Milestones: 'Permanent Waves'

With the arrival of the ‘80s the band streamlined their approach a bit by incorporating some of the sounds of the day and adding shorter, radio-friendly songs to their regular proggy fare (perennial favorite “The Spirit of Radio”, as well as “Freewill” and “Entre Nous”) on album number seven. 

 

While initially regarded with trepidation by guitarist Alex Lifeson upon completion, his opinion changed after release: positive reviews; #3 in the UK and their native Canada; #4 in the US. It’s also their third best-selling album, behind Moving Pictures [1981] and 2112 [1976] and made them arena headliners all over the world, not to mention becoming a classic album not only in their catalog, but of the 1980s and beyond. 

 

Released January 14, 1980.

Siempre Es Hoy: Gustavo Cerati Solo Albums - Ranked

10 years removed from his 2014 passing, I thought it would be opportune to revisit the former Soda Stereo frontman’s solo catalog and rank the albums non-chronologically, with the best left for last. None of them are duds—some of them have more magic than others.
Also, there are no compilations, live albums or specialty records on this list. Just the five straight-up studio albums he released in his lifetime. And so, as he titled one of them, here we go…

5. Siempre Es Hoy
[BMG U.S. Latin-2002]

After writing the soundtrack for the movie + bien (or Mas Bien) in 2001, Cerati released Siempre Es Hoy, which was expected to rock out more and rely less on electronica, but the opposite turned out to be true. More lighthearted on its surface than its predecessor, Bocanada, despite upheaval in his personal life at the time, Siempre Es Hoy, however, was received in a lukewarm and unenthusiastic manner, despite being a radio-friendly, dance pop record. It has its moments, but album number three showed signs of creative fatigue. He'd put aside his electronica leanings and go back to guitar-based rock his next time out but Siempre Es Hoy remains Cerati’s lowest selling solo album.

4. Fuerza Natural
[Sony-2009]

After a decade-plus association with BMG, Cerati returned to Soda Stereo’s original home, Sony, for his final album. Mellow in a way not heard since Bocanada but without that album's heavy electronica vibe, Fuerza Natural leaned more towards a poppier, singer/songwriter vibe. It also includes "Cactus", a song in which Cerati once again explores his native country's folk music.

A sprawling affair that covers much diverse stylistic ground, it was Cerati’s favorite of his post-Soda career. Flawlessly executed, and with some brilliant moments, the record lacks a sense of cohesion, unfortunately, a likely byproduct of branching out musically and the uncertainty—in terms of creative direction—he felt going into the studio.

3. Amor Amarillo
[BMG U.S. Latin-1993]

Although his solo career did not formally start until after the conclusion of Soda Stereo's 1997 farewell tour, Cerati’s first solo album was released while he was still a member of the band—Soda bassist Hector "Zeta" Bosio co-produced the album and played on the title track—and months before Dynamo [Sony-1993], Soda Stereo's penultimate album, saw the light of day.
Despite the lack of a concert tour to promote it, the record did not go unnoticed, becoming a favorite among Soda fans, with songs from the album being performed live more than a decade after its release. Among these tunes were the title track and "Bajan", written by fellow Argentine rock legend Luis Alberto Spinetta in the early '70s.

2. Ahí Vamos
[BMG U.S. Latin-2006]

After the low sales of Siempre Es Hoy, rumors of Cerati releasing a straight up, guitar-fueled rock album were pretty intense. They also turned out to be correct: the Argentine rocker revisited his past glories and turned up the amps for his rockingest album—loaded with overdriven guitars, fiery solos and reminiscent in different ways of Soda's last three studio albums, to the delight of fans wanting him to rock out once again. Such was the anticipation for Ahí Vamos that it went platinum on pre-orders alone. It was later hailed as a triumphant return to form.

