Heady jam brah!

I'm pretty sure this is what my parents heard when I played my first bootleg for them.

Just please don't call me a monster

You little bitch. Fine. You win. I give up. But damn it if I didn’t try. I tried hating you. I tried to just lump you in with the rest of those jackasses. You know, those other talentless hacks that shake their shit on stage and call it music. I tried to just dismiss you as lame pop crap. I tried so damn hard. But try as I may, you won. I still can’t figure it out though. What the hell is it about you that actually makes me like you? Is it that you’re just better than those aforementioned hacks, or are you actually good? Maybe it’s because you have actual musical training beyond how to use auto-tune. Or possibly it’s because you’re originally a singer-songwriter. Or is that a deterrent, that I should hate you for selling out and turning pop? Or do I respect you for it? I can’t figure it out, but holy hell if you haven’t figured out a way to get your stupid little songs stuck in my head. So, I concede. You win. Goddamnit.

Rufus Wainwright - All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu

Rufus Wainwright is many things to many people. A great composer, a unique and superb vocalist, a flamboyant and eccentric stage performer, all would be accurate ways to describe the Canadian-raised New Yorker. And with his newest album, for those that didn’t already consider him so, you can now add extraordinary pianist to the list, for it is with All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu that we finally get an uninterrupted performance from Wainwright and his piano. Foregoing the rock band, strings, back-up vocalists, horns or even acoustic guitar of his previous albums, Songs for Lulu gives Wainwright the opportunity to stretch his classical chops all by his lonesome. Just a man and his piano, baring his soul and really giving a taste of what is going on inside his twisted and torn mind…while also showing off a bit. Because really, would it be a Rufus album if it didn’t go over the top at least once or twice?

No stranger to the overly dramatic opener, "Who Are You New York?" picks up right where you remember Rufus leaving off, but even still you right away notice that something is different, but what? "Sad With What I Have" provides a little more of a hint, but it’s "Martha" that really unveils what it is. This is raw Rufus. This is a man who, while still battling some of the demons in his mind, is starting to make peace with it all. A series of messages to his sister transcripted over light and, at times, troubling piano, Martha bares the truth of the moment and the past, with Rufus attempting to reassemble a dissolved family before it’s too late. It’s made all the more poignant for the fact Kate McGarrigle, his mother, recently lost her battle with cancer.

But just as the final notes fade, so does a bit of the sentiment and you get slapped upside the head with the aforementioned flamboyant and eccentric Rufus. To call "Give Me What I Want, And Give It To Me Now!" theatrical would be fitting, setting the scene of Wainwright stomping around a stage in a monologue rant and not forgetting the essential dance break. Kind of timely actually, for the fact that he also recently wrote an entire opera, Prima Donna. But again with the back-and-forth of his album (mind), he again shows his vulnerability with the sorrowful ballad "True Love."

The trio of sonnets—43, 20 & 10 in order of appearance—midway through add a sweet loveliness (if I may use those two words together) and increasingly so as they go along. Featuring Shakespearean lyrics, you can actually hear a touch of similarity to their writing styles. In fact, if you didn’t know better (who’s saying I didn’t? stop judging me!), you might not even catch this till it’s told to you.

"The Dream" and "What Would I Ever Do with a Rose" play off of each other’s loved and lost theme and again display his virtuosity on the piano, the former stretching the entire keyboard with bouncing triads and running triplets, and the latter light and airy emphasizing the understanding he’s come to with love. And wait, is that…yup, I thought we might get a French tune, and there you are "Les Feux D'Artifice T'Appellent" in all your French-Canadian glory. I jest really, but not speaking French and all (I told you to stop judging me!) and the musical elements not being the most original for Rufus, it’s not my favorite, but it does have a certain je ne sais quo. "Zebulon" closes Songs for Lulu, and just to let you know that this is a story to be continued, it introduces a new character, one that even Rufus is surprised to have on his mind.

