Review: Coldplay: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

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

Coldplay
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Capitol
2008

Life is but a dream. That little classic rhyme comes to mind when I listen to Coldplay's flawed tour de force, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. You can hear the creative touches inspired by producer Brian Eno throughout, starting with a dreamlike electronic coda on "Life in Technicolor" that leads us into this new journey which promised us a new and improved Coldplay sound.

Lately I judge albums on how the emotions they inspire. Viva La Vida is an uplifting trip by a band who, to quote Bono, went away trying make it up all over again. If you're expecting an In Rainbows-like leap from Berryman, Buckland, Champion and Martin, you've come to the wrong album. Coldplay is not there yet. Viva is a far improvement from the overproduced hooks from X & Y. They are learning to steal from the best. Who better to help guide Coldplay along the way that the legendary Brian Eno, the producer who helmed such classic albums from artists like Talking Heads, U2 and James.

But Eno can only do so much; he can help bring out the power in soundscapes as the band has to provide the creative colors in this canvas of songs. Coldplay does deliver, most of the time, they stepped up and reached for the heavens. My favorite song has to be "42." It starts off with a beautiful "Imagine"-esque" like piano and yet Martin slip's with an awkwardly rhymed "Those who are dead are not dead they're just living in my head." Whaa? Quit with the forced end rhymes, Chris, and use more of your imagination. The lyrics at times don't live up to the wondrous rhythms that the band sets up for Martin. He quickly makes up for it in the second half of "42" with my favorite lyric, "you didn't get to heaven but you made it close."

You may hear more of these throughout Viva La Vida. Sometimes they fall as in the cleverly pop song that is "Strawberry Swing." But even in these failures there are elements of greatness, like Buckland's tripped out world beat guitar riff.

Coldplay's fighting a solitary attempt to trying to put some substance on the airwaves. Martin says he's tired of the loneliness as he sings "When it started/ we had high hopes/ now my back's on the line/ my back's on the ropes." It takes guts for a band to take a foot off their commercial success and risk it all for some creative glory. Yes, they could've played it safe and wrote another "Yellow," but who wants to hear that again?

Viva La Vida is the sound a band searching for positive flourishes of elation in this world of static and soulless pessimism. Listen to the lyrics "Just because I'm losing doesn't mean I'm lost/ doesn't mean I'll stop." Martin & Co. stimulate us with their message of love and hope. There's not much of that coming from the mainstream these days.

Viva La Vida is their Unforgettable Fire. It's the wonderful mix of experimental rhythms and pop songs to lift Coldplay to a new level. They're getting there, just listen to the songs like the epic title track. "I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing/ Roman Cavalry choirs are singing." To me this is a sign of a band that is growing. The thing you have to remember is, unlike an indie band, every little misstep is magnified because of their presence on a world's stage. Of course, just because they want to be the best band doesn't make it so. It took Radiohead and U2 some time to become legends.

I'm looking forward to Coldplay's next album, that one is destined to be their great one. Could it be their Joshua Tree, OK Computer or their Laid? We'll just have to wait and listen. Though it's not perfect, if Viva La Vida is any indication, they heading in the right stratosphere. Let's just lay off the slagging. Coldplay was never cool. And yet they are lifting the sound of pop music to new heights away from the empty mindedness of corporate America. Give them a break. It will take some time but if this is the soundtrack of change, sign me up every time. With an ever-evolving sound Coldplay is the rising soundtrack to an increasingly perfect day.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.24.2008

Review: Radiohead: Best of

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

Radiohead
Best Of (Special Edition)
Capitol
2008

I was torn when I heard the news about Radiohead's new The Best Of CD being released without cooperation from the band. Even though I am devoted to Radiohead, I can't help but feel conflicted about a compilation not sanctioned by the band. Perhaps EMI is sour about Radiohead parting ways for the uncharted waters of free agency. But this isn't the first time a label has released an artist's material without their blessing. The Beatles had problems with Capitol/EMI releasing haphazard collections in the '70s without the Fab Four's permission. Most recently, The Smiths' Very Best of disc and The Libertines' Time for Heroes: Best of collections were released without any input from either band.

The sad fact and the reason that many artists like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead are going label-less is because once you sign a contract, in many cases, the record label then owns the product. The artist owns the copyright and publishing. This is where bands make the most money on songwriting publishing. So even though Thom and the band wrote "Paranoid Android," EMI owns the songs and can release and re-release the song in any form of compilation.

Of course, this would all be moot if Radiohead had stayed at EMI. More likely the label would be asking the band for input on compilations like this Best of. So because they left and went indie, you could say that EMI is sort of sticking it to the band. But Radiohead still has the last laugh in a sense. Even though Radiohead didn't approve this release, and the reason they aren't telling their fans to boycott this collection, is because, at the end of the day, the band will recoup some money on this release.

Sorry for that long historical diatribe, but in terms of the compilation itself, the songs speak volumes of Radiohead's success during the EMI years. Regardless of the past, The Best Of is a stunning collection. Song after song it's an impressive compilation of stellar selections from a band that changed the landscape of music with their unique blend of supersonic brilliance. From The Beatles-meets-DJ Shadow epic "Paranoid Android" to Aphex Twin and XL Recordings inspired electronic wickedness of "Idioteque," Radiohead created a new form of otherworldly and revolutionary rhythms with an emotional touchstone we all can connect to.

I hate to say it but I got into Radiohead late in the game. I wasn't a fan of "Creep" when it was first released. If you were to ask me which band of the '90s would have lasted well into the next decade, I would have guessed Jeff Buckley and Suede. Even though the memory of Buckley will live on forever, I admit that I was way off. Nonetheless, this band went from a one hit wonder to exploding beauty and urgency of an artist searching for meaning and rhythm within their songs. The Bends' sound was influenced by records by two of the band's heroes, namely Morrissey's Your Arsenal and Nirvana's In Utero. You can hear the Nirvana influence on the chaotic guitar breakdown in the "Heart Shaped Box"-like riffs on "My Iron Lung." It is also known that that a Jeff Buckley live performance led to Thom Yorke's heart wrenching vocal on "Fake Plastic Trees."

The amazing thing about Radiohead, and unlike some novice rock acts, is that you rarely can pick out their influences on their music. For the most part, the band sound only like Radiohead which is what separates the great acts from sub par ones. You've likely heard the famous saying by Lionel Trilling, "Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal."

As Radiohead matured the more evolved into their own distinctive sound. Listen to OK Computer and beyond, especially the brilliant "Karma Police." "Karma" is the first Radiohead song that hooked me. I remember, much to the annoyance of my co-workers and customers, playing that song over and over again, and turning it up louder and louder at this bookstore job I had in San Antonio. There was something about the truth and decadent exquisiteness of that song: the marching drum beats and cinematic piano keys, and Thom Yorke's lyrics, especially the lines, "For a minute there/ I lost myself, I lost myself," when I finally understood Radiohead. It was as if my life was separated between two distinct sections B.R./A.R., before and after Radiohead. I was blind, now I could hear clearly in a voice and a vision that was beautiful and strange to me in the same breath.

"Everything (was) In Its Right Place" when Kid A, Radiohead's next album dropped in 2000. To this day this is my most beloved album in the band's eclectic catalog. Along with "Everything," "Idioteque" and "How to Disappear Completely," the exemplary "The National Anthem" my favorite song off Kid A is featured on this double disc compilation. Colin's addictive bassline and Charles Mingus influenced arrangement mixed with a spaced-out, effects-layered backbeat make this the most freaked-out song in their canon. Thom Yorke's vocals foreshadow the fear that gripped our nations after September 11th.

Amnesiac has three of the band's most underrated cuts—the riffed intensity of "I Might Be Wrong," the killer induced and Johnny Marr influenced "Knives Out" and the piano-based splendor that is "Pyramid Song." Dubbed at one time by Thom Yorke, `the best thing we ever committed to tape,' their inclusion is essential on this compilation.

Hail to the Thief's "2 + 2 = 5" was supposed to announce to the world Radiohead's triumphant return to their guitar rooted glory. Even though the band incorporated more of their trademark killer riffs, Radiohead didn't abandon any of the electronic experimentation that they discovered in Kid A and Amnesiac. Listen for the percussive and mysterious lovesick "There There" and the guitar heroics of "Go to Sleep," which make the cut on The Best Of.

I was pleased to see the inclusion of the fan favorite "Talk Show Host" and the live version of "True Love Waits" on this deluxe edition. But why have three songs from Pablo Honey? I know if the band was involved we may have finally seen the release of the ever elusive "Big Boots" as heard on Grant Gee's extraordinary documentary Meeting People is Easy.