1. Bocanada
[BMG U.S. Latin-1999]

Having wrapped up his commitments with Soda Stereo, Cerati began the next stage of his music career with his second album, Bocanada, a batch of sample-heavy, electronic art pop with touches of neo-psychedelia that firmly established him as a solo artist. Five singles were taken from Bocanada ("Puente", "Paseo Inmoral", "Tabú", "Engaña" y "Río Babel") each with a corresponding video clip. Moreover, "Verbo Carne" was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios with the London Session Orchestra, conducted by Gavin Wright.
The crowning achievement of his solo catalog and one of the all-time great pop/rock records recorded in Spanish, Bocanada is a creative, vibrant and ultimately intoxicating tour de force.

[While promoting Fuerza Natural, Cerati suffered a post-concert stroke in Caracas, Venezuela on May 15, 2010. He spent the next 4 years in a coma and died in his native Buenos Aires on September 4, 2014. He was 55 years old.]

Anniversaries: 'Sister'

SONIC YOUTH
Sister
[SST]

While its follow-up—the much lauded Daydream Nation [Enigma-1988]—is often cited as the band’s turning point, it’s actually this, their fourth album, that saw them deviating from their previous sound and laid the musical blueprint for the band’s subsequent releases.

 

Although not a commercial success upon release, the album is regarded by many as second only to Daydream Nation in their catalog, and is frequently included in Best of the ‘80s lists.

 

Also, lead-off track “Schizophrenia” served as the inspiration for the Foo Fighters hit “Everlong”. Take that as you wish.

 

Released June 1, 1987.

Anniversaries: 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles'

STING

The Dream of the Blue Turtles

[A&M]

 

Plagued by internal discord that eventually broke up the band, Synchronicity [A&M-1983] was for all intents and purposes a dry run for what became his solo career. And so, free of the other Policemen, Mr. Sumner teamed up with a cast of first-rate jazz musicians for his first full-length album. 

 

Despite the critical shorthand of this being his “jazz” album and there being a taste of it throughout, courtesy of the assembled musicians (including the great Branford Marsalis), it opens with “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”, a funky pop tune that was the album’s first single and remains the highest charting song—reaching #3 in the US—of his post-Police output. (It’s also, thematically speaking, the exact opposite of the Synchronicity hit “Every Breath You Take”. Hmm…)

 

As his old band broke up at the height of their popularity, commercial expectations were high for this one. And in that regard it delivered, as it became a Top 5 album in both the US and UK. (As well receiving 4 Grammy nominations.) But it ultimately suffers from “serious artist” disease, in this case the afflicted trying a tad too hard to shed his pop star image and history. However, there are some rewarding moments throughout, as evidenced by “Consider Me Gone” and the singles “Fortress Around Your Heart”, “Love Is The Seventh Wave” (which quotes his old band's “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”) and the aforementioned “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”.

 

He would set his future musical template on his next album, but this one was a decent if flawed first step.

 

Released June 1, 1985.

Anniversaries: 'Sgt, Pepper's'

THE BEATLES

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

[Parlophone]
 

It wasn’t really until the second half of the 1960s that the album became popular music’s main format to not only disseminate an artist’s work but, in many cases, to make a musical statement by said artists. With that in mind, it’s not a stretch to state that this one marks the specific point in time in which the album format established itself in that regard.

Considered by many the greatest album in the history of popular music, time has not been quite as kind to its status over the ensuing decades, even within the band's catalog itself, as befits such a designation. But its release was indeed a watershed moment that showed what was possible for a pop combo to achieve and has proven to be immensely influential, of course.

 

As the folks over at Pitchfork acknowledged in their 2009 appraisal of the Fabs’ remastered catalog, the shadow cast by this album, even in these fractured times, is “so pervasive and so instructional regarding the way music is crafted and sold to the public that [the album format] is still the predominant means of organizing, distributing and promoting new music…decades later, well after the decline of physical media.”

 

Not too shabby.

 

Released June 1st, 1967.

ANNIVERSARIES: Bachelor No.2 or The Last Remains of the Dodo

AIMEE MANN
Bachelor No.2 or The Last Remains of the Dodo
[SuperEgo-2000]

 
Co-produced by the great Jon Brion, it was made with no record company backing (Interscope didn't hear a single and let her buy back the album's masters) and was initially sold on her website and at shows, garnering enough attention to be released worldwide and achieve respectable sales figures. (That it shares 4 songs with the Magnolia soundtrack, released 5 months prior, didn't hurt.)

