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April 08, 2006
New Music
Well, the new music season seems to be starting off much stronger than last year's arguable performance.
The first album to really get me excited, which I'd talked about briefly before, is Josh Rouse's 'Subtitulo'.
As with any Rouse album, this was a slow burn, but once I 'got' it, I really fell in as much love with it as I had his other works. Somehow even more stripped down than 'Nashville', it also brings somehow even more emotional punch. Rouse has expatriated to Spain, and the album simultaneously talks about that experience as well as looking back on his childhood. Rouse's vocals never disappoint, and his instrumental choices blend as perfectly as always. Have I ever said I like this guy? I do.
The other album that's been sitting on the much-anticipated list is the new one from The Flaming Lips, 'At War With the Mystics'.
I'm a nut for electro-synth-sci-fi-rock concept albums. I mean, hell, my favorite album of all time is Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust'. So, the Lips' prior album, 'Yoshimi', made an instant fan out of me. 'Mystics' doesn't leave me wanting one bit. The lyrics are all great, the arrangements flawless, and they bring a real Wall Of Sound approach to the overall album that sucked me right in. If 'Subtitulo' is minimalism at its best, 'Mystics' is maximalism. It's like putting Mondrian next to Pollack, y'dig? I'll be listening to this one for years.
The album that came out of left field was 'The Little Willies'.
It's one of those supergroups consisting of Gen X and Y'er rock/jazz musicians, playing old country tunes. Now, my mom and stepdad happen to be in a country cover band, so this one hit me at an emotional core. These are the same songs my folks play, so I went into it knowing all of the words. The twist here is that they're really doing it jazz, not country, which I think shows the strength in these lyrics. Their rendition of Hank Williams' 'I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive' is beautiful. 'Night Life' is no slouch, either. You've probably heard the Norah Jones-lead 'Roll On' played on the radio, and its a good first single off the album. This is a great one to come home, kick off the shoes, and relax to with a nice cold beer. Listen to the words in these songs, folks, and appreciate the timelessness to them.
I can't wait to see what else the season brings us!
Posted by Schamberger at April 8, 2006 09:22 AM