Treble's Best Tracks of the 00s: No. 18 - "I See Monsters" by Ryan Adams

My Ryan Adams song review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Ryan Adams
"I See Monsters"
from Love is Hell (2203)
and Loft Sessions (2005)

I've recently discovered that the most terrifying images we experience are not found in any horror movie but what we see on the inside--our own personal demons. It's the voices and flashes of fear that stir inside of us until the moment it takes us over and paralyzes us with the kind of dread only our own minds can imagine.

This has happened to me three times in my life, once as an overindulgence of excess in New Orleans. Another time when I was in Paris, sirens brought back flashbacks of a near death experience with a hold up in the Garden District that I tried to bury inside of me. And, most recently, an experience in our apartment last week. I had gone through weeks of illness, depression, self-doubt and so many tests by doctors, aches and pains that I wouldn't want my worst enemy to experience. I thought it was all over but I was wrong.
Imagine for a minute you're trying to fall asleep so you can some prescription medicine to help you get drowsy. But instead of relaxing, you experience a panic attack. And not just any panic attack but the kind where, for a few hours, you're trying to not lose your place in your own mental universe. Your own existence is being questioned by your mind. All the memories, good and bad, that you have experienced are vanishing by the second. And all that's left are the flashes and whispering monsters in your head trying to take you away from the life and love that you have been cherishing for over three years.

When I hear the "I See Monsters" by Ryan Adams, it brings back and makes sense of that terrifying night that I experienced. What I recall most is towards the end of my ordeal having all those memories that I thought were gone come back to me at a fast pace in the middle of the night. Imagine reliving all the pain and agony of lost love, break-ups, betrayal, hurt all coming back at once. All of those emotions of hurt going through you in the matter of minutes. Horrifying is not even the word. I don't think there is one for what I experienced. But Ryan's incredible freaked-out guitar solo at the end of the Loft Sessions in his awe-inspiring version of Love is Hell's "I See Monsters" comes close. "And then after the song is over, you hear handclaps in the studio and one of Ryan's Cardinals says it best when trying to describe Ryan's solo, "It sounds like Monsters."

The incredible thing about Ryan's song is that he's lived through similar events in his life. In the song, Ryan's in bed with the one that he loves and in his mind, the demons are coming to life in the middle of the night. And these aren't the CGI creatures from your overindulgent horror films that we've all seen. No, these are monsters that live inside of us. They hold our fears and come out in the dark trying to paralyze us with our own personal fears. Something that no film or ghost story could ever emulate, Adams brings to life in the climax of "I See Monsters."

I do feel stronger having gone through this harrowing time. And "I See Monsters" has now become one of my favorite Ryan Adams songs. I used to think that "I See Monsters" was a beautiful song, but the Loft version is more than that. He understands. He almost whispers the vocal as if he's trying to ease himself to sleep. And then at the end he brings out his electric axe and slays his monsters for another night. After it's over, they will be back, but we're all a little stronger for living through these moments of trepidation.

Loft Session

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.03.2009

Review: Leonard Cohen: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970

My review of Leonard Cohen's Isle of Wight 1970 can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Leonard Cohen
Isle of Wight 1970
Columbia/ Legacy
2009

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be one of the wasted wordsmiths like Jim Morrison and Hunter S. Thompson. Before moving towards a life of overindulgences in the French Quarters of New Orleans, I grew up a confused soul in the suburbs of Ann Arbor and San Antonio. I knew I wanted to take the road less traveled, so I followed the adventures excess of Thompson. But instead of Vegas, I went to New Orleans. I attempted to be like Hunter, but failed miserably. I was no drinker or aficionado of drugs. All it did was made me hung-over, sick and feel even more alone in the city of myths. Some of my favorite moments in New Orleans were when I was locked away in my room, writing all hours of the day. Even my neighbors knew my routine. When I would leave they would snicker, "there goes the poet to lock himself in his house for days. See you in a couple of weeks, dude." At the time, I was hurt by the snide comments. I didn't want to be a recluse. I lived to be the life of the party. I never was.

In reality, my life mirrored the romantic frustration of one Leonard Cohen. I wouldn't want to compare my writing with Cohen. If I could one day equal one of his eternal lyrics, just one line from one of his songs I would be grateful. Looking back, without the greatness, my life as a loner writer was like Cohen's. I experienced the lows and loneliness of bachelorhood and desperately searched for love in every siren I longed to be with. Most of the times those sparks faded to blue after a first kiss but still searched for her. It would take ten years to find my true love but all those years on my own taught me to keep writing and never give up.

To this day, I follow the reflective wisdom of Leonard Cohen. To me Cohen is a truth-telling troubadour who was born a sonneteer, a poet whose words reflected the pain and longing that scar us all from within. But even through all the hurt, after all of these years, and even in those early days of the 1970s, Cohen never lost his hope. And just like Cohen, what I leaned most from Leonard was his unwritten creative creed. He loved, lost and learned to write through the scars and sing through the agony. The thing is that his results are international treasures such as "So Long, Marianne" and "Famous Blue Raincoat."

Cohen sang a plethora of what are now classics during his legendary performance at the Isle of Wight in 1970. Cohen was awakened from a nap at 2 a.m. and followed the explosive set of Jimi Hendrix with his transcendental lyrical journey in front of 600,000 friends. At the time Cohen took the stage, he had released two albums: Songs of Leonard Cohen and Songs from a Room. A few weeks after, he would record his third album Songs of Love and Hate, which would include "Sing Another Song, Boys" from this same event at the Isle of Wight.

What makes his performance unique was the stripped, honest nature of each song. It starts with Cohen's voice who sings like a lover sharing his tales of lost love, proud of his scar-like choruses as a choir of backing angels harmonizes behind him in such songs as "Lady Midnight." The choice of "Lady Midnight" is a curious selection for it contains some of his most powerful religious imagery, like future wordsmith singers like Johnny Cash and Nick Cave, whose conflict with their personal faith is something you can hear them struggle with in almost all of their songs. To me "Lady Midnight" has more kinship with the myth of Orpheus that Cave himself sang about 30 years later. In Cohen's song, you hear his fair maiden calling out "You won me, oh Lord."

One of my favorite aspects of the Isle of Wight show was the way Cohen changed some of the lyrics of songs like "Bird on the Wire" if only slightly. But just like a master poet, once you replace a word with another one it changes the meaning completely. Instead of saving the ribbons Cohen switches that line with "I have saved all my sorrow for thee." It matches the reflective mood of his desolate life of unrequited love.

But my favorite part of "Bird on the Wire" is at the end of the second verse when Leonard updated his lyric from "and if I have been untrue/ I hope you know it was never to you, " to "and if I have been untrue/ It's just that I thought a lover had to be some kind of liar too." His one lyric was a reflection of my own past lies and romantic failures. Who else can do this? With one line he encapsulates a lifetime of heartache. This is why, to me, just like Dylan and Shakespeare, Cohen is one of the eternal lyrical geniuses.

Other highlights are the acoustic solo version of "The Stranger Song." In this performance, Cohen's words come to life. He was the stranger and with every chord he has mesmerized the crowd with his poignant journey. And Cohen became something more, a lyrical laureate of truth and love. I loved the emotional version of "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" with Cohen playing what sounds like a flute-like instrument with his hands. You can see this on Murray Lerner's documentary of Cohen's concert. This version includes interviews with Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Kris Kristofferson as they recant their memories of Cohen's amazing performance. The film is remastered and looks beautiful, but not all the songs from the show are featured and for some reason Lerner edited them out of order. Seeing a young Cohen crooning to this conscientious crowd is a delight.

Comparing Cohen's Live in London live disc that was also released this year with this performance at the Isle of Wight, I prefer this one. This one is for the die hard Cohen fans. There were not many hits in this show and Cohen's young voice has yet to ripen to the lower register we have grown accustomed to. His emerging voice still sounds powerfully poetic as he sings the lyrical letter of "Famous Blue Raincoat." (Surprising this song was absent from the Live in London show.) To me this Isle of Wight rendition is my favorite and one of the best on this amazing performance. It has a flamenco guitar vibe that I still can hear delightfully in my head.

