Archive 2013

REVIEW: GREEN DAY- TRE (January)

Tre is the last album in Green Day’s trilogy.  Uno brought back Green Day’s pop sensibility and the uneven, Dos returned the band to their garage/punk roots.  Tre brings back familiar Green Day sounds along with new direction and maturity.

The album opens with “Brutal Love”, a musical departure for Green Day that starts with a lone guitar and builds to a climatic finish complete with horns and strings arrangements.  Parts of Tre are enjoyably familiar like the catchy break up songs, “Missing You” or “Walk Away” which could have fit on Uno.  Green Day does not shy away from the aspects that made American Idiot great.  “Dirty Rotten Bastards” is an epic song in multiple acts that is reminiscent of “Jesus of Suburbia” and “Homecoming” from American Idiot.  The band does not shy away from politics either on the catchy anthem, “99 Revolutions”, which observes “we live in troubled times, from the ghetto to an empty suburban house”.    There are moments lyrically where front man Billie Joe Armstrong shows personal maturity in his lyrics.  Billie Joe Armstrong’s lyrics have gone from the immature rant of “I’ve got no motivation” from “Longview” to the sweeping political anthems of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown.  Here he sings with maturity about getting older from the acoustic lament of “Drama Queen” about a daughter becoming a teenager to the longing for youth after the death of a friend on “X-Kid”.    The album closes with the gorgeous “The Forgotten” complete with a sweeping strings arrangement.

Most bands could not pull off a trilogy of albums and in many cases the release would have been better with one album of the best of the parts.  The trilogy works pretty well for Green Day because each album stands on its own. On Uno and Dos, Green Day remember different sounds from their past.  Tre is a good reminder of the sounds Green Day does well while expanding into new concepts musically and lyrically.  Tre is surprisingly cohesive for all the different musically ideas represented here.  It is an enjoyable listen and solid end to the trilogy.

REVIEW: HAPPY CHICHESTER- TORCHWOOD LOOP (May)

Musician, Happy Chichester’s career has many different incarnations.  In the 80’s he was in the Columbus, Ohio funk rock band, Royal Crescent Mob.  He followed Royal Crescent Mob by fronting Howlin Maggie, participating in the first incarnation of the Twilight Singers, and touring and recording as a solo artist.  Chichester’s last recorded release was his 2007 solo debut, Lover Come Back.  After being delayed due to illness, Happy Chichester is finally back with his second solo album, Torchwood Loop.

Chichester is a very versatile musician being the guitarist, bassist, drummer, or keyboardist at various points in his career.  When he started touring as a solo artist, Chichester became a one man band on stage playing various instruments as well as programmed beats at different points.  Torchwood Loop is almost completely played by Chichester.  Along with live instruments, Chichester incorporates programmed beats throughout the album.   Chichester is able to incorporate the one man band feel of his live shows into Torchwood Loop without sounding too stripped out or cold and artificial with the programmed music.

In the liner notes of the album, Chichester writes “This album grew out of a simple practice I have for dealing with the toxicity of political news and other media, an addiction.  I go play my drums.  Meditate.  After an hour or so of playing the drums, I feel clean again”.  Lyrically, the songs on Torchwood Loop follow this idea of a cycle of personal reflection.  The album opens with the personal reflection, “Battle”.  An acoustic, rockin stomper of a song, Chichester reflects “A battle in your head.  A battle in your heart.  A battle with yourself now.  You can change the world”.  He continues the idea of personal journey on “Motorbike” and “Ride” where he sings with great optimism “satisfied here we come”.   “Sexy Girl” switches up the sound with almost a Latin vibe.  It is in vein of “You’re Blowin my Mind” from Chichester’s last album.  The last three songs of the album shift both musically and lyrically from the sound of the rest of the album.  “Symphony of Pain” is darker lyrically.  It is followed by the instrumental track, “Thrill of War”.  Both tracks feature gorgeous string arrangements.  “Thrill of War” is a haunting commentary on war without saying a single word.  The album closes with “December is Cold”.  It has the sound of a beautiful strings arrangement as well, however, this appears to be programmed.  According to the liner notes, the live strings arrangements appear to only be on “Symphony of Pain” and “Thrill of War”.  “December is Cold” is probably the most political Chichester has ever been with lyrics like “country’s in war, people are gone, home isn’t home anymore, just a thought to dwell upon”.

