9/04/2014
7/09/2014
Sia Later
If your recollection of Sia is that of the sultry vocalist who graced Zero 7’s “Destiny”, as well as “Distractions” and “In the Waiting Line” (the latter two featured in the HBO series Six Feet Under and the indie film Garden State, respectively), you might be slightly jolted by her latest album, 1000 Forms of Fear [Monkey Puzzle/RCA], which is more in line with her newer status as a collaborator with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Beyonce and Rhianna.Sia isn’t content to just write with/for these ladies, it seems, and is swinging for the fences in an attempt to play in their league. Whether she succeeds or not in this particular endeavor is, frankly, not of our concern. (Fwiw, 1000 Forms of Fear comes across as a less crowd-pleasing Katy Perry album.) We just don’t want to see anyone being misled.
4/20/2014
Milestones: Desorden Publico
DESORDEN PUBLICO
Canto Popular de la Vida y Muerte
[Sony US Latin-1994]
With two acclaimed albums already under their belt, Venezuela’s Kings of Latin Ska would begin the solidification of their reign with their third album and first to be released in the US.
Helmed by Brazilian producer Carlos Savalla (Paralamas do Suceso), Canto Popular is not only a cohesive effort but one chock full of great tunes, which ultimately opened more doors for the band across Latin America, Europe and the US. (Not to mention it went Gold in the band's homeland.) 20 years on, the songs still shine while the production leaves a bit to be desired. But would you rather have a killer-sounding album full of duds, instead? Didn’t think so.
Highlights: Too many to mention. Seriously.
20 Years Not a Slave: Prince Re-Signs with Warner Brothers
Pop star Prince has a signed a major deal with Warner Bros Records, the label he famously fell out with nearly 20 years ago. The split was so acrimonious that Prince called himself a slave and changed his stage name to a symbol. Now Prince says the new deal will see a release of his classic album Purple Rain in time for its 30th anniversary. He will also regain ownership of master recordings made during his previous deal with Warner Bros.
"A brand-new studio album is on the way and both Warner Bros Records and Eye (sic) are quite pleased with the results of the negotiations and look forward to a fruitful working relationship," Prince said in a statement. - BBC News
He never should've left.
One of the very rare times we have ever sided with a record company over an artist—in this case, ahem, "The Artist"—was the Prince vs. Warner Bros mess. Of all the major labels, Prince had signed with the most open-minded and most invested in artist development. You think Columbia or MCA would've let a 19 year old kid produce himself on his debut album? Think again.
Over the years they let him do more or less whatever he wanted. All WB wanted was for him to pace himself, which was solid advice since we all know Prince badly needed a producer. (Or a firm A&R man.) Not to guide him in the studio but to be the one to say, "You know what? This song and that one are not up to snuff. Let's leave 'em off the album." But no.
Furthermore, Prince wanted to put out albums at a pace that would've made '60s artists blush. WB wasn't havin' it and rightfully so. WB is a business and in business you don't voluntarily water down the value of your assets by flooding the market with 'em. Plus, how special are the albums of an artist who puts one out seemingly every other month? So, WB balked. Prince responded in kind. But here's the thing: while it's not our place to question how a black man self-identifies, the "slave" thing was just plain wrong on so many levels.
Btw, we're not giving the record company a pass—WB also screwed up.
Listen, this guy is a superstar and on his way to becoming a legend. Plus, and more importantly in your case, he's made you a boatload of money—appease the dude. Make a deal to revert the catalog back to him at some point. Sweeten the pot. But no.
It took 20 years but I'm glad to see both sides in bed once again. Even though it seems like a former couple coming back to each other after not wanting to date anyone else at this stage of the game. Still, who else would they each be better off with?
[Thanks to Leo Susana for the heads up.]
One of the very rare times we have ever sided with a record company over an artist—in this case, ahem, "The Artist"—was the Prince vs. Warner Bros mess. Of all the major labels, Prince had signed with the most open-minded and most invested in artist development. You think Columbia or MCA would've let a 19 year old kid produce himself on his debut album? Think again.
Over the years they let him do more or less whatever he wanted. All WB wanted was for him to pace himself, which was solid advice since we all know Prince badly needed a producer. (Or a firm A&R man.) Not to guide him in the studio but to be the one to say, "You know what? This song and that one are not up to snuff. Let's leave 'em off the album." But no.
