wear off, you may be asking yourself, "the band had five years to work on this, and this is the best they could come up with?" Weezer, as it turns out, entered a newly fertile period of their career, steadily releasing albums over the next decade; unfortunately, the Green Album retroactively turned out to be their post-Pinkerton peak. One of the oft-repeated quotes from the band this time around is that they'd like to record albums on a more frequent basis; hopefully, they can avoid Weezer's pratfalls.

It's odd, because ordinarily, a review would have ended with the preceding paragraph, which would be a tremendous disappointment to you all, being as I've hardly described the album itself. So I'll take a cue from the album title and take a different angle in looking at Angles.

The Strokes wound up being an inadvertently vital band for me. Is This It helped spearhead the indie/alternative renaissance of the early 2000s, which also happened to be when I began my plunge into the indie/alternative world. I think the Strokes wound up influencing more bands that we give them credit for, a fact which became apparent the first time I heard lead single "Under Cover of Darkness". The song is underpinned by a series of brash rhythms and guitar riffs, and I initially wrote it off as a Phoenix rip-off. Then I thought about it some more, and realized how much of Phoenix's recent sound is directly attributable to the Strokes. So now the Strokes are ripping off what was a Strokes rip-off in the first place. A return to form, see??!

Another interesting feature is the band's strange fascination with spy-movie themes, a la "Juicebox" from First Impressions of Earth. "You're So Right" and "Metabolism" each employ nervy bass parts and jittery guitars. Synthesizers also work their way into Angles in various capacities, with "Games" in particular settling into an almost Cut Copy-esque breakdown. Opener "Machu Picchu" and closer "Life Is Simple in the Moonlight" also benefit from remarkably tight grooves, some of the best the band has done. You're also going to read plenty of folks making Cars comparisons, but no matter how much you read it, it will still be a startling moment when Casablancas' voice jumps out at you and you'll think, "My god, he really does sound like Ric Ocasek!" "Call Me Back" is the archetypal languid ballad appearing 2/3 of the way through the record, and I like the track quite a bit; it recalls the lazy-day feeling of Moretti & Hammond's solo projects.

While Angles might not wholly live up to expectations, it’s still an entertaining album that works even better in individual doses. I can picture all ten of these songs spending time on the Current playlist. Maybe they’re destined to follow Weezer in another way: as a ruthlessly effective singles band. As Casablancas sings on the final track, “Don’t try to stop us, don’t try to stop us, don’t try to stop us, GET OUT OF THE WAY.”

Mac Wilson, Host

The Party Ain't Over - Wanda Jackson

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

For those unacquainted with Wanda Jackson—Ms. Jackson, if you're nasty—she's the reigning Queen of Rockabilly, with a career that started over 50 years ago. She's cut country, rockabilly and gospel records; toured the world over (at times with Elvis Presley, a one-time romance); and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a couple of years ago as an Early Influence.

With such a storied and popular early career, it's no surprise that, in 2009, Jack White, erstwhile singer/guitarist of the White Stripes, approached her to do a split single for his Third Man record label. They put together a rendition of Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" backed with "Shakin' All Over," an old Rockabilly tune by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. The single was a success on vinyl and on iTunes, and the two easily came up with nine more covers to round out an album.

What's great about this record, compared to Jackson's older recordings, is the band. The older albums brought her voice to the fore, and the band stayed low in the mix, rarely deviating from the music as it was written. With The Party Ain't Over, Jackson's voice is still strong, soulful and gritty; but the music, too, is vibrant and provocative. Tracks like "Busted" show the band having fun with a carnivalesque theme, and even "Rum and Coca-Cola," which starts out as a rather ho-hum rendition of the original, has the band kicking into a boozy party jam only 20 seconds in. It's as if they'd taken Wanda's signature song "Let's Have a Party" to heart—and Jackson is clearly loving it too, especially on Dylan's "Thunder on the Mountain."

There truly is something for everyone here. Longtime fans of Wanda Jackson will be satisfied, as will Jack White completists (as the band's axe-man, he delivers several facemelting guitar solos). The band is tight, and since it's all covers, the songwriting is above par. The Party Ain't Over isn't just a clever name for an album, this is a great party record, and would fit in at any gathering of folks at any age.

