Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse – It’s a wonderful life
|
|
Sparklehorse Handbill Poster Sparkle Horse $14.99 This handbill/poster is 11 inches by 17 inches approximately. It is in mint unused condition…. |
|
|
Sparklehorse Limited Edition Gig Poster $45.00 This limited edition Sparklehorse poster is hand numbered and magical. Only 250 posters in print. 12 1/2″ x 19″…. |
|
|
Cracker Sparklehorse Fillmore Concert Poster 1996 F223 Original concert poster for Cracker at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA. 13″x19″ on card stock. Art by Amacker Bullwinkle. F223… |
|
|
Dark Night Of The Soul $11.80 Dark Night Of The Soul is an album by audio auteur Danger Mouse and the already much-missed Sparklehorse. The record sees the pair joined by the following remarkable roll call of guests: The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Black Francis (The Pixies), Iggy Pop, David Lynch, James Mercer (The Shins/Broken Bells), Nina Pe… |
|
|
Dark Night of the Soul [Deluxe Edition] $66.49 Dark Night Of The Soul is an album by audio auteur Danger Mouse and the already much-missed Sparklehorse. The record sees the pair joined by the following remarkable roll call of guests: The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Black Francis (The Pixies), Iggy Pop, David Lynch, James Mercer (The Shins/Broken Bells), Nina Persson… |
|
|
Sparklehorse – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot $14.28 Sparklehorse: Mark Linkous (vocals, various instruments).Additional personnel: Bob Rupe (vocals, bass); David Charles (acoustic & electric guitars, keyboards, bass, drums); Mike Lucas (pedal steel guitar); Dennis Herring (vibraphone); Armstead Wellford (bass); Johnny Hott (drums, percussion); David Bush (drums); Paul Watson (effects).Producers: Mark Linkous, David Charles, Dennis Herring.Recorded at Sound Of Music, Richmond, Virginia; Static King, Virginia; Bad Animals, Seattle, Washington.VIVADIXIESUBMARINETRANSMISSIONPLOT is an impressive debut, sprung fully formed from the head of Sparklehorse songwriter Mark Linkous. A melancholy ode to rural America, the album meanders between sparse, whispered lullabies like "Heart of Darkness" and distortion-drenched rockers like "Hammering the Cramps" while remaining oddly cohesive.Opening with the sleepy "Homecoming Queen," Linkous immediately quotes Shakespeare ("A horse, a horse…my kingdom for a horse…") and establishes his seemingly contradictory lush/lo-fi sound. Not content with structured songs alone, he also adds bursts of noise, samples, and tape loops to the mix on tracks like "850 Double Pumper Holley," "Little Bastard Choo Choo" and "Ballad of a Cold Lost Marble." Linkous has obviously done his musical and cinematic homework, revisiting Neil Young`s "burned-out basement" (from "After the Gold Rush") in "Spirit Ditch," and quoting characters played by Roberto Benigni and Tom Waits from Jim Jarmusch`s film DOWN BY LAW in "Sad & Beautiful World." In fact, despite extremely different vocal styles, Waits is frequently cited by Linkous as a major influence, and hints of Waits` oddball aesthetic are present throughout the album. Ultimately, however, it`s Linkous` own vision that carries this rustic, ramshackle masterpiece. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Sparklehorse – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot $14.28 Sparklehorse: Mark Linkous (vocals, various instruments).Additional personnel: Bob Rupe (vocals, bass); David Charles (acoustic & electric guitars, keyboards, bass, drums); Mike Lucas (pedal steel guitar); Dennis Herring (vibraphone); Armstead Wellford (bass); Johnny Hott (drums, percussion); David Bush (drums); Paul Watson (effects).Producers: Mark Linkous, David Charles, Dennis Herring.Recorded at Sound Of Music, Richmond, Virginia; Static King, Virginia; Bad Animals, Seattle, Washington.VIVADIXIESUBMARINETRANSMISSIONPLOT is an impressive debut, sprung fully formed from the head of Sparklehorse songwriter Mark Linkous. A melancholy ode to rural America, the album meanders between sparse, whispered lullabies like "Heart of Darkness" and distortion-drenched rockers like "Hammering the Cramps" while remaining oddly cohesive.Opening with the sleepy "Homecoming Queen," Linkous immediately quotes Shakespeare ("A horse, a horse…my kingdom for a horse…") and establishes his seemingly contradictory lush/lo-fi sound. Not content with structured songs alone, he also adds bursts of noise, samples, and tape loops to the mix on tracks like "850 Double Pumper Holley," "Little Bastard Choo Choo" and "Ballad of a Cold Lost Marble." Linkous has obviously done his musical and cinematic homework, revisiting Neil Young`s "burned-out basement" (from "After the Gold Rush") in "Spirit Ditch," and quoting characters played by Roberto Benigni and Tom Waits from Jim Jarmusch`s film DOWN BY LAW in "Sad & Beautiful World." In fact, despite extremely different vocal styles, Waits is frequently cited by Linkous as a major influence, and hints of Waits` oddball aesthetic are present throughout the album. Ultimately, however, it`s Linkous` own vision that carries this rustic, ramshackle masterpiece. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
SPARKLEHORSE: GOOD MORNING SPIDER $16.98 This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Sparklehorse: Mark Linkous (vocals, guitar, piano, Wurlitzer piano, optigan, samples).Additional personnel: Sofie Michalitsianos (vocals, cello); Vic Chesnutt (spoken vocals); David Lowery (guitar, bass, drum machine); Stephen McCarthy (pedal steel guitar); Melissa Moore (violin); Paul Watson (cornet); Johnny Hott (piano, drums); Scott Minor (harmonium, drums).This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Even more inventive than the brilliant VIVADIXIE…, GOOD MORNING SPIDER is the sound of a man who quite literally died and lived to tell about it. Before recording the album, Sparklehorse singer/songwriter Mark Linkous flatlined for two minutes in a London hospital, an experience reflected in the lyrics of the lullaby-like “Saint Mary” where he sings, “Blanket me, sweet nurse, and keep me from burnin’. I must get back to the woods, dear girls. I must get back to the woods.”True to his word, Linkous returns with startling urgency, taking his quirky rural aesthetic to further extremes, as evidenced on the aggressive distortion-filled album opener, “Pig,” and in the hushed sleepiness of “All Night Home.” The head ‘horse briefly ventures into poppier territory with the catchy chorus of “Sick of Goodbyes,” but most songs are far stranger creatures like the lush “Painbirds” and the fuzzed-out “Ghost of His Smile,” which employ an eclectic array of arrangements and instrumentation. It’s rare that an album of such wide scope can hold itself together, but with GOOD MORNING SPIDER, Linkous has triumphantly crafted a cohesive sound-collage of both fierce vitality and astonishing beauty. |
|
|
Sparklehorse – It`s A Wonderful Life $15.49 Sparklehorse includes: Mark Linkous (vocals, Wurlitzer piano, Chamberlin, Optigon, percussion, samples); Sophie Michelitsianos (vocals, bass); Adrian Utley (guitar, bass); Joan Wasser (violin); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Dave Fridmann (piano, bass); John Parish (synthesizer, bass); Bob Rupe (bass); Scott Minor (drums, programming); Miguel Rodriguez (drums).Additional personnel includes: PJ Harvey (vocals, electric guitar, piano); Nina Persson, Tom Waits (vocals).Recorded at Tarboy Road Studios, Cassadaga, New York.Personnel: Mark Linkous (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer organ, chamberlin, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, drum machine, percussion, sampler); Nina Persson (vocals); Alan Weatherhead (lap steel guitar, chamberlin, Mellotron); Joan Wasser (violin, Wurlitzer organ); Margaret White (violin); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Dave Fridmann (piano, Wurlitzer organ, Mellotron, glockenspiel); Scott Minor (chamberlin, drums, percussion, electronics); Miguel Rodriguez (drums).Audio Mixers: Dave Fridmann; John Parish; Mark Linkous.Recording information: Bit-A-Beat Studios, Barcelona, Spain; Joe Hoffman Studio, CA; Mission Sound Studios, Brooklyn, NY; Sound Of Music, Richmond, VA; Static King, Enon, VA; Tarbox Road Studios, Casadaga, NY.Photographer: Dan Estabrook.Sparklehorse singer/songwriter Mark Linkous`s consistently eclectic and inventive work garnered the admiration of many fellow musicians over the years, and a number of them appear on 2001`s IT`S A WONDERFUL LIFE, the band`s ambitious third full-length album. In addition to co-producing the record with Linkous, Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips) contributes various instruments, along with Portishead`s Adrian Utley and PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish. Harvey herself lends her voice and guitar to the jagged "Piano Fire" and funereal "Eyepennies," her bold, plaintive singing playing wonderfully off of Linkous`s more subdued vocals. Cardigans singer Nina Persson shows up on the bright pop gem "Gold Day" and the sleepy "Applebed," adding gorgeous harmonies at just the right moments, a presence sharply contrasted by Tom Waits`s scruffy lead-vocal turn on the lumbering "Dog Door."With all of the high-profile guests, it`s remarkable that Linkous manages to keep the album sharply focused and solidly anchored, even with his usual satchel full of quirky sounds (optigan, electronic birds, "big seed pod") and enigmatic lyrical motifs (eyes, teeth, horses, dogs) on hand. Yet another fascinating installment in Linkous`s catalogue, IT`S A WONDERFUL LIFE reinforces his status as a unique musical visionary. