Say It Ain't So...

I don't care what anyone says -- it's never a good sign when an album gets pushed up three weeks. After giving the new self-titled Weezer record a few spins, it's apparent why the people at Geffen are pulling out all the stops to get the band's sixth studio release out of their hair pronto. But alas, this is what it has come to. Which is unfortunate, because I have always been this band's number one advocate. When critics seemed to universally lampoon Pinkerton in 1996, I stood by the guys through the thick and thin of it. After the appropriately tittled Maladroit received it's early lukewarm reception in 2002, I dismissed the bad karma and was still first in line to pick up my limited edition numbered copy. Unfortunately, a diehard can only give a band so many chances before admitting that his once favorite band has officially jumped the shark.

I was initially excited when I heard the power-chord punch offered in leadoff single "Pork & Beans." This was the Weezer of yesteryear that I knew and grew to love. Had Rivers and gang finally learned to replicate their mid-nineties power-pop glory? On this song, yes. On the rest of the album? Not even a chance. And I'm not even asking the band to make another Blue Album or Pinkerton per se; this would be a nearly impossible feat. But for a band that has traditionally taken an exceptional amount of time to record and release new material, it is frustrating to consider that this is the best they can offer. The trainwreck begins on "Troublemaker" -- a nonsensical tune that has the lyrical sophistication of a six-year old. With lines like, "Put me in a special school/Cause I am such a fool/And I don't need a single book to teach me how to read/Who needs stupid books/They are for petty crooks," this song makes "Beverly Hills" sound like an opus. The five and half minute "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" experiments with about a dozen tempo changes, and seems to go everywhere but in a positive direction. "Heart Songs" is a snoozer and the band reaches new levels of failure on the Scott Shriner-sung "Thought I Knew." The gang saves some face on the poppy "Dreamin'," which is admittedly not a half-bad tune. However, this is really the only other check in the win column I'll give them. In lieu of their once-patented endearing quirkiness, we are given a handful of songs that are just uninspired and asinine.

My Rating 4.0/10

Positive Jams

It's hard to have negative feelings for an album as optimistically titled as Stay Positive. Throw in The Hold Steady's track record of releasing some of the more exceptional studio albums of the past few years and this becomes an even more daunting task. Even so, considering the sheer genius that was 2006's Boys And Girls In America, The Hold Steady are surely destined to disappoint on their follow-up, right? I can safely answer this with a resounding WRONG! It's almost fitting that I happened to get my hands on Stay Positive the day after Memorial Day. Because more so than anything else, this is absolutely a summer record.

The album kicks off with an aggressive uptempto track called "Positive Summer," which is the perfect segue into the band's new body of material. The song retains the brilliant ramblings (a la the first three Springsteen albums) that frontman Craig Finn has so perfectly patented on the the band's first three releases, as well similar themes of youth rebellion and escape in middle America. An obvious nod to the the band's reckless idealism, Finn cleverly declares, "Me and my friends all like/Double whiskey, Coke, no ice/We drink alone in double time/I drink too much but you feel fine," and goes on to refer as "St. Joe Strummer" being his "only decent teacher." The momentum carries over into the equally terrific second track and first single "Sequestered In Memphis," which could have very well been a b-side off of Born To Run (see THIS earlier post for more on this song). "Song For Cutters" shows us some of the band's depth, showcasing Franz Nicolay's harpsichord playing abilities and Finn's witty storytelling about the tragic lives of Midwest townie drug addicts.

Positive progresses along beautifully into the heartbreaking "Lord, I'm Discouraged," highlighted by the most desperate tale of self-destruction since The Black Crowes' "She Talks To Angels." Building up slowly, the tune climaxes into a facemelting guitar solo that would garner Slash's seal of approval. Who knew the boys had it in 'em? But it is this crafty guitar work that gets carried over into the mood-changing "Yeah Sapphire", a song of redemption in which Finn confesses, "I was a skeptic at first, but these miracles work." From here on in, songs of desperation turn into songs of hope. The fist-pumping anthem "Stay Positive" seems to acknowledge all of the band's afforementioned negative undertones of youth struggle and retorts with feelings of reassurance that everything is going to be alright. The band gets a little playful with the Led Zeppelin inspired "Joke About Jamacia" -- a nod to the often mispronounced "D'Yer Maker." With references to a handful of LedZep songs ("Dancing Days," "Trampled Underfoot," "Dazed And Confused"), Finn proves that he is a wizard of wordplay on what is easily the best told story on the album. Stay Positive concludes on an extremely high note with the fantastic "Slapped Actress," a song that incorporates the layered guitars of yesteryear and comes full circle by reprising some of the band's earlier albums' themes ("almost killed me", Ybor City).