Brett Baldwin, Senior Web Producer

Content - Gang of Four

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Gang of Four—the Leeds, England-based rock legends—are open for business with a new album. Content is the band's first new material in 16 years. The band has a sound of its own invention, featuring leftist lyrics set to a punky, funky, serious groove you can actually dance to. And not just slam dancing either!

Gang of Four is often considered a leader of the late 1970s/early 1980s post-punk movement, and they remain highly influential. Just ask Michael Stipe of R.E.M., or Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. You can hear the band's influence today on a whole new generation of indie-rock bands from Franz Ferdinand to Bloc Party, Clinic and the Rapture.

The "fan-funded" Content is still everything you'd want from Gang of Four. Jon King's jittery vocals battle it out with Andy Gill's rap, alongside his jagged guitar riffs. The group's new rhythm section keeps it funky and danceable.

King and Gill are into their '50s and haven't lost a step musically. Check out the urgency on "You'll Never Pay For the Farm," which might be about the banking crisis. They may have softened their leftist stance a bit, but there are still plenty of wrongs to right. Gang of Four touches on topics like the evils of the Internet, and the debt crisis. The band takes on everything but the kitchen sink on one of the album highlights, "Who Am I." King sings, "Who can lie when everything is true?/Who wants old when everything is new?/Who am I when everything is me?"

It's not all about the urgency. One of the album's more interesting tracks, "Fruitfly In the Beehive," shows a more easy-going vibe, but still contains powerful words. "And when the true believers die/more and more get born again/If the queen can't cope at all there's a number she can call."

Three decades in, Gang of Four are still delivering the goods. Music with a message that you makes you wanna shake your groove thing! Keep on keeping on, guys!

Bill DeVille, Host>

Kiss Each Other Clean - Iron and Wine

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

If Brian Wilson wanted the Beach Boys' Smile to be a "teenage symphony to God," it may be that Sam Beam has managed to write such a symphony for grown-ups on the latest offering from Iron and Wine, Kiss Each Other Clean. With the recording studio as his orchestra, Beam and his collaborators have made the most sonically baroque, filigreed Iron and Wine album yet -- a pop tapestry that melds Beam's grainy, overcast intimacy with a palette of colors more intensely HDTV than he's ever utilized before. That those colors aren't always found in nature should not be perceived as a drawback.

Kiss Each Other Clean may illicit even more of the familiar grousing about Sam Beam's continued progression away from the minimalist aesthetic he established on Iron and Wine's 2002 debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle, but again, that's missing the point; the shingle outside Beam's workshop no doubt reads "Gorgeous Songs For Any Budget," whether it's the scratchy, hiss-laden musings of his early work or the sparkling sound-stages of his recent output. 2007's The Shepherd's Dog declared quite plainly that Beam had no intentions of becoming a lo-fi self-parody, with its bell-like production and meticulous instrumental arrangements. This time, Beam ventures further into the dense forest of recording studio possibilities, finding ever more advanced levels of songwriting and production synergy -- like a genius director lining up just the right actors, script, cinematographer, locations, editors and everything else and letting the whole machine hum along under his skilled guidance (Beam's producer, Brian Deck, has been his trusted partner in this aural adventure since Our Endless Numbered Days). This isn't mere sonic tinkering; it's almost a kind of meticulously ecstatic action-painting, sounding like it was conceived in a headrush of gee-whiz creative joy. At times, it's some of the most elegant, velvety pop cotton-candy you've likely heard in a while.

One thing that this record doesn't sound like, though, is live. These songs are studio artifacts through and through; instruments make the briefest appearances before disappearing again, materializing only for the most immediate aural titillation. Anonymous saxophones sound four notes and then vanish; choirs of multi-Sams appear in reedy treble panned hard left only to evaporate moments later. "Monkeys Uptown" melds LCD Soundsystem-esque drum machines and synth blurps with Tom Waits-ian xylophone and Stevie Wonder funk clavichord. "Half Moon" finds that magical split-second when Fleetwood Mac might have actually made something sublime and layers it with a warm rain of country-guitar and an angelic pop chorale hovering overhead. "Rabbit Will Run" mingles African thumb-piano, flute, Talk Talk distorto-organ blasts, wah-wah guitar, and ... slide whistle. Again, if this were all just a collection of its mad components, it would be the most ungodly cacophony punishable by public stoning. Sam Beam makes it music.

