(Atlantic)
Few musicians tread the line between the mainstream and the bizarre quite like Tori Amos. Since her debut album, , Amos has wooed one of the most devoted fan bases in the industry, while using sometimes childish antics and nonsensical interviews to keep the media at bay. Throughout her decade as a soloist, Amos has precariously balanced herself between her material-hungry fans and a substance-hungry industry by pumping out a string of phenomenally creative albums. Amos may defeat the expectations of both groups, however, with the release of her first cover album, .
A cover album from an established artist like Amos may seem like an unprotected plunge off creative mountain. But Amos' sells itself as a cleverly packaged concept album. All 12 tracks were originally written and performed by men. Amos makes it her goal to go through the album track by track and reclaim them with the voice and personality of a different female character (Amos also decorates herself as all 13 characters in her liner notes). This may seem like quite a feat, but Amos pulls it off with several amazingly arranged efforts alongside a couple of blanks.
opens with 'New Age' by The Velvet Underground. The music skillfully builds into the album from a stripped down Wurlitzer, but stops there. Even with Amos' angry yowls at the closing of the track, the album's opening fails to be anything but anticlimactic. Amos quickly regains her strength with her version of Eminem's '97 'Bonnie and Clyde,' in which he describes brutally murdering his wife in front of their young daughter. Amos wisely slows down the song's original dance-beat tempo and allows her mournfully sheepish voice to convey the horror of the brutal act the lyrics describe.
The album is at its absolute best in moments like these, where it is clear that Amos has used her own musicianship to transform the meaning of a song. In the case of 'Raining Blood' by Black Sabbath, Amos' cover plays the same theme more effectively than the original. Here Amos takes the metal out of a blood-and-guts satanic classic, and with the same lyrics allows her ghostly vocals to chill the song's harshness down to a feeling of pure horror. Other highlights include 'Enjoy the Silence,' Depeche Mode's intense dance-floor favorite, transfigured into a slow ballad. Rounding out this list, Amos uses a Neil Young folk standard, 'Heart of Gold,' to create an ironic juxtaposition of rising electronic guitars, rhythms and grating vocals.
The album's only fault occurs when its tracks play like carbon-copies of the original. In 'Time' (Tom Waits) and 'Rattlesnakes' (The Stranglers) Amos performs two satisfying pop songs, but does nothing other than perform them. This straight-up musical interpretation appears to stray from Amos' original intention of reclamation, and for that reason these tracks are the most forgettable on the album.
Despite its occasional foibles, is far from a jump backward. Its position as a cover album, however, prevents it from being a jump forward as well. is merely a jump up, and Amos lands swiftly on her feet.
(RCA)
First thing first: New York City's The Strokes have seen considerable hype building up to its debut album release last week of . Second thing second: It deserves every ounce of it.
To see a band with this much hook, energy and charisma make such a stunning debut release on a major label is reminiscent of the days of Weezer and Geffen. But don't go getting any wrong ideas'if recent events in New York have taught us anything, it's that things are different.
Not to say, necessarily, that The Strokes are 'it.' No radical new ideas are presented here, no stunning advances in sound or production'this is pure singer, 2 guitars, bass and a drum kit rock. This is rock in its purest form: there is no time for fancy production tricks here. The immediate energy of the songs is tripled by the band's emotional urgency, be it simply the sincerity with which The Strokes easily slips into the beat or the live quality of the recording.
Most important to The Strokes' musical formula of talent and sincerity however, is the element of restraint. Here is a band who fuzzes it up just a little bit, never letting itself burst into the noisy rock or dramatic climax the listening public has lately been accustomed to lately. Notable also is the relative homogeneity of sound, with sound and distortion levels kept consistent throughout the whole album and little variation in tempo. 'Leave me alone/I'm in control' Casablancas (the sole credit for all songs) sings in the album's closer 'Take It or Leave It.' This is true, but just barely. It is this song that Casablancas comes closest to out and out screaming, and the ever present element of some sort of brink, not necessarily musically, keeps this album together.