So here we are. The end of Rufus Wainwright’s first entirely solo album. How’d ya like it? I’m not really sure myself. Having an affinity for the piano, to not only have it be a (the) primary focus and to hear just how good Rufus is with it is a giant bonus. But on the other hand, having a full band behind him to give a respite from lyrics that can weigh heavily after a while might not be such a bad thing either. So, this isn’t my favorite Rufus album, but I tell you what, I would gladly put this on before others. It does do well start to finish—that “listenability” thing—and it is definitely something new, which is encouraging when some have wondered what else he has in the tank. If you are a Rufus lover, you probably already own this out of devotion, but if you’re new to him, this wouldn’t be my recommendation for an introductory album. For that, I will always have to go with Poses, but there’s no problem with Songs for Lulu as a second or third.

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

Hey cool it man!

Seemed like an appropriate day to share one of the greatest vocal performances from one of the greatest musicals of all time. One of the only musicals, in this guy's mind, where if you strip the lyrics out, the music could completely stand on it's own.


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Late to the Party: The Raconteurs

All too often the facial expressions and responses you get from admitting you’ve never heard of a band can be downright embarrassing. It’s almost always followed with “How they hell haven’t you heard of them? Yes you have. There’s no way you haven’t heard them!” Well, let me take my medicine on this one. Yes, I’d heard of The Raconteurs, but no, I hadn’t ever heard any of their stuff. But I’m damn glad I can say I’ve rectified that now. Hopefully you’re not in the same camp as I was, but if you are, you gotta hear this.

Let me start by saying, no Virginia, good, original rock isn’t dead, and the Raconteurs have proved this. Formed in 2005 by Jack White (White Stripes and The Dead Weather), Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence (also of The Dead Weather, as well as The Greenhornes and Blanche) and Patrick Keeler (Greenhornes), the Raconteurs don’t fall into the typical “super group” category for the fact that the members have worked together before and come from similar musical genres. But who cares? It takes nothing away from the product they put out, especially their second album, “Consolers of the Lonely.”

Admittedly not the biggest White Stripes fan, I was skeptical upon first listen, but any cynicism was quickly dismissed while inspiration took over. “Consolers” is inspiring for someone who’s grown tired of add-distortion-and-call-it-metal rock or ruin-your-buzz-depressing drama rock because it goes back to what makes (made) bands like Metallica, Primus, Tool, Led Zeppelin and even the Beastie Boys great. There’s more than just three chords. Strip away the guitar effects and the licks are just as good. The vocals are in tune and harmonies aren’t forgotten. There’s up-tempo and down-tempo. And there’s instrumental variety with piano, organ, fiddle and horns. Not to mention the influences. Hints of Zepplin, Black Sabbath, The Who, AC/DC and even some 311 and Queen can be heard at various points. But this isn’t to take away from the originality. The Raconteurs aren’t trying to sound like anyone, but rather put together a product that showcases both their individuality and group dynamic, and that product is good.

Thanks Eric!

Buy it on Itunes or at amazon.com.

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You Best Look Out for Mr. Oysterhead

What's Oysterhead? It's trayless stew and an antler axe.



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Vampire Weekend - Contra

What are friends for if not to every once in a while throw you an album that, as a music lover, you really need to hear. And nine times out of 10, the first thing you'll ask your buddy is, "What's it like?" Yeah, well good luck with this one. "It's like a cross between the African rhythms of Graceland, the ska beats of the Bosstones, 80's pop of the Cars, some Jimmy Cliff reggae and, oh yeah, there's quite a bit of classical in there too." Huh?! Well, that would actually be a pretty accurate description of the sophomore effort from Vampire Weekend, Contra. Released in January, Contra really is a cornucopia of musical styles all coming together in what ends up being a very seamless and subtle way.

Ezra Koenig (lead vocals, guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), Chris Baio (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Chris Tomson (drums, percussion) first debuted their eclectic style in 2008 with their self-titled, self-produced album. After seeing some pretty wide acclaim (reaching 17 and 15 on the US and UK Billboard's 200 respectively and gaining them accolades as “The Year’s Best New Band” by Spin magazine in 2008), the foursome joined XL Recordings, which was already known for its work with the likes of the White Stripes and Radiohead. Expanding not only on their freshman success, but also on their wide variety of musical influences, VW spent the next two years reaching out and drawing back in to develop the 10-track Contra. And surprisingly enough, critics have not been turned off by the diverse style. In fact, the album debuted at number 1 on Billboard's 200.

