WK32 - Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold (9)

Released - 11/17/09
Label - IAMSOUND Records

BLURB - Hmm. Went into this one with no real expectations or sense of what I was going to get. On the advice of a friend, I bought 'Fool's Gold' with the cautious description of, 'well the only band they can be kind of be compared to is Vampire Weekend, but if you like Vampire Weekend you'll probably hate Fool's Gold.' This record has the Afro-Pop feel of Vampire Weekend, but the stylings and compositions are dramatically elaborated and send your ears on a trip over seas. But she was right, I really don't think most Vampire Weekend fans will like this...the songs are longer than 2 minutes.

Rating - 9 out of 10

FULL STORY - Fool's Gold does an amazing job of experimenting with African drumming rhythms and tones. With the majority of their songs clocking in well over 4 minutes, the band doesn't just give their sound a quick chance to win over an audience. Rather they take you along feverish journey of tones and motifs, that while repetitive, help accomplish the overall goal of their music. This goal is to somehow capture the tribal melodies and percussive feel of African countries, then re-work it into something that can be considered relevant in the states, yet retain their original objective.

The first track 'Surprise Hotel' is an excellent example of how Fool's Gold goes about its' business. Instantly your hit with a melodic guitar riff that sounds like something off a uhh, hmm, Vampire Weekend record, as it wanders around a rhythmic assembly of snare hits. The riff alone goes on for well over a minute before any vocals come one. If anything scares American listeners away from Fool's Gold it will be the vocals. First, there are barely any vocals on this album and second, the vocals are all in Hebrew. But if and when you get over this, you'll be able to fully dive in to Fool's Gold. After the band throws in some collective chanting (singing) they dive into, dare I say, a jam. Adding to the drums are congas and some tribal clapping, which get the song moving on all cylinders. The drum beat speeds up, we're greeted with a pleasurable saxophone solo, and all of a sudden it feels like we're dancing at a wedding in South Africa. How did this happen?

Fool's Gold does a great job of keeping the listener's foot tapping through repetitive song construction and instrumentation without it ever seeming too monotonous. No easy feat. You can also really pick apart the music and decipher some of the influences in their music. While their music has this 'chant' quality to it, it also has a certain danceable factor in it's equation. It's not hard to hear some european trance aspects and the sound is polished enough that it must be from America. To somehow capture the music of three separate continents in one song is not only interesting, but also enjoyable.

'The World is All There Is' is another track that has a worldly vibe. Stepping away from the heavy and varied percussive beat of much of the album, this song uses background vocals and chanting as a way to keep time. It catches the listener off guard, but after a short while you'll find yourself humming along. Brightening up this vocal beat is a myriad of subtle percussion instruments that accent both the featured vocals and the chanting in the background. There's a great feeling of unity and peace on this song and for some reason I can see this being used as the theme song for the World Cup.

The fifth track 'Poseidon' introduces us to more of a Middle Eastern atmosphere. Aside from the understated guitar motifs, the pulse of the drums and the use of castanets provide an interesting flavor that will have you guessing what country you are in. The real brilliance of this song, as well as the others, comes with the pulse that is established through the drums. The beat seems to be subtly changing from quiet to thunderous, from slow to quick, without ever jarring the overall sound of the composition.

As an overall record, this is a rhythmic breakthrough. It has all the features and tendencies of dance music, without actually being dance music. If you can get through the repetitive nature of this album...and past the Hebrew...you can really appreciate Fool's Gold for the music that have created. It's both bold and daring, yet clever and ingenious. A wonderful experiment.

Tracks

1.) Surprise Hotel

2) Nadine

3.) Ha Dvash

4.) The World is All There Is

5.) Poseidon

6.) Yam Lo Moshech

7.) Night Dancing

8.) Momentary Shelter

WK31 - Wale - Attention Deficit (6.5)

Released - 11/10/09

Label - Allido / Interscope Records

BLURB - There's been alot of underground hype with Wale as he's been slowly building a following in the Washington D.C. area. I realized that this wasn't just some local phenomenon when I tried buying the record and it was sold out at two different Best Buys in New York. After listening to the album over the last several weeks, I'm still trying to figure out what all the buzz was about. Its a good record, not great though. I was thinking I was going to get something epic with 'Attention Deficit' but I didn't. No Kanye, Lupe or Common-esque material - just a fairly modest debut.