Rock is lately a difficult genre to characterize. The Strokes are rock like cigarettes and beer are rock. There are no fluorescent colors here. The beat is always uptempo, but the ease with which singer Julian Casablancas' mildly distorted microphone relates his songs of everyday life makes the listener at ease with the pace of it all.
Notably missing in the mix, and fortunately so, is the element of pretension. Sure, the cover art is an image of 'Big Bang' particle collisions in the Big European Bubble Chamber, and the title track kicks off the album wearily like the man who poses the question. The pamphlet contains big pictures of the faces of all the band members, their manager, and producer. Their shows start too late and end with Casablancas drunkenly mumbling nonsense at the audience. But to dismiss this band for the hype its songs have created, its soaring takeoff, or its stage antics is to overlook its eloquent, talented expression.
(DeSoto Records)
KC stands for Kansas City, not KC of the Sunshine Band, as members of Shiner reveal in the inside jacket of their third album, . Self-described as 'products of the notoriously incestuous music scene' from KC, Shiner is more than a flashy name on a scrolling marquee or a website.
Describing as a permutation of Radiohead or the Get-Up Kids would only give Shiner lip service.
is much more than the product of a bunch of guys jamming and 'Playstationing' in a town neighboring the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus, where the record was produced.
showcases different musical varieties transcending the arbitrary labels of 'raprock,' 'indierock' or, from Shiner's Website, 'masturbatory calculus rock.' Each song features a mixture of musical styles.
For example, in the fifth track, 'The Egg,' lead vocalist Allen Epley coos 'and I can't stop laughing' in a soprano voice. Meanwhile, in 'The Simple Truth,' the guitars of Jason Gerken, Josh Newton, and Paul Malinowski whine a ditty resembling something reminiscent of a sci-fi movie. This example demonstrates how their music is difficult to fit into one neatly wrapped package. The members of Shiner use this inherent knowledge to their advantage by surpassing the confines of the midwestern musical phenomenon, 'math rock.'
The album title itself, The Egg, is a metaphor for music not subscribing to traditional labels, conceived by Shiner. Or at least it implies more good things to come from Shiner in the future.
Some tracks that are deserving of attention: 'The Simple Truth,' 'Pills' and 'Andalusia,' which is refreshing because of its absence of lyrics, but abundant in experimental instrumentation. However, is jam-packed with musical diversity that cannot be pinpointed with one track.
For more information about Shiner, or see how 'Playstation' is used in the context of a verb with great alacrity, feel free to consult .
(Elektra)
Remy Zero, the mysterious myth-weavers from Alabama, may be climbing to center-stage status with their newest album, . Since 1996's self-titled record, the band has gained a cult following and contributed to several soundtracks, yet it still lacks commercial success. With its new single and video, 'Save Me,' Remy Zero's urgent pop/rock mix of U2 and Radiohead is finally approaching the spotlight.
Remy Zero's origin is somewhat mythical. According to the band, its name and music are based on a little-known 1960s transient musician from Birmingham, Ala. named Remy Zero. He supposedly recorded music and ramblings, but later disappeared. Today's Remy Zero claims to use those tapes for inspiration. No facts verify this legend, but the band sticks to its story.
Regardless of its past, Remy Zero's future looks bright. Having already toured with Radiohead, Travis and Semisonic, the band's likable music has the potential for big success. Borrowing from an eclectic mix of influences, Remy Zero creates an unusual sound, seemingly old and new.
Guitarists Shelby Tate and Jeffrey Cain drive the album with solid riffs and mood-controlled styles. Sometimes orchestral, other times a muffled '70s electric purr, the guitars command the band. Gregory Slay's drum breaks don't always fit, but in general his strong beats, along with vibrant bassist Cedric LeMoyne, help make the songs catchy.
The band's only distraction holds the microphone up front. Lead singer Cinjun Tate uses both a sexy low range and a shrill, strained wail through all the tracks. His indecision tames the relative strength of the band.
Remy Zero sounds distinctive because it borrows from so many other musicians. This mess of influences makes a fun sound, but hinders the potential original material would exhibit. Evidence of its identity crisis shows in Alabama-born Cinjun Tate's curiously British sound. His forced vocals during most choruses resemble either Bono from U2 or a sultry English Beck without the freestyles.
