Top Albums of 2008: # 1: Portishead: Third

Treble's Top Albums of 2008 and my review of Portishead's Third can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Portishead
Third
Island
2008

Third is wicked good, but Treblezine's Album of the Year? How could it not be? We have come to expect only the best from Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley and siren Beth Gibbons, and Portishead delivers on Third. From the start of "Silence" (originally entitled Wicca), the album opens with a sample of Claudio Campos, a Capoeira master, speaking in Portuguese, reciting a Wiccan precept of the Threefold Law which translates: "Be aware to the rule of thirds. What you give will return to you. You have to learn this lesson. You only receive what you deserve…"

We all were a bit shocked, weren't we? I myself didn't know what to expect but I know it would be challenging, timeless and pure Portishead. Besides, I wouldn't want to hear Dummy part deux. Who would? Third is an artistic achievement by a band that's been relatively quiet for ten years. To awaken from their creative sabbatical with this greatness is a gift from up above.

Gone are the now unfortunate clichéd trip-hop beats, which have evolved into futuristic soundscapes that include the tripped-out prog vibes of "Small," moog synths in "Machine Gun," freaked out cacophony of jazz horns on "Magic Doors" and otherworldly rhythms that perfectly back our favorite damsel of despair. If the back beats hint at an era of desolated isolationism, Gibbons angelic vocals brings some sense of struggle to find hope, in the quietly acoustic "Deep Water" as she sings "I'm drifting in deep water/alone with my self-doubting, again/try not to struggle this time/for I will weather the storm…"through the maddening soundtrack that surrounds her every one of her mesmerizing vocalized harmonies. When she croons "Oh can't you see/holding on to my heart/I bleed the taste of life" on "We Carry On," Beth mirrors our every day challenges to find some glimmer of promises in this age of bankrupt idealism.

If Dummy and Portishead were the sounds of the band during the Cold War/Spy era, then songs like "Machine Gun" show Portishead in the middle of sonic air assault. At times Beth Gibbons sounds as if she's embedded on the battlefield, her angelic vocals describing the chaos she sees around her.

Portishead have become one of the most important and influential artists of our generations. So much so that even Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood recorded an impromptu cover of "The Rip" as an homage to one of Radiohead's favorite bands. Portishead's Third is more than the album of 2008, this is a snapshot of our unknown future. I imagine Beth Gibbons outside on December 21st, 2012 when I hear the eerie siren-like sound towards the end of "Threads." "I'm always so unsure" is Gibbons once again singing our own insecurities. What will happen tomorrow, next year or here after? Who knows? We will find out together. What I hope is to have Geoff, Adrian and Beth there along to create the soundtrack for our everlasting uncertainty that prevails within us all.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
12.19.2008

Top Albums of 2008: # 27: Beck: Modern Guilt

Treble's Top Albums of 2008 and my Modern Guilt review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Beck
Modern Guilt
Interscope
2008

Why is Beck such a mystery in 2008? Beck Hansen is one of the most important artists in the last twenty years; he single-handedly molded elements of hip-hop, Latin, folk and rock into mainstream success of Odelay. But ask about Modern Guilt and most will say Beck, who? It's such a shame. Though Modern Guilt may be missing on many 2008 year end lists, here at Treble, we recognize the importance of this ever-evolving artist and his collaboration with Danger Mouse. Modern Guilt is an album that percolates inside and slowly takes you over. Songs like "Gamma Ray" and the title track captivate you with their addicting back beats. But it's the dark lyrics that linger inside: "Misapprehension is turning into conversation/ don't know what I've done but I feel ashamed." It's as if Beck feels claustrophobic inside of his persona and he's looking for a way out from the past that haunt him so. On Modern Guilt, it feels like Beck is slowly stripping away all of his sampled studio gimmicks that made him infamous. I'm looking forward to the next step in the evolutionary phase in Beck's career. Who knows where he's going, but if songs like "Volcano" and lyrics like "I don't know where I've been/ but I know where I'm going…" is any indication, we're starting to see the true Beck coming into light, and what we're hearing is luminous and incendiary.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
12.15.2008

Top Albums of 2008: # 49: R.E.M. : Accelerate

My Accelerate review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

R.E.M.
Accelerate
Warner Bros.
2008

It's been difficult being an R.E.M. fan during these past few years. When I mention this to friends and music enthusiast amigos they roll their eyes in disgust. Since when did R.E.M. get such a bad rap? Don't tell me it's all backlash because of "Shiny Happy People?" I was one of the few who have stood by the band before their critically labeled resurrection on Accelerate. Songs like "Living Well is the Best Revenge" and "Man Sized Wreath" added a much-needed shot of adrenaline that was missing from the R.E.M. of recent years. There were some internal creative tensions that did permeate within this Athens, Ga trio during the last few years, which finally got resolved before Accelerate came to fruition. As a result, Accelerate showcases a rejuvenated R.E.M. that you hear in Mills' vibrant harmonies, Buck's electrified riffs and Stipe's more refined lyrics which come to light on the first single "Supernatural Superserious." The anthem for a teenage geek generation, "Supernatural" is one of my favorite songs of the year. I recall hearing it in Rome during a vacation this past Spring (those Europeans have taste). Michael Stipe sings "Music will provide the light/ you cannot resist" on the fiery finale "I'm Gonna DJ." You hear this flame burn throughout Accelerate, as some songs like "Houston" burn on low while others like "Man Sized Wreath" explode to eleven. Sometimes quiet and often loud, Accelerate sparks a new phase in the life of this dynamic and enduring entity whose future is thunderously bright. Now those same amigos understand why I've stood behind one of my favorite bands after all of these years. Back in the glow of glorious acclaim, this isn't a comeback—Buck, Mills and Stipe have returned to unleash Accelerate and reclaim their mantle of greatness on their road towards immortality.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
12.15.2008

Treble's Top Songs of 2008: # 33: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

My Nick Cave song review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
"Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Mute/Anti
2008

"Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" is one of the coolest and most surreal singles released this year. In case you haven't heard, Cave said of the inspiration for the song, "Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatized, actually. We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ's miracles - raising a man from the dead - but I couldn't help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it." "Dig" is Nick Cave's retelling in the myth of Lazarus set in modern day America. The way that Cave writes it, "Dig" sounds like a Charlie Kaufman-meets-Terry Gilliam scene come to life. Just imagine Lazarus as a cool-ass zombie walking around in the world around us, breaking hearts. But what gets me about the song is the lyric in the chorus, "I don't know what it is, but there's definitely something going on upstairs," as if Cave is sympathizing about this poor soul being taken from the grave and put into this crazy, soulless techno/plastic surgery driven society.

Most of all, I dig this song because of the funky back beats with the heavy guitar riffs and choral backing vocals, along with Cave's distinct, empathically freaked out vocal. Seeing Cave resurrect the legend of Lazarus with his Bad Seeds on stage at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this year is something I will never forget. They are the most dynamically and electric band that I have ever had the honor of seeing in concert. Hearing and seeing Cave will change your life. Just ask Lazarus.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
12.09.2008

Treble's Top Songs of 2008: # 42: Review: Death Cab for Cutie: I Will Possess Yr Heart

My Death Cab song review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Death Cab for Cutie
"I Will Possess Yr Heart"
Narrow Stairs
Atlantic
2008

I admit, until 2008, I never really was a huge Death Cab fan. My girlfriend would play Plans and Transatlanticism in the car during our dates, and hearing Death Cab in the car was one of those cosmic, kick-in-the-head moments when everything makes sense. Maybe I just wasn't ready to truly listen and appreciate Death Cab like I do this year. When I heard this first single from Narrow Stairs, from the opening piano chords through the long and winding instrumental section, I was hooked. The thing that I grabbed me about "I Will Possess Your Heart" was Ben Gibbard's lyrics and Death Cab's rhythms, as they create a soundtrack that mirrors our current or distant lives. We all can relate to the longing that Gibbard feels when he sings "How I wish you could see the potential/ the potential of you and me…" I'll even admit that I never was a fan of extended instrumental openings to songs, but I love the way that "I Will Possess Your Heart" builds and personifies the rush of approaching the one person that sets your emotions ablaze. It takes time and those moments before our first contact is brought to life at the build up to Ben Gibbard's first vocals.

