Stream “Blue Orchid” by the White Stripes from Get Behind Me Satan, due June 7 2005 on V2. You can also download “Blue Orchid” from iTunes for a buck.
Sleater-Kinney – Entertain
“Entertain” by Sleater-Kinney from The Woods courtesy of Subpop. Update: video too!
29 Thoughts on the Apparent Sexiness of Britney Spears’ Pregnancy
Pas/Cal – What Happened to the Sands
The Beatles’ 1965 Concert Rider
The Beatles’ 1965 Concert Rider.
Hot Hot Heat – Elevator
Hot Hot Heat – Elevator (Warner Brothers)
Hot Hot Heat may have sealed their own fate—they could have struck while the iron was hot, gotten a follow-up (or at least a second single?) out while Make Up the Breakdown was at its buzz-garnering peak. Instead, they took their time and now, overrun by a glut of less-talented and infintely more successful bands, finally release their follow-up in an entirely different atmosphere then the band’s breakthrough was birthed into. Suddenly, to those unaware of Breakdown‘s kick-assedness, Hot Hot Heat are imitators; and Elevator is just another watered down nu wave album flooding the racks this year.
So yes, I am sad to admit, Elevator lobotomizes Make Up the Breakdown, turning down clever twists like the reggae bridge of “Bandages” and cowbell of “Talk to Me, Dance With Me” in what eventually amounts to the typical major-label debut. Absent is guitarist Dante DeCaro, the band’s brightest mind, and you can see his vision disappear with him. Spastic meter-changes and off-kilter harmonies are all but gone, with the lone exception, “Island of an Honest Man,” coincidentally being the album’s best track. As cliche as it may be, “polished” is the most applicable term here. The absence of DeCaro also seals Hot Hot Heat’s transition towards a guitar-rock band, as Bays’ Dexy-esque vocals are no longer supported with the Hammond organ that gave Make Up the Breakdown its flavor. Bays allows convention to take law, turning the ship towards well-traveled terrain.
The initial reaction to Elevator isn’t a negative one–the band seems like they’re having a lot more fun with this Costello-ian mix of power-pop, but these don’t have the legs to stand up for a considerable amount of time. All of the flaws that you’ll ignore all summer when you’re driving with the windows down with this album will slowly reveal themselves as the days grow colder. By November, you’ll be placing Elevator on the shelf. And you probably won’t be coming back to it, even next summer.
Fortunately, the album recovers from a pretty pitiful first half and gains momentum as it plays—starting with “Jingle Jangle”, the band begins to sound comfortable in its new skin. Which, after hearing the uninspired disaster “You Owe Me an IOU” is welcomed news. Though the newly laminated Hot Hot Heat sound is more instantly likeable and MTV-bound then their early material, the lack of grit hurts its prospects for future consideration. Elevator just isn’t essential—considering Hot Hot Heat’s prospects two years ago, when it seemed they’d be the flagship band for indie kids to get jiggy to, likeable and pleasant just aren’t the only adjectives that should be used to describe it.
It’s obvious the band is currently searching for a place to settle into, trying to please two completely different audiences at the same time. They’ve crafted a follow-up that acts like the center circle of a Venn diagram—Elevator marginally appeals to each audience without satiating either. To solve the situation is simple—in Bays’ own words, “get in our get out.” You can’t be indie saviors and mainstream darlings at the same time, not with an album as vanilla as this.
Download “Goodnight Goodnight” from Insound.
Thom Yorke Photos by Andrew Kendall
Photos of Thom Yorke at Methodist Central Hall Westminster, 15th April 2005, where he played a new song called “House Of Cards.”
Reid Jamieson – The Unavoidable Truth
Reid Jamieson – The Unavoidable Truth
I’ll never forget the words passed on to me by my grandmother on her death bed. She said, “Tom, singer-songwriters are everywhere. And most of them, well quite frankly, they suck. They can’t play guitar, they can’t sing, and they think their substandard middle-class white male struggle makes for compelling poetry. But when you come across a good one, hold onto him.” So forgive me, everyone, if I came into the Reid Jamieson experience a little wary. After all, his biography does make a point of mentioning his love of positive thinking and how he lives with no TV and a lot of plants. But although I pressed play with fists clenched, ready to throw critical hooks and jabs towards the pleasant-looking Canadian’s way, my fingers uncurled immediately thereafter.
