my Lucinda Williams review can be found on treblezine.com
Lucinda Williams
West
2007
Lost Highway
When I lived in New Orleans, all of my barfly buddies—Musician mates, artists and poet friends—all of us had a crush on Lucinda Williams. We would all stay up late smoking cigarettes herbal and otherwise, drinking and musing all the reasons we loved Lucinda. Every bar had Lucinda's CDs in their jukeboxes and we would spend as many quarters playing songs off Sweet Old World and Car Wheels on a Gravel Road as we did drinking shots and toasts to her. Even now when I hear her singing it brings me back to those nights in one of the many hidden French Quarter bars I would frequent. We would sit into the early Louisiana morning hours scribbling drunken odes on bar napkins as she serenaded us with songs like "Can't Let Go,", we imagined, she was singing to each one of us. All of her songs are forever engraved with happy memories of my years of New Orleans.
It's fitting that, Williams being a Louisiana native, I have a bond with N.O. But it wasn't until her new album West that I truly connected with the voice I have been longing for all of these years. There is something about a strong independent artistic woman that has always intrigued, attracted and inspired me emotionally and creatively. Now add Southern-born to this equation and there's an even bigger spark. Lucinda has the intricate voice that's altogether achingly beautifully, poetic, raw and honest that I long for in an artistic and romantic companion. With a unique voice, Williams would sometimes be known as the female Dylan, but like some artists, a-la KD Lang, her prior albums did sound a bit too polished and overproduced. This is something that has haunted Williams throughout her career. Even though her albums have won critical acclaim, industry awards and legion of devoted following, there was something missing. They were a little too perfect—what was missing was a little southern imperfection in Lucinda's brilliance.
This brings us to West, the album that I have been waiting for Lucinda Williams to make all of her career. Lucinda's voice comes out clearer and with more sincerity than on any album before. I believe this has a lot to do with her collaboration with producer Hal Wilner, famous for his production work with Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, Beat poet/writers Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs and even produced Hole's My Body, The Hand Grenade. I add this because many a night someone would walk into one of our French Quarter Bars and ask us why were we playing a countrified Hole record. Many novices to Lucinda Williams claim that she sounds like Courtney Love. When in reality, Love wishes she had the gift of poetical rhyme and artistic seasonings that Lucinda carries like a southern chanteuse; when she sings her whole essence comes to life on record. Nothing is left out, after hearing Lucinda sing you can't help but feel as though she has left her blood and tears sprinkled through the verses of her songs.
Some die-hard Lucinda fans might be turned off with the sound of West, as it's a bit out of her alt-country range into a more soulful, post-modern acoustic blues record. There are splashes of her folk-tinged sound that we all know and love but there's more of a move to a modern electric, much like Dylan did in the '60s when he moved away from the acoustic folk songs he was known for. Lucinda shouldn't expect that kind or any major backlash, but to me there's a sense of bravery for taking a risk like this. Reflecting a move away from the South and toward California during the making of this new album, the themes of this record touch upon a search for personal freedom and rejuvenation by starting over and coming to terms with loss, whether it be a death or an end of a relationship and dealing with loneliness and misplaced love. I kind of wish this album would have come out before I moved to California, as now, West is a set of songs that seems to reflect the emotional upheaval of my new life.
The first single is the bluesy ode to a former love that asks the question "Are You Alright." In this song, Lucinda just wants to know—"that you're ok." She's looking for a clue or a hint that there's still a chance of reconciliation by asking—"Are you Alright?" There's a sense of longing through out this song that comes out in the blues riffs and the melodic backing vocals that pull you from the chorus and never let you go. I hear "Mama my Sweet" as her modern day version of Elvis' classic "That's Alright Mama," his first recording at Sun Studios. Lucinda's version is more poetic, with verses like "Oceans becomes tears/that ebb and flow over the lines in my face." It's a lyrical lament that Lucinda dedicates to her Mother (who recently passed away), and "Mama my Sweet" is a fitting tribute.
"Learning How to Live" is a song that I hear as one dealing with a loss of a flame in one's life. But I also believe this is another song that Lucinda wrote for her Mother as Lucinda sings "I'll take the best of what you had to give and I'll make the most of what you left me with/ I'm learning how to live." Either way, this song is about dealing with a passing, whether be a lover or a family member. You can hear the influence of Lucinda's poet father Miller throughout most of the tracks on West. More than just lyrics, the words lift from the page and from the song and can live and breathe on their own. Just like Dylan's, Williams' words have a life of their own away from record. It's more than just a song; her lyrics are poetic paintings that live in our ears and in our own aches long after the album has ended.
"Unsuffer Me" is a modern blues that come alive with the pounding backbeat of Jim Keltner's drums. Echoing the sound of an aching heart beating with memories of a lost love, Lucinda sings "unsuffer me/take away the pain." We have all been there, waiting for the pain to subside so we can breathe, laugh and learn to love again. Lucinda brings all of this agony to life as the strings and the echoing guitars reflect the stages of dealing with the grief of being alone again. "Everything Has Changed" is a song that would fit perfectly in any of Lucinda's albums of yesteryear, a southern soaked folk song that finds Lucinda singing, "I can't find my joy anywhere." Throughout the song she's searching for the faith that she has lost, and as she sings, "everything has changed" you can feel her conviction.
"Come On" is a punky, country kiss off anthem, in which Lucinda sings over the electric riffs of Bill Frisell. This is one of the songs that the diehards may have trouble with. Lucinda has never sounded this bitter, and as she rages along with the organ and the banging drums, you can feel her smashing her former flame to bits: "I'm sorry I ever flirted/ the effort was even concerted/ you didn't even make me come on." I love the Scarlett Rivera-esque violin playing on "Where is My Love" by Williams stalwart Jenny Scheinman, which also echoes a Warren Ellis vibe as Lucinda sings "Is my love in Tupelo…knowing things he shouldn't do/ and giving away what he can't use." Lucinda sings of all the places where she has been reflecting on all the loves that could have been. She searches for a love that is not there but lives in these verses like a bluesy prayer.
The end of West soars toward legendary. This is the part of the album where Lucinda is her most honest and brave, beginning with "Rescue," which uses an E Street Band-like rhythmic backbeat, Scheinman's violin carrying the song with her hopeful strings as they are matched by Frisell's bluesy riffs. Williams' vocals echo back to her as if she's singing in a canyon or mountain edge, crooning to the heavens on how her man will never save her. "Wrap Your Head Around That" starts off with some studio chatter as Lucinda prepares to sing on her most musically ambitious track. Think of this as Southern trip-hop blues as Keltner's drums keep the urban wasteland backbeat, while Williams speaks over Frisell's free forming riffs. This is something that Wilner's done before with Burroughs, Ginsberg, Reed; And now Lucinda continues the tradition of spoken word intensity that shines as she sings "I know what I think I saw/and what I thought I'd seen/ and what was coming and what was going/ and everything in between." It's a departure but a success.
"Words" has to be my favorite song on West. It's Lucinda sounding her most delicate as she sings "I would rather suffer in sweet silent solitude…between the lips of your beautiful mouth." I hear "Words" as the personifying how a writer sees his muse. Lucinda brilliantly brings inspiration to life when she sings so eloquently, "When my words enjoy the feel of the paper /better mingling with your consonants/ once they get going, they never waver/ and they slip in between your ifs, ands and buts." The record ends perfectly with the title track, a reflective ode to a hopeful future as Lucinda sings "Who knows what the future holds/or the cards may fall…you'll never know." I hear this song and I think of driving down the old Route 66—it's a tribute to traditional idea of California, of coming west to follow your heart and your dreams through the desert to the ocean.
West is the direction where Lucinda Williams is headed and where I live now, and fittingly, I can easily identify with its many themes. There is pain and heartache but there is also a sense of hope, a sound of freedom and rebirth in these songs. I never felt alone when I spent my first California Valentine's Day along with Lucinda singing to me, because West is the sound of an artist in a creative rebirth. Lucinda Williams may have caught my ear back in New Orleans, but this year she captured my heart with her lyrical musings on this musical journey out West that will never expire.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.20.2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Best Oscar Song Ever: Review: Nirvana "Something in the Way"
My Nirvana song review can be found on treblezine.com
"Something in the Way"
By Nirvana
From Jarhead (2005)
Jarhead is one of the best modern day anti-war films and the first honest portrayal of American servicemen in Iraq, Jake Gyllenhaal portraying the protagonist and the voice of the movie. It's a coming of age movie of a solider in a war where nothing much happens but the aching stain of loneliness. These guys are trying not go stir crazy while staring at the burning sunlight reflecting from the empty Iraqi desert as these soldiers wait for a battle that never comes. My favorite scene comes with the use of Nirvana's "Something in the Way" as a reflection of the mindset of Jarhead after his girlfriend has sent him a Dear John letter. He's dealing with being stranded in a Middle Eastern country and he feels disconnected with the rest of his unit. He is on the verge of major depression for being heartbroken and homesick away from a life that seems distant and further away as the days pass in the desert.
As the camera pans and you see the expressions on Jarhead as he tries to keep his head straight, you can feel the tears, the hurt and the aching as he covers his hands over his head, hiding out trying not to share his vulnerable side with his fellow grunts. You sense it, he's about to lose it. And now one better than Kurt Cobain can echo these sentiments as you hear Kurt singing, "Something in the way…yeah" it's as if he's hovering above and singing for Jarhead. The song was made for this once scene and this movie. You feel his pain and as Kurt sings you hear the hurting in Cobain's voice. It's a perfect match for the character played so brilliant, stoically and eloquently by Gyllenhaal.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2007
"Something in the Way"
By Nirvana
From Jarhead (2005)
Jarhead is one of the best modern day anti-war films and the first honest portrayal of American servicemen in Iraq, Jake Gyllenhaal portraying the protagonist and the voice of the movie. It's a coming of age movie of a solider in a war where nothing much happens but the aching stain of loneliness. These guys are trying not go stir crazy while staring at the burning sunlight reflecting from the empty Iraqi desert as these soldiers wait for a battle that never comes. My favorite scene comes with the use of Nirvana's "Something in the Way" as a reflection of the mindset of Jarhead after his girlfriend has sent him a Dear John letter. He's dealing with being stranded in a Middle Eastern country and he feels disconnected with the rest of his unit. He is on the verge of major depression for being heartbroken and homesick away from a life that seems distant and further away as the days pass in the desert.
As the camera pans and you see the expressions on Jarhead as he tries to keep his head straight, you can feel the tears, the hurt and the aching as he covers his hands over his head, hiding out trying not to share his vulnerable side with his fellow grunts. You sense it, he's about to lose it. And now one better than Kurt Cobain can echo these sentiments as you hear Kurt singing, "Something in the way…yeah" it's as if he's hovering above and singing for Jarhead. The song was made for this once scene and this movie. You feel his pain and as Kurt sings you hear the hurting in Cobain's voice. It's a perfect match for the character played so brilliant, stoically and eloquently by Gyllenhaal.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2007
Best Oscar Song Ever: Review: Nina Simone "Who knows where the time goes"
My Nina Simone song review can be found on treblezine.com
"Who Knows Where The Time Goes?"
By Nina Simone
From The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
I remember watching The Dancer Upstairs while I lived alone in New Orleans, the summer of 2002, and while I enjoyed the film, it's the song after the opening credits that will continue to live on in my memories. The opening scene is set in a pick up truck with three people driving through the mountains with darkness surrounding them. In the car, the only light is coming from the car stereo, which is playing Nina Simone. The first thing you hear before any dialogue is uttered in the film is a lengthy monologue by Simone. After Nina finishes her speech and one of the men in the car turns to the other one and asks, "Why does she talk so much?" The quiet man looks at him and replies—"she's getting ready to sing." It's hard not to relate to that one line of dialogue, the introduction by Nina and the song itself. Watching the movie again, it reflects where I am in my own life and how I connect with the characters in the film. In the movie, the characters are ready to sing, they are ready to tell their own story and that's how I feel.
Starting a movie off with a song like "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" is a thing of brilliance and a perfect example of blending music and film. It can be heard with sad ears but to me it's a song of reflection. It's a song about the choices we have made and where time has shown us the glories we have seen and the mistakes we have overcome. All of this is brought to life by Nina's haunting yet beautiful vocal. The themes of The Dancer Upstairs reflect on how the essence of time affects the choices that the characters make in the film. Time is a character, time is alive and time is something that is uncontrollable. At the end when the main character played by Javier Bardem makes a choice, it is time that will haunt him till the very end. After watching how the characters deal with the choices they made in the film helped me realize that it's what we do with our chances and choices in our own lives that make us who we are— and that time a reflection and a guide in our life. –
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2007
"Who Knows Where The Time Goes?"
By Nina Simone
From The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
I remember watching The Dancer Upstairs while I lived alone in New Orleans, the summer of 2002, and while I enjoyed the film, it's the song after the opening credits that will continue to live on in my memories. The opening scene is set in a pick up truck with three people driving through the mountains with darkness surrounding them. In the car, the only light is coming from the car stereo, which is playing Nina Simone. The first thing you hear before any dialogue is uttered in the film is a lengthy monologue by Simone. After Nina finishes her speech and one of the men in the car turns to the other one and asks, "Why does she talk so much?" The quiet man looks at him and replies—"she's getting ready to sing." It's hard not to relate to that one line of dialogue, the introduction by Nina and the song itself. Watching the movie again, it reflects where I am in my own life and how I connect with the characters in the film. In the movie, the characters are ready to sing, they are ready to tell their own story and that's how I feel.
Starting a movie off with a song like "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" is a thing of brilliance and a perfect example of blending music and film. It can be heard with sad ears but to me it's a song of reflection. It's a song about the choices we have made and where time has shown us the glories we have seen and the mistakes we have overcome. All of this is brought to life by Nina's haunting yet beautiful vocal. The themes of The Dancer Upstairs reflect on how the essence of time affects the choices that the characters make in the film. Time is a character, time is alive and time is something that is uncontrollable. At the end when the main character played by Javier Bardem makes a choice, it is time that will haunt him till the very end. After watching how the characters deal with the choices they made in the film helped me realize that it's what we do with our chances and choices in our own lives that make us who we are— and that time a reflection and a guide in our life. –
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Review: Kristin Hersh: Learn to Sing like a Star
my Kristin Hersh review can be found on treblezine.com
Kristin Hersh
Learn to Sing like a Star
2007
Yep Roc
I had the honor of seeing Throwing Muses open up for New Order in 1989. One of the best opening acts I have ever seen, The Muses held their own in front of a crowd that was waiting for the electro-new wave sounds of New Order. Hersh rocked, soothed and mesmerized the crowd with her songs and her band, which, at the time, included the very tripped out Tanya Donnelly (who couldn't stop staring at me, and this impressionable seventeen year old thought that Tanya was given him the sexy ojo—my buddy burst my ego when he told me that she was tripping on acid. If only…)
What I remember most about that night besides Tanya looking my way was the way that Hersh commanded the stage in her bright purple dress. She had this confidence, this alluring sensuality, this power when she sang. It was as if she demanded your attention and everyone gave it to her, deservedly so. She won over the crowd singing lyrics like "So you freeze/ I make frozen into heat/What can I tell you/ That you'll believe" from "Tar Kissers."
Eighteen years later, I realize as my WMA player randomly played Kristin Hersh on shuffle, that she's like a post-modern Patti Smith (It's no wonder that Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye produced her first album Hips and Makers). Just listen to Kristin's eloquently powerful voice. It's all in her phrasing, in her cigarette stained vocals and poetic layers of perpetual beauty and sadness on Learn to Sing like a Star that I feel bring her into the same league of punk chanteuse as Smith.
Learn to Sing like a Star is the ultimate Kirstin Hersh recording—she sounds fearless, confident and free. I feel like it's the album that she's been aching to make her whole career. Just listen to the lyrics from "The Thin Man": "Fireworks for you in the ozone snow/ we're just a little lonely/ did you break the promise half asleep/ did you make a promise you couldn't keep?" Her words are like colors lifting pictures into masterful strokes of rhymes and allusions that stick to you, leave you lingering there listening, wanting to hear more. She has a certain mystery about her, in that you never know exactly what she's singing about. And that's precisely what I love about her. Her songs are like universal lyrical puzzles that allow you reflect and connect your own experiences with her dream-like lyrics.
My favorite line from Learn to Sing Like a Star comes from the opening track "In Shock": "when the music's loud, the mouth you are seeking finds your mouth, we are wanted." After a few spins, I felt like Hersh was singing for me in continuous harmony. I promise you, from the opening riffs of "In Shock" you will be hooked. I love the blending of the strings with the guitars; it's like an electric lullaby. "Nerve Endings" begins with a haunting acoustic solo guitar and the song sounds like musical ode to a Paulo Coelho character, Veronikka (from his book Veronikka Decides to Die.) When Hersh sings, "put a rock into my brain/I feel almost everything," I hear this song as a moonlit serenade to lost soul stirring inside their very own personal asylum.
"Winter" has an addictive backbeat, somewhat reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Breaking the Girl," which shows that Hersh can rock with the best of them. Once again, the blending of strings with guitars and pounding drums as Kirstin asks the immortal question, "How do you talk again? I forgot/ like sand in naked flame." I also dig the way that Hersh throws in three instrumental pieces throughout Star. They make ideal transitions between the songs. I'm not ordinary a fan of songs without vocals, but "Christian Hearse," "Piano 1" and "Piano 2" are beautiful pieces that showcase Hersh's eclectic artistry.
Stars climaxes with "The Thin Man." Hersh sounds her most aching and decadent with distorted guitars in the background as she sings "We're just a little starving/ two feet away and can't reach." It's not just the words; it's the music that unifies Hersh's into an artistic statement of power, dedication and lyrical honesty as she finds her voice in an album that is already one of the most memorable of 2007. Learn to Sing Like a Star is not an album for the iPod generation; it requires a listen from start to finish without interruption. It's an album that asks you to dive in deep and discover the mystical muse inside of it. Take a breath as you take it all in. You will love the taste of the stars you feel from within.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.06.2007
Kristin Hersh
Learn to Sing like a Star
2007
Yep Roc
I had the honor of seeing Throwing Muses open up for New Order in 1989. One of the best opening acts I have ever seen, The Muses held their own in front of a crowd that was waiting for the electro-new wave sounds of New Order. Hersh rocked, soothed and mesmerized the crowd with her songs and her band, which, at the time, included the very tripped out Tanya Donnelly (who couldn't stop staring at me, and this impressionable seventeen year old thought that Tanya was given him the sexy ojo—my buddy burst my ego when he told me that she was tripping on acid. If only…)
What I remember most about that night besides Tanya looking my way was the way that Hersh commanded the stage in her bright purple dress. She had this confidence, this alluring sensuality, this power when she sang. It was as if she demanded your attention and everyone gave it to her, deservedly so. She won over the crowd singing lyrics like "So you freeze/ I make frozen into heat/What can I tell you/ That you'll believe" from "Tar Kissers."
