Alabama Shakes - I Found You (2012)

Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls (2012)

Boys & Girls is the debut album from Alabama Shakes, a band from Athens, Alabama that formed in 2009. Led by the effervescent singer/rhythm guitarist Brittney Howard whose voice just bleeds soul, the Shakes style of music is a rough and ready fusion of southern rock, soul, blues and R&B, and that is pretty much what is on show throughout this album.

The album kicks off with the all out stomping rocker “Hold On” and continues with songs such as the Motown-influenced “I Found Out” and Stax-sounding “Hang Loose”. These songs are examples of the more up-tempo numbers on the album, songs that are driven along by pounding backing tracks with Howard’s gravelly voice coming to the fore strongly. Mixed in with these tracks are a few slower soulful ballads where the quality of Howard voice, in particular her range shines through immensely. Songs such as “I Ain’t Alone” and “Be Mine” contain shades of Otis and even Aretha, with the emotion and soul in Howard’s voice taking these songs home strongly. Howard is definitely the shining light on this record with her raspy soulful vocals taking centre stage throughout, often to the point of overshadowing the other band members who are almost reduced to being a support act to her vocal prowess and brilliance. I say this with no disrespect to their contributions on the album, as they themselves sound fantastic and show outstanding glimpses of musicianship in their playing.

The production on this album is very low key with the sound stripped back to its bare bones. This is a good thing considering the material on show and the bands influences, while it ensures that every ounce of soul the band possesses comes through. The rawness of the recordings not only makes the album sound as if it could have been recorded in the mid-60s in Detroit or Memphis, but it all gives the album a certain live feel, with some of the songs sounding like they were performed live in the studio in one take.

Boys & Girls is a very solid first up effort from these Alabamians, and I expect we will be hearing a lot more of them. I expect them to expand on this first release and grow their sound even more on their next album; while in the process continue what seems to have been a blues/soul revival in music that has been going on over the last decade or so.

 

- A-

 

- Sam

The Rolling Stones are fifty: but why am I not celebrating?

If you haven’t already been aware, The Rolling Stones have been celebrating fifty years together as a band this year and in celebration have been playing gigs throughout the US, Canada and the UK. This weekend they will also be headlining Glastonbury for the first time, one of the few things they have not done in their half century together as the so called “greatest rock & roll band in the world”. I have been a fan of the Stones for about eight years, have listened to most of their ‘classic’ material between 1965 and 1980, and appreciate significantly their contributions to music and society. But I can’t help but feel this party should have ended years ago, decades in fact, and unfortunately their prolonged existence has ensured they have become somewhat of a parody of themselves.

Musically speaking The Stones went downhill during the 1980s, Tattoo You from 1981 was probably their last half decent album.  Part of the reason for this was their decision to indulge musically with the then current music trends e.g. dance music, but their decline can also be put down to the almost decade long highly fractious relationship between Jagger and Richards, which ultimately had a damaging affect on the harmony in the group, not to mention the quality of the music. So for me the early eighties would have been a good time to call it a day, even if it would not have been in the form of a the glorified exit. But they didn’t call it a day, instead they have kept soldiering on with a line of mediocre albums, Dirty Works anyone? And a formulaic existence which sees them now disappear for five years between albums or tours before coming back with a new world tour where they simply rehash the same songs, go through the same routines, on the same scale. How many times does one really need to see Mick Jagger prance around on stage shouting “give me a yeah”, I guess one can be thankful he no longer does it in full leotard.

As for their set-list on tour, they pretty much have not changed their set in twenty-five years, a set that mostly contains the same revolving door of about twenty songs mixed in with the odd cover, or rare number. They seem to have been trying to remedy this slightly on their current tour by inviting star guests to perform with them, while allowing fans to vote for a song to appear in the set-list, a nice enough gesture from Sir Mick if it means a rarely played number from their extensive back catalogue will be played. I guess that’s what happens when you have been around for fifty years, you have so many songs you can’t play them all, but the easy option with The Stones has been to just play mainly hits and play them on every tour they do. Don’t get me wrong “Jumping Jack Flash”, “Brown Sugar” and “Satisfaction” are all great songs, but how many times does one need to hear them especially when you think of some of the other great songs The Stones have up their sleeve which never get played. As a band if you have such a vast catalogue of music to pick from you may as well use it, and their current tour would have been a perfect chance to vary their set a bit more and air some of their older sixties tracks, or rare studio gems.

Then there is the question of their musical validity, does anyone know any of their material since say about 1983?  I know several songs which are pretty good, but on the whole their albums have been pretty average. Average to the point they hardly play any of the material from them live, which either says they also don’t think much of the material from their more recent releases, or are simply pre-empting what the fans think of which in that materials absence suggests the fans don’t think much of the Bridges of Babylon album, or Voodoo Lounge either. So in terms of producing new material, The Stones have not been musically valid for many years, and have only really gotten by on the continuous touring of their classic hits and reputation they built up over many years. They are not alone then in this regard as the live nostalgia market of acts from the 60s, 70s and even 80s is booming. I guess one positive of this is at least some of the original members are still involved unlike some acts (without naming names) that carry on with a different line-up, or with one egotistical member left living off past glories.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love The Stones and their music, if they came to New Zealand I would definitely attempt to see them just to have that opportunity before they definitely retire for good, but it is time that they wrapped it up once and for all. Every time I see Mick Jagger I just think he has become too business orientated with this group and how  it seems to have become all about making the most money out of this brand for as long as possible. Hence the reason the prices for some of the tickets for their current tour have come in at $900 a pop. Yes Ronny and Keith look like they are having a good time and good on them, yes fifty years is a great achievement considering the amount of times they were written off by critics not to mention how many bands don’t even last ten years. But the cold harshness of reality tells me it shouldn’t have lasted this long and Jagger and company are now just going through the motions whilst picking up a giant pay check at the same time. I hope this is the last tour and the band decides to exist left of stage gracefully, but I have my doubts, especially if Jagger continues to see dollar signs.  Just imagine ten years from now a 60^th anniversary tour?  The thought is too much to bear.

- Sam

Young Fathers - Tape Two (2013)

Hailing from Scotland, Young Fathers are an experimental hip hop trio that also happen to be one of the more exciting groups to appear in recent times. After dropping their free to download debut mixtape Tape One in 2011, the group signed with independent electronic / hip hop label Anticon and released their follow-up mixtape Tape Two earlier this month.

