She & Him - Classics (2014)

American indie pop singer-songwriter duo She & Him have gone down the covers route on their latest studio offering Classics. An album that features 13 covers of old standards, some which date back to the 1930s. The duo which is made up of guitarist and vocalist M Ward and vocalist Zoey Deschanel have released a covers album before, 2011s “A Very She and Him Christmas”. But I was very curious when I found out they were trying their hands at old standards, songs which would have no doubt influenced the material on their first two albums and the sweet pop melodies they have come to be known for.

The sound on this release is classic She & Him, excuse the pun and features a mix of vintage pop, country, jazz, and folk. Lumped together She & Him’s sound has often been described as indie pop, or indeed alt-folk. The instrumentation on this album is quite simplistic despite the duo being backed by a 20-piece orchestra, but it aids beautifully the tenderness of these old songs and the melodic pop sensibilities which She & Him aim for. M Ward’s delicate country jazz guitar playing shines throughout and is a standout feature on the album, while Zoey’s sweet melodic vocals are gorgeous as always, adding in many respects an authentic touch to proceedings. The orchestral arrangements do a fantastic job in complementing the main vocal track without being overbearing in any way, with the subtle strings and horns moving between a jazz and pop style to delicately support the centre piece of the tracks and that is Zoe’s voice and M Ward’s guitar. The horns in particular are a highlight and give the recordings a vintage feel, making them sound like they could have been recorded when the originals were.

As for the tracks themselves, well the album kicks off with a cover of the old jazz standard “Stars Fell on Alabama” which the duo turn into a nice duet all be it low-key. Thing pick up a bit on the Goffin and King track “Oh No, Not My Baby”, which is one of the album’s standout tracks with its shuffling guitar and drum track and Zoe’s sweet vocal flourishes, and a sweet melodic interpretation of “It’s Not for Me to Say”. This great start to the album continues with a stellar cover of the Dusty Springfield track “Stay Awhile”, one of the more up-tempo tracks on the record. This rendition has a country-pop vibe to it sounding completely different from the Wall of Sound-like original and features some cool rockabilly guitar playing from M Ward. Next up is the classic Bacharach and David track “This Girl’s in Love with You” of which the duo do a very understated and melodic take on. The instrumental track is a standout on this one, with a very delicate orchestral performance, trombone solo and yet more fantastic jazz playing from M Ward. The first half of the album then comes to an end with a beautiful duet, Frank Sinatra’s “Time After Time” and an absolutely stunning “She” which M Ward take the lead vocal on. A midst a wonderful jazz arrangement that includes some splendid trumpet playing, I would say M Ward steals the limelight off Zoey with this rare solo vocal performance in what is arguably the cornerstone of the album. Moving into the second half of the record, things kick off positively with a very jazzy “Teach Me Tonight” in what contains a bubbly Deschanel vocal, before the album then begins to labour a bit with “It’s Always You” and a very disappointing version of the classic track “Unchained Melody”. Thankfully, the album does not end this way, and concludes with some solid renditions of “I’ll Never Be Free”, “Would You Like to Take a Walk” and the war-time standard “We’ll Meet Again”. A rendition which has a nice folk vibe to it.

All in all I think the duo to a more than adequate job in their take on these old standards. Zoe’s vocals shine through as they always do, but it is M Ward who steals the show on here, more so than on other She & Him records. His guitar playing is nothing short of brilliant as he moves between jazz, folk, country and rockabilly, while he also has more of a role vocally on this album, something which culminates in his fantastic vocal performance on “She”. There is nothing new, or indeed unusual sound-wise on here, although the added dimension of an orchestra spices things up a bit and the fact they recorded live with the orchestra does make things quite interesting as a listener in terms of hearing how the vocals and guitar fit in and combine with the other instruments. Classics is a solid job by this unlikely combination and puts an indie pop/alt-folk slant on some very old, but classic songs. 

A-

- Sam 

2014: A Year in Review

The year is coming to an end, and usually at this time music writers and the like are prepping their best of lists of the year for albums and singles etc. Many of these lists are just carbon copies of each other and at the end of the day can be quite subjective. So instead of following the pack I have decided to reflect on 2014 and what went down in the music world by compiling a list of the ten things that stood out for me in 2014 music-wise.  