I have to say I am very impressed with this deluxe The Best Of collection. Thirty tracks from the most influential band of our lifetime—listening to this classic, I hope we have hundreds more. With the release of In Rainbows, my favorite album since Kid A, it's reassuring to know that Radiohead made the right choice by going forward with their sonic excursions and leaving behind the bottom line politics of major label business. Regardless, it's the songs and not the behind the scene bullshit that everyone will remember in the long run.

Review: Scarlett Johansson: Anywhere I Lay My Head

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



Scarlett Johansson
Anywhere I Lay My Head
ATCO
2008

The seeds to Scarlett Johansson's debut album were laid down in road trip during her youth, when a father of a friend of hers played nothing but Tom Waits songs during the whole car ride. It was a trip that would mold this talented young woman and inspire her to pay tribute to one of the most unique and unmistakable growling voices in American music history.

Tom Waits is an anomaly. He is probably the most infamous American singer with a voice you either connect with or simply do not understand. I think of Waits as the Dylan for melancholy marauders who live for the shot at the spirit with one solitary drink. He's the poet of the barfly, a lyrical equivalent to his literary counterpart Charles Bukowski.

So why would someone like Scarlett Johansson, who lives a very non-Tom Waits-ish existence want to cover his songs? His songs are short stories for the downtrodden, the lost, the lonely and the lustful. Some just don't get Waits but Johansson, who has made a name for herself getting inside worldly characters in such films as Lost in Translation, Ghost World and The Prestige, is someone who relishes at the challenge to honor this American icon who changed her life.

She's got some courage to take on Waits for her debut album. I give her credit for not taking the traditional, easy route some actors in the past have made when releasing their debut albums (too many not worthy of mentioning). Here, it seems like Scarlett wanted to aim for the stars by selecting a man whose lyrical persona is famous for hanging in the metaphorical gutters.

I hear Anywhere I Lay my Head as a quintessential character for Johansson to cover. Tom Waits is somewhat like the equivalent of taking on a Shakespearean role on the stage offscreen. Played wrong, the man's words can make you sound lost, foolish and out of tune. But Scarlett's brave and is taking on Waits with her personal allure and her voice. The same voice that made waves a few years back when she covered Gershwin's "Summertime" on Unexpected Dreams – Songs from the Stars. Her cover was simply stunning.

Upon first hearing about this project, I was anxious and optimistic. Then I heard the opening single "Falling Down," and unlike some critics from across the pond, my first reaction was anything but elation. What is this? What happened to her voice? I was shocked and initially disappointed.

You see, this was my first mistake. As I was talking to my buddy Derrick, a diehard Waits-ian fan, he suggested coming into Anywhere I Lay My Head with an open mind. You need to try to put Waits and his growl out of your head. And he was right. This is not a Tom Waits album. He's not there. It's Scarlett Johansson.

So then I went back to Anywhere I Lay My Head, and after a few spins it truly began to grow on me. The album is far from a masterpiece. There are some very vivid covers. And then there's a few that just fail with their overproduced glory. Overproduction is what's wrong with this album. And the fault or praise, depending on your tastes, goes to TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. The best songs are stripped and showcase Johansson's sultry voice and not buried deep inside a wall of sound production that would make Phil Spector proud.

Speaking of Spector, the opening number "Fawn" is a saxophone splendor of an instrumental, introducing us to Johansson's otherworldly interpretations. "Fawn" then merges effortlessly into "Town With No Cheer." I love the organ that plays along with Scarlett's vocal. "Cheer" is a good one and a great choice by Sitek to put at the beginning of the album. I like the contradiction of Scarlett's colorful vocal wandering around these dark images of this black and white town. She seems more like a true third person narrator than an out-of-place siren.

The first single "Falling Down" follows. What really bothered me about this song was the Kermit the Frog-esque banjo in the middle of the song. It sounds so out of place. But what works so well is Scarlett's loud and proud vocal, especially when she sings, "When you give a man luck, he must fall in the sea." What I've discovered what I adore about "Falling Down" is that it sounds like a cautionary tale from your best female on the true dynamics of modern relationships in a way that men will understand. And then there's the Thin White Duke who sounds Waits-ian in his backing vocals singing in unison with Scarlett. "Falling Down" has risen for me, which was once a misstep has become a surprise and now constant in my daily rotation.

The title track is next, and from the opening lyrics of "My head is spinning round/ my heart is in my shoes, yeah," Scarlett makes this classic, from Rain Dogs, her own personal lyrical lament. It's the sound of someone who's content with being alone because the place where she lays her head is home. It's a powerful image brought out beautifully by Johansson.

"Don't go down to Fannin Street" Scarlett warns but I do recommend revisiting this glorious cover again and again. You can really hear Johansson and Bowie duet in the chorus so clearly in this version, which is something I hoped that Sitek would have continued during the rest of Anywhere I Lay My Head.

"Song for Jo" is Johansson's only original song on the album and it's an acoustic beauty. This is one of the definitive highlights of the album. Sitek should've realized that less is more. He has the very elegant voice of Johansson to work with. Turn it up and let her voice sing towards the heavens. Why would you ruin in it with an orchestra of layered chaos? "Song of Jo" and "Green Grass" prove that you don't need it. "Green Grass" sounds like a wondrous Dr. Seuss-ian adventure with Scarlett as your guide.

My favorite song is the stripped, music box elegance of "I Wish I Was in New Orleans." Sitek perfectly uses this effect to turn "New Orleans" into a post-modern lullaby. A true ode to the city that I love, it makes me want to go back to the Crescent City.

I wish the rest of the songs were as stellar but the latter half is where Anywhere I Lay My Head is buried in that overproduction I had complained about earlier. Sitek turns "I Don't Want To Grow Up" into a sonic mess. He foolishly drowns Johansson's voice in a ghastly 1980's new wave back beat that sounds out of place. "No One Knows Where I Goes" suffers from Sitek's annoying music choices, as it distracts from Scarlett's soft-spoken vocal.

The album closer "Who Are You" is no better. It sounds like Sitek is doing his worst Waits impression overshadowing Johansson's vocal in their ill-fated duet. He should have brought back Bowie instead. I didn't pay to hear him and his agonizing production, what I wanted was Scarlett Johansson and not the egocentric studio trickery of TV on the Radio.

So while Anywhere I Lay My Head starts off promising, it unfortunately has a very disheartening conclusion. Dave Sitek almost spoils her debut effort but don't let that stop you from discovering this wondrous tribute to Tom Waits. It's far from perfect but still makes an amazing journey through the underworld of Waits' songs, starring Scarlett Johansson in the lyrical role of her lifetime. Not every song is raveworthy, but the package is definitely worthy of the price of admission. It's that voice that pulls you in, and even though Sitek at times tries to conceal her, Scarlett's jewel is rough as whole but sweet in all the precise sonic spaces.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
05.12.2008

Review: Nine Inch Nails: The Slip

My Nine Inch Nails review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com



Nine Inch Nails
The Slip
Creative Commons
2008

Trent Reznor's first new album in, a whopping two months (has it been that long really?) is a super human oddity. During my first spin of The Slip, I was scratching my head trying to get a grasp on the album. I know I wasn't the only one. Chalk it up to getting used to the atmospheric laments of Ghosts. The first track "999,999" is a "Pinion" like instrumental preamble from Broken. Then at the final moment, Trent's voice comes out announcing "How did I slip into?"

From there, "1,000, 000" starts off with an "All Along the Watchtower" drumbeat and turns into vintage Nine Inch Nails aggro sounds a-la The Downward Spiral. Reznor sounds as if he's singing about a superhero: "I jump from every rooftop/ so far so high so tall/ I feel a million miles away/ I don't feel anything at all." At first listen it sounds as if maybe Trent's trying to get this song on a soundtrack to one of the Marvel motion picture adaptations. But I like to think he's talking about himself and his own band.

A better explanation for The Slip and "1,000,000" is that they're about how he feels about starting the music revolution. His voice is the one that jumps from rooftop to rooftop through this new and different channel. He is the ultimate underground idol to all of his fans. He is the savior to those who wait on his every move. Yet like a superhero, he keeps his audience at distance.

Nine Inch Nails is Trent's alter-ego; it's his lyrical suit of armor that he fits into, through which to release his super human songs. He goes on tour in this guise to appease his nation of a million fans. But do we really know the man behind the mask? Does it really matter? I think the enigma and mystery of it all is something that makes this man and his band invincible. With the release of The Slip they are breaking the rules and they are changing the game on their own terms. It's a powerful thing.