Leonard Cohen's Isle of Wight 1970 CD/DVD is an album that all music connoisseurs must own. There's something mythically inspiring by his performance during his magical show. Leonard Cohen has always transcended time and lyrical spaces with his songs. And this show is no different. Cohen may now be a middle aged crooner but looking back at this magnificent concert is like watching the master with new and unheard gems that he shares from his arsenal of artistic greatness.

Not only do you get the songs but you also hear reminiscences with poems and stories from his childhood. He tells a story about when his father would take him to the circus when he was younger. There was one part that the young Cohen always waited for, when a man at the circus would stand up and he would say "would everybody light a match, so we can locate one another…" Cohen then asks the crowd to light a match so "you can sparkle like fireflies at your different heights." He longed to see those matches flare.

Long after this performance, Cohen has been lighting the spark of inspiration in my life as a solitary writer and lover. Now on the cusp of my wedding, I can look back with the pride and glory of Leonard Cohen's young voice. Going back with his lyrics I have no regrets, just a lifetime full of memories that ring truth in the songs that have guided me throughout these years from the poet/singer that I still long to honor. Thank you, Leonard, for this beautiful and timeless lyrical gift. I will continue to reach for the moon. Your voice will guide me as my journey continues the same one that started in June, a year after your famous performance at the Isle of Wight. I am listening with matches that I light from within.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.03.2009

Review: The Dead Weather: Horehound

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

The Dead Weather
Horehound
Third Man
2009

From the opening sounds of "60 Ft Tall" from Horehound, it's apparent this isn't your everyday super group. The Dead Weather creates cerebral, bluesy cock-fueled rock, using not just the tip but the whole entire head of their explosive arsenal. The difference is there's a luscious lady assassin who is the sensual leader of this operation, and her name is Alison Mosshart. Yeah, I know the brainchild of this group is Jack White III, he's the producer and plays drums, but The Weather would be limp and lifeless without the front-woman of The Kills. She slays, sulks and seduces you through this electrifying debut album. But she's no damsel; in fact Allison seems to have a desire for danger as you can hear throughout the very lustful and fiery "60 Ft Tall."

But this just isn't Alison's show—she's backed up by three prominent counterparts. The first is guitarist Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age. His riffs are the backbone to this 21st Century sound (think Hendrix-meets-Yeah Yeah Yeah's Nick Zimmer, with a slice of Rage's Tom Morello) creating earth shattering riffs that are simply intensified greatness. Yes, the new single "Treat Me Like Your Mother" even has that Rage Against the Machine-meets-Southern Delta sound. Even Jack's vocals echo the living spirit of aggro activist Zach De La Rocha on "Treat Me Like Your Mother."

Speaking of Jack, our favorite axe-man has taken the sticks and is now sitting behind the drum kit. You may notice that the backbeats are turned up in the mix. This reminds me of a story of when Mick Jagger went to go visit Keith Richards during their much-publicized split during the '80s. Richards played Jagger tracks from his then new album Talk is Cheap. Jagger's one comment was that the drums were turned up a little high. Richards' response was that the drummer Steve Jordan was the one that produced the sessions. Jagger's response was, "There you go," and just laughed. As I mentioned before, White is the producer of Horehound so you will notice his drum fills louder than on most of his recordings. I love his Ringo-like opening count-out in the "Yer Blues"-inspired cover of Bob Dylan's "New Pony," one of the most original covers of a Dylan song re-imagined by a band I have ever heard. This rendition is simply a modern day classic.

At first, White's cranked up drums are noticeable but as you go further down the rabbit hole that is Horehound the other elements of the band—especially bassist's Jack Lawrence killer fills, Fertita's robust riffs and Allison's sultry vocals—all take you over. You are useless to resist the power of The Dead Weather.

I've never really been a fan of instrumentals but "3 Birds" is an all assault of riffs, fills and boisterous bass licks, with a sinister vibe that would make Portishead proud. Another highlight is the raga, hip-hop and organ-infused brilliance of "I Cut like a Buffalo." Jack's lyrics are hilariously wicked when he sings, "You know I look like a woman but I cut like a buffalo." But my favorite song is Alison's "So Far From Your Weapon." When she sings, "There's a bullet in my pocket burning a hole…" Alison sounds like an assassin savoring the moment right before she kills for the thrill.

I love it when Alison and Jack sing together—their voices merge perfectly throughout. On "No Hassle Night" hey sound like a futuristic Bonnie and Clyde on the run when they sing, "I'm looking for a place to go/ where the sun goes down…where I can lay low," leaving behind a trail of scars and broken hearts inside these saga-like songs. The one weak link on Horehound seems to be the faux electronic inspired backing beats of "Bone House." I have to admit this song seems out of place on this hot-blooded debut album. To me The Dead Weather's Horehound sounds like a soundtrack to an unmade, futuristic Western motion picture where these outlaws kill for the thrill, and live to sing about it.

Jack White's newest vehicle, featuring Alison Mosshart as his lyrical executioner, is impossible to resist. Dean Fertita is the unheralded all-star of this album. His riffs are the ones that bring White's 21st Century artistic carnage to life. White, Mosshart, Fertita and Lawrence are an ideal match that you must discover. Get ready to be hooked on Horehound. Death, blues and rock never sounded this good, buried in the mix together.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
07.16.2009

Review: Jeff Buckley: Grace Around the World

My review of Grace Around the World (Special Edition) can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Jeff Buckley
Grace Around the World
Legacy/Columbia
2009

After reading Jeff Apter's brilliant bio, A Pure Drop, I was ready for the new compilation featuring our favorite rocking chansonnier Jeff Buckley, Grace Around the World. In theory, this two DVD, one CD collection looks tasty for the Buckley fan in your life. Finally we get the release of the documentary Amazing Grace along with a plethora of live performances Jeff and his band recorded around the globe during his very lengthy tour promoting his first and only album, Grace.

I'm no casual Buckley fan—I like to think I know a little about the life and music of one Jeff Buckley. He is the one we reach for during the peaks and valleys of our everyday lives. He's the imperfect soul who sang for our lonely souls, longing for true love. When he sung words like "She's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever," we felt every syllable as a reflection for the ones we once adored but have since left us with only ripples of lost legendary kisses.

Grace Around the World does give those of us who never had a chance to see Buckley in concert a glimpse into his live shows, which is the reason I loved the Live in Chicago DVD. So what's the deal with adding "Lover, You Should've Come Over" from that same Chicago show? Was there no other video of the band playing "Lover" in all the Buckley archives at Sony? This is the problem I have with this compilation—it has style but is missing the substance that we have come to value from most Buckley posthumous releases. We Buckley fans deserve better. We need more releases like the Live À L'Olympia show in Paris. I was in fact listening and loving this disc today, especially his rendition of "Hallelujah" with the Parisian faithful cheering him on with every lyric and his cover of Edith Piaf's "Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin," both of which are breathtaking editions to the ever evolving Buckley canon.

Even Amazing Grace was lacking. There was a BBC documentary, which you can watch for gratis on You Tube that is better, quality wise. It seems like the creators took footage from Buckley's videos and the Electronic Press Kit that is already available in the Legacy Edition of Grace and mixed it with new interviews. We've seen most of this footage there's nothing really new here to discover. I learned more about Buckley from Apter's bio than from Amazing Grace. Although, I must admit I did appreciate all of the artists who were inspired by Buckley and are influenced by his words on a daily basis within their creative canvases. There are some people interviewed in Amazing Grace that have business talking about Buckley. The majority of his most dedicated supporters still refuse to speak on the record to anyone about their friend that left us over ten years ago

I met one of his close friend's a few months back. I had a copy of Apter's book on display at the bookstore when she came in. She spent a few minutes looking inside A Pure Drop before being overcome with emotion. "He's been gone this long and it still hurts. I'm not ready," she told me before walking away. We talked about him, the real Buckley and his legacy which she claimed should be in better hands. After experiencing Grace Around the World I tend to agree with her.

Jeff Buckley deserves a Doors-like Bright Midnight label so the estate can release all of the individual shows that Columbia has gathering dust in the Sony archives. What are they waiting for? We are still waiting for an outtakes album with the official release of the "Flowers in Time" duet featuring Cocteau Twins vocalist Liz Fraser.

