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Review: "The Brit Box: UK Indie, Shoegaze, And Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium"

November 28, 2007 11:45 AM

The archivists at Rhino are constantly isolating genres and musical movements to dissect and divvy up into four-disc boxed sets.  They’ve turned compilation into a delicate art.  Ever since it reissued and bulked up Lenny Kaye’s original garage-rock themed “Nuggets” compilation (and released two more four-disc volumes) Rhino has set the standard. 

Rhino has documented the punk movement of the late '70s and college radio rock of the '80s and '90s, and now gives us “The Brit Box,” a 78-song attempt to anthologize all that was cool in British rock from the mid-eighties through 1999.  Amazingly, in four discs it does an excellent job.  It isn’t an easy task, especially given the many subgenres involved.  The subtitle of the collection indicates that they are mainly focusing on indie rock, the shoegaze movement and Brit-pop.  Sure, that leaves out other monumental developments that the Brits have contributed heavily to, particularly trip-hop and electronica, but those genres deserve their own four-disc box down the line.  It wouldn’t be shocking to find out that that may be on someone’s to-do list at Rhino as we speak. 

Some might ask why British pop music like let’s say All Saints, Take That or the Spice Girls aren’t on here. That’s because Brit-Pop is a form of British rock music, and not as the title would suggest simply pop music from the U.K. 

What’s great about “The Brit Box” is that not only does it give us a lot of timeless classics, as we’d expect, but it also throws in some smaller bands who may have had fewer hits and may not be as immediately recognizable but have still earned their historical placement here.

Let’s start with the time-honored classics.  The box starts with The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?,” a song that sounds just as good today as it did when it came out.  It may be over six minutes, and Morrissey’s heavy-handed operatic vocal style may not be your cup of tea, but there’s no denying the track's merits. 

The Cure get represented with perhaps their best single, “Just Like Heaven,” taken from their moody 1987 classic double-album “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.”  In a brilliant sequencing turn, this song is followed by Echo & the Bunnymen’s “Lips Like Sugar.”  Both songs are as anthemic as they are beautiful and they also are great examples of their time!

“There She Goes” by the La’s not only is a heavily covered gem, but its retro-'60s feel reminds us that the music from this British invasion may prove to be no less important than the music from the original one. 

The glorious sweetness in Harriett Wheeler’s voice as she sings on the Sundays’ “Here’s Where the Story Ends” shows this as an underrated, underplayed masterpiece.  The Sundays, like many of these other bands, should’ve gotten much more stateside love. 

Ride is another one of those bands.  Their track “Vapour Trail” is a definite highlight, and yet too few people over here know who the Oxford-based band were.  It’s a shame.  Hopefully their inclusion here will boost the sales of their best-of collection.  Along with the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, they are among the highest profile bands representing the shoegaze movement, a mopey, often noisy, guitar-heavy style, usually accompanied by a hushed, low energy vocal-performance. My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” is often cited as an absolute benchmark, and from that record, “The Brit Box” gives us “Only Shallow.”  Interestingly, the Jesus and Mary Chain are represented by the relatively soft “April Skies” from their excellent “Darklands” album, and not higher profile singles like “Just Like Honey,” “Head On” or the ever so controversial “Reverence.”  Shoegaze fans should be delighted to know that this past week it was reported on Billboard’s Web site that both My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain are working on new records!  Both bands have long been dormant. 

In perhaps a rather cheeky move, much publicized rivals Blur and Oasis are sequenced next to each other.  For a while in the mid-'90s, you couldn’t mention one without mentioning the other.  Oasis are represented with “Live Forever” and Blur have “Tracy Jacks,” an album track from their album “Parklife.”  It’s interesting that they chose that track considering they could’ve picked a higher profile song just as easily.  “There’s No Other Way,” “The Universal,” and the “Parklife” title-track all come to mind.  Perhaps “Tracy Jacks” was picked because of its bouncy bassline and its sing-along-ready lyrics. 

Pulp’s “Common People” plays even better today than it did when it came out.  It remains a literate, almost insultingly biting reflection on relations between the economic classes.  Considering Jarvis Cocker’s recent triumph with his current solo album “Jarvis,” this is a great reminder of his former band’s greatness. 