We so often perceive stylistic metamorphosis as the product of regrettable decisions -- or simply self-conscious change for its own sake -- when many times it's precisely what we (at least tell ourselves) want from our artists: the surrendering to inspiration in the pursuit of what delights their ears and hearts, and presumably, will subsequently do the same for ours. With Kiss Each Other Clean, the outer trappings that make up Iron and Wine may have changed a bit more once again, but it's merely the house that's morphing, not its inhabitant. Sam Beam's sweet, soulful vision remains intact -- playing no longer as the sideshow but the grand, magnificent center ring.

Steve Seel, Host

The King is Dead - The Decemberists

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

The cover for the Decemberists' new record, The King Is Dead, shows a forest glen bathed in an inviting amber glow, as if to depict a radiating lightness after the comparatively dark (and thorny) Hazards of Love. After several albums of increasingly complex compositions, intricate instrumentation, and byzantine plots, the band has made a clear effort to dial things back to make a tight, concise compilation of songs that will appeal to both the rock crowd and the folk element. It's a fresh-sounding, captivating record that goes down as smoothly as a refreshing glass of beer (which, not coincidentally, also mirrors the color of the sky on the cover).

It's interesting to view this album in the wake of The Hazards of Love — arguably the most elaborate rock opera since Tommy — which garnered mixed reviews. Some admired the craft and commitment, while others felt it marked the precise moment the Decemberists stepped over the line and into the realm of self-parody. It's easy to envision The King Is Dead's relative brevity as a reaction to Hazards, then again, it may just be the sound of a band willing to shake things up and take it in a different direction. Frontman Colin Meloy has described these songs as being more like a collection of short stories, rather than the long, interconnected plots of the past (at least I think he said this; I believe it was in an interview I haven't been able to find since, otherwise I would have properly cited it). Without the burden of a plot, it becomes easier to simply enjoy each song on its own merits.

If anything, I feel like the band may have pulled back on the reins a little too much. With an title that directly mirrors the Smiths' The Queen Is Dead, I'd actually expect something overly ambitious, in an attempt to play off the classics of the past. One of the most impressive — and frustrating — songs for me is "This Is Why We Fight", which takes its name from a series of U.S. World War II propaganda films, and shares its name with a running feature on Pitchfork Media about the state of indie music. The song could have been a sweeping manifesto about the role of popular music in the 21st century, but it gets bogged down in vague phrases and many subsequent repetitions of the title. The "This" is never explained, and it feels like a missed opportunity.

While all the songs are pleasant, I find myself wishing for a little more depth in the lyric department. This has always been an issue with me and the Decemberists: Meloy writes some very thick songs that range from the fantastic — to the historical — to the mythological, and it's difficult to determine whether they stand on their own or actually signify an even greater metaphor. I spent months trying to figure out what The Hazards of Love was a metaphor for, and found myself disappointed that the story was largely based on classic English folk tales of a shapeshifting princes. Then again, I was approaching it from an English major's perspective, and in all reality, it's more appropriate to enjoy each song for the little story it is.

I've gotten my criticisms out of the way now, and can get back to properly focusing on the strengths of the album, which are many. The band takes on a looser, more expansive sound that shakes off Hazards' clinical choreography. I enjoyed being surprised by which instruments would make sudden appearances in which songs — fiddles, harmonicas, accordions, booming drums, and majestic guitar lines. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck guests on three songs; without his participation, the band probably would have been lambasted for cannibalizing the past, but with him, it feels like a passing of the baton to take up the Old Weird America mantle of alternative music. "Calamity Song" is as effective batting from the #2 spot as "These Days" was on Lifes Rich Pageant 25 years ago: a relentlessly hard-driving rocker with apocalyptic overtones. "Down by the Water" bears great similarities to "The One I Love", but in place of the latter's cathartic payoff ("FYYYY-ERRRRR-ERRRRR!"), Meloy wearily laments "the season rubs me wrong," implying a general malaise that might linger between seasons. Accordingly, we get a pair of "Hymnss, one for January and one for June.

As I was finishing this review, I checked the review that Greg Kot (of Sound Opinions) had written for his website. Like me, he alluded to the band "reining in" its sound, prominently utilized the adjective "concise," made the same two R.E.M. comparisons, and even name-dropped the same instruments. I take this as a sign that The King Is Dead will touch most people in the same ways: as a breezy, enjoyable album that cuts down on the details and focuses on the pleasurable aspects of music and life. This is a solid way to ring in 2011.