That's not to say the performances on the Main Program of Grace Around the World are lacking. His version of "Mojo Pin" that includes the introduction of "Chocolate on the Tongue" is similar to the one that was released on the Grace EP from a show at the Wetlands. In this one performance on this German TV show captures the essence of the voice within the voice, and the sound within our sound that we have come to love of Jeff. In fact this live version showcases the Buckley was one part Nina Simone and the other half Led Zeppelin.

It's been said that Jeff never played a song the same way twice and thankfully Grace Around the World is proof of this. My favorite part of this compilation is the memorable interview clips by good friend and photographer Merri Cyr that are intertwined between each performance. The first one shows the true goofy side of Jeff even before his band plays a note. There is a clichéd introduction where they mention Jeff's dad and at that moment Buckley sarcastically raises his hands in the air. I wish we had more glimpses of this kind of Jeff on Grace Around the World. Watching Jeff on screen you realize that we will never see culmination of his future greatness of this one-of-a-kind soul who never took himself seriously, but his music was his lifeline. Although I appreciate the intent, Buckley deserves better quality releases that will seal his legacy within the hearts and ears of music devotees everywhere.

Maybe I'm hard to please, and watching him on screen I realize that he's never coming back. In some ways it is difficult to come to terms that one of your favorite singer/songwriters will never write another new song ever again. At least we have Grace to give us hope. It may be over but we hold on we wait for something new to cling to like a message from an old lover that will spark the memories with a single note. This is what Buckley and his music means to me. At least with Grace Around the World we can drink up the sight and sounds of "Lilac Wine" and toast to the memory of the one that left us behind.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.12.2009

Review: Sinéad O'Connor: I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (Special Edition)

My review of I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (Special Edition) can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Sinéad O'Connor
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (Special Edition)
EMI/ Chrysalis
2009

Has it really been almost 20 years since the release of Sinéad's I Don't Want What I Haven't Got? I was 19 years old, just out of high school and started my extended run at a local junior college in San Antonio, Texas. Sinéad herself was only twenty four when she gave birth to I Don't Want with her husband, drummer John Reynolds. Most of the tracks were recorded with very few takes. The record company initially rejected the record because in their words it sounded like `…reading somebody's diaries.'

The personal nature of I Don't Want is what made Sinéad an international phenomenon. To me, being a young poet, I connected to her words. It takes a true artist to connect beyond their gender and age. Sinéad was this artist. All you have to do is listen to her lyrics, especially on "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance." Her words and vocal performance perfectly reflected the initial sound and emotions when heart shatters during the first moments of a break up. It starts off with Sinéad quietly whispering her vocal over her acoustic guitar. It climaxes with Sinéad finding her voice and becoming louder in a moment of empowerment. It's no coincidence of the song's placement at the end of the record. Sinéad's vocal in her anthem was the signal of her true nature. Sinéad was always an outspoken artist who told her version of the truth, no matter what cost. She was brave and uncompromising from the beginning, and it startled a male-dominated entertainment world.

It's hard to separate all of the events following the release of the album because in my memory they're tied together. I remember I was at the same junior college and proudly wearing my oversized, black Sinéad t-shirt with a huge portrait of O'Connor's beautiful bald head on the front during the height of her controversy. This was the time when even Frank Sinatra was condemning her. But not me, I never wavered even with all the looks and stares around this very conservative Texas city. I recall one of my history professors walking with me across campus admiring me wearing Sinéad's shirt during the time the public was turning against her. Looking back, I wish I still had that shirt.

It's amazing that the public so quickly rallied against the artist who only a few months back had a number one single written by Prince himself. "Nothing Compares 2 U" is what most will remember I Don't Want, but to me the legacy of Sinéad's second album is the legion of artists who came after her. By standing up to the status quo, O'Connor opened the door for Polly Jean Harvey, Tori Amos, Cat Power and so many more. Sinéad symbolically took the arrows for those future artists. I believe she laid the dynamic foundations for these women and their art to thrive during their respective eras.

I Don't Want is not just a singer/songwriter's manifesto and it's reflected in this newly released Special Edition. Not only do you get this now classic album remastered, but also a disc of live rarities, remixes and b-sides. One of my favorites is the Daniel Lanois-produced "Mind Games," a cover of the John Lennon song. and Sinéad's voice is perfect for this version. Lennon would proud of the way she sings the original title of the song, "Make Love Not War," over and over on the fade out. O'Connor also adds a little Jamaican flavor to a faithful cover of Gregory Issacs' "Night Nurse."

If there was any doubt about the greatness of Sinéad, press play and listen to the dynamic fire in her passionate voice in this acoustic version of "Troy" recorded live in London. Also available on the bonus disc of I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, this is reason enough to buy the reissue. When she sings, "I'll remember it/ every restless night,"you are there reliving it all. Fucking amazing!

Let's not forget some of the gems from the original album that made I Don't Want an electric listening experience. Sinead brought the noise on the memorable rock anthem "The Emperor's New Clothes." (Listen for the killer bass lines from former Smiths member Andy Rourke.) We can't forget the sizzling "Jump in the River" with bullets firing the single that dropped before the album's release. Who could forget the time Sinead once claimed "Rap is the folk music of this generation." You can hear O'Connor incorporating a hip-hop feel with the James Brown back beat sample on the very lovely and potent Frank O'Connor poem "I Am Stretched Out on Your Grave."

I Don't Want was and still is a very diverse album that changed music within the confines of these timeless songs. We owe a lot to Sinéad. She proved to her label, the music world and every artist that writing from the heart, no matter how personal, will connect with every man, woman and child on the planet and she did with I Don't Want What I Haven't Got. She inspired me and continues to today. Sometimes it's difficult to reflect your own voice within your own personal canvas but Sinéad proved it's the only way to be true to yourself as an artist. This is still a bold and delicate album that grows stronger and more beautiful with age. More than a work of a vilified anti-hero on a t-shirt or on a video screen, I Don't Want What I Haven't Got is the album where Sinéad found her voice. It was not only hers but the voice of a generation who searched for love, honesty and devotion in an uncompromising nature that only Sinéad O'Connor could bring to life.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.27.2009

Review: PJ Harvey and John Parish: A Woman a Man Walked By

My review of A Woman a Man Walked By can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

PJ Harvey and John Parish
A Woman a Man Walked By
Island
2009

Unfortunately for John Parish, fans of multi-talented Polly Jean Harvey often overlook his contributions when collaborating with the songstress. It's just a simple fact: the singer that gets most of the recognition. Look at Bright Eyes—songwriter Conor Oberst gets all of the laurels while instrumentalist Mike Mogis creates all the visually inspiring soundscapes for his singing counterpart to craft his lyrical magic. Oberst frequently acknowledges Mogis' role in the band, but for the most part Conor gets all the glory. The same goes for Harvey, whose A Woman a Man Walked By is not a proper solo album. We are so used to Polly doing it all on her own that when we hear singing, we assume it's 100 percent Harvey, all the time.

Multi-instrumentalist Parish has produced some of the most electrifying atmospheric sonic textures for Polly Jean to create her intimate lyrical rhymes. A Woman is a breathtaking effort with equally sinister and sweet, seductive sounds coming from my favorite siren. Parish brings the good stuff with his searing guitar riffs especially in the explosive opener "Black Hearted Love." When Polly Jean sings, "I'd like to take you to a place I know…" we, as her devoted audience, are sure to follow her. This is what makes "Black Hearted Love" the perfect introduction as Polly Jean's vocals invite us to follow them down the rabbit hole beneath this new rhythmic canvas.

Ever since the opening salvo of greatness was struck in her debut single "Sheela-Na-Gig," we devotees of Polly Jean have been with her every step of the way throughout the progression of her career, as heard in the dynamic Rid of Me, the dramatic Stories from the City, the cinematic Is This Desire, the bare melancholy of Uh Huh Her and the haunting melodies of White Chalk. Parish makes Harvey fans roar with gratefulness by reuniting Polly Jean's voice with his electric guitar. But A Woman is not just a ten song axe fest; think of this as Harvey and Parish following the Radiohead post-Kid A/Amnesiac method. Starting with Hail to the Thief the band reincorporated the guitar back into their repertoire, but didn't completely abandon the creative elements of their most recent musical experimentation. Parish gave Harvey minimalist musical textures in songs like "A Soldier," with Harvey's ghostly vocal that would have fit perfectly on White Chalk.