The free-flowing and enterprising Tape One showcased the group’s wide range of influences, from reggae, soul, lo-fi and electronic music, as well as incorporating creative sampling techniques and elements of traditional African music courtesy of Liberian-born Alloysious Mallaqoui and Nigerian-born Kayus Bankole. ‘G’ Hastings, a native Scot, seems to serve as the trio’s producer.

Tape Two sees the trio slightly shift away from the noisy, lo-fi sounds of their previous release, with the production being somewhat up-scaled. The opening track “I Heard” is an incredibly smooth listen, with soulful vocals and one of the most infectious hooks I’ve heard this year – “Insiiiide, I’m feelin’ dirrrty” Good luck erasing the melody from your head afterward. There’s a brief, unobnoxious rap verse toward the back end of the track, which in a way sets the tone for the mixtape, with a focus on sounds rather than verses.

A fair amount of the mixtape features quite dark, minimalist synths that sound reminiscent of the similarly grim synthesisers in The Knife’s Silent Shout, evident in tracks like “Queen Is Dead”, “Mr Martyr” and “Ebony Sky”, but are also accompanied by inventive sampling, the occasional strong, flowing rap verse or noisy, heavy electric-style beats. One of my personal favourites is “Freefalling”, a 2 minute epic that involves a tribal-infused groovy electric beat as well as what I can only identify as some sort of traditional chant, and just as the track builds to its climax it abruptly finishes. The mixtape’s closer “Ebony Sky” uses a curious, clanging percussion beat in conjunction with Silent Shout-esque synths, but what dominates the track are the incredibly strong, soulful vocals – “She’s looking for loooooooove / In the wroooooong places”, and serves as a terrific finisher for the 23 minute tour-de-force that is Tape Two.

Just a mere 3 minutes longer than its predecessor, Tape Two, impressive as it is, only seems to hint at what Young Fathers are truly capable of creating. Despite sacrificing some of the dirty, lo-fi elements of Tape One with heavier, polished production, there is absolutely no compromise in quality with Tape Two. The only real gripe I have is with the agonisingly short duration of some tracks (especially “Freefalling”), otherwise this is one hell of a solid mixtape, not particularly cohesive, but definitely diverse and inspired. Anyone remotely curious toward hearing which groups are truly challenging the aesthetics of hip hop, or Scotland’s contributions to the genre, look no further.

B+

-Karl

Listen to Tape Two on Grooveshark

Gary Clark Jr. - Ain't Messin' Round [Official Music Video] (2012)

Gary Clark Jr. - Blak And Blu (2012)

Gary Clark Jr. is a 29 year old blues guitarist from Texas who’s latest release Blak And Blu is his first on a major label and represents his long awaited break into the commercial mainstream. This album is a big break for Clark Jr. who has spent years trying to make it big in the industry, releasing several EPs and CDs on indie labels without much success. Luckily for him Blak And Blu entered the US Billboard 200 at number 6, with his contemporary take on blues rock now making a big impression.

Blak And Blu is quite a varied album musically and sees Clark Jr. experimenting with several different styles very much in homage to his quite diverse list of influences, influences that includes Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince. Vocally Clark Jr. is very soulful in his delivery and you can hear touches of Lenny Kravitz in his voice, while his guitar playing is very much influenced by Hendrix especially in his use of effects pedals and an overall dreamy psychedelic style which he plays rather loudly with carefully nuanced solos. The sound on this album is by in  large a concoction of blues and psychedelic rock in combination with some very soulful vocals, although he does also branch out into R&B, Doo Wop, and even Hip-Hop on this album showing that he isn’t just a one trick pony.

The opening track “Ain’t Messin Round” is a Stax-like number with horns driving the song along, “When My Train Pulls In” probably represents his blues rock style best and contains wailing guitar solos throughout, “Travis County” is a quick-paced rock and roll number that sounds as if Chuck Berry could have written it, while “Glitter Ain’t Gold” is very Lenny Kravitz-like both vocally and musically. These tracks are the centre pieces on the album and are a clear representation of his blues rock style and guitar playing. The ferocity and pace of some of these tracks allows him room to experiment in some places and thus sees him explore hip-hop and R&B on the album also. “Blak and Blu” and “The Life” are the two hip-hop influenced tracks on the record, with the former sampling Gil Scott-Heron, while “Please Come Home” is a soulful Motown influenced number that has shades of The Miracles and Temptations especially in Clark Jr.’s falsetto vocal.

Having not heard any of his previous material I was very impressed by this album, particularly his guitar playing (man this guy has some chops), but also the diversity in style on this record. I feel if it was an album of ten or twelve tracks of the same heavy blues it could become too much of a good thing. Therefore, the presence of some R&B and hip-hop numbers balances the heavier guitar tracks out nicely, and also comes as a gentle relief from the blues material. I would recommend this album to people into blues rock or rock in general, I also think fans of the early-Black Keys would appreciate this as well. People who like to dance should also tale note as there are some tracks on here that are great for dancing to, which is not always the case with rock forms. A nicely done album by a very talented guy, I look forward to his next offering.

 

B+

 

- Sam

 

The Who - 5:15 (1973)

The Who - Quadrophenia (1973)

The Who were ambitious in many things they did, they had an ambitious sound not to mention an ambitious song-writer, but it didn’t get more ambitious than their 1973 release Quadrophenia, a double album and the bands second rock opera. Released during the height of their success in the mid-70s, Quadrophenia was the bands most complex offering both thematically in terms of the concept behind the album and performance with the sound and production of the album making it very hard to replicate on stage.

The concept of the album involves the social, musical and psychological aspects of coming of age in London and Brighton during the mid-60s from the perspective of a teenage boy named Jimmy, who also happens to be slightly schizophrenic with multiple personalities. This is when the concept gets a little complicated. Taking the idea of multiple personalities Pete Townshend then used the term quadrophenia to refer to the four distinct personalities of Jimmy, with each one also set to represent the four individual member of the band and used this idea to create four separate musical themes on the album in order to link the songs together and stretch the concept across the entire album. The four musical themes or motifs were contained in four individual tracks “Helpless Dancer”, “Doctor Jimmy”, “Bell Boy” and “Love, Reign o’er Me”, but also appeared in some form as recognisable musical motifs on other tracks on the album, which included the four motifs being mixed together on two instrumental tracks “Quadrophenia” and “The Rock”. So in a nutshell the lyrics of the songs deal with Jimmy, mod culture and teenage angst, while the musical motifs link in the idea of Jimmy having multiple personalities whilst also ensuring some form of connection between the individual tracks.