Mac Wilson, Host

Lucinda Williams - Blessed

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

• Contribute today and get Blessed by Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams is one of the most respected artists of the last 30 years. She has always written songs straight from the heart, not afraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way—and probably even making a few ex-boyfriends blush. In recent years, Lucinda got married. Many of us were worried she would run out of subject matter. No worries here, it turns out!

Lucinda Williams' 10th album is called Blessed. It's certainly an optimistic title, but that doesn't mean that this is her wedded bliss album. She opens the album with guns blazing on "Buttercup," which is a kiss-off song to an old lover. Lucinda delivers lines like, "You'll never cop to the damage that's been done/You'll never stop cuz it's too much fun." That's what she does best.

Though her love life is stable, she's not lacking material for her lyrics. Death also comes up as a major theme on Blessed. The song "Copenhagen" might well be about her old manager who passed away a couple of years ago. The song sounds as it could be an entry straight out of her diary. It's a beautiful tune with its multi-layered guitars. Lucinda Williams also tries to make sense of her friend Vic Chesnutt's suicide on another album highlight, the majestic rocker "Seeing Black."

War is also on her mind. "Soldier's Song" is a somber number. It's a tale of what it might be like on the front lines, shooting at the enemy, while the family is back home going to baseball games. Elvis Costello adds some sweet electric guitar on this one. The album also boasts guests like Greg Leisz, who adds his tasty steel licks to much of the album.

Lucinda Williams isn't afraid to branch out on Blessed. She delivers an almost Billie Holliday-esque vocal on the smoldering, "Born To Be Loved," where she sings, "You weren't born to be mistreated/ You weren't born to be misguided/ You were born to be loved."

After listening to the album, I realize, we are the ones who are blessed. Lucinda William's latest is first rate! Hunker-down and listen!

Bill DeVille, Host

Outside - Tapes n' Tapes

Posted at 5:16 PM on March 28, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Let's get this out of the way: having been lauded as the newest, bestest band out there and having taken a critical beating for their follow-up, this band has seen both sides of the blogosphere and they've lived to tell the story.

Upon the expiration of their agreement with XL Records, Tapes 'N Tapes were free to self-release Outside, their third full-length record, on their own independent label, Ibid Records. To say they have returned to where they began would be somewhat apropos, but an understatement.

"Returning to roots" always conjures images of the downtrodden that have come back to their hometown because they had no other choice. In this instance, "returning to roots" simply means they're back to recording in Minneapolis, recording exactly what they want and doing it how they want to do it!

I know that the phrase "something for everyone" often gets thrown around all willy-nilly, but it's the best and easiest way to sum up this recording. You'll find what might just be a conversation you're eavesdropping on, storytelling at its best, a delicate yet spacey little ditty, a taste of something tropical, screaming guitars and Josh's infectious vocal stylings—all in this one record! And if you've had the chance to catch these guys live in the last few months, you'll recognize a tune or two on Outside.

To close, here's my track-by-track cheat sheet to look at while you listen to the roecord (Mind you, this list was compiled and scrawled during numerous car rides and any comparison to other bands/artists is purely meant as a compliment). Enjoy!

• 1) "Badaboom" XTC? YES
• 2) "SWM" Down home with a melodica
• 3) "One in the World" Viva Las Vegas!
• 4) "Nightfall" Horns (In fact, I had to turn this down for a second because I thought someone was blowing at me.)
• 5) "Desert Plane" Storytelling with bombasity
• 6) "Outro" Geetar wailing
• 7) "Freak Out" Freak out
• 8) "The Saddest of All Keys" Pure sexy Tapes
• 9) "Hidee Ho" Dark 'n 'delicate
• 10) "People You Know" Is Orbisonian a word?
• 11) "On and On" Weirdly warped piano
• 12) "Mighty Long" Happy music/sad words?

Barb Abney, Host

CD Review: Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee pt Two

Posted at 9:45 AM on May 16, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

It's almost impossible to overstate the importance and the influence of The Beastie Boys in the world of hip hop and more importantly, in popular culture over the past quarter century. For many of us, they were the first real introduction to the form.

MTV delivered version 1.0 of The Beastie Boys into the hearts and homes of pretty much everyone in America as if "Fight For Your Right" was a hip hop infomercial and they had skin in the game. While this placed them in the company of hip hop originators in the minds of many, the truth is that they were first in line for hip hop's second wave, following the trail blazed by legends like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kurtis Blow and The Sugarhill Gang.