Eighteen years later, I realize as my WMA player randomly played Kristin Hersh on shuffle, that she's like a post-modern Patti Smith (It's no wonder that Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye produced her first album Hips and Makers). Just listen to Kristin's eloquently powerful voice. It's all in her phrasing, in her cigarette stained vocals and poetic layers of perpetual beauty and sadness on Learn to Sing like a Star that I feel bring her into the same league of punk chanteuse as Smith.
Learn to Sing like a Star is the ultimate Kirstin Hersh recording—she sounds fearless, confident and free. I feel like it's the album that she's been aching to make her whole career. Just listen to the lyrics from "The Thin Man": "Fireworks for you in the ozone snow/ we're just a little lonely/ did you break the promise half asleep/ did you make a promise you couldn't keep?" Her words are like colors lifting pictures into masterful strokes of rhymes and allusions that stick to you, leave you lingering there listening, wanting to hear more. She has a certain mystery about her, in that you never know exactly what she's singing about. And that's precisely what I love about her. Her songs are like universal lyrical puzzles that allow you reflect and connect your own experiences with her dream-like lyrics.
My favorite line from Learn to Sing Like a Star comes from the opening track "In Shock": "when the music's loud, the mouth you are seeking finds your mouth, we are wanted." After a few spins, I felt like Hersh was singing for me in continuous harmony. I promise you, from the opening riffs of "In Shock" you will be hooked. I love the blending of the strings with the guitars; it's like an electric lullaby. "Nerve Endings" begins with a haunting acoustic solo guitar and the song sounds like musical ode to a Paulo Coelho character, Veronikka (from his book Veronikka Decides to Die.) When Hersh sings, "put a rock into my brain/I feel almost everything," I hear this song as a moonlit serenade to lost soul stirring inside their very own personal asylum.
"Winter" has an addictive backbeat, somewhat reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Breaking the Girl," which shows that Hersh can rock with the best of them. Once again, the blending of strings with guitars and pounding drums as Kirstin asks the immortal question, "How do you talk again? I forgot/ like sand in naked flame." I also dig the way that Hersh throws in three instrumental pieces throughout Star. They make ideal transitions between the songs. I'm not ordinary a fan of songs without vocals, but "Christian Hearse," "Piano 1" and "Piano 2" are beautiful pieces that showcase Hersh's eclectic artistry.
Stars climaxes with "The Thin Man." Hersh sounds her most aching and decadent with distorted guitars in the background as she sings "We're just a little starving/ two feet away and can't reach." It's not just the words; it's the music that unifies Hersh's into an artistic statement of power, dedication and lyrical honesty as she finds her voice in an album that is already one of the most memorable of 2007. Learn to Sing Like a Star is not an album for the iPod generation; it requires a listen from start to finish without interruption. It's an album that asks you to dive in deep and discover the mystical muse inside of it. Take a breath as you take it all in. You will love the taste of the stars you feel from within.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.06.2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Review: Truly Great Album Series: Depeche Mode: Songs of Faith & Devotion
my depeche mode review can be found on treblezine.com
Depeche Mode
Songs of Faith & Devotion
1993
Mute/Sire/Reprise
I'm the old-school, post modern romantic who believes in lifting my very own present day relationships and turning into them into an unrealistic higher loves. Growing up a teenager in the '80s and early '90s, I loved myself some Depeche Mode. They along with New Order and The Cure and their just like heaven melodies gave me an hopeful impression that love could be like the lyrics in my favorite songs. Looking back, it's not right to take a peace of art, book, movie or music and use that as a foundation for your own life, especially your love life. I was naïve, lovelorn and influenced by the music that became the soundtrack to my life.
Now that I am older, could it be that subconsciously that all of those beliefs that I thought were true in my younger days have affected me and my later years, relationship wise? I've always had this connection with music and love. Whenever I like and/or in love with someone my first reaction is to make them a mix CD. Here, all of the songs on this disc are how I feel about you and how I want our love to be. Thinking about it now, that's a sweet and beautiful thing to do for someone but on the other hand there's a lot of pressure on the receiver to live up to your expectations of love, in regards to the music on the mix.
Thanks to singers like Martin Gore I have had this habit of making the love of my life into angelic creations brought down from the heavens to bring each other love and eternal happiness. This is so unfair, and not just Martin's fault; the majority of the music whether it be by Dylan, Cohen and singers like Buckley, that I have adored and listened to, since I was a niño pequeño, have all taken the subject of love and made them into a perfect melody of longing in five minutes or less, but an other wise unreachable goal.
And no Depeche Mode album truly reflects this more than Songs of Faith and Devotion. The album starts off with the screeching breaks that symbolize the singer stopping his life to serenade his lover as he sings— "You take me where/The kingdom comes/you take me to/and lead me through Babylon." Now what a way to kick off an album, with that killer "Personal Jesus"-esque guitar riff and pounding heart like drum beat when you see your love walking down the street and then David Gahan's vocal brings this all to life when he sings, "This is the morning of our love" on "I Feel You."
"Walking in my Shoes" was always my older brother's favorite Mode song. I can relate to this song now more that I am on my own again. To me it sounds like an older and wiser "Policy of Truth." It has that same kind of rhythm but the Gahan's vocal is more grown when he sings, "Now I'm not looking for absolution/ forgiveness for the things I do/ but before you come to any conclusions/ try walking in my shoes." There's an underlining theme in Faith and Devotion that appears in "Walking in my Shoes" about being judged about the reasons love fades and who's to blame that you can also hear in the gospel-like choruses of "Condemnation."
One of my favorite songs on the album, "Condemnation" starts with a holy drum beat that you would find in a Southern Church and finds singer Gahan singing some of his most heartfelt lyrics ever recorded on a Mode record as he sings, "If you see purity as immaturity/ well it's no surprise/ if for kindness/ you substitute blindness/ please open your eyes." Lyrics like this didn't connect with the younger Mode fans but the older ones related with the idea of being judged by acting out on your emotions for love. Sometimes you get hurt for taking a risk for love and are blamed when it all falls apart. Some of us have been there and Gahan brings this agony to life with his amazing vocal performance on this standout track.
"The Mercy in You" is another one of my highlights because it not only has a good beat but you can feel the depth in the lyrics when Gahan sings, "When here in my mind/ I have been blind/ emotionally behind/ I have faith I will find/ the mercy in you." The search for that intimate connection, beyond words, beyond touch and feel is what I believe Gore was writing about in this song. It's another case for why this is Mode's best album. Because it takes their trademark rhythms and adds and emotional subtext that was missing on most of their most popular records. It has the style and the substance to connect with their audience in an emotional and pleasurable way.
"Get Right with Me" is the stadium anthem of the album, and one of the most preacher-like amidst this album of religious imagery. It's the funkiest song and has the most uplifting message of the album. "Friends, if you've lost your way/ you will find it again some day/ come down from your pedestals/ and open your mouths that's all/ get right with me." This is the perfect antidote to all of those moody Mode classics of yesteryear. When Gahan sings "Life is such a short thing that I cannot comprehend..." he doesn't have all the answers and don't look to him for to find your way. Basically this is a modern day gospel dance song that preaches to the devoted followers of the Church of Mode to have faith and not give up.
"Rush" is classic Mode and not one for me but is a fan favorite because of the electronic power in the backbeat. But to me this song is one of the weakest because it's not in the level with the rest of the other songs. This is more a passionate plea with clichéd lyrics like "I come up to meet you/ up there somewhere/ when I rush to greet you/ my soul is bared." that gets old after a few spins. The other weak song that's the anti-thesis of "Rush" is "Higher Love." Mode tries to hard on this track and all of the images about comparing heaven and love are over-reaching and they fall mightily, making this final cut a heartfelt disappointment.
I always think of love when I hear music like from Songs of Faith and Devotion. Just like Love, it may not be perfect but this my favorite Mode album because of the theme displayed as the title of the record. It was the most mature album they made at that moment in their career. It has this lively sound with an eternal message of love that's beautiful and powerful in the same breath as you can hear in songs like "I Feel You" and "In Your Room." What I take from this album when I hear it now is the idea of romance that the feelings and emotions of a song like "One Caress" are more memorable than the power pulsing beats of a song like "Rush." It's the intimate moments shared, thoughts, dreams and wishes, between two people is what we miss most when we're alone. And songs like "Judas" echo these sentiments with lyrics like "open yourself to me…if you want my love." Once that is lost or forgotten all that is left is silence that's anything but enjoyable.
It's tricky this amazing thing called love that we are strive and long for and Songs of Faith and Devotion reflects that in just about every song, it's about the passions and problems that is all about modern romance. I do believe in Love, even more so now, after all that has happened to me. I believe that love is a magical thing and that connections between two people as wonderful as they feel are still a mystery to me. What I've learned is that love takes time, love needs to be nurtured, love is something that is shared and even the beauty in a five minute song can sometimes not do justice to love.
I will still continue make CD mixes with songs that celebrate amor because Love, Faith and devotion go hand I hand; you have to believe, let go and be willing to see your love for what it is an honest yet splendid emotion that deserves to be seen and experienced with tender and insightful eyes. It may not be all heaven and hell but sometimes it may feel that way—and in the end, whatever the result, whether it be love or loneliness you can look back and sing these lyrics—"I would do it all again/ lose my way and fall again/ just so I could call again/ on the mercy in you." Then you will now that it was worth it to be faithful and devoted to one you're with or the one you left behind.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
01.31.2007
Depeche Mode
Songs of Faith & Devotion
1993
Mute/Sire/Reprise
I'm the old-school, post modern romantic who believes in lifting my very own present day relationships and turning into them into an unrealistic higher loves. Growing up a teenager in the '80s and early '90s, I loved myself some Depeche Mode. They along with New Order and The Cure and their just like heaven melodies gave me an hopeful impression that love could be like the lyrics in my favorite songs. Looking back, it's not right to take a peace of art, book, movie or music and use that as a foundation for your own life, especially your love life. I was naïve, lovelorn and influenced by the music that became the soundtrack to my life.
Now that I am older, could it be that subconsciously that all of those beliefs that I thought were true in my younger days have affected me and my later years, relationship wise? I've always had this connection with music and love. Whenever I like and/or in love with someone my first reaction is to make them a mix CD. Here, all of the songs on this disc are how I feel about you and how I want our love to be. Thinking about it now, that's a sweet and beautiful thing to do for someone but on the other hand there's a lot of pressure on the receiver to live up to your expectations of love, in regards to the music on the mix.
Thanks to singers like Martin Gore I have had this habit of making the love of my life into angelic creations brought down from the heavens to bring each other love and eternal happiness. This is so unfair, and not just Martin's fault; the majority of the music whether it be by Dylan, Cohen and singers like Buckley, that I have adored and listened to, since I was a niño pequeño, have all taken the subject of love and made them into a perfect melody of longing in five minutes or less, but an other wise unreachable goal.
And no Depeche Mode album truly reflects this more than Songs of Faith and Devotion. The album starts off with the screeching breaks that symbolize the singer stopping his life to serenade his lover as he sings— "You take me where/The kingdom comes/you take me to/and lead me through Babylon." Now what a way to kick off an album, with that killer "Personal Jesus"-esque guitar riff and pounding heart like drum beat when you see your love walking down the street and then David Gahan's vocal brings this all to life when he sings, "This is the morning of our love" on "I Feel You."
"Walking in my Shoes" was always my older brother's favorite Mode song. I can relate to this song now more that I am on my own again. To me it sounds like an older and wiser "Policy of Truth." It has that same kind of rhythm but the Gahan's vocal is more grown when he sings, "Now I'm not looking for absolution/ forgiveness for the things I do/ but before you come to any conclusions/ try walking in my shoes." There's an underlining theme in Faith and Devotion that appears in "Walking in my Shoes" about being judged about the reasons love fades and who's to blame that you can also hear in the gospel-like choruses of "Condemnation."
One of my favorite songs on the album, "Condemnation" starts with a holy drum beat that you would find in a Southern Church and finds singer Gahan singing some of his most heartfelt lyrics ever recorded on a Mode record as he sings, "If you see purity as immaturity/ well it's no surprise/ if for kindness/ you substitute blindness/ please open your eyes." Lyrics like this didn't connect with the younger Mode fans but the older ones related with the idea of being judged by acting out on your emotions for love. Sometimes you get hurt for taking a risk for love and are blamed when it all falls apart. Some of us have been there and Gahan brings this agony to life with his amazing vocal performance on this standout track.
"The Mercy in You" is another one of my highlights because it not only has a good beat but you can feel the depth in the lyrics when Gahan sings, "When here in my mind/ I have been blind/ emotionally behind/ I have faith I will find/ the mercy in you." The search for that intimate connection, beyond words, beyond touch and feel is what I believe Gore was writing about in this song. It's another case for why this is Mode's best album. Because it takes their trademark rhythms and adds and emotional subtext that was missing on most of their most popular records. It has the style and the substance to connect with their audience in an emotional and pleasurable way.
"Get Right with Me" is the stadium anthem of the album, and one of the most preacher-like amidst this album of religious imagery. It's the funkiest song and has the most uplifting message of the album. "Friends, if you've lost your way/ you will find it again some day/ come down from your pedestals/ and open your mouths that's all/ get right with me." This is the perfect antidote to all of those moody Mode classics of yesteryear. When Gahan sings "Life is such a short thing that I cannot comprehend..." he doesn't have all the answers and don't look to him for to find your way. Basically this is a modern day gospel dance song that preaches to the devoted followers of the Church of Mode to have faith and not give up.
"Rush" is classic Mode and not one for me but is a fan favorite because of the electronic power in the backbeat. But to me this song is one of the weakest because it's not in the level with the rest of the other songs. This is more a passionate plea with clichéd lyrics like "I come up to meet you/ up there somewhere/ when I rush to greet you/ my soul is bared." that gets old after a few spins. The other weak song that's the anti-thesis of "Rush" is "Higher Love." Mode tries to hard on this track and all of the images about comparing heaven and love are over-reaching and they fall mightily, making this final cut a heartfelt disappointment.
I always think of love when I hear music like from Songs of Faith and Devotion. Just like Love, it may not be perfect but this my favorite Mode album because of the theme displayed as the title of the record. It was the most mature album they made at that moment in their career. It has this lively sound with an eternal message of love that's beautiful and powerful in the same breath as you can hear in songs like "I Feel You" and "In Your Room." What I take from this album when I hear it now is the idea of romance that the feelings and emotions of a song like "One Caress" are more memorable than the power pulsing beats of a song like "Rush." It's the intimate moments shared, thoughts, dreams and wishes, between two people is what we miss most when we're alone. And songs like "Judas" echo these sentiments with lyrics like "open yourself to me…if you want my love." Once that is lost or forgotten all that is left is silence that's anything but enjoyable.
It's tricky this amazing thing called love that we are strive and long for and Songs of Faith and Devotion reflects that in just about every song, it's about the passions and problems that is all about modern romance. I do believe in Love, even more so now, after all that has happened to me. I believe that love is a magical thing and that connections between two people as wonderful as they feel are still a mystery to me. What I've learned is that love takes time, love needs to be nurtured, love is something that is shared and even the beauty in a five minute song can sometimes not do justice to love.
I will still continue make CD mixes with songs that celebrate amor because Love, Faith and devotion go hand I hand; you have to believe, let go and be willing to see your love for what it is an honest yet splendid emotion that deserves to be seen and experienced with tender and insightful eyes. It may not be all heaven and hell but sometimes it may feel that way—and in the end, whatever the result, whether it be love or loneliness you can look back and sing these lyrics—"I would do it all again/ lose my way and fall again/ just so I could call again/ on the mercy in you." Then you will now that it was worth it to be faithful and devoted to one you're with or the one you left behind.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
01.31.2007
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Review: Moby: Go-The Very Best Of
my moby review can be found on treblezine.com
Moby
Go: The Very Best of
2006
V2
"Is he mad? Anyway there's something on his mind, as sure as there must be something on a deck when it cracks."
This quote from Moby Dick is a perfect description of the man born Richard Melville Hall, or Moby, to you and me. Yes, we all know that his great-great-grand uncle was Herman, the author of Moby Dick, the same book where Richard nicked his alias.
Moby is sort of a techno-fied mad scientist who never failed to create new waves. He always seemed to be shaking up controversy while spinning his trademark body rhythms. If not because of his Bowie-esque chameleon ways of changing musical styles, his devout Christian and vegan beliefs, or his self-image of a book worm/nerd turned punk rock wannabe—Moby has found ways to infuriate his fans all the while influencing a new generation of electronic followers with his unique blend of rock/club anthems that have led him out of synthesized obscurity and into a heavily mocked, yet celebrated, anti-hero; an atypical rags to raver tale worthy of his own Behind The Music special.
I myself always seem to have had discombobulated emotions when it comes to Moby, and his music. It goes from having respect for this DJ turned electro-rocker to disappointment at his choices of musical styles, collaborations or otherwise. During the early nineties I was going to raves and had immersed myself in club culture. One of my earliest dance floor memories was being at a rave and hearing Moby's first hit "Go." The song where he took a sample from the theme from David Lynch's Twin Peaks and added electronic beats to it. It was a dance floor smash and made Moby an immediate icon in the club community.
The one thing I have given Moby props over is that he's never been afraid of offending his rabid fan base. After raving it up for those first few years on the Instinct label, he went all rocker on us with his major releases on the Elektra label, and then it continued to evolve; Moby's output traveling the musical spectrum from techno to punk, then on to an ambient style.
The punk rhythms from some of the tracks off his aptly titled major label debut Everything is Wrong really antagonized his rave audience; much like the Nine Inch Nails crowd turned on Trent Reznor after he went Broken aggro style on us following the success of the very club friendly Pretty Hate Machine.