All I have to say is there is a reason why The Hold Steady was the the first band in 15 years to grace the cover of The Village Voice. This bands brings an excitement to music that is unparalleled (just check them out live). And although the guys kind of reinvent the wheel on Positive (lyrically, this disc is very similar to B&IA), they prove that they can consistently make a musically complex record all the while incorporating themes that don't seem to get tired. Hey, if the Boss can make a career out of this, why can't these guys? For me, this is a stellar effort and shows progression of a band that you can bank on.

My Rating: 9.0/10

A Buzz In Our Ears

News has been circulating today that everyone's favorite avant-garde Icelandic post-rock band, Sigur Rós, is finally back with new material! After the release of last year's compilation album, Hvarf-Heim, the band is back at it with their first full-length record in nearly three years. The album, out June 24th in America, will be called með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (which literally translates into English as "with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly") and will apparently feature the most visually daring album art since Pulp's, This Is Harcore. The sudden announcement of a rather eminent album release seems to be the industry norm these days (following in the footsteps of The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkeley, and soon to be Beck) and is apparently the most effective way for established artists like Sigur Rós to combat album leakage. Funky album art and long-winded titles aside, the band breaks new ground with record's first single, "Gobbledigook". Straying away from their patented ethereal sound, the three minute tune is uncharacteristically brief, upbeat, and driven by a fast acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, I don't speak Icelandic so lord knows what this song is all about, but hey it works. Supposedly, the band treads new water on the new album by experimenting with English vocals on one of the tracks. This announcement of this album sort of blindsided me (in a good way), but proves that the summer is looking to have a pretty stacked release lineup. "Gobbledigook" can be downloaded for free now via Stereogum. Sigur Rós will be playing only a handful of North American shows this summer, so if you are fortunate enough to get tickets, I highly recommend checking these guys out at these locations:

6/05 Guadalajara, MEX @ Teatro Degollado
6/07 Tepoztlan, MEX @ Festival La Colmena
6/08 Tijuana, MEX @ Planeta Tijuana
6/11 - Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theater
6/12 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
6/14 - Manchester, TN @ (Bonnaroo)
6/16 - New York, NY @ Grand Ballroom

Flip On The Telly

As bad as Weezer has gotten over the years, I really gotta hand it to them on the music video front. The band just released the video for "Pork & Beans" -- their first single off of their self-titled "red" sixth studio album. What we get is a pretty hilarious video of some of the most popular YouTube viral video sensations of the past few years. The "Numa Numa" dude, the brainless Miss Teen South Carolina, the serious staring chipmunk, and even the "Leave Britney Alone" douchebag all make their appearances in this video -- further extending their respective fleeting 15 minutes. In other news, due to numerous leaks of most songs (and a very bad response to said songs), the "red album" has been pushed up three weeks, and will now be released on June 3rd.

Kool Thing

Last Friday, I probably got the best music deal in the world. I was perusing through a thrift store on 77th and 3rd when I saw a stack of new Sonic Youth CD's for sale. Considering this place is one of those charity Good Will stores, they practically give stuff away. I got new (still wrapped!) copies of A Thousand Leaves, Goo, Sonic Nurse, and Rather Ripped for a total of four dollars. Yes, this comes out to $1 per disc. These albums have since occupied most of the space in my stereosystem, causing me to go on the longest Sonic Youth binge of my life. Which got me to thinking about several things. Although everyone and their mother is aware of Daydream Nation's accolades, this band really hasn't gotten the credit they deserve on most of their other albums. Influential bands like The Pixies and The Replacements have had their catalogs praised, whereas a majority of Sonic Youth records have gone largely unnoticed. The unfortunate part to this is that people are really missing out on some good stuff. Rather Ripped (released in '06) is an instant classic and in my opinion shows the how the band has only gotten riper with age. Bands as far reaching as The Arcade Fire and Silversun Pickups really owe Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon a debt of gratitude for sculpting a sound two decades before it would appeal to the mainstream.