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Sparklehorse – Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain [9/26] * $15.75 Sparklehorse: Mark Linkous (vocals, guitar, strings, pump organ, keyboards, synthesizer, bass guitar, drums).Additional personnel: Rex White (pedal steel guitar); Tim Regan, Tom Waits (piano); Dave Fridmann (vibraphone, bass guitar); Scott Miner (drums, electronics); Steven Broad, Johnny Hott, Steven Drozd (drums); Danger Mouse (drum programming, sampler).More than five years after 2001`s highly acclaimed IT`S A WONDERFUL LIFE, Sparklehorse`s Mark Linkous finally re-emerged from some rustic lair with DREAMT FOR LIGHT YEARS IN THE BELLY OF A MOUNTAIN, a title that seemingly doubles as a cryptic explanation for his absence. As always, this Sparklehorse outing is gilded with Linkous`s warmly inviting, yet vaguely haunting arrangements, and his favorite narrative elements (sharp objects, spirits, etc.). While there are rocked-out Pixies-like moments (the searing "Ghost in the Sky" and the urgent "It`s Not So Hard"), Linkous primarily leads his fellow travelers–including Tom Waits (on piano only), the Flaming Lips` Steven Drozd, and (oddly enough) Dangermouse–down scenic rural detours such as the dreamy "Don`t Take My Sunshine Away" and the gorgeously melodic "Shade and Honey." Although Sparklehorse diehards will recognize a few tracks as previously released rarities, anyone who appreciates Linkous`s fascinating vision will not be disappointed. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul [7/13] * $16.21 Though Dark Night of the Soul — a collaboration featuring songs written and produced by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse`s Mark Linkous accompanied by David Lynch`s photography — was supposed to come out in 2009, a legal dispute between Danger Mouse and EMI delayed its release by over a year. By the time Dark Night officially saw the light of day, Linkous and another of the project`s players, singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt, were dead. This could have cast a morbid shadow over the entire enterprise, but at its best, the album is a tribute to the collaborative spirit of everyone involved. After working with Danger Mouse on Sparklehorse`s 2006 album Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, Linkous reunited with the producer to work on a set of songs that he didn`t feel comfortable singing himself, so they recruited an A-list crew of singers to provide vocals and lyrics. While all the guest performers give a lot of themselves — you can hear the genesis of Broken Bells in James Mercer`s "Insane Lullaby" and Suzanne Vega`s "Man Who Played God" is as breezily bittersweet as one of her own songs — the melodies are indelibly Linkous`. Even with other people`s words on top of them, they`re alternately plaintive and whimsical, raging against an engulfing darkness or laughing at it all. Dark Night of the Soul`s best moments feature artists most attuned to Linkous` vibe: Wayne Coyne`s "Revenge" is an inspired fusion of Linkous` dead-of-night ballads and the Flaming Lips` philosophizing ("Once we become the things we dread/There`s no way to stop"). Grandaddy`s Jason Lytle is a perfect match for the fragile, spacy Americana of "Jaykub" and "Everytime I`m with You" and Chesnutt — perhaps Linkous` most kindred spirit here — heightens Sparklehorse`s occasional Southern Gothic bleakness on the nightmarish waltz "Grim Augury." Meanwhile, Lynch`s "Star Eyes (I Can`t Catch It)" is a beautiful and unexpected highlight, his Midwestern drawl providing a poignant contrast to his abstract lyrics. Linkous takes the lead on only one track here, the deceptively gentle "Daddy`s Gone," where he sings "Don`t delay/Because people decay." Despite the delay, Dark Night of the Soul shows what a talent and what a generous collaborator we lost in Mark Linkous. ~ Heather Phares Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Hundreds Of Sparrows $6 Hundreds Of Sparrows – Sparklehorse |
|
|
It’s A Wonderful Life $6 It’s A Wonderful Life – Sparklehorse |
|
|
Music of Richmond, Virginia: Cracker, D’Angelo, Gwar, Pat Benatar, Lamb of God, Mark Linkous, Carbon Leaf, Shanghai Quartet, Sparklehorse $19.99 Music of Richmond, Virginia: Cracker, D’Angelo, Gwar, Pat Benatar, Lamb of God, Mark Linkous, Carbon Leaf, Shanghai Quartet, Sparklehorse |
|
|
Bluffer’s Guide to the Flight Deck $12.47 {$Granddaddy}, {$Mercury Rev}, {$Sparklehorse}, and {$the Flaming Lips} are all names that will be inevitably dropped when trying to describe the elegant {\space pop} that emanates from this frustratingly inventive/derivative London collective. {$Flotatio |
|
|
It’s a Wonderful Life $13.79 Along with {$the Flaming Lips} and {$Mercury Rev}, {$Sparklehorse} crafts strangely beautiful — and beautifully strange — music inspired by down-to-earth sounds as well as spacey experimentalism. But where {$the Lips} are lovably loopy and {$Mercury Rev |
|
|
A Camp $29.51 {$A Camp} breathes new life into the career of {$the Cardigans}’ {$Nina Persson}. Recorded partly in New York and partly in Sweden, and produced almost entirely by {$Sparklehorse}’s {$Mark Linkous} with a great deal of engineering help and instrument swap |
|
|
Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain $13.79 {$Mark Linkous} has always taken a generous amount of time to deliver new {$Sparklehorse} albums. There was a nearly four-year gap between {^Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot} and {^Good Morning Spider} (which was understandable, as recovering from a nea |
|
|
You Kill Me $13.29 On {^You Kill Me}, Belgian {\Americana} import {$Pascal Deweze} waves farewell to the {$Gram Parsons}-influenced {\orchestral pop} that fueled his 2003 self-titled debut. With the help of producer {$John Morand} ({$Sparklehorse} and {$Camper Van Beethoven |
|
|
Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot $13.29 {$Sparklehorse}’s 1996 full-length debut, {^Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot}, has even more sad, beautiful, weird moments of spacy, rural {\folk-rock} than it does letters in its name. Primarily the project of singer/songwriter/guitarist {$Mark Linkous |
|
|
Laurel Canyon $13.46 Writer/director Lisa Cholodenko follows up her much-acclaimed 1997 debut High Art with this examination of a young couple seduced into a hedonistic, left-coast lifestyle. Taking its title from its central locale, Laurel Canyon focuses on a pair of upper-middle class lovebirds from the East Coast who relocate to Los Angeles. Freshly minted from Harvard, Sam (Christian Bale) and Alex (Kate Beckinsale) are eager to continue their medical studies out West, but they need some lodging while they hunt for a home. Enter Jane (Frances McDormand), Sam’s estranged, Age-of-Aquarius mom, who’s more than willing to put the couple up in her lavish digs. Jane is a successful record producer whose latest charge — both in the studio and in her bedroom — is Ian (Alessandro Nivola), a brazen, libidinous twentysomething Brit-rocker. As Sam and Alex settle in at Jane’s, they gradually lose their straight-and-narrow approach to life and begin to experiment. Alex takes to Ian and Jane, while Sam is wooed by co-worker Sara (Natascha McElhone). Laurel Canyon features a score by Shudder to Think’s Craig Wedren; the music for Ian’s band was provided by Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous and indie-rockers Folk Implosion. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide memorable songs by Sparklehorse lend authenticity to the film’s music biz backdrop. |
