Happy Cinco De Mayo everybody! No Mexico-themed mp3s in Pick Your Poison today, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Mexican independence by downloading a few songs. There’s new stuff from Ratatat down below, which you could call my “pick of the day”.
Kristen Wiig – Champion (feat. Lightspeed Champion) (from the “MacGruber” soundtrack!)
As a genre of music, indie pop is so immediately likeable that if you can’t find a band to love that plays this style of music, chances are there’s something wrong with you. Between The Shins and Phoenix, there’s a fair share of “crossover” indie pop acts too, working their way onto the radio and the general public’s consciousness. Despite being around for 10 years, The New Pornographers, for some reason, have yet to break through that wall. They’re now on their fifth long player, and not a single one of their songs has gotten airplay on a Chicago radio station. Considering at the very least their first three albums were critically acclaimed slices of sugary pop that stuck with you for days and weeks on end, it’s even more perplexing. That’s before you consider the roster of great talents that make up this supergroup, from formidable band “leader” A.C. Newman to Destroyer’s Dan Bejar and siren songstress Neko Case. What is it going to take to get this great band to finally break through? Or are many people scared away by the band name itself, not wanting to be caught searching the internet or talking to their friends about “pornographers”? This mystery is beyond my own comprehension, but the hope is that this new album “Together” might finally earn them the sort of attention they so richly deserve from the right kind of people.
Coming off the somewhat disappointing slow player that was 2007’s “Challengers”, The New Pornographers appear to be feeling better these days, because the quicker and more upbeat tunes of their earlier albums are back on “Together”. Granted, we’re not talking about the high speed sugar-fueled pop of songs like “From Blown Speakers” and “Letter from An Occupant”, but the tempo is definitely faster than most of what was on the last album. So you can’t quite call it a full return to form, but there are a few differemt elements that come into play and add a different dimension to this well-established band.
First is the instrumentation. It feels like The New Pornographers have graduated from the rank and file of other groups in a similar vein and moved into new territory with their sound. Guitars still form the basis for their sound, but for the first time we’re really hearing a full string section and/or horns present through most of the songs. They’ve dabbled in these sorts of arrangements before, just not with the breadth and depth they are now. It was mainly hinted at on their third album “Twin Cinema” and now that transition appears complete.
Secondly, though the vocals have always been shared relatively equally between Newman, Bejar and Case, “Together” truly is the first record where every single band member seems like they’re on the exact same page. There’s a cohesiveness present that takes away the glaring differences between tracks written by the band’s three principal members. Largely helping to create this impression is that they all sing on virtually every song, whether that means taking on a verse or simply adding vocal harmonies. In other words, even a Dan Bejar-fronted song doesn’t always stay that way, and the added vocal diversity does some great work in helping this album to gel from start to finish.
It’s the small things that don’t change which give me the most pause on “Together”. Problems mainly stem from the lyrics, which in typical A.C. Newman fashion, appear to be written from the heart and then colored in with shades of grey. It’s clear that many of the stories he tells are personal, sometimes intensely so, but the wordplay is so hazy and unclear, you’re never entirely sure what exactly he’s getting at. The same goes for Bejar, who’s basically been doing that for his entire career. By keeping the audience at a lyrical distance, an emotional connection to these songs is increasingly difficult to establish, forcing you to settle for the general upbeat fun the music and not the words are offering up.
Despite those minor quibbles, “Together” is a very strong effort from The New Pornographers. They do much more right than they do wrong here, and compared to their last album this one’s a treat. In terms of where this might stand amid their critically acclaimed catalogue, I’m still not entirely sure. What I can tell you with confidence is that “Together” isn’t first or even the second best thing they’ve done to date. The most important thing you need to know is that this album is essentially a return to form for the band, while at the same time taking some of the necessary steps they need for progression’s sake. It marks one of the better indie pop records I’ve heard so far this year, and naturally I would recommend you get a copy should you feel up to it. Now if only more radio stations would give this band a chance.