Highly acclaimed and featured in many year-ending and decade best-of lists, it was re-released in a 20th anniversary, double vinyl edition in 2020.

On a personal note, 'Til Tuesday aside, I've never been much partial to this lady's work before or since this album. But this one is, undoubtedly, one of my fave albums of the 21st century, so far.

Released May 2, 2000.

MILESTONES: DISINTEGRATION

THE CURE
Disintegration
[Elektra-1989]

Released the year The Mopefather turned 30, the album was the result of quite a predicament: Robert Smith was feeling the pressure of attempting a definitive musical statement as he approached a personal milestone, while in the midst of redefining the band’s sound by purposely casting aside the ‘one-dimensional gloom merchants’ tag they had been saddled with in the past. That their record company feared the finished album would be commercial suicide, surely didn’t help things one bit.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see how those fears were unfounded. But at the time, the band had come off a run of poppy, hit singles and this new record was infused with a melancholy and darkness more in line with their notorious 1982 album Pornography.

Smith ultimately prevailed by embracing the consistency and sensibility of the band’s recent past and jettisoning certain indulgences, while retaining a sense of majesty and toning down any overt ‘happy’ pop elements.

On a personal note, I don’t exactly agree with South Park’s Kyle Broflovski, but I clearly understand why he was once moved to proclaim it "the best album ever!" since my love for it runs deep, as well.

Released May 2, 1989.

ANNIVERSARIES: Frosting On The Beater

THE POSIES
Frosting On The Beater
[DGC - 1993]

After signing with DGC for their critically acclaimed sophomore album Dear 23 [1990] (produced by John Leckie, whose vast resumé includes helming the board for the likes of Radiohead, Stone Roses, Simple Minds and XTC), the band found themselves with a well-received breakthrough release, which put them on the map and set the stage for a promising expansion of their fan base.

But a funny thing happened before the recording of album number three: the Belligham, WA power poppers watched the scene from neighboring Seattle blow up and whether by circumstance or design, their next record would evidence a harder hitting sound, while retaining the hooky melodies and smooth harmonies that had graced the previous album.

 

A rocking collection of songs from an outfit that decided to give more power to its pop, without diminishing either element, it features a few of their most beloved songs (including the one-two punch of “Solar Sister” and “Flavor of the Month”) and was released on April 27, 1993.

ST. SAMMY?

Here’s something I just realized that is very hard for me to acknowledge: Sammy Hagar saved Van Halen. Yup, he did.

How so? Even though Van Halen were never a hairband they were hairband adjacent, having been the inspiration for many of them, whether they realized it or not. So, I’m assuming the distinct possibility that the classic Van Halen sound would not translate to the Alt-rock ‘90s, when Seattle was the promised land and Lollapalpoza gathered the tribes.

With the Red Rocker on board, they became a poppier, more commercially palatable version of the band—Van Jovi, as I have taken to derisively refer to that phase—which enabled them to survive. (Not coincidentally, Bon Jovi themselves did the same thing in order to avoid the hairband graveyard of the ‘90s.)

Now, fans of the Diamond Dave years will question whether it was ever worth it for the band to survive without him. They would likely reason that the brothers Van Halen could’ve taken a break after they broke off with DLR and not recorded anything until their swan song, A Different Kind of Truth [Interscope-2012] and no one would be worse for the wear.

Of course, that was impractical not to mention an incredibly selfish point of view, especially to those who enjoyed Hagar’s stint with the band and they are in the millions. (So were the bank statements of those closely involved in this rock and roll merger.) And, as the esteemed Chuck Klosterman once wrote, after Roth's departure they were too young to retire and too successful to quit, so... 

But you can’t overlook how this led to the band’s not entirely positive mainstreaming, as well as their very uncool participation in the Crystal Pepsi soft drink fiasco and its ad campaign, which featured the VH song “Right Now”. Alternative Nation was not gonna be down with any of that.

So the question becomes, was it worth it to save Van Halen in order for them to make the records they did without the Diamond One?