|
|
Original Movie Soundtrack – Lords Of Dogtown $13.84 Track Listing:1.Nervous Breakdown – Rise Against 2.Death Or Glory – Social Distortion 3.Cat Scratch Fever – Ted Nugent 4.Maggie May – Rod Stewart 5.Shambala – Three Dog Night 6.Turn To Stone – Joe Walsh 7.Hair Of The Dog – Nazareth 8.One Way Out – The Allman Brothers Band 9.Fire – The Jimi Hendrix Experience 10.Wish You Were Here – Sparklehorse 11.I Just Wanna Make Love To You – Foghat 12.Space Truckin' – Deep Purple 13.20th Century Boy – T-Rex 14.Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) – Looking Glass |
|
|
Various Artists – Nightmare Revisited [9/30] $14.84 Tributee: Danny Elfman.Commemorating the 15th Anniversary of TIM BURTON`S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Walt Disney Records presents this collection of 19 artists from various genres paying homage to composer Danny Elfman`s equally original achievement. Elfman himself makes a special appearance on NIGHTMARE REVISITED as the narrator. This compilation also includes contributions by Marilyn Manson (whose chilling rendition of "This Is Halloween" previously appeared on the special edition two-CD version of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS), Korn, Evanescence`s Amy Lee, The Polyphonic Spree, Sparklehorse, Rise Against, and many others. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Let It Rain $5.99 Let it Rain, Tracy Chapman’s sixth studio album, marks another major achievement in a career that already spans nearly fifteen years. Since her remarkable debut in 1988, Tracy Chapman has captivated audiences around the globe with her pure voice, evocative songs and intense spirit. Along the way she has sold millions of albums and won four Grammy Awards. Let it Rain was recorded during the summer in a studio overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Tracy co-produced with John Parish (PJ Harvey, Eels, & Sparklehorse), and found a core group of musicians to track the twelve songs of Let it Rain: drummer Joey Waronker, bassist Andy Stoller, keyboard-player Patrick Warren, and guitarists Joe Gore, Steve Hunter and Greg Leisz, as well as additional strings & vocals. |
|
|
Original Soundtrack – Laurel Canyon $13.84 Original score composed by Craig Wedren.Personnel: Johnny Marr , Michael Andrews (guitar); Greg Kurstin (keyboards).Unknown Contributor Roles: Lou Barlow; Russell Pollard.Laurel Canyon, the second feature by screenwriter/director Lisa Cholodenko, is a domestic drama set at the Los Angeles home of a record producer, played by Frances McDormand, who is producing an album for her young lover, played by Alessandro Nivola. That setting is perfect for a contemporary rock soundtrack, and executive soundtrack album producers Cholodenko, Karyn Rachtman, Jeff Levy-Hinte, and Scott Ferguson have searched among the recordings of a slew of alternative pop/rock performers to assemble that collection. (As with Cholodenko`s first feature, High Art, Craig Wedren of Shudder to Think did the actual background score, not included here.) Tracks from 2001-2002 by the Butthole Surfers, Clinic, Scapegoat Wax, Baxter Dury, and Sparklehorse are included, and the choices are all good ones from the performers` albums. Beck wannabe Leroy is tapped for "Good Time," which could have been excluded, if only because it`s already appeared on the 2001 soundtrack to Driven and the 2002 TV soundtrack to Scrubs. There are also some vintage tracks that illuminate specific moments in the film: Steely Dan`s "Do It Again," Lee Michaels` "Do You Know What I Mean," T. Rex`s "Planet Queen," and Eartha Kitt`s "C`est Si Bon." The works of the fictional band, "Shade and Honey" and "Someday I Will Treat You Good," were written by Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse (the latter was the title song of the band`s 1995 album) and are performed ably by Nivola backed by Lou Barlow of Folk Implosion (among other things) and his associate Russ Pollard. They fit in fine with the rest, making for a good collection of mood-setting music. ~ William Ruhlmann Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
The Sophtware Slump [Japan Bonus Tracks] $23.99 Picking up where their Signal to Snow Ratio EP left off, Grandaddy’s wittily named second album The Sophtware Slump upgrades the group’s wry, country-tinged rock with electronic flourishes that run through the album like fiber-optic lines. Arpeggiated keyboards sparkle on “Hewlett’s Daughter” and “The Crystal Lake,” and wind, birds, and transmissions hover around the songs’ peripheries, suggesting a Silicone Valley landscape. Jason Lytle’s frail, poignant vocals provide a bittersweet counterpoint to the chugging guitars and shiny electronics that envelop him like a cockpit or a cubicle on “Chartsengrafs” and “Broken Household Appliance National Forest,” and set the tone for melancholy ballads like “He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot,” “Miner at the Dial-a-View,” and “Jed the Humanoid,” the story of a forgotten, alcoholic android. Lost pilots, robots, miners, and programmers try to find their way on The Sophtware Slump, an album that shares a spacy sadness with Sparklehorse’s Good Morning Spider and Radiohead’s OK Computer. Though it’s a little more self-conscious and not quite as accomplished as either of those albums, it is Grandaddy’s most impressive work yet, and one of 2000′s first worthwhile releases. [The Japanese edition features bonus tracks.] ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide |
|
|
Killed John Train $11.98 About a third of the way through Roy’s second full-length album, the glorious lo-fi pop charmer “In My Defense” comes flying out like a lost Guided by Voices nugget circa Alien Lanes. With its urgent drumming and edge-of-yearning vocals, it’s the first song on Killed John Train to shake out of a midtempo Americana torpor that begins with the lengthy, forlorn harmonica solo at the front of the album-opening “Reno, I’m Coming Home.” (The second track, the Pavement-like “So Alive,” is peppy enough, but disqualified on account of the just-way-too-lo-fi sound, which makes it sound like it’s coming out of a transistor radio in the next room.) The hits continue with the early Beck sound-alike “Jesus Drives a Trans Am,” but following that double play, the album’s batting average declines again with a long stretch of increasingly dull tunes featuring mournful Mark Linkous-style vocal whines and colorless country-rock tunes occasionally tweaked with some My Morning Jacket distortion. Killed John Train seems more focused than Roy’s awkward, scattershot debut, but the band still has a way to go before it’s thought of as more than the poor man’s Sparklehorse. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi |
|
|
Joker`s Daughter – The Last Laugh [4/7] $13.84 Lyricists: Helena Costas; Panayiota Costas.Personnel: Helena Costas (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, bouzouki, violin, recorder, piano, synthesizer, bass synthesizer, vibraphone, percussion); Mark Linkous (guitar, electric guitar, Mellotron); Josh Klinghoffer (guitar, electric guitar, drums); Josiah Steinbrick (electric guitar, synthesizer); Scott Spillane (horns); Danger Mouse (piano, organ, Mellotron, synthesizer, drums, percussion, chimes); Steve Nistor (drums, percussion).Audio Mixers: Kennie Takahashi; Danger Mouse.Recording information: London, England; Los Angeles, CA.A collaborative project between renowned American producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and English vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Helena Costas, Joker`s Daughter unveiled its debut album, THE LAST LAUGH, in the spring of 2009. With its eccentric British-folk-informed atmosphere (see the foreboding "Worm`s Head"), the record shares aesthetics with other, more subdued Danger Mouse productions, most notably Sparklehorse`s DREAMT FOR LIGHT YEARS IN THE BELLY OF A MOUNTAIN and the Good, the Bad & the Queen`s self-titled outing. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Daniel Johnston – Continued Story/Hi, How Are You [Remaster] $13.5 Audio Remasterer: Julia Reid.Editor: Spot.Released in late 2006 around the time that the acclaimed documentary THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON was issued on DVD, this compilation collects two of the troubled indie-rock troubadour`s mid-1980s albums, which were originally distributed by the Austin, Texas, resident on cassette tape. At times painfully spare, these songs get to the heart of Johnston`s fractured yet fascinating aesthetic, with his helium-voiced yelp relating tales of isolation, frustration, and escapism over what is often little more than a muffed piano or acoustic-guitar line. Despite the off-key, lo-fi presentation, the brilliance of Johnston`s songwriting frequently shines through, as on the urgent existential number "Walking the Cow" and the beautifully wistful ballad "Hey Joe" (later covered to wonderful effect by Sparklehorse). Also of interest is Johnston`s reverent, minimal reading of the Beatles` "I Saw Her Standing There," which finds the performer occasionally accompanying his nasal singing with the odd piano note. Though this collection won`t convert those put off by Johnston`s eccentric delivery, it is a fine sampling of the outsider artist`s intriguing musical vision, and is essential for his devoted fans. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Who’s Got Trouble $10.99 Shivaree turned heads everywhere with their 1999 debut I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live In This Dump. Reminiscent of such melancholy clowns as Sparklehorse and Tom Waits, said Spin, while NME claimed singer Ambrosia Parsley was simply born to be a star. Five years and half a million worldwide album sales later, Shivaree return in fine style. Having whet our appetites with the October release of their Breach EP (which garnered great support with tastemaker press and trend-setting radio stations such as KCRW, WXPN and WFUV), Ambrosia and company now unleash the utterly captivating album Who s Got Trouble? Produced by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, Beth Orton) Who s Got Trouble? is gorgeous, melancholic, and full of surprises, showing Ambrosia again to be one of the greatest storytellers out there. A city girl with an old-fashioned heart, Parsley’s bewitching voice is a revelation as accompanied by longtime cohorts Duke McVinne (guitars) Danny McGough (keyboards) and a vast collection of New York’s finest. Together, they deliver a standout record chock full of the sort of sex, danger and wit that have made Shivaree such favorites in great ports around the globe. Produced by Victor Van Vugt. |
|
|
Nightmare Revisited $18.98 A sort of tribute album to a soundtrack, Nightmare Revisited has covers and interpretations — recorded about 15 years after the original film — of material Danny Elfman wrote for the soundtrack of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. It likely says something for the stature of both Burton and Elfman that more famous names than usual were enlisted as contributors for this offbeat project, including Marilyn Manson, Polyphonic Spree, Sparklehorse, and Korn. (Elfman himself appears as well, but only to supply opening and closing narrations.) While the premise behind the album might seem daft if you’re not familiar with, or especially a fan of, the original soundtrack/film, the participation of this extensive roster of artists does ensure that it’s quite a bit more interesting and varied than the usual soundtrack disc (or at least soundtrack-related, as it is in this case). It sometimes, as you’d expect, has the effect of turning Elfman’s goofily gloomy tunes into relatively mainstream early 21st century rock. Yet there are some reasonably interesting twists on which the performers are clearly having fun, especially Polyphonic Spree’s eight-minute “Town Meeting Song,” which isn’t so much a The Nightmare Before Christmas cover as an out-and-out homage to early-’70s David Bowie, so closely does it resemble that superstar’s glam days. It’s the show-stealer on this CD, even if it might have fit better on the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack than this quasi-tribute record. But there are some other above-average efforts too, like Sparklehorse’s pained ballad “Jack’s Obsession” and Plain White T’s similarly dramatic treatment of “Poor Jack.” Reminding us that this was originally a soundtrack and not a rock score, several cuts are more in the ambient/action instrumental vein, even getting into a flamenco flavor on Rodrigo y Gabriela’s “Oogie Boogie’s Song.” ~ Richie Unterberger, RoviPerformers: Lacey Mosley – Lead, Vocals; Jason Livermore – Vocals (Background); Jeff Pezzati – Vocals (Background); Emily Schambra – Vocals (Background); Yevgen Stupka – Viola; Brandon Barnes – Drums, Vocals; Zach Blair – Guitar, Vocals; Chad |
|
|
The Suitcase $15.99 Southern California’s Duraluxe added pianist Frank Lenz for their 2002 album The Suitcase. Led by Christopher Colbert’s shimmering guitar work and Troy Daugherty’s effortless vocals, this album is more straightforwardly poppy than the band’s previous efforts. Drummer Mark Emge, bassist Brian Blue, and organist Megan Morrison round out the lineup. The pop sounds on the record are borderline psychedelic, infusing Flaming Lips-like rock with Sparklehorse-like cosmic pop. The opening track, “Your Boarding Pass…,” is an vocal experimental ditty. After the flamboyant pop/rock of the first real song of the disc, “Your Boarding Pass…,” the mellow second and third tracks, “7ths & Minors” and “All Together Now,” set the album’s sails, perfectly creating a calm and peaceful tone for the rest of the disc. The latest version of their song “Hit So Hard (Winsome Version)” is more orchestral than previously, and the addition of harmonies adds a new element to the song as well. The intelligent lyrics on “For the Memory of St. Joan” and the rowdy rock of “Sometimes” are possibly the most impressive songs on the disc. The vocals on “Helium Hand of Power” are blanketed by a layer of sublime and mellow instrumentation. Richard Swift guests on piano on the track. The disc ends with the experimental track “&I-95,” the opening of which closely matches the first track, before launching into song. The Suitcase was recorded at California’s Green Room Studios and released on Hidden Agenda Records in 2002. ~ Stephen Cramer, All Music Guide |
|
|
Safety in Numbers $13.58 The Vaxjo-based quintet Surrounded — Sweden’s answer to the Flaming Lips — creates lush, modern rock on its artfully crafted debut album, Safety in Numbers. Launched with “Linear Elevator,” a mournful but captivating instrumental stomp, the disc soon drifts into the abundant soundscape of “Exit Serenade.” Here, Emil Petersson’s synths and Marcus Knutsson’s guitar swoon in tandem around Marten Rydell’s thought-provoking lyrics about flattering clowns and bigoted clones. While traces of Tom Waits and Built to Spill invade “Diesel Palace,” that song’s redundancies pale in comparison to melodically superior, entrancing tracks like the lilting “Pro-Files” and the soothingly orchestrated “Blood Orange Wheels.” If Rydell’s song-poems like “Dear Nimby Waltz” seem to be more about mood than message, one suspects that’s Surrounded’s point. This is an album that gives a little more away with each listen. And with adventurous songcraft like this, it’s doubtful that disciples of Mercury Rev and Sparklehorse will mind dissecting pieces of this triumphant entry. ~ John D. Luerssen, All Music GuidePerformers: Marcus Knutsson – Guitar, Keyboards; Emil Petersson – Keyboards; Jesper Petersson – Bass; Marten Rydell – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals; Fredrik Solfors – Drums |
|
|
Transfiguration of Vincent $14.98 M. Ward’s Transfiguration of Vincent is nothing less than spectacular. From the buoyant, late-Beatlesque “Vincent O’Brien” to the dank, shuffling, south of the border groove on “Sad, Sad Song,” the troubadour manages to capture a timeless folkiness and match it with a surreal and sparkling sense of nostalgia that clearly echoes Tom Waits. Recorded with the Old Joe Clarks as the backup band, Transfiguration is rooted firmly in old-time Americana, yet M. Ward’s take on country and particularly his vocals somehow fit perfectly with Giant Sand, Sparklehorse, and California’s surreal, pastoral psych-pop outfit Grandaddy (whose Jason Lytle contributed some field recordings). Just check M. Ward’s stunning transformation of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” which proves there’s some deeply buried pop beneath these honest folk tunes. Transfiguration is a quiet record and might lose some listeners in it’s sleepy summer melancholy, but M. Ward is the real deal — and he’s surely worthy of heaps of attention and acclaim. ~ Charles Spano, All Music GuidePerformers: Adam Selzer – Mandolin; Adam – Drums; Esperanza Spalding – Bass; M. Ward – Guitar, Piano |
