popwreckoning

Los Angeles, California indie rock band The Airborne Toxic Event traded lesser known label for a major for their sophomore release. They hired Dave Sardy (Band of Horses, Oasis) to handle production and it turned out to be a solid decision. The album All At Once has an epic, orchestral feel and doesn’t disappoint. This album is ambitious and it’s a wonder the band isn’t more well known.

Their influences stand out boldly and I can appreciate them each for their attributions to the band’s sound. There are notable leanings towards The Cure, The Talking Heads, and all things classic rock. Lead singer Mikel Jollett tells a sweeping narrative with bold lyrics which should be no surprise coming from a published novelist. And let’s be honest. Isn’t that how all albums should be written?

The album starts with the title track as if making a statement about what’s to come. “This is it, this is what I’m about to say” are the whispers I hear in my subconscious. The band takes a risk by putting in out there all at once and it works. It’s somber at times, but makes you want to dance. The lyrics are honest and sometimes eerie, but there are lighthearted moments as well. The album is anthemic, yet still has its intimate moments. “Changing” is easily the single of the album whether you’ve heard anything from the band previously or not. It has that tempo that makes your head bob and the right hooks to make it memorable. “All For A Woman” is blissful power ballad and Jollett could probably woo any woman he wanted with it. “It Doesn’t Mean A Thing” and “The Kids Are Ready To Die” capture a stifled sort of excitement that finally comes to life in the punkish, upbeat tune that is “Welcome To Your Wedding Day.” There’s a great organ that blares on, and strings are a welcome part all throughout the album. “Half Of Something Else” sounds somewhat similar to the band’s hit song “Somewhere Around Midnight” with its intro, but the song takes on a life of its own as it goes on. “All I Ever Wanted” has a sense of urgency with rushing strings, and the album ends on an eerie and somewhat morbid note with “The Graveyard Near The House.” Listening to the lyrics of each an every song is a real treat though, and it gets better with every listen. They’re dark, yet sweet and really capture the scope of human emotion.

This is album is worth your time. The orchestral leanings of the band are a refreshing take on traditional rock music that we’ve heard time and time again. And I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for strings. I’m a self-proclaimed band and orchestra geek, but don’t less my bias sway you. As a sophomore effort, The Airborne Toxic Events has successfully avoided the slump.

Track Listing:
1. All At Once
2. Numb
3. Changing
4. All For A Woman
5. It Doesn’t Mean A Thing
6. The Kids Are Ready To Die
7. Welcome To Your Wedding Day
8. Half Of Something Else
9. Strange Girl
10. All I Ever Wanted
11. The Graveyard Near The House

In the Noughties, the British music scene was littered with female blue eyed soul singers; the ones that stood out in front were bad girl Amy Winehouse, doe-eyed lass Duffy, groovy Joss Stone, and the wild card, Adele, who managed a breakout hit here in the U.S. with “Chasing Pavements.” The London soul singer is back in 2011 with her second album. Like 19, her debut album released in 2008, this one is named 21, for the age she wrote these songs. Kind of unimaginative. Well, this is a woman who writes mostly ballads…and this album went straight to #1 on its first week of release in the UK in mid-January, and when it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I feel it necessary to start this review by saying Adele has a great voice. She really does. The problem I have with 21 is that all the songs are too similar. There are essentially two types of sound on here: there are delicate acoustic tunes, and there are over the top, over-orchestrated ones with backing soul singers. Then there’s only so many times you can hear a woman singing the sentiment, “what did I do wrong? I’ll change, if you [come back / stay with me].” See “Don’t You Remember,” “I’ll Be Waiting,” “One and Only,” and “He Won’t Go.” It’s not that I’m a cold, heartless stone. I’ve loved and lost, I can relate to the feelings, generally. I’m no feminist, but I chafe at hearing another woman singing how she’s going to give up everything for her man to get him.