Moving away from the ambitious concept behind the album, musically speaking Quadrophenia is classic Who and sticks by in large to their 70s hard rock sound that they had become famous for. There are power chords a plenty, ferocious bass lines, wild drum fills, and layers of synth sequencing everything The Who are a good at,  and what in a sense contributes to their trade mark sound. This album also contains some wonderful songs, some of their best in the form of “5:15” and “Love, Reign o’er Me”, as well as some underrated and lesser known gems like “Sea and Sand”, “The Punk and the Godfather” and “I’m One”. Despite containing everything that is good about The Who’s sound, I feel at the same time that Quadrophenia sounds quite different to their other albums and in many ways stands on its own musically as being quite distinctive. Aspects of the album that contribute to this feeling for me include how many of the songs are structurally all over the place with some containing no choruses, the recurring thematic motifs, and the experimenting the band does especially with synths on the instrumentals. I guess also the lack of big hits, or singles (there are no CSI tracks to be seen) ensures that Quadrophenia stands alone as a single entity or collection of songs rather than just an album containing a handful of big hits along with some filler. This is probably a good thing as it allows the theme/concept behind the album to come through strongly on the material and ensures that all the songs tie in together to the theme. Other concept albums have been guilty of containing songs that don’t link in with the theme of the album and in turn often appear out of place. This is certainly not the case on Quadrophenia with each song in some way linking in to the albums overall concept whether it be lyrically, musically, or even via the use of sound effects which in this case took the form of waves crashing on Brighton beach, and a radio report from 1965 reporting on mod’s and rockers clashing.

Since its release the album has been turned into a successful film of the same name released in 1979, while the band are also currently playing the album in its entirety on their 2012-2013 tour. Pete Townshend himself declared it “the best music he’s ever written” and “the best album he will ever write”, but this is not surprising when you considered he came up with the idea for the material and has also become the albums biggest defender within the band. Quadrophenia is my favourite Who album and I prefer it to their other highly regarded rock opera Tommy which I feel was a bit uneven in places even though there were some good songs on it. Quadrophenia for me is more interesting musically and as a single piece of music if you consider the rock opera confines of the album is more coherent and consistent. It achieves its purpose well of portraying the theme behind the album, while the individual tracks link nicely together to tie into this theme. The concept in places maybe ambitious and hard to understand, but the music is interesting and contains some of the bands finest moments. I’d definitely recommend it to classic rock and Who fans alike everywhere.

 

A

 

- Sam

Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep (1994)

Originally titled Niggamortis (I hate it when censorship impedes brilliance), 6 Feet Deep was the first release by New York hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz, comprised of heavyweight producers Prince Paul (De La Soul) and RZA (Wu-Tang Clan), along with rappers Frukwan (Stetsasonic) and the late Trinidad and Tobago-born Too Poetic, assuming the monikers of The Undertaker, The Rzarector, The Gatekeeper and The Grym Reaper respectively.

Fusing themes of violence, aggression and torture with immersive, banging, old-school hip hop soundscapes, 6 Feet Deep is one of those rare instances where a supergroup exceeds the sum of its parts, an album that stands well apart from anything else released by any of its members. Even though Prince Paul received a majority of the album’s production credits, 6 Feet Deep plays as more of a Wu-Tang release than, say, a De La Soul release, but the style of the former is far better suited for this type of concept.

The horror-based themes are cleverly woven through inventive compositions in the album, for instance “Diary of a Madman” imagines all four members pleading insanity before a court judge, who demands they give evidence of their actions. Cue four verses of vividly descriptive, absurd horror. Likewise, “1-800 Suicide” has the Gravediggaz promoting a fictional service that presents various methods of suicide, albeit in a very sarcastic manner, much like the rest of the album. The jazz-funkish vibe to the track, along with its inexplicably catchy sample-based hook of KRS-One almost chortling “Suicide, it’s a suicide / Suicide, it’s a suicide” make it one of the album’s standouts.

The beats throughout the album are remarkably fresh, with Prince Paul and RZA both drawing from sounds in previous releases, notably the chilled, jazzy grooves of Buhloone Mind State and the hard-hitting boom bap sounds of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). As a result the album is littered with sharp piano loops, breakbeat-style drum samples (plenty of hi-hats), dominant bass and well-placed audio samples from a few previous releases. But as enthralling as the production may be, the real strength of this album is the way every one of the three frontline rappers (Prince Paul just has a few cameo spots throughout) melds and adapts to the different beats, particularly in regards to their flow. You may not be struck with endless quotable lines in 6 Feet Deep, but you’ll almost certainly remember the way each one was delivered.

6 Feet Deep, at its core, is a true representation of four men near (if not at) the height of their powers, all sharing the spotlight with some of the best work in their careers. And for an album spanning 17 tracks (18 in the European release) and 50 minutes, it manages to continually throw accessible beats, superb verses and ghoulish yet compelling subject matter without becoming stale or running of out steam, a remarkable feat for any release by any group, yet alone a concept album by a supergroup. Despite being released in the midst of hip hop’s “golden age”, 6 Feet Deep is an exceptional record, even distinguishing itself from other renowned releases of 1994 such as Illmatic, Ready to Die, The Main Ingredient and Stress: The Extinction Agenda, and today is regarded as one of the finest efforts in the “horrorcore” subgenre – whatever the tag, it’s an essential listen for any 90s hip hop fan that will have you crawling back into the grave for more.

A

-Karl

Glastonbury 2013 to be streamed online

The Glastonbury festival will be live streamed this year on the BBC website. Fans will be given the option of choosing what stage they want to watch as it happens. Glastonbury is this coming weekend 28th-30th June.

Check out the link to the BBC Glastonbury page here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ej58q9

Van Morrison - And It Stoned Me (1970)

Van Morrison - Moondance (1970)

Released in 1970, Moondance was Van Morrison’s third solo album and was also the album that helped establish him as a major artist in the music world. Following on from the highly regarded Astral Weeks, Morrison would move further away from that particular albums folk orientated sound towards a greater blend of R&B, soul, jazz, and folk rock on Moondance. This stylistic change of direction would ensure that he found his niche as a musician and the sound he would become best known for.

In what many regard as his magnum opus, Moondance not only contains some of Morrison’s best songs, but it also sees Van at his most soulful as he delivers the songs like a man possessed. Right across the album Morrison’s vocals are sublime and include some of his best performances as he pushes his vocals to the limit. There is the pastoral folk rock of “And It Stoned Me”, the rhythm and blues like “These Dreams of You”, the soul of “Caravan” and “Brand New Day”, and the jazz of Moondance. All of these songs contain amazing vocals, especially during the hook or chorus where Van lets rip with that distinctive range of his pushing the boundaries of what is possible vocally. As you listen you often get the feeling he has reached his maximum range and has gone as far as he can reach with some notes, but then he takes it even further to another level by at which stage you just sit back and admire the vocal prowess of this man. 