Yet there is a flip-sided meaning to this song that can be viewed very sinisterly. "I Will Possess Your Heart" might also be a song about obsession, and its multiple meanings make it an instant classic. What makes "Possess" not as ominous as song as say, "Every Breath You Take" is the yearning vocal by Ben Gibbard. Most of us have been there and he brings these emotions of distant love affection to light in this very brilliant song.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
12.08.2008

Review: Coldplay: Prospekt's March EP

My review of Prospekt's March can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Coldplay
Prospekt's March EP
Capitol
2008

Since I was the Trebbler who wrote about Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, I think it's fitting that yours truly should be the one who reviews Prospekt's March. Think of this EP as Coldplay's version of Radiohead's bonus In Rainbows disc that was released in that extremely expensive box set that has inexplicably yet to be released on its own. (C'mon Thom, you could learn a little from Chris Martin and his boys, release that bonus disc as an EP already!)

If you're one of the few that has yet to purchase the magnificent Viva La Vida, however, you can pick up a special edition with Prospekt's March added as a bonus disc. It's also available as an EP by itself. Listening to Prospekt's March and thinking back about Martin's comment about retiring after Coldplay's world tour, I can only conclude that it's a mistake. Hearing Viva La Vida and Prospekt, I feel like Coldplay have yet to cement their name and sound in the stratosphere of The Beatles or Radiohead. They are on the verge of the mountain peak that is eternal greatness timeless status, so why give up now? I have a feeling that their next album, if it ever gets made, is going to be legendary.

Okay, maybe the Jay-Z flavored Lost mix isn't exactly what I'm talking about, I could have done without that track, but the rest of Prospekt's March is worthy of inclusion in Viva La Vida. The debate will begin just like with In Rainbows, as to whether or not Coldplay should have added songs like "Glass of Water" and "Prospekt's March/Poppyfields" to their full-length effort. I say `hell yeah,' but I'm the type of musicologist who believes that the greater the number of songs available, the more fulfilling it is for my rhythmic soul. Think about The Beatles' White Album, what if they would have pared down the songs to one single album? It works as a masterpiece, albeit an imperfect one.

Since it's so brief, Prospekt feels like a coda to Viva La Vida. For those of us who didn't want the musical journey to end after "The Escapist," we get more from those sessions produced brilliantly by Brian Eno. I love the way that "Rainy Day" starts with some post-modern noisy rhythms and flows into some soothing strings in the chorus. It's a hopeful soundtrack to yr wet and dreary days. Even the title track sounds like a more optimistic version of "A Rush of Blood to the Head." I simply have fallen for the wall of sound remix of "Lovers in Japan." It sounds like an ode to romantics around the globe. I discovered an aura of positivism that shines throughout the lyrics and sound of Prospekt's March.

I feel like songs like the lyrical version of "Life in Technicolor," the acoustic beauty of "Now my Feet Won't Touch the Ground" and even the piano interlude of "Postcards from Far Away" would have made Viva La Vida an even more memorable album. Prospekt's March is a bold statement from Coldplay it continues all of the themes and sounds they started with Eno's on Viva La Vida. Prospekt's March and Viva La Vida mark the year when Coldplay became more than a multi-platinum band. Berryman, Buckland, Champion and Martin are on the verge of a magnum opus that has the potential of injecting a much needed post modern artfulness into the rhyme-less direction that is contemporary pop music. Don't give up; we need Coldplay now more than ever.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
12.05.2008

Review: The Fireman: Electric Arguments

My review of Electric Arguments can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

The Fireman
Electric Arguments
MPL/ATO Records
2008

Having grown up an armchair Fab Four-ologist by reading just about every book on The Beatles, one of the myths that I've seen prevail throughout the years was that Lennon was the one into avant garde and Paul McCartney was the one who wrote the silly love songs. This was furthest from the truth. In reality, while Lennon was holed up in his Mansion with Cynthia and Julia, it was Macca who was the first one soaking in all the creative energies of the psychedelic era of the sixties. McCartney was friends with many artists in the London Underground, including experimental musician John Cage and poet Allan Ginsberg. Paul was the one who got Lennon to record the now infamous "Carnival of Light" song that may finally be released.

Paul has never strayed from these innovative tendencies throughout his solo career and even creating a solo project The Fireman in with former Killing Joke bassist and producer Youth. In 1993 The Fireman dropped their first release Strawberry Ocean Ships Forest and followed another release under the commercial radar with 1998's Rushes. Paul must have been impressed with Youth's production work with Alex Patterson's The Orb because The Fireman was conceived as Macca's foray into ambient dance music sounds. The Fireman wasn't the first time Paul took a dive into the dance floor, as "Ou est le Soleil," one of my favorite tracks from Flowers in the Dirt, must have inspired Macca to delve deeper into DJ culture.

Throughout the nineties Paul's experimentation with The Fireman remained veiled in mystery until 2008 when Paul and Youth finally admitted that they were the duo trailblazing with their dynamic moniker. Even with me being a die hard Macca fan, I have to admit I never cared for The Fireman's first two releases. What was missing from Strawberry and Rushes was the soulful inflection from "Ou est le Soleil." I enjoyed Twin Freaks more, Paul's partnership with DJ and producer Freelance Hellraiser. Macca hired Hellraiser to spin his decks for Paul's 2004 World Tour. McCartney was so impressed with Hellraiser's mixing abilities that he collaborated with Freelance on a double vinyl only release remixed album of Paul's solo song's mashed up by Hellraiser. I'm still waiting for Twin Freaks record to be released on CD.

But instead this holiday season, Macca fans get an even better gift from Sir Paul a new Fireman album. Electric Arguments is the first to have vocals from McCartney himself. This was the main problem I had with the first two Rushes releases. The samples were cool for the first few minutes, but I missed Paul's trademark vocals. Electric Arguments is more than just another experimental venture into dance music, Macca and Youth have evolved from that aspect of their earlier Strawberry and Rushes releases. This time, the dynamic duo have truly collaborated with Youth laying down some grooves, Macca improvising some lyrics like he did on Flaming Pie's "Really Love You" (with Ringo Star and Jeff Lynne). Macca then added more rhythms to their initial recording and gave each track a more song feel. Think of Electric Arguments as thinking man's groove music. Not tracks for the dance floor, a more transcendental moving experience with lyrical wonder brought to you by Paul McCartney.

"Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight" opens Arguments with a bluesy number that announces how much The Fireman have evolved from their Strawberry days into a resurrected more Electric feel. "Two Magpies" follows with a very acoustic beauty, one of the best solo songs Paul McCartney has ever written and recorded that would fit perfectly on 1970's McCartney or even 2005's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.

"Sing the Changes" echoes the aura we feel in the word today. I first heard this modern day anthem on L.A. radio station 100.3 The Sound while driving to day job in Pasadena. Unbeknownst to McCartney, it sounds like Paul's lyrics are foretelling the emotions we all felt on November 4th when the world changed for the better.

You may recognize the mellotron that The Beatles used on "Strawberry Fields Forever" recycled with such a vibrant flare on "Traveling Light" which also features one of the tenderest vocals Macca has even record on any album, such a beautiful and moving song as he croons "I'll follow the bluebird to wherever she lies."

"Highway" sounds like an updated ramped up version of "Taxman" with McCartney rocking another number that most certainly could have found a home on last year's Memory Almost Full. I love the electric choir-like vocals towards the end of the song that shine along with Macca shredding his guitar like he famously riffed on Band on the Run. "Light from Your Lighthouse" is a Western pub song turned Gospel acoustic number with Paul taking on an old time preacher that would fit in soundtrack adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series.

"The Sun is Shining" starts off as another acoustic number with birds chirping in the back ground as Paul sings a modern day "Good Day Sunshine." "Dance `Til We're High" is not a club anthem, it's more a song for two new lovers coming together for the first time beyond sight and sound. A theme that Macca revisits on the very romantically tinged "Is this Love?" You will hear Paul sing for the new paramour in his life. It's nice to hear that after all that loss that McCartney's been through that he still believe in the magic of love.