Pick Your Poison is my way of sharing the latest and greatest mp3s from up-and-coming bands with you. I encourage you to download what appeals to you, and maybe experiment just a little bit with some artists you’ve never heard of before. Above all though, have fun!
Andre Williams – That’s All I Need
The Frontier Brothers – You Should Start A Band
Man/Miracle – Pushing and Shoving
Mike Patton – Urlo Negro (The Blackmen)
Moby – Gone to Sleep (Acoustic) (follow link)
Momma’s Boy vs. Mikix the Cat – Party Rock
Red Wanting Blue – The World Is Over
Wolf Parade – Ghost Pressure
Wolf Parade – What Did My Love Say? (It Had to Go This Way)
When it comes to Broken Social Scene, I’ll confess to being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Asking me for my simplest opinion of the band, I’d say that I love them and that they’re one of my favorite bands. But lately things have become complicated. Specifically, since 2005’s self-titled album, which eventually turned into a “hiatus” of sorts for the band. The word hiatus is in quotes because while many of the loose members went their separate ways for a time, there was still a series of “Broken Social Scene Presents…” albums from main guys Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning to keep the name somewhat alive during that time. Those records were decent (not not amazing), and largely stuck to the same sound the full Broken Social Scene collective had established on previous albums. It was late last year that Kevin Drew announced the official reformation of Broken Social Scene, and their new album “Forgiveness Rock Record” arrives tomorrow.
On the surface, I should be leaping with excitement at the prospect of a new Broken Social Scene album. “You Forgot It In People” is among my Top 10 Albums of the 00s, and the last official BSS record was pretty damn good too. My excitement, however, has been tempered by the fact that little to nothing has really changed since the “Broken Social Scene Presents” days aside from the word “Presents”. Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning still lead a motley group of people, while former female powerhouses such as Leslie Feist, Emily Haines, and Amy Millan can scarcely be counted upon to make even a single track guest appearance anymore. Of course they’re all off doing their own things, what with Feist having two popular records under her belt, Haines gaining more press than ever for the last Metric record, and Millan’s band Stars preparing to release yet another album of delicious indie pop. Translation: I went into “Forgiveness Rock Record” under the belief that despite boasting a roster of nine “core” members and 22 “guest” musicians and vocalists, this was not nearly the same band as before. Or, to put it a different way, there seems to be no way any of us are ever going to hear “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” performed live again, unless band members past and present all just “happen” to be in the same place at the same time. To help take away some of that pain and handle some of those older songs with female parts, new member Lisa Lobsinger is on board. I can’t help but think the way she does a “7/4 Shoreline” or a “Cause=Time” will be poor in comparison to the Feist versions. All these things being said, among a host of other concerns, let me dive in to talking about the actual content on “Forgiveness Rock Record,” and whether or not it lives up to the glory of the other albums under the Broken Social Scene name.
Things get off to a grand start with the 7-minute opener “World Sick”, a song that contains most of the Broken Social Scene trademarks, including a cool instrumental intro and outro along with a chorus that makes you want to shout from the rooftops. It’d make for a great single, except, you know, it’s 7 minutes. “Chase Scene” follows the high of the epic opening cut with a speedy, noisy adventure that’s in and out before you can catch up to it. “Texico Bitches” could be considered another highlight, a fast-paced anti-oil corporation rager that three tracks in seems to indicate that this might be a very revitalized, energized and more accessible (but still angry) version of the band than ever before. Honestly, I was expecting more quieter, or at least slower tracks that dominated past releases, instead of this propulsive and stadium-sized stuff. “All to All” is interesting as Lisa Lobsinger’s first lead vocal turn. It’s not a hugely remarkable track aside from its ethereal beauty, though I can’t help but think that Feist or even Amy Millan could have done more with it. “Art House Director” gets things all moody and atmospheric and features the classic BSS horn section with great aplomb. The album’s only instrumental, “Meet Me in the Basement,” might actually be the best instrumental they’ve ever done, and that’s saying something. I’m also offered quite a bit of relief in the form of “Sentimental X’s”, an Emily Haines-fronted tune with backing vocals from none other than Feist and Millan. I guess only the faster, louder jams are reserved for the guys, but the fact is lyrically and emotionally, “Sentimental X’s” hits all the right notes and really pushed my excitement about this band back into the red. At the end of the album are two interesting songs. “Water In Hell” sounds less like your typical Broken Social Scene song and more like a guitar jam that Dinosaur Jr. might put out. Given that band members are not only fans of J. Mascis & Co., but have played with them for a gig or two, the soundalike isn’t so much a surprise as it is impressive that they can pull it off so well. Then there’s “Me and My Hand”, Kevin Drew’s 2-minute quiet opus to masturbation. I don’t have anything to say about the song other than I’m glad that oddity closes the album out.
