Three to Consider: Video Edition

I am swimming in tunes but am too lazy today to try to write about any of them right now. So why not distract myself with three albums from last year that I have a suspicious feeling will be winding their way to the Room. And let me give them to you in video version which (unusually for me) makes them all the more interesting given the energy all three bands exude.

First up is The Dodo's with "Fools" from their new album Visiter.



Next is Elbow with "Grounds for Divorce" from Seldom Seen Kid but you have to go over to the Tubes proper to see this one which will give you the advantage of checking out others as well. And last, via Song, By Toad is Meursault with "Pissing on Bonfires" from Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing with Tongues.

She & Him: Sweet and Sticky

For a brief moment, I thought I'd try to catch up on albums I missed in 2008. Then I ran into Music Blog Zeitgeist (warning: you'll never return) and realized the folly of my endeavor. Still, I shall persist.

First up is She & Him: Volume One which I had read about in bits and pieces about through the second half of last year, but it just wasn’t jumping up in the Room queue. However, it started showing up in all kinds of year end lists including ended up at the top of the heap for Paste and so in the last round of consumption, Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward ended up in the players (focus on the “s”—it is important).

Why the hesitancy in the first place? Well, there is that whole thing that most artists that I tend to like, don’t come fresh off of a Jim Carrey film (not that I am judging Jim Carrey). Okay, that isn’t totally fair—Deschanel has made a lot of other films and has been singing in them and in other venues/arrangements for longer than one might think. And M. Ward has his own rising career that is worth noting as well. And yet, it seemed so awfully poppy sounding, but off I went.

My first reaction was to wonder what all the glowing reviews were about. It was cute and fun--a throwback novelty. It gave me the feeling that I could throw this in the player with some other hip lounge tunes and have friends over for a retro-1960s party with Pink Ladies and Grasshoppers. It probably didn’t help that I was driving home on a drizzling, cold Saturday evening in downtown Washington, D.C. with all the lights glimmering off the wet pavement and cars as I watched couples wrapped in long coats and scarves scamper from taxis into restaurants and bars like something out of a Rat Pack movie. But then I am home and She & Him are on while we are making dinner and later it is on the stereo, and back in the car the next day, and why can’t I stop listening to this album?

Well, I am not sure, but I couldn’t can’t. The songs are nothing sophisticated, although the more I listen the more I appreciate the arrangements which have some really nice subtle touches--a little piano fill here, subtle strings there, nice synchopation over there, etc. Deschanel doesn’t have what you would describe as amazing range, but somehow the sincerity of her singing overcomes the sweetness of the songs. There is a mix of standard love songs, lazy country-swing tunes and upbeat pop tunes with girl-group harmonies and, of course, a certain indie feel. Rolling Stone is right that the original stuff (all the songs but two are composed by Zooey) is better than the covers, but ultimately the whole thing holds together in one tasty melodic treat.

Still not sure it would make my top ten list (if I had one), but I do think I get what others saw in this album, or perhaps it got me. Here are three to take you back to your AM radio listening days.

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This Is Not a Test
Take It Back
I Was Made for You

Rambling Boy Rambles

Let’s start with this. I love Charlie Haden. First off he has a discography that is simply amazing both in terms of its breadth and in terms of the number of different musicians and bands with whom he has collaborated. Now if you are not a jazz fan (primarily) you may not know Charlie Haden—although his collaborations with Pat Metheny has brought him more mainstream attention I suspect. But you don’t have to be a jazz fan to like this album. In fact, I suspect some Charlie Haden jazz fans won’t totally dig this album.

See Charlie Haden started out as a member of his family’s country and bluegrass band singing on radio shows in the 1940s and 50s (beginning when he was two years old) and this album is his return to that genre. This time, however, it is with his own children and family (and the help of an impressive line-up of friends).

Now these me and “all-my-famous-friends” discs can often be less than notable and rarely hold together as albums, but in this case it does. The songs and the music are well arranged both musically and sequentially (with exceptions noted below). The stars fit into the overall theme rather than standing out like odd additions or a random collection of famous folks. For example, I love Elvis Costello, but lately it seems he has been showing up everywhere in not so subtle ways; but here he blends in just fine—as does Bruce Hornsby, Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash, Ricky Skaggs and even Jack Black.

Yes, that Jack Black. See he is married to one of the Haden triplets who are central to the album as this is, after all, a family affair. And let’s talk about the family. First off, the pieces where the triplets—Petra, Tanya and Rachel—are singing together or in duets are wonderful and run throughout the album. Josh, the son, also has a great solo piece on the album. But ultimately, I have to say the weak pieces are the solo efforts by the daughters—and as the album is very long (18 songs) it could benefit from some editing.