Then there’s the opposite emotion, which I think comes across as more real. “Rolling in the Deep” was chosen as the lead single. And with good reason. The tempo is upbeat (thudding drums and banging piano chords), and when it comes to emotion, there’s nothing like a woman scorned. When she sings, “we could have had at it all / rolling in the deep / you had my heart and soul / in your hands / but you played it / to the beat” and “you’re gonna wish you / had never met me,” you feel it. Maybe it’s no “You Oughta Know,” but it’s close. “Rumour Has It” is cut from the same cloth, but the shouted “rumour has it!” over and over gets annoying after a while.

The strength of Adele‘s voice comes across winningly in “Someone Like You”; this is the one song on here I can overlook the cloyingness. Also included on this album is an inspired cover of the Cure‘s “Lovesong.” This could have gone terribly wrong, but Adele gives the ’80s classic proper reverence with a bossa nova interpretation that Robert Smith should be applauding. Like sappy ballads? This one’s for you.

21 by Adele will be released on XL Recordings on February 22. She will be touring North America in support of this album on the dates below.

Track Listing:
01. Rolling in the Deep
02. Rumour Has It
03. Turning Tables
04. Don’t You Remember
05. Set the Fire to Rain
06. He Won’t Go
07. Take It All
08. I’ll Be Waiting
09. One and Only
10. Lovesong
11. Someone Like You

Tour Dates:
May 12 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC
May 13 – Electric Factory / Philadelphia
May 15 – House of Blues / Boston
May 16 – Olympia Theater / Montreal
May 18 – Kool Haus / Toronto
May 19 – Beacon Theatre / New York City
May 23 – Royal Oak Music Theatre / Royal Oak
May 24 – Riviera Theater / Chicago
May 26 – First Avenue / Minneapolis
May 28 – Ogden Theatre / Denver
May 29 – Depot / Salt Lake City
May 31 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver, BC
June 01 – Showbox at the Market / Seattle
June 03 – Crystal Ballroom / Portland
June 04 – Warfield Theatre / San Francisco
June 08 – Humphreys Concerts by the Bay / San Diego
June 09 – Wiltern / Los Angeles
June 12 – Stubbs Waller Creek / Austin
June 15 – House of Blues / Dallas
June 17 – Tabernacle / Atlanta
June 18 – Orange Peel / Asheville
June 20 – Ryman Auditorium / Nashville

Adele: website | myspace | Adele Announces May and June North American Tour, Album Stream Available on NPR

Listening to 12 Desperate Straight Lines can be a personal experience. Wounds from old, dead relationships are likely to tear open if the listener isn’t careful. Obviously the man behind Telekinesis, Michael Benjamin Lerner, has been through some pain. This is another in a long line of what I like to refer as “bitter about a woman” albums. It might not be the best ever made, but it’s the best I’ve heard in a quite awhile. Add to the fact that we’re talking about full on pop songs, instead of sad bastard folk music, and we have something special.

Routinely, I listen to the first three songs, and then start the album over. This is turning into something of an obsession.

The album starts with “You Turn Clear In The Sun.” An acoustic guitar kicks things off with the lyrics: “we fell in love in the summer/by the springtime we were done.” Then, shortly after: “I never loved you/I never loved anyone.” This is bitter, bitter stuff. As, the saying goes, however, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. This is such joyous sounding stuff, I sing along every time. The song fully kicks in after a little more than a minute. It’s a synth driven thing, with xylophones and pulsing drums and bass. It’s only after you hear the words coming out of your own mouth that you think, “Oh. Damn.”

The next song is “Please Ask For Help,” and the fun continues: “I’m not going to let you down/but I’m not going to help you up.” The drums, bass and synths are straight out of early ‘80’s goth pop, but The Cure only ever sounded this boisterous when they were actually singing about something happy. The interesting thing is how the vocals sound slightly depressed. They’re in tune, but it sounds like singer Michael Benjamin Lerner can barely maintain the effort needed to accompany the song. Chris Walla’s production is incredible.