Moby's audience actually must have thought that he had gone mad, but this didn't stop Mr. Hall. His follow up, Animal Rights, was even more of a thrash-up punk album, which caused Moby's career into a downward freefall that didn't stop until 1999's surprise hit Play. What I loved about the tracks "Natural Blues" and "Why Does my Heart Feel So Bad" on Play was that Moby sampled old blues records, layering them over dance rhythms, the magic of this breathing new life into his music. It was as if Moby inrjected a much needed jolt of soul that was sorely missing from his prior creative output.
Play became (in)famous in the music world and some tainted him with the term sell-out because at the time Moby licensed most of the songs to film, television and commercials. Moby thought this was the only way his album, made in his studio apartment on his own dime, would be heard by the listening public. He did have a point. After his spiral into obscurity Moby's career was heading towards VH-1's Where are they Now territory, but by licensing his music to various media outlets Moby got resurrected, and found respect by critics, and a new audience, alike. He even had a soundtrack hit with the ambient flavored "Porcelain," which was featured in such films as The Beach and Playing by Heart.
18 was the pseudo-sequel, if you will, to Play. It wasn't as successful, but still was an impressive, albeit understated album, including the minor hit, and David Bowie "Heroes" influenced, "We Are All Made of Stars." Moby continued his foray into lending his songs to soundtracks; you may have recognized the song "Extreme Ways" as the theme to the Matt Damon blockbuster The Bourne Identity.
The follow-up to 18 was a concept album based on Moby's fascination with hotels, aptly titled— Hotel. I thought it was Moby's most mature album to date, and his best since Play. Moby continued his mastery of ambient themes and melodies on this record, something that he highlighted on a compilation album I like to Score. Score features Moby's now familiar electronic mood music, and tracks like "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters"; another appearance by a Moby song found in a soundtrack, this time in the Michael Mann film, Heat.
This brings me to Go-The Very Best of Moby. Let me start with my objections—although I like all the songs that Moby selected, I'm greedy; I wanted to hear more. One disc just doesn't do Moby justice.
Absent are Moby's most excellent covers of Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" from the Means to an End tribute disc, and New Order's" Temptation," from Hotel. I would have loved to have heard Moby's tribute to his hero, friend and NYC neighbor David Bowie, "Spiders." Also missing in action is "Flowers," the song that's a close cousin to Play's "Honey", made famous from the soundtrack to Gone in Sixty Seconds.
One thing that bothers me about this CD is the addition of a new track, "New York, New York." This is a practice that really annoys me, and it doesn't just pertain to Moby. When artists add new songs to best of compilations—U2, Patti Smith and Crowded House are a few that come to mind that have committed similar acts—it takes away from the integrity of the collection. Why not just let a best of CD actually be a greatest hits disc, without adding new tracks, which may not be great at all? Doesn't this defy the entire concept? Speaking of, this new track with Deborah Harry is not a new or even interesting tribute to the city that never sleeps. I'm sure New Yorkers will probably have a few words with Señor Hall when they run into him on the streets. I would have rather Moby Go'ed it up and sampled Sinatra's version, merely adding beats to it. Wishful thinking, I guess.
I digress— to me the most disappointing thing was the extra bonus disc of over-remixed club tracks that just doesn't do it for me. I put away my pacifier and glow sticks long ago. I wish Moby would have added a disc on b-sides and underappreciated rarities like he did on the Special Edition of Play. I guess the extra CD on this Best Of is a way of appeasing those club fans that turned on him after he tried to morph into a pseudo-punk rocker.
I do like the sequencing of the non-remix portion of this compilation; Moby blends together old and new, danceable cuts like "Lift Me Up" with ambient gems like "Porcelain." Moby even added the original version of "South Side" sans Stefani and two decent new 2006 mixes of "Go" and "In My Heart." I also appreciate Moby not getting too preachy on the liner notes like he's done before on previous album sleeves. On this disc, Moby leaves his political beliefs behind and lets his music do the singing.
The problem with the majority of greatest hits/best of compilations is that you can't please everyone. Overall, Moby did a respectable job with his choices—after all, they are his songs. Yeah, I admit at times during his career Moby got on my nerves, but this CD represents a musical canon of a composer who's more than just a DJ. Moby makes beautiful music that some of us have matured along with. He has been there through the ecstasy fueled raves and during the comedowns. One thing I can say I took from revisiting these eclectic classics is that we can dream and dance to the muse of an artist who feels his emotions by sharing his beat and breath within; love or loathe him, Moby created memorable rhythms that we will not soon forget.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.22.2006
Moby
Go: The Very Best of
2006
V2
"Is he mad? Anyway there's something on his mind, as sure as there must be something on a deck when it cracks."
This quote from Moby Dick is a perfect description of the man born Richard Melville Hall, or Moby, to you and me. Yes, we all know that his great-great-grand uncle was Herman, the author of Moby Dick, the same book where Richard nicked his alias.
Moby is sort of a techno-fied mad scientist who never failed to create new waves. He always seemed to be shaking up controversy while spinning his trademark body rhythms. If not because of his Bowie-esque chameleon ways of changing musical styles, his devout Christian and vegan beliefs, or his self-image of a book worm/nerd turned punk rock wannabe—Moby has found ways to infuriate his fans all the while influencing a new generation of electronic followers with his unique blend of rock/club anthems that have led him out of synthesized obscurity and into a heavily mocked, yet celebrated, anti-hero; an atypical rags to raver tale worthy of his own Behind The Music special.
I myself always seem to have had discombobulated emotions when it comes to Moby, and his music. It goes from having respect for this DJ turned electro-rocker to disappointment at his choices of musical styles, collaborations or otherwise. During the early nineties I was going to raves and had immersed myself in club culture. One of my earliest dance floor memories was being at a rave and hearing Moby's first hit "Go." The song where he took a sample from the theme from David Lynch's Twin Peaks and added electronic beats to it. It was a dance floor smash and made Moby an immediate icon in the club community.
The one thing I have given Moby props over is that he's never been afraid of offending his rabid fan base. After raving it up for those first few years on the Instinct label, he went all rocker on us with his major releases on the Elektra label, and then it continued to evolve; Moby's output traveling the musical spectrum from techno to punk, then on to an ambient style.
The punk rhythms from some of the tracks off his aptly titled major label debut Everything is Wrong really antagonized his rave audience; much like the Nine Inch Nails crowd turned on Trent Reznor after he went Broken aggro style on us following the success of the very club friendly Pretty Hate Machine.
Moby's audience actually must have thought that he had gone mad, but this didn't stop Mr. Hall. His follow up, Animal Rights, was even more of a thrash-up punk album, which caused Moby's career into a downward freefall that didn't stop until 1999's surprise hit Play. What I loved about the tracks "Natural Blues" and "Why Does my Heart Feel So Bad" on Play was that Moby sampled old blues records, layering them over dance rhythms, the magic of this breathing new life into his music. It was as if Moby inrjected a much needed jolt of soul that was sorely missing from his prior creative output.
Play became (in)famous in the music world and some tainted him with the term sell-out because at the time Moby licensed most of the songs to film, television and commercials. Moby thought this was the only way his album, made in his studio apartment on his own dime, would be heard by the listening public. He did have a point. After his spiral into obscurity Moby's career was heading towards VH-1's Where are they Now territory, but by licensing his music to various media outlets Moby got resurrected, and found respect by critics, and a new audience, alike. He even had a soundtrack hit with the ambient flavored "Porcelain," which was featured in such films as The Beach and Playing by Heart.
18 was the pseudo-sequel, if you will, to Play. It wasn't as successful, but still was an impressive, albeit understated album, including the minor hit, and David Bowie "Heroes" influenced, "We Are All Made of Stars." Moby continued his foray into lending his songs to soundtracks; you may have recognized the song "Extreme Ways" as the theme to the Matt Damon blockbuster The Bourne Identity.
The follow-up to 18 was a concept album based on Moby's fascination with hotels, aptly titled— Hotel. I thought it was Moby's most mature album to date, and his best since Play. Moby continued his mastery of ambient themes and melodies on this record, something that he highlighted on a compilation album I like to Score. Score features Moby's now familiar electronic mood music, and tracks like "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters"; another appearance by a Moby song found in a soundtrack, this time in the Michael Mann film, Heat.
This brings me to Go-The Very Best of Moby. Let me start with my objections—although I like all the songs that Moby selected, I'm greedy; I wanted to hear more. One disc just doesn't do Moby justice.
Absent are Moby's most excellent covers of Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" from the Means to an End tribute disc, and New Order's" Temptation," from Hotel. I would have loved to have heard Moby's tribute to his hero, friend and NYC neighbor David Bowie, "Spiders." Also missing in action is "Flowers," the song that's a close cousin to Play's "Honey", made famous from the soundtrack to Gone in Sixty Seconds.
One thing that bothers me about this CD is the addition of a new track, "New York, New York." This is a practice that really annoys me, and it doesn't just pertain to Moby. When artists add new songs to best of compilations—U2, Patti Smith and Crowded House are a few that come to mind that have committed similar acts—it takes away from the integrity of the collection. Why not just let a best of CD actually be a greatest hits disc, without adding new tracks, which may not be great at all? Doesn't this defy the entire concept? Speaking of, this new track with Deborah Harry is not a new or even interesting tribute to the city that never sleeps. I'm sure New Yorkers will probably have a few words with Señor Hall when they run into him on the streets. I would have rather Moby Go'ed it up and sampled Sinatra's version, merely adding beats to it. Wishful thinking, I guess.
I digress— to me the most disappointing thing was the extra bonus disc of over-remixed club tracks that just doesn't do it for me. I put away my pacifier and glow sticks long ago. I wish Moby would have added a disc on b-sides and underappreciated rarities like he did on the Special Edition of Play. I guess the extra CD on this Best Of is a way of appeasing those club fans that turned on him after he tried to morph into a pseudo-punk rocker.
I do like the sequencing of the non-remix portion of this compilation; Moby blends together old and new, danceable cuts like "Lift Me Up" with ambient gems like "Porcelain." Moby even added the original version of "South Side" sans Stefani and two decent new 2006 mixes of "Go" and "In My Heart." I also appreciate Moby not getting too preachy on the liner notes like he's done before on previous album sleeves. On this disc, Moby leaves his political beliefs behind and lets his music do the singing.
The problem with the majority of greatest hits/best of compilations is that you can't please everyone. Overall, Moby did a respectable job with his choices—after all, they are his songs. Yeah, I admit at times during his career Moby got on my nerves, but this CD represents a musical canon of a composer who's more than just a DJ. Moby makes beautiful music that some of us have matured along with. He has been there through the ecstasy fueled raves and during the comedowns. One thing I can say I took from revisiting these eclectic classics is that we can dream and dance to the muse of an artist who feels his emotions by sharing his beat and breath within; love or loathe him, Moby created memorable rhythms that we will not soon forget.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
11.22.2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Review: Beck: The Information
my beck review can be found on treblezine.com
Beck
The Information
2006
Interscope
I'll admit it— I was hooked on Beck from the start. When I first spun my copy of "Loser" it was like nothing I heard before. Beck was clearly ahead of his time. He had the unique characterization of being a reflection of his listening audience, a generation raised on west coast rappers and northwest rockers. He was the original funky white boy king, so weird that he defies the definition of cool. This led to Beck being labeled the spokesman for the slacker generation, a tag that he resisted and rebelled against.
Beck then confused his new audience, who expected a lyrical sequel to his world wide smash single "Loser," by releasing two lo-fi folk albums, Stereopathtic Soul Manure and One Foot in the Grave. The album that truly opened up his innovative sound was Odelay. Prolific production duo The Dust Brothers had constructed the ideal supersonic audio collages of rock, country and rap, which helped thrust Beck into superstardom. Beck would then go on to release a major label laid back acoustic album, Mutations, helmed by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. It was a trippy, melancholy affair that once again threw off the audience waiting for the proper funky follow-up to Odelay. Beck then attempted to make a Prince like soul-fied funk record, Midnite Vultures that I could never get into—and Lord knows I tried. Vultures was a bit too experimental to score with his fans.
This leads us to my favorite Beck album, Sea Change. Once again produced by Nigel Godrich, this album reflected the pain in Beck's break-up with his then long time girlfriend. Apparently as legend tells it, Beck and his ex shared an e-mail account. Beck came home one day to found an e-mail from his soon to be former girlfriend professing her love for another man. Ouch, what a way to find out your loved one is cheating on you—by e-mail. The result of this failed relationship was this wonderfully somber, yet beautiful album.
Sea Change was one of the many soundtracks to my life during my first year living in New Orleans. I was alone and aching from a break-up from a long time girlfriend just like Beck. And Beck sung so eloquently, as if he was singing my own blues, with his rootsy songs of heartbreak that, in my opinion, rivals Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. After a year of touring with The Flaming Lips, he went on a musical sabbatical and found Scientology. He returned in 2005 with a very cool record Guero that returned him to his west coast roots with the title track as an ode to all of his Latino compadres in the City of Angels.
This brings us to this year's opus for the enigma known as Beck Hansen— The Information. Coming back to produce his third album is Nigel Godrich who has become Scorsese to Beck's De Niro. Their golden collaboration is not only successful critically, but this time, Godrich has helped Beck craft the ultimate album that he has been wanting to make. I feel that this is the album that best defines Beck, and this is why I feel that Godrich is our generation's best producer. He seems to bring out the best in all of the artists he works with, bringing forth the talents of everyone from Radiohead, Travis, Paul McCartney and now Beck. The great thing about Nigel is that there is no trademark Godrich sound, as some enigmatic producers like Dust Brothers, or the infamous wall of sound style that Phil Spector leaves on all the music that he touches. Unlike the Quincy Joneses or George Martins of the world, Godrich started off as an engineer and as everyone in the music business knows, the engineers are the ones who make the records. The producer is like a director who tells the cinematographer what to shoot. I should know because I produced an album in New Orleans for my friend Noelle Link's band Random Thought. I can tell you the engineer did all the work setting up the mics and adjusting the levels; he made my job easier of directing what I wanted the band to sound like. That's why I have the highest respect for Godrich. Nigel is a hands on producer, who knows not only what a good record should sound like but how to physically make one. My guess is that is why so many artists, save for the talentless Strokes, want to work with him.
That being said, this is not a Nigel Godrich album. I just wanted to give him the props he deserves for helping Beck create the best albums of his career, 2002's Sea Change and now The Information. Odelay, Midnite Vultures and Guero were steeped in rhythms and lyrical odes to his not so distant past. Although Beck continues his fascination with vintage sounds, this time around The Information finds Mr. Hansen exploring his trademark eccentric vibes set to the eclectic beats of the future.
This time around it's not just about the music, Beck has made his most introspective and thought provoking album that rivals the passionate heartache of the Sea Change sessions. Instead of singing the addictive disposable pop lyrics, we have adored for the longest time, Beck has matured into a true songwriter, playing upon the theme of the role information plays in the search for spirituality, love and connection in these modern times.
The sound of The Information is otherworldly and hooks you from the beginning. The first track is anything but "elevator music," as the name of the song implies. The mellow beats grab you and they are more than just sampled grooves—you can actually hear real instruments beneath the beats; not just recycled drum loops but soulful piano keys and killer guitar riffs in the mix. The lyrics really connect with me; more so than on any other Beck album, save for Sea Change: "If I could forget myself and find another lie to tell/if I had a soul to sell I'd buy some time to talk to my brain cell." It's not just rapping for the sake of the rhyme. There is a search there, a longing for a song that is not just manufactured like Muzak in an office, or elevator.
"Strange Apparition" takes a "Sympathy for the Devil" type keyboard and turns into a funky gospel-house track. I love the way lyrics, "When the lord rings my front door". harken Beck's unique lyrical flavor as he turns a classic theme, like the Stones ode to Satan, into a modern day commentary on religion. What I like about "Strange Apparition" is that Beck doesn't go out and just give props to the Lord, he sings about lost souls trying to connect with God in this age of technological isolationism.
One of my favorite tracks, `Cellphone's Dead" sounds like a vintage '70s track updated with spaced out rhythms that could be played in a futuristic disco club. The lyrics lift the song from being more than just a song to shake yr thing to, but rather turn it into a lyrical search for the perfect soundtrack to soothe one's soul—"been a long time since a federal dime made a jukebox sound like a mirror in my mind/control my worries fix my thoughts."
If there's one line that can sum up the intellectual brilliance of Beck's new album it has to be from the title track, "The Information"—"The ticker tape feeds the mind/ looking for a lost transmission/a heaven that we left behind/ when the information comes we'll know what we're made from/and the skyline rising high rise eyes see for you." Beck's eerie vocal fits the song's theme about being lost and alienated in a world filled with information overdrive. I love the freaky sound effects, guitar feedback and pounding drum beats that bring to life the theme of the paranoia that exists living in modern America, where information can be manipulated in front of our very eyes.
Listening to The information I am reminded of a quote from the movie Sneakers: "It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!"
It seems to me with the critical success of the Sea Change sessions, that experience has inspired Beck into become more of a cerebral post modern artist; the result being the creation of this incredible album that's full of social commentary on how the control of information affects our lives. It's an interesting concept that's brought to life in such a lively and futuristic manner. The Information moves you in a different way. There's a message to the rhythms that shake you to think as your dancing along to that unmistakable beat.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
10.24.2006
Beck
The Information
2006
Interscope
I'll admit it— I was hooked on Beck from the start. When I first spun my copy of "Loser" it was like nothing I heard before. Beck was clearly ahead of his time. He had the unique characterization of being a reflection of his listening audience, a generation raised on west coast rappers and northwest rockers. He was the original funky white boy king, so weird that he defies the definition of cool. This led to Beck being labeled the spokesman for the slacker generation, a tag that he resisted and rebelled against.
Beck then confused his new audience, who expected a lyrical sequel to his world wide smash single "Loser," by releasing two lo-fi folk albums, Stereopathtic Soul Manure and One Foot in the Grave. The album that truly opened up his innovative sound was Odelay. Prolific production duo The Dust Brothers had constructed the ideal supersonic audio collages of rock, country and rap, which helped thrust Beck into superstardom. Beck would then go on to release a major label laid back acoustic album, Mutations, helmed by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. It was a trippy, melancholy affair that once again threw off the audience waiting for the proper funky follow-up to Odelay. Beck then attempted to make a Prince like soul-fied funk record, Midnite Vultures that I could never get into—and Lord knows I tried. Vultures was a bit too experimental to score with his fans.
