Tag Archives for A-

Baths – “Obsidian”

Photo Credit: CMJ

Photo Credit: CMJ

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: “Incompatible,” “No Eyes”

Baths, the moniker for solo musician Will Wiesenfeld, received mass critical acclaim for his 2010 debut, “Cerulean.” The album was lo-fi alternative, recorded entirely in Wiesenfeld’s bedroom. Musically, the album was a bouncy dose of electronica, often fun and reminiscent of Passion Pit. His follow-up, however, is not any kind of status quo. Wiesenfeld was already setting out to make an album completely independently, which suggests the idea of a darker tone. Soon after, he became rundown with an awful case of E Coli (!) that left him bedridden and unable to perform even basic functions. Meaning, as a musician, he was left unable to express his inner emotions. “Obsidian” is a dark record, and even when it sounds danceable, it still feels dreadful and foreboding.

Musically, Wiesenfeld is on the same level as his debut. Most of the tracks feature just him on vocals and various keyboards and piano. It still sounds as if it were recorded in a bedroom, and may have been. The music, at times, takes a darker tone than his first album. There is little fun here. Tracks like “Worsening” and “Earth Death” suggest darker, personally destructive times. Some songs, like “No Eyes,” have more of a bouncy rhythm, only to get interrupted by noise for a few beats, before returning. The dark tone is not necessarily consistent, as occasionally Wiesenfeld will let more of a fun sound slip in. “No Past Lives” is built around a very original, fun rhythm, but one that really does not fit on the album.

Lyrically, Wiesenfeld is expressing his inner anguish at his post-debut troubles. “Earth Death” centers around the line “Kill me / I see so clearer.” The album opener, “Worsening,” features the darkly comic line “Where is God when you hate him the most?” Religion, death, and meaningless sex are topics on the album, marking a vast departure from his debut. There is some brilliant, dark lyricism here. Disgruntled 90’s alternative bands are re-imagined as a pained solo musician, recording alone. Artists in any genre often have trouble with their sophomore albums, but Baths has found a way to make something wholly different from his debut. “Obsidian” is an intensely pounding and completely satisfying listen.

-Andrew McNally

John Fogerty – “Wrote a Song For Everyone”

(Photo credit: Consequence of Sound)

(Photo credit: Consequence of Sound)

Grade: A-

Key tracks: “Lodi,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain”

When a respected classic rock musician starts to get up there in years, they’re allowed to start having some fun in the studio. That’s exactly what Fogerty – famous most for Creedence Clearwater Revival, and some for his solo work – does on his ninth solo album. “Wrote” isn’t a duet album, it isn’t an original album, and it isn’t an album of covers, which many older singers resort to. Instead, it’s a healthy mix. A majority of the songs are reworkings of older songs of his, with guest stars. Fans of classic rock will instantly recognize CCR favorites like “Proud Mary,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain?” and “Fortunate Son” getting reworked, along many others. And to mix it up, Fogerty throws in a few original songs, just to prove that he hasn’t lost anything.

The guest stars on the album read like a planned tribute album, only the man being tributed showed up. Bob Seger and Alan Jackson, contemporaries of Fogerty, make two of the best appearances. Country singers like Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and Brad Paisley contribute, as do current rock bands My Morning Jacket and Foo Fighters. The album’s most entertaining song, “Lodi,” features Shane and Tyler Fogerty, presumably his sons. The title track, though not one of the more memorable ones, features a unique pairing of Lambert’s vocals, and guitar work provided by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. Jennifer Hudson, known for her powerful voice, dominates “Proud Mary” at the album’s finale. “Proud Mary,” one of classic rock’s most famous songs, has been covered by Tina Turner in the past, and this likely serves as an homage to her equally powerful version.

This album gets a high rating simply because there is nothing wrong with it. Fogerty, now 68 (happy birthday!), recorded this just to have some fun. There is no purpose to this album other than to show that Fogerty still loves his material and loves to perform. Fogerty successfully brings the fun to the audience, making for a completely enjoyable listen that erases that wonder of why the album exists in the first place. I even looked past some guest stars I do not like (namely, Kid Rock and Bob Seger) and recognized the great reworkings of the songs. Fogerty’s voice, too, is still kicking. Tom Petty and David Bowie might be the last holdouts of classic rock still recording successful new material, but Fogerty sounds as good as he ever has, kicking back and having fun.

