Baroness - Blue Record

Baroness
Blue Record
2009 Relapse

The fine folks at MetalSucks.net had been really hyping up the release of this album for weeks before its release, and they’re usually pretty reliable on their reviews and opinions, so I thought I’d investigate. I had only heard a couple of pieces of songs from Baroness’ debut, Red Album, and I heard a band influenced a lot by Mastodon/Neurosis/Isis, but also with a twist of alternative and indie rock influences not really present in those bands’ sounds. They weren’t the most original band I’d ever heard, but I didn’t dislike what I heard, either. On this, their new album, they’ve definitely found a signature “Baroness sound,” and it sounds fucking incredible.

The fine folks at Relapse allowed the band to stream this album in its entirety on their MySpace a few weeks prior to its release. I gave the album a listen and immediately played the whole thing again when I was done, I was that impressed. The musicianship is tight and innovative, but not overbearing or masturbatory in any way. These guys have chops, but they are most impressive when settling into a groove as a full unit. The album opens with the instrumental “Bullhead’s Psalm,” featuring a guitar melody that will be repeated a couple of times throughout the record, giving it a real album feel. This record is meant to be listened to from beginning to end, but the songs are also strong enough to stand out on their own.

Proper opener “The Sweetest Curse” opens with the most metallic riff the band has ever laid down, and at first it sounds a little Mastodon-ish, especially with the harsh vocals during the first verse. As the song opens up into more melodic passages, however, it’s evident that Baroness is an entirely different creature (pardon the pun). Around the 1:39 mark, the song gets into more groovy rock territory, not entirely unlike Kyuss, before some great guitar harmonies really bring things home. Having gone back and gotten into the band’s Red Album in recent weeks, it’s clear how much better developed the songs on Blue Record are. Red Album featured a lot of songs with numerous parts and riffs that sometimes only contained one real verse, whereas Blue has well-structured, composed songs that have musical and even vocal hooks. “Jake Leg” features a lot of twangy, southern rock-inspired riffing, and is far more rock-and-roll than metal, but it works greatly. It’s also worth noting that the production job by John Congleton really shines through with the use of loud/soft dynamics found at points throughout the song. He knows how to capture the band at full rock-out mode, but also in the quieter, more introspective parts.

On the quieter note, “Steel That Sleeps the Eye” sounds like something out of a 60’s folk record, with descending, overdubbed vocal harmonies over acoustic guitars, before eerie piano and electric guitar slowly build to a crescendo that leads into the stellar “Swollen and Halo.” Repeating some musical and vocal hooks from “Steel…,” “Swollen and Halo” is balls-out, heavy rock, full of awesome catchy riffs. The instrumental interlude “Ogeechee Hymnal” follows, repeating the “Bullhead” theme from the intro, this time sounding a little more distorted and heavy. This leads into what I think is the best song on the album, “A Horse Called Golgotha.”

Twangy stop-start riffs open up “Horse…” before the drums explode into a shuffling, heavy groove emphasized by some Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden-esque dual guitar harmonies. The chorus from this song was stuck in my head for days, and this song just cements the fact that Baroness have 100% their own sound. Drummer Alan Bickle really shines on this song, pounding the drums on the choruses, but laying down an almost disco-esque beat during the verses. The song opens up into more proggy, experimental territory in the middle section after the solo, but absolutely crushes at 4:25 in. An absolutely fantastic song in all aspects. “O’er Hell and Hide” opens with some great acoustic guitar, before turning into a moody rock shuffle with odd, disorienting spoken word passages sprinkled throughout.

“War, Wisdom and Rhyme” has an almost oldschool metal feel to it, with some solid riffing and a heavy, stomping rhythm. The part at 3:41is an all-out guitar dual that sounds like it could have come from Iron Maiden’s Killers. Probably the second heaviest song on the album, this is another winner in an album that really doesn’t miss. “Blackpowder Orchard” sounds like it could’ve been recorded in the backwoods of Deliverance, with some finger-picked acoustics and major key electric guitar harmonies throughout. Some people think interludes like this are throwaway tracks, but I think it brings a cohesion and flow to the album that makes it feel like more than just a collection of (awesome) songs.

“The Gnashing” echoes a riff from Red Album’s “Grad,” only a little more upbeat and melodic here. This song has an urgent, frantic pace to it once the vocals kick in, and it’s another heavy riff rocker. John Baizley sounds incredibly powerful yet vulnerable throughout, lending an almost melancholic feel. The album closes, yet again, with the “Bullhead” theme, this one titled “Bullhead’s Lament.” The guitar harmonies in this one recall the middle section of Metallica’s “Orion,” and it’s a perfect way to end a near-perfect album.