This leads us to my favorite Beck album, Sea Change. Once again produced by Nigel Godrich, this album reflected the pain in Beck's break-up with his then long time girlfriend. Apparently as legend tells it, Beck and his ex shared an e-mail account. Beck came home one day to found an e-mail from his soon to be former girlfriend professing her love for another man. Ouch, what a way to find out your loved one is cheating on you—by e-mail. The result of this failed relationship was this wonderfully somber, yet beautiful album.
Sea Change was one of the many soundtracks to my life during my first year living in New Orleans. I was alone and aching from a break-up from a long time girlfriend just like Beck. And Beck sung so eloquently, as if he was singing my own blues, with his rootsy songs of heartbreak that, in my opinion, rivals Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. After a year of touring with The Flaming Lips, he went on a musical sabbatical and found Scientology. He returned in 2005 with a very cool record Guero that returned him to his west coast roots with the title track as an ode to all of his Latino compadres in the City of Angels.
This brings us to this year's opus for the enigma known as Beck Hansen— The Information. Coming back to produce his third album is Nigel Godrich who has become Scorsese to Beck's De Niro. Their golden collaboration is not only successful critically, but this time, Godrich has helped Beck craft the ultimate album that he has been wanting to make. I feel that this is the album that best defines Beck, and this is why I feel that Godrich is our generation's best producer. He seems to bring out the best in all of the artists he works with, bringing forth the talents of everyone from Radiohead, Travis, Paul McCartney and now Beck. The great thing about Nigel is that there is no trademark Godrich sound, as some enigmatic producers like Dust Brothers, or the infamous wall of sound style that Phil Spector leaves on all the music that he touches. Unlike the Quincy Joneses or George Martins of the world, Godrich started off as an engineer and as everyone in the music business knows, the engineers are the ones who make the records. The producer is like a director who tells the cinematographer what to shoot. I should know because I produced an album in New Orleans for my friend Noelle Link's band Random Thought. I can tell you the engineer did all the work setting up the mics and adjusting the levels; he made my job easier of directing what I wanted the band to sound like. That's why I have the highest respect for Godrich. Nigel is a hands on producer, who knows not only what a good record should sound like but how to physically make one. My guess is that is why so many artists, save for the talentless Strokes, want to work with him.
That being said, this is not a Nigel Godrich album. I just wanted to give him the props he deserves for helping Beck create the best albums of his career, 2002's Sea Change and now The Information. Odelay, Midnite Vultures and Guero were steeped in rhythms and lyrical odes to his not so distant past. Although Beck continues his fascination with vintage sounds, this time around The Information finds Mr. Hansen exploring his trademark eccentric vibes set to the eclectic beats of the future.
This time around it's not just about the music, Beck has made his most introspective and thought provoking album that rivals the passionate heartache of the Sea Change sessions. Instead of singing the addictive disposable pop lyrics, we have adored for the longest time, Beck has matured into a true songwriter, playing upon the theme of the role information plays in the search for spirituality, love and connection in these modern times.
The sound of The Information is otherworldly and hooks you from the beginning. The first track is anything but "elevator music," as the name of the song implies. The mellow beats grab you and they are more than just sampled grooves—you can actually hear real instruments beneath the beats; not just recycled drum loops but soulful piano keys and killer guitar riffs in the mix. The lyrics really connect with me; more so than on any other Beck album, save for Sea Change: "If I could forget myself and find another lie to tell/if I had a soul to sell I'd buy some time to talk to my brain cell." It's not just rapping for the sake of the rhyme. There is a search there, a longing for a song that is not just manufactured like Muzak in an office, or elevator.
"Strange Apparition" takes a "Sympathy for the Devil" type keyboard and turns into a funky gospel-house track. I love the way lyrics, "When the lord rings my front door". harken Beck's unique lyrical flavor as he turns a classic theme, like the Stones ode to Satan, into a modern day commentary on religion. What I like about "Strange Apparition" is that Beck doesn't go out and just give props to the Lord, he sings about lost souls trying to connect with God in this age of technological isolationism.
One of my favorite tracks, `Cellphone's Dead" sounds like a vintage '70s track updated with spaced out rhythms that could be played in a futuristic disco club. The lyrics lift the song from being more than just a song to shake yr thing to, but rather turn it into a lyrical search for the perfect soundtrack to soothe one's soul—"been a long time since a federal dime made a jukebox sound like a mirror in my mind/control my worries fix my thoughts."
If there's one line that can sum up the intellectual brilliance of Beck's new album it has to be from the title track, "The Information"—"The ticker tape feeds the mind/ looking for a lost transmission/a heaven that we left behind/ when the information comes we'll know what we're made from/and the skyline rising high rise eyes see for you." Beck's eerie vocal fits the song's theme about being lost and alienated in a world filled with information overdrive. I love the freaky sound effects, guitar feedback and pounding drum beats that bring to life the theme of the paranoia that exists living in modern America, where information can be manipulated in front of our very eyes.
Listening to The information I am reminded of a quote from the movie Sneakers: "It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!"
It seems to me with the critical success of the Sea Change sessions, that experience has inspired Beck into become more of a cerebral post modern artist; the result being the creation of this incredible album that's full of social commentary on how the control of information affects our lives. It's an interesting concept that's brought to life in such a lively and futuristic manner. The Information moves you in a different way. There's a message to the rhythms that shake you to think as your dancing along to that unmistakable beat.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
10.24.2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Review: Frank Black Francis
My review of Frank Black Francis album can found on uncut.net
Come on Pilgrim, you know I love you
The Pixies have reunited…this is how this story ends, but I’m getting way ahead of myself. The artist formally knows as Charles Thompson, then Black Francis, following Frank Black and finally Frank Black Francis is going back to his roots. This was going to be the big news of the summer of 2004, Black Francis revisiting some of his classics; something he would never think of doing, not even during his live tours with the Catholics, but after going through what Frank calls personal therapy and to chill out with age was the first step to reconciliation with his former life as the head of the Pixies.
The first step after therapy was sifting through some demo tapes that he recorded on a walkman before going into the studio for Come on Pilgrim. These acoustic sketches made in 1987 are a glimpse inside the genius that is Black Francis. Stripped away with the buzz riffs of Joey Santiago, Bass lines and backing vocals of Kim Deal and the drumming of David Lovering would seem lacking to some—but to me this shows what an amazing and timeless songwriter Black Francis truly is. Anyone can layer songs with a band but hear these songs naked and fresh display the skeletal basis for future greatness of the band we have grown to adore, The Pixies.
What I love about the first disc is hearing the young Black Francis having fun strumming on his acoustic guitar playing such demos as “Broken Face,” “Oh My Golly,” and “Ed is Dead.” During the beginning of “Caribou” Frank says, “I want this one to sound like Husker Du.” (For those of you who don’t remember Husker Du, another one of the stellar acts of the eighties, fronted by Bob Mould, who’s uncompromising and electrically eclectic styles made them a favorites of the Alternative120 minutes nation.) You can hear the mindset of Black Francis he didn’t want to sound like top 40 hit-makers like the Escape Club or Wang Chung; he wanted to go deeper in the underground mold of Husker Du.
Pere Ubu was another one of those groups who avoided the mainstream with their uncompromising style with demented lyrics and dissonating rhythms even Frank Black could love. Former lead singer of Pere Ubu David Thomas collaborated with the Two Pale Boys, Andy Diagram and Keith Moline. The Two Pale boys are the ones who now have joined Frank Black Francis on disc two. Together with the Two Pale Boys, Frank Black reworks thirteen Pixies classics. Fear not Pixies faithful the result is pure amazement. Would you consider anything less from our beloved Francis?
Before I continue I must add that re-recording classics is not without precedent Lou Reed, Paul McCartney and David Bowie are a few of Rock legends who have gone back and reworked some of their favorite songs. If you don’t think Frank Black Francis doesn’t belong to mentioned with these greats than you need drive your car into the ocean.
Imagine what the Pixies would sound like in a 21st Century pub? Jazzy, hints of electronic flavor and 100% Frank Black. Sounds like greatness to me. Black goes back to the past and rewrites most of the arrangements on disc two. Let me tell you, these aren’t your older brother’s Pixies songs—the arrangements on such classics as “Caribou” have ambient touches, violin’s and trumpets blaring in the background along with Frank’s guitar and trademark howls. Think of being a Cowboy watching the stars in a metropolitan wasteland or a surfer looking at a fading sunset over a row of commercial buildings both in futuristic worlds—you might feel a bit out of place but you would still be in a state of wonder and amazement of scenery and the rhythms floating around you. That’s what the new versions on Disc two sound like. Most of the songs soar but a few like “cactus” might overreach with their arrangements. But the majority of the versions like “Wave of Mutilation” and “Holiday song” soar in their new incarnations.
What I love about these new versions, Frank puts his Pixies voice in the foreground for the first time highlighting the strength of his deranged and unique lyrics. Unbeknownst to some, most of the songs on both discs were written, in the early eighties, for one of Frank’s old flames Jane who would encourage Black to come up with crazy word games and to crack her up he’d write these insane and memorable songs like “Is she weird” for her.
The good news is that if it wasn’t for this two disc set, the Pixies reunion might never have come together. You can hear Frank Black Francis come to terms with his Pixies past and replay some of classic songs with a new fervor and excitement. Soon after these sessions with the Two Pale Boys, the original group Deal, Santiago and Lovering got together to rehearse and now their one their self proclaimed Sell Out Tour.
Now you can hear for yourself the seeds to their reunion on Frank Black Francis—where the past and future collide on an impression collection that is a must for all Pixies’ fans. So before you head out to the reunion shows pick up this instant classic by Francis you will be amazed.
adrian ernesto cepeda
2005
Come on Pilgrim, you know I love you
The Pixies have reunited…this is how this story ends, but I’m getting way ahead of myself. The artist formally knows as Charles Thompson, then Black Francis, following Frank Black and finally Frank Black Francis is going back to his roots. This was going to be the big news of the summer of 2004, Black Francis revisiting some of his classics; something he would never think of doing, not even during his live tours with the Catholics, but after going through what Frank calls personal therapy and to chill out with age was the first step to reconciliation with his former life as the head of the Pixies.
The first step after therapy was sifting through some demo tapes that he recorded on a walkman before going into the studio for Come on Pilgrim. These acoustic sketches made in 1987 are a glimpse inside the genius that is Black Francis. Stripped away with the buzz riffs of Joey Santiago, Bass lines and backing vocals of Kim Deal and the drumming of David Lovering would seem lacking to some—but to me this shows what an amazing and timeless songwriter Black Francis truly is. Anyone can layer songs with a band but hear these songs naked and fresh display the skeletal basis for future greatness of the band we have grown to adore, The Pixies.
What I love about the first disc is hearing the young Black Francis having fun strumming on his acoustic guitar playing such demos as “Broken Face,” “Oh My Golly,” and “Ed is Dead.” During the beginning of “Caribou” Frank says, “I want this one to sound like Husker Du.” (For those of you who don’t remember Husker Du, another one of the stellar acts of the eighties, fronted by Bob Mould, who’s uncompromising and electrically eclectic styles made them a favorites of the Alternative120 minutes nation.) You can hear the mindset of Black Francis he didn’t want to sound like top 40 hit-makers like the Escape Club or Wang Chung; he wanted to go deeper in the underground mold of Husker Du.
Pere Ubu was another one of those groups who avoided the mainstream with their uncompromising style with demented lyrics and dissonating rhythms even Frank Black could love. Former lead singer of Pere Ubu David Thomas collaborated with the Two Pale Boys, Andy Diagram and Keith Moline. The Two Pale boys are the ones who now have joined Frank Black Francis on disc two. Together with the Two Pale Boys, Frank Black reworks thirteen Pixies classics. Fear not Pixies faithful the result is pure amazement. Would you consider anything less from our beloved Francis?
Before I continue I must add that re-recording classics is not without precedent Lou Reed, Paul McCartney and David Bowie are a few of Rock legends who have gone back and reworked some of their favorite songs. If you don’t think Frank Black Francis doesn’t belong to mentioned with these greats than you need drive your car into the ocean.
Imagine what the Pixies would sound like in a 21st Century pub? Jazzy, hints of electronic flavor and 100% Frank Black. Sounds like greatness to me. Black goes back to the past and rewrites most of the arrangements on disc two. Let me tell you, these aren’t your older brother’s Pixies songs—the arrangements on such classics as “Caribou” have ambient touches, violin’s and trumpets blaring in the background along with Frank’s guitar and trademark howls. Think of being a Cowboy watching the stars in a metropolitan wasteland or a surfer looking at a fading sunset over a row of commercial buildings both in futuristic worlds—you might feel a bit out of place but you would still be in a state of wonder and amazement of scenery and the rhythms floating around you. That’s what the new versions on Disc two sound like. Most of the songs soar but a few like “cactus” might overreach with their arrangements. But the majority of the versions like “Wave of Mutilation” and “Holiday song” soar in their new incarnations.
What I love about these new versions, Frank puts his Pixies voice in the foreground for the first time highlighting the strength of his deranged and unique lyrics. Unbeknownst to some, most of the songs on both discs were written, in the early eighties, for one of Frank’s old flames Jane who would encourage Black to come up with crazy word games and to crack her up he’d write these insane and memorable songs like “Is she weird” for her.
The good news is that if it wasn’t for this two disc set, the Pixies reunion might never have come together. You can hear Frank Black Francis come to terms with his Pixies past and replay some of classic songs with a new fervor and excitement. Soon after these sessions with the Two Pale Boys, the original group Deal, Santiago and Lovering got together to rehearse and now their one their self proclaimed Sell Out Tour.
Now you can hear for yourself the seeds to their reunion on Frank Black Francis—where the past and future collide on an impression collection that is a must for all Pixies’ fans. So before you head out to the reunion shows pick up this instant classic by Francis you will be amazed.
adrian ernesto cepeda
2005
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Column: Morrissey: The Light That Never Went Out
my morrissey article can be found on treblezine.com
The Light That Never Went Out
Let me start off by saying I am not a disciple in the church of Mozzer. You could say I once was, long ago, then l lost faith in him but some how I found my way back. But not all the way—let's just say that Morrissey and I have a complicated connection; distant but very respectful.
This is a story that is oh-so familiar to most, of how a Latino teen found guidance and refuge in the music from a band and a man from Manchester. I can tell you when it happened, the moment I became a dedicated follower of Morrissey and The Smiths. It must have been sometime in the late 1980's, as I was in the back of my older hermano's car. He was driving with his then girlfriend in the passenger seat. She would always bring her music in his car, trying to get him to listen to cool new bands.
I still remember crouching down in the back seat as he drove, I could see the stars from where I was sitting. The windows were rolled down and it was another cool summer night in old San Antonio, Texas. Then it happened: I heard the words that changed my life forever.
"Take me out tonight/because I want to see people and I want to see life/driving in your car/I never ever want to go home because I haven't got one/anymore…"
As soon as I heard those words, I finally felt like someone understands my life and how I feel. How could it be? This voice, this guy with an English accent could perfectly articulate how it feels to be an outsider not only in your own city, your own country and your own ethnicity, but also in your family. Whoever this person was, he understood the infinite complexities of my life.
"Who is this?" I asked getting up feeling the wind caressing my face as I heard the music wash over me with a melancholy-like calmness.
"It's The Smiths…" my brother's girlfriend said handing me the cassette cover. (Yes it was that long ago, remember when we would all go by the latest tapes and play them over and over until they warped on our tape decks. This was a more innocent time in our lives before CDs and MP3s.) I remember staring at the green cover, opening up the sleeve and trying to figure out who sung this song? It was some band called The Smiths. The singer was Morrissey, the song was called "There's a Light that Never Goes Out," and I was mesmerized.
That night opened my eyes. I was still trying to find myself and my place in the world. I still had yet to find my voice, but somehow the singer in that song shined a light that would never go out. It may have faded but it will always be there. I still remember that moment like I remember my first Valentine kiss with Laura in third grade or my first apartment in New Orleans; it meant that much to me.
That's what you call powerful music and I feel The Smiths were my Beatles of my generation. Think about it, the sixties were all about peace and love. Okay, so the eighties were not so peaceful and not so lovely. The eighties were a decade of fear the bomb and depression of life and spirit. The Smiths reflected those times and gave us hope with the voice of my generation, Morrissey.
That's when it began for me, Morrissey and I and our complicated connection. Like any other friendship or relationship I've had in my life, we've had our ups and downs. There were times that I just couldn't listen to him. I couldn't because what he sang, with his songs in The Smiths and much later, rang with too much truth that I couldn't handle. But I always went back, to Morrissey and The Smiths; how could I not? They were there for me when I needed them most in those years of confusion and rebellion that all teens go through. But I could especially relate to his lyrics, being a Latino in America.
For the sociologists reading, I am going to explain to you why Morrissey and The Smiths make such an impact in Latino culture. As you may know, great artists in any field have a universal voice that anyone woman or man from any part of the world can understand. For example, The Beatles are popular because they sang about needing love. Love is a universal emotion that we all, as humans, strive for.
The Moz and The Smiths sing about loneliness, heartbreak and feeling alienated. Who in this world hasn't felt out of place and alone in this world? We Latinos are out of place in America because, to put it simple, we don't belong. We're too dark to be seen as white and not dark enough to be accepted in black culture. We are the true American anomaly. Not only that, but in our own family and culture there is a strict Roman Catholic tradition that can also be found in England where Morrissey was born and raised.
And it's not just the Latino population in the west coast. All across America, even in Texas, New Mexico and Chicago, where a large Latino culture is prominent, you will find a large contingent of Morrissey fans. Let me say that not all Latinos are Morrissey fans but many like me are drawn to him because he can feel our pain. Pain is an indiscriminate emotion that everyone feels and the way that Morrissey expresses his longing for happiness is universal.
I can see how some people think it's weird that a lot of Latinos can relate to a sexually ambiguous English singer, but think about the music, it always goes back to the words and his songs. Moz and The Smiths sing about alienation, loss of love and conflict of religion and authority with a romantically poetic feel that Latinos are renowned for. We are known as the Latin Lovers. We are passionate and proud people. And the lyrics of Morrissey directly tune into our passion and estrangement. We look at danger and we laugh our heads off. Songs about famous international playboys, boxers, girlfriends in comas, wonderful women and handsome devils—believe me, we understand.
I, being a poet, clung to his lyrics and more personal songs with The Smiths' like "This Night Has Opened My Eyes," and much later with "Will Never marry," `Sister I'm a Poet," "You've Had Her" and "Lost." He has the voice, the kind of voice that's a combination of Sinatra, Elvis, Bowie and T-Rex. Morrissey seemed sweet and loyal yet lethal with lyrics like, "She used to be nobody's nothing," that could cut you down worse than any weapon ever could.