The National – “Trouble Will Find Me”

(Photo Credit: Rolling Stone Magazine)

(Photo Credit: Rolling Stone Magazine)

Grade: A

Key Tracks: “Sea of Love,” “Demons”

With a title like “Trouble Will Find Me” and two opening tracks called “I Should Live in Salt” and “Demons,” the National give the immediate impression that their sixth album will be more of the same introspective and self-demonizing alt-rock that has brought them this far. And in many ways, the album is a continuation. Singer Matt Berninger is 42 now, so this is no time to drop the cynicism and open up. The National have always relied on sad, relateable lyrics to drive their songs close to home. “Trouble Will Find Me” continues the gloom, but after all these years, Berninger has begun to expand his horizon a bit.

Songs like “Sea of Love,” which might be my favorite song of the year so far, rallies about a situation filled with bad choices, a typical National song. What is not typical of the National, however, is some moments of dark humor and some namedrops across the record (Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album being one, to bring home the sadness). The National’s best albums, the two that preceded “Trouble,” relied on slight changes from the previous album, to make a separate but familiar listen. While the previous changes have been largely musical, “Trouble”s change relies more in lyric. Berninger seems to be making an attempt to bring himself closer to the listener, although the National have always been an engrossing band already. Still, Berninger sings about his own troubles, just ones that he relates to the listeners. The album’s cover, an interesting one on it’s one, serves as a symbol for these troubles as Berninger is swallowed by his inner demons and can only look to himself for help. Somehow, he makes us all understand.

The National have never been stupendous musically, and “Trouble” is no different, as the band focuses on the emotional impact of the lyrics. “Sea of Love”s pounding rhythm is one of their loudest songs, and is kind of a surprise on the album. But a majority of the songs are moderate-volume, guitar- or piano-driven tracks with repetitive music and lyrics, the band’s style. Sufjan Stevens, Richard Reed Parry and St. Vincent are among the album’s guest stars, with St. Vincent providing brief but powerful vocals on “Sea of Love.” The album may run a little long, and it feels a little anticlimactic after “Sea of Love”s boom, but the National have a way to always stay in the listener’s head. “Trouble Will Find Me” does this even more than their previous albums, and it might just be their best one yet.

-Andrew McNally

Dirty Beaches – “Drifters/Love is the Devil”

(Photo credit: Paste Magazine)

(Photo credit: Paste Magazine)

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: Drifters: “Belgrade,” “Mirage Hall”

Love is the Devil: “Alone at the Danube River,” “Like the Ocean We Part”

“Drifters/Love is the Devil” is, distinctly, a double album. In a digital age, double albums have become a rarity. These two albums, however, are not attempting to open up to today’s electronic world. Album one, “Drifters” is reminiscent of a troubled past, with a gloomy 80’s sound being it’s only clear influence. “Love is the Devil,” album two, is haunting and largely instrumental, not trying to fit into any specific era. “Drifters” is a very honest album, as Dirty Beaches – the stage name for solo musician Alex Zhang Hungtai, Taiwanese but operating in Montreal – wind through 37 minutes of some deep, unseated sonic emotions. It’s nearly impossible to pinpoint the genre of music that “Drifters” falls under, as complex and winding guitar rhythms are fitted with equally complex electronic backgrounds. The vocals are largely unintelligible, but probably intentional on Hungtai’s sake. His vocal level ranges from barely audible (“Night Walk”) to semi-rhythmless belting (“Mirage Hall”). It is not the lyrics of the album that beg for the listener’s emotional response, but the volume levels and vocal rhythms. “Drifters” is a deep and gloomy work, asking for multiple listens. Hungtai is a difficult and pained man, and this album highlights the many facets to his own existence.

If “Drifters” did not rely on the lyrics, then “Love is the Devil” certainly doesn’t. The second album is largely instrumental, as Hungtai goes even further to explore his emotions musically. The second album is drastically different, but equally painful and complicated. “Love is the Devil” focuses less on songs and more on ideas. “Drifters” is certainly not radio-friendly material, but the tracks all had at least relative song structure. Hungtai experiments with concept instead of structure on the second album. The album, also hovering near 37 minutes, jumps from flowering epics (“Alone at the Danube River”) to moments of total silence (“Like the Ocean We Part”), all successfully displaying the ideas of a lonely man, recording music by himself.

The albums, though very different, are being sold together. When listened to back-to-back, they only further emphasize Hungtai’s varied and combined emotions. Taken on a basic level, the two albums share a similar and long-running lo-fi sound. But they are thematically different, taking vocal- and structure-based songs and placing them aside instrumental and unstructured songs. This is a very complex work, and is not going to be enjoyed by everyone. But listening to these two albums is an experience, and a look inside the life of a man that feels more like an opportunity to the listener, rather than an expression from the artist.

-Andrew McNally