There are really no weak moments, or tracks on this album and on every instance Morrison nails his delivery giving everything to each song and meaning every word he sings. The way he moves between a soft pastoral sound to a rough edged soulful sound on different tracks also gives the album a much needed varied feel between soft and loud moments, and ensures that for the listener this album isn’t just an explosion of soul coming at you at full blast. Van’s amazing vocals are also accompanied by some nice touches of semi-acoustic guitar playing, female backing singers, and a wonderful horn section all of which lend themselves well to the songs and are one of the highlights of the album for me.

Moondance for me is Van Morrison’s best album, while his vocal performance on it surely must be one of the greatest in popular music history. The effort he puts into every song and the range he displays whether it be his softer side such as on “Crazy Love”, or his full on soulful side “Glad Tidings” helped establish him as one of the premier British R&B/soul singers for the rest of the decade, and ensured that he would have a highly successful and respected career from then on. If you want an album that represents classic Van Morrison then this is it, he made other good albums to but this one in my opinion is a touch above the rest in terms of singing ability and what he could achieve vocals wise. Moondance is an amazing exhibition of R&B and soul singing, and is a must listen for anyone who can appreciate quality singing and soul. And this has soul, plenty of SOUL!

 

A+

 

- Sam

Fat Freddy's Drop - Blackbird (2013)

When Fat Freddy’s Drop release a new album, people stand up and take notice because it is a rare thing. After all in their fourteen years of existence (has it been that long?) they have only released three studio albums, the third being their latest offering Blackbird, which is also their first in four years. Part of the reason for this is because the band are relentless tourists and spend most of the time on the road where they have a large and enthusiastic following especially in Europe. With this being the case, they don’t always have the time to record, and often recording sessions will be stop-start affairs fitted in around their live commitments. Fat Freddy’s hybrid/fusion style of roots music containing elements of reggae, dub, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and techno is made for live performance, and in fact the songs on their albums often start as improvised jam sessions in the studio, or on stage and only grow into actual songs as they evolve over time. The material on Blackbird is a case in point, with the tracks developed in the studio and on tour over two and a half years or so, whilst being refined and added to in the process.

The sound achieved on Blackbird I feel is the bands most wide ranging and diverse yet, representing a sonic like music space (without sounding too pretentious) expanding in all directions and drawing on all sorts of influences. Soul, rhythm and blues, funk, and jazz influences come to the fore throughout this album, especially on the first half, while techno dominates on the last few tracks. On the first half of the album, many of the tracks contain extended improvised jam sections that includes funky guitar, soulful 70s horns, and a banging rhythm section. Songs in this category include the epic opener “Blackbird” which comes in at over nine minutes, the soul/R&B influenced “Clean the House”, and the mid 1970s Stevie Wonder like “Bones”. With an emphasis on extended jam sessions it is no surprise that most of the songs on the album come in at the seven to nine minute range, with the band also having stated that on this album they tried to replicate their live sound as closely as possible. Techno like influences feature significantly on the last few tracks. Although techno is not really my cup of tea, I did like the tracks “Mother Mother” which fuses techno with a splattering of R&B horns and soulful vocals, and the album closer “Bohannon”, a seven minute techno driven track that will no doubt get the remixed treatment and find its way into clubs very soon.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say in my humble opinion I feel this is Fat Freddy’s Drop’s best album yet, and my favourite of their three studio releases. I say this as I feel it is quite a consistent record musically speaking right across the board from track to track, more so than their previous two albums which although had some really good songs on them I felt were more patchier in places. Overall I found Blackbird to be a thoroughly enjoyable listen, partly because I am a massive soul/jazz/R&B fan and there is a lot of that going on here, but also interesting when those techno elements come in to play, especially in combination with those other styles. Core Fat Freddy’s Drop fans should enjoy this album as it retains their traditional rootsy sound in combination with other influences. But I also feel this album could help attract new fans as there is enough going on here musically across the whole album to draw in the listener’s attention and keep them interested throughout. A definite must have album.

A-/A

- Sam

 

What is it with music stars and naming their children?

With the announcement that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian named their newly born baby after a compass point, NME did a list of bizarre rock star kids names and it is fair to say there are some shockers.

http://www.nme.com/photos/25-bizarre-rock-star-kids-names/225656/1/1?recache=1&t=1231314

Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

The story of the album Buena Vista Social Club is a fascinating look into Cuban culture, identity, and the lengths one will go to record an album. Released in 1997, this amazing album of Son Cubano music helped to revitalize interest worldwide in Latin American and Cuban music, and put a group of old and experienced Cuban musicians on the music map. This project was started by renowned American guitarist Ry Cooder and involved a plan to go to Cuba and record an album with local Cuban musicians. The musicians involved in the recording were either pioneering Cuban musicians, or musicians who played at the Buena Vista Social Club during the 1940s and 1950s. The Buena Vista Social Club was a membership club in Havana that held dances and music events for several decades before being closed during the Cuban Revolution.

The style of music heard on this album is a traditional style from Cuba called Son cubano; this was a style of music that originated in Cuba during the early 20th century and combines elements of Spanish Cancion and Spanish guitar with African rhythms. As a style of music, Son cubano can either be played in the form of up-tempo rhythmic dance numbers, or slow ballads often with a female singer. Tracks on the album like “El cuarto de Tula” and “Candela” have a strong rhythmic element to them that includes bongos and other percussive instruments, where as “Dos gardenias” and “Veinte anos” are examples of the slower ballad with there being less percussion and a stronger emphasis placed on the vocal delivery and emotion in the song. These types of slower songs are also known as Boleros, which is a Latin American genre of slow-tempo tunes.

There are so many things on this album that catch my attention every time I listen to it, while as you listen you can’t help but be engrossed by the sound. The amazing rhythmic textures on display ensures that foot tapping may ensue when listened to alone, while all out dancing is a guarantee if listened to loudly with others. The virtuosity of the musicians is a clear standout, with the amazing guitar and trumpet playing in particular driving these songs home. The singing itself is also incredible when you consider the musicians playing on this record were all either in their 70s, 80s, or 90s. The way in which they deliver these songs with so much emotion and with such beautiful voices considering their age is ear-catching to say the least and allows the listener to picture the streets of Havana where these songs have been played for decades. This really is a musical journey like no other.

