Atoms for Peace - Ingenue

I’ve been way too behind on 2013 music thus far – I feel like I’ve only really heard a handful of new albums. While I intend to shift that focus soon, this particular album by Atoms for Peace, Amok, has slowly buried a nest in my heart. It’s easily the best album I’ve heard of this very young year; I want to say it’s not entirely because I’ve heard very little else. It’s also a creatively musical album that finds Thom Yorke and his side band (not Radiohead) relishing in Fela Kuti-inspired songs that both suck you in with their mesmerizing sensibilities and still, leave you craving for more. The album has gradually garnered more and more attention and this is the video to “Ingenue,” with more dancing by Yorke.

It’s as if spring has finally sprung. I’ve been behind on finding music, on listening to the mountains of music I already have, I’ve even been slacking it with my fifa playing but I don’t really feel down about it. The definitive love has certainly sprung. My heart flutters with a light, brisk beaming ray of light that seems to be turning the grayness into this bursting red color. While I discover some kind of balance to my brain’s waves of consciousness and what my heart is screaming about, I also realize that I’m incredibly happy because of how magnetic my heart feels. It’s as if spring has finally sprung.

On this song, the third one of nine on the album, Yorke sings about a love that seems to be holding him down, while still bringing him back up for air. The video itself is a great depiction of the words he’s singing, with his pairing with another dancer a match made in heaven. Visually, it’s hard to keep your eyes off it and lyrically, it’s densely full of layers. And ingénue is by definition: a character in literature, film or any kind of theatre role whereby it’s an innocent or unsophisticated young woman. Some kind of purity, it could be a naïve woman who is still finding herself. He sings about being stuck in a mess and like being inside of a bell jar, suffocating. She tries to comfort him but at the end, he just needs more time to figure it out. It’s beautifully exposed and delivered and the video couldn’t be more perfect. It’s an album very much worth seeking if you haven’t already, in due time it will be one of 2013’s finest moments. It’s already been an immensely great year and here’s to more of the same. – Bryan

Coldplay – Parachutes

I’ve been going through some ‘writer’s spells’ lately and I figured this one would be the best one to start off with clearing. My heart’s been feeling a lot warmer than usual lately and while that’s certainly contributed to my lack of writing, I haven’t figured out yet if that’s the entire reason. But before I clear out what I need to put in the j, I need to point out that Coldplay has also progressed higher and higher into my realm of endorsement – add pretentious tag here. I’ve gotten through X&Y and realize it’s probably very great, but I just recently got Parachutes and at this very moment, it’s very much a deep swell. While I haven’t reached for the most two recent albums yet, the first three showcase a band that dynamically tried to expand, grow and mature into a declaration of three distinct albums and mostly, they achieved that. Parachutes just highlights what some consider their peak to be.

Maybe it’s the way “Shiver” just sort of, in a melancholy, lovely, adorning style, sings out to the backdrop of crashing drums and trembling guitars. There’s very little lingering doubts to how good this guy’s voice sounds, especially when he calls out, “don’t you shiver” to his lover because, he’ll always be waiting for her. It’s affectionately strong and still, sweetly delivered. I love the way it collides through the loudness and never loses steam. And the music has this rolling, captivating feel that just sort of lulls you in, it’s easily one of the many standouts on here. 

Once I reached “Trouble,” not only was the nostalgia reached back to high school and singling this song out, as well as the epiphany that as the sixth song of ten, right after the shattering “Yellow,” the first true, gorgeous Coldplay ballad. They really do know how to write slow songs extremely well and while very simple and not-so-subtle as something as spectacular as “All I Need” (I apologize immensely for the comparison I always swore was never merited, never worthy…), the piano on “Trouble” is remarkable enough. Here, the notion is more depressing, sad and alone because the love is gone and feeling like a burden, and all the while the music with the guitars and the piano: a sad swoon. No need to feel sad though, this is a pretty great band actually; and this album might be their best. Still, here’s to hoping the block/spell is broken even after she returns and we continue, we’ll have to wait and see. – Bryan 

Twin Shadow – At My Heels

A sort of repeat post, I know but it just feels right as I've been in a blissful haze off the vinyl to this album for the past week or so.