|
|
Shout Out Louds – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff $8.7 Lyricist: Adam Olenius.Shout Out Louds: Adam (vocals, guitar); Carl (guitar); Bobban (keyboards, background vocals); Ted (bass guitar); Eric (drums).Personnel: Bebben (keyboards, background vocals); Stellan VonOlenius (drums).Audio Mixers: Ronald Bood; Bj¿rn Yttling; Linus Larsson; Rich Costey.Illustrator: Fredrik VonBlixen.Photographer: Malcolm Fallenius.Swedish quintet Shout Out Louds mine a fun and familiar style that looks back to the gleaming pop melodies of the 1960s rock while maintaining its allegiance to the indie scene of the 2000s. There is tuneful modern garage a la the Strokes in lead singer`s pouty, scratchy vocals and in the band`s uptempo rockers ("Very Loud"), languorous, chiming turns reminiscent of acts like Grandaddy (as on the dreamy folk-rock of "A Track and a Train"), and shimmering, moody introspection that recalls bands like Sparklehorse (as on the aptly named "Go Sadness").Yet Shout Out Louds bring these influences together beautifully in the album`s elegant, understated production and–most importantly–the strength of their hook-packed tunes. The sheer, unadulterated catchiness of songs like "Please Please Please" and "Hurry Up Let`s Go" is impossible to dismiss, and the tasteful touches of keyboards (which mix in a definite New Wave flavor) only sweetens the pot. The 2005 U.S. release of HOWL HOWL GAFF GAFF is culled from singles and tracks from a full-length album (of the same name) released in Scandinavia. On evidence of the pure pop pleasure they give, Shout Out Louds are sure to find an audience Stateside as well. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Goldfrapp – Black Cherry $8.84 Goldfrapp: Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory.Additional personnel: Adrian Utley (guitar, bass); Andy Davis (guitar); Mark Linkous (synthesizer); Charlie Jones (bass); Rowen Oliver (drums, percussion); Damon Reece (drums); Nick Batt, Rowan Oliver (programming).Personnel: Allison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesizer); Adrian Utley, Andy Davis (guitar); Nick Batt (synthesizer, programming); Will Gregory (synthesizer); Rowen Oliver (drums, percussion, drum programming); Damon Reece (drums).Audio Mixers: Tom Elmhirst; Dave Bascombe; Allison Goldfrapp; Steve Orchard; Will Gregory.Recording information: AIR.Illustrator: Big Active.Photographer: Polly Borland.Arrangers: Allison Goldfrapp; Will Gregory.A striking departure from Goldfrapp`s well-received, cinematically atmospheric debut, FELT MOUNTAIN, 2003`s BLACK CHERRY finds the British electronica duo cutting loose with a more energetic and dynamic set. The approach allows vocalist Alison Goldfrapp to indulge her inner Debbie Harry, while multi-instrumentalist Will Gregory playfully nods to 1980s synth-pop on saucy, percolating tunes such as "Crystalline Green" and "Train." Though many of BLACK CHERRY`s tracks are geared toward the dance floor, particularly the glam-tinged "Strict Machine," the record still has relaxed moments, including the gorgeously swooning title track and the wonderfully dreamy "Deep Honey." Adding texture to the mix are top-notch auxiliary musicians, most notably Sparklehorse`s Mark Linkous on synthesizer and Portishead`s Adrian Utley on guitar and bass, resulting in a surprisingly layered album that truly works its magic with repeated listens. For those enamored of the group`s club-friendly direction, Goldfrapp would proceed down a strobe-lit alley even further on this disc`s follow-up, SUPERNATURE. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Sukilove – You Kill Me * $14.15 Audio Mixer: John Morand.Recording information: Brooklyn Studio, Breukelen, Mexico (10/2003-01/2004); The Sound Of Music Studio, Richmond, VA (10/2003-01/2004).Photographers: Guy Kokken; Stoffel Verlackt.On You Kill Me, Belgian Americana import Pascal Deweze waves farewell to the Gram Parsons-influenced orchestral pop that fueled his 2003 self-titled debut. With the help of producer John Morand (Sparklehorse and Camper Van Beethoven), Sukilove dives head first into a sea of angular noise pop with nary a look back, resulting in a collection of tunes that are frustratingly difficult to ingest upon first listen. The promising opener, "Start a Life," is the first indication of Deweze`s metamorphosis from winsome pop balladeer to indie rock ironist. With its serpentine verses and junky hard-panned fuzz guitars, it takes a few times before it reveals its melodic center, but when it does, the rest of You Kill Me comes crashing into focus. This is late-night driving music disguised as catharsis — Deweze must have been listening to a lot of Spoon, as tracks like "Girl on the Moon" and "1234" wouldn`t have seemed out of place on Kill the Moonlight — and Morand`s heavy yet minimalist production owes a great deal to Mitchell Froom`s work with acts like Los Lobos and Latin Playboys. You Kill Me is most effective when it tones down the overdriven clanging and super-compressed low end that seems virtually omnipresent throughout — the hypnotic and mesmerizing "Woe" is a prime example, but too often the songs are set adrift amidst the chaos without any intention of retrieving them. In the end, You Kill Me is at least an interesting diversion, and Sukilove and Morand`s singular vision is commendable, even if it falls short of reaching its intended sonic plateau. ~ James Christopher Monger Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Duraluxe – The Suitcase * $14.15 Duraluxe includes: Chris Colbert.Recording information: The Fabulous Green Room.Editor: Andrew D. Prickett.Unknown Contributor Roles: Megan Morrison; Frank Lenz; Mark Emge; Troy Daugherty.Southern California`s Duraluxe added pianist Frank Lenz for their 2002 album The Suitcase. Led by Christopher Colbert`s shimmering guitar work and Troy Daugherty`s effortless vocals, this album is more straightforwardly poppy than the band`s previous efforts. Drummer Mark Emge, bassist Brian Blue, and organist Megan Morrison round out the lineup. The pop sounds on the record are borderline psychedelic, infusing Flaming Lips-like rock with Sparklehorse-like cosmic pop. The opening track, "Your Boarding Pass…," is an vocal experimental ditty. After the flamboyant pop/rock of the first real song of the disc, "Your Boarding Pass…," the mellow second and third tracks, "7ths & Minors" and "All Together Now," set the album`s sails, perfectly creating a calm and peaceful tone for the rest of the disc. The latest version of their song "Hit So Hard (Winsome Version)" is more orchestral than previously, and the addition of harmonies adds a new element to the song as well. The intelligent lyrics on "For the Memory of St. Joan" and the rowdy rock of "Sometimes" are possibly the most impressive songs on the disc. The vocals on "Helium Hand of Power" are blanketed by a layer of sublime and mellow instrumentation. Richard Swift guests on piano on the track. The disc ends with the experimental track "&I-95," the opening of which closely matches the first track, before launching into song. The Suitcase was recorded at California`s Green Room Studios and released on Hidden Agenda Records in 2002. ~ Stephen Cramer Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Moonbabies – War On Sound * $8.84 Moonbabies: Ola Frick (vocals, various instruments); Carina Johansson (vocals, piano, keyboards).Are Moonbabies at the head of an underground Midnight Oil appreciation league? On War on Sound — their post-Orange Billboard mini-album — Ola Frick and Carina Johansson perfect the grace of Blue Sky Mining`s "Stars of Warburton." They linger tenderly on its urgent chorus lyric, and tune down considerably the Peter Garrett self-righteousness. "Don`t wanna talk about Elvis Presley/Don`t wanna see his white shoes walking around" — the punchy drum loop and tumbling acoustic guitars are pretty Sparklehorse`ing great, too. "Warburton" isn`t