Torchwood Loop is a pleasure to listen to because it shows Happy Chichester’s versatility as a musician.  It captures very well what makes Chichester’s live shows great.  It also shows Chichester maturing as a lyricist by taking on the political as well as the open personal reflection.  

REVIEW: FILTER- THE SUN COMES OUT TONIGHT (July)

Hard rock band, Filter, was formed by former Nine Inch Nails guitarist, Richard Patrick.  Filter debuted in 1995 with the heavy, Short Bus, featuring their first hit, “Hey Man, Nice Shot”.  Filter has always been at their best when they could mix their hard rock sensibility with more melodic rock songs like their hit song, “Take a Picture” from 1999’s Title of the Record. This balance was demonstrated on the stellar but underrated 2002 release, The Amalgamut.  Filter tried to return to their solely hard rock roots with the mediocre, The Trouble with Angels in 2010.  Filter has returned with The Sun Comes Out Tonight.  In contrast to The Trouble with Angels, Filter balances the hard rock songs with the melodic rock songs and even experiments with ballads.

The album opens with a bang with the in your face rocker, “We Hate it When You Get What You Want”.  This song is like a cross between a Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie song.  Richard Patrick spends a good bit of the album pissed off from the angry hard rockers “What Do You Say”, “This Finger’s For You”, “Burn It”, and “Take That Knife Out of My Back”.  The album’s more interesting moments are when Patrick goes in different directions musically and lyrically.  The album actually includes a love song in “Surprise” where Patrick sings “No lies, just eyes for you.  Teach me all that you know so that I will bask in your glow”.  “First You Break It” is a catchy, melodic rocker that can stand with “Take a Picture”.  The album’s biggest surprise is “It’s My Time”.  It is a haunting piano ballad, similar to Evanscence’s “My Immortal”.  It is achingly beautiful and unlike anything Filter has released before.  While the album started out loud and angry, “It’s My Time” fades into the uplifting rocker, “It’s Just You”, where Patrick closes by singing “we’ve got each other, we’ll fight to win”.

The Sun Comes Out Tonight is a welcomed return for Filter after The Trouble with Angels.  On The Trouble with Angels, Patrick was trying too hard to make another Short Bus and lyrically came off as stale and preachy.  The Sun Comes Out Tonight works better as an album because Patrick can stick to what he does well as well as taking risks and writing songs that are out of the usual form.  Patrick’s vocals are outstanding here.  He can yell when he’s angry and sing with great finesse on the ballads and more melodic songs.   The Sun Comes Out Tonight is an enjoyable listen if you like the Filter of the past and shows growth and new directions for the band at the same time.

STAND UP FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT (July)

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" S.G. Tallentyre from Friends of Voltaire

The First Amendment gives Americans some of our greatest freedoms, in particular, the right to free speech and a free press.  It has increasingly bothered me in the just the last week to read of more than one overt violation of free speech in the media and the public appearing to be OK with the censorship.

First , there was the Rolling Stone cover of the Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.  The many in the media are saying that Rolling Stone glamorized Tsarnaev, making him look like a sexy rock star (not possible, in my opinion) and was insensitive to the victims of the bombing.  Many stores are refusing to sell this issue and many in the media are calling for boycotts of Rolling Stone.  I even read first hand where someone tried to buy this issue at a newsstand in an airport and the clerk refused to sell it to him.  First, I don’t think that many who don’t read Rolling Stone actually understand its purpose.  Rolling Stone is not just a “pop culture” magazine and it has never been a “celebrity gossip” magazine.  Rolling Stone has not historically featured only rock stars on the cover, as was immortalized in the obscure song by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show “The Cover of the Rolling Stone”.  The current and former presidents have also been on the cover of Rolling Stone.  Rolling Stone has always featured investigative reporting and political commentary in addition to their music and movie articles.  The greatest irony of this controversy is the picture of Tsarnaev on the cover was actually run several months ago on the cover of The New York Times.  Many other publications ran Tsarnaev’s picture at the time of the bombing and no boycotts were called.  No one called the picture “sexy” when The New York Times ran it.  Another thing that shows that Rolling Stone was not “glamorizing” Tsarnaev was the caption under his picture on the cover: “How a Popular, Promising Student was Failed by his Family, Fell into Radical Islam, and Became a Monster”.  The last three words “became a monster” don’t sound like a sympathetic portrayal of Tsarnaev.  I have been a subscriber of Rolling Stone for many years.  I have always liked Rolling Stone’s music coverage as well as their investigative reporting.  I don’t always agree with Rolling Stone’s viewpoints (especially their political commentary) but I have always appreciated that Rolling Stone’s journalists could make me think about an issue and examine other viewpoints.  This is what a good journalist can do.  While I was taken aback that Rolling Stone featured Tsarnaev on the cover and I’ll admit I have not had a chance to read the article, I will defend Rolling Stone’s right to report on this tragic and ugly event in our recent history.