It doesn’t get any better, sweeter, more elegant, or even more woozy sounding for that matter than Spiritualized “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space.”  It’s a glorious waltz meant to be blasted and echoed throughout ballroom rafters everywhere.  One listen evokes images of couples dressed in evening gowns and tuxes, dancing in unison.  There’s an unapologetic romanticism to the track.   

Cornershop’s love-letter to Bollywood, “Brimful of Asha,” still catches the ear, as does Kula Shaker’s “Tattva.”

Elastica’s “Stutter” leaves the listener wanting more.  Why “Connection” was a bigger hit is still a mystery.  Justine Frischmann remains the unrivaled rock goddess of the Brit-pop set.

“The Brit Box” is a pretty solid collection of highpoints from U.K. bands big and small.  When Ash’s “Girl From Mars” picks up and threatens to blow your speakers, you’ll want to sing along even more. 

Catatonia’s “Mulder and Scully” is given fuel by Cerys Matthews’ distinctive raspy warble.  Supergrass’ “Alright” is a uniquely British anthem of youth.  At a brief 2:39, James’ “Laid” is not only one of the best Brit-pop singles of all time, but perhaps one of the best (and most wonderfully inappropriate) singles of the '90s as a whole.  New Order’s “Regret” is a dynamic alt-rock moment from techno-pop pioneers.  Suede’s “Metal Mickey” is an excellent reminder why the rock press was obsessed for a few moments with Brett Anderson not only for his soaring vocal range but also for his one-of-a-kind weirdness.   The Verve’s “Lucky Man” is proof of their lasting legacy, even though “Bittersweet Symphony” might have been a better inclusion.  The Happy Mondays’ “Step On” has a nicely bouncy piano line over a pseudo-hip-hop rhythm.

One of the great things about listening to “The Brit Box” from an American perspective is that you get to hear British bands you might have read about but might have never actually heard.  Great groups like Lush, Curve, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, The Charlatans UK and the Divine Comedy are all bands your local rock station would’ve never gone near.  It’s a sad, angering statement that even 10 to 15 years ago radio wasn’t doing an adequate job at giving its audience an even remotely satisfactory perspective of the great musical landscape.  As time has gone on, the problem has just gotten worse.

The only track that is a difficult listen and a tad over the top is “Stay Beautiful” by Manic Street Preachers, but their steady popularity and their complicated and fascinating back-story (their guitarist Richey James disappeared off the face of the Earth!) warrants their inclusion. 

You could nit-pick if you wanted to.  Stereolab may be based in the U.K., but they really are an international ensemble, so including them could be considered a stretch to some. 

It would’ve been nice to have an early Radiohead track here, considering that they are one of the most important and innovative British bands of the last 20 years.  “Just,” “High and Dry,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Creep” or “Stop Whispering” would’ve all been fine submissions.  My guess is the band would have said no to such a proposition given their steadfast, challenging, almost anti-commercial artistic vision.  The fact remains, they really should be here. 

Overall, “The Brit Box” delivers on its nearly impossible promise.  This is essential listening.  It’s a time capsule for the ages, ripe for means of nostalgia.  Behold, the second wave of the British invasion in all its glory!

November 28, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2)

Review: The Hives' "The Black and White Album"

November 15, 2007 3:25 PM

Five years ago when the Hives first gained popularity in the United States on the strength of their album “Veni Vidi Vicious,” (which was originally released back in 2000) they were considered one of the three major bands, along with the White Stripes and the Strokes, bringing forth the modern garage rock revival.  Their “Hate To Say I Told You So” and “Main Offender” were among the singles that set the standards for the movement.   Of those bands, the Strokes may have been the coolest, the White Stripes may have been the most old-fashioned and bluesy, but the Hives were always the most stylish and the most fun. 

They were a band of five dapper, cartoonish rogues from Sweden, dressed in snappy suits and ready to party with their brand of shout-along punk.  Armed with humorous stage names like Dr. Matt Destruction and Nicholaus Arson, they were as much about their music as they were about their wacky image.   The band’s leader was a charismatic, lovable loudmouth by the name of Howlin’ Pete Almqvist.

The back story was that they were a bunch of teens in Sweden, brought together boy-band style by a reclusive music guru by the name of Randy Fitzsimmons.  No one is really sure with the exception of the band themselves and their inner circle, but odds are that Fitzsimmons could be about as real as Jack and Meg White’s shared genes, despite his songwriting credits on all of their songs. 