·         The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame remains a bit of a farce as an institution, and a charade when it comes to the inductions. This comes with the shenanigans this year around KISS’s induction, and the debate that occurs every year around who should be inducted and who is ultimately passed over, with the list of eligible inductees and those passed over growing every year. Expect this to continue to be the case in 2015.

·         The issue of streaming and music distribution online continued to be debated this year with YouTube and Spotify at the centre of industry, artist, and fan debate around how people get their music and what this means in terms of artist royalties. YouTube threatened to take down content from independent labels from the platform, while Spotify has had its fair share of detractors, especially when it comes to how much artists receive from having their music on this very popular streaming site. The issue of music distribution will not go away any time soon, especially when you consider the rise in online streaming and the decline of physical sales of music.

·         2014 was going to be the first year that there had not been a newly released album go on to sell a million copies, until Taylor Swift’s 1989 saved the industry from what could have been a significant moment. Despite TayTay’s saving grace, does 2014 signal the beginning of the end for physical album sales? Or will the odd international release and constant flood of re-issues save this failing commercial model? My crystal ball is telling me to continue to wait and see on this one.

·         It was quite a news-worthy year for the music scene in New Zealand with Lorde reigning supreme at the Grammys, the Big Day Out festival closing up shop for good now it seems, and Eminem suing the New Zealand National Party for copyright infringement.

·         2014 was a year of hellos and final goodbye’s, with Pink Floyd bowing out with the release of what they say will be their final, final album “The Endless River”. On the reunion circuit Outkast reunited for a series of concerts and festival appearances, while Christine McVie is back with Fleetwood Mac after a 17 year absence.

·         In 2014 the music world sadly witnessed the passing of Jack Bruce, Bobby Womack, Tommy Ramone and Pete Seeger, Bobby Keys, and Ian McLagan among others. Rest in Peace.

·         In another weird and wacky way of releasing your new album, U2 released their new album “Songs of Innocence” for free through iTunes much to the annoyance of most iTunes subscribers and much to the ridicule of the music press in particular. In the end, this episode really only resulted in bolstering Bono’s ego even more [if that is even possible] as he attempted to defend the move in the wake of the waves of publicity that came the bands way as a result, negative of otherwise.

·         Band Aid came back in 2014, this time in support of Ebola, with Bob, Bono and many others singing [not] for snow in Africa this Christmas time, with major lyric changes made to make the song more suitable I guess. At least they got rid of that horrible line “well tonight thank god it’s them instead of you”.

·         The Rolling Stones continued their 50^th anniversary jaunt, finishing with a concert in Auckland, New Zealand. We shall wait and see as to whether this final show will go down in history as their final ever show, 52 years after their first.

·         In 2014, live music continued to boom at the expense of the album among others things, with major festivals and sell out tours dominating all over the globe. This is now the major money earner for artists the world over and arguably [as it probably always has been] the most popular way to listen to music.

- - Sam  

Return of the Rockumentary (2014)

I feel we might be re-entering an age of good music documentaries again. This comes after what could be described as a bit of a dip in the late-90s and into the 2000s. Now obviously the classic age of rockumentaries was the 60s and 70s, with great films like “Dont Look Back” and “Gimme Shelter”, but now, looking round, it appears there seems to be so many good music documentary films doing the rounds.

The last few years has seen the release of some fantastic films. I think of “Twenty Feet from Stardom” that looked into the role of the backing vocalist, “Searching for Sugarman”, the outstanding film about the so-called lost folk singer Rodriguez, while I have also stumbled across some great films about Bob Marley “Marley”, John Lennon “Lennon NYC” and Paul Simon “Under African Skies”, celebrating twenty-five years since the release of his album Graceland. There have also been some very good television music documentaries. The BBC in particular are the masters of this, and have produced some great series on the history of rock “Seven Ages of Rock”, and their “Britannia” series which explored amongst other things different periods and genres in music such as prog rock, synth pop, and Northern soul. This to me is wonderful as a music historian and geek, and to be brutally honest beats your run of the mill concert film or biopic any day of the week. The biopic in particular really rankles me, probably because most of them are very bad, with poor acting.  While I always look at biopics about musicians and think what really is the point of this exercise aside from an attempt to get an insight (whether accurate or not) into the lives of musicians.