Rating - 6.5 Out of 10

FULL STORY - What I will say is that there is some really good productions on here. Nearly every track features full bands and actual instrumentation, which is a definite plus. A fair share of samples are used, but they are blended nicely with the actual music.

The best track on the album is 'Mirrors.' Without a doubt. Sounding like something that would appear on a Roots record, 'Mirrors' features several guitar riffs and has a very gritty, classic feel to it. The track features Bun B and is legendarily produced by Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Maroon 5). Ronson dials in a nice horn section and some wah-guitar, while Wale spews rhymes explaining his originality.

It's no surprise that my second favorite track from the album is also produced by Ronson. This guy is great at bolstering an artist's sound and expanding the musical landscape. Here Ronson brings in big string sections and places an emphasis on the chorus and background vocals with Melanie Fiona. The song is very smooth and feels like it could be a great summer hit. There are a couple other tracks on the record that are just a little too cheesy and geared at the pop radio market and have been featured singles. This blows my mind. 'Beautiful Bliss' is the perfect combination of hip-hop, r&b and pop, and the way Wale, J. Cole and Melanie Fiona gel together is just right. How this became the second last track on the album and hasn't been made a single is curious. That's bad A&R.

'Shades' features Wale's most substantive lyrics. The rest of the material on 'Attention Deficit' is kind of geared to this, 'oh look at me, I'm original, I'm better than you' mentality. This is all well and good, but let's get some other concepts and hear something with depth. Well, we get that with 'Shades.' Wale, brilliantly, depicts his childhood growing up and viewing the ways different shades of African Americans were treated. This is the depth that we're all looking for. I think this is a must listen and could be a gateway for Wale to push forward with. He's pushed the door open, just has to walk through it now.

"They say black is beautiful, but ask them beautiful light girls if it's black they attract to usually. What if Barack's skin was all black? Truthfully, would he be a candidate or just a blackened community. We as black dudes tend to lack unity and them black girls aren't on the tube usually. Right now at 23 I ain't mad at them reds no more, but had gone cold. Blindfolded by my own insecurity, was holding me back to reds. I ain't know how to act. They would get the cold shoulder and know it was an act - a defense mechanism, what I thought that I lacked...confidence."

The song also has a really great beat and a decent amount of synthesizers and we all know my thoughts on synthesizers.

Other than those three tracks this album is very, very average. I have to say I was excited when I saw Pharrell got a track on the album with 'Let it Loose.' Very excited. But I ended up getting let down...very let down. The song has this annoying looping xylophone sound that drives me crazy. It sounds like Swizz Beat's 'It's Me.' Pharrell doesn't provide a verse, but does get the chorus and the production, obviously. Maybe I had my expectations to high? When I see that I'm going to get this rising new rapper, in Wale, and Pharrell together on one song, I thought it would be amazing. My fault.

The other interesting combo appears on 'Chillin' where Wale teams up with Lady Gaga. The track revolves around a sample of the, 'Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye' song and it's terrible. It is the definition of cheesy hip hop. I'd like to know who said yes to the question, 'Hey, want to to do a song with Lady Gaga where we sample that one hey hey hey goodbye song?' Next time just say no.

Other bombs on this album include a painfully slow 'Contemplate' which samples the embattled Rihanna's 'Question Existing.' I actually have always liked this Rihanna song for some reason. It's dark and kind of out there, and this was well before Chris Brown smacked her around and pushed her to the dark side. '90210' is the third Ronson-produced track and is equally bad. This track focuses on the lifestyles of hollywood celebs and it is all too cliched. Whenever I hear '90210' it makes me think of the travesty that was Good Charlotte's 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,' and that is never a good thing.

So here we are. A couple of dashes of brilliance, but Wale's 'Attention Deficit' never gets off the ground and into the musical realm I thought it could go into. He's been receiving gold stars from a large number of music critics and generally, has been very well received. I just want to see if this goes somewhere - he certainly has the potential.