I'm in the belly of a canyon
I can't come up with any reason
Why a ghost is following me, why a ghost is following me.
I've got some feed for the longing
I've got the pillow for the bad dreams
The apparition dancing with me, stepping down all over my feet.
There is no key to my gate…but you can still come around
Lean your ladder against my window
And I'll come down, I'll come down.

~ Guitar a la The Cars ~

Sometimes I don't know what I'm seeing
Who's keeping track of all that's breathing?
There's a world that's waiting for me, there's a world that's waiting for me.
I'm in the belly of a canyon
I can't come up with any reason
Why a ghost is following me, why a ghost is following me.
There is no key to my gate…but you can still come around
Lean your ladder against my window
And I'll come down, I'll come down.

There is no key to my gate…but you can still come around
Lean your ladder against my window
And I'll come down, I'll come down. (-Bryan)

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman

During John Coltrane’s high years, he reveled as an unmatched musician that was on a whole different playing field. Even when he matched up with artists of similar ilk, like even Miles Davis, he outshined because his skill was something extraordinary. Ears unlike many others, skills that matched his impeccable ears and this silvery, smooth delivery, he was the best of the best. So during the early 60s Coltrane was just catching steam when he teamed with vocalist Johnny Hartman for what many consider a true jazz classic in balladry.

Make no qualms about it, Coltrane’s list of albums is deep and this is just one of a sample collection that further showcases his ear for melody. On this album he would take a backseat almost to Hartman’s singing as the two recorded the entire album in one day. Legend has it that Hartman went to one of Coltrane’s shows where he stayed until he finished and the two performed together and felt the fire. Agreeing to make an album together, they supposedly had their set list picked before they heard Nat King Cole singing “Lush Life” on the radio. Suddenly, the duo felt compelled to record their own definitive version of it. Here you can definitely tell that Coltrane allowed Hartman to take over, his voice sounds clear and very mellow, subdued almost by Coltrane’s serene style. You can hear his soft sax as it creeps into the song at about the two minute mark, always staying right underneath. Personally, yes to me, the sax is the star but you gotta love the way Coltrane allowed another star to reach high as well. The song’s lyrics were written by Billy Strayhorn who once said, “all music is beautiful,” agree or not, this is definitely just that, beautiful.

’

And then there is “My One and Only Love,” where Coltrane takes the lead from the beginning with a melodically linear line. His saxophone renders half breaths where he dips notes, he takes the melody and adds the 7^th just to make it that much brighter and the piano is nothing more than decoration to Coltrane’s undeniably sweet saxophone skills. Just six songs short, this piece closes the first side of the record with a distant calling of love and although reminiscent, it sounds happy to have loved. Now, I’m not getting romantic or anything but this has to be the kind of music one would love to play at their wedding. The bright and sprinkling drums signal Hartman’s singing as he calls out with his singing heart. It’s timeless and the utter presentation of romanticism at its best. Even if they only paired up once and all we got was these six songs, it was obviously well worth it. – Bryan

The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love

The hazards of love. Sort of like a modern day Wagner opera in the form of a full-length album – some would simply call it a concept album. The Hazards of Love was the album that followed the heavily loved by maaaaannnymany people, The Crane Wife, and it’s almost a near opposite of its predecessor. It’s a lot to take in, 17 songs long and an all-encompassing album, it’s very much invested in a strong story line that is almost symphonic in its presentation. Recurring melodies, themes, modes that parallel the mood, it was highly ambitious and for many it didn’t stick. I’d say it’s very great, just not as great as the two before it but gee, I can come back with more details another time, for now we can check out the four different hazards of love that they featured here.

