As we sit here digging out from the biggest snowstorm in this city's history -- several feet since Friday, shuttering shops since mid-day and canceling work even today -- I thought I'd pop in and drop a few tunes that have been rolling on repeat.First up is the side project from Interpol frontman Paul Banks. Called Julian Plenti, the band's first offering marries the dark undertones of his main band with his traditionally non-sensical lyrics (the album's title is "Julian Plenti is...........Skyscraper," for one example) for a fun little romp through the sonisphere. Tracks like "Only if you Run" and "Fly as you Might" lumber and stagger like the soundtrack to a drunken night, "No Chance Survival" spins four pretty minutes out of a beautiful little riff that soars through the heavens, and "Fun that We Have" and "Games for Days" charge like Interpol of old, all urgent intensity and thudding propulsion. Check out the latter tune here for a taste of what these guys can do on the album's first single:
Next up is the Austin-based Spoon's latest, their seventh offering called "Transference." Spoon has always been one of those bands that's tough to get a handle on. Critics become engorged at the mere sight of frontman Britt Daniel's floppy mop of hair and indie kids whip out their nerdiness to measure whose devotion is bigger to bands like Spoon, the Shins, et al. For whatever reason, though, I've never been able to fall in love with them -- I've liked them, but there's a distance and detachment to everything they do that prevents you from fully embracing them. Maybe it's Daniels's reputed prickliness that gets you before you even begin, but I've always felt like they keep you at arm's length.Daniels's delivery is part of the problem. He sings songs with an audible chip on his shoulder, but not because you aren't providing him the love he feels he deserves, but because he just doesn't give a shit about you, the stupid listener, and your opinion. It's sort of a "fuck you" rock mentality that for whatever reason doesn't work. (Maybe it's because you suspect deep down he really does want your validation and acceptance, which makes his diffidence disingenuous and a bit of a waste of time.)
Daniels also bats you away with his lyrics, which prevent you from finding an emotional hook to any of the songs. He essentially sings "heartfelt" emotions to you from the opposite goal line and tries to call it intimacy. Take "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case," for example, from their stellar previous album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga." (Stellar, but again, not something I'm ever moved to put on by a particular mood or emotion -- this is brain food, not heart smart sustenance.) This was heralded in the music rags for its emotional vulnerability, written in the midst of a relationship going awry, purportedly all raw and naked honesty. Now listen to the lyrics -- it is three lines, sung over and over again, in flat tones and minor chords. It's as obtuse as half a rhombus. And that's the problem -- the band's (and in reality Daniels's, since he's the group's driving force) so-called honesty and emotional resonance seem as genuine as an apology caveated with fifteen "buts."
Blame it on what you will -- personality, insecurity, over-production --but it's stopped me from loving this band since 2001's "Girls Can Tell." That had everything in its right place -- attitude matched with raw fuzz, smart lyrics, and a desire (and willingness) to be liked. And thankfully this album feels a whole lot like that one. It's the first time they've produced their own album since then, and maybe it's the inevitable residue of DIY endeavors, but the band feels present on every minute of this album -- no going through the motions and phoning in songs emotionally. Daniels's voice is commanding -- raw, hoarse, and powerful as usual, but buttressed by heart and not diffident, dickish attitude this time. And the songs hum as a result. "The Mystery Zone," "I Saw the Light," "Trouble Comes Running" and "Got Nuffin" are pure bounce, while "Goodnight Laura" and "Out Go the Lights" slow things down for a little calmer introspection.
Yet nothing scores better than "Written in Reverse," which is an absolute firestorm of a song and might be among the best things the band has ever written. Everyone is at their prime -- the drums thud like mortar rounds, guitars saw rawer than an Irishwoman's skin after a day in the sun, and the lyrics are a point blank blast. ("I'm writing this to you in reverse -- somebody better call the hearse" is the song's opening salvo.) Nothing tops Daniels' voice, though. He positively kills this song -- if you ever wondered what he'd sound like if he sang from his gut instead of his shoulders, here is your answer -- a roar that's more primal than a Serengeti lion. The song is just phenomenal, rock at its absolute finest, and hopefully a sign of things to come from these guys -- of stepping out from behind the curtain of interference and being here now, standing ready for battle. Enjoy:
Finally, a quick nod to my fellow dancehounds with an album that will leave you like a farmhouse chicken come dinnertime -- your feet in frantic motion, your head lying in a pool on the floor. This, as in all good things dance/electronic, comes from France, specifically Parisian David Guetta, who has assembled an album of beats and songs that will leave your speakers as thoroughly decimated as your brain. Something of a bridge between Daft Punk and Eurodance (ie ginormous beats, just with more, poppier vocals), this album is irresistible. From the twinkly opening piano notes of "When Love Takes Over," (starring former Destiny's Child lass Kelly Rowland) you are on standby for dance deployment, and are called to duty shortly thereafter."Gettin' Over" (with Chris Willis), "Sexy Bitch" (with Akon), "On the Dancefloor" (with the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and apl.de.ap), "I Wanna Go Crazy" (again with will.i.am) --these get into your brain like a runaway earwig and are undeniable. We're talking dancehall juggernauts (or one-man cube dance parties if you happen to be at work), but none moreso than "Memories," with Kanye protege Kid CUDI. A perfect taste of what this album has in store for you, I defy you to not start moving along and obeying the song's imperative -- do some crazy shit, make the best memories.
Until next time, my friends...
-RdS