"Lovers in a dream" has a "Ou est le Soleil" feel with a little Orb like ambient atmosphere as Macca adds a bluesy riff that lifts this dream into being just another Strawberry/Rushes sampled groove. I love the way each song flows into another. Paul layers some piano keys and guitar flavor to Youth's chill out vibes on "Universal Here, Everlasting Now." You can feel the beats with Macca's improvisational vocals building to a rhythmic climax as Paul's tender piano keys personify certain calmness after the intense electrified culmination.

Arguments closes with the epic "Don't Stop Running." Paul sings the very poetic "Silent lover/ angel smiling/ don't stop running." (You can hear the addition of the tabla, the Indian instrument the The Beatles made famous using during their peak Revolver and Sgt. Pepper years.) There's a bonus cut 8:00 minutes into "Don't Stop Running" which sounds like a Vangelis/Blade Runner-inspired tune with Macca whispering some backmasting (backward) lyrics in the distance.

I am impressed by the way Fireman has evolved from its early incarnation to this post modern collaboration between Macca and Youth. It was as if these two exceptional musicians finally realized the potential they had in the studio and harnessed their gifted energies into creating something like Electric Arguments that was worthy outside the dance floor and more into our collective consciousness. Electric Arguments will go down as one of the most eclectic and exhilarating albums in Macca's whole extraordinary canon.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
12.03.2008

Review: New Order: Technique (Collectors Edition)

My review of Technique (Collectors Edition) can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

New Order
Technique (Collectors Edition)
Rhino
2008

Oh, how I was looking forward to the reissue of one of my favorite New Order albums, Technique. Originally released in 1989, the year I graduated from Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, Bernard Sumner's lyrics mirror my isolationism in my life. Songs like "Loveless" and "Guilty Partner" reflected the beating loneliness inside this outcast.

"My life ain't no holiday
I've been through the point of no return
I've seen what a man can do
I've seen all the hate of a woman too…"

I know I'm not the only one, but my high school years were anything but legendary. As I've written so many times before, albums like Technique helped me get through the days and nights of being a shy stuttering teen who wished he could speak the words that Bernard sang and I could never say.

"I can't see the sense in your leaving
All I need is your love to believe in
And for you I would do what I can
But I cant change the way that I am."

Going to a very affluent high school made it difficult for someone like me to find compadres who truly understood the weirdness lurking inside of me. I was the one who was dubbed "hippie born to late" in the hallways with my tie dye Doors t-shirts, carrying my beaten up copy of Rolling Stone magazine and my Walkman with Technique cranked up in my ears, hoping that someone, anyone, would stop me, hear me and ask what I was listening to. No one ever did, they just laughed and kept walking which led me to keep on moving, faster, and I had been running ever since, until this past year.

So when I heard that Technique was being re-released, I was ecstatic. The album was the soundtrack of my Senior year in high school. When I opened up my copy of the reissue, dubbed `The Factory Years,' I expected these reissues to have the same care and content as the Joy Division re-releases of 2007. Boy was I surprised; disappointed is a better word.

Technique had all nine songs that I had engraved in my head from my final year at Churchill with a skimpy disc of remixes and instrumental oddities that left me aching for more. There was a poor excuse for liner notes with an essay that basically described New Order's recording experience for Technique as the band being 24-hour party people. What a shock, recorded during the heyday of the Acid House scene, it's no surprise that the Bernard, Peter, Gillian and Stephen were rolling on ecstasy and dancing all night long. What I wanted was more substance and some behind-the-music insight to some of my favorite songs form my teenage youth.

Why is there a computerized voice-Hal like voice saying "the past doesn't matter" on "Fine Time?" And was Barry White the influence for Bernard's low-pitched vocal for "Fine Time?" Was Technique really supposed to be Bernard's solo album, but Factory balked and wanted another New Order album? Was the riff on "Run" truly a blatant swipe of John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane?"

I would have loved to read some kind of anecdotes on what inspired Bernard to write "All the Way," and one of the best New Order tracks ever recorded "Dream Attack."

What I can say is that all nine songs from Technique are perfectly sequenced. Listening to it, coming home from work, I realized how it seamlessly flows together like a treasured short story collection coming to life. An album like this deserves the best kind of reissue; alas this version does it no justice. This and the editions of New Order's first four albums—Movement, Power Corruption & Lies, Low-Life and Brotherhood are part of a re-release event that was supposed to cement the band's greatness with these remastered CDs. Instead, all of the faulty mastering and packaging issues tarnish New Order's legacy.

What I've always loved about New Order is that the band put poignant meaning behind their electric dance beats. It wasn't just dance music just to shake your ass to; Bernard's lyrics echoed my life beyond the dance floor. In many ways, songs like "Vanishing Point" gave my static life rhythmic colors with true faith lyrics that kept me going when I felt lost and a lonely soul during high school.

"And they gave him away
Like in whistle down the wind
By the look on his face
He never gave in…"

I never gave in because of albums like Technique. A personal one that deserves a better re-issue than the one New Order sanctioned with this inadequate re-release. We, New Order fans, all deserve more. How could Rhino do it right with The Sound of The Smiths, but fail us with their horrible mastering issues these Factory Years discs? Rhino would do right to follow the example of The Cure and Depeche Mode with their own remaster series with extensive liner notes, DVD videos and demos to see how a band rewards its followers with a true and faithful reissue.

"But I know that I'm ok
cause you're here with me today
I haven't got a single problem
Now that I'm with you…"

They were my musical friends; songs like "Run" are what I've always come back to. They are the ones who sheltered me with their rhythmic honesty when I needed some lyrical reassurance in my younger days. All I had to do is put on my cassette version of Technique and heed the advice of Bernard Sumner. The memory of these songs is everlasting, I used to find my peace of mind in songs like "Mr. Disco." I wanted a reissue that was equal to the powerful meaning that Technique had in my life. No thanks to the glitch-ridden package here, I'm still waiting.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.21.2008

Review: The Smiths: The Sound of The Smiths (Deluxue Edition)

My review of The Sound of The Smiths can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

The Smiths
The Sound of The Smiths
Rhino
2008

I know what you're thinking, because I, myself, had these same infuriated thoughts: another Smiths compilation? Before you start quoting me the lyrics to that infamous song, track 8 to be precise, from Strangeways Here We Come, there's a reason for hearing out this collection dubbed The Sound of The Smiths. Johnny Marr supervised the mastering of the 45 tracks on this deluxe edition.

The Sound of The Smiths is like hearing my favorite Manchester band with new ears. The Smiths as nature intended. It takes me back to first time I ever heard The Smiths—some of you may remember I have written about it many times for Treble, in the back of mi hermano's car, as he was playing a cassette version of The Queen is Dead. The song was "There is a Light that Never Goes Out." And from the opening notes and lyrics of "Take me out tonight…" my life changed. It seems like every year since that moment, my connection to my beloved The Smiths grows more deeply and devotedly. They were the ones—Morrissey, Marr, Rourke and Joyce—whose music was there for me when I was a recluse alone in my room with only their songs as my only friend. Their songs are still the soundtrack to my younger days. Those times, although filled with days and nights of melancholy and longing, will always be a part of me.

As I have grown, The Smiths' music remains a constant in my ever changing blissful life. The Sound of the Smiths is exempt from my usual lambasting of compilations released by successful bands. It's the songs and the sound of these songs that save The Sound of The Smiths from being just another repackaged album. This remastering is something that needed to be done to the canon of one of my favorite bands. With The Beatles reissues looming around the horizon, The Smiths are equally as worthy of remastering, perhaps even more so. Being a product of their time, the '80s was an era of disillusionment, which The Smiths reflected in such songs as "Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me" and "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore." The Smiths were our saviors from our sadness and static lives. Through Morrissey's lyrical dreams, The Smiths gave us hope through these songs that still remain as vibrant and timeless, more so than when we first laid ears to them many years before.