The Unavoidable Truth, written and recorded in Jamieson’s hometown Toronto, pulls from a wide array of singer-songwriters but smartly chooses only the best to inspire this set. Jamieson’s got a ton of talent—a great voice, a knack for classic arrangements, and enough chops to put even Ric Flair to shame. On the softer numbers, his voice rises to a brassy alto that is reminiscent of Sondre Lerche. Although he falls short of the most lofty comparison made, between him and Jeff Buckley, he bears the same emotive tendencies and inflections that Buckley inspired lovers with, and Jamieson carries an equally romantic sensibility. He deftly manipulates traditionally rootsy folk with a sentimentality that most songwriters of his ilk tend to overdose on. One minute he’s pulling an Hour of the Bewilderbeast impression, the next he’s copping Glenn Tillbrook’s mojo. When he’s not channeling the ghost of the Old 97’s, such as “Grass & Dirt” (mp3), he’s honing his Bacharachian arrangements; blending vintage piano, stately trumpets and a beautifully melancholic pedal steel guitar (courtesy of ex-Wilco member Bob Egan) into “Another Kind of Man” and “End of the World Small Talk.” All of these fragments of songwriters past and present, yet The Unavoidable Truth is so strong compositionally that it avoids being derivative and uninspired.
Having lost his mother to cancer in his early teens and finding music as the only outlet for escape from his loss, Jamieson honed his craft knowing nothing but to lay his heart on the line. This expository method of playing and songwriting has brought The Unavoidable Truth to a passionate end-product. The album’s title itself harkens upon a sense of lost hope and resignation, and you can hear the negativity rise like heat from the confines of Jamieson’s mind. Ridding himself of these demons, be it the memory of his lost mother or a battle with sense-of-self, Jamieson is as therapeutic for the listener as for himself. The Unavoidable Truth showcases a talented and tender young artist with seemingly limitless potential and a total package that screams mainstream accessibility without losing credibility. Take that, John Mayer.
Thrill Jockey – Looking for a Thrill DVD
Various Artists – Looking for a Thrill (Thrill Jockey)
Traveled to Chicago last weekend. My mission, among other things, was to catch an instore appearance at Tower Records and witness a lineup including locals like Califone and the hip hoppin’ All Natural. Catharsis abounded—on and off stage—and the afternoon proved to be the perfect atmosphere for a celebration: the release of Thrill Jockey Records’ new DVD experiment, Looking for a Thrill: An Anthology of Inspiration.
Excerpts from the 330-minute compilation played between sets, and I browsed Tower’s goods as Thurston Moore described the Cramps’ first show: opening for the sadistic, addictive stylings of Suicide.
Tim Rutili, mastermind behind Califone, has described the DVD as “inspiring” and “highly recommended.” And even though he makes an appearance in the film, one need not question his motives: all profits go to Greenpeace, which allows you to feel good for giving to charity.
While you bask in personal satisfaction, you can watch Bjork’s face light up as she talks about her two-year-old kid and bleating car alarms, you can listen to Rutili’s story about desperately wanting John Popper “to walk,” and (in Rutili’s words) you will see percussionist Ben Massarella, who “looks like Clark Gable and talks about Miles Davis.”
Looking for a Thrill is a masterpiece about illumination. Order it now, and within a few days you will have answers to some of your musical ruminations and, naturally, new questions too. Order it now and watch a shaggy Vic Chesnutt talk about Melanie, Orwell, and his reflection. Watch Ian Mackaye talk about Lux Interior throwing up onstage. Watch everyone talk about the Ramones. Watch it.
Riviera News
Riviera‘s new album debuted in the Top Ten for its week of release on Miles of Music’s Top Sellers chart, and their song “Ashes on the Moon” was featured on WBEZ’s Hello Beautiful. The album is now also available at Insound who’s hosting an mp3 of “Blue Eyes.”