Furthermore, Prince wanted to put out albums at a pace that would've made '60s artists blush. WB wasn't havin' it and rightfully so. WB is a business and in business you don't voluntarily water down the value of your assets by flooding the market with 'em. Plus, how special are the albums of an artist who puts one out seemingly every other month? So, WB balked. Prince responded in kind. But here's the thing: while it's not our place to question how a black man self-identifies, the "slave" thing was just plain wrong on so many levels.
Btw, we're not giving the record company a pass—WB also screwed up.
Listen, this guy is a superstar and on his way to becoming a legend. Plus, and more importantly in your case, he's made you a boatload of money—appease the dude. Make a deal to revert the catalog back to him at some point. Sweeten the pot. But no.
It took 20 years but I'm glad to see both sides in bed once again. Even though it seems like a former couple coming back to each other after not wanting to date anyone else at this stage of the game. Still, who else would they each be better off with?
[Thanks to Leo Susana for the heads up.]
3/12/2014
Milestones: Legendary Argentine Rockers' Debut Turns 30
SODA STEREO
self-titled
[Sony Argentina-1984]
Coinciding with their homeland’s recent emergence from war and a
punishing military dictatorship into a democratic society, the debut
album by guitarist/vocalist Gustavo Cerati, bassist Zeta Bosio and drummer
Charly Alberti is a hearty stab at escapism and very much a record of its time
(new wave, ska, the Cure, the Police, XTC and other early ‘80s signifiers are
all referenced). But that spirited approach is what keeps the album from
becoming hopelessly dated. Of course, top-notch songwriting never hurts your cause and the
album isn’t lacking in that department: “Sobredosis de TV”, “Te Hacen Faltas
Vitaminas”, “Un Misil en Mi Placard”, “El Tiempo es Dinero” and “Afrodisíacos”, all helped the album become a smash hit and a critical favorite.
Those more familiar with Soda’s latter, more refined international
releases—their third album, Signos [Sony US Latin-1987], was the first to be released in the
US—might ask if the debut platter bears the seeds of the influential,
ground-breaking band they were to become. Well, it’s quite a stretch from
typical, albeit talented, ‘80s new wave-influenced combo to panoramic,
sonic-exploring, 21st century rockers slightly ahead of the curve.
But let’s just say a sophomore slump would’ve been a surprise. And that 30
years later, this one still holds up.
Highlights: see above.
)
3/04/2014
It's Only Rock and Roll (but he likes it)
Of course he’s known as the acclaimed, award-winning
director of such classics as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino,
as well as for the music that populates his feature films, but Martin
Scorsese’s love of music goes past well-chosen cues and directing Michael
Jackson videos (“Bad”).
Starting with his Assistant Director gig on Woodstock [1970]
Scorsese’s musical exploits on the big screen have been overlooked, for the most
part, in comparison to his feature film bread and butter. Aside
from The Last Waltz [1978], which uncharacteristically captures an artist—in this case, The Band—not at the beginning of
their career or, more commonly, at their apex but, as the name implies, during
their send-off, Scorsese has been almost as busy directing musical endeavors in the 21s century as he's been making features during the same time frame: he was one of the directors involved in The Concert for New York City
[2001]; directed the Delta blues-dedicated segment "Feel Like Going Home" for the
PBS miniseries The Blues [2003]; helmed the Bob Dylan documentary No Direction
Home [2005]; shot Shine A Light [2008], The Rolling Stones’ 2006 performance at
NYC’s Beacon Theatre (which Mick Jagger jokingly refers to as “the only
Scorsese film that "Gimme Shelter" isn’t played in."); and directed George Harrison: Living in the Material World [2011] a doc based on the life of
the late Beatle.
It would be nice if Mr. S tackled a more contemporary
subject the next time he’s bitten by the music bug—Beck, Radiohead, Jack White, maybe?—but
the above additions to his staggering resumé are quite impressive just the same.
3/02/2014
Truth Hits Everybody
CIRCA ZERO
[429/SLG]
In a few weeks—March 25th, to be exact— former Police guitarist Andy Summers will
release his first foray into straight up pop/rock outside of the trio that made
him famous, the first since his lackluster 1987 album XYZ [MCA]. Inspired by The Police’s
reunion tour of ‘07-‘08, Summers decided to put aside his jazz and new age endeavors and get back to the rock. And with his new band, Circa Zero, the masterful six-stringer returns to the
trio format where he made his fame and reputation.
Unfortunately, the bland
pseudo U2 with a hint of the Police and a sprinkle of a lethargic, less interesting version of The Fixx on the
band’s debut Circus Hero would be a tad easier to digest if, in an
interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Summers hadn’t prefaced its release with a declaration/mission statement
that drips of arrogance, hypocrisy and fogeyism.