One of my favorite songs on A Woman has to be Parish's Krzysztof Komeda inspired rhythms of "Leaving California." This song has an eerie Rosemary's Baby-esque vibe which Komeda famously composed for director Roman Polanski's classic thriller in 1968. Harvey's poignant vocal reminds me of Mia Farrow's character from that same movie. "California" is very cinematic and one of Parish's musical triumphs. He should be writing music for films. Harvey even claims that his music for a college production of Hamlet is what inspired their first collaboration Dance Hall at Louise Point.

Fans of Harvey's classic Rid of Me will recognize the "50ft Queenie" shock from Parish's electric riffs on the climactic title track. Oh how we have missed that lusty seductress spitting vulgar rhymes of yesteryear. Parish then mixes the title cut with a locomotive-inspired instrumental, "The Crow Knows Where All the Little Children Go."

A Woman displays the ultimate blend of their strengths: Parish's melodic muscle and Harvey's lyrical intensity. "Pig Will Not" is another vintage Harvey track, with howling vocals and Parish supplying a cacophony of backing riffs and rhythms that match her lyrical fire.

The album closes with Harvey's very beautiful spoken word vocal on "Cracks in the Canvas." Parish's simple harmonium and single chords connect with Harvey's memorable lyric, "Cracks in the canvas look like roads that never end." And just like that the journey that was A Woman a Man Walked By ends. Within the confines of ten incredible songs, Harvey and Parish have surpassed the promise made with Dance Hall at Louise Point.

A Woman a Man Walked By is an unforgettable exploration with John Parish and Polly Jean Harvey as our guides. If A Woman a Man Walked By is any indication, I look forward to their next musical endeavor where Parish will continue feeding Harvey sonic dangers made eloquent by her lyrical genius. In the guise of these songs, these two artists find the way to constantly connect the passionate rhythms of human nature. The emotional resonance of lust and their revealing loves are brought to life by Polly Jean Harvey and John Parish. The ripples of these melodies will linger long after the cracks on their musical canvas have subsided.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.08.2009

Review: Leonard Cohen: Live in London

My review of Leonard Cohen's Live in London can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Leonard Cohen
Live in London
Columbia
2009

I remember standing in the darkness of Tower Records in Lincoln Park, Chicago. We were about to close and walk out the door about four years ago, and I had just read the news that Leonard Cohen was coming out of retirement. Cohen was suing his accountant for embezzling his funds. I was so disgusted that I stopped and turned around to face my closing crew and said, "Who in the fuck would steal from Leonard Cohen?" They looked at me like I was crazy. "Whoever did is going to hell."

Four years later, because of this criminal, we are blessed in witnessing the return of a living legend. Leonard Cohen is touring again. If you're like me and can't afford to go see Mr. Cohen in concert because you're feeling the aching effects from this current financial crisis, you'll be will be happy to know that there is an alternative—a double live CD and DVD called Live in London. This may be the closest I will come to hearing or seeing Mr. Cohen on stage, but what a delight this live document is.

It's hard to believe that Mr. Cohen is 75 years old, because his voice sounds resurrected and alive in this London setting. You would think someone who has been robbed by someone he once trusted would feel some kind of animosity, but not Leonard Cohen; he has a graceful and humorous presence on stage. You can tell he's having the best time on the road during this time.

From the opening strands of "Dance Me to the End of Love," you realize that this isn't just another live album for the sake of album sales. I myself considered purchasing this concert collection, because four years later I can't believe that someone would steal from this saintly poet. Now that I have it, Live in London is one of the best live CDs I've ever had the pleasuring of owning. I have to say it's up there with Bob Marley's 1975 Live at the Lyceum, in the same setting in London. Those Londoners sure know how to appreciate the great ones.

All the old favorites from Leonard Cohen's vast and eternal canon are represented on Live in London. One of my favorites is Mr. Cohen's poetic recitation of "A Thousand Kisses." Sounding like a universal poet laureate, the way his deep voice recites this classic will send shivers throughout your musical soul. Cohen also shows the music world who originally wrote and recorded his classic "Hallelujah." Leonard brings it back home in the voice we know and have loved for all of these years. "Sisters of Mercy" soars angelically in this live setting. Speaking of angels, the Webb Sisters shine with Cohen as they take on "If It Be Your Will."

I do have a few complaints, however. Some of the backing vocals are turned up too much and at times may seem to be mixed higher than Mr. Cohen's voice. There's one too many sax solos. I would have loved to have seen and heard an all-acoustic show, but Cohen does have an awesome backing band whose arrangements equal Leonard's legendary vocal delivery.

So if you're not going to have the opportunity to go see Leonard in concert, you must go out and invest in the next best thing, this breathtaking double CD collection, Live in London. Just hearing Cohen's voice coming out of your headphones will soothe and inspire you as it makes your year. Powerful and poetic, Leonard Cohen returns, and we all are witnesses. Don't you dare miss out.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.07.2009

Review: Marianne Faithfull: Easy Come, Easy Go

My review of Easy Come, Easy Go can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Marianne Faithfull
Easy Come, Easy Go
Naïve
2009

Throughout her elegantly infamous career, Marianne Faithfull has lived her life through songs with this creed: "Music is best when it's sexual…and if it's not there's something wrong." This is why I have adored her for so long. In my ears, Faithfull today is sexier than she has ever been. To me it starts with the voice. Nothing is sultrier than the voice of a chanteuse, and Faithfull is one of the originals. Since the '60s she's been taking on cover songs like "As Tears Go By" so fluidly, like slipping on the sexiest dress, she inhabits these songs and eventually takes them over, making them her own.

She hasn't stopped since her comeback with 2002's Kissin' Time, and its fabulous follow up, Before the Poison. Faithfull has become Bowie-esque by surrounding herself with modern day collaborators like Beck, Polly Jean Harvey and Jarvis Cocker. With her latest Easy Come Easy Go Faithfull has shown that she is a timeless siren, seducing us with her memorable vocal prowess that continues to excite and astound us with her unique style that oozes sensuality.

Easy Come Easy Go is Faithfull's collaboration with legendary composer, curator and producer Hal Willner. Willner orchestrated Marianne's first major sonic return with 1987's Strange Weather. More than 20 years later, Willner and Faithfull have teamed up to tackle a new set of songs, modern and classic alike to give them an everlasting feel with Marianne's alluring voice as our sensual guide.

With Willner's assistance, Faithfull set out to capture the feel of a collection of songs from her past and some post-modern selections to inhabit with her passionate presence. Easy Come Easy Go starts off with Marianne's very eloquent interpretation of Dolly Parton's "Down from Dover," but Faithfull's version becomes more than a country cover. With the help of Willner and his magnificent backing band it's more of a jazz-filled glory, with shades of bluesy guitar riffs that fuel Faithfull's vocal of luscious longing.

From the outset you will hear that Easy Come is quite the eclectic endeavor with Willner's decision to use an all star selection of session musicians to back up Faithfull with the grace and desire that her voice deserves. It's this dynamic combination that makes Easy Come a climactic success.

Not only did Willner pull together the best band, but he also assembled a collection of heavyweight vocalists. You may recognize the backing vocals of one Ms. Chan Marshall on Marianne's splendid cover of Neko Case's "Hold On, Hold On." Although I would have loved a straight and proper duet between Chan and Faithfull, just like she did on Beck's Modern Guilt album, Marshall's voice fuses perfectly with Marianne's throughout this organ-filled cover. It's incredible the way Marianne becomes the protagonist in "Hold On." Listen as Faithfull sings,

"In the end I was the mean girl
Or somebody's in-between girl
Now it's the devil I love
And that's as funny as real love."

You'd swear she's singing about her own life. But that's the power in her performance, the way she inhabits Case's words and reflects them with her own personal world. If you get the feeling that the arrangement has a Bad Seeds, end of the world vibe, you're right, thanks to the explosive electric violin solo by Cave's right hand man Warren Ellis.

Faithfull goes the classic route with her very voluptuous cover of Duke Ellington's "Solitude." Guitarist Marc Ribot's wailing guitar riffs match Marianne's tempting torch song vocal that's perfect for a late night candle-lit dinner for two. Put this song on, start a little slow dancing and you will feel the inspiration.