Although they cannot be counted among hip hop's creators, The Beastie Boys cannot be overlooked as innovators. And though their introduction to the world came courtesy of a record that was made for the masses (Rolling Stone said "Three Idiots Create a Masterpiece"), the band parlayed that success into a career of advocating for the redefinition of hip hop's somewhat limited stylistic boundaries, always challenging their fans to keep up. This resulted in a series of amazing albums, one of which was a bona fide masterpiece. More than that, The Beastie Boys have defined "cool" in so many different ways for the larger part of three decades. In their aesthetic and image, in their attitude and sense of humor, with regards to social awareness and political activism, and most importantly through sound, The Beastie Boys keep finding the new angles and bringing it to their fans.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is the 8th full-length album that the group has released. It was originally scheduled to come out back in September of 2009. Titled Hot Sauce Committee, Pt.1 at that point, the album's release had to be postponed when member MCA was diagnosed with cancer. Almost two years have passed since that album's first two singles — "Lee Majors Come Again" and "Too Many Rappers" — were released, the second of which was nominated for a Grammy. Now, allegedly with the same track list as Pt. 1, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two has finally arrived. Got it?

With MCA on the mend, the Beastie's latest finds the group exploring a hybrid of live instrumentation and sampled sounds that made records like Check Your Head and Ill Communication sound like nothing you'd ever heard before — in hip hop or anywhere else. The aforementioned semi-hardcore homage to The Six Million Dollar Man "Lee Majors Come Again" would be right at home on either of those albums. For the most part, that's where the obvious similarities to most of their previous albums end. Not to say that this album doesn't sound immediately like The Beastie Boys. It does. However, one of the group greatest skills is always showing up for the dance with a new amazing outfit; digs different from anything you've seen them in before, but something that subtly references all of their previous aesthetic endeavors. HSCPT is no exception. Heavily manipulated vocal tracks are the hallmark of the Hot Sauce Committee sound. Distorted vocals a la "So What'cha Want" on tracks like "Say It", "Tadlock's Glasses", and "Crazy Ass Sh*t" and a Lee Perry-esque dub finish with occasional digital and metallic feedback on just about everything else make deciphering the lyrics somewhat difficult. Thankfully, the liner notes include a color-coded lyric sheet so you don't miss any of the inside jokes, the pop culture references, and which might allow you and your two best friends to work on karaoke versions in the privacy of your own home. There's the odd vignette like "The Bill Harper Collection", "The Larry Routine" and, my personal favorite, "The Lisa Lisa / Full Force Routine" reminding you that the boys vocation will always be as much fun for them as it is for you. Bong rattling bass, big John Bonham beats, and laser-like keyboard hooks keep things fun from front to back.

The collaboration with Santigold, "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" is as close to reggae as The Beastie Boys have ever come and is potentially the best track on the album. As is the other collaboration on Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, a slightly reworked "Too Many Rappers" which features Nas, though it tends to make the boys look a little sluggish lyrically.

All in all, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is a fine effort. More importantly it is a long awaited reintroduction to three guys now in their mid 40's who have been setting the pace for more than 25 years. Three guys who are still in love with sound.

—David Campbell

Contribute to The Current and get this CD as a thank you gift

Related Features

CD Review: Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Posted at 1:33 PM on May 9, 2011 by The Current (1 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

Somewhere, at some point, something changed. It was undoubtedly the whole Vietnam/Nixon/Watergate axis, a triple-whammy of disillusionment that came on the heels of the earlier one-two punch of the MLK/Robert Kennedy assassinations. Eventually, the sense of hope, of possibility, of revolution, that had given birth to the hippies, to flower power, to massive upheavals in culture, society, music, art, language, to an explosion of mind-expanding change that felt like the universe itself was cracking open and finally, surely, there was freedom, hope, a future of a thousand beautiful sunrises—one day, that future was gone. The future that was glimpsed in shafts of sunlight and expressed musically in the vocal harmonies of CSNY and Yes and The Mammas and The Papas, the summer-of-love lyrics of Scott Mackenzie in "If You're Going To San Francisco," the Indian-modal-sitar experimentations of George Harrison and The Moody Blues on In Search Of The Lost Chord, that future was snuffed out, left behind for good, dead, buried, filed away with one final, resigned exhalation: the death of a dream. And with that dream, an entire vocabulary of music died as well. Not the dialectic of hope itself in pop music, but a kind of innocence as it was expressed in music in that particular time, from the late '60s to about 1972.

