Arctic Monkeys: Humbug
The first track, “My Propeller,” found the wild, free-wheeling Arctic Monkeys sounding shockingly like Morrissey. The stodgier approach is a bit of a humbug. The band was more fun when it ran roughshod and unrestrained. The new songs plod at mid-tempo with subdued guitars. Alex Turner’s accent has shifted from being extreme to being merely noticeable. This isn’t to say that these mature Monkeys are a drag. Humbug sets a somber mood, and the band sounds like they know what they’re doing. That is, it sounds like they’ve taken some music lessons. The result is a bit dark, but compelling.
Rating: * * * *
Passion Pit: Manners
It’s like you froze the Beach Boys in 1965 and thawed them in 2009. They discovered synthesizers and digital effects, Interpol and Grizzly Bear. Then you turned them loose in a well-equipped studio. From there they unleashed their falsetto harmonies on the world in the form of a catchy indie electro-pop album. This metaphor for Passion Pit’s Manners falls apart in any number of ways, of course. The Beach Boys are alive and presumably well, and Passion Pit sound nothing like them. And so forth. The point is, Passion Pit’s experimental flair and knack for melody make Manners a delight.
Rating: * * * * *
Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson: Break Up
The theme of Break Up is that Mr. Yorn and Ms. Johansson are at the back end of a passionate romance. Yorn’s inspiration for the songs was Serge Gainsbourg’s collaborations with Brigitte Bardot in the late ‘60s. I have no idea what the Gainsbourg/Bardot duets sound like, so I have no basis for comparison. Yorn and Johansson lack romantic chemistry, so the torrid break up isn’t all that convincing. However, I love the songs, I’m blinded by the mildly retro sound, and I think the duets are great—despite the lack of flame. Also, I like anything by Pete Yorn.
Rating: * * * * *
Moby: Wait for Me
Moby begins each song with some mild rhythm and circular sequence of synthesizers. Then he repeats the thing until we, the listening audience, have been hypnotized. He throws timid singers into echo chambers and captures 3 to 5 lines from them. “Study War” uses the old trick of sampling a spoken word piece to create an effect. After 4 minutes of the quote, I’m ready to disregard the song’s message of peace. Ultimately Moby provides 16 tracks of cool sounds that could have been condensed into 6 interesting songs. That kills the LP, but those would be 6 awesome songs.
Rating: * * *
Jurassic 5: Feedback
This is the first Jurassic 5 album I’ve listened to—apparently their last before breaking up. On Feedback, they reminded me of De La Soul. Even though they don’t achieve De La Soul’s standard, the comparison is a compliment. I appreciate that they used readily identifiable instruments (when so much hip hop is performed using loops, drum machines, and programmed effects). This made the few songs that I didn’t care for more tolerable. I understand that J5 fans think this album is watered down, tired, and done to death. They think that it lacks an edge. I can see that.
Rating: * * *
Blind Melon: For My Friends
It seemed odd that Blind Melon was back. After Shannon Hoon’s death in 1995, all that could reasonably be expected was a compilation album with a few unreleased live tracks. Then the band suddenly reformed with Travis Warren in place of the irreplaceable Mr. Hoon. Blind Melon maintains its free-wheeling psychedelic sound, and against all odds, Mr. Warren fits perfectly. He doesn’t howl and yowl like Hoon, but the result makes you forget the 12-year gap between studio albums for the band. They jam along in their rootsy blues way. It’s stuff to please their fans (and probably Hoon himself).
Rating: * * * *
Third Eye Blind: Ursa Major
Six years after Out of the Vein, we had all given up Third Eye Blind for dead. But their constant teasings regarding an imminent album finally materialized: Ursa Major. It’s college rock that ends better than it starts. Tony Fredianelli continues to contribute on guitar with his hallmark harmonics, light touch, and melodic scales. But the band is still missing something that they had on their first two albums, a downward shift that corresponds with Kevin Cadogan’s departure. This time they’re missing Arion Salazar’s bass too. However, it has always been Stephen Jenkins’ band, so it still sounds like 3EB.
Rating: * * *
Maroon 5: Songs about Jane
Wildly popular, Maroon 5 hangs tough with guitar-based radio rock. Songs about Jane was designed to dominate the alternative stations, filling the spaces between the Fray and Matchbox 20. The album is full of highlights: the chorus on “This Love,” the shuffling feel of “The Sun,” the relaxed groove of “Sunday Morning.” But the gasping vocals (I’m looking at you, “Shiver”) and the slick backing singers throughout are distracting. Maroon 5 manages to stand out among other radio poppers, but Songs about Jane definitely sounds as though it were constructed to sell the 3 million plus copies that it sold.
Rating: * * *
Glasvegas: Glasvegas
Glasvegas produces lots of noise, layers of it, with the same timbre of Scottish mournfulness as compatriots The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit. All three bands are cut with the same die, but each is distinct and worthwhile. I had it playing as I worked and was enjoying its swirling textures and low-key intensity, features that permeate the album, when someone came in. The ensuing exchange went like this:
“What’s that?”
“Glasvegas.”
“Las Vegas? It kind of sucks.”
Translation: you’re not going to hear a lot of singles and it doesn’t grab you immediately. But it definitely does not suck.
Rating: * * * * *
The Minus 5: Killingsworth
You can take Belle and Sebastian out of Scotland, but you can’t take the Scotch out of Belle and Sebastian. Unless, that is, you replace them with the Minus 5’s 2009 line up. Okay, that’s not exactly true, but it’s what came to mind as I listened to Killingsworth, a wonderful low-key alternative rock album. Scott McCaughey rotates the members of this band every album and this time he and Peter Buck have fallen upon something reminiscent of the UK indie group. The accompanying ban includes several of the Decembrists, who bring with them their flare for grand, sad, folk.
Rating: * * * *