I have an answer, of course, but the only one whose answer matters is you.

UNDOUBTEDLY AMAZED

PAUL McCARTNEY
McCartney
[Capitol - 1970]

Recorded mostly at home as his first formal post-Fabs musical statement, it was the recipient of scathingly negative reviews but managed to reach and stay at the top spot of the charts for three weeks in the US. (It peaked at #2 in the UK.) The passage of time, however, has been kind to this one: these days it’s remembered as the first of his lone-man trilogy of solo albums and has earned much critical re-evaluation in the decades since it appeared, not to mention being regarded as an influence on the lo-fi/DIY movement. (It’s considered the first “indie” album by the man himself.) 

 

And while it comes across, undoubtedly, as a sometimes ragged and somewhat unfinished affair overall, even at his shaggiest and carefree the man was capable of bringing the magic, as evidenced by “That Would Be Something”, “Every Night”, “Junk” and the timeless “Maybe I’m Amazed”.

 

Despite being the antithesis of the, in comparison, elaborate and ornate ‘Abbey Road’ (which was the bulk of the negative critiques this one garnered), the homespun charm of this collection of songs has caught the ear of quite a few of his musical peers and descendants, who have voiced their fondness for it over the years, including the likes of Neil Young and Paul Weller. (Even the shit-stirring grouches at Pitchfork like this one!)

 

Sadly, while its release date coincides with the death of his beloved wife—who passed away on this date in 1998—I like to think the album’s airy and delicate opening track, “The Lovely Linda” and the aforementioned “Maybe I’m Amazed”, of course, are wonderful reminders of the anchor who kept him from going adrift at this time in his life. And for many years to come.

 

In late September 2020, the album got a deluxe 50th anniversary reissue three months before the release of ‘III’, the third installment of his solo trilogy.

 

Released April 17, 1970.

THEY WANT TO BE ADORED

LIAM GALLAGHER / JOHN SQUIRE
self-titled
[WEA - 2024]

There are instances of things that occur without warning that make sense once they do but not before. For instance, I didn’t have this particular collaboration on my bingo card but it made sense as soon as it made news. Two legendary Mancs who complement each other on a basic level—Gallagher’s need for a proven songwriting guitarist and Squire, a guitar hero looking for a voice for his tunes—make for an intriguing if not not necessarily enticing pairing.

While there’s no Oasis or Stone Roses here, a strong reverence for music of the past is quite present: a bit of Merseybeat; a touch of psychedelic Beatles; some Hendrix and Page-influenced guitar licks, on what in essence is a 21st century classic rock record. Interestingly, its warm production comes from Greg Kurstin, the Grammy Award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist best known for working with the likes of Adele, All Saints, Pink, Sia and Jessica Simpson.

But at the end of the day, the songwriting is what has to carry the heavy load. And in this regard, the album is a decent but somewhat tentative affair. It ably showcases the talents of both these gentlemen, but feels like a nice opening salvo for a collaboration which might bear sweeter fruit down the road.

Released March 1, 2024.

 

New Way Home

 

FOO FIGHTERS
But Here We Are
[Roswell/RCA - 2023]

Early reviews suggest it’s a back-to-basics album, implying it’s a throwback to earlier records in the band’s catalog. There’s some truth to that—songwise, this one comes across as somewhat of a hybrid of The Colour and the Shape and There’s Nothing Left to Lose with, for good measure, a sprinkling of late ‘70s’/early ‘80s pop rock towards the back end. But those expecting or insinuating a return to the raw, aggressive sound and feel of the self-titled debut—which, coincidentally, was the last time Grohl played drums on an entire album for the band—are barking up the wrong tree. Well-oiled, veteran, arena rock acts rarely revisit their sonic roots. And if they do it's usually out of desperation, which is obviously not the case in this instance, as the band remains as popular as ever.

 

Many of this outfit’s detractors bemoan Grohl leaving behind the kit to become a frontman, thus depriving rock and roll of one of the most gifted drummers of his generation. Well, he’s back on this one and the results are what anyone would expect: the man hasn’t lost a step. But the sad, tragic reason why he’s behind the kit cannot be overlooked.

