Second part of the set - now it's the boys' turn.
Ratatat - "LP3": Obvious by the title that this is their third album, and the one I like the best. Their style has matured, and gotten pretty consistent. They are electronic music with a nod toward classical forms: stating themes, moving on from them, returning to them later, doing variations on them, etc.
But they also lift from middle-eastern and latin music, too. This is great study music, keeps you wide awake, but doesn't jar you like the missed (or extra) beats of Massive Attack do. Great stuff. Favorites: Mirando, Imperials, Dura, Mumtaz Khan, Mi Viejo.
Weezer - "Make Believe": How come I've never heard anything by these guys before? They're good! Now I have to find more of their stuff. Fortunately the library is flush. :) Each CD has a waiting list, though. Guess other people like them, too.
And I can see why. The songs are catchy, the vocals are full, the playing is strong. Really, really like this CD. Favorites: Beverly Hills, This Is Such A Pity, Hold Me, We Are All On Drugs, Haunt You Every Day, The Other Way, Lucky Man.
The Verve - "Urban Hymns": Again, where the heck have I been? This is the last CD before their breakup, and now my friend SQ tells me they've gotten back together again for another one. Jeepers, a band has a decent career, breaks up, and reassembles again before I even know about them. Pay attention, mister!
So, this CD has a pretty laid-back but full sound, with cello and violin rounding out the guitars. The songs aren't all that compelling, nor is the singing, but the album hangs together stylistically and thematically. The title is apt; the songs are generally richly orchestrated and lack prominent solos. Maybe it's a bit of an acquired taste, I don't know. But it's not bad. Favorites: Bitter Sweet Symphony, Space and Time, The Drugs Don't Work.
Ben Kweller - "Changing Horses": Courtesy of SQ, this newest of Kweller's efforts keeps up the trend I observed in his last concert - developing his country style, which is a great direction for him. I've talked about his music here before, so won't repeat myself, but.. I can't wait to see him again on the 17th at the Varsity! (along with the whole three-track bunch) Favorites: Fight, Wantin' Her Again, On Her Own, Homeward Bound.
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4 comments:
Sure you heard Weezer before- J2 used to listen to them & I hated them because they are so "emo" Christina, bizarrely enough likes them & I mock her too by singing in a verrrry whiny plaintive voice "My name is Jonah, if you want to destroy my sweater, lying on the floor, lying on the floor I come undone!" (which is actually a mashup of two of their songs- from the Blue Album, which is uber emo. Secretly I like the Green Album (esp. Hashpipe, which has a great opener)& the music video for Pork & Beans off their new album is cute because it makes fun of viral videostars,(check it on youtube). Hey, do you like Wilco?
Hmpf. Leave it to you to mock my emo tendencies, you who dig both hepcats and grunge. :P
Dean Martin was emo, for pete's sake! So was Dinah Washington, for that matter. And Frank his own self! Songs about unrequited love, breakups, heartache, and the unrelenting thrill of romance are not new with the emo generation.
Wilco. Hm. Another band I know nothing about. Dang! I have to catch up. Got any of theirs?
I like some of ratatat: seventeen years, loud pipes; but haven't heard their newest cd... perhaps I'll give it a listen.
Wilco's pretty good... from what I've heard. do you know Feist? or Bjork? And 'prescilla' by bat for lashes just grabbed my ears away from russian reading in a coffee shop the other day. a new staple on a long afternoon.
Based on two recommendations now, I have solicited some Wilco from the library. :)
Yes, Feist and Bjork I both know. Feist is a fave, and Bjork is in the "sometimes I'm in the mood for" category that most Icelandic rock lives in.
Bat for Lashes. Hm.. I'll check.
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