But it was the lack of voice or Morrissey not showing up at all that put a strain on my admiration for the man and his art. It was during the Kill Uncle tour, his first journey to American since he left The Smiths, and I had tickets to a show in Austin. I could remember the anticipation of going to see my hero in the flesh. The day arrived, driving to Austin from San Antonio my heart was beating fast, it would be just as a magical night as the moment when I first heard his voice in my brothers car ten years earlier. But, it never happened. The night before in Dallas, the crowd rushed the stage and Morrissey ran off stopping the show earlier than expected. The venue where Morrissey was supposed to play, the City Coliseum, had an old fault stage and his tour crew said it was unstable so they canceled the show. My friend said it best, "I thought I was going to be depressed but this is worse having not seeing him at all."
I couldn't listen to Morrissey and The Smiths the same way again. It hurt, how could he just cancel? Why not move the gig somewhere else? I am still waiting for my apology, I'll probably never get it, maybe it would have been a hazard being in there with all of those disciples, but it would have been worth it just to hear one song. Even when he came back to San Antonio many years later, I couldn't go. It was like being stood up by the most popular girl at school once and giving her the opportunity to do it again. Yeah right, nice try Mozzer.
But I went back as I always do, back to the old house. To the songs that saved my life, all of them, the new and the old. It's that connection that I felt in my brother's car during my youth, it was still there. I could never adore Morrissey the same but I still respected him as an artist. So I bought them all, every album from, Beethoven is Deaf, Southpaw Grammar, World of Morrissey, My Early Burglary Years, and even Under the Influence. I own them all — after all, we had been through the good and bad, Morrissey's voice would still stand by me even in school.
I remember when I tried to be shocking when I wore a Charles Manson T-shirt to school and no one said anything. But a week later when I was late for class I threw on my Morrissey t-shirt and all hell broke lose. I remember people whispering, "…that guy's wearing a Morrissey shirt…" with lifted noses and disapproving glances that would have even made The Moz smile.
But it always came back to music, that what bring me back, even many years later. Most people could remember incidents in their life by movies but I go back to points in my life with Morrissey songs. Every heart break with every girl I have known, from Laura, Alexis to Jessica and Heather playing "Will Never Marry" and "Tomorrow." remembered to the sad strings in `Will Never Marry;" going home alone from the clubs listening to "How Soon is Now?" There was the time I finally moved to New Orleans away from my strict Latino family household to the sounds of Viva Hate's "Break Up the Family" and especially with "Late night, Maudlin Street."
Morrissey has always been there like a singing angel slipping in the soundtrack to my life and I have been grateful. So that's why on March 29th I walked into my local CD shop and added Moz's new live album At Earls Court to my collection. I had the same anticipation when I would go purchase his tapes. The feeling was the same, even though I had heard most of these songs before. But hearing "How Soon is Now?" and "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" in a live setting made me feel like I was actually there. Because twenty some odd years later, I'm still there in the back of my hermano's car hearing that song for the first time. That light still burns with a sound so memorable and a voice that always understands.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.12.2005
The Light That Never Went Out
Let me start off by saying I am not a disciple in the church of Mozzer. You could say I once was, long ago, then l lost faith in him but some how I found my way back. But not all the way—let's just say that Morrissey and I have a complicated connection; distant but very respectful.
This is a story that is oh-so familiar to most, of how a Latino teen found guidance and refuge in the music from a band and a man from Manchester. I can tell you when it happened, the moment I became a dedicated follower of Morrissey and The Smiths. It must have been sometime in the late 1980's, as I was in the back of my older hermano's car. He was driving with his then girlfriend in the passenger seat. She would always bring her music in his car, trying to get him to listen to cool new bands.
I still remember crouching down in the back seat as he drove, I could see the stars from where I was sitting. The windows were rolled down and it was another cool summer night in old San Antonio, Texas. Then it happened: I heard the words that changed my life forever.
"Take me out tonight/because I want to see people and I want to see life/driving in your car/I never ever want to go home because I haven't got one/anymore…"
As soon as I heard those words, I finally felt like someone understands my life and how I feel. How could it be? This voice, this guy with an English accent could perfectly articulate how it feels to be an outsider not only in your own city, your own country and your own ethnicity, but also in your family. Whoever this person was, he understood the infinite complexities of my life.
"Who is this?" I asked getting up feeling the wind caressing my face as I heard the music wash over me with a melancholy-like calmness.
"It's The Smiths…" my brother's girlfriend said handing me the cassette cover. (Yes it was that long ago, remember when we would all go by the latest tapes and play them over and over until they warped on our tape decks. This was a more innocent time in our lives before CDs and MP3s.) I remember staring at the green cover, opening up the sleeve and trying to figure out who sung this song? It was some band called The Smiths. The singer was Morrissey, the song was called "There's a Light that Never Goes Out," and I was mesmerized.
That night opened my eyes. I was still trying to find myself and my place in the world. I still had yet to find my voice, but somehow the singer in that song shined a light that would never go out. It may have faded but it will always be there. I still remember that moment like I remember my first Valentine kiss with Laura in third grade or my first apartment in New Orleans; it meant that much to me.
That's what you call powerful music and I feel The Smiths were my Beatles of my generation. Think about it, the sixties were all about peace and love. Okay, so the eighties were not so peaceful and not so lovely. The eighties were a decade of fear the bomb and depression of life and spirit. The Smiths reflected those times and gave us hope with the voice of my generation, Morrissey.
That's when it began for me, Morrissey and I and our complicated connection. Like any other friendship or relationship I've had in my life, we've had our ups and downs. There were times that I just couldn't listen to him. I couldn't because what he sang, with his songs in The Smiths and much later, rang with too much truth that I couldn't handle. But I always went back, to Morrissey and The Smiths; how could I not? They were there for me when I needed them most in those years of confusion and rebellion that all teens go through. But I could especially relate to his lyrics, being a Latino in America.
For the sociologists reading, I am going to explain to you why Morrissey and The Smiths make such an impact in Latino culture. As you may know, great artists in any field have a universal voice that anyone woman or man from any part of the world can understand. For example, The Beatles are popular because they sang about needing love. Love is a universal emotion that we all, as humans, strive for.
The Moz and The Smiths sing about loneliness, heartbreak and feeling alienated. Who in this world hasn't felt out of place and alone in this world? We Latinos are out of place in America because, to put it simple, we don't belong. We're too dark to be seen as white and not dark enough to be accepted in black culture. We are the true American anomaly. Not only that, but in our own family and culture there is a strict Roman Catholic tradition that can also be found in England where Morrissey was born and raised.
And it's not just the Latino population in the west coast. All across America, even in Texas, New Mexico and Chicago, where a large Latino culture is prominent, you will find a large contingent of Morrissey fans. Let me say that not all Latinos are Morrissey fans but many like me are drawn to him because he can feel our pain. Pain is an indiscriminate emotion that everyone feels and the way that Morrissey expresses his longing for happiness is universal.
I can see how some people think it's weird that a lot of Latinos can relate to a sexually ambiguous English singer, but think about the music, it always goes back to the words and his songs. Moz and The Smiths sing about alienation, loss of love and conflict of religion and authority with a romantically poetic feel that Latinos are renowned for. We are known as the Latin Lovers. We are passionate and proud people. And the lyrics of Morrissey directly tune into our passion and estrangement. We look at danger and we laugh our heads off. Songs about famous international playboys, boxers, girlfriends in comas, wonderful women and handsome devils—believe me, we understand.
I, being a poet, clung to his lyrics and more personal songs with The Smiths' like "This Night Has Opened My Eyes," and much later with "Will Never marry," `Sister I'm a Poet," "You've Had Her" and "Lost." He has the voice, the kind of voice that's a combination of Sinatra, Elvis, Bowie and T-Rex. Morrissey seemed sweet and loyal yet lethal with lyrics like, "She used to be nobody's nothing," that could cut you down worse than any weapon ever could.
But it was the lack of voice or Morrissey not showing up at all that put a strain on my admiration for the man and his art. It was during the Kill Uncle tour, his first journey to American since he left The Smiths, and I had tickets to a show in Austin. I could remember the anticipation of going to see my hero in the flesh. The day arrived, driving to Austin from San Antonio my heart was beating fast, it would be just as a magical night as the moment when I first heard his voice in my brothers car ten years earlier. But, it never happened. The night before in Dallas, the crowd rushed the stage and Morrissey ran off stopping the show earlier than expected. The venue where Morrissey was supposed to play, the City Coliseum, had an old fault stage and his tour crew said it was unstable so they canceled the show. My friend said it best, "I thought I was going to be depressed but this is worse having not seeing him at all."
I couldn't listen to Morrissey and The Smiths the same way again. It hurt, how could he just cancel? Why not move the gig somewhere else? I am still waiting for my apology, I'll probably never get it, maybe it would have been a hazard being in there with all of those disciples, but it would have been worth it just to hear one song. Even when he came back to San Antonio many years later, I couldn't go. It was like being stood up by the most popular girl at school once and giving her the opportunity to do it again. Yeah right, nice try Mozzer.
But I went back as I always do, back to the old house. To the songs that saved my life, all of them, the new and the old. It's that connection that I felt in my brother's car during my youth, it was still there. I could never adore Morrissey the same but I still respected him as an artist. So I bought them all, every album from, Beethoven is Deaf, Southpaw Grammar, World of Morrissey, My Early Burglary Years, and even Under the Influence. I own them all — after all, we had been through the good and bad, Morrissey's voice would still stand by me even in school.
I remember when I tried to be shocking when I wore a Charles Manson T-shirt to school and no one said anything. But a week later when I was late for class I threw on my Morrissey t-shirt and all hell broke lose. I remember people whispering, "…that guy's wearing a Morrissey shirt…" with lifted noses and disapproving glances that would have even made The Moz smile.
But it always came back to music, that what bring me back, even many years later. Most people could remember incidents in their life by movies but I go back to points in my life with Morrissey songs. Every heart break with every girl I have known, from Laura, Alexis to Jessica and Heather playing "Will Never Marry" and "Tomorrow." remembered to the sad strings in `Will Never Marry;" going home alone from the clubs listening to "How Soon is Now?" There was the time I finally moved to New Orleans away from my strict Latino family household to the sounds of Viva Hate's "Break Up the Family" and especially with "Late night, Maudlin Street."
Morrissey has always been there like a singing angel slipping in the soundtrack to my life and I have been grateful. So that's why on March 29th I walked into my local CD shop and added Moz's new live album At Earls Court to my collection. I had the same anticipation when I would go purchase his tapes. The feeling was the same, even though I had heard most of these songs before. But hearing "How Soon is Now?" and "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" in a live setting made me feel like I was actually there. Because twenty some odd years later, I'm still there in the back of my hermano's car hearing that song for the first time. That light still burns with a sound so memorable and a voice that always understands.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.12.2005
Best Song Ever: Essay: The Libertines "The Good Old Days"
my libertines best song ever essay can be found on treblezine.com
"The Good Old Days"
The Libertines
Up The Bracket
05.30.2006
"But if you've lost your faith in love and music the end wont be long/ because if it's gone for you then I too may lose it and that would be wrong."
- The Libertines, "The Good Old Days"
The Libertines' "The Good Old Days" captures the running theme that one can hear throughout all of The Libertines' songs-living for the moment. Just like another popular and influential UK band, The Stone Roses, sang on their very own debut album, "The past was yours/ but the future's mine/ you're all out of time."
The Libertines gladly took over where The Roses left off, in spirit more so than in sound, and where Oasis mostly failed. Pete Doherty and Carl Barât created mainstream music that was layered with not only the post modern British rock styling's so missing from the UK scene, but they had the magic ingredient-the substance and underground flavor that lifted The Libertines to automatic iconic status. The Libertines didn't care about fame they played for the love of the music.
"The Good Old Days"' message is simple, the music of the past was prologue, and we, as The Libertines, are here to write the new, to create the music that will change the world. The Libertines were that band. As it is, Doherty and Barât were making quite an impact on the state of modern rock when they disbanded a few years ago. They were the last white hope to save rock and roll. You can hear it in this song. "And it chars my heart to always hear you calling/ calling for the good old days/because there were no good old days/ these are the good old days."
That line reminds me of the old-timers whiling away in pubs, wishing for the glory of the past. But what The Libertines are really singing about is the splendor and brilliance of today. The band practiced what they preached by living for the moment, for better or for worse, as we know have learned and it is captured so brilliantly in this one timeless song.
The Libertines' musical sentiment for tearing up the past by exploring the beauty of the present is one of the reason, to this day I hold this band close to my heart. They refused to be just another Brit Pop band. They came and they conquered. Their lyrics and music spoke to us. The Libertines serenaded us. Everyone-rich, poor, men and women everywhere in the world could relate to The Libertines, just as they could relate to our struggles, our highs and lows-The Libertines were you and me.
Just listen; The Libertines were not just another UK band that rocked for the sake of rocking. There are layers throughout "The Good Old Days." The song starts soft, with Carl's hushed vocal, before kicking in with that amazing guitar riff and the harmonies. They were the masters of capturing the sound, loud and lovely. The sweetness of the introduction merges into a ferocious finale where the band kicks it into gear along with their eloquent harmonies. The banging of the drums and the building of the guitars in dramatic unison announce the coming and arrival of The Libertines.
It's a shame that the legacy of one of my favorite bands ended before fulfilling the promise as felt in songs like "The Good Old Days." The band had the mantle in their sights and just as soon as they appeared, they quickly disbanded, but are not forgotten. The Libertines had the lyrical eloquence of The Smiths matched with the artistic intensity of The Clash. Who will pick up the torch and rewrite the rules like The Libertines? I suppose only time well tell.
Will Doherty and Barât even live up to the pride they created as The Libertines in their later projects? That my friend is the ironic thing; many fans want to go back and relive the glory and the wishful days when Albion, Doherty's dream of utopian Britain, was still alive and in the sights and sounds of their beloved Libertines.
Until then, we can always hear their brilliance and promise over and over again, falling in love with The Libertines music that still touches us and remind us that these, indeed, are the good old days.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
05.30.2006
"The Good Old Days"
The Libertines
Up The Bracket
05.30.2006
"But if you've lost your faith in love and music the end wont be long/ because if it's gone for you then I too may lose it and that would be wrong."
- The Libertines, "The Good Old Days"
The Libertines' "The Good Old Days" captures the running theme that one can hear throughout all of The Libertines' songs-living for the moment. Just like another popular and influential UK band, The Stone Roses, sang on their very own debut album, "The past was yours/ but the future's mine/ you're all out of time."
The Libertines gladly took over where The Roses left off, in spirit more so than in sound, and where Oasis mostly failed. Pete Doherty and Carl Barât created mainstream music that was layered with not only the post modern British rock styling's so missing from the UK scene, but they had the magic ingredient-the substance and underground flavor that lifted The Libertines to automatic iconic status. The Libertines didn't care about fame they played for the love of the music.
"The Good Old Days"' message is simple, the music of the past was prologue, and we, as The Libertines, are here to write the new, to create the music that will change the world. The Libertines were that band. As it is, Doherty and Barât were making quite an impact on the state of modern rock when they disbanded a few years ago. They were the last white hope to save rock and roll. You can hear it in this song. "And it chars my heart to always hear you calling/ calling for the good old days/because there were no good old days/ these are the good old days."
That line reminds me of the old-timers whiling away in pubs, wishing for the glory of the past. But what The Libertines are really singing about is the splendor and brilliance of today. The band practiced what they preached by living for the moment, for better or for worse, as we know have learned and it is captured so brilliantly in this one timeless song.
The Libertines' musical sentiment for tearing up the past by exploring the beauty of the present is one of the reason, to this day I hold this band close to my heart. They refused to be just another Brit Pop band. They came and they conquered. Their lyrics and music spoke to us. The Libertines serenaded us. Everyone-rich, poor, men and women everywhere in the world could relate to The Libertines, just as they could relate to our struggles, our highs and lows-The Libertines were you and me.
Just listen; The Libertines were not just another UK band that rocked for the sake of rocking. There are layers throughout "The Good Old Days." The song starts soft, with Carl's hushed vocal, before kicking in with that amazing guitar riff and the harmonies. They were the masters of capturing the sound, loud and lovely. The sweetness of the introduction merges into a ferocious finale where the band kicks it into gear along with their eloquent harmonies. The banging of the drums and the building of the guitars in dramatic unison announce the coming and arrival of The Libertines.
It's a shame that the legacy of one of my favorite bands ended before fulfilling the promise as felt in songs like "The Good Old Days." The band had the mantle in their sights and just as soon as they appeared, they quickly disbanded, but are not forgotten. The Libertines had the lyrical eloquence of The Smiths matched with the artistic intensity of The Clash. Who will pick up the torch and rewrite the rules like The Libertines? I suppose only time well tell.
Will Doherty and Barât even live up to the pride they created as The Libertines in their later projects? That my friend is the ironic thing; many fans want to go back and relive the glory and the wishful days when Albion, Doherty's dream of utopian Britain, was still alive and in the sights and sounds of their beloved Libertines.
Until then, we can always hear their brilliance and promise over and over again, falling in love with The Libertines music that still touches us and remind us that these, indeed, are the good old days.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
05.30.2006
Best Song Ever: Review: Daniel Lanois "The Maker"
the maker song review can be found on treblezine.com
"The Maker"
Daniel Lanois
Acadie
Everyone knows Lanois as the master producer of such artists as The Neville Brothers, U2, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan but how many can claim to own his magnificent solo albums. Written and recorded in his Kingsway studio in New Orleans, this song inspired me to want to move to New Orleans. "And from the across the great divide/from the distance I saw a light…"To me this song epitomizes my idea of "Myth City," a place where you can go live, breathe and create legends. "I have seen flaming souls/there over east of Eden/burning in the eyes of the maker." Besides it also a killer rhythm track; check out the amazing bass-line by Art Neville, one of the best basslines created by a musician, ever. It adds a layer of darkness to Lanois' enlightened lyrics, another reminder of the city I used to call home.