Next up, is my favorite song on the record, “50 Ways.” The power chords kick into my head like an angry mule. The song slows down, and wakes back up for the chorus. Sure, verse-chorus-verse/fast-slow-fast is songwriting 101, but when it’s done right it never fails.  A lot of music critics seem to dig when one song relies on awareness of another by a much more famous musician. I’m not an exception. Lerner sings, “Paul Simon probably said it the best/there truly are 50 ways.” If you don’t know what he’s talking about, go find out. Google is all powerful, and also your friend.

I seriously could talk about every song on this album. The “will I die alone” shout from “Car Crash,” and the alcohol fueled insanity of “Fever Chill” are both high points, but the album is pretty much solid throughout. The whole thing is tinged with sadness and desperate to the end. The last song “Gotta Get It Right Now” is probably the most desperate thing here. It’s a poppy sing along about needing love, immediately. Learner sings: “all my friends are so locked down/I’m 23, I should be screwing around.” The amazing thing is, he really is 23.

This is exactly what a sophomore album should be. It takes the promise of the first self-titled Telekinesis album, turns it on its head and improves it considerably. That album was full of slightly naïve love songs.   12 Desperate Straight Lines is nakedly honest and, even brutal in places. It’s an album borne of heartache transformed into melodies that will make your heart soar. If you haven’t figured out that you should buy this yet, then yes. Go. Go now.

12 Desperate Straight Lines is out tomorrow, February 15.

Track Listing:

1. You Turn Clear in the Sun
2. Please Ask for Help
3. 50 Ways
4. I Cannot Love You
5. Dirty Thing
6. Car Crash
7. Palm of Your Hand
8. I Got You
9. Fever Chill
10. Country Lane
11. Patterns
12. Gotta Get It Right Now

You see? This is what happens when we let publications like Pitchfork and Stereogum become the tastemakers. Do we really need more mumbling Brooklyn lo-fi? Did we need any of it to begin with? For the life of me, I can’t see the appeal here. I suppose “Funeral Song” would appeal to the Hot Topic crowd, especially those who still enjoy cutting themselves, but do we really want to be encouraging them?

I fussed around on the internet for a while, and found some of the accolades Minks have somehow acquired. They are being compared to early Cure. That’s just insulting. Pornography is one of the greatest albums ever made, while By The Hedge would put a meth addict to sleep.

The one track I almost like on here is called “Ophelia.” The Cure influence (or rip-off) is pretty obvious. They seem to have managed to listen to “A Forest” more than I have which is the only impressive thing I can find about this album. Of course, the song wouldn’t be complete without the pedestrian lyrics “wherever people go/darkness always follows/there is no way to lead a quiet life.” It only gets worse from there.

This album is not worth your time. I hate to write an outright terrible review, but really. This band should not be encouraged. Shame on whoever told Minks they were doing well. It’s your fault I had to listen to this.

Track Listing:
01. Kusmi
02. Out of Tune
03. Life at Dusk
04. Indian Ocean
05. Funeral Song
06. Our Ritual
07. Cemetary Rain
08. Bruises
09. Boys Run Wild
10. Ophelia
11. Juniper
12. Arboretum Dogs

“Returning to the scene of the crime,” is how the Get Up Kids phrased it, but really the only injustice was that it had been a 3-year wait for that November 2008 show. Fortunately, since that first reunion show at the Record Bar, the band was kind enough to give the Kansas City metropolitan area a Lawrence and a North Kansas City show before ending their reunion with a two night stand where it all began. And since I saw them at the very first reunion show, it was only fitting that I would see them at their last.

There seemed to be some confusion about the show start time, so a lot of the crowd was still coming in during Louisville band Mansions set. “Talk Talk Talk” came early in the set and while listening to the biting lyrics, I was torn between loving the band for their passionate sound reminiscent of Manchester Orchestra or Brand New and hating them for being so passionate that my mood dropped as they struck some chords a little too close to heart for comfort. The ended the set with “The Worst Part,” another song with strong lyrics of a bit of a depressing nature. These guys are super talented, but I think as an opener, it was a bit hard to warm up to for some in the audience with their cold tone.