Speaking of power, check out the industrial strength noise fest "Letting Go." This is one of the most metal thrashers that Trent has ever released in his lifetime. Think Broken times ten. "Letting Go" continues the themes of government control that Trent first unleashed on Year Zero. This time with "Letting Go," he is letting all of his angst on to the legion of Americans who allow our leaders to steer us towards constant decline. The music sounds like sonic death march towards hell. It's a call to arms to a nation of young Americans to wake up to get up and stand up for their rights, lyrically and otherwise.

Next comes the first single, "Discipline" which is one the major disappointments of The Slip. It has all the elements to be a killer "The Hand that Feeds"-like single for Nine Inch Nails but doesn't really go anywhere. I just don't like the way that Alan Moulder mixed this song. I prefer the Centipede remix that you can find on NIN.com. By the way, this is a wonderful service that was created by Trent himself. He has allowed his fans to remix any and all of his songs. That way, if you feel you can create a better version of any of these tracks from The Slip or any of his other songs, he challenges you to remix and post them on remix.nin.com.

I sensed a New Order theme in the second half of The Slip. The drumbeat of "Echoplex" echoes New Order's "Thieves like Us." Maybe it was done on purpose as an ode to one of the godfathers of electronic music. I can definitely relate to the chorus of "Echoplex": "My voice just echoes off these walls." I live in a dungeon like room with no windows in the basement of a townhouse apartment. The sound of "Echoplex" reflects on how it feels to live in a world underground without light.

What I do find impressive on The Slip are all the little subtleties throughout the album. I love the way the music stops towards the latter half of "1,000,000" after Trent sings "I don't feel anything at all," and then picks up for the loud finale. In "Head Down" I like the little background voices echoing effects throughout. These elements add another layer that makes The Slip not just a cacophony of noise but shades and depths of another extraordinary statement from the artist that is Trent Reznor.

My favorite song is the very understated and piano based beauty "Lights in the Sky." Think the music of "Something I Can Never Have" with the lyrical intensity of "Hurt," yet stripped down to the core or unplugged if you will. This is Trent at his most exposed and heartfelt. "Lights in the Sky" sounds like an ode to someone close to him that has passed away. I love the piano sound in this song. Maybe he borrowed one of Tori Amos' grand pianos. As Trent sings "I am right here beside you." You can hear him whisper this intimate vocal as if he's the same room as you. This is the closest Trent has let us hear him. Usually the songs have these shields of industrial strength armor but "Lights in the Sky" is Reznor's voice naked and free for all to discover.

Two instrumentals a-la Ghosts follow "Lights in the Sky." This is where my favorite part of The Slip comes into effect. This says something about Ghosts, like I stated in my last review me not being a fan of instrumentals but "Corona Radiata" does echo the sound of Track 10 from that last, four part album of his. I feel "Corona" is the sound a soul makes after its final breath and before lifting off into the ether.

"The Four of Us Dying" sounds as if Trent's knocking on the door to the afterworld. And The Slip ends with Trent's ultimate track "Demon Seed" and I feel it's his magnum opus. Think of it as Reznor's personal version of Dante's "Inferno," his description of life into the great below and beyond. I love what Trent does with the vocals on "Demon Seed," especially the part when he stutters the line "t..t..t..tolerate you." At first it sounds whispered like from "Lights in the Sky." But then when he gets to the second stage of his inferno his voice gets louder and there's even a background harmony like in "All the Love in the World" from With Teeth. The guitar sounds very Bernard Sumner-esque. You can feel the decent into hell through all the stages of "Demon Seed."

The Slip ends in a grand and epic manor. You need to give the album a few spins. It's not perfect but that's part of its allure. The Slip is a perfect addition to ever evolving canon of Nine Inch Nails. I was impressed with his intentions with Year Zero but I admit that I didn't really connect with that album. It was missing the emotional intensity from The Fragile and With Teeth. Then came Ghosts and it was the mysterious splendor that restored my faith in Trent. He's not a superhero. He, to borrow a line from Blade Runner, is more human than human. He's imperfect, with revolutionary ideas of freedom that inspire us from afar.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
05.07.2008

Review: Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I-IV

My Nine Inch Nails review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com



Nine Inch Nails
Ghost I-IV
Null
2008

Listening to Ghosts I-IV, I am reminded of the eccentric ambient and electronic genius Richard D. James' alter ego Aphex Twin's 2001 album drukqs. Coming of age during the techno era of the '90s, I was a huge admirer of James and his various musical noms de plume that included Aphex Twin, AFX and Polygon Window. I loved the way James played with noises and sounds. To me James is a modern day Mozart. Ridiculed by many for creating intelligent dance music to some, in reality through his many guises James was creating the soundscapes to our future. There's no doubting that James was ahead of his time, mocked by the masses and respected by few.

One of those few, however, was a likeminded music soul mate from across the Atlantic, Trent Reznor. Reznor himself is an artist out of time that has been championed and condemned by the critics and his fans for his creative choices during his very eclectic and illustrious career. Who could forget after the top charting success of 1994's Downward Spiral, he followed up the hit "Closer" by distancing himself from the mainstream by creating the beautiful masterpiece of 1999's The Fragile. Even though The Fragile once again topped the charts, those who were expecting the sequel to Spiral were confused and somewhat conflicted. I wasn't. The Fragile was the soundtrack to my days and nights working in a cubicle as a special orders clerk at a bookstore in San Antonio. I hated my job so much that I annoyed my co-workers by playing my cassette version of The Fragile over and over again. Listening to it gave me the courage to walk away from a job and a city that was lifeless and stifling.

It seems that every NIN release equates to a life-changing event in my life. Ghosts comes in a time when I have found peace in L.A. I had been moving around trying to find my place in my world. Through out all of my many journeys, Trent's Nine Inch Nails have been there for me, from a distance, during many difficult periods in my life. So when I heard that Trent was releasing his first album without the confines of a record label, I quickly pre-ordered a copy and offered my support to this artist whose creations have influenced me for just about 20 years.

As I ordered Ghosts, I read that Trent's new album would be full of instrumentals, a soundtrack to daydreams. I was intrigued. Saying this and being a writer, I have to state a disclaimer that I am normally not a fan of instrumentals. I love words, especially grandiose inspiring lyrics that grab you as the soundtrack plays along with the rhythm that is the vocal instrument in the band.

Remembering how much I adored the wordless music from Aphex Twin, as I listened to Ghosts, drukqs came to mind. Each song from that album brought up scenes and emotions in my mind when I first heard it waiting at Louis Armstrong Airport terminal in New Orleans. What I started doing with each title-less track was naming each song. (This is something that my buddy Matt did for his copy of Ghosts.) With this concept in mind, listening to Ghosts is like contributing to your very own music version of Choose Your Own Adventure. The amazing thing is that everyone's foray into Ghosts will be a unique and personal experience.

The first track I dubbed "Distorted Stillness." I loved the way the solitary piano keys were invaded by echoing high pitched sound effects towards the end of the song. I recommend that you not only name that tune but listen to Ghosts with headphones, so you can experience every little sound that Trent Reznor and his crew have created for your lifted enjoyment.

Track two, or "Anticipatory Invasion," sounds like the eve of an invasion. It's like that moment leading up to a climax and you can feel something about to happen, the fuzzy noises clashing with the beautiful piano keys. A preface to the "The Day the Whole World Went Away" from The Fragile, track three is the first of many appearances by guest guitarist Adrian Belew. I dubbed this song "Ape Quest." It sounds like a modern day theme for an unmade Planet of the Apes movie. I totally dig Belew's funky riffs and the Middle Eastern vibe floating through out.

Track four "Solo Fury." The guitars sound like explosion of anger. This one conjures up the feeling when someone has pushed you too far, you're mad as hell and you just blow up with fury. Track five is "Stalking the Wetlands." The heavy breathing reminds me of the effect that Depeche Mode used in Music for the Masses "Little 15." That same breathing reminds me of a stalker watching someone outside from afar. The piano also echoes the same keys from "Closer."

Track 6 is "In Search of Fortunes." Track 7's "Zero Funk" sounds like an outtake of Year Zero. Track 8 is "Blizzard Fear." Imagine being lost in a blizzard with arctic wind and snow attacking your face as you struggle for breath. Track 9 is "Mourning with Pong." This one is like playing a video game after your father's funeral while listening to his favorite classical radio station in his honor. Track ten begins Ghosts II with the very eerie "March of Gothic Goblins." This one reminds me of this one track off a Ghostly Sounds album where the sounds of goblins would appear and scare the crap out of me. Track eleven is "Art of War Room Seduction." Track 12 is the "Last Taste by the Window." The feeling of watching your lover walk away as you savor their taste in your mouth while replaying the last time you were together in your head.

