Infinite Music: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" Soundtrack

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

About a year ago, I rented "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" from the public library.  I liked it so much that I picked up a copy out of the Walmart bin.  Such a great movie.  It is based on a teen novel written by Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote the screenplay and directed, also produced by the same company that did "Ghost World" and "Juno").  My daughter had actually read the novel and loved it.

There are many reasons I love this movie.  First of all, it takes place in Pittsburgh, a city that is beloved to me.  Part of the plot involves the excitement of emerging from the Tunnel into the city.  I have done it many times, and it was exhilerating every time.  Next, it takes place in the time of my youth - the early '90s.  Even though it takes place back then, this is not quite a period piece.  It is kind of timeless.  It could take place at any time.  It is about being a misfit, not really fitting in, and finding friends who give your life some meaning - a theme that many, including me, find resonant.

But what I found most compelling in the movie was the music.  Music was an important part of the book as well.  Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) makes mix tapes for his friends.  I was the music geek who handed  mix tapes to all of my friends, so I can relate.  The book mentions several of these artists like Ride, The Smiths, Nick Drake, and many more artists that I grew up with in the late '80s and early '90s.

I liked the soundtrack so much that I went out to buy it.  Many of these songs play an important part of the story like "Asleep" by The Smiths, "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, and, my favorite, "Pearly Dew Drops" by Cocteau Twins.  The Tunnel scene uses "Heroes" by David Bowie in that the song comes on the radio, and they set out on a quest to find out who sings it.  The other songs are a drape over an exquisite movie that creates a sense of nostalgia in me.  "Teenage Riot" by Sonic Youth, which was an anthem in my younger years,   "Temptation" by New Order, one of their earlier pieces, and, also, one of their best, dominated by its electronic beat and Peter Hook's high-end bass, a sound that he created and is much imitated.  Cracker, The Innocence Mission, XTC, and Galaxie 500.  It really is a great soundtrack.

There are additional songs that didn't make it from the movie onto the playlist of the soundtrack that compliment the movie as well - "Counting Backwards" by Throwing Muses, "Araby" by my favorite Austin band, The Reivers, L7, Bongwater...

It is nice to see my era eulogized so nicely, and with some of the better music from my day.  The sense of nostalgia takes me back to those moments.  But that's kind of the poetic point of this picture.

Real Estate Makes An Offer You Can Refuse

Real Estate

As I reviewed this album, I realized that, in our day and age, it is unfortunate to name your band a name like Real Estate, because, when you Google it, a plethora of other suggestions will pop up, like homes in Las Vegas.  You should pick something a little more catchy and unique - like "Sunny Day Real Estate" - that will specifically bring up your band.

For this review, I will be talking about the mild and pleasant New Jersey band, Real Estate, and their third album, "Atlas".  Now when I say "mild and pleasant", I mean it.  They have a nice sound - a '60s-tinged, Byrds-like sound, like R.E.M. without the Southern twang, like The Sundays without the female singer.  They remind me a lot of The Shins.

But they are also mild, like eating grits and nothing else.  It is filling, but ultimately not satisfying.  You want to reach for the Cholula and add some spice.  None of these songs really reached out and grabbed me at first.  It took several listens to get to really like any of it.  Don't get me wrong.  This is jangle pop at its best - just a bit sleepy.  The musicianship is superb.  And they are fairly critically acclaimed.  Maybe you need to see these guys live to get their magic.

There are a couple of songs that will find a place on my phone's playlist, like "Talking Backwards", "Primitive", "How Might I Live", and "Horizon".  My favorite song is "Crime".  I would drowsily listen to this album several time, only perking up when this song came on.  The rest are fairly forgettable.

I don't want to be mean and give a bad review to a band that is actually alright.  They are not bad.  But don't uproot anytime soon for Real Estate.  Stay firm on your asking price and wait for the market to shift your way.  Things can only get better.

Yeah, Pixies Still Got It...: My Review of "Indie Cindy"

Pixies

To tell the truth, even though I downloaded this album a year ago on the very day it came out, I did not even listen to it all the way through until a few days ago.  Yes, I have this OCD thing about not listening albums until I am ready to review them (which is why I have 30+ albums sitting unlistened to on my phone).  But it was more than that.  I was kind of afraid, because I had already read many, many negative reviews about it.