With help from Nick Cave, Marianne takes on The Decemberists' "The Crane Wife 3." Marianne's captures the emotional resonance of the songs theme when she sings "I will hang my head low." No offense to Colin Meloy, but her vocal delivery makes her the perfect candidate to sing this song. She makes this character come alive. She becomes real; you feel all of her vulnerabilities throughout Marianne's aching vocal. Just like Johnny Cash did with Trent Reznor's "Hurt," Faithfull's version is the definitive one.

Cash and his late creative resurrection with Rick Rubin is the perfect foil for Faithfull's current resurgence with Willner. Both singers took words from modern day troubadours and gave them their distinctive touch. Even songs that should be somehow out of their vocal reach became effortlessly flawless under their unique vocal direction. Cash did it with Danzig's "Thirteen," Faithfull does it with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "Salvation." Sean Lennon's guitar and vocal escort Marianne on this exceptional cover. When Faithfull sings, "Do you feel alive?" this becomes more than a cover, it's a personal anthem and a symbol for her creative rebirth.

Unfortunately if you purchase the American version of Easy Come Easy Go you will not be hearing this cover and a plethora of others. The release on Decca U.S. only gives you half the story. I recommend you dishing out for the three-disc import version (2 CDs and one DVD documentary on the making of the album). My fiancée gave me this for Navidad. Eighteen songs from my favorite chanteuse reflect the best gift I got last year. Not only is "Salvation" missing but so is Faithfull's cover of Sarah Vaughan's "Black Coffee" and her incredible duet of "Somewhere (A Place for Us)" with Jarvis Cocker. Invest in the super deluxe edition, think of this as a directors cut, more Marianne for your money.

If you're on a budget like the rest of us, the American version of Easy Go does include covers of Morrissey's "Dear God Please Help Me" and her awe-inspiring duet with Antony Hegarty on Smokey Robinson's "Ooh Baby Baby." I can't forget her collaboration with Rufus Wainwright on "Children of Stone" and the countrified cover of Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home" with Keith Richards. "Home" sounds like two friends crooning this classic at an empty dive bar, ready to call it a night. It's a very intimate performance between two friends with who were closely connected professionally in the swinging '60s.

How do I love Marianne's voice, let me count the ways? The 18 songs on Faithfull's Easy Come Easy Go easily place it up there as one of the front runners for album of the year. Are ready to feel her sensual vocal touch? Dim the lights, pour a glass a wine and light a cigarette. She will ravish you from beginning to end of this spectacular album.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
03.31.2009

Review: Peter Doherty: Grace/Wastelands

My review of Grace/Wastelands can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Peter Doherty
Grace/ Wastelands
Astralwerks
2009

At the beginning of the Libertines' short lifespan, Carl Barât and Peter Doherty had a motto, "It's either top of the world or the bottom of canal." Since the demise of their band, Doherty's public persona has been in the tabloid guise of the latter. The dream of being one of the greatest British songwriters disappeared with by the appearance of this media-fueled alter ego. I thought it was just me but even Mr. Doherty is baffled by his dark sided twin whom he calls the evil one. He told NME, "I call him my evil twin…I don't see it as me in a way, he's a media creation..." I was fed up with the acts of this doppelganger, I started to lose hope that he would never find Albion and would end up with a sudden Death on the Stairs. His evil twin had been taking all the promise away from the creative side of one Peter Doherty. Now that's he's dumped Kate Moss, finally gone clean and excised his overindulgent entourage, has Peter actually curbed his bloody demons? By moving alone to Paris, it seems that the evil one has at last gone into (permanent?) hibernation.

All of his trialed turbulence may have had much to do with Doherty's age and his raging exuberance. C'mon, Doherty wasn't the only rocker to fall prey to addiction. Jeff Tweedy, Ryan Adams and Trent Reznor have all had their battle with excess but Doherty's was more public. For years, police and judges tried everything to help Peter go clean but everyone knows you can't force an addict to quit cold turkey. Yet it appears that Doherty has finally seen his light and it's still not ready to go out, as of yet. I've been waiting all these years for this Peter Doherty to arrive. The talented poetic-singer, songwriter is finally starting to his spread his creative heights from Albion and beyond.

Babyshambles' Shotter's Nation was the first good step, but producer Stephen Street knew that Peter could go deeper. With his head clean of drugs, Doherty went back to some of his unreleased treasures and with the help from his friends like Street, Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, singer Dot Allison, Libertine lyricist Carl Barat and his carnales from the `shambles, Doherty's solo album is a fucking delight. Half the time, I don't know what the hell Peter is singing about, but just like the sub-cultured language in Irving Welsh's Trainspotting, Doherty's underground world of outcasts from the gutter longing for glimpses of love in the stars are simply fascinating. Case in point, the lyrics to "The Last of the English Roses":

"She knows her Rodneys from her Stanleys
And her Kappas from her Reeboks
And her tit from her tat
And Winstons from her Enoks"

Who is Peter singing about? It doesn't really matter, because his vocalized lyrics sound divine. You can hear a confidence in Doherty's vocals that reign supreme throughout Grace/Wastelands. It's as if overcoming his demons has lit Peter's creative fire. He hasn't sounded this alive since his days as a Libertine. We heard some shades of this in the last Babyshambles album, but songs like "New Love Grows on Trees" signal a new direction for Doherty, with the help of Coxon playing his best Marr-esque riffs, creating a Smiths-like template as a tribute to Peter's favorite band (with whom Street had the honor of producing in their heyday of The Queen is Dead.)

One shouldn't expect Freewheeling acoustic demos like those circulating online post-Libertines and pre-Babyshambles. You probably would have sampled some of these songs in their early incarnations. Those rough drafts were sketches and like the work of any good writer, a song is never finished, it only keeps developing. One example of this is very atmospheric "A Little Death Around the Eyes," co-written by Barat. I love the sweeping feel of this song; I imagine walking around the Seine in France. Doherty captures some the cultural feel on his new home city with the addition of the accordion on "Eyes." You hear a lot of texture and depth on all the songs from Grace/Wastelands. There's a vintage 1930s vibe on songs like swinging "Sweet By and By" and the aptly titled "1939 Returning." I am awed with the creative direction Doherty is taking. It shows the versatile nature in Peter's artistic arsenal. He can croon, seduce and even belt out rockers like "Fuck Forever." But it appears that he wants to go past his "Fuck Forever" phase and move into a more eternal and seductive mode of vocal style. This is a winner to my ears. Grace/Wastelands is light years ahead of some of tracks heard on Down in Albion. Doherty is not only growing but also evolving as a songwriter.

My favorite song on Grace/Wastelands has an infamous history; "Sheepskin Tearaway" has the distinction of being the only Doherty original to be included in Judd Apatow's 2005 film, The 40 Year Old Virgin. This version has vocals from Peter's lovely ex, Dot Allison. But it's that acoustic riff that I first heard on Virgin that's most memorable. Allison's and Doherty's tender duet make this a romantic jazzy number that you'll be singing in your daydreams.

I would love to call Grace/Wastelands a masterpiece but it's not, "Broken Love Song" just doesn't do it for me. To me it seems out of place on the album. This is the only song where Doherty's vocals sound drowsy and unmoving. I don't see why Doherty couldn't have left off "Broken" and replaced it with "Through the Looking Glass." Doherty eliminated this last minute Libertines original for the inclusion of the very personal "I Am The Rain." I speculate that "Glass" was slice of Peter's past and "Rain" is more of a poetic manifesto of who Doherty really is right now. Personifying himself as a symbol for rain, Peter sees himself as someone whose life and words have become inspirational and controversial. Although I really love the way "Rain" ends with a chorus of harmonies and sped-up melodies, I would have loved to have seen the guitar heavy "Glass" included on the album. Coxon's riffs really shine on this song that has been unfortunately relegated to b-side status on the album's first single, "The Last of the English Roses."

For some reason, one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Jeff Tweedy refuses to understand why some of us cherish the music of Peter Doherty. All I can suggest to him is to listen to the magnificent wonder of Grace/Wastelands. There is a beauty and pain in his ever-evolving life, reflected on this impressive first solo album. It's good to have you back Mr. Doherty, let's keep the evil one inside the guitar case as you reach for the top of the globe. Cheers, lad!