So if you can’t figure it out by now, I’m pretty pleased with “Forgiveness Rock Record”. I’m still a little unsure as to where it stands among the stellar Broken Social Scene catalogue, but it’s definitely better than both of the “Presents” albums that were released during the hiatus days. It’s nice to have the “band” back together, even if the lineup does continue to fluctuate and the chances of the full collective playing a live show become increasingly slim. Lisa Lobsinger is an okay addition to the group as their lone “full time” female member, though I still prefer the ladies of old. Mainly though, I’m just glad this band is still hitting their hallmarks while continuing to push their own boundaries at the same time. There’s a certain degree of new excitement and renewed strength among the BSS core that’s also refreshing. My concern now is how these songs will translate into their live show. The first half of the record seems especially built for the size and scope of venues that the band plays, so that could provide some increased potency to their performance. I’ve seen Broken Social Scene live a total of 3 times, once with the entire collective in tow (which was far and away the best time). Their massive celebrations and love-fests, which often include Kevin Drew commanding the crowd to yell as loud as they can, are cathartic and heartfelt. “Forgiveness Rock Record” looks to keep that spirit intact, and I think this marks the first time that similar spirit has really come through on one of their recorded albums. You bet your ass I think you should pick up a copy of the record. It’s no “You Forgot It In People”, but it does what only Broken Social Scene does best, and that’s about all any of us can truly hope for.
From my inbox to your hard drive, here’s Monday’s edition of Pick Your Poison, where you’re free to choose what looks interesting enough to download.
Ane Brun – Song No. 6 (feat. Ron Sexmith) (ZIP)
Doug Burr – A Black Wave Is Comin’
Yesterday, Yeasayer and Sleigh Bells played a show in Chicago. Unfortunately my schedule prevented me from attending, as much as I would have liked to. Ah well, they’ll both be back in town this summer, playing Lollapalooza and the Pitchfork Music Festival, respectively, and I’ll see them at those events when I cover them. Recognizing that the band was in town, I planned accordingly to feature Yeasayer on this week’s Live Friday. They do a handful of tracks off their new album “Odd Blood,” which coincidentally is also one of my favorite records so far this year.
If you’ve never seen Yeasayer perform live, it’s an interesting experience to say the least. I wasn’t very impressed when I saw them for the first time 2 years ago, but upon seeing them again last year they had noticeably improved. They weren’t even playing the new stuff then, which is far more energetic and danceable and I imagine only enhances their shows. You should know that the live versions of the songs available for download below aren’t exactly a testament to Yeasayer’s live prowess. Simply put, whoever mixed these songs didn’t do a very good job. The instruments are far too high in the mix and Chris Keating’s vocals are far too low. This is especially apparent on “Ambling Alp,” where the final verse of the song, my favorite verse mind you, has the vocals almost completely drowned out by everything else. Still, sound problems like that aren’t enough to keep me away from recommending this session, and I hope you give it a shot if you like the band.
There’s also an interview, which you can stream via the link below, where the band talks a little about firing their drummer and experimenting with any and all types of percussion in the studio they had rented. There’s also a bunch of technical talk about synths, if you’re into that sort of thing. I wouldn’t call it incredibly fascinating, but it’s not dull either. Okay, that’s all from me this week. Enjoy the next couple days and we’ll pick this fun up again on Monday.
