CD acquisitions 2003: short reviews (part 1: A - K)
This post is so long overdue as to be faintly ridiculous. Blame coffee_and_ink for my pulling it out of the files at all.
These mini-reviews may not cover all the CDs I picked up in 2003; I didn't start tracking acquisitions until fairly late in the year, so a fair bit of this list had to be reconstructed after the fact. Of course, if I hadn't just said that, you wouldn't have known, so forget I said anything and let's move on, shall we?
I dislike ranking CDs, but I did manage to come up with an unranked Top Ten (indicated by asterisks).
I'm not linking to band sites or other reviews, for lo, I am lazy. If you need further information, a quick google will probably turn up plenty of sites in most cases.
The Anniversary - Your Majesty (2001)
renenet first played "Devil on my Side" for me in her car in the grocery store parking lot during VividCon 2002. A few minutes later she played me The Jealous Sound. That was a really good ten minutes. Oh, you want to know about the music? Jangly guitar, jittery background rhythms, boy-girl harmonies, lyrics and tunes that vacillate between dark ("I know how it feels to be dead") and hopeful-sweet ("in my darkest hour I find the place where I fit in").
Basement Jaxx - Rooty (2001)
Dance music without the monotony, and with more of a sense of fun than displayed on their previous CD (the very fine Remedy). The Onion reviewer has described Rooty's sound as "space-age funk," which pretty much sums it up. Lots of songs about sex, but maybe I already covered that with the "dance music" part.
Bettie Serveert - Log 22 (2003)
This CD is one of the worst disappointments it's ever been my misfortune to encounter. It is unquestionably the Betties' weakest album, which is all the more upsetting because it's the follow-up to what I'd argue is their strongest (Private Suit, a truly stunning CD). "Wide Eyed Fool" and "Cut n Dried" are both good songs, but the album version of the latter isn't nearly as good as the earlier version available as a flash animation from their site. 2003 Heartbreaker award.
Black Elephant - Hiatus (2002)
Underground regional mixed-sex hip-hop (cf The Fugees before they blew up). Stand-out tracks: "I Know," "Stand Still."
* Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998)
I am a moron for not buying this CD five years ago. I kept waiting to find it used (which I finally did), but I would have been smarter to pay the extra few bucks to have it for the extra five years. Fucking amazing. Socially conscious, frequently funny, always smart. If "Respiration" doesn't move you, check your pulse.
Cinerama - Torino (2002)
I was a big fan of the Wedding Present, David Gedge's previous band, back in the day. This fan-of-the-previous band thing always leaves me in dithering ambivalence when the new band releases a CD: Will I adore it? Will I be disappointed? Am I ready for this performer to move on? Which is why I hadn't picked up any of Cinerama's CDs until herself_nyc recced this one in her LJ. Picked it up used shortly thereafer. No regrets. Gedge is still singing witty, cranky songs about infidelity and sexual frustration, as well as the occasional turbo-charged song about bliss, all layered over a sound that's now more indie-pop than guitar-crunch. There's no "Brassneck" here, but "Two Girls" is a pretty good tradeoff.
The Coup - Party Music (2001)
Think all hip-hop's misogynist and consumerist? Think again. This is Marxist hip-hop, people, unabashedly populist and feminist. "Get Up" is perhaps the most immediately appealing track for folks not already tuned in to hip-hop (and it features Dead Prez, another mainstay of politically engaged hip-hop). Listen to it between now and election day: "We got to get up right now / turn the system upside down / we're supposed to be fed up by now." Hell yeah. Other must-haves: "Wear Clean Draws," "Ghetto Manifesto."
* Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003)
A brilliant song cycle about love and distance. I fell in love with Death Cab when We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes came out, found Photobooth disappointing, and was looking forward to this CD with about equal parts hope and anxiety. I can't believe I was worried. It's better than I could have imagined. Every song but one has been my favorite song on the CD at some point, which renders the "standout tracks" designation meaningless in the best of all possible ways.