So what songs did Morrissey and Marr select for The Sound of The Smiths, you ask? It's every song from the magnificent Singles CD that came out in 1995 plus "Still Ill," "Nowhere Fast," " Barbarism Begins at Home," "The Headmaster Ritual" and "You Just Haven't Earned it Yet Baby" round up disc one. Disc two has some rarities, including a cover of James' "What's the World," as well as live versions of "Meat is Murder," "Handsome Devil" and "London" from live album Rank. You'll also find "Pretty Girls Make Graves" from the often bootlegged and unreleased Troy Tate album sessions. The title track from my favorite Smiths album "The Queen is Dead" sounds more powerfully poetic than ever before. You will hear the difference in: Morrissey's wailing vocals on "Hand in Glove" and "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side," Johnny Marr's echoing guitar greatness on "How Soon is Now," Andy Rourke's funked out bass lines in "Barbarism Begins at Home" and Mike Joyce's signature backbeat on the Peel Session version of "What Difference Does it Make?", all restored to their original sonic brilliance

But I must add, even though I am advocating purchasing The Sound of The Smiths, Morrissey and Marr have left out some of the rarest of gems. They're not all here. For instance, where are the complete Peel Sessions? What about sonic artifacts like "Jeanne" with The Smiths backing Sandie Shaw? What about the complete version of "Rubber Ring/Asleep," unedited in eight minutes of pure beautiful genius, as found on the original 12-inch single of The Boy with the Thorn in his Side? What about the rest of songs missing from the October 26, 1986 National Ballroom show in Kilburn as heard on the Rank disc (including my favorite "There is a Light that Never Goes Out")? What about the famed unedited `director's cut' of "The Queen is Dead" as described brilliantly by Simon Goddard on the definitive book on The Smiths, their songs and the recording sessions, "The Songs that Saved your Life?" And where are the complete Troy Tate Sessions?

Alas, I may be harder to please than your normal Smiths fan, but that's because of their status as one of the most influence bands of our generation. I expect only the best for us, the die-hard fans in Smithsdom. Besides the long rumored anthologized box set, what I'm really waiting for are the original albums, The Smiths, Meat is Murder, The Queen is Dead and Strangeways Here We Come, all four of these brilliant LPs digitally remastered like this stellar compilation. The Sound of the Smiths is the first step in cementing the legacy of one of my favorite bands ever. This is how they were supposed to sound, in all of their glory in these songs that continue to save our lives. Go back to the old house again and relive the splendor of our beloved The Smiths all over again.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.12.2008

Review: David Bowie: iSelect

My review of David Bowie's iSelect can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

David Bowie
iSelect
Astralwerks
2008

My first ever memory of David Bowie was seeing him dressed up in the sorrowful pierrot's costume on Mars in the video for "Ashes to Ashes." He looked like an alien but there was something about his voice and the lyrics that stuck with me. He seemed otherworldly and strange. Bowie's eccentric persona struck a riff in the imagination of this very weird child. And I loved changing the words to the closing stanza of "Ashes to Ashes." I'd walk around our casa and sing at the top of the lungs, much to my Mami's annoyance, (with apologies to Bowie) "My mama said to get things done you better not fuck with major tom…" At the time I thought it was funny and to this day I feel like it fits better than "mess" but that's me and my childish imagination.

My admiration and devotion to David Bowie has grown throughout my years. From his '80s pop years of "putting on the red shoes and dancing the blues" through his aggro nights of Outside, the Nine Inch Nails-inspired "Hearts Filthy Lesson" and his Earthling jungle-filled days of "Little Wonder," all the way to my personal theme "Never Get Old" from Reality. The deeper I dig inside the canon of one David Bowie the more treasures I discover. The man is one of the most prolific singer/songwriters of our modern generation. What makes Bowie stand out is his chameleon-esque nature, as he incorporates post-modern rhythms and styles with his own personal artistic charm, and the results are constantly simply dazzling.

I'd love to say that I'm reviewing a new Bowie album but alas this is not the case. Instead, I just came across this compilation, yet another one, his twentieth, or… oh who knows I stopped counting after his last Best Of. But before I start going off on my clichéd diatribe about legendary artists releasing yet another hits album, I have to stop myself because iSelect is a different breed of compilation.

First released as a complimentary gift when purchasing the June 29th, 2008 edition of British's newspaper The Mail, iSelect, is a collection of songs personally chosen by Bowie himself. This is not a greatest hits per se, but in Bowie's own words, "I've selected twelve songs that I don't seem to tire of. Few of them are well-known but many of them still get sung at my concerts."

iSelect starts off with the very timely "Life on Mars." (I must quickly add that for years I have wrongly mis-titled this one "Life is Mars." Once again, my bad but doesn't change the connotation of song making it more cosmically mysterious. Maybe it's just me, I'm weird like that.) Alas, "Mars" is a song that Bowie frequently revisits in his live shows. It spawned a BBC hit series that has now debut in an American incarnation that takes the title of Bowie songs (watch the American version, it's worthy of Bowie's song name).

Bowie writes commentary on all of the songs he's selected. Think of this as a kind of storytellers/behind-the-song peek inside the mindset of where he was when said classics were written; time, place, etc. One thing that's not in the liner notes is that "Mars" was Bowie's attempt to rewrite "My Way" as an ode to Frank Sinatra. By the way, listen for the telephone ringing at the end of "Mars" kind of creepy goes along with the theme of the TV series.

Another one of the most requested songs, a perfect addition to iSelect, is "The Bewlay Brothers." At just about all of Bowie's shows, you'll usually hear some die hard fan scream out for him to play this classic. Bowie describes this song as a "palimpsest." He claims to have smoked something out of his Bewlay pipe, which inspired the late night recording of "Brothers." This one reminds me of an old flame I met in New Orleans, who was one of the biggest Bowie fans I ever met, and "Bewlay" was her favorite song. "Lady Grinning Soul" is one of my newfound beloved Bowie songs. This is a majestic one featuring the magical piano stylings of Mike Garson. Written for "a wonderful young girl whom I have not seen in over thirty years…a song…close to the past…that you can almost reach out and touch it." I adore the flamenco guitar strings over Garson's piano keys.

Is it just me or does "Teenage Wildlife" sound a little like "Heroes?" This is Bowie's attempt at Ronnie Spector. Listen to the dueling guitars by Robert Fripp and Carlos Alomar; simply splendid.

The rare find for all Bowie fanatics is the inclusion of the "Time Will Crawl (MM remix)." Originally found on Never Let Me Down with plastic drum machines having been replaced with real drums courtesy of Sterling Campbell. I also really fond the strings Bowie added to the song. It sounds as though "Time Will Crawl" has been resurrected, and is an apt theme for our current times.

The compilation closes with a track from Live Santa Monica '72 concert. If you've had the honor of seeing the Thin White Duke in concert, this live version of "Hang on to Yourself" captures the power of a Bowie live set circa 1972. Oh how we miss the electric guitar greatness of Mick Ronson—you can hear, as he shreds the riffs, that this right hand man to Bowie was the electric force behind Bowie's stage presence. The thing is that Bowie may have aged but he still sounds as lively and creatively challenging as he did back then. He may no longer be the same interstellar palimpsest I used to watch on the video for "Ashes to Ashes," but I will continue loving this alien. By discovering new treasures like the remix of "Time Will Crawl," iSelect is essential for the Bowie diehard in your life. He may change his guises but Bowie will remain the great one with the voice that will shine for me and all of us, beyond rhythms and all times.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.11.2008

Review: The Cure: 4:13 Dream

My review of The Cure's 4:13 Dream can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

The Cure
4:13 Dream
Geffen
2008

If you were like me, growing up an outcast in the '80s, there were three bands that were the soundtrack of your lost, lonely and lustful life—Depeche Mode, New Order and The Cure. While, mi hermano was devoted to Robert Smith and The Cure, my lyrical corazon belonged to Mode and New Order. I admit I wasn't a diehard Cure fan like him. It was nothing personal against Smith or The Cure, it's just that albums like Disintegration were too depressing for my already lonely existence. That's not to say that I wasn't a fan, just wasn't as loyal as my older sibling. Songs like "Just Like Heaven," "Close to Me" and "Love Song" were staples on my mix-tapes dedicated to my many unrequited crushes that never came true.