(Note: The first two mp3s are direct links, but “O.N.E.” is only available via Yousendit or Zshare. Sorry, I’m having hosting issues.)
Yeasayer Live on WXPN 3-19-10:
Yeasayer – Madder Red (Live on WXPN)
Yeasayer – Ambling Alp (LIve on WXPN)
Yeasayer – O.N.E. (YSI or zshare)
Everybody’s always eager to start their weekend, and so am I. Here’s today’s selection of mp3s straight from my inbox to you. Take what you like, and enjoy!
Alcoholic Faith Mission – My Eyes to See
David Vandervelde – Wave Country
DM Stith – Thanksgiving Moon (Demo)
Mommyheads – Henry Miller Is Dead
Phosphorescent – Mermaid Parade
Priestbird – Diamond (ZIP)
From my inbox to your ears, here’s today’s daily dose of free mp3s for your selective downloading pleasure.
Katzenjammer – Tea With Cinnamon
Kelis – Acapella (Acid Washed Remix)
Korallreven – The Truest Faith
Korallreven – Loved Up
Midnight Juggernauts – Vital Signs
Tift Merritt – Engine to Turn (follow link; email required)
When it comes to electronica music, I’ve said before and I’ll say again that I don’t know much. I tend to prefer my songs with guitar, or at the very least a chorus that attempts to get itself stuck in my head. Ask me to tell you about the difference between house and dubstep and IDM and I’ll give you just about the blankest stare you can possibly get. Yet a good electronica album, for me, is hard to find, and there are occasionally tricks certain artists can use to attract my attention. Girl Talk, what with his myriad of samples that pulls from so many familiar and classic tracks, is easiest on my ears because I know what I’m hearing. Electronica artists that are also able to generate much hype amid their peers or other artists I boldly respect can catch my eye as well. Then there’s the easy way – get some artists I love to do some guest work on at least one track, which will basically guarantee that I hear at least that single song. This is how Flying Lotus snagged me, both on the recommendation of my personal hero, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, but also through his active participation, lending guest vocals to the song “…And the World Laughs With You,” which also earned him hype in all the right circles. Thom also had Flying Lotus open up for his “solo” band Atoms for Peace on their recent short tour earlier this month, where I happened to attend one of the Chicago dates. Honestly, when I walked into the venue I thought Flying Lotus had already finished and they were playing your standard between-set DJ fodder while waiting for Atoms for Peace to start. That is, until I noticed the one guy on stage with his laptop, who eventually grabbed a microphone and said, “Thanks Chicago!”. So, against my better judgment, I’m all for giving the new Flying Lotus album “Cosmogramma,” a quick try and review before it comes out on Tuesday.
Given how little I know about both electronica and any Flying Lotus material prior to “Cosmogramma,” I’m surprised that the album impressed me as much as it did. I suppose that like any musical form you’re not acquainted with, if you hear something special or unique in it, you’re more inclined to understand how it might be viewed as brilliant. In this case, I’m highly impressed with how FlyLo is able to use a multitude of instruments, everything from the harp to acoustic guitar to saxophone and just about every percussive instrument in existence (ping pong balls?), melded around his computer-generated melodies. There are seemingly impromptu jazz breaks, string sections, bass-heavy grooves, and fanciful dream sequences all packed into this album, and almost all of them work towards the space opera concept the record is supposedly centered around. I can tell you this much – from the opening beats of “Clock Catcher” through the ethereal “Satelllliiiiiteee”, this is a damn near perfect album. I loved every second of that first half, which includes exceptional highlights such as the Thom Yorke-guesting “…And the World Laughs With You” and the funky “Do the Astral Plane”. Things get a little sketchy after that, what with “Germain Haircut” and “Recoiled” both being a little listless and lacking, but the electro blips and symphony into soft palate harp combination on “Drips/Auntie’s Harp” isn’t half bad, and I’m effortlessly charmed by “Table Tennis”.