Kris Delmhorst - Songs for a Hurricane (2003)
Kris Delmhorst's CDs don't hold a candle to her live shows. There's a lot to like about this one - including a greater musical range than any of the previous CDs - but mostly it just makes me want to hear her play live again. Songs for a Hurricane does feature some of her finest songwriting to date: "Waiting Under the Waves," "East of the Mountains," "You're No Train," and "Bobby Lee" are all indispensable; they're also the first four songs, which means that this CD, like her previous one, starts out so strong that the rest feels weak in comparison. But "Short Work," the penultimate track, showcases her wit and energy beautifully.
The Dismemberment Plan - Change (2001)
I want to like this CD more than I do. On the other hand, I like it enough that I haven't sold it back yet. Make of that what you will.
Sarah Dougher - The Walls Ablaze (2000)
Standout tracks: "New Carissa," "The Ground Below."
Fiamma - Contatto (2002)
Fiamma's solo project appeals to me less than her work with Fiamma Fumana (see below), but her gorgeous voice makes this one worth a listen.
* Fiamma Fumana - 1.0 (2000), Home (2003)
Italian folk-techno. Yes, you read that right. Bagpipes, accordion, beats and loops and samples, all in one deliriously catchy package. Fiamma Fumana was my big discovery for 2003. The songs I most adore are on 1.0, but Home is arguably a stronger album overall, and features a stunning performance of "Bella Ciao" that nevertheless doesn't even come close to the power of the live version they did at the show that made me a fan.
The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About (1999), On A Wire (2002)
First confession: I have a serious weakness for self-absorbed barely-post-adolescent whining. In fact, it's my home genre of music. This is why I like about half the bands I like. Second confession: I like The Get Up Kids' recent output just as much as their older stuff. I don't care if their recent emo leanings have negated their post-punk credentials. I like the fact that Matthew Pryor has learned to sing, and to write songs that last more than two minute and thirty seconds, and that the band has filled out their sound. So sue me. I picked up Something To Write Home About because I already knew and loved "Ten Minutes" and "Holiday." I've seen various disparaging things written about On A Wire, and I freely admit it's not an album for the ages, but I fell in love with the recriminations of "Overdue," the righteousness of "Stay Gone," the angst-lite of "Walking on a Wire," and the slightly wistful fare-thee-well (and Sun Volt allusions) of "Hannah Hold On."
The Go-Betweens - Friends of Rachel Worth (2000)
I last listened to The Go-Betweens back in 1990 or so, when 16 Lovers Lane came out. I fell in love with "Was There Anything I Could Do?", started checking out the GBs' backlist, found the absurdly catchy "Right Here" (on Tallulah) and wore out the tripledub cassette listening to it: "rains today so you stay inside and lock your door / crying all the time, crying for-you don't know what for / you say you're undone by his kiss / but don't you think that for once in your life it should be like this? / your hands are tired / your eyes are blue / I'm keeping you right here / whatever I have is yours / and it's right here." The band disappeared for a decade; when they came back with this CD, it got some good reviews, but (in a single-band variation on the new band/old band anxiety, cf Cinerama) I couldn't bring myself to pick it up for a long time. Having finally done so... well, this is why I have that anxiety in the first place. It's a fine CD, but it just can't measure up to the weight of my teenage investment in a few key songs from the earlier ouvre. I do recommend the CD, though, particularly for those of you without previous emotional baggage about the band.
Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows (2001)
"Little Discourage" is a brilliantly cranky album-opener. "Roseability" is utterly infectious. "Idea Track" name-checks postmodernism. "Actually It's Darkness" gear-switches with aplomb. "The Bronze Medal" is achingly beautiful. Idiosyncratic rhythms and melodies, slightly nasal vocals, chugging guitars... if you're thinking "mid-era R.E.M. update" you're not wrong (though the band's from Scotland, not Georgia), and let me tell you, it's not a bad thing.