 

On its release, the album got a positive reaction in the music press and subsequently has been ranked 260 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, one of only two albums on that list that were produced in a non-English speaking country. A film was also made in connection with the album documenting the process of the recording and the subsequent concert that took place in the U.S. Buena Vista Social Club is quite simply an amazingly good album of amazing traditional Cuban folk music. It is a must listen for anyone remotely into music irrespective of what you are into musically. Recommend for anyone with a good set of ears and a foot that taps.

 

A

 

- Sam

 

 

Kanye West - Yeezus (2013)

After a marketing campaign that relied on shadowy projections across buildings around the world, internet hype and a few cryptic videos and snippets on its official website for promotion, the build-up to the new release by Chicago rapper and producer Kanye West surprisingly lacked the pomposity for an artist so renowned for having a flair for the dramatic, opting for an approach that he described as “just the music”. The evocatively titled Yeezus sees Kanye embracing noisier, distorted, heavier beats than on previous efforts, as well as throwing in tidbits of the signature sampling style from his College Dropout and Late Registration days.

The only form of traditional promotion that Yeezus had was through Kanye’s performance on Saturday Night Live, where he showed off the tracks “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves”, two tracks that are among the highlights of this record. I’m still as enamoured with “Black Skinhead” as I was a month ago, with its superb cross-sample of Gary Glitter and Marilyn Manson which creates an incredibly infectious and thumping beat. Kanye’s high-octane vocal delivery on this track is like nothing I’ve heard from him previously, especially during the bridge – "So follow me up cause this shit’s ‘bout to go DOWN! / I’m doing 500 I’m out of control NOW!" In contrast, “New Slaves” features a much more minimalist beat, empowering the confrontational nature of Kanye’s rap, which makes reference to the uncomfortable topics of race, segregation and the disproportionately high amount of African-Americans among America’s prison population. Kanye also vents his frustration at corporate interests trying to control him, which explains why this track was the one projected across the world – he did it to subvert the standard process of promotion.

Aside from those two tracks, the rest of Yeezus is a little haphazard. The opener “On Sight” uses an electronic, synthetic style beat that sounds like a messier version of something pulled from 808s and Heartbreak. Some of the lyrics are also the first examples of Yeezus’ borderline offensive lines, like “We get this bitch shaking like Parkinson’s”, “Black dick in your spouse again”, and “But I got her back in and put my dick in her mouth”. Supposedly co-produced by Daft Punk, but their presence isn’t really felt on the track, apart from the closing lines “Right now, I need right now” which references Kanye’s 2007 hit “Stronger” that sampled the French duo.

One of the more curious tracks is the unsurprisingly braggadocio-infused “I Am a God”, which again has another 808s­ and Heartbreak-esque synth heavy beat, and is one of the more hilarious efforts I think I’ve ever heard from Kanye, particularly with the lines “I just talked to Jesus / He said what up Yeezus? / I said shit I’m chillin’ / Trying to stack these millions” It may not be the most complex track that Kanye has laid down, but a little humour is never amiss. “Hold My Liquor” showcases more of Kanye’s typically impressive production skills, with a dark, synth-based atmospheric beat, but the presence of auto-tuned vocals during the hook (by Chicago rapper Chief Keef) almost completely drags the track down. The song depicts Kanye’s descent into alcoholism while continuing to deny the damage he causes to others, almost as if he’s fallen from the rebellious state of power in “I Am a God” and “New Slaves” and has, ironically, spun out of control. Near its conclusion, he alludes to meeting someone who manages to save him, and this leads into the next track, “I’m in It”, where Kanye’s rap is double-tracked, but distorted and stretched on a very low register. It’s a bit of an awkward, boorish effort, where Kanye is illicitly describing his sexual encounters with the woman he met at the end of the previous track, with lines like “Eating Asian pussy, and all I need was sweet and sour sauce”. There’s a killer guest verse on this track by Assassin aka Agent Sasco though, who delivers it with a terrific, speedy Caribbean-style swagger.  

A track that has me both impressed and confused is “Blood on the Leaves”, that uses a terrific sample of Nina Simone’s “Strange Fruit” cover, but slightly pitch shifted and placed with a blaring horn beat. But just like in “Hold My Liquor”, a rather large blemish on the track is Kanye’s auto-tuned vocals, which add nothing but a jarring effect. Also the second verse which describes Kanye’s spouse trying MDMA and running naked down a lobby isn’t what I would regard as captivating subject matter, compared to what was on offer in “New Slaves”. Still, “Blood on the Leaves” is one of the album’s more memorable moments, at least in terms of production.

“Guilt Trip” features zippy, electronica-style beats, again drawing on familiar sonic territory from 808s and Heartbreak. The track seems to just be Kanye coming to terms with his new domesticated lifestyle (travelling overseas, going skiing, pouring champagne, and so on) and combined with that auto-tuned intro (why…why do you do this, Yeezy) it just ends up as a rather dull cut. Kid Cudi’s vocals on the track are pleasant, but aren’t really enough to save it. Unfortunately the album continues to slip in quality with “Send It Up”, which uses a piercing, irritating beat that sounds like a looped air horn, and to me it reeks of Kanye trying a little too hard to be experimental. King L, another Chicago native, raps about his prowess on the first verse, followed by Kanye who also raps about… his prowess.

Yeezus does finish strongly though,  with the track “Bound 2” that acts as a bit of fan service for Kanye’s long-time listeners, playing around with a relatively obscure old school soul sample, in this case “Bound” by The Ponderosa Twins Plus One. The track’s bridge, “Close your eyes and let the word paint a thousand pictures / One good girl is worth a thousand bitches” is one of the album’s better lyrical moments. The theme of the track seems to be an ode to Kanye’s partner, and coupled with the sample’s soothing vocals, “Bouuuuund to fall in love”  it radiates a vibe that makes the song incredibly romantic and genuine.

But unfortunately, some of the best moments on Yeezus are criminally and teasingly brief – the vocal sample halfway through “On Sight”, the soul-infused outro in “New Slaves”, the Beenie Man sample in the final seconds of “Send it Up” (couldn’t this have been a hook?) If these were fleshed out a little more, I’d probably have fewer gripes with the album. Yeezus is without question Kanye’s most experimental release, and I admire him for pushing these harsher, rougher sounds through the mainstream. But in its entirety, Yeezus plays like a work in progress rather than a coherent, cohesive effort. I’d still recommend it for any Kanye fan though, just for the fact that tracks like “Black Skinhead”, “New Slaves” and “Bound 2” are among the best work he’s done since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and all the signs are positive if he continues in this vein.

