popwreckoning

Collaboration albums tend to be hit or miss with ratings and reviews, and this collaboration is no exception. Sure, there are some albums, like Alisson Krauss and Robert Plant’s Raising Sand that are wonderful, not to mention collaborative projects like The Liquid Tension Experiment that are musical genius, but pairings like Eminem and Elton John make most audiophiles cringe. Lonely Avenue is a great collaboration between Ben Folds and Nick Hornby and is definitely one of the best collaborations I have ever stumbled across.

Ben Folds is known for both his solo work and the work of Ben Folds Five, the band that started out of nothing and topped indie music charts for a good chunk of the mid-to-late 90’s. After breaking up, Folds pursued a solo career, touring the country and charming audiences multiple times over. Nick Hornby is a British author who is famous for his groundbreaking novels, such as High Fidelity and About a Boy. Combine these two great artists and you have an album that just screams for attention, attention it deserves to the highest degree. Filled with both complex lyrics and breathtaking music, the entirely of Lonely Avenue is a masterpiece from start to finish. It doesn’t pull punches and leaves you gasping for air, for the very meaning of everything and anything, and leaves you wanting for more.

The lyrics are completely Hornby through and through- reminiscing on life, touching on sports, love, being a guy and everything that entails. Captivating as his literature and screenplays, the songs bloom with the kind of down-to-earth and heart-wrenching passion that many aficionados have come to expect from his novels. There’s a little something for everyone and singing along to the addictive tunes is not a challenge at all, as the hooks are definitely there in spades. Not at all unlike Folds’ previous lyrics, they still hold a lot of the raw emotion that his lyrics tend to convey, just a with a twist that is all Hornsby.

Couple this with the legendary genius of singer-songwriter Benjamin Scott Folds, Ben to the rest of the world, and you have one hell of an album. Heavy on piano and other more orchestral sounds, it piggybacks on the sound that Folds’ has been building for years- indie alternative rock with a tiny bit of old school jazz (no doubt leftover from his musical education at University of Miami’s Frost’s School of Music) and some seriously classical structure. Beautiful tunes spill forth to entice you in a time when things weren’t so good but they weren’t so bad either- the times when all of us were young and thought we knew how to conquer the world. From dance songs about young love to the bittersweet ballads of heartbreak, the album is perfect from start to finish.

From wonderful lyrics to the signature sound that accompanies the name Ben Folds on an album, this is a perfect fall release to grab. Pick it up tomorrow, September 28th and check out the entire album streaming live at http://www.myspace.com/benfolds

Track Listing:

1. “Working Day”
2. “Picture Window”
3. “Levi Johnston’s Blues”
4. “Doc Pomus”
5. “Your Dogs”
6. “Practical Amanda”
7. “Claire’s Ninth”
8. “Password”
9. “From Above”
10. “Saskia Hamilton”
11. “Belinda”

Website: http://benfolds.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/benfolds

The second night of Butch Walker’s month-long Wednesday night residency at Hollywood’s Hotel Café was quite a bit of a party. I’ve lived in LA for close to a year now, but I still get excited at celebrity sightings, and Butch’s collection of famous friends did not disappoint me in the slightest. In attendance that night were Jeremy Piven, Derrick Whibley (of Sum 41 and Avril Lavigne-marriage-drama fame), and not in the VIP section but in the crowd with the rest of us plebians, Alex Solowitz, best known for his portrayal of Mickey Parke in the faux MTV boy band 2ge+her. Damn, I love Los Angeles.

Tonight, Butch would be treating the crowd to a live, stripped-down rendition of The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Lets-Go-Out-Tonites. He played the album straight through, no deviations aside from his usual shtick; references to the ‘97 hit “How Bizarre” by OMC, comparing his riffing and soloing to every Led Zeppelin song that ever existed, while consequently singing “baby, baby, baby, baby!” much like Robert Plant does on every other Led Zeppelin song. You know. The usual.

He did make up for missing a song the previous week, treating us to “#1 Summer Jam,” and resolving to not miss a single song from The Rise and Fall… Pausing for a minute in the musical revelry, he talks about the forgiveness that his hardcore fans give him for his wackiness, refers to himself as being compared to Jason Mraz with tattoos, and tells us how sometimes, he wants to be filthy, stinkin’ famous. And then things happen like the YouTube video of him recording his version of “You Belong With Me” from the previous week, and he gets torn the hell up, and he realizes that he likes his little bubble. And he loves his hardcore fans. It’s good to be loved.