* The Jealous Sound - The Jealous Sound EP (2000), Kill Them With Kindness (2003)
This is what indie-pop-rock should be, people. Listen and love. Kill Them With Kindness rounded up here. The EP is considerably less polished, but features "The Quiet Life," "Priceless," and especially "Bitter Strings," which would make up for way bigger flaws than a lack of polish.
Jimmy's Comet - Bye, I Love You, Bye (2003)
Shimmery, slightly-awkward-in-a-good-way indie-pop. You can probably order the CD online. And you should, if only so you can hear "Third Fence Post," one of my obsesso-songs for 2003.
Jump, Little Children - Vertigo (2001)
Magazine was a seriously uneven debut. Its high points were really, really high, but the best tracks didn't seem to have anything to do with each other; "Come Out Clean" was bouncy and quirky, while "Cathedrals" and "Close Your Eyes" were gorgeous, wistful ballads. On Vertigo, the band's found a much more coherent pop sound (and the slicker production does wonders for that sound), one that achieves "gorgeous" on a regular basis rather than intermittently. "Too High" pulses with energy, but "Angeldust," "Lover's Greed," and "Vertigo" are all perfect mid-tempo pop, complete with layers of strings, piano, and god only knows what all else.
Damien Jurado - I Break Chairs (2002)
I've listened to this CD four or five times, and it's just... failed to click. I'm hanging on to it for a while longer, though, because I think the problem has been my brain rather than the CD.
Angelique Kidjo - Black Ivory Soul (2002)
I first fell in love with Kidjo's Oremi, which features a Jimi Hendrix cover and a Cassandra Wilson guest spot. Black Ivory Soul filters Kidjo's usual African pop through Brazilian influences; I don't know enough about Brazilian music to say much more than that. "Tumba" is my favorite on this one; the less said about the Dave Matthews duet the better, but I hope it got the album some radio play. If you ever have a chance to see Kidjo perform live, do not pass it up; she's fantastic.
These mini-reviews may not cover all the CDs I picked up in 2003; I didn't start tracking acquisitions until fairly late in the year, so a fair bit of this list had to be reconstructed after the fact. Of course, if I hadn't just said that, you wouldn't have known, so forget I said anything and let's move on, shall we?
I dislike ranking CDs, but I did manage to come up with an unranked Top Ten (indicated by asterisks).
I'm not linking to band sites or other reviews, for lo, I am lazy. If you need further information, a quick google will probably turn up plenty of sites in most cases.
The Anniversary - Your Majesty (2001)
renenet first played "Devil on my Side" for me in her car in the grocery store parking lot during VividCon 2002. A few minutes later she played me The Jealous Sound. That was a really good ten minutes. Oh, you want to know about the music? Jangly guitar, jittery background rhythms, boy-girl harmonies, lyrics and tunes that vacillate between dark ("I know how it feels to be dead") and hopeful-sweet ("in my darkest hour I find the place where I fit in").
Basement Jaxx - Rooty (2001)
Dance music without the monotony, and with more of a sense of fun than displayed on their previous CD (the very fine Remedy). The Onion reviewer has described Rooty's sound as "space-age funk," which pretty much sums it up. Lots of songs about sex, but maybe I already covered that with the "dance music" part.
Bettie Serveert - Log 22 (2003)
This CD is one of the worst disappointments it's ever been my misfortune to encounter. It is unquestionably the Betties' weakest album, which is all the more upsetting because it's the follow-up to what I'd argue is their strongest (Private Suit, a truly stunning CD). "Wide Eyed Fool" and "Cut n Dried" are both good songs, but the album version of the latter isn't nearly as good as the earlier version available as a flash animation from their site. 2003 Heartbreaker award.
Black Elephant - Hiatus (2002)
Underground regional mixed-sex hip-hop (cf The Fugees before they blew up). Stand-out tracks: "I Know," "Stand Still."
* Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998)
I am a moron for not buying this CD five years ago. I kept waiting to find it used (which I finally did), but I would have been smarter to pay the extra few bucks to have it for the extra five years. Fucking amazing. Socially conscious, frequently funny, always smart. If "Respiration" doesn't move you, check your pulse.
Cinerama - Torino (2002)
I was a big fan of the Wedding Present, David Gedge's previous band, back in the day. This fan-of-the-previous band thing always leaves me in dithering ambivalence when the new band releases a CD: Will I adore it? Will I be disappointed? Am I ready for this performer to move on? Which is why I hadn't picked up any of Cinerama's CDs until herself_nyc recced this one in her LJ. Picked it up used shortly thereafer. No regrets. Gedge is still singing witty, cranky songs about infidelity and sexual frustration, as well as the occasional turbo-charged song about bliss, all layered over a sound that's now more indie-pop than guitar-crunch. There's no "Brassneck" here, but "Two Girls" is a pretty good tradeoff.
The Coup - Party Music (2001)
Think all hip-hop's misogynist and consumerist? Think again. This is Marxist hip-hop, people, unabashedly populist and feminist. "Get Up" is perhaps the most immediately appealing track for folks not already tuned in to hip-hop (and it features Dead Prez, another mainstay of politically engaged hip-hop). Listen to it between now and election day: "We got to get up right now / turn the system upside down / we're supposed to be fed up by now." Hell yeah. Other must-haves: "Wear Clean Draws," "Ghetto Manifesto."
* Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003)
A brilliant song cycle about love and distance. I fell in love with Death Cab when We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes came out, found Photobooth disappointing, and was looking forward to this CD with about equal parts hope and anxiety. I can't believe I was worried. It's better than I could have imagined. Every song but one has been my favorite song on the CD at some point, which renders the "standout tracks" designation meaningless in the best of all possible ways.
Kris Delmhorst - Songs for a Hurricane (2003)
Kris Delmhorst's CDs don't hold a candle to her live shows. There's a lot to like about this one - including a greater musical range than any of the previous CDs - but mostly it just makes me want to hear her play live again. Songs for a Hurricane does feature some of her finest songwriting to date: "Waiting Under the Waves," "East of the Mountains," "You're No Train," and "Bobby Lee" are all indispensable; they're also the first four songs, which means that this CD, like her previous one, starts out so strong that the rest feels weak in comparison. But "Short Work," the penultimate track, showcases her wit and energy beautifully.
The Dismemberment Plan - Change (2001)
I want to like this CD more than I do. On the other hand, I like it enough that I haven't sold it back yet. Make of that what you will.
Sarah Dougher - The Walls Ablaze (2000)
Standout tracks: "New Carissa," "The Ground Below."
Fiamma - Contatto (2002)
Fiamma's solo project appeals to me less than her work with Fiamma Fumana (see below), but her gorgeous voice makes this one worth a listen.
* Fiamma Fumana - 1.0 (2000), Home (2003)
Italian folk-techno. Yes, you read that right. Bagpipes, accordion, beats and loops and samples, all in one deliriously catchy package. Fiamma Fumana was my big discovery for 2003. The songs I most adore are on 1.0, but Home is arguably a stronger album overall, and features a stunning performance of "Bella Ciao" that nevertheless doesn't even come close to the power of the live version they did at the show that made me a fan.
The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About (1999), On A Wire (2002)
First confession: I have a serious weakness for self-absorbed barely-post-adolescent whining. In fact, it's my home genre of music. This is why I like about half the bands I like. Second confession: I like The Get Up Kids' recent output just as much as their older stuff. I don't care if their recent emo leanings have negated their post-punk credentials. I like the fact that Matthew Pryor has learned to sing, and to write songs that last more than two minute and thirty seconds, and that the band has filled out their sound. So sue me. I picked up Something To Write Home About because I already knew and loved "Ten Minutes" and "Holiday." I've seen various disparaging things written about On A Wire, and I freely admit it's not an album for the ages, but I fell in love with the recriminations of "Overdue," the righteousness of "Stay Gone," the angst-lite of "Walking on a Wire," and the slightly wistful fare-thee-well (and Sun Volt allusions) of "Hannah Hold On."