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
03.24.2009

Book Review: A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley: by Jeff Apter

My book review of A Pure Drop can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley
Jeff Apter
Backbeat books
2009

Bono once described Jeff Buckley as "…a pure drop in an ocean of noise." I used to wish there was a book that could capture the complete life of Buckley just as succinctly as Bono's quote. But it seems that there's been a lack of candid biographies willing to sift through the amazing myths about the man. I don't know if it's because of the estate of Jeff Buckley, or the fact that so many of his closet compadres have been so protective of him. I don't blame them; many have refused to share any details about the friend they once knew intimately, professionally for otherwise.

Enter Australian scribe Jeff Apter, who spent five years as editor of Rolling Stone magazine in his native homeland. Apter is no stranger to the music industry, having already written acclaimed biographies on The Cure, Dave Grohl and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Apter had the challenge of uncovering the many lives of Jeff Buckley that included the loner, the lover, the dreamer, poet and other surprising aspects, even to longtime fans.

This is where I come in to the picture, the critic and a J.B. devotee who is such a follower that I've actually ended relationships with the women I was with because of their lack of respect to Buckley and his music. I was disappointed with David Browne's Dream Brother, a dual biography of Jeff and his father Tim that seemed an unfair portrait to the son's legacy. What Browne touched upon and Apter expanded on was Jeff's desire to exorcise himself from his father's creative and professional music career. So many critics and admirers linked him with his troubadour father, a mistake that first official Buckley biographer Browne should have known before taking on this very elusive subject.

Apter takes a different and more original path in dissecting Buckley's life. Every step of the way, even from the first chapter, Apter ties the younger Buckley's upbringing and past to his future exploits as an artist on the Sony label. This one of the aspects that I most appreciated in A Pure Drop. Unlike most critics and readers, I am not so much a fan of the early life of an artist. I love to get to the chase—cut out all the grade school and teenage crap and give me what I desire most, the artist on his peak of creativity. Apter's writing style is like a dramatic mystery where every little step of Buckley's life was a link to his eventful future. Even when describing the life of his mother Mary, his infamous father Tim and their life in California, the focus is always on Jeff and his artistic rise.

To Apter's credit, and unfortunately for Browne, he had more access to Buckley's closest confidants, including his Los Angeles comrade Chris Dowd, guitarist Gary Lucas, New York producer and music curator Hal Willner and, much to my surprise, Glen Hansard of The Frames and Once fame. They first met in New York when Buckley's band opened up for The Commitments touring band that Glen was on the road with. This led to a long friendship between Hansard and Buckley.

Another surprise was discovering the many sessions that Buckley had recorded for Sony and left in the can. Apter spoke to producer Steve Addabbo who spent time in the studio with Jeff before Buckley hooked up with Andy Wallace. Addabbo recorded some seven and half hours of Jeff doing some covers of The Smiths, Bob Dylan and early versions of songs that would end up on Grace. As I read this I literally screamed out, release these sacred tapes already will you Sony?

While I was reading A Pure Drop, I could not put it down. It was as if through every page I was watching the simultaneous coming of age of an artist and demise of an eventual legend. Get ready to bring out your Buckley CDs and rare songs like the unreleased duet with Elizabeth Fraser "Flowers in Time," because it's hard not to be drawn back to them as you read through Buckley's electrifying life.

The best part of Apter's book is that he gets past the myth, and what comes across is a true, imperfect human who's trying to find his voice and space in the world without giving up his integrity to the demands of corporate major label. Buckley hurt friends and fellow musician, and certainly broke hearts, but through out A Pure Drop you get a more complete sense of who Jeff really was. Buckley was a demanding friend who would wound you with words like he did with photographer Merri Cyr and would try to lure you back with his charming ways to make amends by his unpredictable behavior.

What I cherished about Apter's book was the little stories that bring out the amusing characteristics that made Buckley unique, like the way he would stalk dogs in New York City. The owners thought that this weird guy would be trailing them but in reality Jeff was following the mutt. He had this strange connection and fascination with dogs.

Jeff Apter's insight to the life of Jeff Buckley is rarity in this age of celebrity commercialism. He's not about myth making; Apter shows us the true Jeff, flaws and all, as he was from his beginnings in Orange County till his tragic end in Memphis, Tennessee. With A Pure Drop, Jeff Apter has done the legacy of Jeff Buckley right. He has managed to show us a complete portrait of the imperfect man within the gifted artist before he soared among the stars.


A Q&A with Jeff Apter

Treble: Why Jeff Buckley? What inspired you to write A Pure Drop?

Jeff Apter: I'd read so much about Jeff Buckley, especially since his death, that I was very keen to try and separate the man from the myth. Not to be iconoclastic in any way, mind you, I just wanted to understand him more clearly. I wanted to find out how it came to be that a guy who'd finished only one album in his lifetime engendered so much love and devotion from music fans, some who weren't even aware of his music while he was alive. That was my challenge.

T: Were you always a fan?

JA: As a music writer, I certainly took notice of Grace and the groundswell of interest in Buckley while he was alive — I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't. But I wasn't an enormous fan, no. On first few listens I actually thought My Sweetheart The Drunk was a disaster, but now that I understand much of the back-story, I find that album even more rewarding than Grace. I can't think of a vocalist who would rival him in the past 15 or 20 years, either: the guy could sing the phone book and you'd be asking, `My God, I wonder what's on the next page?' He was that good.

T: Jeff seemed to have a huge following in Australia. Did you ever meet him or see him in concert?

JA: If only. I was actually living and working in America at the time he toured Australia (twice). I was having unusual experiences with people like Patti Smith and Frank Black when Jeff was blowing away Australian crowds. But he did connect really strongly here and in France; I guess because he was very emotionally honest in his music and we respond well to that. Strangely enough, I was in Memphis soon after he took that fateful dip. I remember sitting near where he went in and thinking to myself, `You don't swim there.' And this from an Australian; we're born with gills!

T: Were you hesitant because of the myth of Buckley?

No, as I said above I was actually inspired by that, because from my experience — and I've now written 10 books — it's become pretty clear to me that no-one can live up to such an idealized legacy. A UK reviewer got it right when they said, and I hope you don't mind me quoting: `Apter resists mawkishness to reveal a difficult – if charismatic – man who doesn't quite match the idealized image of the gifted lost boy destroyed by fame and family.' I really thought that summed it up perfectly.

T: Did you have trouble getting some of Buckley's friends, colleagues and associates to talk with you? And a follow up, one slight criticism, a few spots in the book you attribute quotes to unnamed Buckley friends who wanted to remain anonymous. Did you struggle with that putting in quotes and words from people who didn't want to be recognized?

Not really. When I began the project some 10 years had passed since his death, so a few of those scars have healed, and those close to him could talk with a little more clarity about Jeff and his life than, say, if we'd spoken in 1997. Although I did have a few interesting conversations —where I'd be talking with someone on the phone for an hour, perhaps two, in some very heavy emotional detail, and then be told, `Oh, you do realize this is off the record, right?' Err, no.

T: While writing and researching A Pure Drop, what did you discover about Jeff Buckley that surprised you the most?

Many things, including his true and total love for such prog rock bands as Yes — `Never be ashamed about loving Yes' he told one friend. I was surprised at how canny he was, especially when it came to the business of music: he knew exactly who would be good for his career, and he gravitated to them whenever the chance arose. He was very tight with the McCartneys, for instance. He was goofy, too — `a real doofus,' according to photographer Merri Cyr — and genuinely funny. And he did indeed love the ladies, and they loved him right back. A very rounded and in some ways very flawed individual.

T: Favorite Jeff Buckley story or anecdote?

I do like the story, related to me by Danny Fields, a publicist who worked closely with Tim Buckley and also knew Jeff well, about a night at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame dinner. Danny was the go-to guy on the night, setting up backstage interviews and keeping the thing rolling. Jeff, who'd connected with some A-list people to swing an invite, spotted him — this was before Grace blew up. Jeff, who was decked out in a shocking pink Stephen Sprouse jacket, yelled out to Danny, then strode across the floor, grabbed him and planted an open mouthed smooch on the man, with the who's who of the music biz looking one, in absolute shock. He genuinely didn't give a rat's arse what they thought; he was just happy to see his friend Danny and maybe give him a thrill, too. He was an impulsive guy, no doubt about it — to his detriment, as it played out in the end.

T: Favorite Jeff Buckley song?