Tracks

1.) Triumph

2.) Mama Told Me

3.) Mirrors

4.) Pretty Girls

5.) World Tour

6.) Let it Loose

7.) 90210

8.) Chillin'

9.) TV in the Radio

10.) Contemplate

11.) Diary

12.) Beautiful Bliss

13.) Prescription

WK30 - Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg (8)

Released - 10/23/09

Label - Modular Recordings

BLURB - For whatever reason, everyone is killing, 'Cosmic Egg.' Granted, the band established themselves as one of the preeminent rock acts after releasing their critically acclaimed, self-titled debut over three years ago - so I guess everyone has gigantic expectations for this album. Wolfmother's second release is exactly what it should be, especially considering that 2/3 of the band left, over 'creative differences' this past year. With the new lineup comes a slightly newer and more refined sound. This record has less of a 'classic' feel and takes more musical risks. While 'Cosmic Egg' is not everything it could be, it still stands up to the Wolfmother brand and is a progressive next step for the band.

Rating - 8 out of 10

FULL STORY - Alright...second straight blog entry coming from a bus. This needs to end. There's something to be said when the only free time I have, comes on a bus. Oh well.

I'm a huge fan of jinxes. In 2008 when the Phillies (by the way I'm a huge Phillies fan) beat the Rays in to the World Series, I picked the Rays in a genius reverse-jinx-scheme. This year, trying to further my insanity, I went for the reverse-reverse-jinx, by actually thinking the 'Phils could handle the Yankees...but it was too much. Philadelphia was crushed.

So here's where I'm going with this jinx talk. The publishing company I work for actually administers the copyrights for Wolfmother's debut disc, but a few months ago, the group's agreement ended and they relocated to another publisher. I was furious on many different levels. Part of me wants Wolfmother to kind of flop now. Or at least stumble a bit. Another part wants the (now) quartet to flourish, as they are genuinely one of the great acts out there. What to do?

There was a point when I was just starting to dive into the Wolfmother repertoire and a synchronization license for the band's material to be used in South Park came across my desk. Heaven. One of my favorite bands, getting placed in one of my favorite shows, with my company reaping the benefits. One year later, the band breaks up and gets new members, releases a new album and leaves my company. Objectivity may be at a premium here, but let's see what can be drummed up. I'm torn, but I'll lean Wolfmother.

The first track 'California Queen' is a fuzzy, dizzying whirlwind of an opener. There is a hypnotizing, albeit monotonous, two note riff that constitutes much of this song. All of the Wolfmother staples appear to be here...the fast tempo, heavy distortion and Stockdale's voice, which he is borrowing from Robert Plant. So we're three for three...should be a great song, no? For whatever reason, there is an absolutely terrible, poorly placed 'B' section that sucks all of the momentum out of the song. It's slow and awkard, giving what we all thought was an uptempo track at the beginning, a Jekyll and Hyde identity complex.

'New Moon Rising' is the single and has been used quite a bit in the film and televison world. The riff friendly track sounds exactly like a Wolfmother single should sound like. Stockdale nails the vocals and the drums, for some reason, sound even harder than normal on this song. This song kind of reminds me of 'Dimension' from their first disc.

The third track 'White Feather' shows the most growth and progression for Wolfmother. 'White Feather,' while one of the slower tracks, has a nicely understated blues tone, channeling a Rolling Stones-esque feel, from their prime. There is a screeching, in-your-face guitar solo during the bridge that will makes you want to go out and buy a wah pedal. It's that good. The whole song, is that good. You can hear the drum beat play with the rhythm guitar during the verses, offering a clever back-and-forth jarring of sounds. Sounding not of this era, but maybe the late 60's, 'White Feather' will end up be a classic Wolfmother tune.

The epic journey that is 'In the Castle' is the best and most creative song on 'Cosmic Egg.' I'm really inclined to make a 'Stairway to Heaven' comparison but I can't. It's too soon. People wouldn't see my point. But here's what I will say...On this piece, Stockdale really shifts a lot of the attention to the lyrics, creating a mythical tale about entering into the 'Kingdom of the Sun.' Stockdale has always used weird imagery with his lyrics, as if nobody told him it was almost 2010. He often uses classical connotations to help shape our interpretation of how he sees his songs. I would need more than two hands to count how many Wolfmother cuts reference castles, gypsies, horses, thieves or other odd folklore. Well, he is from Australia....is that enough reason? For what it's worth and as weird as it is, I think it works, and it's consistent. This gives their Wolfmother a 'Led Zepplin,' larger than life feel. It's unfair to make this comparison, but it's too obvious not to.