Anyone who knows me knows that Pixies are one of my favorite bands.  I first bought "Come On, Pilgrim" in a record store in Austin, Texas in 1987.  I have claimed ad nauseum that "Doolittle" is the greatest rock album ever written.  Even after their last album, "Trompe le Monde" (1991), and their disheartening break-up, I kept up with Black Francis's career under the moniker, Frank Black.  ("Teenager of the Year" and "The Cult of Ray" are two of my favorite albums.)

I guess the thing I was afraid of is something that happens to a lot of artists - middle-age slump.  The creative muse becomes over-domesticated and staid, and the passion and joi de vivre disappears, leaving the product lackluster and, well, boring.  It is something that happens often.  I have seen it in my own writing.

I was as excited as everyone else when "Indie Cindy" came out - the first Pixies full-length album in 23 years!  But when I saw the negative comments circulating cyberspace about it, I started to get a little worried.  Yes, I had heard some of these new songs when I reviewed "EP1", and they were great.  But did Pixies - one of the most influential rockers of the last millennium - still have it?

So I finally gave it a listen last week.  I had nothing to worry about!  It's all there - Joey Santiago's fierce strumming and slightly discordant, dreamy solos, David Lovering's furious drum beats, and Black Francis's zany lyrics, somethings emoted softly, sometimes shrieked.  Their quirky brand of psychedelia wed to surf punk is as bright and accelerated as always.  What a sweet relief!  I don't know what in the hell those naysayers were talking about!

Pixies have many facets to their sound, and it is all here.  There is the aggressive, powerhouse sound like in "What Goes Boom" and "Blue Eyed Hexe", which ends with Francis shredding his vocal chord with some delicious, piercing screams.  Then there is the sweet, surfy tunes loaded with hooks like "Greens and Blues", "Ring the Bell", and "Another Toe in the Ocean", with its familiar nautical theme.  "Andro Queen" has the obligatory Spanish lyrics.  Pixies are in form with "Indie Cindy" and "Bagboy", both of which have spoken word mixed with some dazzling riffs.  Francis shows his skill in writing poetry with these songs, and the imagery is just so bizarre that my little kids giggle every time they hear the words.  My personal favorite are the moody "Magdalena 318" and "Snakes".

I will say that I miss Kim Deal's presence on this album - her soft, breathy voice giving contrast to Francis's caterwauls.  But I am happy with the replacement - Paz Lenchantin, whom I have loved since her days with A Perfect Circle.

In 2013, I made the bold claim that Arcade Fire's "Reflektor" was the best album of the year.  I am going to go ahead and state that "Indie Cindy" is the best album of the last year.  If you doubt me, try it out yourself and tell me I'm wrong.  Also, it is my misfortune that I have never seen this band live.  But they are on tour this summer.  Maybe you can catch them.

Meg Myers Will Blow You Away

Meg Myers

I have to say this right away about Meg Myers.  It has been a long, long time since I have liked a new artist this much.

When I set out to discover new music, I look for something that will grab me and not let go, something that I don't want to stop listening to, that I can't wait to play first thing when I wake up.  Meg Myers is this good.  I can't stop listening to her.

For the purpose of this review, I am looking at her entire catalog to date, which is two EPs - "Daughter In the Choir"" (2013) and "Make A Shadow" (2014), as well as the single, "Sorry" (2015).

A newcomer on the pop music scene, she has already made some waves, because she has something that most artists don't have - passion, energy, and raw, raw emotion.  The amount of feeling that she puts into her songs is astounding.  She is already drawing inevitable comparisons to older artists like P.J. Harvey, Alanis Morrisette, Fiona Apple, and Sinead O'Connor.  None of these comparisons do her justice.  Maybe the closest would be Sinead O'Connor due to the emotional intensity.  Even though they are nothing alike in terms of sound, she is like Heather Nova, who was my favorite solo female artist in the '90s, because of their honest approach to music.