The Go-Betweens - Friends of Rachel Worth (2000)
I last listened to The Go-Betweens back in 1990 or so, when 16 Lovers Lane came out. I fell in love with "Was There Anything I Could Do?", started checking out the GBs' backlist, found the absurdly catchy "Right Here" (on Tallulah) and wore out the tripledub cassette listening to it: "rains today so you stay inside and lock your door / crying all the time, crying for-you don't know what for / you say you're undone by his kiss / but don't you think that for once in your life it should be like this? / your hands are tired / your eyes are blue / I'm keeping you right here / whatever I have is yours / and it's right here." The band disappeared for a decade; when they came back with this CD, it got some good reviews, but (in a single-band variation on the new band/old band anxiety, cf Cinerama) I couldn't bring myself to pick it up for a long time. Having finally done so... well, this is why I have that anxiety in the first place. It's a fine CD, but it just can't measure up to the weight of my teenage investment in a few key songs from the earlier ouvre. I do recommend the CD, though, particularly for those of you without previous emotional baggage about the band.
Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows (2001)
"Little Discourage" is a brilliantly cranky album-opener. "Roseability" is utterly infectious. "Idea Track" name-checks postmodernism. "Actually It's Darkness" gear-switches with aplomb. "The Bronze Medal" is achingly beautiful. Idiosyncratic rhythms and melodies, slightly nasal vocals, chugging guitars... if you're thinking "mid-era R.E.M. update" you're not wrong (though the band's from Scotland, not Georgia), and let me tell you, it's not a bad thing.
* The Jealous Sound - The Jealous Sound EP (2000), Kill Them With Kindness (2003)
This is what indie-pop-rock should be, people. Listen and love. Kill Them With Kindness rounded up here. The EP is considerably less polished, but features "The Quiet Life," "Priceless," and especially "Bitter Strings," which would make up for way bigger flaws than a lack of polish.
Jimmy's Comet - Bye, I Love You, Bye (2003)
Shimmery, slightly-awkward-in-a-good-way indie-pop. You can probably order the CD online. And you should, if only so you can hear "Third Fence Post," one of my obsesso-songs for 2003.
Jump, Little Children - Vertigo (2001)
Magazine was a seriously uneven debut. Its high points were really, really high, but the best tracks didn't seem to have anything to do with each other; "Come Out Clean" was bouncy and quirky, while "Cathedrals" and "Close Your Eyes" were gorgeous, wistful ballads. On Vertigo, the band's found a much more coherent pop sound (and the slicker production does wonders for that sound), one that achieves "gorgeous" on a regular basis rather than intermittently. "Too High" pulses with energy, but "Angeldust," "Lover's Greed," and "Vertigo" are all perfect mid-tempo pop, complete with layers of strings, piano, and god only knows what all else.
Damien Jurado - I Break Chairs (2002)
I've listened to this CD four or five times, and it's just... failed to click. I'm hanging on to it for a while longer, though, because I think the problem has been my brain rather than the CD.
Angelique Kidjo - Black Ivory Soul (2002)
I first fell in love with Kidjo's Oremi, which features a Jimi Hendrix cover and a Cassandra Wilson guest spot. Black Ivory Soul filters Kidjo's usual African pop through Brazilian influences; I don't know enough about Brazilian music to say much more than that. "Tumba" is my favorite on this one; the less said about the Dave Matthews duet the better, but I hope it got the album some radio play. If you ever have a chance to see Kidjo perform live, do not pass it up; she's fantastic.