So I guess you can mark down that as somebody who doesn’t consider himself an expert nor even a general fan of electronica has found lots to like about Flying Lotus’ “Cosmogramma”. The main reason why, I’ll argue, is that there’s so much more to this material than your average electronica artist puts in. It feels less like a record based around certain beats and grooves and more like an instrumental artistic experiment that just so happens to feature a fair amount of electronica. Rare is the record so carefully composed and layered as this one, and given the difficulty of reproducing this live on your own with a laptop, it’s no wonder I didn’t give much heed to FlyLo’s pre-Atoms for Peace performance. This guy is clearly brilliant, on the level that somebody like Aphex Twin is brilliant (hint: this is a high compliment). Yes, this is the best flat-out electronica album I’ve heard so far this year (of note, electro-pop, ala LCD Soundsystem, doesn’t fall into the category just described). You will probably see me mention it again at the end of the year among my favorites. Well played, Flying Lotus. You suck me in with a Thom Yorke recommendation and guest vocal, and have me leaving with high praise all around. This album may not push me into a new-found love of electronica, but it does generate enough good will to make me more open to releases similar to this in the future. Consider that a best-case scenario. I hope you’ll give “Cosmogramma” a try, as I did, and I hope you’ll also not regret it, as I did.
Stream the entire album at Myspace
Non-album track: Flying Lotus – Quakes (via The Fader)
From my inbox to your ears, here’s your selection of free downloads for Wednesday, April 28th. Take what you like, and leave the rest.
Hashbang Spacestar – I Just Rock and Roll
International Waters – Olympia
The Mynabirds – Let the Record Go
Ruckus Roboticus – Chicks (Original Mix)
Shout Out Louds – Walls (Fontan Rework)
Trampled By Turtles – Wait So Long (ZIP)
There’s a certain pleasure I derive from listening to a small little genre of music known as “gypsy punk”. It truly is Old World music, with plenty of “oomph” and mysticism, and while I’m not nuts about the wardrobe and prevalence of twisty moustaches, there’s very little you can do to avoid tapping your feet and wanting to dance just a little to this sort of music. It’s what Gogol Bordello specializes in, and they’re one of the few groups I can count on to deliver interesting and fun records time and time again. Of course where they really shine is in their live shows, which are some of the most insane and blissful releases of energy you can get these days. I saw the band perform at Lollapalooza a couple years back and they blew me away with their vigor for life, among other things. They return to Lolla later this year, among many other festivals and extensive touring they’re prone to do. It’s all in support of their new album “Trans-Continental Hustle,” which came out yesterday.
So there are plenty of great things about Gogol Bordello, but there are some small problems with the band too. Mainly they have issues with sonic diversity. “Trans-Continental Hustle” is the band’s fifth long player, and you’d be hard-pressed to identify exactly how it differs stylistically from any of the band’s previous work. Quickly strummed acoustic guitars, some accordion, some violin, percussion of all kinds, and of course the conquer all vocals of Eugene Hutz – these are the things that essentially define Gogol Bordello, and while the sound is distinctive enough to avoid many bands trying to copy them, just because they’re one of the more original bands out there these days doesn’t give them the right to write the same songs over and over again with little to no regard for progression. I suppose you could say that “Trans-Continental Hustle” does feature a couple new facets to the Gogol Bordello sound. Producer Rick Rubin does push the band to slow things down a little bit on occasion, in contrast to the madcap energy most of their previous releases have had from start to finish. “Sun Is On My Side” is a nice momentary slow diversion on the first part of the record, and the delicately plucked acoustic guitar has a tenderness we don’t normally hear amid the fast-paced showmanship of the earlier stuff. “When Universes Collide” fares only slightly less well as a ballad, though Hutz’s lyrics and vocal performance are really what strike you as the loudness begins to build. There’s also a somewhat fascinating Brazilian influence that comes into play with songs like “In the Meantime in Pernambuco” and “Immigraniada (We Comin’ Rougher)”, which adds to the diversity just a little bit more than usual.