The intervening years have produced a kaleidoscope of sounds in pop music, from the plastic soul of Bowie to the thump of disco, from the snarls of punk to the bloated gestures of arena rock to the blurps and beeps of Kraftwerk and Devo and a thousand other musical forms. But through it all, a certain kind of sonic language lay hibernating beneath it— not dead after all, in fact, but sleeping in amber.

When I listen to the music of Fleet Foxes, I hear something that I haven't heard since I was a very young boy. I want to be clear: I am not suggesting that Robin Pecknold or his band is seeking to commune in their own music with the socio-political-religious wavelength I described above. In fact, I'm not going to deal with the lyrical content of Pecknold's songs (you can stone me later). To me, it's far more fascinating how this band has re-harnessed a sound that, it seems, hasn't even been attempted in over 40 years—and not only that, that they've done it with such an equally (and stunningly) anachronistic lack of irony. It's like Pecknold somehow opened up a wormhole in time, stepped into 1968, and came back two weeks later genetically altered—turned into a man who had never heard any of the music that has been created in the past four decades, and attuned like a savant to the aesthetic gestalt of a singular moment in musical art.

At this point, you'd be within your rights to ridicule me for foisting this load of pompous hoo-ha upon you. OK, fine. Indeed, I've not even discussed the record itself. Have I even listened to it? Oh yes. Over and over and over again. Helplessness Blues is just as wondrous as Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut and Sun Giant EP, and then some (a bit more adventurous, with a slightly broader palette of choices in arrangement and production) but in all, it sounds like a second sun inhabiting the same sky as the debut LP. A massive, orange, radiant thing, gleaming with burnished harmonies and beating down on sumptuous aural meadows and hillsides, an emotional headspace summed up by Pecknold's line in the title track (okay, here come some lyrics after all): "If I had an orchard, I'd work 'til I'm sore." You can not write a line like that, and set it to soaring folk-rock like this, and exist in the same headspace as the prevailing musical language of the past 40 years. Elsewhere, I imagine reviewers entertaining themselves with derisive mocking about music made in barns redolent with ganja, guitars festooned with daisies, and a band oh-so-preciously mining a vein best left sealed forever. Sure.

To me, Fleet Foxes are welcome visitors from a musically benevolent dimension, from a time when rock and folk and country and pot and hallucinogens and love and the wonders of the multi-track recording studio were coming together in a spirit of innocent and earnest exploration and expression. Whatever you think of the supposedly rosy, bleary notions of peace and love and the whole quaint we-are-stardust-we-are-golden thing that gave rise to that music, that sound was gorgeous. To my ears, it's very, very nice to hear somebody speaking that language.

— Steve Seel, host

Contribute today and get this album as a thank you gift.

Comment on this post

CD Review: Low - C'mon

Posted at 12:01 AM on May 2, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week, Local

The band that helped put the Duluth music community on the map returns after four years since the release of Drums and Guns. The trajectory of Low's existence appears to be a mirror image of their music — patient and persistent.

In 2005, after the release of their sixth album, Trust, Low signed to Sub Pop Records and released The Great Destroyer. For fans, it was a long overdue recognition of a band that has championed the sounds of slowcore, a sound that few bands have perfected. Sub Pop brought changes for Low, as they brought on producer Dave Fridmann and their longtime bass player Zack Sally exited the band.

Low's ninth album is a true return to form. With the help of guitarist Nels Cline (Wilco), and banjo player Dave Carrol (Trampled By Turtles), the band used Sacred Heart Studios (housed in a church in Duluth) to create what might be the the best album of their career. C'mon opens with the dreamy and precious sounds and lyrics of "Try to Sleep", the song that has received widespread national attention due a music video starring actor John Stamos.

Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker trade off leading the vocals throughout the ten tracks on the album creating a dialogue that draws you in. Like previous albums, the lyrics are a collection of poems and short stories. The emotions conveyed in these songs are both personal and universal. On "Especially Me", Parker sings, "if we knew where we belong, there'd be no doubt where we're from, but as it stands we don't have a clue, especially me, and probably you." When you are tired of following the message underneath the surface, C'mon delivers a range of sonic diversity. From the naked sounds on "You See Everything", to the epic encore chorus in "Nothing But Heart", Low wears their musical talents on their sleeves.