After a while your titles begin to tell the story for you. Track 13 is "Midnight Aphex Breath." Track 14, "Devo Redux," is one of my favorites; I especially love the shredding guitar solo by Belew. Track 15, "Tumbling Hash in Berlin." Track 16 "Delirious Downtown Chase." Track 17 is "underground fetish girls." Track 18 is "Autobahn arousal."

Ghosts III starts with Track 19 the very upbeat and percussion layered "Screams of a Dominatrix Scars." Track 20 is "Swarm of the Quarantined." Track 21 is "Japanese Scheme." I love the layering of instruments on Ghosts III especially on Track 22's "Cumpleaños Flashback" which actually includes a dulcimer in the soundtrack. You can feel the excited fury within the riled up riffs in Track 23 "Cumming's Revenge." Track 24's "The Bleeding of Head Hunted" brings back the Front 242-esque industrial rhythms that I loved so much back in the day with the movie sampled effects to match. Track 25 follows with "Rigor Mortis Frequency." Track 26 is "Free-bass Bust." Ghost III closes with Track 27's the guitar anthem "Blazed in Leather Boot Remission."

Ghosts IV begins with Track 29's acoustic guitar filled "Lack Water Blues." This one reminds me of the unplugged laments Trent made on Still, the bonus disc that accompanied the live document All That Could Have Been.

Track 30 is the very funky piano based "Howling Intruder." By this point you begin to recognize some of the familiar beats and sounds that Trent played with earlier on reappear on the last phase of Ghosts. Track 30 is the beautiful strangeness that is "Punch Stop Love." Track 31 brings the metal with "Nightmare Pesada." Track 32 is "Sudden Outbreak." Track 33 "Gavel of the Gods" sounds like an ode to Einstürzende Neubauten.

Despite its acoustic flourishes, Track 34 "Dummy Purity" echoes a kinetic influence from Portishead. As Adrian Belew once again shines his mighty riffs on Track 35's "Narcoleptic Shakedown," Ghosts closes with the very somber "Exhausted Vision Rise." The last track reminds me how wickedly the morning sky would look after beating the night and stumbling into bed wasted to the sound early morning light.

As the last notes of Ghosts faded away, it reminded me of that timeless quote from William Blake. "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." If Aphex Twin's drukqs was a precursor to swallowing the excess than Ghosts is the ultimate trip. I'm sure even Aphex Twin himself, Richard James, would enjoy this rhythmic excursion.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.22.2008

Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!

My Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com



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

"Dig Yourself.."

These are the first words you hear from Nick Cave on Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!. What a way to start a Bad Seeds album! You can always get a feel for what's up and coming on a Cave record by the first song. Abattoir Blues and The Lyre of Orpheus shot out with an uproarious gospel-like anthem "Get Ready for Love." Nocturama and No More Shall We Part each led off with melancholy piano based numbers. Dig welcomes us with the hilarious and wickedly cool resurrection tale of Lazarus.

Mi amigos, you are in for a special treat. Nick Cave trades in his mad man preacher vibe for ringleader of the elegant ruffians better known to you as the Bad Seeds. He's a post-modern lyrical gunslinger in a corporate gangster world. Instead of committing acts of indiscretions, Cave and his band of Bad Seeds create an atmosphere of mayhem and beauty likes of which has yet to be equaled in this modern music age.

Think about it, there is no band or artist that can match Cave's lyrical genius and the rhythmic intensity of the Bad Seeds. They are, bar none, the most dynamic band of our generation. And the sad thing is that the majority of the mainstream is clueless to their boisterous brilliance. Unfortunately, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! will not make anyone new converts to the Nick Cave camp, though this is not necessarily a bad thing. For the vintage Cave fans, Dig is the next step in a sonic journey that began in the seeds of a side project that bred the infamous foursome known as the Grinderman.

I like to think that Grinderman's roots came out of Cave's foray into screenwriting, which yielded the very explosive screenplay for the Australian bloodbath of a western called The Proposition. That movie told about the horrific crimes committed by the Burns brothers' gang. The remnants and themes of this storytelling made their way into the Grinderman project. The album is a testosterone-injected rock epic that bleeds the passionate fire inside of every starving soul that is a Grinderman.

In fact, you can hear the spirit of the Grinderman injected into Dig. Gone are the piano-based and violin-tinged love songs of Bad Seeds yore. This is a more of a plugged in, cranked up, adrenaline surging direction for Cave. His voice has grown more confident and animated. He seems like a looser lad who sounds like he's having a blast while singing on Dig. Listen as he slithers from line to line, I love the way he sings "Dog eat dog world" and "San Francisco Girl" on the title track. He sounds like a poetic pimp letting his beard down to funk it up with his boys The Bad Seeds.

Nick Cave's electric organ takes center stage on "Today's Lesson" as he sings "We're gonna have a real cool time, whoo!" You can feel Cave shaking and dancing while he sings these jagged lyrics. Especially when he sings "we are hypnotized, we are cross-eyed, we are pimped, we are bitched, we are told such monstrous lies…" I found myself laughing and fist pumping my yelps of approval throughout every adventure of Dig.

Cave and The Seeds put on a Doors-like pose on the very strange yet twisted and modern psychedelic funk twitches of "Moonland." I love the way Cave almost whispers "I'm not your favorite lover." We can relate to this outsider trying to find his shadow in this confused netherworld. Dig seems to consist of adventures of lost souls that are out of place in modern society. We have Lazarus from the lead track and then lonely lover of "Moonland." I can't forget the frightened wanderer of the very creepy "Night of the Lotus Eaters." With lyrics like "The dragons roam shopping malls/ I hear they're gonna eat our guts" and the electric loops and guitar wails," "Night of the Lotus Eaters" is a perfect fit for George Romero's Dead franchise.

Let's not forget Albert, of the guitar axe rocker "Albert Goes West," who is a traveler who has also lost his way. Cave's narrator is trying to find himself on the road in a world of "endless abstractions." A few songs later Cave tries to seduce a lover who longs for another as he croons, in the fast paced, "Lie Down Here (& Be my Girl)." And even in "Jesus and The Moon" as he sings "will it be me or will it be you? One must stay and one must depart," you can hear the narrator trying to find himself in a place and in love. Cave's characters are reflections of the man who is, despite his artistic greatness, at times an exile from mainstream culture.

One of my favorite songs on Dig is "We Call on the Author to Explain," a very noisy and riff layered anthem in which Cave takes on the role of fan and critic asking his favorite author to explain the meaning behind his words. It's a very ironic number that has Cave spewing out some of his most explosive lyrics like "It's fucked up/ he's a fucker, but what an enormous and encyclopedic brain." The thing that Cave masters on Dig is the perfect merger of the lifted lines of classic mythology with the lyrical slang of every day life.

Listen for the western influenced "Hold on to Yourself." I love the noisy sound effects in the background, something you will find on most of the songs along with the cool Manzerek reminiscent organ layered throughout. Continuing with the theme of outcast, "Hold on to Yourself" is a calling to all of those outsiders to not lose their individualistic spark in what Cave calls this "life and fire and lunacy."

Beginning with "I walk into the corner of my room and see my friends in high places," "More News from Nowhere" begins a sonic tale of Nick Cave naming all of these strange flames like Janet, Betty, Miss Polly, Alina and Deanna. The obvious link could be that these are all ex-lovers of Cave but I like to think that these women were all sources of inspiration for many of Cave's songs. It's an amazing concept having all of these spirits and songstress' appearing and haunt him in this bluesy number. This is what I admire about Nick Cave. He'll take just about any incident from his life, dreams or nightmares and create a song out of it. He's fearless artist who somehow seemingly has no trouble sharing his deepest desires with the confines of a classic song.

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is another explosive entry into the very extraordinary Nick Cave musical canon. Are you ready to be shocked, rocked and reenergized by this new electric incarnation of The Bad Seeds? Just plug in and let yourself go deeper inside the universe of chaos and disorder that no one other than Nick Cave can bring to life. He's a lyrical seer who's tuned into the unimaginable beauty and horror of it all, and so much more.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.21.2008

Review: The Breeders: Mountain Battles

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


The Breeders
Mountain Battles
4AD
2008

The voice is back. The voice that won my heart, starting with her ultra sexy turn at the mic on Surfer Rosa's "Gigantic," is back. Kim Deal's one-of-a-kind throaty singing voice returns, ready for more sonic encounters with Mountain Battles. We all know how The Breeders went from indie darlings to modern rock stars with the release of Last Splash. This was primarily due to their magnificent lead single "Cannonball." Last Splash has the distinction of selling more copies than any of Pixies records. Sales aside, I really wasn't fan of Last Splash. My favorite Breeders album was actually their last one, 2002's Title TK. TKresonated more with debut Pod by turning away from the popular sensibilities of Last Splash. This is due to the return of Mr. Analog Steve Albini. You can really hear the lo-fi radiance in the beauty of "Off You." With just a guitar to back her, Kim Deal's low key vocal sounds like she's crooning to a lost lover over a long distant call.