Now, who am I to say that Charlie Haden, who has played with Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett, Kenny Barron, Pat Metheny, Ricki Lee Jones and on and on, doesn’t have the right to let his daughters (who have their own musical credentials) sing solos? “No one” is the answer. And actually, I am getting attached to the whole disc as it is as a family effort (with great musicians supporting them), but my first reaction was to edit this down by three or four tunes.

Ultimately this is a fun album from a great artist and his family and it is worth more than a listen.

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Here is a sample of the trio (a song my wife seems to take great pleasure in), a guest, the son, the son-in-law and Haden himself.

Single Girl, Married Girl

20/20 Vision

Spiritual

Old Joe Clark

Oh Shenendoah

Second Thoughts: Shorter Cory Chisel

I already indicated that I am intrigued by Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons (enough to include them in the year-end wrap up), but the reality is that we will have to wait and see as there is just not that much to know yet. We have the EP which, by definition, is short. We have reviews, which due to the limited amount of music out there, are short. And we have video, which there is quite a bit of, but which just about covers all the music out there, which is, well short.

I have listened to the EP a lot over the last few weeks and I really like the sound and particularly Chisel's vocals. The songs are solid as is the music. It is honest, but not all that sophisticated which is fine for openers, but we will have to see how it comes out in an album or two. I am hoping we get to see this group grow and produce music that will stick, but that is yet to be seen. Until then, here is one more tune from the EP for your consideration.

Lovers and Friends

New Year's Blog Resolution

So starting this blog last year was both fun and educational. I learned a lot from other music bloggers and have tried to steal employ their best ideas.  In particular, I have been trying to do what needs to be done to promote music and artists.  To that end, I am now going to implement a policy that many others have which is to unlink the mp3 files after a certain amount of time.  Many take files down after a week or two, but I am resolving to do this in a somewhat different manner.  Once a post gets bumped off the front page, the mp3 will go away as well (if the post has one).  All of which is to say that if you want to check out a tune, you need to do it during its brief stay on the home page.

And now back to cleaning up all the old posts with files still embedded in them!

RIP: Freddie Hubbard

I was so entrenched in my family vacation visit, that I missed the passing of one of the greatest jazz trumpeters from the Blue Note era: Freddie Hubbard. He, of course, came up with all those great players in the late 1950s and early '60s. He had an absolutely wonderful ability to mix bop and smooth playing to create a beautiful lyrical sound that will carry on forever.

Here are a couple tunes that I love--one from his famous Ready for Freddie album and another from one of my favorite Herbie Hancock albums that Freddie played on, Takin' Off.

Crisis (from Ready for Freddie)
Watermelon Man (from Takin' Off)

And of course there is the Art Blakey connection as there is with so many of the greats. Here is a take on "Moanin'" from a Jazz Messenger classic with a young Freddie rippin the lead solo.

Vienna Treats for the New Year

I continue to debate the question as to whether this blog should focus exclusively on one genre of music (what I listen to most often) or strive to be more eclectic (everything I listen to or read/hear about). Who is the audience he wonders? But while I ponder that I sit hear in a German household on New Year's Day night which means one thing: football! Just kidding. It means the traditional New Year's Day Concert from Vienna.

For those who are unfamiliar with this event, it is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic and is one of the most popular concerts of the year which includes silly visual imagery and dancing (horses and people--don't ask) supposed to reflect the music which is predominantly upbeat with lots of the Strauss family and a few other Austrians. I love the music and would prefer just watching the orchestra, but who am I to mess with tradition?!

Seems like a nice moment to share a disc from this past Fall that I never got around to writing about. My Heart Alone features Angelika Kirchschlager and Simon Keenlyside singing selections from various operetta from Strauss (Johann II) and his buds around the continent.

Now I know virtually nothing about operetta and I really don't have a clue about how to start writing about this disc. It came to me by way of Gramophone which gave it a high recommendation and was included in the Editor's Picks for September 2008. This is not to say it is widely acclaimed--some went at it with a snideness I believe is reserved for reviewers of classical music.

All I know is I enjoy the performances (particularly Kirchschlager's) and the music. It is amazing how effortless the singing is (to me) and the general "waltziness" of it all is an interesting twist on opera (again, to me). One last bonus--the liner notes to the disc are a great introduction to the music and the genre so it is a nice place to start.

Enough. I will not try to say more than I know. Here are three tracks--one duet and one aria by each--for you to judge. Evening attire and champagne is required before listening.

Weißt du es noch (from The Gypsy Princess)
Es lebt eine Vilja (from The Merry Widow)
Du sollst der Kaiser meiner Seele sein (from The Favourite) Buy Album