The second free speech issue that has arisen lately happened in my home state of Kentucky regarding parenting advice columnist, John Rosemond.  In May, the Board of Examiners of Psychology filed suit that Rosemond was illegally giving advice in Kentucky as a licensed psychologist (which he is in North Carolina) because he is not licensed in Kentucky.   Don’t be fooled into thinking that the Board of Examiners of Psychology is concerned with an issue of professional licensing standards.  Based on their logic, any professional who dispenses advice on television or in the written media must be licensed in every state where someone could possibly read or hear his/her advice.  This is an absolutely ridiculous idea.  Upon further investigation, it becomes evident that the reason that the Board of Examiners of Psychology filed the complaint is because someone who did not agree with Rosemond’s advice complained to the Board.  John Rosemond is known for having conservative, traditional views regarding parenting.  He has every right to give advice as a psychologist because he meets the professional licensing standards for the state where he practices.  I am not a parent therefore I do not read Rosemond’s column.  I suggest that those who do not like his column do the same.  John Rosemond has filed a lawsuit that the Board of Examiners of Psychology is trying to hinder his right to free speech.  I applaud the newspaper in Lexington, KY, the Lexington Herald Leader, for standing behind Rosemond’s column.  It is frightening to me that a professional organization would try to use licensing standards as a way to censor those with whom they disagree with.  

In addition to censorship of the press, I am seeing more and more examples of certain groups calling for businesses and the arts to be boycotted because someone connected with the business, movie, etc has expressed views that contradict their own.  I personally don’t find corporate boycotts to usually be effective.  I understand that we all make choices about where we shop and what we will watch and read.  However, I try to judge businesses, movies, books, etc based on their own merit.  I honestly don’t care if I agree with the CEO, director, actor, authors’ views on a political issue if it is not being represented in the business or art form.  It is not my right to tell others where they can shop, and what they can view or read.  The basis of a free society is that we don’t always have to agree with each other. Those open and honest discussions on controversial issues make us more well rounded and better informed individuals.

In 2012, the world watched in horror as members of the Russian punk band, Pussy Riot, were imprisoned for performing lyrics against their government leader, Putin.  In America, when we call for open discussions with those who have differing viewpoints to be stopped, personally attack those who disagree with our views, and draw up standards as to what is acceptable and sensitive for the press to report, are we really any better?

REVIEW- MATT NATHANSON- THE LAST OF THE GREAT PRETENDERS (October)

The Last of the Great Pretenders is singer-songwriter, Matt Nathanson’s follow up to his 2011 album, Modern Love.  Nathanson, a Massachusetts native, is now a transplant to San Francisco.  While Modern Love was a commentary on relationships, Last of the Great Pretenders is Nathanson’s personal love letter to San Francisco.  In the liner notes, Nathanson quotes Herb Caen "It's the indescribable conglomeration of beauty and ugliness that makes San Francisco a poem without meter, a symphony without harmony, a painting without reason- a city without equal".  It is this sentiment that Nathanson uses as the back drop for his album.  San Francisco natives and visitors will pick up on the references to the Bay Area throughout the album, a list that includes San Francisco in a title and later in a chorus, the Golden Gate, Guerrero St., Berkeley, Mission (St?), Alcatraz, the Castro, and things associated with the city like street cars and earthquakes.