When I think of The Breeders, it's Kimmie, as Frances Black so lovingly calls Deal, and her smoker/seductive voice that comes to mind. That voice returns loudly and is the first thing we hear on Mountain Battles' opening track. "Overglazed" sounds as if Kim Deal is standing on top of the mountain singing through a megaphone. It's her call to arms announcing the re-arrival of her magnificent Breeders.

Those who were expecting "Cannonball" part deux and were disappointed with Title TK will be happy to hear that Mountain Battles incorporates all of the Breeders' vintage sounds—the upbeat, lustful tones of Last Splash and the lush melodies from Pod and Title TK.

After "Overglazed" comes the funky backbeat number "Bang On." It's the closest the Deal Sisters will come to an all-out dance number. Relax, The Breeders haven't gone Prodigy on us now, but as Kim and Kelley sing "I love no one and no one loves me," this bass induced number is one that you'll be able to shake your thang to while your speakers go boom, boom in your car stereo. But before it becomes a full-on DJ explosion, during the break down "Bang On" leaves off the bass and a singular guitar riff appears along with Deal singing "I'm missing…" over and over again before the beat starts up again. Think of it as an out of time '60s boogie number with out the techno bells and whistles.

"Night of Joy" follows with a Title TK down beat style. Kim's songs sound as if each one is an ode to her imaginary lover that she's longing to discover. "I can't stop the wave of sorrow very mile that you go /give me this night…come home," she sings to the kind of soul lover who lives in her dreams and comes alive in songs like "Night of Joy."

"We're Gonna Rise" is the morning after, in song, Deal awakens alone to, "nothing you came to believe or what you decided last night/ still the sun shines/hits my shield and ignites." Another slow moving guitar based number that grows as Deals finding echoing strength as the sun like hope lights her face. "German Studios" follows as Kim and Kelley sing in their ancestral tongue of German. A very riff-layered, bouncy and enjoyable number that showcases the trademark Deal sisters' harmonies that I adore so much.

The songs on Mountain Battles follow the infamous loud-quiet-loud method that Kim's original band, The Pixies, made famous. I like to rock out like the best of them but I prefer the quiet ones like the Latin flavored "Regalame Esta Noche." One of my favorite songs on the album, the flamenco and Spanish licks highlight Kim singing romantic lyrics en Español. I love the way Kim Deal has not only been exploring new languages also adding new sounds to her versatile repertoire.

Mountain Battles finds Deal singing honest reflections from the front lines of the daily battle against modern day addictions. This is Deal's voice vulnerable and true, though I wouldn't call this a return to form. "Each day the long light dims and fades not lost but gone before." You can hear the ripples and scars through the country-like lament on "Hear No More." This sweet ballad continues Deal's theme of lovesick longing that lingers around Mountain Battles. "The light shines close echoes low of yr sweet voice I weep and mourn." With these lyrics and a traditional country strum, you can imagine Johnny Cash grinning with approval from above.

The album ends with a very low key and Title TK-esque title track. Some may hear this as a difficult listen. Mountain Battles is the sound of Deal rediscovering her voice through shades of shadows and sunlight, some of which are frighteningly unconventional like the Nico/Marble Index like solitary keyboard effect of the title track. Deal croons a heartfelt yet unconventional vocal as distorted guitar riffs mystically appear throughout. These lyrical confessions are view inside of her new life without lifted harmony. Whether you prefer loud, quiet or experimental resonance, Mountain Battles is an album worthy of your complete and unaltered concentration.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.14.2008

Review: Morrissey: Greatest Hits

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


Morrissey
Greatest Hits
Decca
2008

I was all set to write a scathing review of Moz's latest Greatest Hits CD, his fifth if you count Bona Drag and World of Morrissey. I don't understand why we need another one. I was ready to quote another one of Moz's now all-too-ironic lines from "Paint A Vulgar Picture," but after a few listens of this Hits CD, something happened— Moz got to me. It was those classic songs and his distinctive voice that brought me back to the moment he single handedly changed my life as a teenager in San Antonio, so many years ago.

So I kept listening, song after song, on this Greatest Hits, and I found myself thinking aloud "'First of the Gang to Die'…that's a good track" and then comes "Irish Blood English Heart" and another one, Moz's cover of Patti Smith's "Redondo Beach." I started to hear a link between each of the tracks past and present. The old and the new flowed so smoothly together, I was actually impressed. It's been ages since I heard any of the songs off of the Tony Visconti produced Ringleader of the Tormentors. I can tell Moz is fond of that one; four tracks are showcased from that album, which was recorded in his new home of Italia.

Okay, I get it—these are amazing songs, most of them recent hits that may have been hidden away on recent releases. I can understand the desire to showcase tracks like "In the Future When All's Well" on a singles CD. But there are so many songs missing from this compilation. Why not add the collaboration with Siouxsie Sioux, "Interlude." That amazing duet has never been issued on this side of the Atlantic, it's more worthy of inclusion on an American Greatest Hits album. And what about "Sweetie Pie," the rare duet with now exiled Kristeen Young? "Sweetie Pie" is one of the weirdest and vividly experimental tracks Stephen Patrick ever put to wax. That is a song every Moz fan, young and old, needs to experience.

I was all ready to argue how unfair it was to subject broke American fans to shilling out serious money for another Hits CD. But Decca probably noticed that we are in the middle of a horrible recession. At least they were cool enough to include a bonus disc of live songs from a show at the Hollywood Bowl for die-hard disciples. Nice addition.

Okay, I'll give you props for the bonus disc. Ah, but wait, there's more—kudos on the most excellent remastering job. Because of the clear sound Greatest Hits sounds like the ultimate Morrissey mix tape featuring the `best' of classic and modern Moz. (Ahem, a recommendation, maybe next time have the fans vote on a song or two, to be added on hits compilation 7.)

Of the two new tracks, also bonuses for the fans, I prefer "All You Need is Me." Although I do adore Kristeen Young's "November Spawned A Monster"-esque howls on "That's How People Grow Up;" "All You Need is Me" is vintage Morrissey, when he croons, "There's a soft voice singing in your head/ Who could this be? I do believe it's me." Is this a message to his fans, critics…all of the above? Who cares, "All You Need is Me" a song worthy of inclusion inside the classic Morrissey canon.

Moz sings "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone." And he's right, for now, I reach for my copy of his new compilation disc. I am looking forward to the digitally remastered versions of all of Moz's back catalogue, especially Kill Uncle, his most vilified yet underrated classic. Until then I will continues spinning his newest, Greatest Hits CD, a reflection of the man himself. Morrissey caught and connected to his glorious past with two feet shuffling as he croons toward the memory of the future unknown. With that voice we'll follow him just about anywhere. How many artists can you say that about?

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
04.02.2008

Review:The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely

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


The Raconteurs
Consolers of the Lonely
Third Man/Warner Bros.
2008

The music revolution of the last six months started off with Radiohead. This was followed by Trent Reznor's project with Saul Williams (Niggy Tardust) and even his own Nine Inch Nails release Ghosts I-IV. Why you ask was this happening? Ed O'Brien of Radiohead said it best when talking on BBC radio, "after recording an album for a record label an artist has to wait sometimes up to six months to get some formal feedback about the record that they're so proud of. But why wait?" Radiohead, Saul Williams and Nine Inch Nails didn't. In fact all three artists all cut out the middle man better know as the record label. They did it their own way.

But The Raconteurs did one better. They not only released the album online but also got it in shops in record time. Their new album, Consolers of the Lonely was pressed, printed and released in seven days. The band recorded Consolers throughout the month of February. But instead of waiting the typical six months, they put out their pride and joy in a week.

But who cares, really? In a few years, no one's really going to remember or care how long it took Consolers of the Lonely to be released. All that matters what's on the wax. It sounds like Jack White, Brendan Benson and their dynamic rhythm section of Patrick Keller and Jack Lawrence are on a mission to kick out the jams with a traveling blues show that will rock your house from morning through noon and way past midnight.

