The Question of Albums vs. Shuffle

A quick glance of any last.fm profile will reveal something important about the user that might be more important than what kind of music they listen to: how they listen to their music. Indeed, fan pages on the site are devoted both to those who prefer shuffling their libraries and those who claim that albums are meant to be listened to whole and message boards full of flame wars seek to find out just who is right.

In the earlier days of recorded music, listeners could only choose between the 45 rpm single and the 33 rpm album. No in-betweens. In fact, the idea of the album only came about in the late '50s, so to claim that albums were, from the beginning of time, designed to be listened to as a cohesive unit is spurious.

However, these arguments are not without merit -- when concept albums became a more regular feature and more importantly, became commercially successful, artists switched from the singles-driven market to the album-driven market. The songs became longer and less radio-friendly, while the albums became more cohesive and started to feature songs that ran right into each other. The answer to the debate of shuffle vs. "straight-through play" is one that will not quiet any message boards any time soon: it depends.

The albums which are best suited to unshuffled play are those which are constructed such. While you may be able to get through something designed to be played in a club such as Lady Gaga's The Fame [of which a review should be coming shortly] without needing any heavy context, I challenge you to keep your player on shuffle through The Decemberists' The Hazards Of Love [of which a review might be coming someday] without becoming rather confused. The same reason for this is the same reason many albums just sound better straight-though: it tells a story.

Whether it's an obvious "here's-the-fucking-story" kind of chronicle, or a more subtle "we're-just-gonna-tie-this-together-really-really-well" type, albums that feature a narrative demand to be played in order. But, then again, largely, it's up to you.

Concert: Regina Spektor - Nokia - Nov. 12, 2009

The past few weeks have been excellent in the way of concerts -- Brand New was on October 30th at the Palladium Ballroom, and tonight's Regina Spektor concert was equally amazing. I've seen few fans as devoted as many of the Regina fans were; it's always good to hear people singing along. Also, while most venues are standing-only, all of Nokia had seats, and when Spektor first came out on stage, she received a standing ovation without even playing a note.

Although she could have taken the praise and phoned in a performance, Spektor seemed to put everything into each song, and simply said a modest "Thank you" after the thunderous applause that followed each song. She opened with material that sadly, I'm not entirely familiar with, but the encore featured familiar favorites such as "Us", "Samson", and "Fidelity" from Begin To Hope. Her live version of "Apres Moi" has never made Russian sound so sexy, and her final song, a country-fied "Love, You're A Whore" provided an almost perfect closer.

The opening band, Jupiter One, was a typical eighties-influenced indie rock band, similar to say, The Airborne Toxic Event, complete with faux-British accented lead vocals and synths, but incorporated unique violin and flute loops [performed by band members before the start of each song] and performed with high energy. I'm happy to say that they also got the love they deserved -- many audience members went down to the stage to chat with the band while they broke down their equipment. Kudos goes to the Nokia security staff for allowing that to happen.

It's always good to see a strong bond between fans and artists, and Regina Spektor's performance, along with Jupiter One's, certainly proved that the praise the audience gave to them is earned.

Review: mewithoutYou's It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright

The Breakdown:

It's hard to listen to mewithoutYou's new album without considering the post-hardcore genre that they used to belong squarely in. On their debut, Catch For Us The Foxes, they delivered some of the heaviest and most memorable riffs I'd heard in a long time. I have only listened to the albums they've made since then once or twice, but it's clear Weiss is moving in a new direction.

Not that the new direction is a problem. Fans of The Decemberists and The Butchers And The Builders will find that the folky but strongly rhythmic songs here will be to their liking, while Lavender Diamond fans will find numerous nuances of Baroque pop. However, the most direct comparison that I can make is to Danielson Familie. It's not just the strong Christianity present throughout: the chanted group vocals, love-it-or-hate-it lead vocals [Weiss bears a strong resemblance to Kermit The Frog sometimes], poppy melodies, and odd but fitting instrumentation all correlate. It's not as much of an acquired taste as Danielson, but it is often in the same vein.

If you can stand all the agriculture and wildlife references, it's an interesting album, although the lyrics are often a little too opaque for me. Those usually turned off by Christianity will find that Weiss navigates it with a certain grace not usually found; instead of moralistic heavy-handedness, there are easily bypassed parables and symbolism. Indeed, "A Stick, A Carrot & String" sounds more like a Christmas carol than anything else, and in a way, that's what it is.

It's really hard to hate this album, although it is a departure from their original sound. Fans of Baroque pop-folk artists such as The Decemberists should dig this; the main difficulty I had was the repeated theme of animals and farms that might just be a little too high-concept for me. While there are no big standouts like "Torches Together" or "Disaster Tourism", it's still an engaging album.