While the album relies heavily on the pop sensibility that Nathanson is known for, Nathanson does takes some risks and branches out in different directions musically.  The best example of this is on the album’s first single, "Mission Bells", a dark break up song with references to suicide and dreams of death that still remains catchy.  “The Last Days of Summer in San Francisco” is a beautiful commentary on the end of different life stages.  Lyrically, Nathanson shines when his lyrics are personal, as best evident on “Sky High Baby” about leaving Boston and the east coast for San Francisco.  On “Sunday New York Times”, Nathanson laments about a lost love “sometimes you're still mine, between the lines of the Sunday New York Times”.  In an album packed with references to his adopted home of San Francisco, “Sunday New York Times” also appears to be a song of nostalgia for the east coast along with “Sky High Baby”.  Nathanson also has fun with songs about being an audiophile such as the infectiously catchy, “Kinks Shirt”, where he “can’t stop thinking about the girl in the Kinks shirt”.  Knowing what a fellow music geek Nathanson is, my favorite line from the album comes in the sexy “Kill the Lights” when Nathanson sings “I found religion at the record store”.  My second favorite lyric is from the catchy, “Annie’s Always Waiting”, “she had a masters degree in disappointment”.  Nathanson ends the album with the optimistic “Farewell December” where he sings “I felt alive for the first time in my life. The sky was turning blue, like movie endings do, this year was ours, ours, ours. Farewell December.”

On a side note for vinyl collector, the green vinyl in the final vinyl edition is fabulous.  What makes The Last of the Great Pretenders such an enjoyable listen is how much Nathanson has grown as a songwriter.  All of Nathanson’s albums are fabulous but this album is so effective because Nathanson took a risk by making such a personal album.  He eloquently conveys his love for his adopted city of San Francisco while showing nostalgia for his native east coast.  He also has fun showing what a music geek he is.  When real emotions are expressed in an album, it makes for a more effective album that the listener can identify with.

THE AFGHAN WHIGS’ GENTLEMEN AT 20 (October)

On October 5, 1993, the Afghan Whigs’ Gentlemen album was released.  I was starting my freshman year of college.  When I was in high school my music tastes had started to improve.  I started to walk away from mainstream pop music for R.E.M. and the B-52’s.  This was a very fertile time for alternative music and independent bands.  A big part of alternative music’s hey day was thanks in large part to MTV’s 120 Minutes.  I taped 120 Minutes late night every Sunday.  While I was watching 120 Minutes, a video caught my attention.  It was the Afghan Whigs’ “Debonair”.  I fell in love with the Afghan Whigs at that moment.  I bought the Gentlemen album on vinyl, which I played until it started skipping.  Shortly, after seeing Debonair on 120 Minutes, Greg Dulli and John Curley from the Whigs were interviewed on 120 Minutes and played “Gentlemen” live.   I still remember the 120 Minutes appearance like it was yesterday.  Greg Dulli was wearing a mustard colored, button down shirt.  I was mesmerized by his dark good looks, whit, and music.  The Whigs were also from Cincinnati, OH, a city that many from my hometown of Lexington, KY will drive to for events.  I feel like I was being let in on something wonderful that was close to my backyard.  Because of the Afghan Whigs, Cincinnati has become my musical home away from home.