For those that pay attention to the lyrics of Kevin Devine, he too has lyrics that are biting commentaries and often downer-sounding self-reflections, but unlike Mansions, his set had a different feeling. Instead of falling deeper into a whirlpool of sadness, Kevin made me happy and simply impressed. There are two reasons for that. Usually, I do focus on his lyrics and his voice because it is hard not to. He presses his face up against the microphone for some of the softer verses, but when he steps away from microphone and yells a chorus or a line or even a ba-da-da-dah-da, all eyes are on his face, which has veins enlarged into a map of his energetic passion for the piece. I’ve heard him compared to Conor Oberst, but I would be bold enough to say that Kevin might have more to offer, at least in his live show, than the Bright Eyes frontman. This time, thanks to a gentleman next to me calling out, “When will we see you on Guitar Hero?” I watched his hands racing on the instrument. Damn, was he good, and maybe he should be on the game. I felt alive just watching him play the arpeggiated riffs. And this brings me to the other reason why his set was uplifting: he has fantastic audience interaction. “The question on the floor is when will I be on Guitar Hero. I would love to be on Guitar Hero. I work for that every day,” said Kevin. “I’m just not that good.” At another point he bent down close to two little boys in the front row and asked, “You don’t have ear plugs? Will you be ok? It is going to get loud.” So modest and sweet. He isn’t only a great performer, but a great person. What a package in an artist these days! I was so happy with him and his set, which featured tunes such as “Brother’s Blood,” “Fickle Friend,” “Cotton Crush,” “No Time Flat,” a Nirvana cover and more, that I could have left the show then. Although, what a poor Kansas City citizen I would be if I left before one of our biggest acts?

Last time I saw the Get Up Kids in this venue, they played “Something to Write Home About” in order. During the encore, they played a few other fan favorites. Now tonight was not a rehash of that same show. While the set was heavy with those songs as they started the night with “Holiday,” they interspersed songs from other albums throughout it such as a new song from the forthcoming album, “Walking on a Wire,” “Martyr Me” and the rounded out the night with their cover of The Cure‘s “Close to Me.”  They even jammed a bit before “Martyr Me.” Check it out:

One of my favorite moments of the set was during “Out of Reach” when the crowd came in with the “Oh oh ohs” and guitarist Jim Suptic and bassist Rob Pope exchanged a look of “OMG.” I wasn’t sure at first if they were impressed by how boisterous the crowd’s singing was or if they were shocked by how off we were. Turns out it was the latter. “How many girls were singing on that?” asked singer Matt Pryor. He shook his head as the girls yelled back. “That was a choir of dudes. Really out of tune dudes.”

Another set highlight was when Suptic took the vocal reigns and grabbed an acoustic guitar for “Campfire Kansas,” which of course held a special meaning for the Kansas City crowd. While he was singing, Pryor went over to the aforementioned kids in the front row and invited the two boys on stage to play tambourine. It made a sweet song extra adorable. However, the boys must have rocked so hard on that acoustic number, that it blew out all their equipment. When the rest of the band came back the only thing left working were the microphones. The Record Bar employees debated how to fix the problem when sparks came flying out of an amp and throwing the breaker just resulted in the same problem. Suptic and Pryor bantered about how this was or was not fitting for the final night of the tour and then they tried to get drummer Ryan Pope to jam out for the audience. Pope seemed hesitant, so it opener Kevin Devine to the rescue. With a beat from Pope and some extra help from Suptic, Devine graced the audience with an amazing and strange rap. Yes, Kevin Devine raps. And it is wonderful.

The Get Up Kids mentioned that Kansas City seems to have a love/hate relationship with them. I’m glad to be on the side that loves them and I’m glad that they are finally just doing their own thing and not worrying how people choose to embrace them.

Oh, and reuniting must have felt so good that the band promises we’ll see another show in 2010 after the new! record comes out. Now that’s something to write home about.

