New Music Roundup (Summer 2007)
It’s summertime, so while we’re being inundated by the latest Gwen Stefani single or whatever shit-tastic garbage commercial radio is trying to shove down our throats, I thought I’d take a moment and recommend a few recent, or sort-of-recent, albums that I’ve been listening to. Some are quite mainstream (Maroon 5, Nine Inch Nails), some are rising stars (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen), and one that nobody knows but should (The Eames Era).
As always, I welcome all comments, hate mail, and other recommendations. If you’d like to see what I’m listening to right now, here’s my last.fm link which has every song I’ve heard for the past year or so.
Maroon 5 - It Won’t Be Soon Before Long
I’ve been an early fan of Maroon 5, when they first released Harder to Breath as a single several years ago. On a whim, I got an opportunity to catch them live when they opened at a tiny club in Houston (Numbers, represent!) for the 90s one-hit-wonder Cowboy Mouth (remember Jenny Says? Yeah, them.) They put on a hell of a show, and I’ve been a follower of theirs since then.
Of course I was impatient for the next album from the ex-Kara’s Flowers bandmates, since frontman Adam Levine had been spending so much time recording with everyone else in the music industry (Kanye West, Alicia Keyes). When I got the word that the new album was coming, I think I literally cheered out loud.
At first I was a little shocked, and didn’t really like it. It was just so different from Songs About Jane. I was expecting growth and change from the band as they’d skyrocketed to the spotlight in almost no time, but I guess I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
I’m sure those of you that already have the album understand what I’m talking about. If you didn’t like it, give it a couple more tries. It grows on you, and now I can’t get enough of it. The single, Makes Me Wonder, did not win me over at all, but singles rarely do since they almost never properly represent what to expect on an artists’ full album.
Right off the bat, favorite song on the whole album period: Nothing Lasts Forever. On first listen, I honestly thought it was a cover song because of the chorus which uses the same verse that Adam sings on Kanye West’s Heard ‘Em Say. I’ve listened to that song over 40 times since the album came out last Tuesday, if that’s any indication of the quality. Other amazing standout tracks: the playful Little of Your Time, the jilted lover on Wake Up Call, the somber Goodnight, Goodnight, and the destined-to-be-a-hit Not Falling Apart.
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Oh Amy, how I love you, but I’m worried about you. I adore her music, which pulls inspiration from old Motown and R&B and kicks the listener in the head with Amy’s own personal touch.
She is, however, a complete mess in real life. I’m certainly not one to judge, but the girl has some control problems, or lack thereof. I won’t digress, you can read about them in any number of gossip rags.
Despite her poor public persona, you forget all about it once you listen to Back to Black. I have never heard anything quite like it in my entire life, and I’ve listened to a lot of very strange and varied kinds of music. She leans very heavily into R&B, but its certainly music that can appeal to all kinds.
Take for example the contrast between Rehab, which is very doo-wop, and You Know I’m No Good, which leans more Motown. Other absolutely wonderful tracks are the reggae inspired Just Friends, classic 50s style Tears Dry Own Their Own (my personal favorite of the moment), He Can Only Hold Her, and.. oh screw it, the whole DAMN thing is GOLD. Her last album, Frank, was also full of very different and creative material which I highly recommend once you get familiar with this album.
Lily Allen - Alright, Still
Which brings me to another rising British pop star, Lily Allen. She often gets compared to Amy Winehouse (and it’s no irony that her review is following Amy’s), but honestly the only things that are similar between the two women is that they are both female and British.
Lily’s style is more basic and poppy, but incredibly catchy. Her lyrics can be a little vapid at times (the wonderfully catchy Friday Night), but the overall playfulness of the songs more than makes up for it.
Some of the best moments on the album is when she’s subtly (or not so subtly) insulting someone with her lyrics. The biggest attest to this is Not Big, where she shreds a previous beau about all his (ahem) tiniest insecurities. Of course I had to mention poor Alfie, who Lily dedicates to her stoner little brother who apparently needs a little motivation and possibly a lock on his bedroom door. The video (below) is even more bizarre stylized like an old Tom & Jerry cartoon, and for an even more greater twist here’s a sped up version.
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
Honestly, I think I just don’t get NiN anymore. I think I’ve actually outgrown them/him, and this isn’t the first time the thought has crossed my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Nine Inch Nails but I’ve been more disappointed with each passing album since The Downward Spiral.
It’s not that the last few albums have not had any good songs; that’s simply untrue. It’s just that the quality of the songwriting has gone down as Trent got older, or like I stated above maybe it’s just me that’s getting older. He’s almost becoming our generation’s Rolling Stones: they keep releasing albums, but all that anyone really wants to hear is anything pre-90s (2000s for NiN). Not saying he’s quite there yet, but I see it coming.
As for the Year Zero itself, it’s interesting, but that’s about it. I honestly wish I could give a better review for the album, but every time I’ve listened to it my attention wanders and I’m just waiting for the song to end. Not a good quality to have in an album.
I appreciate what he’s trying to do with it though, but that very quality may be its downfall. Year Zero is a concept album, and he goes very experimental on it. A few standout tracks are The Great Destroyer, God Given, Capital G (although it sounds like he stole it from Marylin Manson), the heavy industrial sound of Vessel, and The Good Soldier.
The Eames Era - Heroes + Sheroes
This band is one of my strange indulgences in indy pop music. I discovered The Eames Era on the way to work one day on the independent radio station 90.1 KSYM when they played one of their older songs, Could Be Anything, which was also featured on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack.
The Eames Era runs along the same vein as female-lead Letters to Cleo, Fleming & John, and a few others. The music is very light and poppy, with incredibly witty and sarcastic lyrics as delivered by the adorable lead singer Ashlin Phillips.
A few of my favorites from the album: Both Hands Full, the awesome Fake Do-Gooders, the swaggering NC-17, the incredibly bizarre Copious, if only because they used tap dancing as an instrument, the fun All Bets Are Off, and of course Watson On Your Side, featured below:
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