It may sound sacrilegious to fellow Robert Smith devotees but my favorite Cure album wasn't made in the '80s or '90s. To me, 2000's Bloodflowers was the best album in their career. This was supposed to be the swan song for Smith; he was finally going to retire his famous moniker and go solo, something he had been threatened to do for ages. Bloodflowers would have been the ultimate finale, as the last chapter in Robert Smith's "heart of darkness trilogy" that began with Pornography, followed years later with my brother's personal best, Disintegration.

Yet there was a hint in "Maybe Someday" and even in "Out of this World" that maybe Smith wasn't ready to hang it up at the end of the song.

"One last time before it's over
One last time before the end
One last time before it's
time to go again..."

Four years later, The Cure returned with a disappointing album produced by Korn producer Ross Robinson. The thing about The Cure is that it felt forced and unfinished. It sounded like a Robinson's idea of what a Cure album should sound like. It sounded liked Smith gave up some of the control and The Cure suffered because of this. Worse still, some of the best songs were left off the American pressing of the album. Who knows why Smith refused to allow stellar songs like "Going Nowhere" and "Truth of Goodness and Beauty" on the album? It was a definite step back for Robert Smith and made me think he made a mistake for not hanging up and leaving us with the everlasting legacy of Bloodflowers.

Following the misstep of self-titled 2004 album, Robert Smith went back to restore the glory of The Cure. Robert Smith reportedly was going to drop a double album in the fall of 2007, as he had recorded more 33 songs for his new album. Gone was Ross Robinson, who I blame for the relative disappointment of The Cure. Thankfully the double LP idea was scrapped and 13 tracks made the album. Smith decided to release an EP every month, starting in May and ending in September, before the release of 4:13 Dream.

Initially, I had my doubts. Some of the songs and remixes I heard were more of the same vibe from 2004's Robinson-produced failure. But I did have a sense of hope because of the track "Please," which Robert Smith recorded with Orbital co-founder Paul Hartnoll. "Please" was pure Robert Smith; he hadn't sound this energized and alive in years. It's the kind of song that The Cure should be creating.

Is 4:13 Dream a nod to "10:15 Saturday Night?" It's as if The Cure had gone fallen under an endless sleep but was miraculously revived at 4:13 AM. The album was the result of all Robert Smith experienced during that dreamlike state. Just when you thought it was over, Robert Smith returns stronger and more vibrant than ever in the opening `Underneath the Stars."

"Underneath the Stars" is the best opening Cure song, save for "Out of this World." Unlike "Lost" from 2004's The Cure where Smith sang, "I can't find myself
I got lost in someone else." Looking back, one could argue these lyrics were not about love but referring to his regret for placing his faith in Robinson's abilities. It may be a stretch but compare "Lost" to "Underneath the Stars" and you immediately hear the difference.

Echoing "Pictures of You," Smith comes out sounding the most confident he has in years. With his echoing dreamy vocals, he invites us to enter his dream world, a welcome return to a more electrifying Robert Smith something that we've been missing from The Cure. "The Only One" is a modern adaptation of "High" and surpasses the summit reached by the original found on Wish. You can actually hear Smith sounding excited as he reaches those upper notes, like he did during his early Goth incarnations of The Cure.

The Peter Hook-esque bass line could be an ode to New Order on "The Reasons Why." (This wouldn't be the first time Smith honored one of his fellow English alt compatriots. In 1998, Smith recorded a tribute to Depeche Mode with a rousing cover of "World In My Eyes" on For the Masses.) By this part of the album, one begins to notice a recurring theme, with Smith singing about stars and dreams as metaphors for falling in love. "The Reasons Why" sounds like a fan writing a letter to Robert Smith, wanting to feel some kind of connection outside of the song. Smith takes the idea of dream and turns into a more classical Shakespearean meaning of eternal sleep of death.

"Freakshow" is a funk burst of energy recalling 1996's Wild Mood Swings. The freaky guitar riffs enhance the dream state illusions of a damsel who's shattering his heart by slithering away a chance for true love. "Sirensong," one of my favorites, is one of the shortest, sweetest and most personal songs Robert Smith has ever composed on this or any album. I adore the dreamlike vibe that has Smith personifying his muse into the guise of a dream girl.

"Tell me you love me
Before it's too late
She sang
Give me your life
Or I must fly away
And you will never hear this song again"

Just like inspiration, she appears and vanishes before you can grasp at her infinite beauty. Yes, "Sirensong" is this beautiful. The next song reverts back to the classic dark side of Cure that has Smith revising the myth of Snow White. "The Real Snow White" is a lusty number dedicated to someone that Smith desires beyond belief. "The Hungry Ghost" has some of the best guitar work of Robert Smith's career. His vocal sounds electric and impassioned, but the lyrics "No it doesn't come for free/ but it's the price/ we pay for happiness," are lacking the substance behind the stylish power of the song.

Doors fans may recognize the familiar theme of "Switch." With lyrics like, "Friends are as strangers/ And strangers as friends/ And I feel like I'm wired in a why/ Yeah my friends are as strangers," "Switch" sounds like a stirring modern lyrical interpretation of Jim Morrison's "People Are Strange."

"Sleep with the Dead" is vintage Cure with 21st Century zeal. Robert Smith has unearthed this one from The Head of the Door songwriting sessions. Continuing his eloquent imagery, he calls out "I'll sleep when I'm Dead/ you angels…before I lay me down to dream."

The thing that impresses me even with a few on the tracks that don't stir me, there's transcendent transitions between songs of 4:13 Dream. It is in constant flow, moving from one emotional peak of "Underneath the Stars" through the breaths of despair in "It's Over." Speaking of "It's Over," the song closes 4:13 with a fury that's been missing from most of the sanitized Cure albums of the not so distant past. Think the guitar fire of "Burn" mixed with the vocalized passion of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. As Robert Smith sings "I can't do this anymore" I am hoping that 4:13 Dream is only the next chapter, and he doesn't walk away from The Cure.

Robert Smith has resurrected the legacy of The Cure with an album that dedicated fans and ripe ones would both adore. It's not perfect, but overall 4:13 Dream soars beyond my miscalculated expectations. I was ready to bury The Cure after Bloodflowers. Once again, Smith and The Cure have proved me wrong.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.03.2008

Review: Pretenders: Break Up The Concrete

My Pretenders review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

The Pretenders
Break Up The Concrete
Shangri-La Music
2008

My first introduction to The Pretenders was seeing Chrissie Hynde play the waitress, and her band the customers, in the early video for "Brass in Pocket." But the video that I waited to see over and over again was the one for "Tattooed Love Boys." Seeing Chrissie all dressed in black, caressing that guitar like a machine, in my excited mind that made into a soldier of lust as she seductively tossed out lyrics like "Little tease, but I didn't mean it/ but you mess with the goods doll, you gotta pay." That was only the beginning, but Chrissie Hynde and her Pretenders had already won my little rebellious heart over.

To me, Hynde always had an air of timelessness to her music and on-stage persona. She's always been my ultimate dream rocker girl. She's rarely shown skin but there's definitely something sexy about Chrissie Hynde. It has to be her enticing and powerful stage presence that's matched with her lyrical tongue that's sharp, sultry and cerebral. I've grown and now have fond romantic memories that are linked to Hynde and her songs with The Pretenders. Longing love is a theme that has been a constant in many of my favorite Hynde-sung songs. I have a connection to these lyrics that mirrored the pining for a romantic connection in my life. "2000 Miles" was the theme for a long distant flame that moved to Portland. "Back on the Chain Gang" was the soundtrack of a wintertime love that was sparked on a drive through Lincoln Park, Chicago. Her cover of Ray Davies' "I Go to Sleep" from Isle of View, my favorite Pretenders album, reflected the yearning of a distant San Antonio lover who kept her kisses at a passionate distance.

