December 2008

Few songwriters have contributed more to the world of pop music than Leonard Cohen. What began as a career of aping Bob Dylan (like so many other musicians of 60’s) quickly developed into one of the most memorable sonic signatures of the 20th century. Cohen’s literary edge and bittersweet sense of humor endeared him to a great many other musicians. As a result, he’s one of the most frequently covered artists in the business. Some Cohen covers are more famous than others. It seems almost like a rite of passage for singer/songwriters to do their own version of Hallelujah, resulting in some good and lot left wanting. Jeff Buckley’s haunting version of the song seems to be the gold standard, even if its intensity misses out on some the original’s humor, and Rufus Wainwright’s rendition stands up quite well. As much as everyone loves Hallelujah, there are still several other covers that deserve recognition.

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By all accounts it shouldn't even work. Only two members? How would you create anything even resembling dynamics with such limited resources? And with only a rhythm section? No melodic instruments of any kind? Well, one should never doubt the ingenuity of the artist and people have been finding ways for years now.

To go loud with it seems like the logical conclusion. Crank the volume and let it peel the paint from the walls. But to create something organic and innovative and lasting while at the same time massive and pushing the very limits of volume itself is, well, difficult. These bands, however, make it look easy.

Lightning Bolt
Hailing from the small state of Rhode Island, this drum and bass duo takes avant-garde to the next level. It sounds quite like I would imagine an angry bumblebee wielding a machine gun would. The vocals are limited and buried beneath the cacophony but it matters not for the level of musicianship is astounding; never has noise sounded so beautiful and well orchestrated. I have only witnessed them live once but it has stayed with me to be sure.

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It's always hard for me to choose the "best" present that I've received on any particular Christmas, but this year I can definitely identify the one out of which I will undoubtedly get the most use. My sweet, sweet girl bought for me 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, a look at albums released since 1950 that have shaped music more than any others in existence.  Of course, this is a subjective work. I knew from the get go that there would be selections that I didn't agree with, and omissions that I feel are downright insane. But on the whole this will be my Bible, my guide, my shepherd, my lamp, insert any spiritual analogy you can think of here, for the next...however long it takes my to listen to all of this stuff.

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Looking back, 2008 was pretty bloated with pop albums by movie actors. Three in particular got a lot of attention. Let's see how they fare under scrutiny.

Terrence Howard- Shine Through It

As Shine Through It opens, do not be alarmed by the cheery whistling and clean, slow harmonica- a cheesy 80's sitcom is not about to start. No, that's just the first track, "I Remember When". Things don't get better from there. While the following track, "It's All Game" gives us a much-needed reprieve from Howard's unintentionally scratchy, unremarkable voice, the song replaces it with a confused mash-up of shopping mall jazz and over-insistent saxophones. The less said about "Love Makes You Beautiful" and its unrelenting sap, the better. Basically, the whole album goes like this. One painful acoustic track followed by an inept attempt at some other genre, be it salsa, funk or whatever it was The Stray Cats played.

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In the 1970's, there was nothing quite as grating and saccharine as the Family Band. The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Donny and Marie and others put on horrible, brightly-colored clothes and sang about sunshine. All were attempts to pre-package the wholesomeness and wonder of a gifted bloodline a la The Singing Carter Family. Thankfully, that trend lost a lot of steam by the 1980's when suburban smiles hit a big, slick wall of synthesizers. In the intervening years between then and now, a more organic version of the musical kin model has become popular.

The White Stripes

Let's get this one out of the way first because it's the most obvious. When a Michigan rocker named John Gillis first hit on a bartender named Meg White, he probably didn't know she was going to be one half of an iconic 00's enterprise. Fans of the Detroit indie scene got to know The White Stripes as early as 1997, but the rest of world had to wait for the band's thunderous 2001 album White Blood Cells.

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