The album has some star moments. 'Save Me' has a pressure that builds throughout the band, with vivid riffs, frantic drums and Cinjun Tate's soulful desperation. A well-chosen single, Remy Zero cries to the world for attention.
And while not typical Remy Zero material, 'I'm Not Afraid' is also endearing, showing a sweet side mainly lost in other slow tracks on the album.
is wonderful background music, but that's what stops Remy Zero from being a truly great band. While catchy and fun, after 11 tracks most blend together to form a satisfying yet unmemorable experience. Remy Zero has the potential for raw emotion with faster tempos or grittier vocals. Instead it straddles the fence, never quite deciding whether to be hard pop or the soft side of rock.
Whoever it chooses to be in the future, now showcases all of Remy Zero's strengths and weaknesses in a beguiling way. All it needs is a shove into the mainstream where many fans will welcome it, finding comfort in this catchy, chaotic sort of cover band.
(Six Degrees)
All it might take to get you interested in Uncertain might be the cover art. It's a drawing that depicts a lonely, odd-looking man in front of his typewriter, anxious and scared of what he sees. The painting is what apparently inspired former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna to write and produce this fantastical musical landscape of ups and downs, twists and turns. And though has had a long journey in the process of getting released, it was worth the wait. The brainchild of Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna, it is a welcome companion to NIN's previous albums, though it's by no means as dark as 'The Downward Spiral' or 'Pretty Hate Machine.' You could say it knows how to be dark without needing to flood all light from the music.
Remix maestro Vrenna, a.k.a. Tweaker, plays with scratchy drum beats and plenty of dialogue samples to help create music that somehow manages to be both dismal and funky.
Guest appearances are splashed throughout the record from the likes of Chris Wedron of Shudder to Think, Will Oldham, and David Sylvian. And while these artists often share their vocals, they are often electronically blurred, creating a haunting atmosphere.
On the track titled 'Susan,' Tweaker throws in some almost danceable beats, and a catchy-as-hell electronic keyboard solo is added to the mix to elevate the track from interesting to flat- out engulfing you with each note. 'Microsize Boy' comes right after 'Susan' and builds on the gritty beats that pound along, this time adding a memorable chorus that sticks in your head. Though not every song is dazzling, there are at least enough near-brilliant touches and moments that keep you waiting to hear them again.
There's a sampled voice on 'Turned' that says, 'and immediately because of your conditioning, you will hear the drums,' that makes you anticipate what drum beat is going to follow. On the rest of the record, when this line comes along, you can't wait to hear what Tweaker's going to throw at you next.
(Matador)
Graeme Downes' first solo album has arrived after what he calls 'the elephantine pregnancy.' Indeed it has been a long wait for fans of the Graeme Downes-led Verlaines, the legendary New Zealand band that unofficially broke up about four years ago.
Any album that Downes is going to write will undoubtedly have elements that bring to mind the Verlaines; however, is purposefully not a Verlaines album. This eclectic mix of tunes boldly presents Downes' old rock and blues influences without clearly bringing to mind any particular artist. This turns out to be the album's stronghold; once the fact is accepted that is a brand new spin on old sounds, the listener is able to let Downes' amazing songwriting skills come into the picture.
The album starts with its dramatic title track: a Mark Lanegan-styled brooding ballad. Unlike Lanegan, however, things are kept light and the slower songs are elevated by many of the remaining tracks. The outstanding 'Cattle, Cars, and Chainsaws,' is a freaky outbreak of electric energy, and the quiet, haunting 'Shoreleave' are examples of the crafted balance between desperation and vitality that exists throughout .
Lyrically Downes presents paradoxes, stories, and fantastic images. Although he's not always completely on the mark, it is unquestionable that most of his lyrics are bull's-eyes.
Definitely not an album that begs for immediate adoration, Hammers and Anvils is best listened to casually at first, in order to let the sounds brew inside of you. Eventually the grace and insight of many of the songs reveal themselves in unexpected ways, and the adoration will come easily and naturally.