the only cover version here — Pink Floyd`s "Arnold Layne" drifts between a stoned Blur and the haze of some faraway galaxy. Elsewhere, War on Sound offers an alternate version of Orange Billboard`s title track, as well as five songs unique to this set. "Perfect Passenger" and "Don`t Shoot the Ranger" are instrumentals; they seem a little like sketches, but that`s okay for a tide-you-over record. Meanwhile, the intimate "Minor Earthquake" is a standout — just Johansson musing plaintively over the piano — and the opening title track is War on Sound`s most fully realized moment. It`s another strong effort from this underappreciated Swedish duo, who keep clearing pathways between indie pop and places without a postcard. ~ Johnny Loftus Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Daniel Johnston – The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered [11/6] $16.42 Personnel: Daniel Johnston (vocals, various instruments, guitar).Despite its title, this 2004 tribute/best-of collection finds singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston alive and relatively well. (Johnston has struggled with mental illness that sometimes leads to erratic behavior.) The first part of this two-disc set presents a remarkable array of admiring artists, including Tom Waits and Death Cab for Cutie, covering Johnston`s songs. Some renditions–particularly Calvin Johnson`s vocals-and-percussion-only "Sorry Entertainer," Beck`s Dylan-esque acoustic "True Love Will Find You in the End," and M. Ward`s gorgeous "Story of an Artist"–stick closer to Johnston`s minimal arrangements. Other versions opt for a much fuller sound, particularly Mercury Rev`s dreamy take on "Blue Clouds," and "Go," a wonderful Sparklehorse/Flaming Lips collaboration that highlights the notable similarities between respective frontmen Mark Linkous and Wayne Coyne. The second disc features Johnston`s original recordings of every song on the first disc, along with a new tune, "Rock This Town." Although some may find Johnston`s high-pitched yelp and rudimentary guitar and piano playing bewildering, his quirky, unaffected aesthetic is exactly what drew the aforementioned performers to contribute to this excellent compilation in the first place. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Laurel Canyon (DVD) $10.95 Just out of Harvard medical school, Sam (Christian Bale) and his fiancee Alex (Kate Beckinsale) seem destined for a life of privilege. Intending to find an apartment of their own in Los Angeles–where Sam will do his residency and Alex will complete her dissertation–they decide to stay temporarily with Jane (Francis McDormand), Sam's free-spirited, record producer mother who never provided straight-arrow Sam with the stability he so obviously craves. Jane has just left her longtime lover for Ian (Alessandro Nivolo), the young British musician whose band she is producing. At the expense of her studies, Alex gradually becomes entranced by Jane's carefree, pot-smoking ways–as well as by Ian–at the same time that Sam encounters temptation at the hospital in the form of Sara (Natasha McElhone), a beautiful young resident.Lisa Cholodenko's (HIGH ART) film uses an unconventional mother-son relationship to examine how parents' decisions affect our lifestyle choices as adults. Playing the flipside of her role in ALMOST FAMOUS, McDormand imbues Jane with the appropriate libertine's spirit, an attitude that she finally turns her back on when it finally gets in the way of her son's future. An effective score by Craig Wedren and memorable songs by Sparklehorse lend authenticity to the film's music biz backdrop.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreen – 1.85Pan& ScanAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 – English DTS – EnglishAdditional Release Material: Audio Commentary – 1. Lisa Cholodenko – Director Trailers FeaturetteText/Photo Galleries: Cast and Crew BiosDVD-Rom Features: Weblink |
|
|
Eels – Meet The Eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006 Vol. 1 [PA] [Digipak] $16.45 Eels: Julie Carpenter, Heather Lockie, Paloma Udovic, Ana Lenchantin, Grant Lee Phillips, Jim Jacobsen, Joe Gore, Adam Siegel, John Parish, Jon Brion, Mark Goldenberg, Mark Oliver Everett, Ryan Boesch, T-Bone Burnett, Big Al, Jennifer Condos, Koool G Murder, Tommy Walter, Matt DeMerritt, Todd M. Simon, Butch.Issued in 2008, MEET THE EELS celebrates Mark Oliver Everett`s first decade recording under the Eels banner. Proceeding in semi-chronological order from 1996`s BEAUTIFUL FREAK to `06`s LIVE AT TOWN HALL, the collection touches on all the proudly quirky alt-pop performer`s significant releases, spending plenty of time on his acclaimed `05 double album, BLINKING LIGHTS AND OTHER REVELATIONS.In addition to previously unreleased tracks (most notably an elegant remix of "Climbing to the Moon" by fellow L.A.-based musician Jon Brion), standout tunes include the Beck-like college-rock-radio hit "Novocaine for the Soul," the wry folk ditty "I Like Birds," and the melancholy chamber-pop number "Trouble With Dreams," which all showcase the Eels` knack for oddball narratives and engaging melodies. Along with Sparklehorse`s Mark Linkous, Everett (aka E) is one of the 21st century`s few true pop eccentrics working under a major-label umbrella, and MEET THE EELS is an excellent introduction to his strange but undeniably intriguing sensibility.DVD Features:Videos:1. Novocaine For The Soul2. Susan`s House3. Rags To Rags4. Your Lucky Day In Hell5. Last Stop: This Town6. Cancer For The Cure7. Flyswatter8. Souljacker Part 19. Saturday Morning10. Hey Man (Now You`re Really Living)11. Trouble With Dreams12. Dirty Girl (Live At Town Hall) Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Holopaw $13.98 A delicate, contemplative union of indie rock, country, and electronica, Holopaw’s self-titled debut shows off more of John Orth’s singing and songwriting talent, which he also displayed on Ugly Casanova’s Sharpen Your Teeth. A similarly quirky, backwater sensibility permeates this album, but Holopaw’s sound is dreamier and more quietly unconventional. The mix of pedal steel, gurgling synths, and drum machines on songs like “Abraham Lincoln,” added to Orth’s charmingly frail vocals, make Holopaw a slightly supernatural, hothouse hybrid of different styles and ideas. Though indie-country-tronica isn’t quite as iconoclastic as it used to be, Orth’s take on this sound is still distinctive from likeminded groups such as Wilco, Sparklehorse, and the Radar Brothers. At times songs like “Hoover” recall the work of the latter two bands, but Holopaw’s sound is softer and less stylized; this song and the folky “Pony Apprehension” are both about horses, and you get the impression that they’re living creatures instead of merely being metaphorical devices. For the most part, Holopaw stays on the folk and country side of the alt-country equation, even delving into bluegrass territory with the galloping, mandolin-driven “Igloo Glass.” However, Orth finds plenty of ways to recombine the main elements of Holopaw’s sound into charming variations: “Took It for a Twinkle” rocks, albeit very gently, while the spooky “Cinders” sounds a little like Radiohead’s version of alt-country might be like, with its mix of brass, drum machines, and steel guitar loops. Above all, the album is a quiet, restrained affair despite its playful sonics; Orth’s singing and arrangements demand your full attention — and headphones, ideally — to bloom completely. Fortunately, Holopaw is such a pretty and promising debut that it rewards concentrated listening. ~ Heather Phares, All Music GuidePerformers: Isaac Brock – Mandolin, Vocals; Frederick Lonberg-Holm – Cello; Brian Deck – Percussion, Piano, Vocals; Nate Walcott – Trumpet |
|
|