The Raconteurs' follow-up to Broken Boy Soldiers blows its predecessor away. I'll be the first one to admit that originally, I was no fan of The Raconteurs debut album. I loved "Steady as She Goes" but the rest of the album, sans the tripped out "Blue Veins," disappointed me. I expected so much more.

But as I found out a week ago about the rush release of Consolers of the Lonely, I gave Broken Boy Soldiers a fresh, new spin. This time the album floored me. Who knows what I was on, but I now love this album. Soldiers has aged gracefully. What really struck me was how flawless and melodic White and Benson sound singing together. I was especially fond of the way these two traded lines on "Together."

In any case, not only do White and Benson sound better than ever on Lonely, but at times I have trouble telling them apart. Their voices have actually blended styles. Each of them feeds off the other. Benson has incorporated more of that `Stripes-like bluesy vocal style, as you can hear on the opening title track. What really surprised me was that it's Brendan's, and not Jack's, that is the first voice you hear on the record. But then Jack's high pitched wail comes in after the first chorus and yeah, that's the guy we all know and love, giving us all that blues we need and desire.

You'll notice the killer rock numbers throughout Lonely, something that I first realized Soldiers was lacking. First single "Salute Your Solution" brings out the fuzz with style. The Greenhornes duo Keller and Lawrence turn out to be the shining the stars of this record. We all know that White and Benson get most of the acclaim but those two make The Raconteurs' new album the powerhouse that it is. They are the best rhythm section in the business. Jack White pulled a Bob Dylan by asking two of the most underrated musicians to join his band, but just listen in between the vocal harmonies of White and Benson—your jaw's gonna smash as it hits the floor. They bring the funky rhythms lifting Lonely into classic realms.

But wait a minute, Lonely isn't a 24-hour rock party. Close, but there's a few Soldier-like, quintessentially down-to-dirt and memorably kick back songs. One of my favorites is the piano-flavored "You Don't Understand Me." Those harmonies have a sound of the '70s feel. Keller and Lawrence bring the songs in the modern age with their trademark backing rhythms. Listen for the pounding heartbeat drums and the "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" reminiscent piano chords during the climax of "You Don't Understand Me."

Speaking of the keys, another piano-based favorite is the short but sweet "Pull This Blanket Off." The riffs from the bridge make this one sound like it should be in a future Wes Anderson film. I can picture a Max Fischer-esque rebel planning his next move to this multi-sonic groove. This country flavored ditty has a White Album/McCartney inspired bass line that comes off clearly towards the end of the song.

There are more highlights, still. Listen for the acoustic "These Stones will Shout" and the album closer "Carolina Drama." Both songs start slow and explode by their grand finale. At first, during "These Stones will Shout," White channels his best Robert Plant but then, as you will notice the influence of Benson, his vocals throughout sound less Stripes shriek-like and more melodic. Thanks to Keller and Lawrence, "Shout" morphs into a prog rock explosion that is a pure delight. "Carolina" is more of a 21st century murder ballad that would make Nick Cave proud.

My favorite song, and one that I can totally relate to, is one that White and The Raconteurs may just regret putting on Lonely—"Rich Kid Blues." Thankfully The O.C. is off the air because Seth Cohen would have co-opted this song and made it his personal anthem. Listen as Benson does his best Dennis DeYoung while the band pays tribute to Styx in an epic that ends in a righteous style that's definitely The Raconteurs. I love the lyrics, especially when White and Benson croons, "Though I always play to win/I always seem to lose/That's why I think I got/ A rich kid's blues." It's all tongue and cheek but there will be some affluent lads that will take The Raconteurs' message seriously, which, if you ask me, is truly hilarious.

In all seriousness, The Raconteurs are back with an album that will rock your ass off. These guys enjoy turning up their amps way past eleven. Lonely is actually the first album in ages with which I was more enthralled with the rhythms than in the rhymes. The lyrics are as top notch than anything White and Benson have ever written in their perspective careers, and yet there's something about the complete sound of this band. The Raconteurs are an anomaly in today's music scene. They're much more than a modern Traveling Wilburys. They are four guys who have put their egos aside to form a band with a cohesive vision dedicated to the exploration of the art of rock. All the while, they're creating a new legacy that will be remembered in the annals of rock history.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
03.31.2008

Review: Cowboy Junkies: Trinity Revisited

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


Cowboy Junkies
Trinity Revisited
Zöe-Rounder
2008

What is it about 1988's original Trinity Sessions that made an impression on a confused 17-year-old living in San Antonio? It spoke to the need as a misunderstood, wandering spirit searching for a connection with similar souls that could reflect and identify with that yearning that I was feeling inside. Listening to the Cowboy Junkies, it was if this band understood how I felt, being a loner and isolated in the world.

The Cowboy Junkies' Trinity Sessions made me feel less alone. Listening to Margo Timmins, the Canadian chanteuse, was like spending a night in a universe that's eternally dusk, where the stars of hope shine all day and night as she crooned the songs like "Blue Moon Revisited" sings your blues away. There was something about Margo's voice when she sang that reflected the endless yearning, which sent ripples straight through to my young stuttering heart. The song that first grabbed hold of me and shook me was the evocative cover Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane." But that was only the beginning. What kind of album stars off with an a cappella track? The kind of record that's recorded in two days at The Church of Holy Trinity in Toronto with one microphone like they did in the classic recordings in the 1950s.

The Junkies opened me up to a new world of true country standards like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Walking After Midnight" that I never heard as a scrawny bitter rebellious youth. I was intrigued. If it wasn't for Trinity Sessions I may never have begun my journey of appreciation for such artists as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and Hank Williams.

Trinity Sessions has that classic and timeless feel. If you close you eyes while listening to the album, you can picture yourself there inside the church that captures the sound of the Junkies, the reverberations still in the air, in your ears, capturing the once in a lifetime performance that has been immortalized in that memorable album. Instead of trying to recreate or re-record the album that made them famous, for the 20th anniversary, The Cowboy Junkies invited some of their famous friends to honor the memory of the Trinity Sessions with an intimate performance recorded in the spirit of the original album.

Trinity Revisited is the result of that amazing performance. Natalie Merchant, Vic Chestnutt and Ryan Adams along with multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird came along to pay tribute to the seminal album that influenced their lives. The songs that I first fell in love with have this way of coming alive at The Church of Holy Trinity some twenty years later. The addition of Merchant, Adams and Chestnutt give a new sinisterly seductive, bluesy vibe that reflects the aching from the original sessions.

I hear Trinity Revisited as a tribute to the day when the original sessions came into fruition. The opening number "Mining for Gold" soars just like it did in 1988 with Margo's beautiful a cappella voice letting us inside the aura of this atmospheric album. I believe "Mining for Gold" is about searching for love, which I feel is a theme of the album. Trinity is a solitary journey, a search for love through darkness with Margo and the Cowboy Junkies as our guide.

Natalie Merchant now shares vocal duties with Margo on "Misguided Angel" one of my favorite songs on the album. The song is about a tragic romantic trying to convince her family and friends her imperfect lover is the love of her life. I think it's more like she's trying to once again convince herself that this lover is right one. By the end of the song, Ryan and Vic add their soulful backing vocals to "Angel."

The melancholy classic "Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)" finds Margo trading heart aching vocals with Vic Chestnutt. If there was one surprise on this album, it's the appearance of Chestnutt himself. His vocals and acoustic strumming on "I'm So lonesome I Could Cry" are such that you can feel the hurt in his voice they add another honest layer of essence and depth to these intimate recordings.

Ryan Adams is all over these recordings. He sings lead in the Southern gem "200 Miles." His guitar and vocals can be heard on "I Don't Get It" and especially "Sweet Jane," which has now become a 21st Century bluesy jam that would definitely make Lou Reed smile a grin of approval.

If you're a fan of the original Sessions, I recommend taking the trip back and revisiting the trinity that was at one time holy to me. Trinity Revisited comes with a documentary and live recording of the sessions so you can so how these sessions came back to life. So make the pilgrimage back to Trinity and sing along to these classic gems in a new light to The Cowboy Junkies' everlasting resurrection reflected in your ears and life for ages to come.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.26.2008

Review: Beck: Odelay (Deluxe Edition)

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


Beck
Odelay (Deluxe Edition)
Geffen
2008

Hearing the opening riffs of "Devil's Haircut" takes me back to time of my not so distant past. I remember staying late at this office in San Antonio, Texas, with a bunch of college compadres gathered together to work on our dream job, publishing our own magazine. Four of us Latino hombres in our mid-twenties, listening to Beck because it was the only artist we all could agree on. Two of the guys loved Prince and the rest of us loved alternative Brit Pop music. So we compromised by listening to Odelay over and over again, Beck's album becoming the soundtrack to our dreams.