I’m normally not into the quasi-metal, quasi-rock, quasi-indie stuff, but this album is heavy enough, rocking enough, and not nearly as pretentious as a lot of stuff that gets labeled as “hipster metal” (which is a stupid term to begin with, but I won’t even get started on that). I almost avoided this simply because of the hype and positive reviews I’d been seeing everywhere, but I’m very happy that I didn’t. This is a band that has really come into their own, and this album is highly recommended for anybody who wants to hear a truly original, truly powerful rock band.

(Side note: I recommend buying the deluxe edition CD, which comes with a second disc, a live set from 2008, and you can get a much better look at frontman/guitarist John Baizley’s incredible album artwork as well.)

A

Matt Steele

Let's Talk Turkey! #1

Welcome to a new feature on the Musicarium, "Let's Talk Turkey!" In this column my associate Brendan Leonard and I will discuss various topics, many of which you, the reader, will have no interest in! Ready? Let's Talk Turkey!

John's Expository Question: Why do you think that the NL is a better brand of baseball than the AL, despite the presence in the batting lineup of players who are incapable of hitting the baseball?

Brendan's Initial Response: Jackie, Jackie, Jackie. I bet you like The Phantom Menace more than Empire? Do you find yourself longing for the official death of the compact disc, as to give way to the convenience of the MP3? I am sure you prefer "Coke Zero" over "Coke-a-Cola?" Not me my friend, I prefer the real thing. A game where the nine men posted on the lineup card are expected to play the field and hit the ball, you know, play baseball.

I don't mind the AL, or the DH, for that matter. What does get me fired up is when AL snobs thumb their collective noses at the NL. They dismiss it as "boring" or "a second tier league." While there's certainly more offense in the AL (thus making it harder to pitch in that league) the NL offers more strategy, more surprise, and more athleticism. One of my favorite moments as a Chicago Cubs fan is when Pitcher and badass Kerry Wood belted a 3 run homer to tie game 7 of the 2003 NLCS. I won't go into how that one ended, but it's moments like that that make the game unpredictable and fun to watch.

Sure, 9 out of 10 times pitchers are nothing more than a time consuming out, but every once and a while something spectacular happens. Pitchers' batting also allows for more under-arching story lines to develop, often times lost on the Sportscenter/Deadspin bred "sports" fans. Hypothetical: it's game 7 of the NLCS, it's 1-1 in the 7th inning. Your pitcher is lights out, but is at bat with 2 outs and a man on 2nd. What does the manager do? I love these moments, the game within the game, the decisions that can make or break a season. This only happens in the NL. In the AL, it's easier and more black and white, all a manager needs to worry about is when to pull a pitcher when he's struggling, which is pretty obvious most of the time. If he's in trouble, yank him, or pull a Grady Little.

So Jackie, other than being a Red Sox fan, why would you prefer the AL? I would suggest you're yet another victim of the "Sportscenter-ization" of the American sports fan.

John's Rebuttal:

Well, it's true that I grew up a Red Sox fan and an AL guy, as you grew up a Cubs/NL guy. So obviously we're predestined to feel the way we do on the subject. But you said it yourself; "sure 9 out of 10 times pitchers are nothing more than a time consuming out". Why do I want to watch that? The one time out of ten the pitcher manages a seeing-eye single doesn't completely discount the 90% out rate. It's boring and illogical. There's a man taking up one of the precious nine spots in the batting order, that for all intents and purposes, cannot hit.

The strategy aspect you mention rings hollow, too. Is it really riveting, edge of your seat stuff for a manager to call for the pitcher to lay down a sacrifice? I feel like National League fans act as if the double switch is brain surgery that only "their managers" can comprehend. It's pretty fucking easy to follow, and I don't think AL managers are/would be dumbfounded by the concept. And AL fans aren't lunkheaded morons who just love to see moon shots and nothing more; we appreciate the game just as much as NL fans. Just because the NL has been around slightly longer and because there's more "strategy" involved doesn't automatically make that league somehow superior.

I prefer the AL because it's more difficult and because it's a true test of a baseball player. If a player succeeds in the AL, chances are they can succeed anywhere in the league. The reverse of that is not necessarily true. We see it all the time. Pitchers the caliber of Greg Maddux (taking nothing away from him) used to say they'd never pitch in the AL. Pitchers like Brad Penny and John Smoltz, with proven pedigrees and track records, haven't been able to hack it in the AL. Middling pitchers like Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver have struggled mightily in the AL and then turned into 1968 Bob Gibson in the National League. It's simply tougher to play in the AL; the pitching's better, the hitting's better, the lights are brighter, and the pressure is up. Is that not true?