-David Safar, Co-Music Director

Contribute now and get C'mon by Low.

CD Review: The Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Posted at 11:59 PM on April 24, 2011 by The Current (2 Comments)
Filed under: CD of the Week

Only a few decades out, '90s nostalgia is back with a vengeance. Pearl Jam are reissuing their back catalog. There's a Clinton in the White House (er, well, in the State Department). And just when you thought it was safe to take a shower and put on a clean shirt, even fashion is paying homage to the grunge era, bringing back black nail polish, scuffed up Doc Martens and slouchy flannel shirts.

While grunge trends have found somewhat of a rebirth, so has one of the biggest alternative rock bands. The Foo Fighters are back with a seventh album and with an impressive career now spanning 20 years. Wasting Light is the group's first return to the studio since 2007. With the '90s making its big comeback, it made perfect sense that Dave Grohl and crew waxed nostalgic by bringing in rock producer Butch Vig. Butch is known not only for his work with Nirvana on Nevermind but also for having manned the boards for Sonic Youth and the Smashing Pumpkins. Wasting Light was recorded entirely with analog equipment in Dave Grohl's basement. No joke. To make matters even more serendipitous, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, Hüsker Dü's Bob Mould and the Germs' Pat Smear, who played with the Foo Fighters from 1994 to '97, all appear on Wasting Light.

Foo Fighters never feel like a backward-looking band. While I wouldn't call them one of rock's biggest innovators, they are always slowing advancing forward. Wasting Light marks a return to their roots and has them arriving at the post grunge sound Dave Grohl was always attempting to achieve. Wasting Light does possess hefty rock & roll throw-down tracks, and still delivers those catchy, pummeling anthems they're known for. The album varies from all-out thrashers like "White Limo" to more ballad-like tracks such as "These Days" and the duet with Bob Mould on "Dear Rosemary."

I'll be frank with you. I've never really considered myself a die-hard Foo Fighters fan. After the death of Kurt Cobain and the end of Nirvana, I found myself too shell-shocked and disappointed with the state of commercial alternative rock music to really be a fan any longer. Grunge went from a good time to just a sloppy mess quickly. My romance with the world of alternative rock was memorable but brief and I ended up instead following the careers of '90s post-punk bands like Pavement, Dinosaur Jr and Teenage Fanclub while the Foo Fighters became the arena rock behemoth that they now are. But on this new album I found that producer Butch Vig's trademark analog recordings gave the Foo Fighters a fresh new sound that's not necessarily reinventing the wheel but defiantly keeps it rolling. On Wasting Light, the Foo Fighters prove that they are still one of the most influential rock bands of the past few decades and still very much relevant.

– Melanie Walker, Co-Music Director

Contribute now and get Wasting Light by the Foo Fighters.

Comment on this post

CD Review: TV On The Radio - 9 Types of Light

Posted at 12:01 AM on April 18, 2011 by The Current
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week

"Every lover on a mission shifted your known position due to the light" is the chorus reminder on "Second Song," the song that kick starts the latest album from TV On The Radio. The "art rock" group busted out on the Brooklyn scene back in 2002 with the release of Ok Calculator, making it clear that they had a message behind their music. It was raw and unhinged, the music spastic behind the controlled lyrics voiced by duel vocalists Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe. Whither they were talking politics, science, or socio-economic issues there was a cynical, ironic twist to almost every song. It's what drew such critical and public acclaim. They were a dancey Rage Against The Machine. In that way, Nine Types of Light is a very different album. Musically they are still creating jittery overly-caffeinated layers of bass, loops, horns and vocals. Lyrically, however, it sounds like they are just having fun.

And that's not to say it's lacking meaning in any way. The meaning is there, it just sounds like some battles have been fought and now they are surveying the damage that was and feeling pretty happy about making it out alive. The beautiful and gentle "Killer Crane" is the break mid-album giving us Tunde's love song that could be a new lullaby. He coos, "sunshine I saw you through the hanging vine...suddenly unafraid." The build of ohhs and ahhs in the background giving the entire song an angelic and heaven sent feeling. Kyp's love song comes earlier in the album with "Keep Your Heart", Kyp's voice reminds me of The National's Matt Berninger with it's lazy swagger on this track. This is a straight up love song. It's simple and plaintive, there isn't a metaphor for the lyrics to hide behind and it holds up beautifully without one. My favorite of the love songs, yes there are a few to choose from, is "You." Another plaintive and unafraid message from Tunde repeating, "you're the only one I've ever loved," Dave Sitek's production keeps the song moving and with minimal lyrics there's plenty going on musically to keep things from being monotonous.