Summers somehow seems to be under the impression that there’s an actual audience for music made "by people who can’t really write songs". (Wow, not even our cynical asses are that jaded.) Now, let’s put aside how this makes him sound every bit the cranky 71 year old man he is and concentrate on the two more salient points it brings to light:
1- Because The Police came out of what was then rock's alternative/indie scene—even if the actual nomenclature was yet to be applied at the time—his dis was hypocritical and uncalled for.
2- His previous pop/rock record, the aforementioned XYZ, was drowning in subpar songwriting, and seeing as how Summers never contributed anything solid in that particular department to The Police's catalog—“Omegaman” being the lone exception—it's pretty rich for him to talk about "people who can’t really write songs".
All of this would be moot if Circus Hero actually delivered the goods. Sorry, Charlie. Truth be told, it's not so much a dud as an undercooked misfire. Let's put it this way: You know someone dropped the ball somewhere along the line when the acoustic renditions of three of the albums tunes—included as bonus tracks—outshine the entire rest of the record. Yup.
And the less said about that name...
Highlights: "Underground", "Gamma Ray", "Underwater", "Light the Fuse and Run", the acoustic bonus tracks.
2/25/2014
Mellow Gold
BECK
Morning Phase
Yes, Beck revisits the milieu of a previous
artistic triumph with another
acoustic-based, and at times lushly orchestrated record. However, Morning Phase, despite a similar musical setting—and truth be told, a cover reminiscent of that previous late-night classic—is not a rehashing but its own entity, one to be judged on its own terms.
Morning Phase
[Fonograf/Capitol - 2014]
As befits the first actual release in half a decade from a major artist, there's been quite the buzz surrounding Beck's latest. Unfortunately, a good chunk of the commentary has been a series of reductive, template-based reviews that focus on comparing it to Sea Change [DGC-2002] ad nauseum with a tad of snark and back handed compliments thrown in for good measure. Morning Phase deserves much, much better.
Yes, Beck revisits the milieu of a previous
artistic triumph with another
acoustic-based, and at times lushly orchestrated record. However, Morning Phase, despite a similar musical setting—and truth be told, a cover reminiscent of that previous late-night classic—is not a rehashing but its own entity, one to be judged on its own terms.
It might seem both disingenuous and pointless to recommend staying away from preconceived notions about an album when your intent is to encourage fellow listeners to dive right in, but Morning Phase's allure is immediate, its initial magnetism hard to resist and the rewards it brings continuous.
It's only late February but the Album of the Year competition just got mighty stiff.
Highlights: "Morning", "Heart is a Drum", "Wave", "Waking Light".
Filters, Floodgates and Pedigrees
Musician, songwriter, producer, record executive and industry veteran Jack Ponti on the
current state of A&R and the need for accurate filters/gatekeepers to
separate the musical wheat from the chaff in order to benefit both music fans
and talented, undiscovered artists.
+ + + + +
There’s a vast misconception concerning the way new music and talent is discovered in the new paradigm of the Internet.
While it’s true that anyone can now simply create a web page, populate every social media site there is, and virtually self-promote and distribute music, the reality is that 99.99% of that music will only be heard by family and friends.
If the rallying cry of “we can do it ourselves” were true, then why are there not thousands of success stories? Because the ability to market and promote inside a clogged bandwidth is virtually impossible. You can’t build critical mass. This also creates a big problem for the industry. There is no filter.
Now, one may say the lack of a filter, gate keeper, standard, etc. has allowed music that would have never been heard a chance to be heard. But by who? Surely not the masses. It’s most likely to be heard by only a few. Sure, now anyone with a song can go full-bore Internet crazy and do all the wonderful things that people claim will help build their career, but it’s just not true. Again, where are all the success stories?
Pre-Internet, the music industry had a filter. Perhaps it didn’t work all of the time and I am certain some great music was lost along the way due to that filter. The filter involved the artist knowing someone with genuine access who could get their music to someone who could actually do something about it. The filter also involved a policy of “no unsolicited material”. Meaning it would not be listened to unless someone vouched for it.
There was a dual role in the no unsolicited material policy.
One, was it avoided deep pocketed and pointless lawsuits. If unsolicited submissions were allowed, someone could randomly send in a demo and then months later find some ambulance chasing attorney to file suit claiming infringement, hoping the label/artist would settle. But the primary reason for the policy was that if you allowed unsolicited material you opened the door to everyone on Earth who believes they have talent. And most don’t. The mountain of material that would have been sent in would have taken thousands of people to sift through. So yes, we more than likely lost some genius talent due to the restriction of that filter but we also found plenty as well.