I do have to say the ultimate Chrissie Hynde love song has to "Hymn to Her." Written by Meg Keen, a childhood friend in Akron, "Hymn to Her" is her personal "Hallelujah." Her lyrics reveal a timelessness of love. There's romantic passion, from the "let me inside you" line and especially in the amazing vocal delivery by Hynde in naked harmonium version from Isle of View. That version matches the lyrical intensity of the "Remember when I moved in you…" lyric from Cohen's. Both songs deal with intimacy. It's as if the lyrics connect the emotions of being in the moment of vulnerability being tied to the eventual loss of love. You can hear this clearly when Hynde sings:

"…something is lost
but something is found
they will keep on
speaking her name
some things change
some stay the same."

This same evolution of love is a theme that is heard in The Pretenders latest, Break Up the Concrete. Throughout the lyrics of this dynamic release, Chrissie Hynde is on a lyrical journey searching for the reasons why she always ends up lonely within the arms of amor. The opening number sounds like Chrissie and The Pretenders have been hanging out at Memphis, Tennessee's Sun Records. "Boots of Chinese Plastic" is a rockabilly number that has a John Entwistle-like "My Generation" bass line with a rolling, riffing backbeat that echoes Pixies "Isla de Encanta." When Hynde sings "Every drop that runs through the vein always makes its way back to the heart again…"the lyrics reflect her searching for faith to help her find understanding of heartbreak.

You will hear the return of this rockabilly vibe on the title track in which reverberates within Hynde's optimistic mindset of being alone. "The Nothing Maker" has Hynde singing a sympathetic number for the typical man she attracts. This is an ode to falling for the Lloyd Dobblers of the world or as John Cusack eloquent said, in Say Anything, "what I want to do for a living - is I want to be with you." I'm paraphrasing but it has the same effect about a man who wants no other fate than being with the object of his affection.

Hynde still tries to cling to these dysfunctional relationships on the next track. "Don't Lose Faith in Me" is Hynde trying to hold on to a failed relationship, crooning with a bit of Southern soul as she sings "If you lose harmony, you won't need me." It sounds like some of these flames are jealous of the connection Hynde has for her creative music. All they have is the love for her. I imagine that these guys can't get over the fact that Hynde's a rock artist and her music becomes a contention within the relationship.

Even with a song like "You Didn't Have To," when Chrissie sings "thank you boy for the time that we wasted…the things that you said," it's still a celebration of another broken affair. It goes back to the advice she sung on the opening number, everything makes it back to the heart.

I've fallen for the slide guitar sound in "Love's a Mystery." This is the definitive song on Break Up the Concrete. The key line in this lovely song is "A multiple offender should learn from his mistakes/ I'm ready to surrender if that's what it takes." It sounds like after a number of failed marriages, Chrissie still believes in love. You can feel it in her voice, which sounds as alive and passionate as ever. It's as if Hynde wanted to capture the spirit of her romantic inspirations on tape. You can hear it on each of these vibrant songs.

My favorite song, however, is Hynde's lusty "Almost Perfect." She is telling her new lover to never change. You know that feeling—the spark of a new love—Hynde brings these emotions to life when she instructs him to "come inside my hive." I love the feel of this song; it has an almost jazzy arrangement reflecting the romantic nature of Hynde's lyrics. Listen for Chrissie clearing her throat before the last verse. It brings a sense of nervousness as she's trying to seduce her new flame.

Break Up the Concrete ends with the bluesy heartache of "One Thing Never Changed." Eric Heywood's pedal steel guitar is showcased once again in this aching number in which Hynde sings about the boy that she loved, having to "go back to a world where I don't belong."

That lyric is why after all of these years, the older I become, I will always be a devoted follower of Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders. Hynde doesn't just sing these songs, she's lived them. Her life has been all about reaching for something greater while falling in and out of love. When she sings, it's if her lyrics reveal the truth inside all of us. We hear the pain and pleasure in Hynde songs that are familiar tastes in our own lives.

Break Up the Concrete is an album about growing older and still learning about love in a voice and a feeling that's pure Chrissie Hynde. This is the same Hynde whose only consistent bond has been with the creative callings of her band The Pretenders. Traditionally, The Pretenders' sound is born from her two backgrounds—the classic American pop songs with a punk rock aesthetic. Hynde and The Pretenders have evolved into a band that has aged like a fine wine. After all these years, Hynde and her messages of Love are some of the most personal that I've consistently craved. One trip inside Break Up the Concrete and be prepared to fall once again. She's still the most passionate rocker I've ever had the pleasure to have grown up with. Since 1976, Chrissie Hynde has been someone whose lyrical heartstrings have been exposed in all that we desire within the glory of her songs.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
10.21.2008

Review: Nina Simone: To Be Free

My Nina Simone review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Nina Simone
To Be Free
Legacy
2008

In the original era of 1960s political correctness when entertainers toned down their personal rhetoric to continue their careers as performing artists, Nina Simone could never be silenced. She was the voice of freedom. The original chanteuse channeled passionate reasoning and emotional fire to sing about growing up and living in a racially segregated United States of America. Nina stood on stage as a warrior queen with her sultry song whispering, moaning and roaring behind the piano. She held the keys to her independence during her concerts inside her protest songs that rallied against the injustice and mistreatment of her skin, her sex in the age of societal intolerance.

Throughout her multifaceted and ever changing career, Nina Simone was manipulated by record labels, mistreated by handlers, husbands and managers and wholeheartedly misunderstood and disrespected in her homeland. During her years in exile from America, this soulful siren had a spark that could never be extinguished by any type of discrimination. Any sign of exploitation only fueled Nina's rage and inspired her to sing out seductively louder and prouder than ever before.

As a confidant of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Nina Simone believed in his dream but the reality of coming of age as an outspoken African American female artist in the '60s was anything but luxurious. Fame eluded her and unfortunately infamy followed her everywhere she went. Nina's candid views were unheard of—she was a revolutionary ahead of her time. Even the Beatles refused to speak out against social injustice; Nina Simone considered it her duty to as a creative activist to criticize the powers that be about the injustice in America.

Throughout this tumultuous time and fueled by energetic fervor, Nina recorded some of the most memorable music of the 20th century. Prolific is an understatement; Nina Simone was a virtuoso on stage and in the recording studio. Between 1957 and 1973, Simone completed 27 albums for four different record labels. Unlike her personal heroine Billie Holliday, not only could Nina sing exquisitely, she, herself was a classically trained pianist. This made her a creative force as composer and lyricist. Because of this, Nina had a musician's ear and knew how to craft classic originals and adapt famous standards of her day.

It's the voice in such songs as "Wild is the Wind" that I first discovered thanks to David Bowie, "My Baby Just Cares for Me" and "I Want A Little Sugar in my Sugar Bowl" that first put a spell on me while living in the southern paradise of New Orleans.

I wish I could tell you that I've been a Nina Simone fan my whole life but in reality I first discovered her in the movies. Simone's music made her resurrected icon with songs that appeared in such films as Point of No Return, Stealing Beauty and the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. Even then, it took Jeff Buckley's elegant cover of "Lilac Wine" and the appearance of Nina's spectacular rendition of Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" in the film The Dancer Upstairs to make me a full fledged Simone devotee while living in New Orleans.

The Mississippi River in the heart of America's South was the perfect place to fall for the voice that was Nina Simone. Even though she lived and recorded more than 30 years ago, her songs and vocal style are as timeless and legendary as ever. Unfortunately, the unspoken racism that existed in my modern-day New Orleans perfectly reflected the life and times that Nina Simone wrote and recorded about over three decades earlier. I saw it, lived it, and breathed in the silent stench of discrimination, poverty and disillusionment within the city that I loved so much. It was as if the world may have technologically improved but the bigoted traditions of the past were ingrained with the Southern culture of Louisiana. This was the type of inequality that Nina Simone sung and spoke out about. What would have been Nina's thought on America's passive ignorance towards New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast after the devastation left by Katrina?