B-

-Karl

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? (new single)

The Arctic Monkeys have a new single out (hot of the press). This comes on the back of what I thought was their brilliant fourth album Suck It and See in 2011. On first listen it sounds quite different from the material on their last album, so hopefully bodes well for their new album later in the year.

- Sam

Michael Kiwanuka : Tell Me A Tale (2012)

Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again (2012)

Michael Kiwanuka is a British born singer-songwriter with Ugandan heritage, and with the release of his debut album Home Again has seen him being compared to Bill Withers, Otis Redding and Van Morrison. One can certainly identify with such comparisons when listening to the album, which contains a mixture of soul jazz, acoustic folk, and blues. Musically speaking the album has a gentle simplicity about it with Kiwanuka’s guitar playing taking centre stage backed by jazzy and soulful arrangements reminiscent of Nick Drake’s album Bryter Layter, and features sporadic appearances by the flute, strings, piano, and horns. The definite quality in Kiwanuka’s music is his soothing vocals and delicate guitar playing, with everything else really only playing a supporting role. The wonderful production on the album allows the texture in the songs to come to the surface and in turn creates an airiness to Kiwanuka’s vocals making them standout above everything else on the record. The quality of his vocal delivery in combination with what is often quite gentle like guitar playing ensures that you can’t help but feel totally calm and relaxed when listening.  Key tracks on the album include the Van Morrison esc “Tell Me a Tale” with its jazzy beat and “Moondance” like swagger, the smooth blues of “Rest”, and the acoustic soul of “Home Again”. The quality on display right across the album ensures that even the slightly less memorable tracks still sound good and are not skippable by any stretch. I guess one of the main appeals of Kiwanuka is that his style isn’t set in stone with his music more like a hybrid of styles in the form of a gorgeous “soulful jazzy acoustic” nature. The variation in style across the album from track to track including splashes of soul, jazz, blues, folk, and even swinger (if such a styles exists) ensures that there is enough going on here musically to enchant the listener and keep their attention, while prevents the album from falling into the trap of being a nice enough soul album but pretty samey. Home Again is a solid first up effort from Kiwanuka, in a music environment where people stand up and take notice of you if you go against the pop/R&B grain and attempt to distinguish yourself from other acts around you. I feel Kiwanuka has done that nicely here to a certain extent, and definitely has the potential to expand on this first offering next time round. I for one will be keeping my ears open and at the ready for what he does next.

 

A-/A

 

- Sam

Paul Weller: Into Tomorrow Documentary (2006)

A very good documentary looking into the career of one of Britain's great musicians Paul Weller. A man who started his career in the late 1970s with The Jam, had continued success in the 1980s with The Style Council, and blossomed as a solo artist in the 1990s and 2000s.

- Sam

Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring (1986)

Mark Hollis, lead singer and songwriter of influential 80s/early 90s group Talk Talk, is an interesting chap. At one point in his career, he openly admitted to detesting one of the most prominent and arguably overused instruments of the 80s – the synthesiser. But he also confessed to needing its sound in order to gain a foothold in the music industry, and thus have the necessary platform to create music that he actually wanted to.

Talk Talk’s first two albums, The Party’s Over and It’s My Life do indeed feature wall to wall synthesisers. Released in 1982, The Party’s Over was a safe enough debut for the band, slotting in stylistically alongside releases by contemporaries such as Soft Cell, Eurythmics, Duran Duran and The Human League, but barely distinguishing itself. However with the follow-up in 1984, It’s My Life, Hollis began to tentatively test the waters of varied sounds, even though the album was still very much a synth-dominated record, evident in tracks like “Dum Dum Girl” and the splendorous “It’s My Life”. But if The Party’s Over suffered from a clogging of synthesisers, It’s My Life freed up that space for different and interesting sounds, as in “Such A Shame” and “Does Caroline Know?”

So the progression to their third album, 1986’s The Colour of Spring, should have been obvious. It’d be expected to have a decline in the use of synthesisers, a greater array of sounds, and maybe a little experimentation. Not only did this album meet these expectations, it exceeded them in the most fantastic of fashions, resulting in what I regard as one of the finest pop albums of that decade.

What really seperates this release from just about every other pop album of its time is the production, handled by unofficial member and keyboardist Tim Friese-Greene, who had joined the group in 1983. The soundscapes in The Colour of Spring remind me of The Beach Boy’s Pet Sounds in a lot of ways, channelling the same layered, rich style of production, as well as using a fairly diverse mix of instruments. Just humour me as I reel off the instruments featured on the album – drums, dobro guitar, electric guitar, bass, acoustic bass, organ (played by Mark Hollis and British legend Steve Winwood), harp, horn, soprano saxophone, mellotron, variophon, piano, harmonica, keyboards and Kurzweil synthesiser. Bit of a shift from just bass, drums and synthesiser in the previous two albums. As expected with such a line-up, rarely are there moments on the album where not much is happening sonically, there’s usually two or more instruments tracked alongside each other. Often these instances are so subtle they escape your ear the first few times around (a mark of an exceptional album, in my book), as is the case in Pet Sounds.

As for its content, the A-side and B-side of The Colour of Spring mirror each other in several respects. Both contain moments that are energetic and upbeat (“Life’s What You Make It”, “Living in Another World”), emotional and down tempo (“I Don’t Believe in You”, “Give It Up”), atmospheric and layered (“Happiness is Easy”, “Time It’s Time”) and lastly, explorative and somewhat experimental (“April 5^th”, “Chameleon Day”). “April 5^th” and “Chameleon Day” signify the true musical intentions of Mark Hollis, drawing on jazz and classical influences, and stripping down the large cast of instruments significantly, which proves to be an uncomfortable listen considering how production-heavy the rest of the album is. Much later, music critics would label this as one of the first instances of ‘post-rock’ (speaking of ridiculous genre names…), and Talk Talk would eventually be included among the first wave of ‘post-rock’ acts, alongside Slint, Bark Psychosis and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

The two standout tracks on this album are the aforementioned energetic and upbeat singles, “Life’s What You Make It” and “Living in Another World”. Both of these songs are so frantic and wild that at times it’s almost overwhelming. “Life’s What You Make It” features one of the most famous reverbed piano lines in popular music, which is incredibly thick and heavy, as well as superb, hard-hitting drum work by Lee Harris. The track is timeless, and has easily outlived whatever product was attached to it during television commercials in the 90s. It’s also a positive and encouraging song with a great message – life’s what you make it, right? “Living in Another World” hits you immediately with that crashing piano intro, which is aided by rhythmic dobro guitar and Mark Hollis’ wild vocals – “Heeelp me / Find my way from this maaa-haaaaze” These two tracks reached #16 and #48 on the UK charts respectively, and unfortunately future Talk Talk singles would barely register, if at all. The overall accessibility of the album was reflected in its success, reaching #8 in the UK charts, proving to be the group’s best-selling release.