Blow By Blow:

1. "Every Thought A Thought Of You" -- What might be the most interesting song. Features a bouncy, ska-like rhythm, complete with dancehall rapping in the middle.

2. "The Fox, The Crow, And The Cookie" -- Yes, that's tuba. Yes, you're right, it does fit. This song reminded me of Neutral Milk Hotel for some reason.

3. "The Angel Of Death Came To David's Room" -- This is where the Danielson comparison might be strongest.

4. "Goodbye, I!" -- Cool rhythm. Piano makes an appearance.

5. "A Stick, A Carrot & String" -- A folksy, accordion-accompanied Christmas story.

6. "Bullet To Binary (Pt. Two)" -- Completely different from "Bullet To Binary", the opening track from [A --> B] Life. Strong klezmer feel.

7. "Timothy Hay" -- A plain weird pop song about rabbits. The music is very good, although the lyrics seem a bit repetitive.

8. "Fig With A Bellyache" -- More Danielson comparison. If someone can satisfactorily explain the lyrics to me, they win a First Order Of Business shirt.

9. "Cattail Down" -- Lyrics are a bit stilted, but chamber pop fans will especially enjoy this song.

10. "Allah, Allah, Allah" -- Although it may seem inconsistent with the band's Christian lyrics, this is a beautiful and well-written song.

Final Verdict:

The music is excellent for the most part, although the lyrics are a little too obscure sometimes, and the agricultural references often seem overplayed. Definitely an interesting listen, and fans of The Decemberists, The Butchers And The Builders, and similar bands will find a lot to like.

Review: Weezer's Raditude

The Disclosure: I've been trying to avoid the hype [or really, anti-hype] over this album, but I have read The Onion AV Club review and the Wikipedia article.

The Breakdown:
Like the Snuggie that comes packaged with certain editions of Raditude, this album doesn't seem to know if it is a seriously marketed product, or some kind of inside joke that you can't laugh at. It's become fashionable to lament over the perceived lack of quality coming from Weezer these days, but it's not without merit. Like most other people, Blue and Pinkerton formed part of my high school life, and I am even willing, unlike some fans, to accept Green and Maladroit. However, there's a lack of sincerity here I can't help but pick up on, and much of Raditude sounds hollow and forced, just like its name. It's a boring album that sadly, takes some intestinal fortitude to complete in one sitting.

The biggest problem with this album is a conflict between Rivers's attempts to come off as socially awkward a la "Why Bother?" while maintaining the Party Man façade from "Beverly Hills". A prime example of this is "I'm Your Daddy", in which he says he "thought tonight would suck like every other night / I'd party with my friends." But in the same song, he talks about his willingness to defeat a Goomba. Where's our friend from "In The Garage" that seemed totally cool with having a Kitty Pryde poster hanging up and wanted nothing more than to enjoy alone time? Fans want him back. Sure, lyricists evolve, but fans want at least some consistency. Arguably, the main reason people like their favorite band is because they identify with the lyrical content and the narrator in the songs. With Weezer, we don't have the socially [pardon the pun] maladroit lyrics we used to get, and that's a problem.

Really, we don't get much of anything at all. Many of the lyrics on this album simply sound silly. I think we can ignore lines like "bluffin' with my muffin" from artists like Lady Gaga, who, like it or not, are masters of disposable pop. Perhaps that's where Rivers wants to go, but with an esteemed songwriter like Cuomo, you cannot ignore what might be the worst bridge in music history, from "In The Mall": "Take the elevator to the escalator ride it down and start again!" Who signed off on this? Of course, what can you expect from a song with a title that reminded me of Robin Sparkles/Scherbatsky's "Let's Go To The Mall"? While there might be some songs, such as "Put Me Back Together" that aren't as cringe-worthy, it's hard to keep listening when complete and utter bombs such as these keep coming, and not even the vocals or music can justify them.

Which brings me to another point: as of late, Cuomo's voice has taken a whiny, infuriating edge. To make up for this, he seems to have adopted a kind of rapping that honestly sucks. I'm not adverse to enjoying hip-hop, but there's a difference between Astronautalis laying down rhymes and Rivers half-heartly throwing together forced monologues that sound as if he consulted a rhyming dictionary for the last word with little regard for the rest of the sentence.