 

The album is dedicated to late drummer Taylor Hawkins and Grohl’s mom Virginia, whose death last summer went largely unreported. (“Rest” and “The Teacher”, in particular, seem to be directly inspired by their respective passing.) Grohl’s daughter Violet sings backup, noticeably on “Show Me How”, so there’s a bit of a family affair vibe, if not a festive one. This is, after all, a collection of songs responding to absence and grief. It’s not a dour listen, however—as the up-tempo rockers on the record’s first half clearly attest to—but meant to be an expression of catharsis and, as such, the band’s playful, sometimes gimmicky, often goofy vibe is not present on this one.

 

In the end, it’s a solid record from a band that’s been releasing albums longer than Kurt Cobain was alive. (Which in this instance is kind of fitting since the grief over his bandmate’s death was one of the reasons he started this one.) So, no earth-shattering musical developments just a pretty decent record, one that will be embraced the band’s followers but probably won’t draw in anyone who previously shunned them. I’m pretty sure Grohl is fine with that.

 

Released June 2, 2023.

Bittersweet Symphonies

THE LEMON TWIGS
Everything Harmony
[Captured Tracks-2023]

 

Despite having begun their careers as child Broadway actors, these 20-something, Long Island, NY multi-instrumentalist siblings have been formally doing the music thing since high school. And over an EP and three albums—one of them a wild rock opera—Brian and Michael D’Addario have shown themselves to be keen songwriters and arrangers who owe a debt of influence to another quirky set of siblings: the Mael brothers of Sparks.

 

But they’ve toned down that playful vibe and it’s other influences they channel on album number four: “Any Time of Day” evokes the Todd Rundgren of the early ‘70s; “What You Were Doing” could be a long lost Big Star song; and “I Don’t Belong to Me” is reminiscent of the Beach Boys’ less commercially successful but musically satisfying immediate post-Pet Sounds output, just to name a few.

 

To be honest, that a couple of musicians who weren’t even alive when Jellyfish disbanded in the early ‘90s—a band with whom they share some musical DNA, as well a bit of a sartorial kinship—this kind of well-crafted, bell-bottom melodicism that chronologically resides somewhere between 1966-1976, is a head-scratching (albeit quite welcome) surprise. Simply stunning. More, please.

 

Released May 5, 2023.

Lucky 13

GUIDED BY VOICES
Tremblers and Goggles by Rank
[GBV-2022]

In a continuous but seemingly furtive way, Bob Pollard and his most recent of co-horts (Bobby Bare Jr, Doug Gillard, Kevin March and Marc Shue) have made 13 albums in the 5 years since this lineup came together. Not only is this the longest stretch of any lineup in the band’s history but the music they’ve been putting out has been consistently solid if not as seminal as Bee Thousand [Scat-1994] or Alien Lanes [Matador-1995].

 

Their most recent platter denotes a desire to further expand their sonic palette with melodic and rhythmic shifts that reference prog rock if not necessarily embracing it full-on. But this is no surprise as Uncle Bob has made clear that prog is one of the “4 Ps”—pop, punk and psych being the other three—that inform his songwriting. (For what it’s worth, it’s also one of the more Who-centric records in their catalog.)

 

While I would recommend this one to both fans of the band and the uninitiated, I would suggest the latter group check out first single “Alex Bell” and then decide whether to delve further into the record. A tribute to Big Star’s founders Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, “Alex Bell” best encapsulates the feel and purpose of the album overall, as it weaves thru melodies and quick turns but in Uncle Bob’s own unmistakable way.

 

Released July 1, 2022.

Sad But True: Music Is All About Falling In Love

Recently, the CEO of a well-known music services company posted a video on YouTube in which he addressed an incident with a disgruntled client. Said client, according to the CEO, was enraged about spending a few hundred dollars on an ad service the company offers, which yielded no results in terms of further exposure for the client’s music. The client was livid and accused the company of all sorts of things. The CEO countered this with an analogy: treat your career like you would your body and health. Take the proper steps, have discipline and determination and you will have a better outcome. All of which sounds to me like “Get a job, work hard, save money and buy a house”. Duh. No one is hiring an ad service as a mundane, practical step but a way to get a leg up. And if it can’t deliver that…

But that’s not even it.