"Daughter In the Choir" starts out with a resplendent pop song with a vicious name - "Curbstomp".  And this title fits.  It starts with dazzling synthesizers and ends with Myers shredding her vocal chords as she howls the poignant lyrics.  The next song starts with a mournful piano as she sings a hymn to "Adelaide".  "Tennessee" speaks of her roots in the Deep South.  It is a spoken-word piece that drips with hilarious sarcasm and ends with an ironic banjo.  My teen daughter thinks this song is similar to that annoying "Selfie" song.  "Poison" rocks fierce like a Pixies song.  There are two versions of the song "Monster" - one an evocative piece with an acoustic guitar and cello, a perfect combination.  The other, a whomping dubstep version.

"Make A Shadow" starts out with a sexually charged song called "Desire".  My music guru, Nikki, who introduced me to Meg Myer's music, pointed out that this song is a female response to Nine Inch Nail's "Closer".  The next song is "Go", and its mad pulse and the shrieks at the end will have you headbanging.  The EP finishes strongly with the music box tune of "The Morning After".

"Sorry" is the newest single, and it is a great example of what a great artist she is.  The electronic pulse and her voice keep building up in tension until she gives you full release at the end.  Honestly, every single song is great.  Just a few days ago, Meg announced that her debut album will come out.  I am so excited about it.  I bumped this review to the top of my list so that I can be ready for the album when it comes out.

Meg Myers is now one of my favorite artists.  I can't rave enough about her.  If you haven't heard her, you need to check her out so that you can say that you liked her before she explodes onto the scene.  Because if you haven't heard of her, trust me, you will.

Return to the Bayou: Mazzy Star's Languid Reunion

Mazzy Star

I think I discovered Mazzy Star the same way that most people did - on the radio.  It was 1993, and "Fade Into You" was an alternative radio hit.  The first time I heard David Roback's otherwordly slide guitar and Hope Sandoval's breathy vocals, I was hooked.  I went right out and bought "So Tonight That I Might See", which is a CD that still gets frequent usage in my home.  I liked the so much that I got the first album, "She Hangs Brightly".  (It is still my favorite Mazzy Star album, and the first track, "Halah", is still my favorite song.)  This music was smoky and languid.  I loved it.  Mazzy Star came out of the neo-'60s scene in Los Angeles, and their slightly hippie vibe always appealed to me.  But after a third album in 1996 (that I have never listened to), they disappeared.

So seventeen years later, Mazzy Star is back with a new record - "Seasons Of Your Day".  And they are better than ever.  One of the things that I appreciate about Mazzy Star is their straight up refusal to make music on the terms of the industry.  They have artistic integrity, and it shows.  This is straight up folk and blues.  Here an acoustic guitar, and there maybe an organ or a slide guitar.  This music creates a fog on the bayou with morning sunlight making cobwebs with the opiate, lazy drawl of Sandoval's voice.

This is definitely mood music.  Play it in your kitchen, or outdoors working on your garden, like I did yesterday.  Just don't play it while you drive.  It is so sleepy that you might gladly go off the road!

The best song on here is definitely the plaintive "California", which is also the primary single off this collection.  My other favorites are "Lay Myself Down" with its country western twang, "Spoon" with its great acoustic sound, and "Flying Low" which could easily be featured on the TV show "Justified".  I can feel the knots and tight muscles in  my neck and back loosening as I listen to these homespun songs.

This collection is an awesome reunion for a group that meant so much to me in the '90s.  So kick off your shoes, plant your weary bottom on a rocking chair, and let your body rock to these mesmerizing sounds.

Ingrid Michaelson Hits Paydirt on Sixth Record

Ingrid Michaelson

As you may or may not know, I have followed Ingrid Michaelson's career since her MySpace days, even reviewing her album "Human Again" on this blog.  For her sixth studio album, "Lights Out", Ingrid hits paydirt again, although this album is vastly different than her other releases.

Ingrid Michaelson, a brainy beauty from New York with tortoise-shell glasses, is like our generation's Lisa Loeb.  She has always been kind of folksy, but "Lights Out" takes a vastly different direction, with more of a pop flare.  Ingrid has also been known to have an almost jealous control of her music, often secluding herself in the studio with just herself and a producer, exclusively writing all of her own material.  This collection is more of a collaborative effort, using an army of songwriters - like Storyman, Trent Dabbs, and Mat Kearney.  She also uses several guest musicians.  The result is a warm, bubbly pop album that retains Ingrid's distinctive style and effervescence.