Though it remains enjoyable and fun and largely free-spirited, complete with tales of old and peasantry and hardship amid celebration, “Trans-Continental Hustle” feels mostly like a collection of tracks that have been pieced together from the band’s past efforts. The new bits and pieces only feel slightly unique to this album for the most part, and not all of them work anyways. And I can definitely tell you that the band has made a whole lot better songs on past records like “Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike” and “Super Taranta!”. Both those albums had tracks like “American Wedding”, “Oh No” and “Immigrant Punk” which felt a lot like positive drive-by shootings in that they flew by and were gone before you knew it, but they stuck with you for so much longer. You still get the same sort of energy, along with enough crazed chanting from Hutz to make it wild, but most of the songs aren’t staying with me as well this time, and mostly make me think of previous Gogol Bordello hits that I like more. That being said, if you’re a Gogol Bordello fan, you need to own this album. You’ll continue to find that the band you love so much still does the same stuff you love so much. They’re still as madcap as ever, and I’m sure their live show is still a spectacle to behold, even if you’re not a fan. For those of you who’ve not given a Gogol Bordello album a try, I suppose considering this is their first for a major label might mean that with their popularity on the continued rise, now might be the time to give them a whirl. Yes, their back catalogue is better, but “Trans-Continental Hustle” is by no means a bad introduction to the band. It is generally a great snapshot detailing exactly what these gypsy punks are all about. This may be novelty music, and it’s certainly not for every mood or disposition, but if you enjoy emotional catharsis and fun as much as I do, you’ll find plenty to love with the new Gogol Bordello record.
Download a free mp3 from the new album via the Gogol Bordello site
Your daily dose of free mp3s, from my inbox to your ears.
Fol Chen – In Ruins (Baths Remix)
Download the entire “In Ruins” Remix EP for free (follow link)
Kisses – Bermuda (Active Child Remix)
Lawrence Arabia – Apple Pie Bed
The Like – Fair Game (follow link, email required)
Tracey Thorn – Why Does The Wind (UK Radio Mix)
Unnatural Helpers – Girl in the Windown
Never underestimate the power of a man and his keyboard. Of course that sentence only really applies to bands that actually use a fair amount of keyboard in their music. But it stands to reason that The Hold Steady were one of those bands, at least for one period in their careers. Franz Nicolay, with his little moustache and wacky on-stage energy, became sort of the warm little heart of the band next to frontman Craig Finn’s lovelorn and wordy barfly. It was a great combination, mostly evidenced by the evolution of the band’s sound and extensive critical praise over the last few years. Nicolay may not have been in the band when their second album “Separation Sunday” was recorded, but he was there at the beginning of something big and pushed them to the next level for its follow-up. 2006’s “Boys and Girls in America” was almost like the birth of a whole new band, and suddenly this Springsteen by way of Minnesota group was at the precipice of indie stardom and a whole new world of popularity. The songs bent and cracked and soared and were filled with teens hooking up and breaking up and it was real sad but everybody seemed to have a good time. “Stay Positive” arrived in 2008, and while critical response was slightly more tempered and less zealous, it was clear with all the touring and word of mouth that these guys were more popular than ever. Album sales were also significantly better than they had ever been, to the point where it almost seemed like The Hold Steady were gearing up for a big crossover into the mainstream. Then Franz Nicolay left the band. In a recent interview, he said, not harboring any resentment towards his former bandmates, that he felt like they had reached a creative stalemate, so he left rather than get pinned down to the same sound. When their new album “Heaven Is Whenever” comes out next Tuesday, I think that Nicolay will be proven right.