To put it in terms of another great, influential piece of art, what I love about Odelay is the same thing I adore about my favorite passage from On The Road:

Guitars tinkled. Terry and I hazed at the stars together and kissed. "Mañana," she said. "Everything'll be all right tomorrow, don't you think, Sal-honey, man?"

"Sure, baby, Mañana." It was always Mañana. For the next week that was all I heard - Mañana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.

Even if it was only one part of the book, at least it felt like Kerouac was honoring a part of me. It was the language, our language, and culture in my favorite book. This was something new to me, growing up in a largely Anglofied culture where our voices were rarely seen or heard in the mainstream of literature and popular culture. The late '90s was a time when multiculturalism was blossoming in mainstream society and culture, so reading Español in a classic book made me want to find my own voice on the page.

The same goes with Beck—just playing an album called Odelay, a hit during that year, was a huge victory for our culture. Beck was someone, like Kerouac, who appreciated our life and our language. It's amazing how this album was such an inspiration to us cuatro compadres trying to change the world one word at a time. We may have failed as our magazine went under but those dreams sparked on by those late nights still live on inside me and were lit by Beck's beats.

Odelay was an anomaly, part rock, part rap, part disco, part country and 1000% Beck. Beck Hansen grew up in Los Angeles and his upbringing en la ciudad de Los Angeles most certainly influenced the sound of Odelay. There are the rock riffs, disco beats and acoustic strummings and I can't forget Latin flavor that I've already mentioned. I believe that Beck was ahead of his era, a man with a creative multicultural mindset that was still years away. Music wasn't as integrated as it was now; Odelay is the sound of Beck tearing down the walls of music classification. In one song, "Hotwax" goes from electro beats to rap riffs with guitar licks, to a Latino flavored chorus mixed with the exotic samples from the Dust Brothers.

I can't say enough about the influence of the Dust Brothers on Odelay. These are the same guys that helped make Paul's Boutique a hip-hop classic for The Beastie Boys. They helped recreate Beck's personal version of Los Angeles by providing the soundscapes for Beck to sing and rap over. Listening to Odelay now, it's like taking a drive through Hollywood. Back when Odelay was first released the album sounded so universal but now I realize living in the west coast that it's idealized version of the city that Beck grew up in. It's amazing being in the city of "The New Pollution." You can feel the dirty streets, the eccentric people on those streets, the traffic, the smog and the sound from the gutter coming up clearly through the voice of this strange lyrical sage.

I, myself, in essence grew up with these songs. So listening to Odelay now is like reminiscing with an amigo about the old days. The classics are still as here but what I didn't recall was the laid back beauty in songs like "Ramshackle" which foreshadowed the greatness that Beck created in his future melancholy masterpiece Sea Change.

Odelay is the sound of an artist laying down the foundation of his future greatness by creating the vibes that you hear on the airwaves today. Beck always had one foot in past and the other one in sounds of mañana. Disc Two of the Deluxe Edition showcases the remixes, outtakes and B-sides of Beck's unconventional nature. Everything from U.N.K.L.E's 12 minute remix of "Where It's At" to the mariachi flavored version of "Jack Ass" that cleverly closes this two disc set.

We totally would have loved that Mariachi sound of "Burro" back at the office. I still remember all of us editing the newest issue of our magazine singing "Orale…Orale" along with Beck on our crappy old boombox stereo. It was like he was there, just passing through, with us in the room, rooting us on. At the time, Odelay was something so eclectic and strange. An album with a foreign titled that we knew the meaning of. Odelay was a gift to us, our voices, our culture and our sueños. Beck showed us that through words and our own distinct rhythms we could change the world and influence culture.

Each of us in our own way is continuing the tradition that was sparked in that one room over ten years ago. When I went to Amoeba con mi novia to pick up this deluxe edition of Odelay I was more than buying another CD, to me it was recapturing a moment in time that resonates on inside of me today. Beck's music will live on with the beats and breaths that live on past the page through those two turntables and a microphone—and beyond.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.19.2008

review: k.d. lang: watershed

My k.d. lang review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com



k.d.lang
watershed
nonesuch
2008

There is something about a singer, female vocalists to be precise, that have always touched and influenced me in my life. Maybe it was the fact that I was never really popular in the dating scene, and the female voice I heard in song, in my mind, was the closest I would hear to the musings of love in my neglected ears. Singers like Billie Holliday, Patti Smith, Tori Amos, Margo Timmins, P.J. Harvey and Marianne Faithfull, with their sultry croons, would relieve the pain in my naïve heart. It was in my many times of need throughout my young life that when I needed some healing, with a press of a button, a female chanteuse would appear in my headphones to sing my worries away.

I know I am not alone when I am thankful for singers like k.d. lang. Vocalists who share the gift of mending with their soulful voices appear from afar when we need them most. k.d. lang has been lighting our hearts with her timeless voice since the mid-eighties. lang grew up in Edmonton, Canada, idolizing famed country singer Patsy Cline. After a debut album steeped in Nashville tradition k.d. found salvation in a breakthrough hit—a duet in with the late great Roy Orbison on "Crying." That version of "Crying" was one of those songs that I would play after another misstep in dance of love. Whenever I failed in romance after falling for someone, I would play "Crying." Hearing k.d. Lang `s voice, so pure and strong, duet with Roy Oribson gave me faith in love. No matter how down and out I felt, "Crying" would give me hope.

Soon after, lang moved up into the realm of the sultriest torch singers. It wasn't until 1992 that k.d. found international success with the sensational Ingénue. Led by the worldwide smash "Constant Craving" and top ten salsa tinged single "Miss Châtelaine," lang was flying high. Although she would never again reach the heights of Ingénue, that success opened up doors for her artistically. She appeared on MTV Unplugged to perform her hits, including one of my favorites, the rarely heard treasure "Barefoot." She also was spotted duetting with Tony Bennett on his very own comeback Unlpugged special. This led to further successful collaboration album What a Wonderful World in 2002.

Throughout, k.d. has never wavered in recording a plethora of critically acclaimed albums and touring sold out shows across the globe. She continued recording some of my favorite songs, including late night sultry ballad "You're Okay," from the underrated All You Can Eat. I can't forget Lang's lush cover of Jane Siberry's "Haint it Funny" on 1997's smoke themed classic Drag, also featured in Pedro Almodavor's Talk to Her. Finally off of her 2001 Live from Request special is my favorite—her short but sweet cover of "Fever." I can't forget her perfect rendition of The Beatles' "Golden Slumbers/The End" on the soundtrack to Happy Feet. The best thing about this movie is this rarely heard number, a perfect tribute to the Fab Four with the grace and honesty as only k.d. can deliver.

What do all of those songs I mentioned above have in common? They all highlight the unique vocal stylings of one k.d. lang. Her voice is the focal point on all of those songs, from her aching wail on "Barefoot" to the low key sultry vocal style of "Hain't it Funny." The music accompanies her voice without overshadowing it. There is nothing worse than session musicians washing out the beautiful voice in my favorite modern day torch song singer. I have said this over and over again—enough with the multi-track productions, I am still waiting for the stripped down album where k.d.'s voice reigns supreme.

This brings us to Watershed. Is this the album for which I have been asking for years now? Not exactly, but with lang producing she makes sure that her vocals are the shining power source on these superb songs, her best and most complete album since Ingénue. From the opening notes and the lyrics "She arrives like autumn in a rainstorm," The voice that I have adored for so many years arrives from beyond to light the way. There's a country vibe, with the steel guitar and lush orchestration in the background, but k.d.'s voice of hope and reason lifts us in the blooming opening number "I Dream of Spring."

What a beginning! The dreamlike wonder of "Je Fais La Planche" follows with the "buoyancy of belief." There is something that I notice about k.d.'s songwriting immediately in Watershed. Unlike some torch song vocalists, lang writes most of her songs, and there's a sense of optimism throughout. Even if there are images of blue, jealousy, fear and pain just about all the songs end in a positive light. "Coming Home" starts off with clever, bouncy strings as k.d. sings "oh sweet sorrow/ let's write the book tomorrow." From the start she's taking the words of a sad song, and in the spirit of Paul McCartney, she's instantly making it better. k.d. never languishes in pools of melancholy, she splashes over them; the hurt might get her wet but she knows that they are just stains that will dry. k.d. doesn't let the anguish inside of her songs weigh her down. So you, as a listener, follow her lead home.