"Mississippi Goddamn," the song she performed after Dr. King's assassination, would be the song that mirrors that outrage and disgust of post-Katrina New Orleans. This and many others are found in the new dynamic four disc (3 CD and 1 DVD set) To Be Free. Not only is this a collection of vintage songs written and recorded by Nina Simone, this is the soundtrack to American history from an artist that is unknown by the majority of modern music fans. It is a criminal shame that Nina Simone is rarely mentioned up there with Billie Holliday, Aretha Franklin, and Patsy Cline as queens of American music.

To me she surpasses all of those incredible singers because Nina composed the majority of the music and lyrics to all her originals. And Simone came up with the arrangements of her favorite artists that she covered, like Gershwin's "I Love's You, Porgy" Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quite Pas," George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" and Bob Dylan's "Just like a Woman."

Although To Be Free may not include all of my beloved Nina Simone songs ("Lilac Wine," "Sinnerman" and her brilliant cover of "House of the Rising Sun" among others are missing), you will hear live versions of "Wild is the Wind," the Langston Hughes-penned powerhouse "Backlash Blues" any my personal favorite "Who Knows Where the Times Goes." The 30 minute DVD, Nina: A Historical Perspective is a breathtaking insight inside the mind, the music and the voice of Nina Simone told in her own words.

Inside the music and film of To Be Free, you will see and hear why and how she inspired a generation of artists and bands. Thanks to Mary J. Blige, Lauren Hill, Alicia Keys, Cat Power, Bowie and Buckley, the legend of Nina Simone sings on within them, their vocal styles and covers of her originals. We must not forget the many films that have showcased Nina's voice and songs and helped introduce her music to a new generation of soulful enthusiasts. If you're a novice and searching for a place to start your education of Nina Simone look no further than To Be Free. This box set captures the beauty, power and essence of all that encompassed the artistry and myth that was Nina Simone.

We all have hurt, loved and lost but nobody knows this more than Nina Simone. To Be Free captures the passion, the glory and the pain of life, love and dreams. It's time to feel the spark that was as electric as the wind was wild. She was an icon. She was an artist. She was a lover. She was a fighter. She was a mother. She lived for the art of the song, and nobody brought the music of her time to life like Nina Simone. You will be moved. You will be seduced by a voice who sang for us with a soulful revolutionary spirit that thrives inside these heartfelt songs of emotional empowerment. We hope to one day rejoice in her sounds of freedom that Nina desperately desired to believe throughout her defiant life and beyond.


Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
10.14.2008

Review: The Jesus and Mary Chain: The Power of Negative Thinking

My Jesus & Mary Chain review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

The Jesus & Mary Chain
The Power of Negative Thinking
Blanco y Negro / Rhino
2008

"Do you remember the JAMC?"

Who could forget those immortal lyrics sung so eloquently by Death Cab's Ben Gibbard on their song "We Looked like Giants?" Ben, like many of us who grew up JAMC fans, knew the importance of this band born from Glasgow, Scotland, whose feedback fury and three minute love pop symphonies shook our world from the mid-'80s and on.

Some of you may have first heard the name Jesus and Mary Chain in the film High Fidelity when Jack Black's snobby record store clerk Barry scolds a customer for not owning any JAMC albums. "They always seemed really great is what they really seemed, they picked up where your precious Echo (& the Bunnymen) left off…"

In all reality, the JAMC were created by the brothers Jim and William Reid because, "…we couldn't find records that we liked to buy." It reminds me of something pompous I used to say to too many ex-girlfriends: the reason I couldn't find any good books to read was because I haven't written any yet. Unlike me, JAMC put their foot to the distortion pedal and created a band with a sound both Reid brothers desired.

Unlike the way out cacophony of the noisy resilience of Creation labelmates My Bloody Valentine, JAMC didn't just blow the guitar amps to make sound crafted songs. The brothers Reid incorporated, "the pop sensibilities of The Shangri-Las with the production values of (Nick Cave's) The Birthday Party...and that's us…psycho and candy two extremes on the same record." Mix in a little surf guitar inspiration and you have the JAMC sound in full effect.

The Power of Negative Thinking is not a greatest hits collection. These 82 songs are b-sides, covers, alternative versions and unreleased songs make up the essence of the sound the Brothers Reid had in mind when they first formed JAMC. I've said it before and I'll state it again, you can tell the greatness of a band by the quality of their b-sides. You can trace the evolution from the Joy Division inspired darkness of the never before heard demo "Up Too High," acoustic versions of "You Trip Me Up" through blistering covers like Prince's "Alphabet Street." You will also hear one of their last songs created as a duo, "Easy Life, Easy Love" that preceded their much publicized spilt on stage at the House of Blues in L.A. There are hints of the up and coming dissolution of the band in the lyrics.

"Goodbye to fame and goodbye to Jane,
Goodbye to yesterday.
I've been around, I hit the ground,
There was a price to pay."

Even before their eventual demise, The Jesus and Mary Chain crafted pop songs were stoic and romantic by nature.

There are so many jewels on The Power of Negative Thinking. Those who believed that The Brothers Reid went soft with help from Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval on Stoned and Dethroned must have not been paying too much attention to the ever evolving careers of these Glasgow guitar gurus. You can hear sparks of their intimate stripped down flavor on the acoustic versions of "Teenage Lust" and "Taste of Cindy."

I, myself, love the Velvet Underground-inspired echoing beauty of "Psychocandy." It sounds like the best song that Reed, Cale, Tucker and Morrison never created. I can't forget the siren sounding and bluesy guitar ode brilliance of "Bo Diddley is Jesus." I dig the blow up of "Kill Surf City." What about two killer covers of "Surfin' USA?" There are so much more, the very romantic pop ditty "Till I Found You." I'm sure Leonard Cohen is smiling somewhere with JAMC's powerful cover of "The Tower of Song." I have to say "Little Stars" and the lyrics of "I'm gonna kiss your blues away" is my personal favorite.

There are way too many and with every other track I am finding new gems that I adore. I know I shouldn't have done it, gone out during these days of economic uncertainty but I had to buy this hefty priced 4-disc collection The Power of Negative Thinking. This is freaking JAMC, the band whose distorted pop crafted beauty was the soundtrack of my disorientated youth.

The brothers Reid inspired a generation of wanna be rockers to pick up guitars. You may have heard The Pixies cover of "Head On," but it's not better than the real thing. Crank it up, The Jesus and Mary Chain's b-sides and rarities will simultaneously blow your eardrums and mind. Take it from yours truly, fuck the stock market, make the wise investment by purchasing this soon to be classic The Power of Negative Thinking, and discover what you may have missed from their 21 Singles. The other side never sounded this beautifully sinister.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
10.06.2008

Review: James: Hey Ma

My James review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

James
Hey Ma
Decca
2008

When one thinks of the music from Manchester, England, groups like The Smiths, New Order, Stone Roses and Oasis come to mind. James is one band that for years has been underappreciated and at time relatively unnoticed when it came from their birthplace of Manchester. James did acquire some notoriety in the early nineties with their 120 Minutes and college radio single "Born of Frustration." It wasn't until 1993's Laid that got them respect worldwide, thanks to the production of one Brian Eno. Laid is one of the most underrated albums and one of my top favorites of the '90s.

It was a shame that James didn't reach superstardom, because they were well on the way on the strength of the magnificent songs they created on Laid. From start to finish, it's their one masterpiece, imperfect as it was brought to life in a creative environment that flourished under James' secret weapon harnessing their revolutionary improvisatory nature on wax. Eno was a master of capturing their creative sparks on tape which one can witness on "Blue Pastures" from the misunderstood letdown, the follow-up to Laid, Whiplash. On that one song, Tim Booth's multidimensional whispered vocal uttered over a solitary bassline and distant atmosphere guitar echoes is brilliance in full effect.