 

The sad, undeniable truth that no one wants to admit is that there is no formula or guarantee when it comes to your music. Spending nothing/a little/a lot is not really the key, because luck is the only factor involved when it comes to the music business. Luck may be important in everyday life but in the music business it’s the only thing.

 

You can have the catchiest, best produced songs, performed by a talented, visually appealing artist, spend millions on advertising and have it go nowhere. Meanwhile, somebody uploads their goofy little song to YouTube and/or Spotify and it goes viral without spending a penny on any kind of advertising. Some artists do exactly what the aforementioned CEO suggests above and are successful. Others have also done exactly what he says and have little or nothing to show for it.

 

Why?

 

Because contrary to current popular opinion, music is not a product that you can sell like a hammer or a screwdriver, for instance. When you need a work tool such as those, you find the best one you can afford and simply buy it. Music doesn’t work the same way. Acquiring music is like falling in love: it’s about feelings. It’s about how you feel about a certain kind of music. And they can thrust this particular artist or album or song in front of you via advertising and if you don’t connect with it you won’t acquire it. Even if it’s a style of music that you enjoy or even love. Because it’s about feelings. And, of course, luck.

Welcome To The Machine

JOSTABERRY
Hello Turbine
[Tangy Citrus - 2022]

 

On Jostaberry’s 2020 debut album, Greener Grass, the band (essentially the musical playground of multi-instrumentalist Bruce Hamilton) delivered an intoxicating mix of accessible yet interesting art pop that both challenged and delighted the ears, weaving through different elements and permutations of avant garde, prog and straight up rock and roll.

Album number two further delves into its predecessor’s spiritual allegiance to A Wizard A True Star-era Todd Rundgren, bursting with engaging melodies and idiosyncratic left turns that just seem to make sense regardless of context. But interesting arrangements and sympathetic production can only amount to clever trickery if the underlying songs aren’t up to snuff. Hamilton, as he’s demonstrated before, is not one to fall into that trap. Everything here sounds like it has meaning and purpose, yet the beating heart at its core is far from silent. This is music made with a purpose but anchored with emotion. Those expecting a sophomore slump can move along—nothing to see here. But if you want more of the tasty Jostaberry experience, or have yet to be initiated, dig in.

 

Highlights: “Roots”, “Connecting”, “The New Savannah”, “Tree Line”, “Planet”, “6 or 7 Miles After”.

After The Hurting

TEARS FOR FEARS
The Tipping Point
[Concord – 2022] 

The question of relevance in popular music is a tricky one these days. And is surely a significant point when taking into account the standing of a band whose so-called glory days were decades ago. But despite the obstacles of chronology often sidelining artists of similar vintage, these gentlemen have managed to maintain an admittedly less prominent, but continued presence within the popular landscape, not only with the enduring popularity of their songs, but also the inclusion of these in beloved movies, as well as nods by current artists such as Drake, Lorde and The Weeknd. And so, almost 20 years after their last album—the critically acclaimed return to form ‘Everybody Loves A Happy Ending’ [Universal - 2004]—a new collection of songs by the Bath, England duo has returned them to the spotlight.

 

The rekindling of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith’s long-standing but often interrupted friendship coupled with the overwhelming grief from the former’s beloved wife of 25 years passing in 2017, led the two old friends to reconvene in Smith’s Los Angeles home armed with acoustic guitars and not only purposely write some songs, but attempt to capture some of that old magic. Mission accomplished.

 

While Orzabal’s ruminations on his late wife and his new life without her inform these songs, it’s not a dour experience in the least, but one in which the cathartic balm of letting it out reflects a sense of peace and hope that dovetails with the band’s most uplifting moments. And while their trademark sonic palette is slightly less panoramic this time, it’s still imbued with the feel good nature of their big choruses and engaging melodies.

 

Welcome back, gentlemen. You have been sorely missed.

 

Released February 25, 2022.