Also, where is the Marshall crunch that made the first three albums such a textural enjoyment? Blue's charm came mainly from the lyrics, sure, but you can't deny that the music itself is good. These days, drummer Patrick Wilson seems to be playing second banana to a drum machine. Even as late as the snore-fest known as Make Believe, songs had... gasp! Drums! Oh, oh and... guitars that were distorted! The songs on this album, like Red, all sound alike. Indeed, it would be hard to even tell the two albums apart. There's little innovation or uniqueness on this album, and that used to be a strong point of this band. There's no riffs, no truly memorable melodies -- nothing. Oh, sure, you'll find yourself humming the chorus of the first track, but instead of being pleasantly surprised, you'll be disappointed and frustrated that something so vapid found its way into your head.


Blow By Blow:
1. "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" -- Okay, so the song title is kind of clever, if a little long. It's overly bouncy, and instead of acoustic guitar, I'd like some distortion. The lyrics do sound somewhat, superficially, like classic Weezer, but overall, quality isn't as good.

2. "I'm Your Daddy" -- Just stop with the drum machine and the faux-rapping. Please. It sounds very amateurish, and just plain silly. Also, please stop the overly masculine posturing, as whatever joke you might be trying to perpetuate is not funny. I can see where you might be making attempts at satire, but I'm not really getting the point.

3. "The Girl Got Hot" -- Why does this song exist?

4. "Can't Stop Partying" -- I can't keep saying this enough: no one gets the satire. It's admirable that Lil' Wayne makes an appearance, but I wish he would teach Rivers how to bust rhymes. Actually, I'd rather Wayne just advise him to leave the rapping to the experts.

5. "Put Me Back Together" -- I actually like this song. I think it's the only one that doesn't come across as overly trite. It was during this song, however, that I really wanted to give up listening to this album straight through. Weezer albums should not be torturous.

6. "Tripping Down The Freeway" -- Sigh. Even the guitar solos that do appear sound hackneyed.

7. "Love Is The Answer" -- Sounds like it belongs on Make Believe. I can't help but think that the female vocals were really recorded backwards in English and mock the listener.

8. "Let It All Hang Out" -- Rivers, don't try to be The Boss. You weren't sitting in traffic, you don't go out and party with your friends. Vitamin Water and Great Recession references date this song severely, and the Jay-Z name drop is very out of place. Also, avoid terms like "freakin' jerk" -- it sounds like a snippet of "Family Guy" dialog. Again, maybe that's what you were going for. Whatever.

9. "In The Mall" -- Oh my Sweet Baby Christ Jesus. I'm glad you decided to incorporate some guitar riffs, but this pseudo-metal thing really isn't what I was asking for. Again, the bridge is truly awful.

10. "I Don't Want To Let Go" -- By this point, I'm more than ready.


Final Verdict:
Weezer went from being a rock band to a pop band. Again, perhaps that's where Rivers wants to head, but it's going to be hard for too many people to follow him. If you liked Red, you might like this one; otherwise, skip. It's a frustrating listen with little compensation.

The American Rolling Stones

Recently, The Onion A.V. Club had an article that sought to answer the question "Who are the American Beatles?" Most discussions of The Beatles directly compare them to The Rolling Stones, due to both bands' popularity, chart success, British-ness, and influence, which is a legitimate comparison; however, the article posited several American equivalents to The Beatles, but no mention of any American equivalent to The Stones.

The hardest part about looking for American counterparts to these bands is that while they hailed from the UK, they were influenced more by American culture. Both bands started because of the members' love for American blues and R&B artists and examination of cultural references place them in California instead of merry olde England, so analyzing them as a chiefly English phenomenon is somewhat misguided. I would argue that the American equivalent to The Beatles is indeed The Beatles.

On to my question, however. What about The Rolling Stones? One only has to listen to Sticky Fingers to find the answer: like The Beatles, the American Rolling Stones are... well, The Rolling Stones.

Sticky Fingers may be the best example of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. These boys from Britain took one of the most ragged, down-home forms of music and made it their own. Like Clapton's husky Delta voice paired with his smooth tone, Jagger's yowl finds its place among the snarl from Richards, and his lyrics are just alternate between heartbreak and misogyny like any good blues man. In fact, Sticky Fingers is such a good example of general "blues-rock" that you could probably explain the entire genre with that one album.

Like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones are a British band formed by American influences, and when it comes to finding a direct companion, The Stones are their own counterpart.

Welcome!

So, you're new here. Well, so am I. I've always thought about starting a music blog, as it combines two things I enjoy: large sums of cash and scantily-clad women. Okay, so both of those might have to wait, but in the meantime, I hope to offer a venue for discussing music and really, culture in general. I don't want to make this a place where I pontificate and no one disagrees. Dialogue is good. Disagreements are good.

I'll have an article or two posted soon so the great venture can begin.