Brendan's Counterpoint:

First off, let me tell a quick story. About a year ago I got a phone call from you while you were playing a baseball game for PlayStation 3, and the purpose of the call was to ask me how to effectively pull off a double switch. I explained it, and you executed it. While I agree it's far from brain surgery, you still didn't know how to do it, thus making your "AL fans aren't lunkheaded morons who just love to see moon shots and nothing more" comment a tad off base, but I digress.

I agree with you, it's certainly harder to play in the AL, and that is solely because of the DH. Not only because the pitcher doesn't have to bat, but also because the DH frees up lineup spots for potential free agents or trade acquisitions. Take your beloved Red Sox, for example; there are rumors that they're going to go after Padres first base masher Adrian Gonzalez this offseason. They are doing this despite the fact that they already have two capable first baseman. If they were to get Adrian Gonzalez, they'd move "The Greek God of Walks" to third, and Cool Uncle Mike Lowell and David "I'm too out of shape to play the field" Ortiz would share DH duty.

Essentially they don't have to get rid of anyone of purpose to gain someone of purpose. Sure, some players will get less playing time, but they still will have tremendous depth in case of injury. Now take my Cubs; they simply can't get Gonzalez without getting rid of Derrek Lee. I am aware that he's less versatile than Youk, but for argument's sake let's say he can play third. If you move him to third, then Aramis Ramirez is out of the lineup, and more likely off the team. I am aware of your argument about high priced players not wanting to DH, but what if they're acquired from a trade? Look no further than Victor Martinez last year, you got him (a capable catcher/1B) and you didn't have to get rid of any of your normal starters or change your lineup drastically. The DH allows you to do so, a luxury that doesn't exist in the NL.

So while you say it's harder to "play" in the AL, and I agree with you, keep in mind that the rules of the league allow teams to build deeper/more talented teams than the NL. Now you could argue that this makes for a better brand of baseball because of these stacked teams, but I find it pretty sterile and expensively cheap. It's probably why 5 of the top 6 payrolls in the Major Leagues belong to AL teams (the Mets are the lone NL team in the group - a fact that makes me chuckle). Call me old fashioned but I still love the games within the game of baseball. Subtle nuance and tradition is still alive and well in the NL, the same cannot be said (to a degree) about the AL. Again, I am of the ilk that if you are expected to field you should be expected to hit. But god forbid Chien-Ming Wang be forced to run the bases.

"I just think it's time the NL joined the 21st century... Truthfully NL owners should be concerned with it, even with the practice their pitchers get doing it. You don't need to lose your best pitcher. The pitcher has enough work to do. It's something Bud (Selig) needs to address and he needs to address it soon. Don't give me that traditionalist crap."

- Yankees Owner/AL Buffoon Hank Steinbrenner's reaction to starting Pitcher Chien-Ming Wang hurting himself running from third to home.

John's Response:

First, I want to say that your story is true, but in a way is proves my point. I'm an AL guy, and though I've obviously watched NL games in my lifetime, I wasn't fully aware how to perform a double switch. I asked you, you told me how to do it, and I immediately executed it successfully. So, as I said in my original point, it really isn't hard to do. NL managers and NL fans shouldn't be lauded as smarter baseball people because they have different rules that any baseball fans can pick up right away.

Your points about the AL as compared to the NL are moot points, as well. I agree with them in theory; I can't argue that the AL teams have more flexibility to make moves than NL teams. But all NL teams are operating under the same set of rules and restrictions, as are AL teams. NL teams are competing against each other based on those same decision-making principles; they're not at an inherent disadvantage against each other, which is really all that matters. AL teams can add another bat if they have the resources; as you mentioned, the Red Sox are looking at adding Adrian Gonzalez and having Ortiz and Lowell split DH time. But players that play the field are always more valuable than those that can't, and without the DH the AL teams would simply drop the old, broken down hitters the way NL teams have to. I think that you overstate the importance of this roster spot; AL teams aren't going to bring a marquee player in to play DH, they simply shuffle an older guy or a "professional hitter" to that spot. In any case, the fact that each league operates under the same principles makes this argument not really matter.

