NOW HEAR THIS
TOP NEW PICKS INCLUDE SONIC YOUTH’S THURSTON MOORE, BLITZEN TRAPPER AND HEIDI NEWFIELD
This week’s column brings you an eclectic selection of fine new albums that could be nicknamed a “veteran’s day” column, in that the artists represented all have been making music for quite some time. They clearly haven’t run out of inspiration, and hopefully, you’ll find some music you like across these five albums.
Thurston Moore: “By The Fire”
Moore continues to accept life after Sonic Youth by being quite prolific as a solo artist and maintaining more than a few musical trademarks of his former band. “By The Fire” is one of his more accessible solo efforts, but still skewed enough to instantly connect it back to many of Sonic Youth’s albums. One song that’s musically relatable is “Hashish,” which could fit on a Velvet Underground or Television album, with the way its chiming guitar parts ride over the steady rhythm that drives the song forward. For a song that runs nearly five minutes, the dense and grimy rocker “Cantaloupe” feels deceptively concise and catchy. Other songs stretch out and play to Moore’s more experimental instincts — although never to the point where the songs are less than listenable. “Breath” feels like three songs in one, none of which feel all that connected, but its pair of vocal segments are fairly striking. The eight-minute strummy instrumental segment that opens “Siren” gives way to a downright pretty pop song that completes this 12-minute piece. “They Believe in Love (When They Look At You)” is a fun guitar workout that spends four minutes unfurling an array of riffs and chord progressions before getting to a vocal segment and a 50-second sonic freak-out that closes the song. But “Venus” and “Locomotive”
don’t work as well, as their adventurous instrumental segments don’t accomplish much. Overall, though, Moore continues to push himself on “By The Fire,” creating music that ventures well outside the norms without becoming alien enough to push the listener away.
Blitzen Trapper: “Holy Smokes Future Jokes”
The band’s first release on Yep Roc Records is a bit more mellow than many of the band’s nine previous studio albums. That’s not to suggest Blitzen Trapper, with their mix of folk, country and rock, ever rocked out like a punk or metal band — or even rock bands that share their Southern influences, such as the Drive-By Truckers or Allman Brothers Band. In fact, “Masonic Temple Microdose #1” is the only song on “Holy Smokes Future Jokes” where Blitzen Trapper plug in the guitars and get decidedly frisky musically. Otherwise, the band leans toward an acoustic foundation for the songs, which naturally takes the sound in a bit softer and textured direction.
It’s also worth noting that Eric Earley’s new songs don’t inject the experimental and sometimes jarring instrumental touches that flavored the early Blitzen Trapper albums. Instead the songs on “Holy Smokes Future Jokes” flow smoothly, with the acoustic instrumentation suiting the rustic melodies of mid-tempo songs like “Don’t Let Me Run” (which includes a pretty alto saxophone solo), “Baptismal” and the title track, not to mention ballads like the winsome “Dead Billie Jean” and the delicate “Sons and Unwed Mothers.” It’s as if Earley (and his bandmates) realize the songs have gotten strong enough that there’s no need to inject weirdness into the proceedings to get the attention of listeners. The consistently strong songs and agreeable country-inflected sound are plenty enough to carry the day on “Holy Smokes Future Jokes.”
Dan Penn: “Living on Mercy”
If Penn could convince Eric Clapton to put his name on this
album, he might just have a hit album on his hands. “Living on Mercy” sounds like the kind of album Clapton has been trying to make for years. Of course, the quality of “Living on Mercy” won’t surprise those familiar with Penn. He has a catalog full of classic songs dating back to the ’60s, including “The Dark End of the Street,” “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” and “Cry Like a Baby.” “Living on Mercy,” Penn’s first album of original material in a dozen years, proves he hasn’t lost his touch as a songwriter. The kind of music Penn writes, a relaxed blend of soul with a touch of blues, is right in the wheelhouse of the music Clapton has made over the past decade plus. And Penn’s vocals, which are nearly a dead ringer for Clapton, makes it easy to imagine “Slowhand” taking on songs like the ballads “Things Happen” and “See You In My Dreams,” the slightly peppier “I Didn’t Hear That Coming” or the bluesy “Edge Of Love” — and having adult contemporary radio jump all over those songs. Of course,
Penn isn’t an icon like Clapton, so “Living on Mercy” doesn’t figure to generate radio play or much attention from the public at large. It’s not Penn’s fault. That’s the nature of today’s music business. But it’s doubtful Clapton — even with his considerable talents — could do these songs any better than Penn has on “Living on Mercy.”
Heidi Newfield: “The Barfly Sessions Vol. 1”
Newfield made a modest splash in the late ’90s and into the new century fronting the country band Trick Pony, which released three albums but never really broke through. She had another hit in 2008 with her first solo single, “Johnny & June.” With “The Barfly Sessions Vol. 1,” Newfield has declared her independence from any certain style or musical image with her most diverse album yet. Yes, there is country in her sound (the feisty “Wrong Side of the Bottle” and a trio of ballads — the sweet “Wait For It,” the bittersweet “When Heaven Falls” and the twangy “Whitley’s Tombstone”), but it’s far from the only style at work here. In fact, two of the best songs on “The Barfly Sessions” are the sassy blues-rockers “I Won’t Wait Around” (which comes storming out of the gate with some big swing in its beat, wailing harmonica and some great organ fills) and her version of the Kevin Bowe song “Blues is My Business” (a spirited duet with Delbert McClinton). A hard-rocking side to Newfield emerges on “Bring This House Down.” There’s also a good bit of soul running through several songs, and Newfield isn’t afraid to blend styles, just note how “Love Blind” builds from a country ballad into a rocker or how she mixes of country and blues on “I Could Fall for U,” a rowdy duet with Jim Lauderdale. This diversity makes “The Barfly Sessions Vol. 1” feel like the best representation yet of Newfield’s musical tastes and her inspired performances and the quality of the songs make for
a highly satisfying album.
Tom Curless & the 46%: “Almost Ready for the Future”
This may technically be the debut release from Curless and this band, but Curless has been on the scene for nearly two decades, releasing seven albums under the name Your Gracious Host before putting out his first solo album, “Songs of Movement.” He then brought together three fellow Detroitbased musicians to form the 46%. Together, Curless and the band have made an album in “Almost Ready for the Future” that relies on the time-tested ingredients of power pop — strong melodies, crunchy guitars and steady-rocking drums to anchor everything. Nothing is quirky or trendy here, just solid hooky rock songs like `House on Fire,” “Unexpected Knock,” and “Always in Between.” They are balanced out by several fine ballads, including “Miles To Go” and the piano-based gem “You Can Try.” If this album is any indication, Curless and the 46% have a bright future and are ready to make their mark on the pop scene.