But it looks like this might changing after all. It was announced today that Starbucks Entertainment (Hear Music), of all people, will be releasing semi-best of collection appropriately titled, Hits Are For Squares, that will be hitting most stores on June 10th. The record will include one exclusive song and smattering of 14 tunes that have received the stamp of approval from various celebrities/Sonic Youth enthusiasts that include everyone from Gus Van Sant to Eddie Vedder. The liner notes will include each song's selector and his/her respective reasons for inspiration. If Starbucks isn't mainstream enough, I don't know what is. I pass at least three each day during my walk to work. Here is the album's songlist paired with celebritie(s):

01 "Bull In The Heather" (selected by Catherine Keener)
02 "Sugar Kane" (selected by Beck)
03 "100%" (selected by Mike D)
04 "Kool Thing" (selected by Radiohead)
05 "Disappearer" (selected by Portia de Rossi)
06 "Stones" (selected by Allison Anders)
07 "Tuff Gnarl" (selected by Dave Eggers and Mike Watt)
08 "Teenage Riot" (selected Eddie Vedder)
09 "Shadow Of A Doubt" (selected by Michelle Williams)
10 "Rain on Tin" (selected by Flea)
11 "Tom Violence" (selected by Gus Van Sant)
12 "Mary-Christ" (selected by David Cross)
13 "World Looks Red" (selected by Chloë Sevigny)
14 "Expressway To Yr Skull" (selected by the Flaming Lips)
15 "Slow Revolution" (exclusive)

A Movie Script Ending

Amid last week's speculation from its excellent first day sales, it was confirmed today that Death Cab For Cutie's Narrow Stairs is officially the number one record in the country. Shipping just over 144,000 units, Stairs assaulted the competition in a rather slow music week, besting a Frank Sinatra compilation that bowed in at number two with 99,000 sold copies. Although I was a little disappointed with this new Death Cab record, I really need to give Ben Gibbard some props here. I remember hearing about these guys in college when they couldn't even sell out a tiny club show in Pittsburgh. Five years later, it's truly amazing to see how far a once relatively unknown indie band has come. Despite the pathetic truth that 150,000 copies will pretty much solidify a number one record these days, I really cannot discount this remarkable feat and how it translates into peoples' shifting preferences in popular music. Kudos, Death Cab!

Staying Positively Good

Now that I've gotten my grubby little hands all over the new My Morning Jacket record, my second most eagerly-anticipated album of the summer is without a doubt The Hold Steady's Stay Positive -- due out July 15th on Vagrant. Lucky for me, the band released leadoff single "Sequestered In Memphis" yesterday on iTunes and their MySpace page. I've really got to give it to this band; after just one listen I'm already hooked. I don't know how Craig Finn and crew does it, but the band always finds a way to tighten up its sound on each proceeding record. 2006's Boys and Girls In America was nearly flawless, and if early glowing reviews have anything to say about Stay Positive, this band is only getting warmed up. And if The Hold Steady's early Bruce Springsteen influence was ever in question, this album will quiet the naysayers. With saxes a la Clarence Clemmons and organs remincent of Danny Federici, "Sequestered In Memphis" is the modern day equivalent to the E-Street Band backed "Rosalita". For those of us lucky to live in the New York Metropolitan Area, we get a free show June 29th at McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg. You can bet I'll be there. They've also mapped out a summer US tour:

HOLD STEADY SUMMER TOUR: 07.17 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom 07.18 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom 07.19 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival 07.21 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre 07.22 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue 07.23 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre 07.26 - Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party 07.27 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom 07.29 - San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine 07.30 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon 08.02 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre 08.03 - El Paso, TX - Club 101 08.05 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom 08.06 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa 08.08 - Oxford, MS - Proud Larry’s 08.09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt 08.10 - Charleston, SC - The Pourhouse 08.12 - Carrborro, NC - Cat’s Cradle 08.13 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva

His Aim Is True

I have a tremendous amount of admiration for Elvis Costello. I cannot think of an artist who has been as consistently prolific throughout the decades. Musicians often reach their peak, fade into obscurity, make pathetic comebacks attempts, and then lose most vestiges of their once prevailing relevance. Not Elvis. After the much-anticipated "forced" March reissue of This Year's Model, Costello this month released Momofuku -- his first new album with The Impostors since 2004's The Delivery Man. I always get excited when I hear new Elvis songs, particularly because you never know what you are going to get. In this case, we are given an album named after the inventor of instant noodles. And yes, I'm dead serious.

