| Columns
:
Ear Candy
|
Last Updated:
Feb 2nd, 2010 - 13:42:13 |
Heavenly
Computer Perfection
We Wish You Well On Your Way To Hell
Le Grand Magistery
All through space and time we’ll go, you and I, pushing past familiar names and faces we’ll forget.
I spent an entire road trip with this record, driving through tunnels of yellow trees. I kept telling myself I wouldn't open this up harping on the same old things about Computer Perfection — such as the echoed press-release-esque recital that the formative trio, Gene Corduroy, Bem and Nathaniel Burgundy IV, forged this band out of the ashes of their recent tenure in pop-powerhouse Pas/Cal — or that, cringed and clichéd as it may be, this is a record for them to find themselves, to find their own sound.
My windshield, mirrors and windows swathed by the papery flippers of oranges and reds, the pavement rolling by like LTD's girded rhythms, under shimmying synths warming and fuzzing the palette for those angelic harmonies — the imagery facilitated my revelation that it should, or could, be the lyrics that I unpack. “We pressed in closer listening to the distant ringing cathedral bells,” sung under chiming synthesizers that set a very heralding, church-bell-esque glow. “… The trees have lost their leaves for good and the sky's become a carousel.” Sigh.
My knee-jerk caution would be that I could say so much about the music — clicking, gurgling synth dressings, ornamental upon the emotive sweeps of electrified strings and jaunty bass grooves; rich piano tones taking turns with guitars that never settle between the banks of surf and space and silky vocals as smooth and comforting as your ageless blue cotton hoodie. And harmonies?…Well, I mean, cripes…... perfection is part of the band's name,…but I digress. Computer Perfection will take you on a journey from krautrock (think a much sprightlier Kraftwerk via Man Machines on "Echo 2" or the staggering Neu-like marathon of "Sweetie Pie") to club-ready synth pop (think those cherubic-feeling synth-n-bass affairs of New Order on "Blue Blood" with echoey drums and choir-like vocals), to naïve and freewheeling indie-pop (take those wispy tones and UFO-sounding whirls with bob-n-weave drum and bass on "Won the War" and you're thinking haughty-arty-pop like Stereolab, until that beautiful cutting surf guitar takes the lead).
"What if you came along with me?" They sing on "Sans Soleil" only to add in its b-section, "Follow me." Not that I want to go back to that cliché about finding their own sound or what have you, but it becomes as much a journey for us, particularly lyrically, as it is for them, musically. As the trio noted in a recent interview, as well as in person, Bergundy and Bem's daughter is essentially in the band and contributed to each song somehow. I can't resist indulging that this is a very storybook-ish affair; magical, imaginative, bed-time-stories, (where we're sinking into dreams and dancing on pale white moons) — perhaps somewhat allegorical (see the opening quote — or another mid-album incantation that "This is not the end,…we can start again") and perhaps, for the sake of the bright-eyed kid in all of us, some is merely escapist fancy (to sing along with, hand-in-hand on a grain of sand, upon a fantastical island just as the seasons turn). Damn, I'm glad this came out in autumn, and that I'm in a car with all these leaves falling and the sky, like a carousel. Sigh. — JEFF MILO
Swing, Kids
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Songs From Lonely Avenue
Surfdog Records
OK, so, here’s the scene: '50s dance, jivin, swingin, boppin' all over the dance floor while sounds of Songs From Lonely Avenue surround the place. Girls with their cardigans, hoop skirts, ankle socks, Mary Jane shoes and sexy Bettie Page bangs. Guys in leather jackets and cuffed jeans, combing their slicked-back hair with small-toothed combs. Bad boys, hot boys.
Brian Setzer is on stage rockin’ on a '50s-style mic, cool and reserved in “Love Partners in Crime” while people in the crowd are dancing at their tables or in the aisles.
“Dead Man Incorporated” is introduced on the second track with a James Bond vibe that I want to see in the movie while chasing or being chased by the bad guys. But then Setzer lovingly brings the Sinatra-esque vocals and tunes with “Lonely Avenue.” It reminds me of a black & white film, where a guy is walking alone aimlessly in the rain, no umbrella, wearing a trench coat and looking as if he has just lost his best friend.
My absolute favorite (and it should become yours) is “Dimes in the Jar,” with its funky soul vibe coming from the bass guitar and traveling to the the trumpet. — Krystle Caffie
The Pantones
Inside the Sun’s Wild Flame
Phonophore Records
The five-piece Lansing band released their latest album after a four-day jam session in the woods. The outcome of the Walden-esque getaway is not very memorable. After the success of their critically acclaimed Sleepless Nights, Silent Mornings, The Pantones decided to ditch the melodic hooks for a more sprawling, harmonic sound. Unfortunately, it falls flat. Glimpses of success are shown in “Less of Me” and “Leaves in June,” but quickly give way to more mediocrity when we know they can do so much more. — Gary Bartle
Harper Simon
Self-titled
Tulsi Records
Harper Simon thanks an interesting set of people on his self-titled debut: Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono and his dad. Who is his dad? None other than the great Paul Simon. Who does Harper sound like? None other than the great Paul Simon. The album starts with a soft gospel song “All to God.” The upbeat “Wishes and Stars” shows the biggest drawback of the album, his songwriting. There are only a few skip-worthy songs. At 37-years-old, he's considered a senior citizen in the music world, but this rookie album is a sign of great things to come. — Gary Bartle
in my ear
Batrider
Batrider’s music is brutal and raw, yet beautiful. Stripped down garage punk, yet complex. They’re one of our favorite bands to come out of New Zealand since Flight of the Concords. (New Zealand also gave us punk’s The Enemy in ’77). Sarah Chadwick, singer/guitarist, told us the band now lives in London and is touring the U.S. for the first time. “People have been the nicest ever, I wanna come back a million times.” See them at the Trumbellplex on October 28. And here’s what’s on Chadwick’s ipod right now.
Sebadoh
The Sebadoh
Elliott Smith
Roman Candle
The Native Cats
Always On
Cat Power
Myra Lee
Gillian Welch
Hell Amoungst the Yearlings
Pavement
Brighten the Corners
Mariah Carey
m=mc2
Billie Holiday
Lady Sings the Blues
|
|
|
 |
