One of those "mad genius" albums, in the same vein as Neil Young's "Tonight's the Night," Syd Barrett's "Madcap Laughs," and (I'd argue) Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." It's probably better than those, though, and certainly more fully realized... Fiona projects her "madness" onto some terrific, and terrifically unconventional, melodies, and the percussion arrangements don't feel tacked on after the fact (like, say, the electronic bloops in "YHF")-- they feel like counter-pieces to her singing. The result is a kind of duet between piano and drums, words and emotions.
It's pretty fucking eerie. Again, these are "mad" songs, "raw" songs, but they are not lazy demo songs. These chords have been thought out; these vocal inflections, as sudden as they are, all make sense in a way. "The Idler Wheel" is thus an album that will shock you the first time AND hold up to repeated listens.
Very thoughtful lyrics, too. The way Fiona describes her anxieties ("the fight with her BRAY-YAY-HAY-HAY-HAY-HAY-HAY-HAY-HAINNNN") goes so far beyond the standard "I'm insane" patterns of rock words. You end up knowing and caring for her protagonist (who is, uh, her), even though she hardly presents a stable, respectable character-type.
Who else is making music like this? Surely this was THE album of 2012.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
3/19/13: The Temptations: Masterpiece
I probably have not listened to this one enough to properly "review" it, but this dumb blog is hardly a proper "reviews site," so forget it. Masterpiece is not a masterpiece (ho ho ho ho HOOOOO), but it's still pretty damn great. Why is it not placed in the same echelon as Innervisions and What's Going On and other Motown classics of social commentary (and funk)? Probably because the Temptations didn't write their own songs. But who cares, right? Norman Whitfield DID write these songs, and Norman Whitfield rules. Sure, it all sounds a lot like "Papa Was a Rollin Stone." But who cares, right? "Papa" rules, too, and these are not straight carbon copies. They're just all (with one exception) dark, and all funky, and mostly paranoid. Who doesn't like that in music? "Dark," "funky," and "paranoid"... has that not always been a three-word formula for success?
I'm going to argue that, on this day, Masterpiece, the album, is better than What's Going On.
I'm going to argue that, on this day, Masterpiece, the album, is better than What's Going On.
3/19/13: Titus Andronicus: Local Business
This is going to sound tautological, but here we go: if you're not a true fan of Titus Andronicus, you probably won't enjoy Local Business, the band's third and most poorly received long player. Everybody loved The Monitor, and with good reason: that angry and ambitious record was the Zen Arcade of the 2010s, a concept record with hooks and ideas galore, a fusion of the Pogues, the Mats, the Boss, and the Conor Oberst that was familiar in its parts but unprecedented as a whole (find me a better, more fully realized lyrics sheet in the past ten years). The conventional wisdom regarding Local Business is that it is not as good as the Monitor and thus, a pretty major disappointment.
So let's make a list, here. What does Local Business lack that the Monitor possessed? There are a few things...
1. A unifying "concept," or at least, an immediately apparent one. The Civil War allusions of the Monitor held everything together-- there is no such linking piece here. There are no spoken word bits at all, in fact, something which disconnects Local Business from the band's first record, the Airing of Grievances (which is just ok), as well.
2. Horns. And bagpipes. And all instruments other than guitars, bass, drums, and occasional pianner. The tapestry of sound is not as thick or as instantly impressive as that of the Monitor, I'll admit.
3. Huge shouty hooks. There are a few things on Local Business that come close to "THE ENEMY IS EVERYWHERE" and "YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A LOSER" and "IT'S STILL US AGAINST THEM"... but the "choruses" here are certainly dialed back a few notches.
These things are all missed, yes, for sure. I mean, who doesn't love a good bagpipe solo? Who doesn't love to shout? The fortunate thing is that Titus Andronicus is a smart band, and they've replaced what's gone from the Monitor with a few new things that are pretty ear tickling in their own right. Things like...