Of course, just about everyone has heard the singles from this record as they receive heavy airplay on most pop stations.  There is the memorable "Girls Chase Boys" with its video paying homage to Robert Palmer, as well as the jazzy "Time Machine" with its hilarious video with several celebrity comedian cameos.  And "Afterlife", one of my favorites with its easily identifiable whistling intro.

But there are plenty of other good songs on here.  There is the somber "Wonderful Unknown", sung with her ex-husband, Greg Laswell.  "Stick" with its light synth beat is probably my favorite song on here.  "Over You", a piano ballad with A Great Big World is pretty good.

This album is not as moody and as moving as "Human Again", but, for a pop album it is pretty good.  I wish that more pop artists had as much integrity as Ingrid Michaelson.  I have followed her for a while, and I will likely keep following her.

No Band Is An Island: Reviewing Future Islands' Major Label Debut

Future Islands

A lot of people are going to remember Future Island's debut performance on David Letterman last year.  If not for their quirky, '80s-inspired synth pop, for lead singer Samuel T. Herring onstage antics - his epileptic dancing and occasional death metal growls belying the chirpy synthesizers.

Those who know me know that my tastes in the '80s was more on the gothic side of the musical spectrum, what they now call dark wave.  Future Islands reminds me of the bouncy, happy-go-lucky synth pop I disliked in the '80s - Bronski Beat, Fine Young Cannibals, and Feargal Sharkey, especially Feargal Sharkey.  To illustrate this point, this morning, I played my wife a Feargal Sharkey video on YouTube.  The similarity is frightening to me, but it wasn't that apparent to my wife.  She suggested that the only common denominator is that both Sharkey and Herring have unusually shaped heads.

I should mention at this point that - even if I didn't like that type of synth pop in the '80s - I like it now.  I have developed a perverse sense of nostalgia in my old age.  And so it is with Future Islands.  They both annoy me and stir something in me at the same time.  The worst that I can say about them is that most of their songs kind of sound the same.  But they are catchy.

All the songs on "Singles" - their major label debut - are driven by a steady drum beat and thumping bass infectious enough to get your arms swinging from side to side, snapping your fingers as you shuffle back and forth... wait, dancing kind of like Herring...  The beat is offset by celestial synthesizers that give the music a kind of dreamy feel that make this band worthy of the 4AD label designation that they wear like a badge.  Herrings vocals are Elton John-ish, David Bowie-ish, perfect for their brand of music.

None of these songs are going to get a lot of play from me, but they are not bad,  A few songs stand out - the opening track and main single, "Seasons (Wait For You)", and "Spirit".  "Sun in the Morning" ends with a brass section that makes it worth listening to,  "Fall From Grace" is their only moody song.  It starts with subdued vocals worthy of Bauhaus, but ends with growls and shouts.  My favorite song is the final track, "A Dream if You and Me.".  I think this song captures the essence of who the band is.

So not bad, but not super great either.  I will always be mesmerized, however, by Herring's dancing  See for yourself.

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If the Shoegaze Fits: My Bloody Valentine Pioneer A Genre

My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine were one of the most influential artists to come out of the late '80s/ early '90s.  So it is surprising that I hadn't heard of them, given that I lived through the '80s and was pretty up on music.  They even fall into the category of the "type" of music I like.  So why hadn't I heard of them?

Recently, I started reading about them in magazines, how much they influenced other bands.  Other bands were name-dropping them as a driving force in their own sound - Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, and even U2, who claim that their guitar sound on "Achtung Baby" was lifted directly from My Bloody Valentine.  Most notably, one of my favorite bands, Silversun Pickups, say that their sound is an homage to this Irish band.

My Bloody Valentine is credited with creating the shoegaze genre - popularized by such acts as Lush, Slowdive, Ride, Catherine Wheel, and, most recently, Nothing.  It was called "shoegaze", because the artists in this style of music tended to play their instruments without leaping all over the stage, staring instead contemplatively at the floor.  In other words, they cared more about their musicianship than their performance.  Shoegaze is typified by swirling guitars, ethereal ambiance, and confusing lyrics sung softly.  My Bloody Valentine created this sound.