After “Veni Vidi Vicious” caused a stir, its follow-up, 2004's “Tyrannosaurus Hives,” stalled.  Had that album’s closer “Antidote” been the album’s lead single and not “Walk Idiot Walk” we might not be having this conversation, and the Hives might not be finding themselves three years later trying to prove something.   

The band’s first three albums were each roughly a half hour or under, so at forty-five minutes, “The Black And White Album” is downright epic by Hives standards.  It ends up giving them room to stretch, and stretch they do to great effect.

The majority of the album was recorded in Oxford, Miss., with producer Dennis Herring, who is known for his work with Modest Mouse and Elvis Costello.   The Modest Mouse connection makes sense, because both bands have a lot of indie cred and are led by wonderfully unique madcap singers.  The Costello connection is truly interesting especially considering that Herring produced his rather rootsy 2004 album, “The Delivery Man,” and not his earlier, jumpier new-wave hits, which are closer kin to the Hives’ main sound.  This is a clue as to what’s to come.  Nothing is as obvious as it once was.  On this record, the band members really test out their limits like never before while at the same time remaining true to their core formula.  In other words, for them, this is a much more mature record in the very best sense.

“Return the Favour” and “You’ve Got It All…Wrong” are both appealing and infectious, but they have a new sunniness that the band’s previous work didn’t have.  They are on the verge of power-pop.  Both tracks would make excellent singles.

Almqvist plays around with his vocal range a lot more than before.  No longer is he just the fun-loving screamer of earlier records.  On both “Won’t Be Long,” and “Bigger Hole To Fill,” he begins singing in a lower, more even tone, recalling simultaneously both Joey Ramone and Iggy Pop.

Longtime Hives fan Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes and N.E.R.D. fame stretches out his rock muscle by producing two tracks: the brooding, almost swing-dance friendly “Well, All Right!” and the sleek pseudo-disco work-up “T.H.E.H.IV.E.S.”  The latter is reminiscent of that period in the late '70s when CBGB’s crowd decided to streamline their sound in order to get radio play.  The track is particularly like Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.”  It finds Almqvist trading his signature yelp for a soft falsetto during the verses, and a menacing, low-voiced grumble during the chorus. 

With its synthetic beat, spoken lyrics and cool use of echo effects and laser-beam noises, “Giddy Up!” is almost electro-clash. It’s actually a pretty radical track for a band that was previously such a straight-forward punk band. 

There is a slow, menacing energy to the piano-driven “Puppet on a String.” It almost sounds like some sort sinister cabaret number. 

“You Dress Up For Armageddon” begins sounding equally bleak, but has a major shift in the chorus adding a whole new dimension and scope.

Then there is the playful, almost scientific instrumental “A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors.”  It’s almost like a film score piece, proving how much growth potential the Hives really have. 

Fans of “Veni Vidi Vicious” shouldn’t stress out that the band has changed too much though.  There’s plenty for them to love, too, including the record’s opener and first single, “Tick Tick Boom.”  The best track on the record, however, is “Square One Here I Come,” a tightly wound, angst-driven nugget, about being unemployed and hopeless.  Almqvist sings, “Don’t have no money cuz I don’t have a job. / Don’t have a job cuz I ain’t got no skills. / Ain’t got no skills cuz I was not trained. / I was not trained because I didn’t go to school.”  The lyrical build combined with the delivery make this easily this record’s “Hate To Say I Told You So.”  It’s a rollicking, irresistible shout-along!            

“The Black and White Album” is a dynamic example of a great band regaining its footing after a stumble.  It gets better and better with every listen and should be mined for as many singles as possible.  If it doesn’t build the Hives’ fanbase, only the record company marketing teams can be to blame. 

Long live the Hives!!!  Long live rock 'n' roll!!!  This is what it’s all about. 

November 15, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (3)

Review: "I’m Not There" -- Original Soundtrack

November 06, 2007 5:10 PM

There’s little denying that Bob Dylan is one of the master songwriters of the rock era. His voice, however, is a polarizing factor, a nasally, gritty instrument that people either love or hate.  For this reason, covers of Dylan songs have often had more impact than the originals.  Go through a list of Dylan songs and other names come to mind.  “Blowin’ in the Wind” brings to mind Peter, Paul and Mary.  “It Ain’t Me Babe” brings to mind the Turtles.  “All Around the Watchtower” belongs to Jimi Hendrix.  “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” brings to mind Van Morrison with Them. 