Getting close to the end of the album, Butch pulls out his big political song, “Paid to Get Excited,” and flat out admits that he had no idea what he was thinking when he wrote the album. Or why he wrote a political song. After playing through the first two verses and choruses, he also admits, “I don’t even like this last song! So I’m gonna do something different,” and segues into Dramarama’s “Anything, Anything,” which is a KROQ favorite and absolute staple.

In my mind, that was the cover of the night. However, soon after, Walker busts into Pulp’s “Common People,” and I honestly think I was one of five people in the entire audience who knew the song. Still, as great a song as it is, I’m not sure if it was Butch’s best choice for a cover. Shatner did it better.

Finally, the highlight of the entire night was the unintentional encore. As he’s leaving the stage for the night, someone holds up a cake with a candle in it and the crowd begins singing “Happy Birthday,” as Walker’s 40th birthday was on the Saturday to follow. That just set him off in a rockin’ mood and he did not want to stop. Calling up Hotel Café regular, Jim Bianco, the boys jam a little bit more, treating the crowd to the title track off of Jim Bianco’s latest album, Sing. I will totally and completely admit to loudly singing the harmonies from the crowd on that one. Continuing on, the boys bust out into a cover of Prince’s “Kiss” with Ari Gold himself, Jeremy Piven, joining them on the drum set….sans cymbals and with woodwhacks instead of sticks.

I have yet to be disappointed by one of these shows these month. I know that everything says its sold out, but they’ve been selling a small number of tickets at the door. Come on down and join the fun, and GET THERE EARLY!!!!!

Butch Walker: website | myspace | Sycamore Meadows review | interview with | @ grog shop | @ hotel cafe: night 1

On Saturday night the 12th at the 9:30 Club, D.C. readied for a clash of two rock goddesses – New Zealander electropopper Ladyhawke and Norwegian punk rocker Ida Maria. Support for the night was provided by London electropop/remixer extraordinaire Frankmusik and New York glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons. This tour is all thanks to the organization and chutzpah of SoCal celebrity gossip “reporter” Perez Hilton. A nice Neuro rep outside the club before the show explained to me that the owner of the company is a long-time friend of Hilton’s, so when the opportunity came up to him to sponsor Hilton’s new venture, it was a no-brainer really. The pleasant Neuro reps were handing out complimentary samples of their company’s energy drinks prior to the show, ensuring no one would forget who was sponsoring the event.

We found out from Hilton’s introduction of Frankmusik that the show in D.C. that night was his first ever in America. Frankmusik is the stage name for Vincent Frank, a young Londoner who really does it all musically – he can sing, beatbox, play the piano, and write songs, and has also remixed and produced for many artists already. Amazing CV, and he’s not even 25 yet. A lit-up banner with his name announced his arrival. After a short beatboxing exhibition, he headed straight into “Time Will Tell,” which was followed by an excited fan yelling, “you’re so cool!” He grinned back at the crowd, replying in a low, sexy English accent, “I try.”

Amusingly, fans later threw glowsticks and a pair of lacy, hot pink underwear on the stage, and equally amusingly, Frank was appreciative. “3 Little Words,” a song I know and love from hearing it on BBC Radio, was fantastic live; as with the other songs, Frank gave a high octane performance, jumping up and down and getting the crowd into his music. “Better Off as 2,” another highlight, reminds of the most delicious ’80s pop I enjoyed as a kid. Based on the crowd’s delighted shouts and dancing (mostly younger than me), I think Frankmusik is making a good impression on them as well.