Back to 'In the Castle.' This song does a great job at switching tempo and velocity, while always maintaining forward momentum. When you need to hear Stockdale, the music's temperament is steady and thought provoking. When there is a shift with the feel of the vocals, the guitars and bass kick into distortion, emphasizing whatever line Stockdale is screaming. By the end of the song there is so much energy and fury stored up, that it spills up into one of the best outros I've heard in a while. You're definitely glad you stuck around for this nearly six minute track.

Much of this record sounds very similar to the four tracks described above, and there really aren't any true stand outs. A lot of times I judge a record on how it sounds as a whole, played front to back. With Wolfmother I find I use the opposite strategy. As a fan of their music, I really look for that smash, epic, rocking, other-wordly, track. That's their M.O. There were about five essential hits on their first record - there is maybe one on 'Cosmic Egg.'

Creatively and maturity wise, the album as a whole is better than their debut. There is more variety and risk. It's not difficult to hear tangible examples of their growth and evolution, as a band. There is much more tone and color to their music. They are going in the right direction, but 'Cosmic Egg' is definitely a 'two steps forward, one step back' sophomore attempt. Be that as it may - it will still rock you hard. Probably harder than you thought it could.

Tracks

1.) California Queen

2.) New Moon Rising

3.) White Feather

4.) Sundial

5.) In the Morning

6.) 10,000 Feet

7.) Cosmic Egg

8.) Far Away

9.) Pilgrim

10.) In the Castle

11.) Phoenix

12.) Violence of the Sun

WK29 - Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young (10)

Released - 11/3/09

Label - RCA Records

BLURB - Christmas comes early for all of us Strokes' fans, as Julian Casablancas releases what will be one of the best records of the year in, 'Phrazes for the Young.' With all five members of the currently bickering band delving off into their own niche projects since the group's last release nearly four years ago, The Strokes have been an interesting storyline to follow. After each successive individual release we've been able to ascertain each member's contributions and worth to the band. After hearing 'Phrazes for the Young,' you quickly realize what Casablancas is bringing to the table - intangibles. Casablancas has this persona that is dripping with apathy and confidence. Each track on 'Phrazes for they Young' has an indefinable swaggar to it. Casablancas knows he has the mental fortitude to create these unconventional pop-rock-indie-garage-dance tunes - but perhaps more importantly, he knows he can do this better than anyone else. Welcome to 1988.

Rating - 10 out of 10

FULL STORY - So this review is coming via a Trans-Bridge Bus wi-fi connection. Not ideal, but it will have to do. I'm currently en route to Bethlehem, PA for the next 2+ hours and what better to do then talk Julian Casablancas? I've found that less is always more, in music, in life...in everything. Keep it simple, don't out-think the room and just be natural. This is Julian Casablancas. He is 1988. He is New York City. He is rock, and yet, admittedly, he is pop. He is passionate. Everything on 'Phrazes for the Young' is remarkably natural and un-calculated, at least it sounds that way to me. Instantly I'm tempted to make comparisons to The Strokes' 2003 release, 'Room on Fire' which was filled with tons of distorted, synthy sounding guitar riffs. 'Phrazes for the Young' feels like Casablancas further elaborating on that record, more or less throwing himself in to this pop-synth-garage rock genre. While 'Room on Fire' scratched the surface of this sound, 'Phrazes for the Young' jams an ice-pick right through it's core.

The first track starts off eerily unassuming and then turns into what sounds like an old school 2002 Strokes tune with rapidly strummed guitars and Casablancas crooning about his sadness turning to bitterness. The lyrics are painfully honest and forthright:

'Somewhere along the way my hopefulness turned to sadness. Somewhere along the way my sadness turned to bitterness. Somewhere along the way my bitterness turned to anger. Somewhere along the way my anger turned to vengeance. And the ones I made pay, were never the ones who deserved it. And the ones who deserved it, they would never understand it. At least I know I'm going to hell in a purple jacket. At least I'll be in another world while they're pissing on my casket.'