It changes all the time. In the wee small hours I gravitate towards "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" or "Everybody Here Wants You." If my mood is more upbeat it's hard to go past "The Sky is a Landfill" or "Vancouver," which has the most fantastic, propulsive guitar groove. And his unreleased duet with Elizabeth Fraser, "All Flowers in Time Bend Towards the Sun," is golden.

T: What about the unreleased recording sessions and songs by Steve Addabbo, did you hear them? When are they going to be released by Sony?

I haven't, aside from the odd scratchy one-off on some bootlegs (incidentally, the Buckley bootleg industry is as active as that of the Grateful Dead). Hard to say when the label might drop that one; perhaps because there's a lot of covers in the mix it might be copyright clearance hell. Or perhaps those who control his estate don't think it's sufficiently commercial. A shame, because I get the sense that it would provide an up-close glimpse of an artist-under-development. However, the next release from the vault is something called Grace Around the World, another series of live performances, which won't really offer any new insights.

T: Looking back was there anything that was edited out of A Pure Drop that you wish you would have left in the book?

No, not at all. I was very lucky; some really good people gave me a lot of their time and input, even though they could have easily told me to shove off. It was a clear indication as to how much his friends, peers and colleagues hoped that the real Jeff Buckley would emerge from my book. And judging from the feedback I've received by many people who knew him well, I achieved just that.

T: What's next for you?

I've finished a study of the Australian country star, Keith Urban, called Fortunate Son: The Unlikely Rise of Keith Urban, which was published by Random House in Oz and should have a North American release soon. I'm currently chipping away at a biography of the Finn brothers, Neil and Tim, of Crowded House and Split Enz legend, with hopes of publication in 2010. I'm always drawn to both the story and the music: how did someone become successful? Who knows the real story? How did that song come to be? What was happening in their life when they made this album and how did it affect the music? Those are the constants, the big attractors, for me.

03.23.2009

Book Review: Ryan Adams: Infinity Blues

My review of Infinity Blues can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Ryan Adams
by Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
03.17.2009

Ryan Adams described his first literary tome, "Infinity Blues as" "…the jewel of my life's work. Who I am is this book." Many of us like to think we know who Ryan Adams is by his confessional songwriting style that we adore from his memorable songs. Adams' writing technique is a very personal one where the audience can immediately relate to the pain and heartache Ryan is singing about in his most treasured songs. Who hasn't asked for their records back from an unfaithful lover as heard on "Come Pick Me Up?"

Ryan's words and especially his lyrics on "Oh My Sweet Carolina" are what made me an instant fan. I loved the way his words brought to life a loner, a virtual gambler, on the road who on searching meaning of home. At the moment I heard "Carolina," I was following my wanderlust, moving from city to city just like the character in Ryan's song whose disposition would one day also, carry me home. Even though I wasn't from Kentucky and I never built newsprint boats, I could relate to the outsider in Ryan's song. It was the way that Ryan sang the lyrics I felt like that character who never been to Vegas but has always gambled up his life.

All it took was "Carolina" and I was a follower of one David Ryan Adams. When I first heard about "Infinity Blues" I was elated. Ryan's foray into writing poems and stories would seem like a leap to some but not the rest of us his loyal fan base. To me it seems that with every record Adams is expanding his songwriting craft away from the traditional song structure and moving more into story like prose. Look at albums like Love is Hell and Jacksonville City Nights as examples of more poetic short stories turned into songs.

In preparing for "Infinity Blues" there was one album I kept going back to, and that was the very often overlooked 29. I hear 29 as Ryan's first unofficial collection of short storied poems in song forms. All you have to do is listen to songs like "Elizabeth, You Were Born to Play the Part" and especially in the epic "Strawberry Wine" and you will hear the way that Adams' writing has evolved. You can hear Ryan and his quintessential lyrics like "Can you still have any famous last words/ if you're nobody somebody nobody knows…"

Ryan won't have to worry about not being famous because after reading "Infinity Blues"—he'll be able to add triumphant poet and writer to his resume. "Infinity Blues" has the essential Ryan Adams writing style we've grown to love within the poems of this eclectic collection.

Not very many singer/songwriters can claim to have written an accomplished tome of books and short stories. Jeff Tweedy and Billy Corgan tried unsuccessfully, so Adams can join the likes of Dylan, Cohen and Lennon as artists who made the jump from songs to poems.

Throughout "Infinity Blues" you'll read Adams' Southern Gentlemanly charm mixed with his canny downtown bohemian insight inspired by his days on tour and his nights living in New York City. This dichotomy makes poems like "Time Ain't Nobody's Friend" and "Home Safe-Heartsickness" comes alive with Ryan's trademark literary wit and ear for explicit beauty and sadness.

One theme you will see throughout of "Infinity Blues" is Ryan's trademark search for love. Even though "Blues" was dedicated to her, pet name for his honey Bug, "Infinity" was written before his nuptials to his now wife Mandy Moore. Poems like "Snow Lady, I Wished You" and "Enough Rope" has Ryan penning his desires and romantic notions on the page with such lines as "I would lasso that moon down and deliver it you."

Scattered throughout "Blues" are 3 short, short stories that you will have to seek out, the best one being "27 Steps." This one about Robert from the docks reminds me of Dylan's writings in Chronicles. Just like Dylan, Adams has some vibrant descriptions it's like you're right there with this girl on the pier. Adams always has this knack of slaying me with his words, "27 Steps" is no different. My favorite lines have to be, "Claudia's voice mumbled through, in a steady up-and-down notation, almost a bird's song with words really. And you hear the coffee in her." "27 Steps" is like a snap-shot of a scene between two would-be lovers. My only complaint is that this story is too short. I'm dying to know what happens next.

We'll have to wait a year or two for Ryan Adams' true novel. He's got another poetry collection, "Hello Sunshine," coming out later on this year. "Infinity" is all about the poems. As poet, Adams is a natural. Although it seems that he may have fears about his own words. In my favorite poem, "Writing, Dying, for the Trying," Ryan writes: "I will be sitting here, with you, or not, buried inside this, almost alive, Talking to no one/ writing dying for the trying to get it right."

I don't know what Adams was worried about because with "Infinity Blues"—he got it right. The poems in "Blues" are some the best verses Ryan Adams has ever written, and this is just his first foray into publishing. What a beginning. If Ryan Adams said "`Infinity Blues' is who I truly am"— I'm glad to have finally discovered the poet inside the songwriter we have admired all of these years.

Available from Akashic Books

Review: U2: No Line on the Horizon

My review of No Line on the Horizon can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

U2
No Line on the Horizon
Interscope
2009

Can you believe that it's been 18 years since U2 released Achtung Baby? It seems that U2 have been overshadowed more by the mystique of that Baby than any other album in their recent canon. Achtung Baby was the album that Bono claimed was the sound of U2 chopping down the Joshua Tree. Yet U2 has seemingly been cursed creatively since then? The band has gone through a successful string of albums, sales wise, but something has been missing. What I've been craving from U2 is a return to their unique, unbridled devotion to transform the sound of popular music with their dynamic sound. Since then, U2 have written some terrific songs but Baby was the album that signaled a change for the band away from pop sensibilities into the experimental depths of a lyrical canvas filled with painful darkness void of true love. To me, U2's dramatic legend has been unfinished since the notes of "Love is Blindness" faded out on my favorite U2 album.

"I haven't been with a woman, it feels like years/ thought of you the whole time, your salty tears…" are the lyrics reflecting lyrics recalling the aches of Achtung you can hear in No Line on the Horizon's finale "Cedars of Lebanon." Even in this war torn epic, Bono has yet to give up his search for the light of amor: "They're not at the beginning but when your story ends…." It seems like U2 has left me hanging there, waiting for their story arc that started back in 1991 to have a fulfilling dénouement.

My Moment of Surrender occurred during the third song of New Line on the Horizon. My wish finally came true throughout the sound of this post modern gospel gem. With Bono's heartfelt vocal I heard the light. The first great song on the album was written not only by Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry, but for the first time in their history, producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois get songwriting credits. You can hear it in the rays between rhythms. There's this new dimension to the U2 sound thanks to Eno and Lanois. It's subtle but you can feel it in the beats. It's in the cello in the mix below the organ and hand claps. And I can't forget Edge's bluesy guitar riff that lifts "Surrender" to a blissful conclusion.