The Colour of Spring is one of the very few albums I would recommend to almost anyone, given they enjoy their music loud, emotional, heart-warming and with a dash of an experimental edge. It without question deserves a place alongside the finest pop albums of the 80s, an effort just as strong as Thriller, Purple Rain and The Joshua Tree. It may not be as ‘artsy’ or ‘highbrow’ as Talk Talk’s later albums, but it still manages to offer something new with every listen, and almost certainly has an infinite replay value – I’ll probably still be listening when I’m crumbling and decrepit.

A

-Karl

John Lennon - Steel And Glass (1974)

John Lennon - Walls and Bridges (1974)

Released in 1974, John Lennon’s fifth solo album post-The Beatles “Walls and Bridges” should in many ways have a best of the rest title imposed on it. “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band” and “Imagine” were by far and away better than anything else he would produce during his solo career, but “Walls and Bridges” as an album comes in comfortably in third place. Written, recorded and released during his separation from Yoko or what was better known as Lennon’s “Lost Weekend”, “Walls and Bridges” is a very open and honest record with Lennon portraying through the music his emotions and feelings at the time.

Lyrically, Lennon addresses a whole number of topics in the songs but by in large focuses in on maturity and ageing, while also having time to express his feelings towards the two main women in his life. “Going Down on Love” and “Bless You” explores his relationship with Yoko and their separation at the time, while “Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” is a song written about his lover at the time May Pang. Apart from relationships and love, Lennon also has time for Allen Klein in “Steel and Glass” in what is a sort of “How Do You Sleep” take two, the ills of show business in “Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out)”, and his fear of ageing and loneliness in the haunting “Scared”. The range of themes on display in the songs in many ways signify a man coming to terms with his maturity but also seem to paint a picture of a man lost and depressed within a “lost weekend”.  It therefore should be of no coincidence that shortly after the album’s release Lennon was to be reunited with Yoko after a separation that lasted around eighteen months. The album has quite a slick 1970s New York feel to it and is very over-produced with layers of strings lining the songs as well as carefully constructed piano and horn arrangements. Stylistically, “Walls and Bridges” sticks largely to a standard mid-70s pop/rock formula with a mix of ballads such as “Old Dirt Road” and up-tempo numbers including “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” featuring Elton John on backing vocals. Although throughout the album there are splashes of sexy jazz “Bless You” and an underlying R&B feel that includes a soulful edginess to Lennon’s vocal delivery in what is a standout on the album.

The one main criticism I have of this album is its production. It is too over-produced as an album, something that seemed to be in vogue throughout the 70s amongst musicians in the rock/pop hybrid genre and what became a common feature of Lennon’s material post-Imagine. The slickness of the production I feel at times is quite contrived and appears unnecessary, especially as the quality of the songs could have come through better without a dense background of strings and horns. I would have plugged for a more “Plastic Ono Band” stripped back feel to allow the rawness and feeling in the lyrics to come through more. On the other hand I shouldn’t be surprised as Lennon had been working with Phil Spector at the time, someone whom he respected as a producer and who’s “Wall of Sound” recording technique is built around the idea of records being over-produced with layers of instruments. Despite this criticism, “Walls and Bridges” remains a favourite Lennon album for me, and as a collection of songs is definitely the best he would do post-Imagine. Its historical significance is also worth noting in that it was recorded during a critical period in his life where he was away from Yoko for an extended period, while it was also his last album of original material for five years during which he would take a self imposed exile from music lasting until 1980.

 

B+

 

- Sam

The Stone Roses - Mersey Paradise (1989)

One of my favourite Stone Roses songs, from 1989 Mersey Paradise.

- Sam

A Genre Rant!

Several weeks ago, my fellow blogger and I were casually listening to some tunes with a couple of quiets when that Sade track “Smooth Operator” came on. In response, my fellow blogger turned to me and said something along the lines of ah...good old sophisti-pop, I was like what, what’s that? Apparently sophisti-pop was a genre label given to the music made by artists like Sade, The Style Council, and Simply Red during the 1980s and into the 1990s. My initial response was one of ridicule and bemusement at how someone could come up with such a silly name for a style of music, but then it got me thinking in general about music genre labels and how ridiculous many of them can be. These days the amount of genre labels given to artists seems to have grown to such an extent that they now number in the hundreds, but many of them are just so stupid, if not meaningless.

Genre labels for my mind are either terms invented by fans to distinguish their favourite artist, or group of artists from others, or are marketing labels imposed on different types of artists by music industry people so they can group them into specific niche boxes in order for them to be more marketable. Now I can appreciate this, and yes many artists do fit nicely into specific niche genres, or styles as I prefer to group music by, but when you here acts being labelled by such stupid terms as sophisti-pop you then start to wonder what does this actually mean? Does it mean sophisticated, what is sophisticated about it and how is being sophisticated related to the music in any way.

What about those artists that that have several genre labels given to them, as if it wasn’t already confusing enough. Does this mean they play all these styles of music, or is it that people cannot work out what style or genre they actually fit into so what they do instead is simply cover their bases and label them as being all the genres they they sound like. Many of The Beatles albums encompassed several different styles on one album alone, but does that mean The Beatles should be given ten genre labels when all their doing is experimenting with different sounds and styles in a game where there are no rules.

Then there’s the good old sub-genre, including the endless amount of genres within a genre. A classic example of this is the amount of sub-genres that exist within metal such as death metal, black metal, nu metal, thrash metal, glam metal...the list goes on. Isn’t it all just metal but played slightly? And why in fact does every slightly different way of playing metal have to have its own sub-genre label? What about the neo genres that have become fashionable in recent years, everything within music seems to be neo these days neo-psychedelia, neo-soul, neo-prog. Aren’t these just styles that have long been with us and continue to be played? Why should adding neo to soul or prog distinguish a more modern variant of a long established style of music, especially as the people playing these types of musical styles you would think would have been influenced in some way by the original practitioners from the 1950s, 60s, or 70s.