After the verse, a huge chorus rains down over the speakers, filled with bright synthesizers, strings and a slightly distorted electric guitar. Not the ideal musical trident, but this combination, with Casablancas' voice, fits together perfectly.

It's 6:51pm, I've now been on the bus for no more than 15 minutes and the guy next to me is nodding off into my shoulder every 30 seconds Hate the bus.

The second track, 'Left & Right in the Dark' starts off modestly with a slow synth hook that sounds like something that would have been played at Prom, circa 1986. After briefly teasing us as a downtempo song, a digitally delayed guitar and a nice 'clean' guitar riff enter. The second section of the verse throws in a second polished riff, this time of the synth variety before it moves to yet another huge chorus. So far we're two for two on the choruses.

'11th Dimension' is the single off the record and is an absolute, impossible not to listen to 100 times in a row, gem. The entire song is just a bright keyboard progression mixed with some danceable percussion and the trademark Casablancas swaggar, as evident in the line, 'Oh, I got music coming out of my hands and feet.' The song does throw in a couple darker twists and turns with some heavily distorted and muted guitar strokes and features a bridge that proves it's ok to have dissonance in a pop song.

Here's what separates Casablancas from everyone else. He's not just test driving this whole 'keyboard and synthesizer' fad. He's thrown himself into it and is fully committed. On '4 Chords of the Apocalypse' Casablancas gives a go at the blues world and nails it. His bold interpretations and visions of what a traditional blues song could sound like in his world, filled with keyboards, distorted guitars and synthesizers, is a clever display of his musical versatility.

Further exhibiting his genius, 'Ludlow St.' begins with some odd middle eastern flute solo and then jumps right into a folksy, bluegrassy ode to one of the best streets in New York City. How does Casablancas come up with these ideas? To top this track off, it's filled with electronic drum beats and later features a banjo solo. I can't make this up. And the funny thing is it works...quite well I might add. The song has actually been one of the most critically acclaimed and well received tracks on the disc.

In my opinion, the best song on the record is the closing track 'Tourist.' Competing with an ominous, dark drum beat and effects, a guitar picks a classical, folkloric riff to start off the song. It feels like a war march. When Casablancas appears on the track he is met with a digital snare loop, which may or may not have been sampled from a L'il Wayne song. The mood of the music and the vocals match very well here as you can literally feel the fear of hopelessness through both his lyrics and the music itself.

'I wish air clouds could hold me up, like I thought as a child growing up. I wish I could sound soothing as the rainfall; but I am only a drop from the storm.'

Once again, after the verse we're hit with another powerful chorus, bearing much weight and depth This comes in the form of a descending high pitched synth riff accompanied with strong emphasis on the drum and bass beats, and of course those Casablancas pipes. While we're on the topic of the Julian's vocals, has there ever been a more perfect match of vocals and music? No square peg in the round hole on this record. I'm not sure if the music is just an extension of his voice or vice versa. It's interesting to note that Julian is no Josh Groban. Casablancas doesn't sing so much as he casually speaks to the audience, like that one cool kid you remember from high school who was always smoking in the bathroom. For whatever reason it works.

This will probably be my favorite disc of the year. It really has everything - and with each listen I keep hearing some new sound or some great line. 'Phrazes for the Young' is also masterfully produced. The whole album is incredibly tight and has a very precise feel to it - like they captured exactly what they wanted to capture, and nothing else. If you find yourself listening to the record, take the time to also go over the lyrics. I've always viewed Casablancas as a historically underrated songwriter and lyricist with The Strokes, and hopefully now he will gain some much deserved respect. His lines are always witty and thought provoking, yet simple and relatable.

This should go to show you that in music, you need to know what you do well, commit, and just dive in to the deep end. Great things can, and do, happen. 'Phrazes for the Young' is Exhibit A.

Tracks

1.) Out of the Blue

2.) Left & Right in the Dark

3.) 11th Dimension

4.) 4 Chords of the Apocalypse

5.) Ludlow St.

6.) River of Brakelights

7.) Glass

8.) Tourist