Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

In a world where dramarock is seemingly king, Coldplay has definitely made a respectable bid for the throne. In the company of greats like Radiohead and Muse, Coldplay continues to make strides towards supremacy. And whether you agree with the masses or not, it may not make a difference. Album after album, the British quartet delivers on that mass appeal it takes to reign, and well, if you’re not already on board, their latest release may just give you that chance.

Frontman Chris Martin once described Coldplay as “limestone rock.” Not quite hard rock, but definitely not…whatever rock isn’t, the foursome (Guy Berryman, bass; Jonny Buckland, lead guitar; Will Champion, drums, percussion, backing vocals) has that just-right mix of edge and sentiment. Mylo Xyloto, the band’s fifth album, is no different. However, while a band knowing its place and not over-reaching is generally a good thing, the album does, at times, need just a little bit more, a little something extra to make the tracks really stand out from each other. Nonetheless, each track on Mylo Xyloto does prove that the band is deliberate in their efforts to put out a product that’s imaginative and contains a certain amount of freshness.

After the brief title track intro, the album drops into the snappy “Hurts Like Heaven,” which is a start on the right foot. The glee club vocal effect and “You used your heart as a weapon, and it hurts like heaven” chorus are definitely attention grabbers and easily make this a highlight of the album. “Paradise” keeps the focus with its multi-tracked chorus and strings. And while “Charlie Brown” is adequate, it’s the first taste of that need for just a little extra, something to separate it from “Paradise.” Not that it’s structurally the same, but more that it’s too stylistically similar to evoke any feelings about it otherwise.

Conversely, just as quickly as that need for something extra presents itself, it is remedied with another highlight. “Us Against the World” removes the intensity of the previous tracks and leaves Martin almost entirely alone in an honest and emotional ballad, pledging his loyalty to his love in this otherwise dog-eat-dog world. Followed by the throw-away (and appropriately short) “M.M.I.X.,” “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” the album’s first single, is a more melodic and fresher (there’s that word again) version of the fist-pumping club rock we’ve heard all too much of from the likes of the Black Eyed Peas. Keeping a nice balance, never letting the thumping bass take over, the tune definitely reenergizes the album after the mellow “Us Against the World.”

As a product of the 90s, it’s no surprise to hear influences of U2, R.E.M. and the other popular acts of that era. What is a welcome surprise is to hear the influences of more recent acts, like TV on the Radio. It can be heard at various points throughout the album, but the rockin’ “Major Minus,” with its falsetto vocals and leading bass, is the first time where it really comes to the front. The mellow and somewhat forgettable “U.F.O.” that follows is again a dip into the too-similar pool. Heck the opening chord is almost identical to “Major Minus,” and while it does deviate later on, it isn’t enough to make it stand out.

An unexpected appearance from Rihanna adds a nice touch to the otherwise mediocre, albeit robust, “Princess of China.” “Up in Flames” brings back some of that TV on the Radio with the tracked drums and falsetto chorus. “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” really brings out that true Coldplay sound. The cyclic piano, driving guitar and drums and emblematic Martin vocals are the Coldplay calling card. It’s almost odd that it’s taken this long for it to really come through. As a closer, “Up With the Birds” unfortunately falls a little flat. It definitely isn’t a rocker, nor is it a peaceful send off. It falls somewhere in between and actually leaves an “Is that it?” feeling.

Mylo Xyloto delivers on many fronts and fails on a few. It doesn’t take many chances, but it is a solid work beginning to end. There are those few moments of needing more, but there are equally as many that deliver. So, it most likely won’t catapult them to the top, but it definitely maintains the pace. And really, Radiohead won’t be around forever…will they?

Rating
Overall: 3.5/5
Originality: 3/5
Production: 4/5
Listenability: 3.5/5

Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire

Ryan Adams. Just say the name and you’re bound to get one of two reactions: love or hate. And while there are plenty of bands out there that elicit this same effect, Adams seems to have done so in a very different way. Many times the polarization of music lovers comes from the style of the band, loving those that fit your wants and desires and loathing those that don’t. Other times it comes from an understanding, hating those that you just don’t get and worshiping those touch your cerebral cortex. And while some might argue that those that don’t like Ryan Adams don’t understand him or that he’s just not their style, the deepest sentiment for Adams is much different. Adams has done something unique—he’s fit in.

Over 11 years, nine solo albums and four with The Cardinals, Ryan Adams has been remarkable at fitting in. He’s that guy at the party that never says anything controversial but changes his tone depending on who he’s hanging with. His friends love him because he’s the guy that anyone can talk to, and his enemies don’t because he seems disingenuous.

So, it is with a tinge of apprehension that I approached his latest release, Ashes and Fire. I just want to make sure I know who I’m talking to here.

Ashes and Fire opens with “Dirty Rain” and “Ashes & Fire,” two good openers, and, while not ground-breaking, they offer promise for an entertaining album to come. That is after all what we’re here for, right? To be entertained?

Well, that’s the end of that fun.

“Come Home” drops the album into an abyss of slow and sappy songs…a bland, ordinary and tiresome mix of tunes, none of which most musicians with an acoustic and four track couldn’t do themselves, and all of which you’ve heard before in some form or another. In fact, this may be the most frustrating thing about Ashes and Fire—it’s almost entirely unoriginal. It’s nothing new for Adams or for the genre in which he’s working. He’s done it before with albums like Gold and Heartbreaker. And his influences, ala Lyle Lovett, Iron and Wine, Band of Horses, Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss, have all done it better. Sure, there is always going to be someone that’s done it better, but when he spends so much time apparently trying to sound like these predecessors, it’s hard to provide that same forgiveness.