The first part, The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone, is basically the introduction to the story and precursor to what your ears will be mostly presented with. The very first song is this massive instrumental and then this song appears with the singer’s moodily beautiful voice and the dripping guitar line. It sounds like a blend of Fleet Foxes and it’s just an adorning song, a light affair before the meaty substance hits.

The second part is a smooth, bossa nova almost, tender lullaby that starts off solemn, picks up some steam, rolls over and back to smooth again. This is Wager Again, where the guitar sparkles and the ultimate feel of the song is what pulls me in. It's compelling and sweet, the guitar sounds easy but its challenging and his lyrics of "take my hand and cradle it in yours" are unabashed. In between this second and the first were just two songs but they were far more intense, and here is just a small cry to the initial melody and storyline again. The hazards of love live here in a burning heart and the story is just picking up.

This part three, called Revenge!, really does a lot to the entirety of the song before it, it sort of lulls you in and then you get the same refrain from before at the very start of the revenge. Those same crashing drums and keyboards, and the melody from before about the waves coming in, suddenly, there’s a children’s choir singing the hazards of love. By this point you're fifteen songs in, very much indebted to the investment and there’s a children’s choir backed by at first a harpsichord-like keyboard, the second part that shrills with some strings and way more atmosphere, and a third part that thumps and rattles. The kids sing about death, love, poison, beating, religion, every other thing you wish your kids didn’t talk about. But there’s about ten songs that are before this hazard and so a lot has happened, including death and love and poison and well you know the rest. And Hell what do I know about kids, they just sound really awesome here.

The fourth part, The Drowned, is this utter slice of heaven. A sort of blissful country shuffle that sounds eerily familiar – like if I know a song from somewhere else about it – but it mostly rolls up and down the nearly six minutes it departs and it is just sublime. It’s really good because it maintains some of the refrain with the hazards of love calling out at the end, but it's this stone cold beast of a song where the country twang, the bass and then the strings all culminate for a very blissful release. The whole album plays out like a very dramatic, theatrical opera – and not so much like a cohesive album always – but it only gets better with each listen and it begs to be heard from front to end. And so it’s fitting to end with this song: it closes out the dramatics with a beautiful exposure of sounds. – Bryan

Willie Hutch "The Mack"

So the other night I was on my daily run around 10 pm, and needless to say it was pretty damn dark between lamp posts. Out of the darkness I see a silhouette of what looks like a small dog. As I quickly approach from behind, the dog turns around and lunges at me and I realize it's a decent size pit bull! My heart skips about 3 beats until I realize this dog is in no way malicious, and is actually glad to see me. She jumps all over me, licking me, rubbing her head aggressively on my side. I look for a tag, but nothing. She obviously had been on the streets for a while by the malnourished look of her rib cage being very visible. Long story short, this dog followed me 4 miles home. And as it sank in that I would be fostering this sweet dog, I kept thinking of the Willie Hutch song, "I Choose You". The idea that you don't choose your dog, that in fact they choose you just seemed resonate in my head. Which brings me to the that song and the wonderful soundtrack it appears on. "The Mack", a blaxploitation flick released in 1973 tells the tale of a former drug dealer turned pimp in Oakland, California. With more social commentary on the black condition than other "blaxploitation" films of that era, the plot plays out as more of a Greek tragedy than simply the sex and violence audience were used to seeing from these kinds of movies. Oddly enough the soundtracks of these films always seemed to have plenty more social commentary and consciousnesses than the films they accompanied. Artists like Isaac Hayes' preeminent "Shaft" soundtrack and Curtis Mayfield's critically acclaimed score for "Superfly", both which have greatly outlived the actual films they were written for.