Do you like your TV On The Radio for your Friday night jam? Don't worry there's still plenty to sweat to. There's the Prince-esque "New Cannonball Blues" with Kyp and Tunde hitting the highest highs and lowest lows. Sexy and smooth bass and drums kicking it with a bleeting synth is the perfect way to get a party going. And there is still some politics going on, likening LA to an apocalyptic world in "Forgotten," asking "Nuclear winter. What should we wear and who's for dinner?" There's enough witting one liners to put a smile on the snarkiest faces.

If you're a TV On The Radio fan, you'll enjoy this and if you've been kept away by just the idea of an "art rock" band, this is the album to try. If there can be a theme that's running through this album it is love. Which sounds saccharine, but it comes off clean and refreshing. You take away the shadows and shed light on the truth and take away the mask of metaphor and something really beautiful appears. Maybe the last song on the album, "All Falls Down," sums it up best, "But love comes and all falls down."

– Jade Tittle, Host

CD Review: Atmosphere - The Family Sign

Posted at 2:53 PM on April 11, 2011 by The Current (2 Comments)
Filed under: CD Reviews, CD of the Week, Local

• Contribute today and get The Family Sign by Atmosphere

The Family Sign is Atmosphere's 7th official studio album and the group's first in over two years. It is also the second collaboration between co-founders Slug and Ant, and guitarist Nate Collis and keyboardist Erick Anderson, (who've been members of the Atmosphere live band since 2005).

The album is a fourteen-part essay on some of life's most challenging interpersonal issues, and certainly Atmosphere's most personal and intimate to date. The Family Sign finds Slug and co. making great use of the additional players to access previously uncharted sonic realms. When coupled with the complex themes, the result is a much more sophisticated and mature Atmosphere record than its predecessors. In short, The Family Sign is a great leap forward artistically.

The first thing you notice about this album is the complete absence of the old soul sample-based beats and grooves that have long been the cornerstone of Ant's production. They've dabbled in this manner of song construction as far back as When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold — and possibly earlier — this is the first time that an Atmosphere album is heard as a cohesive new whole. They have completed the metamorphosis and become a band. Or a band with a DJ ... with a drum machine ... and no drummer. You get the idea. The cost of this stylistic change is the banging beats that provoke hands in the air and ass shaking (though there's no shortage of that in group's catalog). The payout is access to whole new world of sonic possibility of what Atmosphere can be.

Next you'll notice a change in Slug. The smart-ass, bar fly who spends his time stealing your girl and rocking crowds with his superior rap abilities (WAY better than yours) is completely gone, and in his place, is Slug the man. It's a natural progression for a guy who's recently married, had a baby, and is eyeball to eyeball with his 40's. But make no mistake, The Family Sign is not the birth of Slug-lite. As an emcee, he has never shied away from the commenting on humanity's more complicated issues. In fact, it could be said that artistically it's his bread and butter. With The Family Sign he continues this tradition but from a new viewpoint; that of a man secure with himself, his career, his relationships, and his place in our world. The Slug persona feels like it's gone and speaking in its place is Sean Daley.

Thematically, the heavy stuff is there: the abusive father, failing friendships, and the needy ex-lover all get time on this album. There's even a charming love letter to his new baby mama. But it's the depth and intimacy with which these subjects are addressed, both lyrically and sonically, that set The Family Sign apart from its predecessors and secure its place in the catalog as a great leap forward.

– David Campbell, Host

Listen to "Just for Show"

Embed | Help

Copy and paste the HTML below to embed this audio onto your web page.

Audio player code:
<iframe title="minnesota_the_current_features_2011_02_22_atmosphere_just_for_show_dirty_20110222_128s_player" type="text/html" width="319" height="83" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/syndicate.php?name=minnesota/the_current/features/2011/02/22/atmosphere_just_for_show_dirty_20110222_128" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>

sponsor:

Contribute today and get The Family Sign by Atmosphere

Atmosphere Guest DJ on The Local Show

Comment on this post