You see, Adams has always been a sponge and chameleon of sorts, absorbing the sounds of popular acts and changing his sound to fit. That’s what Ashes and Fire is—his continued blend into the acoustic folk scene, done without making the slightest splash. And if this is his goal, I’d say it’s mission accomplished. But if this is any attempt to make his mark on an already over-saturated market, my advice would be to leave it to the experts.

Rating
Overall: 1.5/5
Originality: 1/5
Production: 2.5/5
Listenability: 1/5

Wilco - The Whole Love

Over its respectable 17-year career, Wilco has, if nothing else, excelled at one thing: being quite average at making good music. This may seem harsh on the surface, but digging deeper it’s just another way of saying the music is good, but it’s not that good. Most of Wilco’s eight studio albums are a fine collection of tunes, many of which demonstrate an amount of thought and craftsmanship, especially Sky Blue Sky, but none necessarily providing that wow factor. In fact, Rolling Stone described Wilco as “one of America’s most consistently interesting bands,” and while it’s hard to disagree with that statement, it might be more appropriate to debate the intent of the word “interesting.”

Wilco is definitely interesting. It’s been an interesting collaboration of artists—a revolving door of members, all with their own talents, but none (besides lead Jeff Tweedy) ever truly standing out. It has an interesting catalog of songs and styles—a mixture of folk and rock with that tinge of indie punk, mostly enjoyable on the surface but often lacking in depth. So interesting is definitely appropriate, but maybe more as an explanation of what is missing rather than what is there.

The Whole Love, the band’s latest release, is unfortunately par for the course. It’s interesting. It’s interesting to contemplate why three minutes of the seven-minute opening track is wasted on pointless guitar noise. It’s interesting that the title to this same track is “The Art of Almost,” as that could practically be the summation of Wilco’s career—the art of almost being great. It’s interesting to hear tracks like “Dawned on Me,” “Capitol City” and “Whole Love” that bring out the best in the band and wonder what it is that the others are missing. It’s interesting to guess why a solid tune like “One Sunday Morning” would be effectively wrecked by stretching it over 12 long minutes, offering little-to-no variation along the way. Interesting indeed.

To be clear though, Wilco is not a bad band, and overall, The Whole Love, like the others, is decent. There’s talent present. There’s variety in styles and instrumentation among and within the tracks. There’s a degree of depth in structure. It’s not overly-aggressive but rather quite placid. But unfortunately it, like the others, is missing that one key element, that one extra piece that takes it from being just okay good music to really good music. Maybe it’s that the styles, while varied, are sometimes stale. Maybe it’s that the structures, while beyond elementary, can be hasty and end up repetitive as a result. To be honest, I’m not sure what it is. And if I thought encouraging words would make a difference, I would offer them, but unfortunately, I think we’ve seen the best they can and will offer.

Rating
Overall: 3/5
Originality: 2.5/5
Production: 3/5
Listenability: 3/5

Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing

A wise man once discussed the beauty of those bands that astound for their creativity and uniqueness. Yeah? Well, maybe there’s just as much to be gotten from a band that absorbs its surroundings and assembles a sound that is equally as impressive for its comprehension and inclusion of what has come before it. Maybe in just one album you can hear traces of The Band, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds, Little Feat, John Hartford, Josh Ritter, Cat Stevens and even Sublime. And if there is such a thing, it’s Blitzen Trapper’s latest, American Goldwing.

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Blitzen Trapper isn’t a newbie to the music scene, but it is definitely greener than its classic sound implies. Comprised of Eric Earley (guitar/vocals), Brian Adrian Koch (drums/vocals), Marty Marquis (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Erik Menteer (guitar/keyboard), and Michael VanPelt (bass), Blitzen Trapper is among a number of indie folk bands to come on the scene in the last decade. What separates their creation from the others though, is their ability to take something old and make it sound fresh and new.

Their six full-length album, and third under the Sub-Pop label, American Goldwing is an all-inclusive look at the greatest parts of the country- and folk-rock scenes. The acoustic guitar and piano play nice in the sandbox with the harmonica and electric guitar. Country twang meshes suitably with two- and three-part harmonies. Southern-roots rock opens the album with “Might Find It Cheap” and “Fletcher,” which yield to American folk with “Love The Way You Walk Away” and onto classic rock with “Your Cryin’ Eyes.” There is unity here.

Goldwing goes in and out, back and forth, adding enough stylistic, thematic and instrumental variety to keep the listener’s interest, while neither straying too far from the nest nor becoming stale. “Taking It Easy Too Long” offers just as much emotion as “Girl in a Goat,” and “American Goldwing” just as much heartland pride as “My Home Town”. “Street Fighting Sun” isn’t a surprise, but instead a reminder of how Goldwing began, and “Stranger in a Strange Land” is the send-off you’d expect from a band that wants you to enjoy what you’ve heard as much as they’ve enjoyed making it for you.

Truth be told, Blitzen Trapper probably won’t blow you away. There’s nothing flashy or overtly extraordinary about them. But that doesn’t mean they don’t fulfill their obligation as professional musicians—to create an honest product that pleases the ear. Not every band has to be the next big thing. In fact, it is those that know their place, that play what they know to be true and don’t try to be something they aren’t that accomplish the most. American Goldwing is the paradigm of this thought, and, as long as you don’t gauge accomplishment solely in dollars, it should be thought of as a hit.

Rating:
Overall: 3.5/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Production: 3.5/5
Listenability: 4.5/5