Augie
March, Moo, You Bloody Choir. Charting number-one singles
on the Australian home front, it's shocking that Augie March
achieved close to no notice in the States. Elegant in its simplicity,
the band's brand of rock can be compared to post-alt-country-era
Wilco, but with a definite Aussie influence - think elements of
Midnight Oil, but more literate. Past albums saw Augie March rushing
forth like a speeding train, but this time the songs are built around
acoustic, rather than electric, guitar parts, so they have a more
cautious and quiet path to their destinations. From pop anthems to
grandiose ballads, singer-songwriter Glenn Richards uses lyrics as
instruments strung together to shimmer like violin strings or crash
into one another like cymbals. While Australian critics sing the
band's praises, and fans sing their songs, one can't help but
wonder if we Yanks are simply mooing in the wrong bloody choir.
Neko
Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. In a year that saw
releases by prominent female singer/songwriters such as Roseanne
Cash, Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, Beth Orton, and Cat Power,
Neko Case shows that it's going to take a lot more than a voice to
impress. On Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, her skills as a
songwriter and producer are more polished than ever, as evidenced by
tracks such as "Margaret vs Pauline": "Her jaw aches from
wanting and she's sick from chlorine / But she'll never be as
clean / As the cool side of satin, Pauline." Case's voice is
impressive and graceful, but the songs have a sense of authenticity
and surprise not always found in the alt-country genre critics have
dumped her in.
The
Hold Steady, Boys & Girls in America. The main force
behind The Hold Steady is vocalist Craig Finn. Choosing to almost
speak rather than sing his lyrics, Boys & Girls in America
builds upon past efforts. From recurring characters with names such
as Holly and Charlemagne to ever-present themes of addiction,
betrayal, and desperation, Finn's lyrics are narratives related in
street vernacular in a similar vein to fellow East Coast songwriters
Bruce Springsteen and Lou Reed. While the songs are about little more
than drinking and drunks, Finn manages to make them seem larger than
life by giving his characters plenty of flash to go along with their
flaws: "She was golden with barlight and beer / She slept like
she'd never been scared." Boys & Girls in America is
strong enough musically to get people out on the dance floor, but
it's smart enough to warrant more intimate consideration.
Destroyer,
Destroyer's Rubies. Dan Bejar is a musician's
musician; he rattles off his influences in his songs and his licks.
Closing track "Sick Priest Learns to Last Forever" sounds like a
cross between The Doors and Neil Young. On "A Dangerous Woman Up to
a Point," Bejar sings, "Those who love Zeppelin will eventually
betray Floyd." Bejar is so important because he does something so
few artists do: He writes about being a musician and he writes for
himself. If there has been a common theme in my first four picks,
it's been lyrics, and Rubies is no exception. Introspective
and littered with often cryptic allusions, it's hard at times not
to feel overwhelmed. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen,
because in the end, Rubies is highly rewarding.
Sonic
Youth, Rather Ripped. Sonic Youth is known more for being
a noise band than for writing songs, but on Rather Ripped,
that's exactly what they do. With a more traditional verse-chorus
structure - and the noise not necessarily kept to a minimum, but
kept to the background - Rather Ripped contains few
surprises, which is the biggest surprise of all. Tracks such as
"Incinerate," "Pink Steam," and "Do You Believe in
Rapture?" are all written around bizarre guitar tunings and noise
but sound remarkably like pop music. Is this a sign the band has lost
its edge? No. It's a sign that they've learned to control their
noise and use it with such subtlety that their forays into
experimentation have finally paid off.
Belle
& Sebastian, The Life Pursuit. Scotland's Belle &
Sebastian return with their seventh (or sixth, depending on how you
count them) full-length album. The Life Pursuit might be
disappointing initially, with the songs seeming almost
thrown-together carbon copies of past efforts. But seeing the band
perform earlier this year in Milwaukee, hearing old songs reworked in
the context of the new material, gave insight into how the band has
improved as musicians and performers. On The Life Pursuit, no
longer simply following Stuart Murdoch's lead, each band member has
grown. Harmonies are in place, not out of tune; guitar solos are
tight and focused, not meandering or uncertain; and even Murdoch's
singing and lyrical dexterity have shown improvement. Rather than
carbon copies, the songs on The Life Pursuit build upon past
efforts. This is the work of a band in its prime, and proof that even
good things get better with time.
Junior
Boys, So This Is Goodbye. On their debut album, Last
Exit, Junior Boys were heralded as the next Depeche Mode, with
romantic and sultry electro-pop tunes carefully crafted around
synthetic beats and steadily pumping bass lines. So This Is
Goodbye picks up where Last Exit left off, but it's a
rawer and slightly more robust release. The highlights here aren't
the softer tunes, but the ones that stand out and punch you in the
back of the head. "Count Souvenirs," "The Equalizer," and "In
the Morning" all benefit from frontman Jeremy Greenspan's vocals
and guitar- and bass-playing skills. He even occasionally indulges
himself in a solo here and there, showing that the focus is more on
prowess than innuendo. So This Is Goodbye is still subtle
enough, making it the perfect backdrop for nearly any situation:
driving in the car, in the bedroom, or at a party.
Tom
Waits, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards. When
artists release compilation albums, it's usually out of contractual
agreement with the record label. Required to put out a certain number
of albums, the artist offers a collection of singles, highlights, or
unreleased material. Orphans was conceived that way but ended
up as new material intermixed with outtakes, soundtrack-only tunes,
and rarities. With 56 songs spanning three CDs, Orphans shows
that even Waits' leftovers and table scraps are better than most
artists' main courses. Hell, the man could make you weep just by
singing the ingredients off a box of cereal. From anti-war ballads
such as "Road to Peace" to heart-wrenching pastiches such as "You
Can Never Hold Back Spring" to creepy narratives such as
"Children's Story," Orphans - of all the albums
released in 2006 - is easily the one that shouldn't be missed.
Culley Smith is a writer and runs a local Web site (http://www.theairstrange.com) devoted to promoting the local music scene.