“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” summons Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Warren Zevon all at once.  So, it seems only fitting that for the soundtrack of Todd Haynes’ ambitious-looking biopic of Dylan, “I’m Not There,” a movie in which multiple actors (from Richard Gere to Christian Bale to Cate Blanchett) play the man himself at different stages., would contain virtually nothing but covers.  Dylan himself only appears on the title track performed with the Band. 

If you are a Dylan fan, these covers are a recommended listen.  The two-disc, 34 track collection spans nearly the maximum 160 minutes available, so it’s quite an economic buy.  Most of the artists here are either alt-rock or alt-country bigwigs, with a few elder-statesmen figureheads thrown in for good measure. 

Some tracks pair singers with backing bands.  Calexico show up a number of times, as do the Million Dollar Bashers, a supergroup featuring Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley, Wilco’s guitar-master Nels Cline, John Medeski, Beck’s occasional sideman Smokey Hormel, Television’s Tom Verlaine and bass-player Tony Garnier. 

Mostly the artists stick to Dylan impressions.  These covers are mostly by the book with few radical changes. Perhaps the two best Dylan impressions here come from women.  Cat Power does a dead-on rendition of “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.”  Unlike Dylan, though, her southern drawl is authentic.  Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs does a similarly fine job on “Highway 61 Revisited” backed  by the Million Dollar Bashers. 

Eddie Vedder, again with said Bashers, delivers another iconic cover of “All Along the Watchtower.”  Sonic Youth, led by Thurston Moore’s half-wounded slacker-voiced warble, add a few layers of darkness to their cover of the title track.  Jeff Tweedy from Wilco nails the country storyteller vibe of “Simple Twist of Fate.”  Richie Havens adds a strong chunk of deep-fried soul to his standout cover of “Tombstone Blues.”  Jim James of My Morning Jacket wraps his high, cupped-sounding wail around “Goin’ To Acapulco.”

Former Pavement leader Stephen Malkmus does Dylan proud not once, not twice, but three times, spookily covering “Ballad of a Thin Man,” sweetly crooning “Can’t Leave Her Behind” and firmly and effectively capturing the anger in “Maggie’s Farm.”  His signature bemused snarkiness has here become mightily Dylanesque. 

The original version of “Just like a Woman” comes off as sort of sleazy and sort of condescending, but here, as whisper-sung by Charlotte Gainsbourg, the song has an intimate, sensual sense of whimsy.

As he did on the Sublime tribute album, Jack Johnson melds two songs together, successfully blending “Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind” and “A Fraction of Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.”

Yo La Tengo show their range with both the Georgia Hubley led dream-pop cover of “Fourth Time Around” and raucous, revival-like boogie of the Ira Kaplan-led “I Wanna Be Your Lover.” 

Mason Jennings gives the standard troubadour cover of “The Times They Are A Changing.”

Marcus Carl Franklin, the youngest of all the actors to play Dylan in the film, delivers a show-stopping rendition of “When the Ship Comes In.” 

Willie Nelson gives an effectively grizzled performance of “Senor.” The track has the distinctive touch unique to the “red-headed stranger.” 

Mark Lanegan’s low, gravelly baritone adds an effective chill to “Man In The Long Black Coat."

How nice it is, too, to hear the stars of the movie “Once,” Glen Hansard and Marketa Inglova, singing a joyful version of “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.”  It sounds like it was fun to record. 

Antony & the Johnsons’ soft take on “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” is decent, though it doesn’t quite hold up compared to the classic versions listed above, mainly because of its too slow pacing and Antony’s vibrato-heavy, almost operatic voice. 

Yes, Dylan, especially as of late, has gotten a lot of critical love he didn’t quite deserve.  He’s treated as a flawless rock god by too many critics.  For instance, his most recent album, “Modern Times,” was marred by an album cover he stole from the band Luna, a name he stole from Charlie Chaplin and by his claims that he wrote a number of old blues standards.  Such moves reek of hackery. 

The Dylan represented here, however, is a classic songwriter worthy of such royal treatment.  I must admit though, the Dylan impressions do become tiresome.   

It’ll be interesting to see how the movie is received when it hits theaters later this month.  Hopefully it will be a fiercely innovative film and not just an empty exercise in hero-worship. 

My question:  How come no one covered “Like a Rolling Stone"?

November 6, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4)