Although James went on to find some commercial success on the other side of the pond with Millionaires and Pleased to Meet You, ever since the collapse of Whiplash they were unable to recreate the magic felt by millions on the classic Laid. After a much-publicized farewell show in their hometown of Manchester, James split and went their separate ways. After frontman Tim Booth released a pair of his own recordings (one with composer Angelo Badalmenti), in January 2007 it was announced that he would be rejoining James in a series of shows. The fruits of those concerts brought James back to life. The original line-up reconvened at Warzy Chateau in France where the band proceeded to build its own recording studio. This studio consisted on personal studios where each member could interact with producer Baker. This studio helped James go back to the spontaneous nature of recording which spawned the successful sessions of Laid.

Hey Ma was the result and what an album it is. "Bubbles" opens the record, their best lead song since "Out to Get You" first seduced us on Laid. Booth still has that lush vocal but this time "Bubbles" builds and by the climax as Booth exclaims "I'm alive," the band explodes in horns, guitars and drums announcing the glorious return of these Manchester greats.

If there was one word to describe Hey Ma it has to be `energetic.' Hey Ma oozes with vigor and passion never before birthed by James. You can hear the sense in resurgence of a band that was written off by American record labels long ago. The title track is the perfect example. As he sings, "Hey Ma/ the boys in body bags coming home in pieces," Booth unleashes a monumental lyrical moment in his career. He brings to life the images that the Pentagon refuses us to see. "Hey Ma" is not just an anti-war protest but a call to arms anthem and a coming together for all families affected by this unjust war.

The beat rolls on with "Waterfall." Inspired by an exhilarating swim under the Snoqualmie Falls, the same ones seen in the credits of Twin Peaks, Booth sings about being emotionally moved by nature's intricate beauty, something to which I could relate for I first heard Hey Ma on my vacation to Europe.

It's rare when you connect with an album, from the opening notes, that the music will take you to the place and bring up joyous memories in the place you first discovered it. To me, Hey Ma reminds me of that incredible vacation in Venice, Italy. The excitement of being in a wonderfully strange land was brought to life by the magic of this album. All I have to do is press play, close my eyes and I am there again.

"Oh My Heart" is Booth's plea to the heartbroken to "adore life." James comes alive in this electric number. The rhythms ascend thanks to Jim Glennie, Saul Davies, Mark Hunter, drummer Mark Hunter, and let's not forget the signature riffs from guitarist Larry Gott. We cannot forget the outstanding contribution by James as whole. As you will hear on Hey Ma, this isn't just Tim Booth's band. James are a unit, united to create a worldly sound to be shared by all of those enter.

Hear Tim's croon "Upside love, down side miss you, I'm here you are there" on "Upside," this uplifting lament echoing the feeling of being apart from the one that you love. James reflects these emotional resonating images like words kissing your face, with this rare sense of delicate honesty. I enjoyed the ironic urgency of "Whiteboy," the post-modern theme song for the game-lazy-boy generation. "I'm in awe of you/ we'll survive," Booth sings, continuing his musings of our disconnected society in the atmospheric grace that is "Of Monsters & Heroes, Men." Hey Ma closes with Booth letting his voice ascend by repeating the lyric "I wanna go home" as he created as a first jammer, and the result is this creation, a ballad about a man dying of remorse in a bar.

From the ashes of the Eno-lit creative flame that seemed to have expired long ago, Hey Ma resurrects the improvisational spirit that is James. It may have taken them more than 15 years but James has finally soared to greatness equaling the magnificent foundation of Laid.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
09.24.2008

Review: The Verve: Forth

My review of The Verve can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

The Verve
Forth
Megaforce
2008

At 2005's Live 8, after describing "Bittersweet Symphony" as the "best song ever written," Chris Martin introduced the man, the myth and the legend they call Mad Richard as "The best singer in the world." That singer was Richard Ashcroft.

Ever since the release of that song and the album Urban Hymns, The Verve's career seemed bittersweet, as if one of the best bands of '90s Britpop was forgotten. Why is that? When critics and fans talk about the'90s, why do The Verve get overlooked on many top lists? The Verve was one of the best and most influential bands of that decade. But what made The Verve so powerful—the explosive dynamic of Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury's—was what eventually broke up the band. The last straw was a post gig bust-up by McCabe and Ashcroft during the subsequent Urban Hymns tour, which led to the disbanding of The Verve.

Although The Verve split on a high note, it seemed like there was still ammunition left in the creative tank from one of the most essential groups to come out of the UK in the last twenty years. And it seemed that even though "Bittersweet Symphony" was their hit crowd favorite, they still didn't have a rousing live anthem to play at their shows that could lift the crowd into a wild frenzy. Say what you will about "Symphony" it is a classic song but it's not one that gets you off yr feet at a show.

It seems as though The Verve have finally come up with the ultimate live song to bring their fans to their feet during their electrifying sets, that song being "Love is Noise." But I'll admit it; I didn't really love the "Noise" when I first heard it. In fact, before obtaining my copy of Forth, I thought that The Verve had made another mistake in the vein of the plethora of bands that reunite only to make a sub par album, attempting to regain the glory of their inspiring past. Can you name one band that reunited whose new album was worthy of more than one single spin? Besides James' Hey Ma which I will be reviewing soon, I couldn't think of any. Can you name the last classic Rolling Stones album? Steel Wheels? Voodoo Lounge? Bridges to Babylon? A Bigger Bang? Hear what I mean, I rest my case.

Seriously, it took a while to warm up to "Noise." But then one day I had the opening vocal sample stuck in my head. I went around all that day in our apartment, in the car and at work singing "wooo woooo woooo ooo, ah ah ah ah aha." I soon realized that "Love is Noise" is the song that The Verve had been waiting to create, a song with the style and substance missing from today's modern airwaves. It's classic Verve. Ashcroft's eternal lyrics are inspired by William Blake's poem `Jerusalem' with McCabe's vintage riffs and the powerful rhythms of Jones and Salisbury made to come alive on stage.

From the opening salvo of "Sit and Wonder," listening to Forth for the first time is like opening the pages of the book you've been waiting to read for the longest time. With each chapter, the anticipation in this mystery becomes a reality. When Ashcroft sings, "give me some light," this is a sign of the impending trip we are all about to experience.

"Rather Be" continues the magic of a "Lucky Man" with a twist. It's as if Ashcroft is singing about the volatile conflicts that simmer around the relationships within the band:

"Always livin' under some vow
Always on the eve of destruction
Make you wanna scream out loud
and as I watch the birds soar"

Ashcroft himself has admitted that the band has never really kissed and made up. The unstable energy may be one of the aspects that led to the creation of Urban Hymns and now this most incredible sound of Forth.

One of my favorites is the aptly titled "Noise Epic." Who else but Ashcroft can write about God, Jesus, Mother Mary, Georgie Best, Muhammad Ali and Steve McQueen in the same song? You will also find evidence of Ashcroft penning more lyrics reflecting the band's unstable yet fiery creative fuel as he sings:

"Why did I let you down?
Can I carry that cross for you?
Is there anything I need to know?
Did you let me down?
Why did you let me down?"

You hear this as McCabe, Jones and Salisbury all explode with furious energy behind Ashcroft's prosaic lyrics. The Verve thrives within the confines of their volatile nature. These are four distinctive people with four different moods, mindsets and ideas about what makes a song shine. Whatever element they use to put all of their energies together is the most perfect example of what makes them simpatico. You can hear it all around Forth; it's their strength and will one day be the band's fateful downfall.

You get the feeling that Forth may be the band's finale hurrah on "Columbo." Mad Richard's lyrical assault on lusting of fame over love is highlighted by McCabe, Jones and Salisbury coming together with Ashcroft's high pitched calls, united like never before. The way we have always imagined The Verve to shine is vivid as they do on the rhythmic "Columbo" and the introspective finale of "Appalachian Springs" Listen to Ashcroft ask the eternal question: "Does anybody know where we're really gonna go?" That lyric might just be a hint to where The Verve may be heading. If this is truth, than what a way to go out—Forth is an instant classic.

In fact, from start to finish, I believe as a whole that Forth is the best album of their career. It's hard to imagine any band to top the incredible brilliance that is Urban Hymns but The Verve has done it. After another much publicized public bust-up on stage between Ashcroft and McCabe, unfortunately, Forth may be the last sounds in the storied legacy that is The Verve.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
09.22.2008