So with the rockumentary back in vogue it seems, I am hoping that there are many directors and producers out their willing to get on with the work of making some films that I consider to be in desperate need of production. Just some of the artists who are crying out for a good doco to be made about them include Warren Zevon, Nick Drake, Tom Waits, The Kinks, Steely Dan and New Zealand’s very own Fat Freddy’s Drop. I would also like to see some films which follow in the “Twenty Feet from Stardom” mode, namely films on famous sidemen and producers. Finally, also, given the current climate and changing nature of it, it is high time a good investigative piece into the workings of the music industry is undertaken. This might suit a Michael Moore type figure, or some director who is willing to be daring and take no prisoners.

So, in conclusion, the return of the rockumentary film can only be a good thing, bringing the history and stories of popular music back onto the big screen, and, hopefully, destroying once and for all this at times obsessively horrible infatuation with biopics. Here’s hoping anyway. 

- Sam 

The Age of the Reissue (2014)

Right now we seem to be living in the age of the reissue, the re-release, the deluxe edition, the box set. What do I mean when I say this you might ask, well I am referring to albums from years, and even decades gone by being re-packaged, re-mastered and ultimately re-released for our twenty-first consumption, often complete with fancy packaging, bonus tracks and long lost demos. But why is this happening? Is this a good thing? And what does this mean in terms of the music industry itself, and ultimately the artists themselves?

The year 2014 much like the last few years has witnessed a suave of reissues arrive both online and in stores, well when I mean stores that is those that still exist, which incidentally is not many. Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes, the complete version, and Paul McCartney’s Wings at the Speed of Sound are just two recent examples. These reissues, or re-releases are usually marketed to celebrate some historical milestone such as twenty years since this happened, or whatever, while people are encouraged to buy albums they already own by being promised much nicer, re-mastered versions of songs they have already heard, as well as somehow undiscovered b-sides and demo recordings which ultimately, on the most part are crap and poor quality. To use a horribly overused cliché at the end of the day these songs and demos remained unreleased for a reason, they were shit then, and time probably has not done them any favours either meaning I would not hold my breath for a remarkable career defining moment amidst these particular “new” tracks.

Interestingly enough also, another phenomenon is emerging along with the reissues plague, and that is classic bands using the album format to promote a handful of supposedly new material and making fans fork out money for a full album just so they can hear three new songs. Queen are guilty of this and are about to release an album of largely old material to promote three new songs, while Pink Floyd has used the idea of a “new” album, as well as declaring it their last to promote what is actually old left over material from their 1994 Division Bell sessions on their to be released “The Endless River”, with their really only being one “new” song “Louder than Words” on it. Incidentally early reviews of this album have been mixed.

So what does this all mean? Well, there are a probably a number reasons why such exercises to take place. Firstly, the music labels themselves seemingly drive this, forcing bands and artists to release material as part of long-standing record contracts, even if it involves reissuing old material. So essentially a last cash cow from music dinosaurs within a dying industry. It can also be put down to the artists themselves, many of whom are striving for relevance and in need of making a quick buck before the well truly goes dry. Album releases are getting more and more gimmicky, even for actual “new” material, and it is fair to say that U2’s decision to release their “new” album for free on iTunes was an unmitigated PR disaster, with the group gaining criticism from within and outside the industry.

Whatever the reasoning, the question remains is this a good thing? Well I would say overall yes, to a certain degree. If there is meaning given behind such releases whether it be historical in terms of canonisation, or creativity then such re-issues and re-releases have a place. But if it is all just about milking the cash cow like we have seen somewhat unfortunately with dead musicians in particular, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix come to mind immediately, then I remain sceptical and cynical. I think it also comes back to quality. Are fans getting value for money in paying for a re-issue of an album they already own? Are the demos, and bonus tracks of varying quality worth it? Some of the time it is. The Beatles re-mastered albums were truly spectacular and superior sound-wise anyway to the original horrible 80s CDs, while 2013s bootleg re-release of Bob Dylan’s “Self Portrait” sessions was full of quality un-released tracks and demo versions of old material, so in the end, it can be done well.