Here’s what I’d like you to do, especially if you’re a die-hard Hold Steady fan – go listen to 2005’s “Separation Sunday” and then put on “Heaven Is Whenever” immediately afterwards. Better yet, if you can load both albums into your mp3 player and hit the shuffle button, I’m intrigued to know if you’re able to detect a difference in style between the two. I think the records blend together effortlessly, and that can be considered both a big plus and a huge minus. The positive is that “Separation Sunday” is a brilliant album, perhaps The Hold Steady’s best to date, and the idea of there being some sort of sequel to it might make some weak in the knees. Hell, the band even brought back Dean Baltulonis to produce the album, who was also responsible for “Separation Sunday”. The thing is though, it was sort of a record for that particular time and place, where this up-and-coming band finally started to make good on their debut album’s promise, and Craig Finn’s songwriting had evolved quickly to the point where his stories were as vivid and had some massive guitar riffs to back them up. Plus, after that album when Franz Nicolay came aboard, their sound continued to grow and expand to far more epic proportions. With “Heaven Is Whenever” and the absence of Nicolay, the keyboards are all but gone and the band returns to their pre-Nicolay days of loud, big riffs. You could say they’re taking a massive step backwards. All the distance they’ve come since 2005 seems to have been wiped away and suddenly the past few years never existed. But even as a “non-sequel” to “Separation Sunday,” “Heaven Is Whenever” still falls short of that album’s excellence, and suddenly I’m starting to realize that between the endless riffs and Finn’s storytelling about girls who did him wrong, these guys are becoming all too predictable and just a little bit boring.
The brightest spots on “Heaven Is Whenever,” and there are a few of them, primarily come yet again from Craig Finn’s wonderful wordplay. That’s really the thing the band does best as well, because their melodies are so often (and rightly) compared to the barroom rock of American hero Bruce Springsteen. By now, a few albums in, we’ve gotten to know Finn relatively well, and whether the stories he tells via his lyrics are autobiographical or not, he seems to specialize in tales about girls that will break your heart in a million different ways. It’s a relatable problem, as are many of his platitudes. In the song “Soft in the Center,” Finn even goes so far as to utter the lines “I know what you’re goin’ through/I had to go through that too”, because apparently we weren’t already aware of that fact. Of course the same song also contains the brilliant lyrics “I know bodies of water freeze over/I’m from a place with lots of lakes/But sometimes they get soft in the center/The center is a dangerous place”, so I guess you could say it balances out. If you want to talk about home runs though, tracks that The Hold Steady absolutely crush, you can’t do much better than ballad “We Can Get Together,” a song about finding your (my) dream girl who just wants to sit on the floor and listen to records. There’s about a dozen references to bands and individual songs within this track, which includes Pavement, Meatloaf, Husker Du, The Psychedelic Furs, Heavenly and Utopia. It’s extremely well put together and also earns major points for being one of the few songs on the album that doesn’t get bogged down in extensive riffing (see: “Rock Problems”). Other notable good cuts on the album include “Barely Breathing,” “Hurricane J” and opener “The Sweet Part of the City”. The rest of the songs are merely okay, continuing to re-hash all the familiar points the band has covered these past several years.
In deciding whether or not “Heaven Is Whenever” is worth your time, I encourage you to consider just how much you love this band and their trademark mixture of big arena rock and highly intelligent wordplay. Franz Nicolay left the band because he felt that the guys were content with what they were already doing and didn’t want to push themselves creatively. That rings very much true on this album, and the question is are you like Nicolay and believe this sound has grown old and a little tired? I’m staying right in the middle on this one, as this new record both feels a little shaky but continues to keep me moderately interested thanks largely to Craig Finn’s witticisms. The guy continues to be prolific and brilliant, even when he’s talking about the same old subjects, and I’ll probably continue listening to this band just to hear what obscurely cool reference he pulls out of his lyrical hat next. Where does “Heaven Is Whenever” stand in The Hold Steady’s canon? That’s a difficult question to answer, especially since I wasn’t exactly high on the band’s last album “Stay Positive” either. “Separation Sunday” and “Boys and Girls in America” remain the gold standard for modern rock albums in my book, and their debut “Almost Killed Me” is…interesting to say the least. After this album though, my hope continues to be that The Hold Steady find a way to creatively evolve to the next level yet again. I’m not saying they need to throw out the elements that made them one of the more popular indie bands in existence today, but it’d be nice if they could mix it up just a little more than they currently are.
After I took vacation last week, Pick Your Poison returns this week with more batches of daily mp3s from my inbox to your ears. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Above all though, have fun!