What separated Gentlemen was I had never heard at the time anyone sing and write with such brutal honesty as Greg Dulli did on the album.  Inspired by his own break up with his girlfriend, Dulli laid his heart out for his listener.  Every ugly part was there in the lyrics, nothing was held back or censored.  When an artist can do this successfully, the listener will respond because of the authenticity of the emotion.   The album opened with the haunting “If I Were Going” where Dulli sang “It don’t bleed and it don’t breathe.  It’s  locked its jaw and now  it’s swallowing. It’s in our heart, it’s in our head, it’s in our love, baby it’s in our bed”.    This line would later be repeated in the chorus on “Debonair” and set the tone for the album.  The album became Dulli’s confession of macho sexuality (“Gentlemen” and “Be Sweet”), codependence (“Fountain and Fairfax”), relationship claustrophobia (“What Jail is Like”) masochism (“My Curse”) and ultimately repentance  (“Now You Know”).  As Dulli would later sing on “Crime Scene Part 1” from Gentlemen’s follow up Black Love, “Do you think I’m beautiful, do you think I’m evil”, Dulli created a dual persona on Gentlemen.   He was a jerk and his pain was heartbreaking at the same time.  Dulli shocked when he made confessions like “I’ve got a d*ck for a brain” and “she wants love and I just want to f*ck” on “Be Sweet” (two lines that only Greg Dulli can get away with singing).  In “Debonair”, he sings “he’s not the man my actions would suggest “ and then mocks “this time I won’t repent, somebody’s going down” and transitions almost to repentance by the end of the song , “tonight I go to hell for what I’ve done to you”.   He could also reduce his audience to tears when he sings about the relationship that has drug on much longer than it should have on “When We Two Parted” “Every night I spent in that bed with you facing the wall.  If I could have only once heard you scream to feel that you were alive instead of watching you abandoning yourself”.  Or the gut wrenching “Now You Know” where he confesses “was I unaware of the damage a lie could do” and pleads “baby, now it’s through”.  ”The album closes with the beautiful instrumental “Brother Woodrow’s Closing Prayer” that does feel like a prayer of repentance.  Though I couldn’t personally identify with all of Dulli’s tales of betrayal and addiction, at a time in my life that was at a major transition and relationships from high school were changing, Gentlemen felt relevant to me and ultimately changed my life.  Twenty years later it is still relevant and still speaks to me.  After twenty years of albums, concerts, and adventures, Greg Dulli’s music is still a major soundtrack to my life.  And for that, I am forever grateful.

REVIEW: NINE INCH NAILS- HESITATION MARKS (November)

In 2009, Trent Reznor walked away from the name that made him famous, Nine Inch Nails.  Since then he wrote two film scores (The Social Network and The Girl with Dragon Tattoo), won an Oscar, and started How to Destroy Angels with his wife, Mariqueen Maandig. As a fan of Nine Inch Nails, I found Reznor’s new creative direction disappointing, lacking the substance and everything that made Nine Inch Nails great.  With the release of How to Destroy Angels’ album, Oblivion, early this year, it appeared this would be the creative path Reznor would continue on.  In a shocking turn of events, Reznor announced that there would be a new Nine Inch Nails this year, Hesitation Marks.  This is the album I waited four years for Reznor to release.  

Hesitation Marks brings Nine Inch Nails back to its roots.  It is the most danceable album Reznor has released since his debut, Pretty Hate Machine.  Musically, it is a shout out to 80’s new wave and electronic music.  However, several songs have heavy catchy guitar riffs, thanks to heavy hitter guests like Lindsey Buckingham and Adrian Belew.  Lyrically, Reznor appears to struggle with his identity as a musician.  After an instrumental intro, the album opens with “Copy of A”, where Reznor sings “I am just a copy of a copy, everything I say has come before” over an electronic wall of sound, reminiscent of Reznor’s influence, Kraftwerk.   “Came Back Haunted” appears to be his commentary on leaving Nine Inch Nails and returning to form when he sings “I said goodbye and I had to try and I came back haunted”.  “Find My Way” is the album’s only ballad and is another track longing to find identity when Reznor sings “wandered here from far away, I’m just trying to find my way”.   “All Time Low”, one of the album’s best tracks, starts with funky electronic sass and a bitchin guitar riff to a sweeping electronic ending.  “Everything” is the most upbeat song Reznor has probably ever written.  Lyrically, while he spends most of the album searching for identity, on “Everything”, Reznor is comfortable where he is when he optimistically sings “Wave goodbye, wish me well, I’ve become something else…I am home.  I can see, always here finally”.  Musicially, it actually sounds like a New Order song.   “Satellite” is a funky dance song, that you can’t sit still when you listen to it.  “Various Methods of Escape” has a killer guitar riff over a dance beat and Reznor brings back the theme of identity search when he sings “I’ve got to let it go.  I’ve got to get straight”.  Before a closing instrumental, the album closes with “While I’m Still Here”,  a song about the end of the world where Reznor stills optimistically sings “I’m OK, nothing ever stays the same”.