Your Love Means Everything [UK Bonus Track] $20.99 Prolific producer David Kosten’s second solo album positions Faultline as yet another in a line of electronic musicians who excel in blending moody tones with guest vocals. The list of collaborators on Your Love Means Everything is quite impressive. Guests include Michael Stipe, Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips, Chris Martin from Coldplay, newcomer Jacob Golden, and ex-Verve guitarist Nick McCabe. It’s the songs which enlist the help of Kosten’s famous admirers that really sparkle and take off. Chris Martin’s pensive vocal delivery on “Where Is My Boy” and the title track suggest a more subtle, introspective take on Coldplay. The sweeping, glitchy “Bitter Kiss” works like an electro-Western ballad, thanks to Jacob Golden’s touching Thom Yorke-like falsetto. Wayne Coyne’s fractured, brittle lullaby might not reach the peaks of Sparklehorse, but the song works slight magic as a creepy, sad passion play. Michael Stipe appears to be having fun on “Greenfields”; his haunted voice makes for a mystical, almost Christmas-like mood. The only problem, and it’s a minor one, with the album’s many instrumental songs is that they seem somewhat emotionally vacant. It’s as if the songs are crying out to be used as film score material. That’s not to say that Kosten isn’t a fine sonic sculptor, because he wields electronics and traditional instruments like an ace, but there is a sense that something is missing. Songs like “Clocks” and “I Know Myself” work just fine as background music, and the strengths of the songs with vocals can’t help but bring the instrumental tracks down a notch. Your Love Means Everything is a fine album, and one guesses that given the right set of circumstances and more first-rate collaborators, Faultline’s star should continue to shine. [This U.K. version of the album includes bonus material.] ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music GuidePerformers: Steven Drozd – Vocals (Background); Augusta Harris – Cello; Lucy Shaw – Double Bass; Joseph Arthur – Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (Background); Michael Bearpark – Guitar; Gavin Bowes – Drums; Wayne Coyne – Vocals, Vocals (Background); The Flaming Lips – Vocals; |
|
|
The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered $46.99 Daniel Johnston is a cult figure rather than an artist with a mainstream following for two important reasons: while Johnston is a truly gifted songwriter, his lyrics are often so painfully intimate and obsessively personal that much of his best work is difficult to listen to without feeling like a voyeur, and his skills as a performer are rudimentary at best, with Johnston’s quavering, tuneless voice and primitive instrumental accompaniment enough to drive away most listeners unless they’re determined to listen past the inept technique to hear the songs hidden within. In 1994, Kathy McCarty, a friend and admirer of Johnston, stepped forward to address the dilemma of his songs versus his recordings by making the album Dead Dog’s Eyeball, in which she sang 19 of his songs, accompanied by imaginative and beautifully executed arrangements. The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered attempts to do something similar but with a more ambitious agenda — disc one of this set features 18 different artists each covering a favorite Daniel Johnston tune, ranging from Tom Waits and Beck to Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie, while disc two features Johnston’s original recordings of the same songs in the same sequence. Presumably the idea is that new listeners, once they’ve grown to appreciate the songs in relatively sugarcoated form, will then be able to move on to investigate Johnston’s songs in their pure form. There is a flaw in this thinking — while the covers on disc one range from good to excellent and in the liner notes most of the musicians make brief but coherent arguments in support of their choices, the original versions on disc two don’t make for an especially strong Daniel Johnston’s Greatest Hits album, with a number of key songs missing in action. (Johnston himself has compiled a much stronger overview of his work, Welcome to My World.) But the tribute disc has enough pearly moments to compensate — Tom Waits’ full brio interpretation of “King Kong,” Calvin Johnson’s craggy voice merging with the angst of “Sorry Entertainer,” Sparklehorse and the Flaming Lips joining forces for a grand-scale cover of “Go,” and Jad Fair embracing “My Life Is Starting Over Again” with help from Teenage Fanclub. Disc two also includes song lyrics, samples of Johnston’s artwork, and a video for the song “Rock This Town,” all of which can be accessed via your computer’s CD-ROM drive. As a testimony to the artistry of Daniel Johnston, Discovered Covered isn’t quite up to the standard of Dead Dog’s Eyeball, but as an all-star (or semi-star) celebration of an often marginalized artist, it’s engaging stuff that never loses sight of the beauty and gravity of these songs. ~ Mark Deming, All Music GuidePerformers: Tom Waits – Mouth Percussion, Percussion; A |
|
|
The Beautiful Lie $14.98 Ed Harcourt’s accomplished fifth album Beautiful Lie is easily one of his most accessible and listenable efforts. Yes, the hallmarks of his tortured singer/songwriter status are still in place, as flagrant strings, grandiose arrangements, and rampant-but-quality peer-mimicry rule these 14 tracks. But even though his lyrics are sometimes overbearingly dark and too many vampire metaphors abound, the music and songwriting compare favorably to contemporary indie-centric, raspy-voiced artists like Beck, the Eels, Sparklehorse, and Tom Waits. Harcourt dabbles in many genres here, from acoustic folk to ’70s style pop ballads to rootsy psychedelia to experimental lounge, all the while rooting the music’s emotion in melodic piano. When he rocks out full-force on “Revolution in My Heart” and the carnival-esque “Scatterbrain,” the fuzzy dynamics recall the Walkmen at their best. Those two tracks bookend the Mark Linkous-like “Until Tomorrow Then” which marries blues-styled singing with grainy, haunted samples suggestive of a gramophone. Harcourt’s mastery of so many styles and his multi-instrumentalist talents might be what’s made him a niche artist up to Beautiful Lie’s release. With so much going on stylistically, it can be hard to grasp his albums as cohesive entities. It’s a shame, but because of Harcourt’s eclecticism, it’s hard to pin him down as having a distinct sound. He’s almost too talented. But Beautiful Lie is an invigorating and frequently gorgeous affair, essential for old fans and a good place to start for newcomers. ~ Tim DiGravina, RoviPerformers: Laura Anstee – Cello; Anja Bigrell – Vocals (Background); Ane Brun – Vocals (Background); Jonny Byers – Cello; B.J. Cole – Pedal Steel; Angela Gannon – Vocals (Background); Sean Gannon – Vocals (Background); Louise Hogan – Viola; Nina Kinert – Vocals (Background); Ellekari Larsson – Vocals (Background); |
|
|
Greenland $15.98 Cracker’s Greenland never specifically references that isolated island in the North Atlantic, but there’s an aura of loneliness coursing through even its brightest songs that is perfectly in keeping with the record’s namesake. Listening to Greenland is like booking passage into David Lowery’s past, with ports of call in his old northern California Camper Van Beethoven stomping grounds, the British Isles, Spain, India, Morocco, and even Jamaica. Greenland is quite a trip, in other words, and Cracker’s strongest record since their early-’90s high point, Kerosene Hat — the antiquey cover art even seems culled from the same vintage thrift-store bins that provided Kerosene Hat’s artwork. “Something You Ain’t Got” opens Greenland with organ swells, barroom piano, High Plains lap steel, and guest harmonies from Caitlin Cary — it’s a reminder that Lowery has always excelled at these elegiac country-rockers. “Where Have Those Days Gone” is a propulsive road song that picks up momentum as it runs through Lowery’s past. Lauren Hoffman’s harmonies and B-3 make the choruses soar, and a memorable bridge contrasting cascading piano with Victor Krummenacher’s high-octave basslines leads the song to the same resigned but redeemed destination as the cheekier “I Need Better Friends.” The record’s gentlest laments, “Fluffy Lucy” and “Night Falls,” sound like outtakes from Sparklehorse’s It’s a Wonderful Life, which is not surprising since Lowery’s occasional collaborator Mark Linkous plays on and co-produces both.The record takes a more exotic turn with the tabla-and-sitar feel that infuses the brief “I’m So Glad She Ain’t Never Coming Back,” which is what a country weeper written in New Delhi might sound like. Greenland’s centerpiece is “Sidi Ifni,” a trance-inducing half-raga/half-blues with an epic widescreen feel courtesy of thick organ swirls, acres of reverb guitar, and a blissfully disorienting crescendo midway through. Lowery wanders on a six-minute journey through the empty alleys, deserted souks, and abandoned consulates of a crumbling seaside town that was the last outpost of the Spanish before Moroccan independence. Images of “lethargy, decay, and forgotten loves” match the song’s hypnotic downward pull, and the closing stanza ranks with Lowery’s finest writing. “I drink gin with the old expats/We are broken things/From a broken past/And it comes near/But just out of grasp/The alchemist words/That would bring her back.” Taken together, the imagery and hallucinatory sonics would make “Sidi Ifni” the perfect soundtrack for one of Paul Bowles’ sinister North African stories. But the audio passage to foreign locales doesn’t end there. Another of Greenland’s many pleasant surprises is “Better Times Are Coming Our Way,” a slice of syncopated white-boy reggae with infectious dub echoes not heard since Joe Strummer retired to the great reggae hall in the sky.Yet even when Cracker indulge their hard rock inclinations — which is where their previous records oft |