Just like "My Sweet Lord," this is another spiritual song without being too religious. The thing I love about "The Maker" is that it can be anything to anyone of us, God, inspiration, Love…all of the above. It's a very personal song with a very universal message of rejuvenation.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2006
"The Maker"
Daniel Lanois
Acadie
Everyone knows Lanois as the master producer of such artists as The Neville Brothers, U2, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan but how many can claim to own his magnificent solo albums. Written and recorded in his Kingsway studio in New Orleans, this song inspired me to want to move to New Orleans. "And from the across the great divide/from the distance I saw a light…"To me this song epitomizes my idea of "Myth City," a place where you can go live, breathe and create legends. "I have seen flaming souls/there over east of Eden/burning in the eyes of the maker." Besides it also a killer rhythm track; check out the amazing bass-line by Art Neville, one of the best basslines created by a musician, ever. It adds a layer of darkness to Lanois' enlightened lyrics, another reminder of the city I used to call home.
Just like "My Sweet Lord," this is another spiritual song without being too religious. The thing I love about "The Maker" is that it can be anything to anyone of us, God, inspiration, Love…all of the above. It's a very personal song with a very universal message of rejuvenation.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2006
Best Song Ever: Review: George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"
my sweet lord best song ever review can be found on treblezine.com
"My Sweet Lord"
George Harrison
All Things Must Pass
The question isn't when did my life begin but when did my first memory take place? The answer is in the mid to late 1970's while I was in the womb, mis padres were living in New York City and on the radio was this now-classic song by George Harrison. I have always had a strange connection to this song. I remember rehearing this song again while in high school while in the car with my Madre and recognizing it right away. That's when she said, oh that's the song that was playing all the time on el radio right before you were born. It's kind of remarkable how hearing this song from the womb, to this day, it still resonates with me. The reason I love this song is because it's very spiritual without being overtly religious. And it also has that killer acoustic guitar riff that made me want to pick one up and learn to play the guitar. Isn't that what great music is supposed to do, stay with you through time and inspire you to want to play music? I think so.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2006
"My Sweet Lord"
George Harrison
All Things Must Pass
The question isn't when did my life begin but when did my first memory take place? The answer is in the mid to late 1970's while I was in the womb, mis padres were living in New York City and on the radio was this now-classic song by George Harrison. I have always had a strange connection to this song. I remember rehearing this song again while in high school while in the car with my Madre and recognizing it right away. That's when she said, oh that's the song that was playing all the time on el radio right before you were born. It's kind of remarkable how hearing this song from the womb, to this day, it still resonates with me. The reason I love this song is because it's very spiritual without being overtly religious. And it also has that killer acoustic guitar riff that made me want to pick one up and learn to play the guitar. Isn't that what great music is supposed to do, stay with you through time and inspire you to want to play music? I think so.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
2006
Review: Thom Yorke: The Eraser
my thom yorke review can be found on treblezine.com
Thom Yorke
The Eraser
2006
XL
Thom Yorke was once an enigma to me. He has this mythical persona, eternally eccentric, moody and creative. Before I saw Radiohead live in New Orleans, I imagined him as the man we saw in Meeting People is Easy—a hyper-sensitive paranoid, vegan artist who stays up late writing post modern, cut-up style haiku while listening to old school techno and Charles Mingus. But after seeing how warm and animated he is alive on stage, I realized that the Thom Yorke the singer/songwriting/artist is not the same as the man behind his Stanley Donwood inspired mask. That we music fans tend to confuse our heroes with their lyrical persona is so wrong.
That being said, after experiencing Thom and Radiohead in concert I had more respect and adoration for them as artists. I think some of us take for granted what it takes to make a Radiohead record. Much of the attention is directed toward Thom Yorke, and as such, some believe he is making all of the decisions, but after seeing them live you realize how much Radiohead is a collective entity and not a totalitarian machine. This may be why Thom has gone off and made the record he always wanted to create. We've heard shades of it on Kid A, which now we know was Thom's idea of challenging his band mates to recreate the idea of a Radiohead song. The reason that Kid A is one of my favorite records is because it demands you, the listener, to throw out any preconceptions you may have had about the band and live inside the electronic intimacy of the moment that it was.
If you loved Kid A like I did, then you will adore The Eraser. You can forget any type of OK Computer sound on this album. Make no bones about it, amigos; The Eraser is Thom's baby. You can tell by the sound. It reminds me of the noisy, odd and cerebrally-induced beats of those old Warp Recordings like Aphex Twin's alias Polygon Window and Autechre. The musical theme which started on Kid A has now expanded on The Eraser, finding Thom mixing organic instrumentation and soulful lyrics with analog techno sounds. It works from the opening and title track—starting with organic piano chords being looped over electronic back beats with Thom's aching vocals as he sings, "please excuse me but I got to ask, are you only being nice because you want something?"What's so compelling is the way that the piano and Thom's voice bring this humanistic element that's missing in most of the electro rhythms we hear in clubs and bars everywhere.
Yorke's honest lyrical touches like "The more you erase me/the more I appear" are what make The Eraser more than just a solo excursion in analog and techno culture. "It gets you down…there's no time to analyze" go lyrics to my favorite track on the album, "Analyzze." This may be Thom's message to critics and fans not to decipher every little thing he sings and writes. "Analyze" is the most soulful and cinematic song on the record, and there is so much going on thanks to help from former Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. It's like an elegant symphony of noise and brilliance that we have come to enjoy from this magical, eccentric mind.
"The Black Swan" is another one of my favorite tracks, utilizing a very cool, low, bluesy guitar riff looped with a trip-hop beat. It sounds like a close cousin to Amnesiac's "I Might Be Wrong." And Thom's haunting scat-like background vocals, paired with the lyrics, "this is your blind spot, it should be obvious…this is fucked up," make this track a memorable highlight.
"Harrowdown Hill" begins with a killer bass riff along with an "Idioteque" like back beat. And with lyrics like "I'm coming home… to make it all right/so dry your eyes/ we think the same things and at the same time/ we just can't do anything about it," this could have ended up such a sad song, but in Thom Yorke's world this is an upbeat track with haunting rhythms.
Those expecting The Eraser to be made up of more of the traditional Radiohead OK Computer-like anthems have come to the wrong place. But those in search of a journey inside the eclectic and electronic inspired mind of Thom Yorke should look no further. I would venture to guess even Richard D. James is proud that his Warp Records cohorts can inspire one of our generation's greatest singer/songwriters to create a soundtrack to the modern age with soulful melodies, and memories that will resonate with the listener long after the song fades.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
07.10.2006
Thom Yorke
The Eraser
2006
XL
Thom Yorke was once an enigma to me. He has this mythical persona, eternally eccentric, moody and creative. Before I saw Radiohead live in New Orleans, I imagined him as the man we saw in Meeting People is Easy—a hyper-sensitive paranoid, vegan artist who stays up late writing post modern, cut-up style haiku while listening to old school techno and Charles Mingus. But after seeing how warm and animated he is alive on stage, I realized that the Thom Yorke the singer/songwriting/artist is not the same as the man behind his Stanley Donwood inspired mask. That we music fans tend to confuse our heroes with their lyrical persona is so wrong.
That being said, after experiencing Thom and Radiohead in concert I had more respect and adoration for them as artists. I think some of us take for granted what it takes to make a Radiohead record. Much of the attention is directed toward Thom Yorke, and as such, some believe he is making all of the decisions, but after seeing them live you realize how much Radiohead is a collective entity and not a totalitarian machine. This may be why Thom has gone off and made the record he always wanted to create. We've heard shades of it on Kid A, which now we know was Thom's idea of challenging his band mates to recreate the idea of a Radiohead song. The reason that Kid A is one of my favorite records is because it demands you, the listener, to throw out any preconceptions you may have had about the band and live inside the electronic intimacy of the moment that it was.
If you loved Kid A like I did, then you will adore The Eraser. You can forget any type of OK Computer sound on this album. Make no bones about it, amigos; The Eraser is Thom's baby. You can tell by the sound. It reminds me of the noisy, odd and cerebrally-induced beats of those old Warp Recordings like Aphex Twin's alias Polygon Window and Autechre. The musical theme which started on Kid A has now expanded on The Eraser, finding Thom mixing organic instrumentation and soulful lyrics with analog techno sounds. It works from the opening and title track—starting with organic piano chords being looped over electronic back beats with Thom's aching vocals as he sings, "please excuse me but I got to ask, are you only being nice because you want something?"What's so compelling is the way that the piano and Thom's voice bring this humanistic element that's missing in most of the electro rhythms we hear in clubs and bars everywhere.
Yorke's honest lyrical touches like "The more you erase me/the more I appear" are what make The Eraser more than just a solo excursion in analog and techno culture. "It gets you down…there's no time to analyze" go lyrics to my favorite track on the album, "Analyzze." This may be Thom's message to critics and fans not to decipher every little thing he sings and writes. "Analyze" is the most soulful and cinematic song on the record, and there is so much going on thanks to help from former Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. It's like an elegant symphony of noise and brilliance that we have come to enjoy from this magical, eccentric mind.
"The Black Swan" is another one of my favorite tracks, utilizing a very cool, low, bluesy guitar riff looped with a trip-hop beat. It sounds like a close cousin to Amnesiac's "I Might Be Wrong." And Thom's haunting scat-like background vocals, paired with the lyrics, "this is your blind spot, it should be obvious…this is fucked up," make this track a memorable highlight.
"Harrowdown Hill" begins with a killer bass riff along with an "Idioteque" like back beat. And with lyrics like "I'm coming home… to make it all right/so dry your eyes/ we think the same things and at the same time/ we just can't do anything about it," this could have ended up such a sad song, but in Thom Yorke's world this is an upbeat track with haunting rhythms.
Those expecting The Eraser to be made up of more of the traditional Radiohead OK Computer-like anthems have come to the wrong place. But those in search of a journey inside the eclectic and electronic inspired mind of Thom Yorke should look no further. I would venture to guess even Richard D. James is proud that his Warp Records cohorts can inspire one of our generation's greatest singer/songwriters to create a soundtrack to the modern age with soulful melodies, and memories that will resonate with the listener long after the song fades.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
07.10.2006
Review: The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan
my white stripes review can be found on treblezine.com
The White Stripes
Get Behind Me Satan
2005
V2
My favorite story about Jack White was that while he was an upholsterer in Detroit, many years before he was cranking out riffs on his favorite axe from Montgomery Ward, he would write poems and stick them underneath the furniture he was fixing. So somewhere out there, White Stripes fans, White's odes are hidden deep within random people's houses. I would love to read them and see the mindset of White, back in the day, at a time when he was dedicated to the art of upholstery.
I would love to know what has been in Jack White's creative head recently. Yeah we all know about his personal life but music wise, I must say that I liked their last release Elephant but didn't love it like their breakout album White Blood Cells. Although I loved "Seven Nation Army" and a few other tracks, I was disappointed with the album. It sounded only like more of the same. That guitar and drum rock sound that's been flooding the mainstream with such a formidable force, now seems redundant. I just needed to hear something new and different, not more of the same bangs and riffs. But in reality no one does it like the White Stripes. People may try to emulate them but they are the OGs.
I wasn't really looking forward to hearing Satan, but being a Detroit native, it's in my nature to get behind any artist that hails from the great state of Michigan. That being said, when I first played the new White Stripes album, I was more than surprised—blown away is the word I like to use. This is the album that I have been waiting Jack & Meg White to make since White Blood Cells.
What do I love about it, the piano; Jack White plays the keys like a man possessed. I have always been a fan of the keys, especially by artists such as Mike Garson, who's played with Bowie and NIN, and Buena Vista Social Club's Ruben Gonzalez. The piano sound on Satan dominates the album, more so than White's guitar. It's as if Jack put down his axe and was determined to make an album of piano-based blues. Check out "My Doorbell," the way that Jack plays those keys sounds as if he's in some saloon in the wild, wild west. All I can say is thank you for this Mr. White for such a dramatic and killer sound.
Jack must have been inspired with his parts in the movie Cold Mountain and producing Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose, because the sound is more eclectic, southern and purely electrifying. Just listen to my favorite track, "The Nurse." It has a calypso vibe and in between the tropical sound you hear Jack wailing away on his guitar and Meg smashing her drums like never before. The star of the show to me is still Meg White, the coolest and sexiest drummer on the planet. Her percussion soars to new heights on this album. She's not only the back beat but the back bone to the band. Even Jack would attest without Meg there would be no White Stripes.
After hearing Satan, no one can accuse The White Stripes of trying to mold their style for an MOR sound. On the contrary, they go down the other road with a more experimental vibe that makes Satan one of the most underrated releases of the 2005. You could tell that White's been listening to lots o' Led Zeppelin because some of the tracks like the acoustic "Little Ghost" and the electric "Take Take Take" sound like they could have fit perfectly on Physical Graffiti. Yes, Jack is doing his best Robert Plant with his own Detroit bluesy style. It's more of an ode to Plant and Zep — I bet you even Jimmy Page will name Satan one of his fave albums of the year.
So if you're looking for an album that will not only rock you but enlighteningly challenge you to redefine the sound that is the White Stripes then Get Behind Me Satan is the album for you. Hanging with the devil never sounded this good.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.28.2005
The White Stripes
Get Behind Me Satan
2005
V2
My favorite story about Jack White was that while he was an upholsterer in Detroit, many years before he was cranking out riffs on his favorite axe from Montgomery Ward, he would write poems and stick them underneath the furniture he was fixing. So somewhere out there, White Stripes fans, White's odes are hidden deep within random people's houses. I would love to read them and see the mindset of White, back in the day, at a time when he was dedicated to the art of upholstery.
I would love to know what has been in Jack White's creative head recently. Yeah we all know about his personal life but music wise, I must say that I liked their last release Elephant but didn't love it like their breakout album White Blood Cells. Although I loved "Seven Nation Army" and a few other tracks, I was disappointed with the album. It sounded only like more of the same. That guitar and drum rock sound that's been flooding the mainstream with such a formidable force, now seems redundant. I just needed to hear something new and different, not more of the same bangs and riffs. But in reality no one does it like the White Stripes. People may try to emulate them but they are the OGs.
I wasn't really looking forward to hearing Satan, but being a Detroit native, it's in my nature to get behind any artist that hails from the great state of Michigan. That being said, when I first played the new White Stripes album, I was more than surprised—blown away is the word I like to use. This is the album that I have been waiting Jack & Meg White to make since White Blood Cells.
What do I love about it, the piano; Jack White plays the keys like a man possessed. I have always been a fan of the keys, especially by artists such as Mike Garson, who's played with Bowie and NIN, and Buena Vista Social Club's Ruben Gonzalez. The piano sound on Satan dominates the album, more so than White's guitar. It's as if Jack put down his axe and was determined to make an album of piano-based blues. Check out "My Doorbell," the way that Jack plays those keys sounds as if he's in some saloon in the wild, wild west. All I can say is thank you for this Mr. White for such a dramatic and killer sound.
Jack must have been inspired with his parts in the movie Cold Mountain and producing Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose, because the sound is more eclectic, southern and purely electrifying. Just listen to my favorite track, "The Nurse." It has a calypso vibe and in between the tropical sound you hear Jack wailing away on his guitar and Meg smashing her drums like never before. The star of the show to me is still Meg White, the coolest and sexiest drummer on the planet. Her percussion soars to new heights on this album. She's not only the back beat but the back bone to the band. Even Jack would attest without Meg there would be no White Stripes.
After hearing Satan, no one can accuse The White Stripes of trying to mold their style for an MOR sound. On the contrary, they go down the other road with a more experimental vibe that makes Satan one of the most underrated releases of the 2005. You could tell that White's been listening to lots o' Led Zeppelin because some of the tracks like the acoustic "Little Ghost" and the electric "Take Take Take" sound like they could have fit perfectly on Physical Graffiti. Yes, Jack is doing his best Robert Plant with his own Detroit bluesy style. It's more of an ode to Plant and Zep — I bet you even Jimmy Page will name Satan one of his fave albums of the year.
So if you're looking for an album that will not only rock you but enlighteningly challenge you to redefine the sound that is the White Stripes then Get Behind Me Satan is the album for you. Hanging with the devil never sounded this good.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.28.2005
Review: Paul Westerberg: Besterberg
my paul westerberg review can be found on treblezine.com
Paul Westerberg
Besterberg
2005
Rhino
Some people want to be like Mike. Others prefer to idolize Tom Cruise. I long to be the literary equivalent to Paul Westerberg — an artist with a dyslexic heart who can't hardly wait to be anywhere, better than here. Someone who's not content and loves taking risks with a creative mindset of "I have nothing to lose if let it ride on this line and sing it in my own style."
I love the way that Westerberg has become an artist who doesn't care about perfection but lives for the moment, the single take — with warts, mistakes and all. To Paul and to me, it's not about flawlessness, it's about the feeling and emotion you get while listening, reading or seeing the work of an artist. Just listen to his recent recordings on Vagrant — Stereo/Mono, Come Feel Me Tremble and Folker; they are sneak peaks into the voice of an artist who doesn't believe in getting it right but in capturing the essence of creative spontaneity in the span of his ageless songs.
Westerberg has come along way from his days hanging with his gang of hooligans (a.k.a. The Replacements) who, one could argue were, the Brian Jonestown Massacre of the eighties with a little riotous Rolling Stones misbehavior thrown in for good measure. They were the band that was loved by critics, labels and fans alike but because of self-sabotaging on-stage debauchery. It kept them from becoming like R.E.M. and U2 the biggest and unforgettable band of the decade. Whenever I think of The Replacements the phrase that comes to mind is all that could have been.
My favorite tale from the 'Mats era was the time they broke into their label to steal the masters to stop them from being released on CD. They wanted to throw the masters into the river hoping fellow Minneapolis musician Prince would see the tapes and rescue them from being destroyed. That's why I love these guys, even though their romanticized craziness kept them from crossing over into the mainstream.
But Los 'Mats did make a mark, because of Westerberg's songs. They were and still are one of the most influential bands that came from the eighties. Listen to their records Tim, Let it Be or Pleased to Meet Me and you will hear the unbridled enthusiasm of four men — drummer Chris Mars, bassist Tommy Stinson, his brother guitarist Bob Stinson and of course Paul Westerberg on guitar and vocals — who could light the spark with riffs that would rock the house and bring it down with ballads that drip a tear inside yr favorite alcoholic beverage. The 'Mats as a band were the epitome of the lover and the fighter in the movies. They were the band you loved to hate. The ones who always let you down but you always came back with lyrics like "Meet me any place or anywhere at any time now I don't care/Meet me tonight/If you will dare, I will dare."