A clear roots-rock aficionado often known for his collaborations, Costello is at it again on this record -- this time working with Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley fame), who contributes backing vocals on most of the tracks. As expected, we get some excellent songwriting and a combination of slow songs mixed with some pretty solid rockers. The album kicks off with "No Hiding Place" -- an uptempto track about the obvious state of the world's affairs. Musically, this song is a pretty good indicator of the album's complexity. Mixed harmonies, Vox organs, and distorted guitars all make cameos at various times throughout Momofuku. Considering the size of Costello's instrumental arsenal it's hard to believe that this album was cranked out in a week. The aforementioned Lewis shines on the drum heavy "Turpentine" which clashes wonderfully with the bossa nova beauty "Harry Worth". The 1-2 ballad combo of "My Three Sons"/"Song With Rose" proves Costello hasn't lost the sincerity he perfected on My Aim Is True. The record closes on a notable high with the fun, yet seemingly improvised "Go Away" -- a song that could have very well been written and recorded in an afternoon. Costello does not reinvent the wheel on Momofuku but he does successfully build on one of the industry's most impressive resumes. At 53, he sounds at least 20 years his junior -- proving he is rock's equivalent to that cool beer smuggling uncle.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Listen To The Math

Throw in a dash of Decemberists and an ounce of Ozma, stir with The Strokes, and you got yourself Tokyo Police Club's Elephant Shell -- the year's most eagerly anticipated indie debut since Vampire Weekend's self-titled album. Considering how this Canadian quartet has only been around for a couple of years and has only released a handful of songs on a pair of EP's, this is a lot to live up to. Fortunately, for the most part these guys are worth the hype. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes (the longest song is just over three minutes), Elephant Shell is a lyrically ambitious piece of work that is both raw yet well-calculated. You can tell a lot of ingredients go into these songs, yet nothing ever really gets too overbearing for the listener. Fast-paced post-punk strumming (a la Albert Hammond on The Strokes' Is This It) and catchy hooks meld well with new wave synthesizing on songs like "Tesselate" and album standout "Graves". The only real downside about Elephant Shell is its lack of depth. The homogeneity the album's body of work is pretty apparent and can get very repetitive after a few listens. However, this should not undermine the band's overall creativity that makes this debut noteworthy.

My Rating: 7.0/10

"Welcome To The Fold" -- Filter @ Mercury Lounge 5/13/08

Although the focus of this blog tends to be reviews of up and coming music, there are times when I find it necessary to take a stroll down memory lane. I really can't stand it when people dismiss and outgrow the bands that really got them excited about music in the first place. Taking this into account, when I found out that Filter was booked to play an intimate album release show at Mercury Lounge (last night), I was first in line to buy my ticket. And even though lead singer Richard Patrick is the only current mainstay from their glory years, he IS Filter inasmuch as Trent Reznor IS Nine Inch Nails.

Despite the rather long lapse in time since the band's previous effort (2002's The Almagamut), the loyal crowd, composed mostly of twentysomething headbanging "bro rock" enthusiasts, remained unbothered by this fact. And let's face it, barring an unexpected Buckcherry-like comeback, Filter is a rock band that is past its prime. But you know what, they seemed pretty okay with this. I was impressed by Patrick's stage demeanor, as he appeared legitimately happy to be back on the show circuit. It was evident he was especially thrilled to be playing his band's record release party at an unexpectedly intimate venue in what he called "the greatest city in the world."

The set began with with late 90's crowd favorite "Welcome To The Fold" and segued into the equally incendiary "American Cliché." Before long, Patrick was throwing water on the crowd like it was 1999 (for which he later apologized), and the fistpumping faithful were responding devil horn hand gestures. Never light on the crowd banter, we were enthusiastically reminded several times that "Filter is back!" The band continued to blaze through their string of nineties soundtrack semi-hits including The Crow's "Jurrasitol" and the Crystal Method collaboration "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" (from 1997's Spawn). Patrick went on to share his negative war sentiments with the crowd and explained how the band's new record (aptly titled Anthems For The Damned) was inspired by our current state of the world. It went without saying what their first single, "Soldiers of Misfortune" was all about. The highlight of the night came when Patrick introduced an obscure song of off 1999's Title of Record, called "Skinny", in which he admitted was rarely ever played in the past because he was "too much of a raging alcoholic" to ever hit the high notes. On this night, however, he nailed them flawlessly. The band's performance was forcibly shortened due to a different late show at venue, but they boys didn't conclude before playing their commercially successful crossover hit "Take A Picture" and launching into a mosh-pit inducing encore rendition of "Hey Man Nice Shot."

I'll admit that I have always had a soft spot for mid-90's alt-rock, so I am well aware that my opinion of such music may very well be skewed. But I do know that you can't knock a band that leaves 100% of their energy and enthusiasm on the stage. Mix this in with a slew of radio hits, some great new material, and an arena-sized show packed into a 200 person venue, and you got yourself pretty damn good show despite the ever looming nostalgia.