The industry believed that if a known manager, lawyer, publisher, producer, etc. was presenting music, it must be somewhat good. Now granted, it sometimes wasn’t. But for the most part, it met a standard and certain level of professionalism. It also spoke of the artist, writer, producers, own ability to hustle and get to someone with genuine access. It worked well, as evidenced by decades of music.
But I have always said, the next Beatles were in a basement somewhere and will never be discovered due to lack of industry access. I’m sure we missed out on plenty.
In my 35 plus years in this business, wearing every possible hat that you can, 99.99% of my success was directly due to a filter. I was hammered by one of my clients to listen to India Arie. My manager introduced me to Jon Bon Jovi. A&R men brought me countless projects in development. Lawyers made introductions. The list is endless.
So here we are in the Internet age. No filter, no gate keeper, it’s a free for all!
But what do you do to genuinely find exceptional talent? Google search “good music”? Good luck with that. YouTube? If you have a decade of time on your hands. Reverbnation, Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter, sure there are a multitude of possible places, but none of this has been filtered.
Unfortunately without a filter, you have to sift through hours of horrendous music to find even a remote possibility. Why? Because just like in pre-Internet days, anyone who can play any instrument or remotely sing is now convinced they “have what it takes” and they just clog the bandwidth with music.
Even from a psychological point of view, pre-Internet, people somewhat filtered themselves, thinking (or knowing) they were just OK, and why bother. But with the proliferation of TV shows like American Idol, we are now in the “yes I can” stage. Though that is wonderful, it can also be painfully unrealistic. Then with the advent of sites like CD Baby, people assume stardom is around the corner. For some it is. For many it’s not. But the illusion is real and by having a web site and distribution, suddenly you are there, or so you think.
I am not condemning that nor making fun of it. It’s wonderful to share your music with people and even if that means sharing it with only one other person that is a success and should be applauded.
However the heartbeat of the music business is new talent and there is a tremendous amount of undiscovered new and brilliant talent lurking out there caught in the miasma of a clogged Internet. Like I said, we missed some great talent along the way and truth be told, we are missing way more now.
A true and accurate filter will bring that talent to the forefront in rapid time. I salute and respect those who chose to go it alone, DIY, indie, whatever you chose to call it. But this business needs new talent and for those who want to be within that framework, they need to be discovered. Be it an artist, writer, producer; they need to have access and we, as an industry, need to access them or we’re all in trouble.
There has been a method of A&R research in place for over a decade now. It works very well, however it relies on spotting blips on the radar screen of something already in motion, something that has traction. Be it local or regional sales or radio airplay, it is already moving.
The same can be said for the recently announced deals with Twitter and Shazam moving into the label space. That is not discovery of talent, rather that is identifying moving targets after they start moving. The very essence of how Shazam works is you have to be searching for something you have already been exposed to.
The same can be said for the concept of using Twitter as an identifier. Both are post, not pre.
There has been no genuine, and accurate, A&R filter in the entire industry to sift through the clogged space that we are currently subjected to. In order to do that properly you need to create the proper mechanism that is human based and software synergistic.
+ + + + +
There’s a vast misconception concerning the way new music and talent is discovered in the new paradigm of the Internet.
While it’s true that anyone can now simply create a web page, populate every social media site there is, and virtually self-promote and distribute music, the reality is that 99.99% of that music will only be heard by family and friends.
If the rallying cry of “we can do it ourselves” were true, then why are there not thousands of success stories? Because the ability to market and promote inside a clogged bandwidth is virtually impossible. You can’t build critical mass. This also creates a big problem for the industry. There is no filter.
Now, one may say the lack of a filter, gate keeper, standard, etc. has allowed music that would have never been heard a chance to be heard. But by who? Surely not the masses. It’s most likely to be heard by only a few. Sure, now anyone with a song can go full-bore Internet crazy and do all the wonderful things that people claim will help build their career, but it’s just not true. Again, where are all the success stories?
Pre-Internet, the music industry had a filter. Perhaps it didn’t work all of the time and I am certain some great music was lost along the way due to that filter. The filter involved the artist knowing someone with genuine access who could get their music to someone who could actually do something about it. The filter also involved a policy of “no unsolicited material”. Meaning it would not be listened to unless someone vouched for it.
There was a dual role in the no unsolicited material policy.