1. Melodies. I mean, pretty strong, pretty poppy, pretty pretty melodies. Not just Irish folk ripoffs. Patrick sings this time. There's an element of beauty here that's not on the Monitor, especially on the Springsteeny one-two punch of "In a Big City" and "In a Small Body."
2. An interest in "band dynamics." I still firmly believe that TA is the Stickles show. But there's no question that the band on Local Business feels more like a band band. The guitar and vocal harmonies go far beyond the drunk-punk screaming of the Monitor. These songs feel less pieced together than the Monitor's, more loose and "organic," I dare say. Ostensibly dumb throwaways like "I Am the Electric Man" have a breezy charm too them.
And many things remained unchanged, praise the lord, such as...
1. Great, great, great lyrics. This is rap-level detail (including, of course, the many scatological references).
2. A general interest, despite the intensity and sadness of the band's words, in rocking the fuck out.
3. Combining my first two points: a sometimes disturbing level of Stickles' life and personality on display, reaching its height in "My Eating Disorder," a career highlight, and one of the few rock songs I know to have ever dealt with psychological anxiety in physical pain in such a specific, anxious + painful way.
4. Sweet guitar solos!
In short, if The Monitor was TA's Zen Arcade, Local Business to me seems like their Let It Be (Replacements). This is a personal album, fraught with disappointment and insecurity, yes, but also joy and hilarity. It's a guitar rock record with heart and soul, one where even the silly "filler" tracks feel necessary. It's full of anthems, ups and downs, and hooks, and I love it.
So let's make a list, here. What does Local Business lack that the Monitor possessed? There are a few things...
1. A unifying "concept," or at least, an immediately apparent one. The Civil War allusions of the Monitor held everything together-- there is no such linking piece here. There are no spoken word bits at all, in fact, something which disconnects Local Business from the band's first record, the Airing of Grievances (which is just ok), as well.
2. Horns. And bagpipes. And all instruments other than guitars, bass, drums, and occasional pianner. The tapestry of sound is not as thick or as instantly impressive as that of the Monitor, I'll admit.
3. Huge shouty hooks. There are a few things on Local Business that come close to "THE ENEMY IS EVERYWHERE" and "YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A LOSER" and "IT'S STILL US AGAINST THEM"... but the "choruses" here are certainly dialed back a few notches.
These things are all missed, yes, for sure. I mean, who doesn't love a good bagpipe solo? Who doesn't love to shout? The fortunate thing is that Titus Andronicus is a smart band, and they've replaced what's gone from the Monitor with a few new things that are pretty ear tickling in their own right. Things like...
1. Melodies. I mean, pretty strong, pretty poppy, pretty pretty melodies. Not just Irish folk ripoffs. Patrick sings this time. There's an element of beauty here that's not on the Monitor, especially on the Springsteeny one-two punch of "In a Big City" and "In a Small Body."
2. An interest in "band dynamics." I still firmly believe that TA is the Stickles show. But there's no question that the band on Local Business feels more like a band band. The guitar and vocal harmonies go far beyond the drunk-punk screaming of the Monitor. These songs feel less pieced together than the Monitor's, more loose and "organic," I dare say. Ostensibly dumb throwaways like "I Am the Electric Man" have a breezy charm too them.
And many things remained unchanged, praise the lord, such as...
1. Great, great, great lyrics. This is rap-level detail (including, of course, the many scatological references).
2. A general interest, despite the intensity and sadness of the band's words, in rocking the fuck out.
3. Combining my first two points: a sometimes disturbing level of Stickles' life and personality on display, reaching its height in "My Eating Disorder," a career highlight, and one of the few rock songs I know to have ever dealt with psychological anxiety in physical pain in such a specific, anxious + painful way.
4. Sweet guitar solos!
In short, if The Monitor was TA's Zen Arcade, Local Business to me seems like their Let It Be (Replacements). This is a personal album, fraught with disappointment and insecurity, yes, but also joy and hilarity. It's a guitar rock record with heart and soul, one where even the silly "filler" tracks feel necessary. It's full of anthems, ups and downs, and hooks, and I love it.
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