Set List:
Time Will Tell
When You’re Around
Gotta Boyfriend
Confusion Girl
3 Little Words
Done Done
Instep
Better Off as 2

Semi Precious Weapons were next up. Think New York Dolls but the volume and fashion taken way, way up past eleven. According to Hilton, they’re Lady Gaga‘s favorite band of the moment. Make of that what you will. Singer/front man Justin Tranter straddled the fine line between fey coyness and unapologetic crassness, strutting on the stage like a proud peacock in a cut-up Jack Daniel’s t-shirt, leggings, and stiletto boots. He would thank us for or beg us for more applause, but then later shout as us to “shut up” or say something in foul language to further work up the already worked-up crowd. With Tranter, the band comprises Stevy Pynes (guitar), Cole Whittle (bass), and Dan Crean (drums), each of the three of them displaying an almost equally flamboyant way of playing throughout their set. This could especially be said about bassist Whittle, who was wearing a Mexican poncho and manically playing his bass.

“Put a Diamond In It and Bite Down,” the most suggestive of all their songs of the night (which is not saying much because most of their songs are racy [!]), had gig-goers reaching out desperately for their Tranter, their hero. They’re the kind of band that you either love or hate. Judging back the raucous reaction from the floor, I’d say the crowd definitely loved them. And the band gave that love back: Tranter hung out and took photos with adoring fans, and Whittle, still dressed in his poncho, was dancing, on the mostly deserted floor, looking like a man possessed by the rhythm.

If you watch MTV anymore, you will have probably seen the video for Ida Maria‘s “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” because it’s kind of hard to miss the suggestive cartoon banana related to the subject of the song. In the studio recording, she adopts a shouty, punk singing style. Live, she manages this with a hint of blues reminiscent of Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant. Indeed, one of her songs, “Devil,” has the line “I’m gonna quit you baby” and even the guitar lines most excellently shredded by lead guitarist Stefan Törnby reminded me of something Jimmy Page might have played.

Admittedly, this was a very weird set delivered by Ida Maria. Although the band did have a printed-up set list, Ida made it up as she went along, pausing between songs to consult with her band mates on what to play next. Her set began with a brand-new song, “Kitchen Floor,” that Ida explained that only her parents had ever heard before, and she read the lyrics out for a black and white speckled composition book. She would refer to this book throughout the set, which made me wonder if she had forgotten the lyrics to her own songs. She recommended us to listen to Fela Kuti only “and you will be very happy.” “Oh My God,” released in late 2007 in the UK and re-released there this past January, as well as set-ender “I Like You…” were the bright spots of the night, even though she declared “I don’t believe in feminism, I believe in equality!” before the latter. A completely sober Hilton came out after Ida Maria and band had left the stage and commented, almost in an apology, that her set was “a train wreck.”

The songs of Ladyhawke (real name Phillippa “Pip” Brown) hark back to the synth-filled ’80s, when music was unabashedly simpler. Her debut album, released in Australia and the UK last year but just released here in the States, is one of my favorite albums of recent memory. Having seen her in England in May and totally loving her performance there, I was stoked to hear she was coming to America – and D.C. – to do a headlining tour.

Ladyhawke is not a girly-girl in the conventional sense; she took to the stage looking more grunge than a fashion plate, in a plaid shirt over a Nirvana tee and jeans. Her look fits her music well; despite the blonde tresses, she gives the guitar-playing boys a run for their money, using the opportunity of instrumental bridges to really rock out. A couple songs into the set, she admitted that she was really nervous coming to D.C. but said the crowd’s reception of her and her music made her calm down and relax, and that she’d managed to do some sightseeing earlier in the day. Awww.

She played almost all the songs off her album, with single cuts “Paris is Burning” and “Back of the Van” receiving the loudest cheering; she also included a newer B-side, “Danny and Jenny.” The finish for the night was the fabulous “My Delirium,” the ode to all girls who have ever been all consumed by a love so much they can’t function: “hey! you`re playing with my delirium / and the longer I wait the harder I’m gonna fall / stop! playing with my delirium / ‘cos I’m outta my head and outta my self control“. In the end, there was no contest: Ladyhawke won the crown, thundering applause ending her set and a wonderful night in Washington. I never thought I’d say this, but Mr. Perez Hilton, you have good musical taste!

Set List:
Magic
Professional Suicide
Dusk ’til Dawn
Another Runaway
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
Danny and Jenny
Better Than Sunday
Back of the Van
Paris is Burning
My Delirium

Ladyhawke: website | myspace | remix monday: “back of the van” | @ Dot to Dot Festival 2009
Ida Maria: website | myspace
Frankmusik: website | myspace
Semi Precious Weapons: website | myspace

For anyone who has been a rock n’ roll fan for all their lives, favoring the guitar as their instrument of choice, rocking out on the couch with an air guitar or closely touching stardom as a Guitar Hero, It Might Get Loud offers an exceptional and behind the scenes look at the electric guitar and how it has been held, shaped and molded by three prominent musicians of the past thirty years.