So after signing to Warner Bros., who tried to gloss up the Mats sound with Don't Tell a Soul, even with a modest MTV hit, "I'll be you," the band disintegrated and eventually disbanded before their last record All Shook Down was released. Westerberg wanted to release Down as a solo album but the label refused. After a half-hearted tour Westerberg finally left the band to start the solo career which he began on the 'Mats last album.
Besterberg finds Rhino releasing the best of Paul's solo output since 1992. Starting with my favorite song from the soundtrack to Singles, "Dyslexic Heart" and through "What a day (for a night)" from Come Feel Me Tremble. I call this collection The Splendid Rescue. Twenty songs saved from commercial obscurity and the record buying public's overall ignorance to the genius of one of our generation's underrated singer/songwriters.
It's actually pretty simple folks: just buy this CD press play and for those of you unfamiliar with The 'Mats and/or Westerberg you will hear it from the first chords of "Knocking on Mine." You will discover why Paul Westerberg is the first things Keith Richards listens to when he's recording with Stones in the studio. Then skip to the stinging beauty of "It's a Wonderful Lie," Westerberg stripped just with his aching voice and simple yet memorable lines like "The truth is overrated…I suppose." Even when he sings Lennon's "Nowhere Man" you can feel the misunderstood outcast that Westerberg's voice perfectly relates to in this soon to be acoustic classic.
For die hard fans there are a few previously unreleased cuts from the Eventually sessions, like an alternative mix of "Once Around the Weekend," the Dylan-esque "All That I Had" and the killer "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon."
In 1991, Spin Magazine wrote that Paul Westerberg had "The Soul of Rock & Roll." Almost fifteen years later you can hear why when you pick up your copy of Besterberg. All you have to do is throw on the CD and listen to the sounds of a man all but ignored who will continue to rock from his basement-like gutter while serenading to the stars. What are you waiting for? Let the bad times roll—believe me; you'll thank me for it.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.13.2005
Paul Westerberg
Besterberg
2005
Rhino
Some people want to be like Mike. Others prefer to idolize Tom Cruise. I long to be the literary equivalent to Paul Westerberg — an artist with a dyslexic heart who can't hardly wait to be anywhere, better than here. Someone who's not content and loves taking risks with a creative mindset of "I have nothing to lose if let it ride on this line and sing it in my own style."
I love the way that Westerberg has become an artist who doesn't care about perfection but lives for the moment, the single take — with warts, mistakes and all. To Paul and to me, it's not about flawlessness, it's about the feeling and emotion you get while listening, reading or seeing the work of an artist. Just listen to his recent recordings on Vagrant — Stereo/Mono, Come Feel Me Tremble and Folker; they are sneak peaks into the voice of an artist who doesn't believe in getting it right but in capturing the essence of creative spontaneity in the span of his ageless songs.
Westerberg has come along way from his days hanging with his gang of hooligans (a.k.a. The Replacements) who, one could argue were, the Brian Jonestown Massacre of the eighties with a little riotous Rolling Stones misbehavior thrown in for good measure. They were the band that was loved by critics, labels and fans alike but because of self-sabotaging on-stage debauchery. It kept them from becoming like R.E.M. and U2 the biggest and unforgettable band of the decade. Whenever I think of The Replacements the phrase that comes to mind is all that could have been.
My favorite tale from the 'Mats era was the time they broke into their label to steal the masters to stop them from being released on CD. They wanted to throw the masters into the river hoping fellow Minneapolis musician Prince would see the tapes and rescue them from being destroyed. That's why I love these guys, even though their romanticized craziness kept them from crossing over into the mainstream.
But Los 'Mats did make a mark, because of Westerberg's songs. They were and still are one of the most influential bands that came from the eighties. Listen to their records Tim, Let it Be or Pleased to Meet Me and you will hear the unbridled enthusiasm of four men — drummer Chris Mars, bassist Tommy Stinson, his brother guitarist Bob Stinson and of course Paul Westerberg on guitar and vocals — who could light the spark with riffs that would rock the house and bring it down with ballads that drip a tear inside yr favorite alcoholic beverage. The 'Mats as a band were the epitome of the lover and the fighter in the movies. They were the band you loved to hate. The ones who always let you down but you always came back with lyrics like "Meet me any place or anywhere at any time now I don't care/Meet me tonight/If you will dare, I will dare."
So after signing to Warner Bros., who tried to gloss up the Mats sound with Don't Tell a Soul, even with a modest MTV hit, "I'll be you," the band disintegrated and eventually disbanded before their last record All Shook Down was released. Westerberg wanted to release Down as a solo album but the label refused. After a half-hearted tour Westerberg finally left the band to start the solo career which he began on the 'Mats last album.
Besterberg finds Rhino releasing the best of Paul's solo output since 1992. Starting with my favorite song from the soundtrack to Singles, "Dyslexic Heart" and through "What a day (for a night)" from Come Feel Me Tremble. I call this collection The Splendid Rescue. Twenty songs saved from commercial obscurity and the record buying public's overall ignorance to the genius of one of our generation's underrated singer/songwriters.
It's actually pretty simple folks: just buy this CD press play and for those of you unfamiliar with The 'Mats and/or Westerberg you will hear it from the first chords of "Knocking on Mine." You will discover why Paul Westerberg is the first things Keith Richards listens to when he's recording with Stones in the studio. Then skip to the stinging beauty of "It's a Wonderful Lie," Westerberg stripped just with his aching voice and simple yet memorable lines like "The truth is overrated…I suppose." Even when he sings Lennon's "Nowhere Man" you can feel the misunderstood outcast that Westerberg's voice perfectly relates to in this soon to be acoustic classic.
For die hard fans there are a few previously unreleased cuts from the Eventually sessions, like an alternative mix of "Once Around the Weekend," the Dylan-esque "All That I Had" and the killer "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon."
In 1991, Spin Magazine wrote that Paul Westerberg had "The Soul of Rock & Roll." Almost fifteen years later you can hear why when you pick up your copy of Besterberg. All you have to do is throw on the CD and listen to the sounds of a man all but ignored who will continue to rock from his basement-like gutter while serenading to the stars. What are you waiting for? Let the bad times roll—believe me; you'll thank me for it.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.13.2005
Review: Martha Wainwright: Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole
my martha wainwright review can be found on treblezine.com
Martha Wainwright
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole
2005
Zöe - Rounder
Martha Wainwright has quite the family lineage, being the offspring of Loudon Wainwright III and folk singer Kate McGarrigle and having the very infamous hermanito Rufus; it's no surprise to anyone that she would be inclined to express herself musically. And of everyone in her family, this girl has the spark — the songwriting stylings of her father and the voice of her mother. And let me say that I am a fan of Rufus, but Martha has that edge, vocally and lyrically that's missing from his muse.
So besides having the best title for a record this year, Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole, to me is a statement of her brevity. This is Martha announcing to the music world "look out! This is me — I am singer, hear me loud and proud!" And I am one music fan who's glad that she's finally arrived.
So if you're wondering who Martha sounds like, think a young Emmylou Harris meets the lyricism of early Ani Difranco of old. Martha's writing and recording songs that would make Ani proud. I wish Ani was making music like this — cutting edge, brash and alluring.
"Poetry is no place for a heart that's whore." That's the first line of opening title track on Martha's EP. What a way to open a song, through out this record Martha croons confessions, stripped, lyrically and musically beautiful with her acoustic guitar. Co-producer does right by showcasing Martha's voice and not trying to lay too many effects and vibes by letting her songs shine alone. I loved the skronky feedback in "It's Over." The way Martha wails over the electric guitar, I can picture her outside of someone's NYC apartment with her amp playing the fuck out of this song just so he could hear how she feels. I felt her pain.
Although "When the Day is Short," is the only song with a full band, it's every bit as effective as the rest of the album. As Martha sings, "I don't care if you love me tomorrow…I'll be alright," you actually believe her. I love the slight pause before the end, wishing the song wouldn't end. That's when you know you have discovered a great artist — you need to hear more of her. The only drawback of Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole is that it's only an EP. I wanted to hear so much more of Martha Wainwright.
You may have seen Martha sing backup for her brother on one of his many Want One tours. And her music was also featured in the Laura Linney motion picture P.S., so don't be surprised to hear more of this wonderful young singer/songwriter. I can't wait until her full-length album comes out. If this EP is any indication I'm sure it's going to be Bloody Fucking Amazing.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
03.02.2005
Martha Wainwright
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole
2005
Zöe - Rounder
Martha Wainwright has quite the family lineage, being the offspring of Loudon Wainwright III and folk singer Kate McGarrigle and having the very infamous hermanito Rufus; it's no surprise to anyone that she would be inclined to express herself musically. And of everyone in her family, this girl has the spark — the songwriting stylings of her father and the voice of her mother. And let me say that I am a fan of Rufus, but Martha has that edge, vocally and lyrically that's missing from his muse.
So besides having the best title for a record this year, Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole, to me is a statement of her brevity. This is Martha announcing to the music world "look out! This is me — I am singer, hear me loud and proud!" And I am one music fan who's glad that she's finally arrived.
So if you're wondering who Martha sounds like, think a young Emmylou Harris meets the lyricism of early Ani Difranco of old. Martha's writing and recording songs that would make Ani proud. I wish Ani was making music like this — cutting edge, brash and alluring.
"Poetry is no place for a heart that's whore." That's the first line of opening title track on Martha's EP. What a way to open a song, through out this record Martha croons confessions, stripped, lyrically and musically beautiful with her acoustic guitar. Co-producer does right by showcasing Martha's voice and not trying to lay too many effects and vibes by letting her songs shine alone. I loved the skronky feedback in "It's Over." The way Martha wails over the electric guitar, I can picture her outside of someone's NYC apartment with her amp playing the fuck out of this song just so he could hear how she feels. I felt her pain.
Although "When the Day is Short," is the only song with a full band, it's every bit as effective as the rest of the album. As Martha sings, "I don't care if you love me tomorrow…I'll be alright," you actually believe her. I love the slight pause before the end, wishing the song wouldn't end. That's when you know you have discovered a great artist — you need to hear more of her. The only drawback of Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole is that it's only an EP. I wanted to hear so much more of Martha Wainwright.
You may have seen Martha sing backup for her brother on one of his many Want One tours. And her music was also featured in the Laura Linney motion picture P.S., so don't be surprised to hear more of this wonderful young singer/songwriter. I can't wait until her full-length album comes out. If this EP is any indication I'm sure it's going to be Bloody Fucking Amazing.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
03.02.2005
Review: Various Artists: Sweetheart
my sweetheart review can be found on treblezine.com
Various Artists
Sweetheart
2005
Hear Music
"Love Anew…" Those are the first words in the liner notes of Sweetheart, this fabulous compilation brought to you by Hear Music on XM Satellite Radio. I say this because this CD reflects the amazing night I had on Valentine's with an amazing woman. It's eerie how sometimes art reflects our own lives. Sometimes we watch a movie or a TV Show and there's a scene that so similar to something that we are going through ourselves. The same can be said for novels and of course, music.
So this brings me to Sweetheart, one of the true rare finds released for those love birds on the most romantic day of the year. Take fifteen of some of the most timeless love songs ever and hear them all remade some of this generation's most gifted young artists. Sweetheart starts off with an amazing version of "My Funny Valentine" by Rufus Wainwright. I first heard Rufus sing this on Valentine's Day a few years ago on Letterman. That version remains unreleased, but Rufus re-recorded it with Rob Burger on piano. Turn down lights down low, light a candle and let Rufus put you in the mood; a most excellent way to start of a CD.
Portland, Oregon's very own M. Ward returns from his critically acclaimed lo-fi epic Transfiguration of Vincent to remake Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door." Ward slows down the song and adds a remarkable pedal steel guitar riffs courtesy of Paul Brainard. The steel makes the song a post-modern classic.
Some other highlights are Calexico's version of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Michal Gira, of the Swans, and his versions recorded in the '80s is still my favorite, but, Calexico mix Gira's acoustic version with Joy Division's upbeat Manchester sound.
Speaking Madchester, wait till you hear Joesph Arthur's remake of The Smiths' "There is a Light That Never Goes Out." Recorded with Jeff Buckley's former flame Joan Wasser on violin, this version does right Morrissey and Marr's classic. Probably one of the best Smiths covers ever, and what a voice by Joesph Arthur—maybe he should remake the whole The Queen is Dead. Yes, he is that good.
Some more gems include Neko Case with her sweet voice doing justice to Bob by covering the Dylan classic "Buckets of Rain;" Madeleine Peyroux's doing her best Billie Holliday with her take on Lillian "Lil" Green's "Give your Mama a Smile;" and my favorite — Martina Topley-Bird doing a 21st Century doo-wop version of The Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You." I can't forget Jim White's reading of Bill Withers' hit "Use Me." White transforms Withers' soul vibe into his banjo-fueled modern-day Americana sound.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.21.2005
Various Artists
Sweetheart
2005
Hear Music
"Love Anew…" Those are the first words in the liner notes of Sweetheart, this fabulous compilation brought to you by Hear Music on XM Satellite Radio. I say this because this CD reflects the amazing night I had on Valentine's with an amazing woman. It's eerie how sometimes art reflects our own lives. Sometimes we watch a movie or a TV Show and there's a scene that so similar to something that we are going through ourselves. The same can be said for novels and of course, music.
So this brings me to Sweetheart, one of the true rare finds released for those love birds on the most romantic day of the year. Take fifteen of some of the most timeless love songs ever and hear them all remade some of this generation's most gifted young artists. Sweetheart starts off with an amazing version of "My Funny Valentine" by Rufus Wainwright. I first heard Rufus sing this on Valentine's Day a few years ago on Letterman. That version remains unreleased, but Rufus re-recorded it with Rob Burger on piano. Turn down lights down low, light a candle and let Rufus put you in the mood; a most excellent way to start of a CD.
Portland, Oregon's very own M. Ward returns from his critically acclaimed lo-fi epic Transfiguration of Vincent to remake Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door." Ward slows down the song and adds a remarkable pedal steel guitar riffs courtesy of Paul Brainard. The steel makes the song a post-modern classic.
Some other highlights are Calexico's version of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Michal Gira, of the Swans, and his versions recorded in the '80s is still my favorite, but, Calexico mix Gira's acoustic version with Joy Division's upbeat Manchester sound.
Speaking Madchester, wait till you hear Joesph Arthur's remake of The Smiths' "There is a Light That Never Goes Out." Recorded with Jeff Buckley's former flame Joan Wasser on violin, this version does right Morrissey and Marr's classic. Probably one of the best Smiths covers ever, and what a voice by Joesph Arthur—maybe he should remake the whole The Queen is Dead. Yes, he is that good.
Some more gems include Neko Case with her sweet voice doing justice to Bob by covering the Dylan classic "Buckets of Rain;" Madeleine Peyroux's doing her best Billie Holliday with her take on Lillian "Lil" Green's "Give your Mama a Smile;" and my favorite — Martina Topley-Bird doing a 21st Century doo-wop version of The Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You." I can't forget Jim White's reading of Bill Withers' hit "Use Me." White transforms Withers' soul vibe into his banjo-fueled modern-day Americana sound.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.21.2005
Review: Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth
my nine inch nails review can be found on treblezine.com
Nine Inch Nails
With Teeth
2005
Interscope
When I tell friends and acquaintances that I lived in New Orleans, besides inquiring about Mardi Gras, the two names that they ask about are usually Anne Rice and Trent Reznor. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting or seeing Madame Rice, Reznor was actually a neighbor of mine. We were far from buddies and I doubt I would call us friends, but I did have the great fortune of meeting and talking to him on a number of occasions. The first time was after a The The show at the House of Blues where I spoke with Trent for a few minutes. He was very friendly, kind and respectful, far from the Dark Lord Prima Donna I had heard about. What I remember most about meeting Reznor that night and every other time was the fact that Trent would always shake my hand. How many people can say that they actually spoke to one of their idols and they shook your hand afterwards?
Enough with the chisme, as an old friend used to tell me, and on with the music. From the first single "Down on It" in 1989, I have been a supporter of Nine Inch Nails, even being one of the first in my high school class to have their tape and t-shirt. What is it about Nine Inch Nails that gives them such a deep connection with their audience? It has to be the hurt and the rejection that we all feel. I believe that Reznor completely personifies the agony in our pain with his trademark aggro style.
Many fans still think that The Downward Spiral is Nine Inch Nails' best record but I am partial to The Fragile, which I say is a brave and beautiful masterpiece. I remember when it was released. I was working a dead-end office job and I used to have this cheap-o boom-box that I would jam tapes on, much to my co-workers' chagrin — The Fragile was one that I would play over and over again. I must have played it over a million times but it got me through those bad days. And I told Reznor so when I first met him.
The thing I loved about The Fragile was that fact that it wasn't in your face like Spiral, that you really have to sit down dissect and listen to it. It's not a record with singles like "Closer" that jump out at you. You have to let the record wash over you and reflect on it as if you're observing a piece of art at the Louvre in Paris.
With Teeth, however, is a record that will satisfy most Nine Inch Nails fans. I love the way Reznor transitions the songs on the record from the hushed to the hellacious. It starts off with the low keyboard-layered "All the Love in the World" and moves into the drum and bass metal of "You Know Who You Are."
I have to admit when I first heard the first single "The Hand That Feeds," I had my doubts. I worried would this be the record by Nine Inch Nails that would finally let me down. After my first spin, my worries were laid to rest. Teeth sounds like a tighter, more focused version of The Fragile with elements of industrial metal of Broken, and controlled musical chaos of The Downward Spiral.
My favorite track has to be "All the Love in the World." I love the way he layers the vocals, a-la Brian Wilson, towards the latter half. It adds a bit of beauty to it and lifts the track from being just another angry song to another level. Other highlights include the "Billie Jean"-inspired backbeat and "Down In It"-reflective lyrics on "Only." Reznor has definitely brought out his best on With Teeth. All the elements are here, especially the hardcore drums, which stand out thanks to help from Dave Grohl and Jerome Dillon on "The Collector." The Mike Garson-inspired keyboard arise throughout and Reznor's trademark angry poetic musings screaming and sometimes whispered are all around on this stunning album.