One, was it avoided deep pocketed and pointless lawsuits. If unsolicited submissions were allowed, someone could randomly send in a demo and then months later find some ambulance chasing attorney to file suit claiming infringement, hoping the label/artist would settle. But the primary reason for the policy was that if you allowed unsolicited material you opened the door to everyone on Earth who believes they have talent. And most don’t. The mountain of material that would have been sent in would have taken thousands of people to sift through. So yes, we more than likely lost some genius talent due to the restriction of that filter but we also found plenty as well.
The industry believed that if a known manager, lawyer, publisher, producer, etc. was presenting music, it must be somewhat good. Now granted, it sometimes wasn’t. But for the most part, it met a standard and certain level of professionalism. It also spoke of the artist, writer, producers, own ability to hustle and get to someone with genuine access. It worked well, as evidenced by decades of music.
But I have always said, the next Beatles were in a basement somewhere and will never be discovered due to lack of industry access. I’m sure we missed out on plenty.
In my 35 plus years in this business, wearing every possible hat that you can, 99.99% of my success was directly due to a filter. I was hammered by one of my clients to listen to India Arie. My manager introduced me to Jon Bon Jovi. A&R men brought me countless projects in development. Lawyers made introductions. The list is endless.
So here we are in the Internet age. No filter, no gate keeper, it’s a free for all!
But what do you do to genuinely find exceptional talent? Google search “good music”? Good luck with that. YouTube? If you have a decade of time on your hands. Reverbnation, Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter, sure there are a multitude of possible places, but none of this has been filtered.
Unfortunately without a filter, you have to sift through hours of horrendous music to find even a remote possibility. Why? Because just like in pre-Internet days, anyone who can play any instrument or remotely sing is now convinced they “have what it takes” and they just clog the bandwidth with music.
Even from a psychological point of view, pre-Internet, people somewhat filtered themselves, thinking (or knowing) they were just OK, and why bother. But with the proliferation of TV shows like American Idol, we are now in the “yes I can” stage. Though that is wonderful, it can also be painfully unrealistic. Then with the advent of sites like CD Baby, people assume stardom is around the corner. For some it is. For many it’s not. But the illusion is real and by having a web site and distribution, suddenly you are there, or so you think.
I am not condemning that nor making fun of it. It’s wonderful to share your music with people and even if that means sharing it with only one other person that is a success and should be applauded.
However the heartbeat of the music business is new talent and there is a tremendous amount of undiscovered new and brilliant talent lurking out there caught in the miasma of a clogged Internet. Like I said, we missed some great talent along the way and truth be told, we are missing way more now.
A true and accurate filter will bring that talent to the forefront in rapid time. I salute and respect those who chose to go it alone, DIY, indie, whatever you chose to call it. But this business needs new talent and for those who want to be within that framework, they need to be discovered. Be it an artist, writer, producer; they need to have access and we, as an industry, need to access them or we’re all in trouble.
There has been a method of A&R research in place for over a decade now. It works very well, however it relies on spotting blips on the radar screen of something already in motion, something that has traction. Be it local or regional sales or radio airplay, it is already moving.
The same can be said for the recently announced deals with Twitter and Shazam moving into the label space. That is not discovery of talent, rather that is identifying moving targets after they start moving. The very essence of how Shazam works is you have to be searching for something you have already been exposed to.
The same can be said for the concept of using Twitter as an identifier. Both are post, not pre.
There has been no genuine, and accurate, A&R filter in the entire industry to sift through the clogged space that we are currently subjected to. In order to do that properly you need to create the proper mechanism that is human based and software synergistic.
2/15/2014
Inconvenient Truths
SUN KIL MOONBenji
[Caldo Verde-2014]
Although it’s Paul McCartney he mentions in the breathtaking “Micheline”, Mark Kozelek has finally has made his Plastic Ono Band record: nakedly autobiographical—albeit with names changed in certain cases—Benji features true stories of death in his family; the sad, tragic outcomes of friends and neighbors; his musical and sexual awakening; reflections on growing up during the ‘70s and ‘80s; and a respective tribute to each of his parents, all told point blank with little adornment or artifice.
Arguably, the best way to describe Benji is to equate it to a diary set to music. But where this could’ve easily turned into an embarrassing example of an hour’s worth of navel gazing, Kozelek’s tales feel as familiar as a shared experience. And the stripped down, mostly acoustic instrumentation and stark, yet vivid production manage to evoke a panoramic backdrop to his most honest record yet.
Highlights: “Carissa”, “I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love”, “Pray for Newton”, and the aforementioned “Micheline”.
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