Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid


6.8/10
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Strictly speaking about the sound/production, this album is refeshing, like drinking clean, clear spring water. Each instrument is heard in its own space and has an intricate and definite purpose. Nothing is rushed, as nearly every song is mid-tempo, but this band wasn't meant to romp and rave. But the textures and layers are really where they excel (when they do excel, that is). And a slight swagger, but nothing too out there, just quiet confidence.
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Some albums as downtempo as this would make an anxious listener even more unnerved and frustrated. But this relaxes, calms, and reassures.
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The album starts out of the gate with three bonafide great songs, "Mirrorball" being the highlight of the entire album. The problem is that things lull to a near stop towards the middle, starting with "An Audience With the Pope" to the low point of the album and drag of a song, "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver." "Slow Riot" tries to steal that accolade just two songs later, however. It's unfortunate that an album with so much potential has such a drab middle section. This has become even more apparent as I review the album, whereas in the past I imagine I let it slide and just drifted my attention elsewhere.
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"One Day Like This" redeems the album towards the end, and "Friend of Ours" succeeds at being extremely subtle but beautiful at the same time with great touches of piano, providing for a great closer, but ultimately this is a patchy effort where they simply couldn't sustain the near perfection of the first three songs.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Slint - Spiderland


9.6/10
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I don't think I can possibly comprehend exactly how groundbreaking this album was. I can understand on an intellectual level, but I've heard too much music that's come out since that's been influenced by it to really grasp it.
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That doesn't mean it isn't amazing. It's meticulous, methodical, and creepy. It's the feeling of alienation.
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I may be influenced by the name of the album, but I always think of crawling spiders when I hear the almost screeching single note guitar picks, or the smooth winding guitar lines throughout the album. And I can imagine crawling through dark caves, or swimming in the bottom of the ocean in pitch black. It's a very visual album.
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The strength of the album lies greatly in its sparseness and guitar/drum interplay. Listen to the first minute of "Nosferatu Man" to hear what I mean. It's like the guitars are traveling through the maze that the drums are creating. Or all of "Don, Aman." It's amazing how such a seemingly simple guitar duo can be so effective. Very cool stuff.
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The vocals are just as raw, if not more so, than the other instruments. A large part of them are spoken, or half-sung. A lot of them are buried in the mix. All of them add to the atmosphere so amazingly being created by everything else.
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"Washer" just may be my favorite song on the album. I love the drum part and how it flows so well with the guitars. Like I said, there is extremely cool interplay throughout this album. The vocals are most pronounced on this song as well, and very chilling.
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"Good Morning, Captain" is one of the most amazing closers in the history of music. Seriously. The stark nature of the song climaxes when you hear screeching shouts of "I MISS YOU!!!" to end out the album. It will leave any breathing human speechless.
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I don't listen to this album a whole lot simply because it requires a very specific mood, and a specific time and place. Those circumstances don't come together very often. But I suppose that's just one more reason to cherish it all that much more.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me


7.6/10
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Those already familiar with Joanna Newsom know that her vocal style is a love-it or hate-it affair. Her quirky, almost fairy-tale nuances and crickles and crackles go along perfectly with lyrics fantasy worlds, full of imagery and flowery language suited more for a hobbit than a grown woman it seems.
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Have One one Me is where Joanna shows her personal side. This is where she essentially strips everything bare and pours out her soul, her hopes, her dreams, and her sorrows. One learns this even before listening to the music, as each disc sleeve shows a picture of Joanna in a very womanly and nearly provocative manner.
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Many have compared her vocal approach here to be similar to Joni Mitchell, to which I will wholeheartedly agree. There's a certain maturity to her voice that hasn't been present before. It's a welcome change from a musical style that would've likely turned into self-parody if kept up for too much longer (with that said, I'm a huge fan of her earlier work).
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So, the thing about this album, TRIPLE album, is that it's massive. You can get lost in it if you hear it all at once, which could be good or bad depending on your attention span and mood. Songs are many times comprised of Newsom and her harp or a piano, with accompaniments used as embellishments rather than core parts. But one thing I can tell you is multiple listens rewards you greatly, as you become familiar with the melodies and nuances and the music starts to turn into a comforting blanket.
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Disc 1
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"Easy" shows immediately Joanna's change in artistic vision, with violins and piano guiding her beautiful vocals through a very comforting song to ease you into the album. "Good Intentions Paving Company" is the standout track on this disc, with it's nearly galloping pace and jaunty mood. "Have One on Me" is the epic track running at just over 11 minutes, and one of the best tracks on the entire album. "'81" is a play on the year "A.D. 1" which is spelled out in the lyrics. I believe I also read somewhere '81 is her birth year. "Baby Birch" is another standout, making disc 1 perhaps the strongest of the three.
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Disc 2
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Although this is my least favorite of the three discs, "In California" and "Go Long" are standouts. Most of this disc is lacking in variety and it lulls at times because of it. Both the first and second tracks are very laid back and it does the entire disc a disservice for not building up any momentum. This disc prevents the album from being an album of the year contender in my eyes, unless this year turns out to be a real dud.
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Disc 3
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This disc contains my favorite song on the album, "Autumn." The mood on this song is just incredible, with Joanna's delicate vocals and some well crafted accompaniment. She sounds most relaxed and vulnerable, and it builds a very strong feeling of longing.
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There's a lot I didn't cover, but I'll leave the rest for you to discover. It takes some patience, but it will be well rewarded.