At the end of the day music is music, there are no rules or boundaries as to what you can do, and experimentation should be encouraged within specific styles or genres without the need for ten new genre labels being invented to account for this. If musicians want to combine elements of different types of music into their own, so what, it shouldn’t mean a new sub-genre is developed every time this happens, or that that artist should be given half a dozen genre labels. Musicians should not have to be boxed into certain categories or have weird labels like sophisti-pop imposed on them, especially when the making of music and the creative process itself is not about distinguishing this from that, it’s about what sounds good and what you can create with all the tools and knowledge at your disposal. So in concluding this rant against genres, I say forget about labels such as sophisti-pop, blue eyed soul, neo-this and nu-that as those terms are not about music to me and shouldn’t have to separate a variant within a style of music from the overall style itself.

- Sam

Beady Eye - Cry Baby Cry (Beatles Cover Live 2013)

Talk Talk - It's My Life (Live at Montreux 1986)

Incredible performance of the 80s synth pop classic, but utilising the more "organic" style featured in Talk Talk's The Colour of Spring - this tour which promoted the album would prove to be their last. Taken from their live DVD, Live at Montreux 1986.

Amy Winehouse & Paul Weller - Don't Go To Strangers (Live 2006)

A stunning live version of jazz classic Don't Go To Strangers performed by Amy Winehouse, Paul Weller, and the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

Elvis Costello - Blaim it on Cain (1977)

Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True (1977)

Considered by many to be one of the more impressive debuts in pop history, “My Aim Is True” was the stunning first up effort from Declan MacManus a.k.a Elvis Costello. Ironically Costello was still working a day job as a data entry clerk during the recording of this album, and in fact he ended up having to call in sick to his day job in order to rehearse and record the album. It would not be until after the release of the first two singles that he would be asked by his record label to become a full time professional musician, a move he would not hesitate in doing.

Released during the height of British punk in 1977, as a new artist Costello would be labelled punk by the press and put in that category alongside the likes of The Sex Pistols despite the fact that stylistically Costello was not punk. Stylistically the music on this album is very much closer to new wave/pub rock and has a strong 1950s and 1960s influence going through it. On the album cover, Costello appears to look like Buddy Holly with those rather large Holly like glasses, and in many ways the Holly influence translates to the music on the album with 1950s rock and roll making its presence felt on tracks like “Pay It Back” and “Blame It on Cain”. Costello as an artist was also heavily influenced by the 1960s and you can hear that influence strongly throughout the album. “No Dancing” has a Ronettes/Wall of Sound feel to it, while the way in which Costello combined strong melodies with prominent rock and roll backing tracks on this album led some in the music press to label his sound as being power pop. The two best known songs on the album are also two of Costello’s finest, and fit nicely amongst the more rock and roll/up-tempo tracks. “Alison” is a beautiful pop ballad which is unlike anything else on the record, while “Watching the Detectives” has more of a new wave feel to it with an underlying reggae sound.

There are so many good tracks on this album that it becomes impossible to pick any standouts. Costello got it so right on this first up release that many still pick it as one of his best albums and one of the best albums of all time, including Pitchfork that declared it number 37 out of the top 100 albums of the 1970s. This was a budding musician going out on his own. He was not really part of any movement in that he was no punk, and he was not a relic left over from the 1960s. He was his own man (the now ex-data entry clerk) with his own sound and influences, and he did it good, so, so good.

 

A-/A

 

- Sam

Neil Young - Revolution Blues (1974)

Neil Young - On the Beach (1974)

After the success of his previous album “Harvest” propelled him to the status of megastar, Neil Young took a massive change of direction on his next studio release “On the Beach”. The long awaited follow up to “Harvest” was interestingly enough recorded after what would be his 1975 release “Tonight’s the Night”, but released before that album in 1974 and stylistically was a big departure from the commercially successful folk rock sound he had perfected on both “After the Gold Rush” and “Harvest”. “On the Beach” is quite a dark, bleak sounding record both lyrically and musically, as Young lays bare for all to see his feelings about the 1960s counterculture, as well as the 1970s music industry on what is largely a bare bones rock record amidst small splatterings of acoustic folk just to keep the purists happy.

Young is quite savage in places as he takes aim at various people (largely unnamed) from his life during the previous few years. Some of the people he has it in for on this album include the critics and music press who he mentions on “Motion Pictures” singing the line “all these headlines just bore me now”, big business in the music industry “For the Turnstiles” and the counterculture “Ambulance Blues” with the famous line “You’re all just pissing in the wind”. On the whole, “On the Beach” could have been Young’s way of saying to the fans and critics alike how he didn’t care what they thought of him, this after  the preceding “Tonight’s the Night” tour got bad press and a lukewarm reaction, with Young being derided for playing mostly new material and hardly anything from “Harvest”. By this stage it was fair to say Young had long given up caring what people thought of him or his music, a belief that comes through strongly on “On the Beach”.

Musically “On the Beach” is a very sparse and under-produced sounding album, something which in many ways lends itself well to the subject matter in the songs. There is not much going on here musically, which is a good thing in this case as the songs do not need much in the way of virtuosity or brilliant instrumental escapades. In fact the music on the album in many ways is just a support act for what Young has to say in the lyrics. The backing instrumentation is minimal in terms of sound and musical exploration, working well as a subtle addition underneath the strong and vivid themes portrayed in the lyrics. The quality of the songs comes through in their subtle nature and I feel that if Young went all hell for leather with wailing guitar solos and extended jams like he has a tendency to do on occasion, the same intimacy and connection these songs portray to the listener would not nearly have the same effect.

Despite not being commercially successful at the time, “On the Beach” has become a favourite Neil Young album amongst fans and critics. For a couple of decades On the Beach even became a cult like record in that it became a rare collector’s item after it had stopped being printed during the 1980s.  The fanfare and longing for this record came to a head in 2000 when 5000 people signed an online petition to have the album released on CD, a request which Young eventually responded to in kind with the album finally getting it’s long overdue CD release in 2003. “On the Beach” is one of Neil Young’s best albums (all be it quite underrated it seems) and contains some of his best songs. Here he is drawing a line in the sand with his life and says goodbye to the 1960s generation he was very much part of, rejecting rock stardom and the counterculture in the process. “On the Beach” is a nice little collection of songs (eight in total) and is worth a listen if you are a Neil Young fan, or a curious rock fan looking for something new to listen to. I thoroughly recommend it.

 

High A-

 

- Sam