Just in time for the most romantic day of the year is "Once in a While," the perfect ode to the one in your heart. "I'll drive you crazy, baby/ once in a while." I love the fact that k.d. sings about the imperfections of love. Most of us enter romance with unbreakable goggles but "Once in a While" helps us to realize that there will be times that our loved ones will drive us a little mad. It's natural, its human nature and all the part of being in love. k.d. follows this theme of realistic love on "Thread," one of the many highlights of Watershed. "Thread" is one of the few numbers that starts off with a stripped acoustic guitar and follows with a flourishing orchestra strings that flow in and out of the mix without overpowering k.d.'s magnificent voice.

k.d. must have been listening to Mezzanine, because "Close Your Eyes" sounds very Massive Attack-esque. I love the slight trip hop-esque vibe that starts at the beginning. It's not as dark as Massive Attack, for this is a k.d. lang song, but "Close Your Eyes" is seductive number with a beating bassline that would impress Robert Del Naja and Daddy G.

Listen for the loungey title track and the stand-up bass flavored ode to everyone's favorite day of the week on "Sunday." Watershed ends with a stripped down number, "Jealous Dog." Similar to Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog," but without the heavy themes of death, k.d. sings about searching for faith through understanding. With just a banjo and a piano as her guide, k.d. lang leaves us looking for meaning through eyes of a jealous dog.

What a way to end this beautiful and moving album. Watershed is something that I myself have been looking to find. You see, I have been in mourning. With the passing of my late Abuelito I went searching for some peace and comfort in a singer. I went through my collection and nothing could cure the pain for the loss I was feeling inside. Last night I discovered the calming beauty of Watershed, which cured my sadness in the voice of one k.d. Lang.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
02.12.2008

Review: Samantha Tobey: Samantha Tobey

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



Samantha Tobey
Samantha Tobey
Heavy Folk Music
2007

Every once in a blue moon you discover a song, a song that soars, recurring lyrically and musically in your subconscious. "Eleven Shades of Red" is that song for me right now and L.A.'s very own Samantha Tobey is the artist to inspire the spark of a song that has been burning inside of me since I received a copy of her moving debut EP.

Now, I have been accused in the not so distant past of closing myself off to new music. A few years back, Bob Dylan gave an interview in Rolling Stone where he stated, "I don't know anybody who's made a record that sounds decent in the past twenty years, really…" and talking about the industry's complaint about downloading, "Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway." At that time, I really agreed with him, compared to the music from past even looking back at the '90s, the majority of the bands sans Radiohead and a handful of others had been largely forgettable.

The past year I have been falling in love with music again and discovering some new talent that would even make Bob Dylan smile. The sounds that I have been finding have proven Dylan's quote to be horribly wrong. All you have to do is read your daily installment of Treble (shameless pat on the back), or visit one of my favorite sites, The Hype Machine, and you will see that new music is alive and beating stronger by the minute.

On a local level, there seems to be a modern resurgence in the Los Angeles music scene, and Samantha Tobey is on the cusp of being the breakout artist of 2008. And this is all thanks to a show that has been largely seen online, that being Quarterlife. My newest obsession, Quarterlife was created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick creators of three of my favorite shows Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life and Once and Again. Quarterlife follows the life of a group of twentysomething friends trying to find their space in this internet world of missed communications. The episode where I first heard Samantha's song was part two of the pilot. At the end of the episode, Lisa the bartender stands up and sings "Eleven Shades of Red" in front of her bar and friends. It's a huge scene for Lisa, this is the episode where she breaks out of her shell and shows her true self in the guise of Tobey's song.

The thing I love about "Eleven Shades of Red" is Tobey's universal message of trying to connect, which is why it's a perfect song for Quarterlife. She sings "I wrote this song for you/ I don't even know your name." From the beginning, Samantha brings us in as if she's singing directly to us. She personalizes the song by saying that she wrote the song for all of us. I love the lyrics, "I talk to myself/ stop stuttering/ you bring all this on yourself." This is me, the stuttering recluse, she someone connected to how it feels to be in my uncomfortable skin when I have trouble speaking and become a stuttering recluse.

Everyone knows that I am a sucker for harmonies and Tobey delivers beautifully throughout her self titled EP. Listen to the harmonies on the elegant acoustic number "Running," the perfect introduction to this artist, and produced magnificently at that. David Passerman, Timothy Hutton, Kevin Binova and Spanjew keep the focus on Tobey's majestic voice throughout by not overpowering it with too much studio trickery. They enhance her voice by layering just the right instrumentation throughout her dynamic EP.

There seems to be a yearning throughout the lyrics of Tobey's debut EP. You can hear the blissful power on songs like "12 O'clock." Tobey's song are neither too light nor too dark, she has the perfect blend of beautiful melancholy, especially on memorable closing track "Mumbling," which is impressive for such a new and up and coming artist. Keep your eye on episodes of Quarterlife on NBC and listen for Samantha Tobey. When the show finally breaks, everyone, everywhere will know her name. You read it here first.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
01.30.2008

Review: Sarabeth Tucek: Sarabeth Tucek

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


Sarabeth Tucek
Sarabeth Tucek
Echo Records
2007

"Here's something for you to put down…"

These are the first lyrics you hear from the enigmatic L.A. singer/songwriter Sarabeth Tucek. What a song that opening track, a memorable one it is, and it is one that I had heard years before when she was a member of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. A few years back when she was working with ever-reclusive genius Anton Newcombe, Sarabeth collaborated with him on the track "Seer." I'll never forget the first time I heard "Seer," the lyrics "I've gone and left you a song" were shared with me by a former flame after she left. It's one hell of a song to give to a former love and to this day I'm grateful that she did. She knew how much I loved Brian Jonestown Massacre and adored the female voice.

When I put in Sarabeth's debut disc, and those first lyrics came on, I knew that song but in a different light. The song that I once knew as "Seer" has been stripped down, or de-Anton-ized if you will, and now called "Something For You." I prefer this version without the echo and effects. You can really hear Sarabeth's Nico-esque voice come through in this mix.

Nico is the perfect jumping off point when trying to pin point the sound of Sarabeth's voice. But Sarabeth goes much deeper than the former Velvet Underground vocalist; I like to think her vocals are a mixture of Nico and 10,000 Maniacs' Natalie Merchant. She's the perfect chanteuse that not many people have had the pleasure of hearing, though she has been fortunate enough to open for the likes of Bob Dylan, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Ray Lamontagne.

Speaking of Ray Lamontagne, his producer Ethan Johns, known for his work with Ryan Adams, along with Kings of Leon Luther Russell, helmed production duties on Sarabeth Tucek. Her debut CD is anything but your normal singer/songwriter acoustic album. Johns and Russell compliment Tucek's exceptional voice with just the right instrumentation. Just check out "Holy Smoke." Good choice to layer the backing track with feed-backing and rhythmic guitars. It sounds kind of like an amalgamation of Ryan Adams and The Velvet Underground with Sarabeth crooning "God said…I gave you a song…for you to keep for your own." Johns and Russell's riffs match the lyrical intensity of Tucek's fascinating prose.

"Hey You" is a sultry and smoky number that would sound perfect at a Jazz club. I love the Johns pedal steel guitar wails complementing Tucek's sexy vocal as she sings to a former flame. This seems to be the overall theme of Sarabeth Tucek; the songs sound like lyrical odes to an intense love that has since perished. The organ on "Come Back, Balloon" sounds like one you would hear at a procession at a church symbolizing the end of an affair. Then the banjo and harmonica comes out of nowhere and turns "Come Back, Balloon" into a beautiful alt-country lament over someone she left behind.

There's a lot of depth in Tucek's vocal that carry most of the songs into the realm of timelessness, and I do like the simplicity in some of the arrangements, like in the beautiful "Nightlight," especially the intimate piano keys playing in the background as a perfect accompaniment to Tucek's amazing lyrics. One of my favorite songs has to be "Hot Tears." It starts off with an acoustic guitar strumming along to Sarabeth's heart aching vocal and then turns into an electric number, when she sings "Then you'll lay me down/ don't let anyone come around," as those killer guitar riffs come in like a reigning flashback from a movie you want to revisit again.

Sarabeth Tucek's debut CD is more than a painful ode to heartbreak; I liken her songs to a soundtracked homage to love, a love that most of us yearn to experience. There's beauty, hope and pain layered through out this emotional and exceptional album. Sarabeth Tucek is a vocalist with a classic vibe and post-modern sound that needs to be experienced. When she sings "Guess you've always been the one…when there's no one left to call/ I'm blowing kisses as I fall," you long to be the one who's catching those imaginary kisses.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
01.29.2008