It's time to welcome Trent Reznor back into our lives. Open wide and let With Teeth find a home inside. You will not forget the aftertaste of Teeth —captivating, dangerous and 100% Nine Inch Nails.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
05.16.2005
Nine Inch Nails
With Teeth
2005
Interscope
When I tell friends and acquaintances that I lived in New Orleans, besides inquiring about Mardi Gras, the two names that they ask about are usually Anne Rice and Trent Reznor. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting or seeing Madame Rice, Reznor was actually a neighbor of mine. We were far from buddies and I doubt I would call us friends, but I did have the great fortune of meeting and talking to him on a number of occasions. The first time was after a The The show at the House of Blues where I spoke with Trent for a few minutes. He was very friendly, kind and respectful, far from the Dark Lord Prima Donna I had heard about. What I remember most about meeting Reznor that night and every other time was the fact that Trent would always shake my hand. How many people can say that they actually spoke to one of their idols and they shook your hand afterwards?
Enough with the chisme, as an old friend used to tell me, and on with the music. From the first single "Down on It" in 1989, I have been a supporter of Nine Inch Nails, even being one of the first in my high school class to have their tape and t-shirt. What is it about Nine Inch Nails that gives them such a deep connection with their audience? It has to be the hurt and the rejection that we all feel. I believe that Reznor completely personifies the agony in our pain with his trademark aggro style.
Many fans still think that The Downward Spiral is Nine Inch Nails' best record but I am partial to The Fragile, which I say is a brave and beautiful masterpiece. I remember when it was released. I was working a dead-end office job and I used to have this cheap-o boom-box that I would jam tapes on, much to my co-workers' chagrin — The Fragile was one that I would play over and over again. I must have played it over a million times but it got me through those bad days. And I told Reznor so when I first met him.
The thing I loved about The Fragile was that fact that it wasn't in your face like Spiral, that you really have to sit down dissect and listen to it. It's not a record with singles like "Closer" that jump out at you. You have to let the record wash over you and reflect on it as if you're observing a piece of art at the Louvre in Paris.
With Teeth, however, is a record that will satisfy most Nine Inch Nails fans. I love the way Reznor transitions the songs on the record from the hushed to the hellacious. It starts off with the low keyboard-layered "All the Love in the World" and moves into the drum and bass metal of "You Know Who You Are."
I have to admit when I first heard the first single "The Hand That Feeds," I had my doubts. I worried would this be the record by Nine Inch Nails that would finally let me down. After my first spin, my worries were laid to rest. Teeth sounds like a tighter, more focused version of The Fragile with elements of industrial metal of Broken, and controlled musical chaos of The Downward Spiral.
My favorite track has to be "All the Love in the World." I love the way he layers the vocals, a-la Brian Wilson, towards the latter half. It adds a bit of beauty to it and lifts the track from being just another angry song to another level. Other highlights include the "Billie Jean"-inspired backbeat and "Down In It"-reflective lyrics on "Only." Reznor has definitely brought out his best on With Teeth. All the elements are here, especially the hardcore drums, which stand out thanks to help from Dave Grohl and Jerome Dillon on "The Collector." The Mike Garson-inspired keyboard arise throughout and Reznor's trademark angry poetic musings screaming and sometimes whispered are all around on this stunning album.
It's time to welcome Trent Reznor back into our lives. Open wide and let With Teeth find a home inside. You will not forget the aftertaste of Teeth —captivating, dangerous and 100% Nine Inch Nails.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
05.16.2005
Review: Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
my paul mccartney review can be found on treblezine.com
Paul McCartney
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
2005
Capitol
It was never cool to be a fan of Sir Paul McCartney. I always heard it from my hardcore rock geek friends; during the height of the grunge era of the mid-'90s, I would be the one playing Flowers in the Dirt and Off the Ground. But what they never understood was that Paul and The Beatles were the first rock band that I ever loved. Those mocking fools didn't understand that without McCartney and the Fabs rock music would not be as popular and interesting as it is today.
When I think of Paul and The Beatles, I think of good memories. The first record mis padres ever bought me was the The Beatles' "blue" compilation, 1967-1970. Those were the times mis hermanos and I pretended to be the Fab Four, lip-synching in front of our record player. I would always want to be Paul. I can't forget when my Mami would line us up in the bathroom to give us Beatles haircuts with newspaper spread over the bathroom tiles, I would hold my vinyl copy of A Hard Days Night and say, "Make me look like Paul." Even at that young age, I knew that the majority of those hot women were chasing after him.
My regard for Macca didn't end in my youth. I stuck with him when his Back in the U.S.S.R. import album, CHOBA B CCCP, came out in Russia. Or 1989's Tripping the Live Fantastic double live disc was released from his first in America tour since he disbanded Wings. I finally saw him in concert a few years ago in New Orleans, for his Back in the U.S. tour. Paul played my favorite Beatle song, "Let It Be." It was the same song that I recorded as a gift for my Mami for Mothers Day with some musician and engineer friends of mine, in a studio in the Big Easy. It was memorable experience and one that I will never forget. Especially because it was in New Orleans, with Paul as my inspirational guide, I first learned to play guitar to the cords of "Let It Be."
This is why I have stood by Macca after all of these years. It kind of like the same reason why Pablo Neruda is my favorite poet; If you want to argue who wrote some of the best love songs in the past forty years Paul's words will be there nine out of ten of the times. This doesn't mean that everything Paul writes and records touches gold, for every brilliant Ram and Band on the Run there's a Back to the Egg and Pipes of Peace. I think Paul said it best when he sings, on the first song on his new album, "there's a fine line between chaos and creation" Truer words have never been spoken.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard has some of the best music that Paul has recorded in years. It's not all perfect but most the best tracks on Chaos rival anything on Flowers in the Dirt and Flaming Pie. What I love about Chaos and what I didn't like about the over produced Driving Rain is that this new CD has Paul is being Paul; something that we haven't heard from him in ages. Unlike the Rolling Stones, Paul acts his age on his new record. Listen to the track "English Tea" which Paul sings about a British sophisticate enjoying his daily ritual. For the first time in years, Macca sounds like a man being comfortable about growing old and sings with a sense of vulnerability that is missing from most major artists in music today. It takes guts to show your emotions and let all hang out with such delicate pieces of music. I think Chaos is the ying to Run Devil Run's yang which is a good thing. While Run helped Paul grieve Linda's unfortunate passing as he rocked with such luminaries as Pink Floyd's David Gilmore, Chaos has Paul in a more introspective mood and showcases his more romantic side with which we are more familiar.
I think that it's unfortunate that Paul has been battling this legacy of trying to shine in the shadow of John Lennon. Ever since Lennon's death in 1980, Paul has been trying to prove that he could still rock out with the best of them. We all know he can hold his own with an electric guitar but Paul will always the crooning lover we know and love to hear. He's the one who has always sung with his heart in the chorus and refrain. Remember this is the solo artist who has written such beautiful ballads as "Maybe I'm Amazed."
Chaos, sounds like Macca's coming to terms with his legacy as a neo-romantic artist. Just listen to "How Kind of You," when Paul sings, "during the final bout…I was counted out/I thought my time was up…I thought I'd never find, someone so kind, as you." The "you" Paul's singing about has to be producer Nigel Godrich, who wanted to make a true McCartney album. For the first time in Macca's career a producer has challenged him to make one of the most introspective and daring albums of his career. And to Nigel's credit Paul hasn't sounded this good in years. Just listen to "Too Much Rain," the acoustic guitar echoes "Hope of Deliverance" from his underrated Off the Ground LP. I love the way that Paul's voice almost cracks when he sings the high notes when he sings the title refrain.
Then there's the soft bossa nova beats of "A Little Softness" that sound like a sweet musical cousin to Flowers' "Distractions." Another favorite, "Friends to Go" sounds like the intimate acoustic classic "Every Night" from his first solo album, McCartney. Macca does it all on Chaos: not only does he sing and play his trademark Hofner Bass but also plays 99% of the instruments on the album. Chaos is a 21st Century version of McCartney with elements of Flowers and Flaming mixed in for good measure. His first single "Fine Line" with the riotous bar piano sound and courageous lyrics that make it a catchy and memorable song to add to his already impressive musical canon.
Overall Paul's latest is an uplifting album that most Macca fans will definitely relish from start of finish. Chaos has Paul singing songs of what he does best, about love and relationships. I think his work suffered during the late '80s and early '90s when his songs were a little to cosmically conscious, focusing on his socio-political beliefs. Paul soars when he sings about matters of the heart, as he does with his latest effort. Macca will always be remembered as the artist who wrote "Here, There and Everywhere," "Let it Be" and "Yesterday." Today, Paul steps into the future while coming to terms with his past. Chaos never sounded this beautiful. So sit back, relax and let Paul McCartney delight you with the soothing sounds of his elegant musical backyard.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
09.29.2005
Paul McCartney
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
2005
Capitol
It was never cool to be a fan of Sir Paul McCartney. I always heard it from my hardcore rock geek friends; during the height of the grunge era of the mid-'90s, I would be the one playing Flowers in the Dirt and Off the Ground. But what they never understood was that Paul and The Beatles were the first rock band that I ever loved. Those mocking fools didn't understand that without McCartney and the Fabs rock music would not be as popular and interesting as it is today.
When I think of Paul and The Beatles, I think of good memories. The first record mis padres ever bought me was the The Beatles' "blue" compilation, 1967-1970. Those were the times mis hermanos and I pretended to be the Fab Four, lip-synching in front of our record player. I would always want to be Paul. I can't forget when my Mami would line us up in the bathroom to give us Beatles haircuts with newspaper spread over the bathroom tiles, I would hold my vinyl copy of A Hard Days Night and say, "Make me look like Paul." Even at that young age, I knew that the majority of those hot women were chasing after him.
My regard for Macca didn't end in my youth. I stuck with him when his Back in the U.S.S.R. import album, CHOBA B CCCP, came out in Russia. Or 1989's Tripping the Live Fantastic double live disc was released from his first in America tour since he disbanded Wings. I finally saw him in concert a few years ago in New Orleans, for his Back in the U.S. tour. Paul played my favorite Beatle song, "Let It Be." It was the same song that I recorded as a gift for my Mami for Mothers Day with some musician and engineer friends of mine, in a studio in the Big Easy. It was memorable experience and one that I will never forget. Especially because it was in New Orleans, with Paul as my inspirational guide, I first learned to play guitar to the cords of "Let It Be."
This is why I have stood by Macca after all of these years. It kind of like the same reason why Pablo Neruda is my favorite poet; If you want to argue who wrote some of the best love songs in the past forty years Paul's words will be there nine out of ten of the times. This doesn't mean that everything Paul writes and records touches gold, for every brilliant Ram and Band on the Run there's a Back to the Egg and Pipes of Peace. I think Paul said it best when he sings, on the first song on his new album, "there's a fine line between chaos and creation" Truer words have never been spoken.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard has some of the best music that Paul has recorded in years. It's not all perfect but most the best tracks on Chaos rival anything on Flowers in the Dirt and Flaming Pie. What I love about Chaos and what I didn't like about the over produced Driving Rain is that this new CD has Paul is being Paul; something that we haven't heard from him in ages. Unlike the Rolling Stones, Paul acts his age on his new record. Listen to the track "English Tea" which Paul sings about a British sophisticate enjoying his daily ritual. For the first time in years, Macca sounds like a man being comfortable about growing old and sings with a sense of vulnerability that is missing from most major artists in music today. It takes guts to show your emotions and let all hang out with such delicate pieces of music. I think Chaos is the ying to Run Devil Run's yang which is a good thing. While Run helped Paul grieve Linda's unfortunate passing as he rocked with such luminaries as Pink Floyd's David Gilmore, Chaos has Paul in a more introspective mood and showcases his more romantic side with which we are more familiar.
I think that it's unfortunate that Paul has been battling this legacy of trying to shine in the shadow of John Lennon. Ever since Lennon's death in 1980, Paul has been trying to prove that he could still rock out with the best of them. We all know he can hold his own with an electric guitar but Paul will always the crooning lover we know and love to hear. He's the one who has always sung with his heart in the chorus and refrain. Remember this is the solo artist who has written such beautiful ballads as "Maybe I'm Amazed."
Chaos, sounds like Macca's coming to terms with his legacy as a neo-romantic artist. Just listen to "How Kind of You," when Paul sings, "during the final bout…I was counted out/I thought my time was up…I thought I'd never find, someone so kind, as you." The "you" Paul's singing about has to be producer Nigel Godrich, who wanted to make a true McCartney album. For the first time in Macca's career a producer has challenged him to make one of the most introspective and daring albums of his career. And to Nigel's credit Paul hasn't sounded this good in years. Just listen to "Too Much Rain," the acoustic guitar echoes "Hope of Deliverance" from his underrated Off the Ground LP. I love the way that Paul's voice almost cracks when he sings the high notes when he sings the title refrain.
Then there's the soft bossa nova beats of "A Little Softness" that sound like a sweet musical cousin to Flowers' "Distractions." Another favorite, "Friends to Go" sounds like the intimate acoustic classic "Every Night" from his first solo album, McCartney. Macca does it all on Chaos: not only does he sing and play his trademark Hofner Bass but also plays 99% of the instruments on the album. Chaos is a 21st Century version of McCartney with elements of Flowers and Flaming mixed in for good measure. His first single "Fine Line" with the riotous bar piano sound and courageous lyrics that make it a catchy and memorable song to add to his already impressive musical canon.
Overall Paul's latest is an uplifting album that most Macca fans will definitely relish from start of finish. Chaos has Paul singing songs of what he does best, about love and relationships. I think his work suffered during the late '80s and early '90s when his songs were a little to cosmically conscious, focusing on his socio-political beliefs. Paul soars when he sings about matters of the heart, as he does with his latest effort. Macca will always be remembered as the artist who wrote "Here, There and Everywhere," "Let it Be" and "Yesterday." Today, Paul steps into the future while coming to terms with his past. Chaos never sounded this beautiful. So sit back, relax and let Paul McCartney delight you with the soothing sounds of his elegant musical backyard.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
09.29.2005
Review: Coldplay: X and Y
my coldplay review can be found on treblezine.com
Coldplay
X & Y
2005
Capitol
Ten reasons to love Coldplay's new album
1. Chris Martin's vocals — he has never sounded so brazen, confident and vulnerable in the same breath.
2.Johnny Buckland, a.k.a. the guitar hero — everything from his guitar riffs that lift the melody from Kraftwerk's "Computer Love" to the bombastic licks on the opening cut "Square One." This guy is stepping out of his shadows and into the realm where legends are born.
3.The Codas — from the acoustic strumming at the end of "Square One" and the electronic keys after "White Shadows" that make the songs soar to another level never heard before from this quartet.
4.Let's not forget the orchestral "Day in the Life"-esque, ode to The Beatles at the end of "What if" I love it. You can't miss it along with the other lifts from Kate Bush, Elbow and Kraftwerk. These guys play like the original Fab Four—living the adage that great artists steal.
5.Chris Martin's lyrics — like his vocals, Martin writes for everyman and woman; anyone can relate. Simple yet memorable lines like "…when you get what you want but not what you need" and "what if I got it wrong/and no poem or song could put it right or wrong…"
6.The Harmonies — I love the way the foursome sing together at the end of "Fix You." Also, during the bridge of "White Shadows" Chris Martin's backing vocals show how far they've come from the sparse arrangements found on their debut Parachutes.
7.The Johnny Cash homage — I love Johnny Cash and this song, "Till Kingdom Come," would have fit perfectly on his last American Recordings CD, The Man Comes Around. Sadly, Johnny will never get a chance to sing it but it is an amazing track that's a fitting tribute for the man in black.
8.The songs — tracks like "What if" and "Fix You" aren't just reworkings of "Yellow" and "The Scientist," no these are songs that connect with you because of their message of longing and love.
9.The Sequencing — I love the way Coldplay interspersed uplifting tracks like "Speed of Sound," "Talk" and "White Shadows" with the more melancholy ones. I was greatly surprised by the number of upbeat tracks. These guys aren't a bunch of mopers, thanks to Johnny and the killer rhythm section, bassist Berryman and drummer Champion. They know how to rock.
10.This is their best record — X&Y grows on you, which is the reason I have to say this is their best album. I have to admit I was skeptical after I first heard "Speed of Sound," but like on "Clocks," Coldplay has a way of winning you with their amazing combination that is Berryman, Buckland, Champion and Martin. Forget U2 — they are our generation's Fab Four.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.21.2005
Coldplay
X & Y
2005
Capitol
Ten reasons to love Coldplay's new album
1. Chris Martin's vocals — he has never sounded so brazen, confident and vulnerable in the same breath.
2.Johnny Buckland, a.k.a. the guitar hero — everything from his guitar riffs that lift the melody from Kraftwerk's "Computer Love" to the bombastic licks on the opening cut "Square One." This guy is stepping out of his shadows and into the realm where legends are born.
3.The Codas — from the acoustic strumming at the end of "Square One" and the electronic keys after "White Shadows" that make the songs soar to another level never heard before from this quartet.
4.Let's not forget the orchestral "Day in the Life"-esque, ode to The Beatles at the end of "What if" I love it. You can't miss it along with the other lifts from Kate Bush, Elbow and Kraftwerk. These guys play like the original Fab Four—living the adage that great artists steal.
5.Chris Martin's lyrics — like his vocals, Martin writes for everyman and woman; anyone can relate. Simple yet memorable lines like "…when you get what you want but not what you need" and "what if I got it wrong/and no poem or song could put it right or wrong…"
6.The Harmonies — I love the way the foursome sing together at the end of "Fix You." Also, during the bridge of "White Shadows" Chris Martin's backing vocals show how far they've come from the sparse arrangements found on their debut Parachutes.
7.The Johnny Cash homage — I love Johnny Cash and this song, "Till Kingdom Come," would have fit perfectly on his last American Recordings CD, The Man Comes Around. Sadly, Johnny will never get a chance to sing it but it is an amazing track that's a fitting tribute for the man in black.
8.The songs — tracks like "What if" and "Fix You" aren't just reworkings of "Yellow" and "The Scientist," no these are songs that connect with you because of their message of longing and love.
9.The Sequencing — I love the way Coldplay interspersed uplifting tracks like "Speed of Sound," "Talk" and "White Shadows" with the more melancholy ones. I was greatly surprised by the number of upbeat tracks. These guys aren't a bunch of mopers, thanks to Johnny and the killer rhythm section, bassist Berryman and drummer Champion. They know how to rock.
10.This is their best record — X&Y grows on you, which is the reason I have to say this is their best album. I have to admit I was skeptical after I first heard "Speed of Sound," but like on "Clocks," Coldplay has a way of winning you with their amazing combination that is Berryman, Buckland, Champion and Martin. Forget U2 — they are our generation's Fab Four.
Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.21.2005
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