Before their breakup in 1997, they released a handful of EPs, as well as two albums.  It is the two albums that I decided to review - "Isn't Anything" (1988) and "Loveless" (1991).

When I first listened to "Isn't Anything", I was, at first, taken aback.  I am used to shoegaze being, if not raw, at least melodic.  It was a hard listen for the first few times.  Was this really an album that other critics were saying was a "must listen"?  It is not an easy listen.  You are bombarded by a barrage of noise, most of it discordant and, well, droopy.  The music is like a candle that has lost its elasticity.  Yes, it burns bright, but it is melting all over the place, making an ungodly mess.

Then you have to remember - this was the '80s.  This was when bands like this were underground for a reason.  They weren't trying to create shiny, pop hits.  Their wall-of-noise-and-static sound is actually very similar to other indie acts of the time, like Sonic Youth, Meat Puppets, or Dinosaur Jr.

After many, many listens of "Isn't Anything", I started to "get" it and actually sort of start to like it.  It started to make sense to me.  Yes, there are songs like "No More Sorry" and "All I Need" that are just about the atmospherics.  But there are several songs like "Cupid Come", [When You're Awake] You're Still In a Dream", and "Feed Me With Your Kiss" that are catchy and will remain on my phone's playlist.  I just have to add that Colm O Ciosoig's drumming is insane!  Especially on "Nothing Much to Lose".  It cuts right through the fuzz of the guitar.

"Loveless" is considered their magnum opus.  It definitely is different album.  It starts out strongly with the epic "Only Shallow", which I consider to be My Bloody Valentine's best song, certainly their most shoegaze.  Most of the album then dissolves into a much more impressionistic vibe than their previous release with songs like "To Here Knows When" and "Blown A Wish", which demonstrate the influence that Cocteau Twins has on this band with heavy reverb, effects-laden guitars and mumbled lyrics.  Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher share vocal duties.  It is said that Butcher would often be asleep during late night recording sessions and would be deliberately woken up to sing her vocal tracks to give them more of a sleepy, dreamy feel.  And it shows.  Other tracks of note include "When You Sleep", "I Only Said", and "Come In Alone".

These are both pretty good albums.  Not always easy to  listen to.  But I can see why they were so influential.  "Loveless" is more atmospheric and languid, but I prefer the more furious "Isn't Anything" out of the two records.

My Bloody Valentine recently got back together and released an album of new material 22 years after their last album.  It has been well received, even though I haven't listened to it yet.  It is supposedly very different from the other releases.  I will definitely have to check it out.

Candy Sweet: Mr Little Jean's Sugary Debut

Mr. Little Jeans

Monica Birkenes, a singer/ songwriter from Norway, has already made a name for herself writing for other artists.  Now, she has a lavish debut album, "Pocketknife", under the moniker Mr Little Jeans.

This record is a great fit with other artists that I have reviewed lately.  It has a '60s-inspired, Phil Spektor jangle pop vibe like Frankie Rose, Lucius, or Dum Dum Girls combined with the sweet vocals and soft electronics of Broods or Au Revoir Simone.

The album started out with "Rescue Me", with an effervescent rhythm and piano set to breathy harmonies interlaced with each other creating a candy-coated pop tune.  The next song, "Mercy", melds an understated rock guitar with synth chirps that would make Depeche Mode giddy, all offset by a bridge of a chamber orchestra.  My favorite songs is "Runaway" with its danceable beat and insistent bass.  "Oh Sailor" is set apart with its chime of voices provided by the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Youth Chorale.  "Good Mistake" is notable for its poignant lyrics.  "The Suburbs" is an Arcade Fire cover that, in my estimation, better than the original.  Other songs of note are the quirky "Haunted" and the ambient "Far From Home".

This record is bubbly and sometimes saccharine, but its merit is that it is not too tightly bound to any genre, enough so that is removed from the mainstream.  This is a good pop record, like savoring an all-day sucker.  It tastes good, it is enjoyable, but, when you get sick of it, you can wrap it up and save it for later.