It Might Get Loud is a rock doc showcasing the electric guitar in the hands of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge and The White Stripes/The Raconteurs/Dead Weather’s Jack White, and how each has utilized the instrument to shape the sound of their bands and define the use of the instrument as the centerpiece of rock. The title comes from a moment in the film where The Edge is about to shred some licks, warning us that “it might get loud for a second.”

Oscar winning director Davis Guggenheim does an excellent job in keeping the story far removed from the history of the bands and their prominence in rock lore; i.e. he avoids the sex, drugs, history, the Robert Plants and the Bonos and focuses solely on the three featured musicians and their personal histories with the guitar, what inspired them and how they came to define their respective signature styles.

The film is centered around a small, unscripted summit that takes place on a sound stage in Los Angeles, where The Edge, White and Page three musicians meet together for the first time for a very cool jam session, showcasing their talents and spontaneity, all the while throwing back and forth chatter about how they develop ideas and discussing how they created guitar riffs for some of their classic songs. Each immediately falls into their appropriates space in history: Jimmy Page is clearly the Rock God and the most proficient, the idol to the other two; The Edge takes his spot as the ever creative sideman; and Jack White is the brash young new comer trying to prove himself, evidenced by an early statement of his in the film, “I’m basically going to trick them into teaching me all their tricks.” The doc also branches out into side chapters, focusing on the story of each musician, their beginnings and growth and how they manipulate the guitar to do what they want it to do.

Jimmy Page is the soft-spoken, English gentleman, distinguished and charming in his dialogue and demeanor. He takes us through his beginnings as an extensive and highly coveted studio guitarist, his start in The Yardbirds and finally his development in Led Zeppelin. We are given insight into his self taught hard rock techniques, a tour of his record collection and the sounds that inspired him as he sings a long to some of his favorite songs and air guitars the licks. We are then blessed with a tour of the country house in which the legendary Led Zeppelin IV was recorded followed by an impromptu version of “The Battle of Evermore” on his mandolin.

The Edge takes us back to U2’s roots through a tour of their old school, the room in which they practiced, and the concrete slab outside where they played one of their first shows. We then visit his studio littered with effects electronics, laptops, showing us just how he is truly a sonic effects architect, as Page describes him. He makes a poignant note in the film that is otherwise lacking in the documentary. He plays an incredible U2 anthem riff, and then unplugs everything to show that the actual riff is in fact bare bones, uninspiring and hardly worth note. It highlights exactly how he is able to turn that basic sound into something incredible, which shows why a guitarist himself is responsible for the sound on his instrument.

Jack White’s story takes us back to his Tennessee roots, how he prefers minimalism and despises the use of technology on such an instrument, all the while showing us that you need not more than a piece of wood, some wire, nails and a coke bottle to make an electric guitar. His intensity is displayed in concert footage whereby he strums the hell out of his guitar so hard that his hands bleed, red pouring all over his six string, while he continues to passionately drive the wires till the end of the tune.

The highlight of the film is the summit where the three meet, discuss and play and we note the personalities of all. Page steals the spotlight with his character and ability to play the guitar as an extension of himself, effortless, as if it’s another arm. The Edge is the modest instrumentalist, while White is the most aggressive bundled with the most attitude and urgency to show his worth. A smile inducing moment is that no matter how successful and prolific The Edge and White may be, when Page starts ripping out “Whole Lotta Love”, the other two grin like little boys, awe inspired by the Guitar God they have always idolized.

The film succeeds aesthetically as well, from featuring old concert footage, photos, and amazing close ups of various guitars, at smooth angles and vibrant colors, dents and bruises of love and use, broken strings and shining perspiration. It Might Get Loud is a light and insightful look at the electric guitar from three of it’s greatest handlers, that any rock aficionado or musician alike will take pleasure in.

Watch the trailer:

It Might Get Loud opens tomorrow, Friday, August 14, 2009.

It Might Get Loud: website | show times