Get Up Kids: website | myspace | @ record bar | @ blender theater | under cover pt. 1 | under cover pt. 2

Welcome back, readers!  Last week we noshed on Sacramento’s finest CAKE and had ourselves a little e-ball (well, I sure as hell did.  You may have too).  This week’s post was about as contrived as an unplanned pregnancy scare considering I recently stumbled upon Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore‘s 50 First Dates, their second RomCom collab since The Wedding Singer (one of my all-time favorites), and I definitely drew inspiration from it.  In fact, the movie was surprisingly enjoyable and dare I say cute as hell.  Normally, I enjoy the RomCom’s that require you to think with a more intellectual heart (See: High Fidelity, About A Boy… basically, anything that was once a Nick Hornby novel), but this no-brainer’s killer soundtrack effortlessly kept me from hitting the power button off.  Maybe it was the fact that the movie takes place in beautiful Hawaii, but the entire soundtrack consists of sunny cover versions of songs that were originally recorded in the 1980s.  If this weren’t intriguing enough, all the delightful interpretations are upbeat and of the reggae and/or ska persuasion.  What?  My once hepcat ass was reeling as I made it through the movie cataloging which songs they chose for each scene.  It’s a good thing the film was actually worthwhile because if it was half as awful as I’d originally suspected, 50 First Dates would have climbed very high on my “Movies That Should Have Gone Straight To Soundtrack” list.

Considering the fact that my 50 First Dates viewing pleasure was recent, I did not have sufficient time to properly listen to the entire soundtrack, so you know what that means.  Yes, this will be a 2-parter.  And what better way to satiate my readers than kicking things off by getting the heavily commercialized 311 cover of The Cure‘s “Lovesong” out of the way.  And to the folks at home, mahola nui loa for reading…  and, as always, stay tuned.
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The Cure’s “Lovesong” (original: 1989)
Quasi-Cure fan, über-Cure fan or just plain musically oblivious, I could probably never have a meaningful friendship with someone who has never, at the very least, heard this classic love song.  You’re probably looking at a superficial connection at best.  Hell, the chances of a potential relationship would basically be DOA, too.  Yeah, that’s really a testament to how incredible this song really is.  Written for then fiancee Mary Poole as a wedding present, lead singer Robert Smith once again sets the relationship bar very high for clueless men who think half-assed pick up lines will do just fine.  I’ve read that Poole not only inspired “Just Like Heaven” as a friend, but got “Lovesong” too… just for being more than his friend!?  Sigh, what an honor.  “However far away, however long I say, whatever words I say, I will always love you…” Damn, that’s romantic.  And a much more eloquent way of assuring your lady that you won’t cheat on her when your band is on tour, no matter how much boy band ass is lined up outside the tour bus.  Teenage Twi-hards probably think Robert Pattinson is responsible for putting the brooding, British male on the map.  Ahh, silly youth of today.  I wholeheartedly disagree since Smith’s been making a career out of this for several decades and probably looks twice as good in guyliner than Pattinson.

311 – “Lovesong” (cover: 2004)
Don’t you love it when a reggae-meets-alt-rock band like 311 scores a #1 hit on the Modern Rock Track chart with a Cure cover when the original only made it to #2 on the same chart back in its heyday?  WTF?  Just another non sequitur of the modern music world that makes it hard to keep the faith (or whatever’s left of said faith) alive.  In keeping with the tropical, ethereal feel of the movie, lead singer Nick Hexum takes things down a notch with a slower-paced, melodic “Lovesong” that fits in seamlessly with their catalog of easy, breezy stoner surf-rock.  I expect nothing less than relaxing reggae-rock from the band that brought us the beautifully hazy “Amber,” a song that practically serves as the musical equivalent to laying in a hammock in an island paradise.  This Cure cover is dripping with heavy mood and contains all the same longing, yearning, promising, and professing of the original.  The shreds of guitar cut through the track like a knife, the bass line could lull the sleepless better than Ambien, and Hexum’s lazy vocals calm the stormiest of souls. If a pot-smoking couple is looking for a song to soundtrack that fleeting moment when you are admiring your significant other’s sparkly eyes and dilated pupils in the moonlight (regardless of the fact that his/her inability to yet master the “puff, puff, pass” etiquette grates on you), this lovely song is probably as good as it’s going to get.