This situation also raises some interesting thoughts around the future of music distribution, and especially when you consider more and more shall I say “older” artists are going to pass-on, and/or retire. With physical music sales in decline, and other formats such as streaming and digital radio taking off, without such re-issues, will music from the past go out of print, and heaven forbid subscribe many artists to the dustbins of history. In time, re-issues and re-releases of old material from the past might yet serve a purpose given the changing times of the music industry and music distribution in keeping music from the past alive and help to introduce subsequent generations to that music. I guess we can only wait and see, trusting that the powers that make the decisions around such things are making them for the right reasons and for historical preservation. However, given the nature of the music industry, I do have my doubts as to whether this is the case. 

- Sam 

Sounds for Summer

Summer is coming here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and with summer comes BBQs, drinks, days at the beach and general relaxing with friends and family over the summer holidays. What one always requires with such occasions is good music, and thankfully there is always plenty of good music out there across all styles and indeed from all decades to complement such times.

So in preparation for the summer I have selected some of my favourite summer albums that are perfect for those sunny days on the beach, or deck with beer in hand, good food and good people. Now I know some people might be thinking albums, do they still exist? Well shock horror, yes, albums still exist, and as a format are perfect for gatherings where you can just put the needle on the record and let it spin, or pop that CD in and press play before lying back and chilling for a good forty minutes without having to get up and skip through a bunch of tracks on an iPod, or playlist.

Al Green – Let’s Stay Together (1972)

Soothing soul from the reverend, perfect to relax to as the sun sets.

Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline (1969)

Country in the sun. Bob puts his crooner voice to good effect on this country folk classic.

Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

An oldy but a goody, and always a must have on hand for summer gatherings, bringing a fantastic Latin American flavour to proceedings.

The Byrds – any greatest hits collection

It would not be summer without the jangly guitars and psychedelic harmonies of The Byrds, bringing the sweet sounds of 60s LA to the beaches and suburbs of New Zealand.

The Clash – London Calling (1979)

This punk rock classic is perfect for summer with its mix of reggae, dub, jazz, and punk rock.

El Michel’s Affair – Sounding Out the City (2005)

This American collective’s unique fusion of jazz, funk, and R&B is perfect to chill out to in the sun.

Elvis Costello – My Aim is True (1977)

Who would have thought new wave would sound good for the summer season. Well Costello’s rock and roll-fused debut does the trick.

Fat Freddy’s Drop – Blackbird (2013)

It just would not be summer in New Zealand without these guys, and their last album was simply superb so it has to be here.

Gil Scott-Heron – Pieces of a Man (1971)

Gil Scott’s jazz tinged masterpiece would suit any summer gathering, but would go especially well if cordial worldly discussion was on the agenda, given this albums social and political commentaries.

Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters (1973)

This jazz fusion masterpiece does the trick for chill out sessions, with its funky instrumentals and epic jazz improvisation.

The La’s – The La’s (1990)

The sweet melodies and jangly guitars go down a treat on this underrated masterpiece.

The Meters – Rejuvenation (1974)

If you are into funk then this mid-70s classic is perfect for your summer party. Influenced everything that came after it within this style, including among others The Roots.

Nick Drake – Bryter Layter (1970)

People often associate Nick Drake’s music as being quite reflective and moody, which it is, but this jazz-influenced album would not feel out of place during summer, with its more optimistic outlook, something incredibly rear for Nick Drake’s music.

Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1991)

This album brought acid house into indie rock and its mixture of rock and roll and electronica combine perfectly to make a great summer album.

Rodriguez

Anything by the Searching for Sugar Man star would be perfect for summer gatherings. Cold Fact, Coming from Reality, or the film soundtrack would do.

The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (1989)

The debut masterpiece by the Manchester group is just made for summer listening with its strong melodies, psychedelic guitars and swirling harmonies. If you can get a copy with Fools Gold as a bonus track even better.

Velvet Underground – Loaded (1970)

One would not normally associate Lou Reed’s music with summer, and this album is pretty much the closest you will get. But it is a goody and contains such summer classics as Who Loves the Sun and Sweet Jane. 

- Sam