Here We Are Now

CHUCK KLOSTERMAN
The Nineties: A Book
[Penguin Press – 2022]

To approach this tome as an exercise in nostalgia would be a mistake. What Klosterman does here is attempt to both explain what the last decade of the 20^th century was about from a cultural/social/political standpoint and, in doing so, place that chronological span in context. But because he’s made a name for himself absorbing, studying and commenting on pop culture, it becomes the lens thru which his observations and conclusions are refracted. Hence, his analysis equally explores in that manner the significance of the Nirvana/Kurt Cobain phenomenon; sports; the political implications of Ross Perot and his 1992 presidential campaign; and the rise of the internet, for instance.     

 

And while Klosterman is uniquely suited for a book of this nature, one that acknowledges and mostly focuses on how the youth of the time—aka Generation X, of which he is a member—were perceived and perceived themselves, he comes across here not so much as a participant but more like a well-sourced observer who knows the lingo, understands the vibe but isn’t really that attached to any of it. At least not as closely as one would expect. However, this approach, as it turns out, was Klosterman's deliberate intention to remove himself from the narrative as much as possible, for fear of turning the book into a memoir and thereby compromising his original mission in this case.

 

Regardless, in the end, this was the book that Klosterman was meant to write. The Nineties is an interesting and, at times, fascinating look at not just what mattered to a generation of young adults of that time and place, but also the way they processed the world around them, and how particular views and stances adopted by Gen-X were brought on by circumstances surrounding them that could not or would not be duplicated today. (The concepts of authenticity and "selling out" come to mind.) 

 

Klosterman has argued that the ‘90s are the last decade in American popular culture to have clearly delineated characteristics and identity, as opposed to the foggy interchangeability of the first couple decades of the 21^st century. For many of us, who have lived through these last three decades as adults, that murkiness rings quite true.

And Now For Something Different…

JONATHAN HEAGLE QUARTET

MURDER HORNETZ

PAT O’SHEA

Freddy’s

Park Slope, BKNY

12/4/21

 

Considering that Even Twice drummer Pat O’Shea was a comedian in a previous professional life, it’s not a stretch to ascribe a certain humorous vibe to the proceedings, although this evening's lineup was no joke.

 

O’Shea opened the evening at the legendary Brooklyn institution with an acoustic set, accompanying himself on guitar as he wove through parts of his band’s catalog, as well as covers and a song improvised on the spot. It a was a nice change of pace to hear the drummer in a completely different setting but not a foreign one, seeing as O’Shea had been a guitarist in Boston’s ‘90s rock scene.

 

He was back behind the kit for the debut of Murder Hornetz, a local quartet borne of remote recording at the height of the pandemic last year. Featuring guitarist Jonathan Heagle, bassist Josh Machlin (Les Sans Culottes), and guest Russell Crane on keyboards, along with the aforementioned O’Shea, the foursome’s originals may have tongue-in-cheek titles and references to Star Trek (“Herd Impunity”, “Prime Directive”) but they bring a rock sensibility to their blend of early ‘70s electric Miles Davis circa Jack Johnson with a touch of Wired era Jeff Beck. An auspicious start for a band not to be missed.

 

Heagle leads his own quartet (which features Crane on keyboards) but his is a modern jazz ensemble despite the presence of upright bass. The four piece execute Heagle’s compositions with a combination of conviction, dexterity and sensitivity that befits a high caliber jazz outfit such as this one. A pleasure, indeed. 

 

Not your typical Saturday night at Freddy’s—which leans heavily on the straight up rock and roll side—but sometimes those are the best ones.  

Over The Moon

FIELD MUSIC
Flat White Moon
[Memphis Industries-2021]

Starting with their fifth album, 2016’s Commontime, Field Music added some indie funk to their angular, prog-informed but highly melodic pop/rock, resulting in their most accessible record to date. 

On this, album number eight, they have weaved together all the elements that have previously characterized their sound in a possibly even more welcoming mix. 

Once again the brothers Brewis (multi-instrumentalists David and Peter) have put together a collection of songs that sounds inviting and familiar while openly displaying their influences without slavish devotion to any which one in particular. 

Highly recommended.