Almost as if to say, "Here's everything we've got. Please to enjoy," the album's first track, "Horchata," throws everything but the kitchen sink at you. A fun, up-beat tune with lyrics that somehow manage to find a place for rhyming horchata, balaclava, aranciata and masada, the first 15 seconds start simple enough, but what follows is a coordinated mess of all the styles mentioned earlier. Alternating between the calm and chaotic, "Horchata" is about as bold an opener as one could imagine from a band trying to secure their place.

Not necessarily a breather, but definitely a step back from track one, "White Sky" could have been a hidden track on Paul Simon's Graceland. Koenig's vocals and Batmanglij's guitar backed by Tomson's drum work have you waiting for Ladysmith Black Mambazo to join in. Alas, they don't. Instead Koenig keeps the torch and takes on his own version of some interesting if not humorous backing vocals between verses. Switching gears almost entirely, "Holiday" is a more straight forward tune (in VW terms) absent of both the aforementioned African and classical undertones, and rather featuring a ska rhythm on the back beat throughout, save for a brief departure during the bridge. "Holiday" takes on a bouncy melody that becomes contrasted with the slightly dark lyrics as the song progresses.

Returning to the African beats, the most notable aspect of "California English" is the use of auto-tune on the vocals. Not in the Kanye or Britney way though. In fact, since Koenig has already demonstrated his ability to hit a note, in this case the auto-tune is used for its sound effect alone. And it does add a tasty element to the fast moving lyrics that dive into the contradictions that seem so prevalent in many aspects of today’s society.

"Taxi Cab" provides what, in my humble opinion, is the most interesting track of the album for its ability to subtlety incorporate all of these numerous styles into one soft medley. The walking tempo lead by the delayed drums, staccato synth bass and low strings set the foundation for the vocals, but then underneath comes the piano all working seamlessly together with one not overpowering the other, so that even when the piano lead takes over between verses, it doesn’t jump out at you but rather gives the impression of something that was there all along. Even more to this point, at around the half-way mark, the tune almost becomes a full-fledged classical piece with the bass and vocals giving way to the piano and strings and even adding a harpsichord, which then drop off and allow the song to return to its origins.

"Run" hints on the 80's pop and punk sides of VW without diving into them head first, maintaining the inability to pigeon-hole even just one of the tracks. While the drums and bass say punk and the keys say 80's pop, Koenig prevents a full-fledged attack with his lilting melody. "Cousins" represents the first of two radio singles on the album, and introduces yet another influence with Koenig's Dick Dale-style lead guitar, but still keeps with the punk undertones of its preceding track. "Giving up the Gun," the second of the singles, follows and, as if dividing the album into three separate parts, keeps with punk base but again forbids you from pinning just a single label on it.

The dub keys of "Diplomat's Sun" send the album to a mellower tone as it nears its end. And while many times the last track of an album can be a throw-away, "I Think UR a Contra" seems like the perfect end to this auditory fiesta. Almost like credits music at the end of a great film, the ultimate track to Contra sends the listener on their way in peace, but with a message to ponder as they go.

Admittedly upon first listen, Contra almost seems like too much to handle. Who are these guys? What the heck are they trying to accomplish by cramming so much into each track? But just one listen later and you can hear that they really don't have any hidden agenda. On the contrary, it all seems quite natural. And after realizing this, it can even become a fun game to pull each song apart to see what it's made of. Since their debut effort is a little less eclectic, it's almost surprising that Contra is the one garnering more accolades, but this serves as a testament to the duality this album accomplishes. By gathering such a diverse group of styles it widens the appeal base, while at the same time giving even the most hardened music fan a brain teaser to ponder.

Rating

Overall: 4/5

Originality: 5/5

Production: 3/5

Listenability: 4/5

Available on Itunes and Amazon.

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