There's a musical depth within the songs of Horizon, a maturity that's been missing from most of the last few pop sensible albums released by these Irish music pioneers. There's nothing wrong with a pop song like "Beautiful Day" or rocking out to "Vertigo." We dig a little of these styles but what made me a U2 devotee was their dive into substance-layered beauty within the canvas that we cherish in some of my favorites like "Running to Stand Still," "Love is Blindness" and "Stay (Far Away, So Close)." The classic dichotomy within U2's classic sound of taking complex themes with sonic simplicity is what made them one of the most innovative bands of our generation.

This is what I have rediscovered within U2 and the new post-modern songs of their No Line on the Horizon. Listen to the first single "Get On Your Boots." The song goes through so many changes rhythmically, something that The Beatles did so brilliantly in the sixties and Radiohead with "Paranoid Android." That's what makes "Boots" such a revolutionary punk song. They captured the punk spirit without imitating it like they did in "Vertigo." Not only do The Edge, Adam and Larry play incendiary rhythms but Bono's lyrics in "Boots" are… wait for it…legendary. "Boots" is a "Fly"-like song about love in this age of socio-political uncertainty. "You don't know how beautiful you are" is global call to arms for all of us let our hair down and feel sexy. Just remember when Bono sings "I don't wanna talk about wars between nations," it's a signal to turn down the rhetorical lights and feel the love again.

If Achtung Baby was the sound of the clock striking midnight of a broken affair, then Horizon is the dawning of a resurrected love—"It's not if I believe in love but if love believes in me/ oh believe in me." Those simple lyrics from "Moment of Surrender" reflect the essential theme of No Line on the Horizon. It's this transcendental exploration of the heart that U2 has been searching for since Achtung Baby. Songs like "Magnificent" with lyrics like "Only love can make such a mark and only love can heal such a scar" reflect U2 reflecting the lyrical antidote to those songs like "So Cruel" that ached with betrayal. Why did it take so long to get over the pain from those reflective melodies? The answer is in the lyrics to "I'll go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight": "A change of heart comes slow…We're gonna make it all the way to the light."

Adding another layer to their lyrical heart are the beats in between these quixotic melodies. Horizon showcases the band expanding their rhythmic pallet with atmospheric soundscapes layered with the help of Eno and Lanois. You can feel Eno's experimental flourishes in "Moment of Surrender" and "Fez-Being Born." Lanois can be heard with his trademark guitar and tender productive tones in the very eloquent "White as Snow." Listen for both of their reflecting backing vocals harmonizing throughout the halls of these breathtaking horizons.

I am not trying to dismiss any of the albums that came between Achtung Baby and No Line on the Horizon. All That You Can't Leave Behind holds a personal place for me in my corazon. It came out when I first lived by myself in my first bachelor apartment in New Orleans. That was the soundtrack of my rebirth. But there's something about Baby that makes it my favorite U2 album and the record of theirs that I keep coming back to. It's the vivid sound and the timeless feeling within the heartbreak of Achtung that reigns supreme. But I've been waiting 18 years for the cure and finally Horizon has distinguished Baby's blues.

Those hits from Pop, Behind and the Bomb may have been memorable but to me they were lacking the emotional depth found within the confines of the beautiful melodies of No Line on the Horizon. Just like your favorite novel or a film you have to watch over and over again, Horizon calls for repeated re-visitations. For every listen you will discover something you may have missed your first spin, fans of Behind may notice similarities in the "Walk On"-esque guitar part in Horizon's "Unknown Caller." U2 have finally come full circle with an album worthy of their legacy. Get ready to surrender to beauty in U2's post-modern treasure that you will need to savor over and over again.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
03.04.2009

Review: Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan: Sunday at Devil Dirt

My review of Sunday at Devil Dirt can be found (click here) on treblezine.com

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
Sunday at Devil Dirt
Fontana
2008

The Scottish chanteuse has returned with a sequel from her storied collaboration with Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age singer Mark Lanegan. Their pairing on Ballad of Broken Seas was more than just another conventional collaboration a-la Sonny & Cher, Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton and Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. In fact, Campbell and Lanegan's lyrical duets were more of a mirror of modern day love affairs. Lanegan is the wandering drifter on "Deus Ibi Est "who keeps his heart shielded on the road of loneliness. And from the distance we hear his muse and then he meets his lyrical partner in the form of Isobel Campbell.

Ballad of Broken Seas is the passion that comes from the couplings of two star-crossed lovers, in the studio, because in real life these two were just professional collaborators but their devoted lyrics echo otherwise. I liken this as two actors on stage or on screen who have such a chemistry that we as the audience would swear that these two belong together. It's this musical spark that made Ballad of Broken Seas a nominee for such luminary praise as the Mercury Prize in the UK.

Ballad of Broken Seas was such an electric pairing that it made critics and music diehards like yours truly respond in our best Lanegan voice, "Where have you been my friend(s)?" Just when we thought this musical coupling had flamed out on "The Circus is Leaving Town" comes word of Campbell and Lanegan's reigniting their fiery partnership on Sunday at Devil Dirt.

From the opening duet of "Seafaring Song" we once again are witnesses to the tender pairing of Lanegan and Campbell. The way these two trade lines like kisses and the cinematic strings in the background reflect two lost lovers reconnecting on the screen after years being apart. What is it about duets that set my musical heart to swoon? It has to be the reappearance of chanteuse Campbell because you can't have a successful duet without a sultry siren. What makes this collaboration soar is the darkened vocals of one Mark Lanegan. Lanegan isn't one to croon cliché love songs but when he shares lyrical rhymes on "Come on Over (Turn Me On)" with Campbell it's like these two singers are meant to be.

And this collaboration, that was never supposed to work on paper, is just like living examples other true romances. Campbell was born in Scotland, having first turned heads as a member of Belle and Sebastian until she went solo in 1999. Lanegan's myth is more legendary. He's like an outlaw singer/songwriter running loose in the underground until he comes face to face and lets loose with the fire and brimstone-like voice when inspiration finds him. You'll hear Lanegan's trademark vocal style on the blistering "Back Burner." Like a haunted campfire song with Native American percussive overtones, Campbell's angelic backing vocals make this a haunting yet memorable number.

If I was Lanegan and I heard Campbell sing the very sultry "Shotgun Blues" it would be hard to resist that kind of real life lyrical temptation. Could you? Sunday at Devil Dirt is like the couple that had a very passionate affair and is trying to turn their fling into full-fledged love. It's unfeasible to try to turn the sparks you feel in the dark and turn these emotions from fire into light, it never works, the flame ends up extinguishing as it turns you two blue and distant. But Campbell and Lanegan make their collaboration work on Sunday at Devil Dirt, even on the very romantic instrumental "Violin Tango."

I love the tender, countrified duet of "Keep Me in Mind Sweetheart" and the affectionate "Something to Believe," which showcase these two lovers attempting to make their sensual coupling last. "Trouble" appears and brings the light the emotional resonance in the difficulty of modern day affairs. But Campbell and Lanegan don't despair as they end up "Fighting Fire with Fire" with one of the five bonus tracks that are added to the American version of Sunday at Devil Dirt. Those extra cuts are five more reasons to follow the dynamic relationship of these two romantic singer/songwriters within the electric confines of these extraordinary songs.

"Rambling Rose, Clinging Vine" and the rest of Sunday at Devil Dirt are post modern love songs that reflect an honesty and devotion that are lacking from most heartless romantic songs heard on pop radio today. This is the way love should sound like. Sunday at Devil Dirt the soundtrack for a romance that's not supposed to work in real life, but sounds ideal in song. That's what make Campbell and Lanegan so essential in this era—two singers who desperately search for eternal love and make us grateful for the happiness in our private universes.

I can't help but think that everyone would love to ride off into the sunset with their lover as the slide guitar from "Rambling Rose, Clinging Vine" plays as the personal soundtrack, but it never really works out that way, does it? True love is hardly a storybook you can create with on solitary spark in the dark—it takes nurturing, understanding, patience and time. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan continue their lyrical explorations of the intimate complexities of romance on Sunday at Devil Dirt. Here's hoping that the collaboration of Campbell and Lanegan is everlasting.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
01.15.2009