"I Choose You", a sweet soulful almost ballad like tune has Hutch crooning over a woman whom he has finally found that he considers dropping everything for. Not exactly the same sentiment of the song, here's a clip from "The Mack" where someone gets chosen. Again, not exactly what Hutch was singing about, but entertaining non the less! Oh yeah, Richard Pryor is up in this flick too! Since I haven't posted in a while, lets keep it going! UGK, along with a host of other hip hop artists have sampled Hutch's "I Choose You", however UGK's rendition featuring Outkast is in my opinion the best out there. In their version Andre 3000's verse starts off the track as he professes his love for a woman he has chosen for his wife. After Andre, the bass drops and Pimp C, Bun B and Big Boi each throw their own take on marriage and monogamy, which are slightly contrasting to those if Mr. 3000! Another great track that was also sampled from Willie Hutch's soundtrack is "Brothers Gonna Work it Out". A soulful disco vibed out tune speaking to the complicated relationship of the main character Goldie, and his black nationalist brother who doesn't approve of his brothers lifestyle of pimping and drug dealing in the black community. Oddly enough I heard the sampled version The Chemical Brothers made many years ago. Oddly enough the sample not only uses the song but an audio clip from the film. It took a good 5 years to finally figure out where the audio for the sample came from. Anyways, check it out. And finally The Chemical Brothers version, which though interesting, doesn't stray too far from the og version.

Michael Jackson – Thriller

No idea how there is not one post about this man here. To be honest, I’ve tried before but everything I started to type feels so not special, so unnecessary and mostly, lame – kind of like this. But after I pulled out this album and another Kanye West album and noticed I have Yeezy at eight (!) posts to MJ’s zero (soon to be one!), the guilt was too much. My sister and brother-in-law say they have footage of me going nuts, dancing at their wedding to Mr Michael Jackson – I’m hoping that never, ever leaks.  

Quick sidenote: I was in California the day he passed. We were at Sea World in San Diego when I got the message and a part of me wishes I would’ve driven to Los Angeles, an hour or so away, to be with all the fans there. Simply an admission of a serious oversight.

This album here, Thriller, is what many would declare as a perfect album. Sure, it showcases Jackson’s skill at optimum quality – every single song is a masterful classic – but it captures a moment of sheer musical genius during Jackson’s golden years. He made really great music before and after it, but Thriller is simply the pinnacle, by far his magnus opus – unless we’re counting movies, then it’s easily The Wiz! *By the way, MJ owned one of the E.T. puppets.* I used to be part of some forums where all I’d discuss is music: subjects like your favorite albums of the moment, arguing about which album by so and so artist is better, finding new music to explore, discussing the best albums of the year and talking about how reviewing sites have no idea, reading others’ opinions on the same music opinions you have since you don’t know anyone as crazy to listen to it all, etc. And an immediate discussion I noticed, I posted a nomination to one of the ‘best opening song on an album’ and how “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was worthy of such merits, then I found another discussion about “best three songs in a row on an album” where obviously four thru six here (the self titled beast, the obvious one 1 (Beat It) and the obvious one 2 (Billie Jean)) are jam-packed with style, flair and utter brilliance. Three songs in a row that completely compel you and hey what do ya know, they’re three of the best songs of all time! So I surely had to raise my voice in these occasions.

Naturally, there was a discussion on bookends and what were the best ones, and here is where a small debate surely arose. You take the aforementioned “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” and “The Lady in My Life” and you have an easy argument. But many felt the latter left something to desire. My take is obvious: it’s an unabashed heartfelt song that maybe sounds dated when you listen to it brand new today, but it’s definitely showcasing Michael in strong fashion. His voice simply melts away at the end and the finely layered synths and beats make for a song that is dynamically deep and exceptionally stunning. In my opinion, the way the album flows, from the beginning stomps, the easygoing nature until the triple header and then bona fide classics again with “Human Nature” and my personal fave, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”, to end it with a rousing closer like the aforesaid is definitely perfection at its finest. Nine songs necessary, nothing else needed or required, this is definitely an album of albums. Here’s those last two songs, to really present some balance and above all else, the greatest ever. – Bryan