The Hand That [Continues To] Feed

When it rains it pours for Trent Reznor. And it is only appropriate that the god of industrial music has become an album pumping machine as of late. After giving away the first part of Ghosts earlier this year, Reznor surprised us last week by offering a free download of a damn good song called "Discipline." Little did his legions of fans realize that this was just the beginning. In a move that has seemingly one-upped Radiohead's generosity, Reznor turned the music world on its head earlier this week by not only announcing that he had completed his most recent project, The Slip, but announcing that is was immediately available for free download on the official Nine Inch Nails site. Furthermore, the album is being offered in a multitude of formats, encouraging audiophiles to get their fix and remixers to get to work. Reznor in response, posted the message, "thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me."

And for those Nine Inch Nails fans who were a little skeptical about the two-disc, all instrumental Ghosts compilation Reznor released last month (it only debuted at 14 on the Billboard charts), this album will surely tide them over. Because what we are essentially given is a classic Nails record. Whether or not intended to be continuation of Ghosts, the album begins with the now token ominous instrumental track "999,999" before blasting into the pounding, appropriately titled "1,000,000" -- a song that could have very well been an a-side on the underrated With Teeth. The album's single, "Discipline," is equally astonishing, providing a powerful industrial beat NIN patented on Pretty Hate Machine and the convincing chorus, "Once I stop, I can't control myself." Perhaps this is a nod his newfound prolific nature.

Reznor, renown for his experimentation, contrasts the ambitiously cacophonous "Letting You," with an intimate piano ballad, "Lights In The Sky." The most impressive song on this album, however, is "Echoplex", a song that features complex, layered guitars mixed with an unfamiliar beat. The Slip continues with the ambient "Corona Radiata" before concluding with the aggressive, synthesizer-heavy "Demon Seed." At 44 minutes, this ten song collection is definitely worth the space it will take up on your iPod. If people thought NIN was going soft, they were gravely mistaken. And even if this is no Downward Spiral, Reznor is immediately forgiven because he continues to prove that he knows what's up. In an era of piracy, file-sharing, and mash-ups, he not only encourages fans to freely take his music, but also challenges them to make it better. Rather than alienating those have supported him for so long, he is one of the few people in the industry to actually knows how to preserve that connection.

My Rating: 8.0/10

The Sound of Settling

I am fan of Death Cab For Cutie/Ben Gibbard/The Postal Service as much as the next guy, and was equally pumped when I heard good things about their new album Narrow Stairs (out next Tuesday, 5/13). Truthfully, I don't see what the fuss is about. Last month, I read the Paste Magazine cover story in which Gibbard talks about how he moved into the Big Sur house once inhabited by his idol Jack Kerouac to fuel his creative fire for Stairs. He basically confesses about how he was unable to draw any inspiration from this experience because he "idealized" the situation too much. He then goes on to contrast his collegiate Kearouacian idealizations with his current state of mind -- one that is surprisingly depressing considering the praise he has accumulated in recent years. Taking this into account, it is pretty obvious that Gibbard's defeated attitude has been translated into his mostly depressing new body of work.

Although Gibbard has fit comfortably as the master of melancholy to some, I really think he needs to grow out of this phase and show us a little depth. The first single, "I Will Possess Your Heart" may as well be considered the sequel to "The New Year" on Transatlanticism. We are given a bold four and half minutes of instrumental build-up before Gibbard finally chimes in with, "How I wish you could see the potential/The potential of you and me/Its like a book, elegantly bound but/In a language that you cant read." Nearly five minutes of waiting and all we get is the makings of a bad junior high school poem, huh? Ben, we get it: your heart is still broken and you've made mistakes you regret.

Unfortunately, we get this six or seven more times on Narrow Stairs as indicated by a multitude of foreboding song titles: "You Can Do Better Than Me", "The Ice Is Getting Thinner", and "Pity And Fear". Gibbard, never known for being discrete, does does a excellent job painting out the meanings of these songs, but again, this is nothing new to Death Cab fans. There are some highlights on this album, but unfortunately they are few and far between. The upbeat "No Sunlight" shakes things up a little bit despite its repetitiveness. The unquestionable standout track on Narrow Stairs is "Long Division" -- Gibbard's most ambitious attempt to develop as a musician. And don't get me wrong. Musically this album is not bad, but it really doesn't show the progress that many could have otherwise hoped for after disappointing on Plans. There is no doubt that Gibbard is as a talented singer/songwriter as it gets. But in order to make the next great (and I mean GREAT) Death Cab album, he needs to get over his obsession with looking at the past for inspiration.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10