|
|
I Am Kloot $13.98 I Am Kloot’s self-titled sophomore album is an absolutely gorgeous expansion of the dark and fractured sound of the band’s debut. Where John Bramwell and company explored twisted love and regret on the relatively sedate and folk-oriented Natural History, I Am Kloot explodes with scuzzy epic rock guitars and jagged basslines, adds ornate backing instrumentation, and fleshes out its songs until they bleed anthemic charisma and emotion. Producer Ian Broudie offers a hand at the production desk, providing a welcome sheen closer to his work with Echo & the Bunnymen than his own Lightning Seeds material. The album feels every bit a grand coming-out party on par with the Verve’s Urban Hymns, where that band kicked its art into overdrive. Indeed, fans like the Gallagher brothers of Oasis fame and other A-list artists were seen crawling out of the woodwork to praise I Am Kloot and revel in the group’s live shows at the time of this album’s release, just as they did with the Verve. If the album’s overall sound takes on a more neo-psychedelic and heavier feel than the debut, touching on influences such as the Hollies, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles, and maybe small doses of Sparklehorse and the Beta Band, I Am Kloot thrives most tellingly here on three superb highlights purely of the band’s own creation. Album opener “Untitled No. 1″ sets things in motion with a poetic combination of Bramwell’s weary, pretty vocals and fascinating inflection, a spooky piano motif, and Andy Hargreaves’ shuffling, wonderful drums. “Mermaids” is a chilling slice of sonic perfection as Bramwell’s vocals slow to a crawl, a rattle of ghostly chains sits uneasily under pristine slabs of shimmering guitars, and a heartbreaking yet subtle chorus makes the song an instant classic. Immediately following “Mermaids” is the beautiful and rousing ballad “Proof,” easily one of the prettiest songs of 2003, and along with “Mermaids” creating surely one of the finest one-two punches in ages. I Am Kloot is a marvel of emotion and mood, hitting zero wrong notes and positioning John Bramwell among the finest songwriters of his time. The album’s timeless textures and nostalgic feel are likely to bother some listeners who might claim the music is unfashionable. Such a stance only serves to keep those listeners in the dark to some truly wonderful songs. Creating a masterpiece on its second try, I Am Kloot is earmarked as one of the most interesting bands of its time. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music GuidePerformers: Amanda Drummond – Viola; Isabelle Dunn – Cello, Strings; Bob Sastry – French Horn; |
|
|
The Golden Dove $15.98 Like an indie rock Joan of Arc, Mary Timony continues to pursue her moody, mystical musical vision with The Golden Dove, her second proper solo album. Mountains, her debut, frustrated as many of Timony’s fans as it fascinated; those looking for more of the crunchy, cryptic-yet-aggressive rock she perfected with Helium were left especially puzzled by the willful delicacy of her solo work. For better or worse, The Golden Dove essentially sounds like a more focused version of Mountains, with a fuller, richer production, courtesy of Timony, Al Weatherhead, and Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous. The Golden Dove is also more focused in its weirdness than Timony’s previous album — it’s presented as the work of a Ms. Charming Melodee, there’s a cover of the 17th century tune “I Prithee Send Me Back My Heart,” and the liner notes feature footnotes to some of Timony’s lyrical allusions. And, as with Mountains, once you get past the album’s airy-fairy conceits, The Golden Dove reveals itself as too intriguing to be easily dismissed. At its best, it juxtaposes Timony’s precise, often precious musicianship with sharp-tongued insights: On “Blood Tree,” she’s a medieval Liz Phair, telling her lover “Go away/Leave me alone/Go chew on your dog’s bone/The only boy I ever loved/turned into a Golden Dove/And moved to California.” The disturbing imagery, and correspondingly lovely melodies, of eerie songs like “Dr. Cat,” “14 Horses,” and “The Owl’s Escape” — which sounds like a demented ’70s singer/songwriter piano ballad — suggest that Timony’s feelings run so deep that they must be disguised with flowery words and music for her to express them. Even the album’s most immediate moments, such as the sensual “Magic Power” and “Dryad and the Mule,” still have a prickly distance that makes them hard to fully embrace. Ultimately, The Golden Dove puts the “independent” back in indie-rock: It’s beautiful, weird, and difficult to love, and Timony probably wouldn’t want it any other way. ~ Heather Phares, All Music GuidePerformers: Andy Abrahamson – Tama; Mark Linkous – Optigan, Synthesizer; Pete Fitzpatrick – Euphonium; Amy Domingues – Cello; Christina Files – Drums, Percussion; Jeff Goddard – Bass, Trumpet; Mary Timony – Bass, Guitar |
|
|
Is and Always Was $12.98 Daniel Johnston first made his reputation in the 1980s with ultra low-budget homemade recordings that sounded as rickety as his notoriously fragile psyche. As Johnston’s cult following has grown with the years, those early efforts have continued to define his approach in the studio for good or ill, as attempts to craft more professional albums have found him collaborating with sympathetic musicians attempting to make sense of his idiosyncrasies (most notably Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse on 2003′s Fear Yourself), or working with producers trying to create a hi-fi replication of Johnston’s early cassettes (something Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers did with surprising success on 1994′s Fun). But with Is and Always Was, producer Jason Falkner has embraced a new approach; seemingly ignoring the artist’s past work, Falkner has given Johnston’s melodies a polished pop sound that reveals just how good the tunes can sound when given the right treatment. Falkner not only produced Is and Always Was, he handled most of the instruments himself (Joey Waronker play drums on six tracks) and in his hands, there’s nothing halting or tentative about the songs — these melodies are smart, energetic, and engaging, and with this treatment, Johnston’s music sounds like potential hit single material for a change, especially on “Without You,” “High Horse,” and the title track. However, all that changes when Johnston starts to sing — earlier attempts by producers to reach some middle ground with his music have given his quavering and uncertain vocals a reasonably fitting context, but the sheen and snap of Falkner’s backing tracks make for an uneasy balance with his voice, which has developed a slight lisp while also showing the wear brought on by smoking along with its usual uncertainties. “Queenie the Doggie,” a tribute to a departed pet, sounds as if its naiveté is more than a bit forced, and “Fake Records of Rock & Roll” suggests Daniel’s familiarity with boogie rock is pretty sketchy, but otherwise this is a fine collection of new songs from Johnston, deeply personal but fascinating in their stark emotional honesty and surprisingly witty. But until Johnston’s craft as a vocalist can rise to the level of Falkner’s well-crafted soundscapes, he’s going to sound out of place on his own albums if he keeps making records like Is and Always Was. ~ Mark Deming, RoviPerformers: Jason Falkner – Vocals; Woody Jackson – Guitar (Acoustic), Solina; Daniel Johnston – Vocals; Joey Waronker – Drums |