In the past, Reznor has been very effective with high concept albums such as The Fragile and Year Zero. With Hesitation Marks, he has made an album that is very listener friendly.  It is not a dark album, like The Downward Spiral.  However, it is not Nine Inch Nails lite either.  Reznor draws from influences and his love of electronic music.Hesitation Marks is a pleasure to listen to because it is Trent Reznor doing what he does best. Welcome back, Trent!

THE BEST AND WORST OF 2013 (December)

BEST ALBUMS

• Nine Inch Nails- Hesitation Marks (see review)
• Matt Nathanson- The Last of the Great Pretenders (see review)
• Happy Chichester- Torchwood Loop (see review)
• Vienna Teng- Aims- San Francisco song writer, Vienna Teng, is like early Tori Amos when she was good.  It has been four years since Teng released an album but Aims was worth the wait.  It is a showcase for Teng’s gorgeous voice and excellent songwriting.
• Barenaked Ladies- Grinning Streak- I’ll be the first to admit I hated the Barenaked Ladies during their heyday in the 90’s.  Hate the band’s name and “One Week” is one of the most annoying songs ever.  However, withGrinning Streak, the band made the perfect pop album.  Songs like “Odds Are” and “Did I Say That Out Loud” are infectiously catchy.  The album is not profound but like candy for the ears, is extremely sweet fun.

BEST SONGS

• Jason Isbell- Elephant- This is one of the most heartbreaking songs I have heard in a long time. “Elephant” is an achingly beautiful song about the effects on a friendship when one is fighting cancer.  This song is a weeper and is an example of songwriting at its best.
• Alfred Hammond Jr.- St. Justice- This song is from Strokes’ guitarist’s solo work.  This song, lyrically chronicles a relationship from its beginning to break up.  Musically, it reminds me of what I liked about the Strokes.
• Sara Bareilles- Brave- OK, I’ll admit it.  I don’t like a lot of popular music but I do usually like Sara Bareilles’ singles.  "Brave" was slightly overplayed but it is so uplifting and empowering, it is a pop song done right.
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BEST LIVE SHOWS
Hearing the Afghan Whigs performing “See and Don’t See” was an amazing way to begin 2013.  I saw some great shows in 2013 including Matt Nathanson and locally a 10 Foot Pole reunion with Happy Chichester opening was an amazing line up.  However, hands down the best live show goes to Nine Inch Nails.  I did not think Trent Reznor could top with 2008 Lights in the Sky tour.  The Tension tour this year were visually stunning and a nice mix of new and old Nine Inch Nails songs.  Trent Reznor continues to set the bar high for live shows and it is an experience the audience won’t soon forget.  Some pictures from the Nine Inch Nails show. This is a long form text area designed for your content that you can fill up with as many words as your heart desires. You can write articles, long mission statements, company policies, executive profiles, company awards/distinctions, office locations, shareholder reports, whitepapers, media mentions and other pieces of content that don’t fit into a shorter, more succinct space.

BEST COMEBACK
The Replacements- It was the most unlikely comeback and most celebrated by long time fans.  It started with the charity EP, Songs for Slim and was followed with three live shows.  I wish I could have seen the shows but the recordings I heard were tight and a great mix of newer and older Mats classics.  The year ended with the Replacements being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  They were not inducted for 2014 but I am honored to see them recognized and maybe they will be inducted sometime.  (*I knew Nirvana would be inducted for 2014 but Hall and Oates?  Really?  I know Hall and Oates had some hits in the 80’s but they are not artists I would call influential or have had a career with great longevity.  Sigh.)

WORST OF THE YEAR
I didn’t listen to a lot of popular music this year and I will be more positive this year.  However, I have no idea how any publication could list Miley Cyrus as an entertainer of the year.  Really, I get it, you are a young adult now and don’t want to be associated with Hannah Montana anymore.  However, acting like a tramp, train-wreck celebrity is not the way to gain respect as an artist.  Sinead O’Connor was completely right in her initial criticism of Miley.  I wish Miley would put her top back on and go away.
Also, Katy Perry, your song “Roar” was done better by Sara Bareilles on “Brave”.  I might have something to do with the fact the “Brave” didn’t have a bunch of lame references to Rocky.