Dosh – Number 41 (feat. Andrew Bird)
Johnny Bertram & the Golden Bicycles – At the Wake
Kate Miller-Heidke – Are You Fucking Kidding Me? (The Facebook Song)
Sia – Clap Your Hands (Diplo Remix)
Worriedaboutsatan- Pissing About (Golau Glau’s Hyper Hyper Re-Mash Remix)
It stuns me just a little to think that there’s probably an entire generation of people who have no idea who Courtney Love is. Her last album, a “solo” effort released under her own name, was 2004’s “America’s Sweetheart”, the title of which was intended as irony. See, if you’ve not read a tabloid magazine in the past several years, you’ve been missing out on this epic saga involving rampant drug use, rehab, child custody battles and a number of other prim and proper things that Courtney has been associated with. Most recently she’s attracted attention for bizarre rants she’s posted on her website and Facebook, perhaps the most notable being the time(s) she accused Ryan Adams of borrowing a whole bunch of money from her and never paying it back. Courtney Love. She’s always the victim of some injustice. As much as she’d like to try, things never seem to go well for her.
I suppose that wasn’t the case back in 1994, when her band Hole released their seminal album “Live Through This,” a record made that much more powerful due to the death of her husband, the legendary Kurt Cobain, mere months before. It also presented Love as a brash and powerful female figure with an emotional core at the center we had never seen before. Between thrashers like “Violet” and sad/vulnerable tracks like “Doll Parts”, Hole was one of a few groups at the time proving that chick rock was both in your face and awesome. In that way, Courtney Love is a pioneer who despite all her problems deserves your respect, at the very least for knowing how to put on one hell of a live show. Now, after a trip to rehab a few years back and numerous false starts, the bitch is back and she’s moved back to the old band name Hole. Of course Hole is essentially a different band now, given that Love is the only original member still left, but they’ve got their first official album since 1998’s “Celebrity Skin” and the first new music from Courtney Love in 6 years. The record is titled “Nobody’s Daughter,” and you’ll be able to buy it starting tomorrow.
The first thing you may want to know about “Nobody’s Daughter” is that many of the songwriting credits are shared between Love, her friend/Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan, and former rocker-for-hire Linda Perry. Why it takes these three people to get this record in any sort of shape to be deemed fit for release, and why it took so long to put together in the first place (this album has been delayed time and time again over the past few years) is something of a mystery. After all that reported hard work and struggle, that this record flails and falters at most of its turns can either be described as surprising or completely expected. You can say it’s surprising because Love has been on a straighter and narrower path than she’s ever seemingly been on recently, and that she’s been pulling herself together probably meant she’d have a halfway coherent album too. You can also say that given all her past problems, it’s no wonder the new Hole record would turn into a train wreck with or without the help of her popular friends. Then there’s the notion that because of her messed up life the last several years, these songs might have the raw and visceral power a record like “Live Through This” had, because she could very well deal with the tough emotional rollercoaster she’s been on. Unfortunately the album doesn’t deliver on that promise, and in the end its really only Love’s voice that continues to hold any sort of strength on a record filled with weaknesses.
So what’s the biggest issue with “Nobody’s Daughter”? Well, plain and simple, it’s an over-produced piece of leftover 90’s alternative trash. Last time I checked, it wasn’t the 90’s anymore, nor is it the 00’s, so to push a loud and brash guitar record like this feels outdated and an attempt at manufactured nostalgia. This album fits right in with the rest of Hole’s catalogue, and while a gem of an album like “Live Through This” sits among that pile, at least that had its share of compelling songs that not only stuck in your head but slapped you around emotionally. “Nobody’s Daughter” lacks real sincerity for the most part, save for a couple songs like “Pacific Coast Highway” and “Letter to God”. First single “Skinny Little Bitch” isn’t horrible either, if only because it’s one of the catchier songs in Hole’s oevure. Other than those small victories, there’s little else I like about this album, though I’ll admit that Courtney seems like she really tried hard to make the best record possible. I just happen to think that her idea of what constitutes a great album might be a little off compared to today’s standards. Invest some time and effort in “Nobody’s Daughter” if you like, but I can’t quite advocate picking it up.
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