You also write, "Call me old fashioned but I still love the games within the game of baseball. Subtle nuance and tradition is still alive and well in the NL, the same cannot be said (to a degree) about the AL". But at what point does the "new" rule become tradition itself? The DH has been in place in the AL since 1973; that's a pretty long fucking time. It was ten years before either of us were born, and it's now an important part of baseball in itself. Just because something existed a certain way before the DH doesn't automatically mean the DH is stupid. I'd like to think that 36 years with the rule would be long enough for it to be considered tradition in and of itself.

Additionally, it's not fair for you to quote Hank Steinbrenner as if he speaks for anyone with half a brain, let alone me. As Homer Simpson's hippie associates once said, "This man does not represent us."

Brendan's Final Thoughts:

When I was watching game 4 of the World Series last night, a series in which I have little emotional investment, I found myself screaming at the TV during one particular at bat. Pitcher C(arsten) C(harles) Sabathia was up with runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. This was an obvious bunting situation. CC showed bunt right away and waived his bat as if he was trying to execute a billiards trick-shot at the first pitch. Eventually he struck out with a similarly dismal bunt attempt. I said to my friend, "If that was Greg Maddux (longtime NL pitcher/badass), those runners would be at 2nd and 3rd right now." The point of this story is not how AL pitchers can't bunt, we know this, the point is that I really do like the fact that the two leagues are so different because of that one simple rule.

Admittedly, if I were a White Sox fan I am sure I would prefer the American League, but my choice of allegiance to a team is the foundation for my allegiance to the NL. It's what I know, what I am used to, and what I am, in a weird way, proud of. But the fact that there are different rules for these two leagues makes baseball more interesting as a whole. The scenario I described earlier is microcosm of how the little things in the World Series, the battle of the NL's best versus the AL's best, can be captivating. Especially since the emergence of interleague play, I am glad there are still things that differentiate the two leagues. I like seeing the career path of AL lifer vets (i.e. Johnny Damon) vs. NL lifer vets (i.e. the Captivating Craig Counsell). I like when AL headhunters (Roger Clemens) are forced to bat, and face teams that may have a score to settle. And most of all, Jackie my boy, the dichotomy of these two cherished leagues just gives us another thing to argue about. For that, I am very grateful.

Brendan Leonard/John Lacey

The Dailies 10/28/09: Corporations, MAN!

Trailerz

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Dir: Guy Hamilton. Principals: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray

Diamonds Are Forever is a customarily fun, goofy James Bond romp, but unfortunately this installment is probably the poorest that Sean Connery appeared in (save his unofficial remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again). The plot isn’t as sharp as the earlier films, there isn’t as much excitement, and certain scenes are downright ludicrous. In one scene, James Bond commandeers a moon rover (top speed: 15 MPH) and manages to outrun a team of assassins outfitted with ATV’s and motorcycles. Bond movies are often ridiculous, but we’re forgiving of that for the most part because James Bond is such a great character and because we come to expect craziness in these films. It takes something truly baffling to stand out in a negative way in a Bond film.

I don’t watch Bond movies for psychologically driven realistic action, but I do like to have at least a tenuous grasp of the plot to put the explosions and car chases in the right context. I had no idea what was going on in terms of the storyline while I was watching Diamonds Are Forever, and I have even less of an idea now. Bond films usually have nonsensical world domination plotlines, and I’m fully on board with that, provided I can follow them. This film tried so hard to create a zany but engaging plot that it outsmarted itself and caused everything to become a big mess.

Of course, Connery is the film’s chief asset, and he’s terrific in the role as usual. His portrayal of James Bond is as easygoing and at home as ever, and the genteel and nonchalant manner he lends to Bond is just as exciting as the explosions and ridiculousness all around him. A Bond movie starring Connery always makes for at least solid entertainment, but in the case of Diamonds Are Forever, we don’t get much more than that. C+. (Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound).

The Dirty Dozen (1967) – Dir: Robert Aldrich. Principals: Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, Robert Ryan.

The Dirty Dozen is a late 60s war/caper film starring iconic tough guy Lee Marvin, and is one of my first forays into this area. Marvin, playing main character Major Reisman, gives the film its legs, and he’s surrounded by recognizable and capable actors (Donald Sutherland, John Cassavetes, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Charles Bronson, and even football legend Jim Brown). In the film, Marvin is tasked with training a group of soldiers, all of whom are either serving long prison sentences or have been sentenced to death. Their mission is to storm a German-controlled chateau in France (the film is set in WWII) and kill all said Germans inside. If the group cooperates and are successful, their sentences will be commuted.

The best scenes of The Dirty Dozen show Marvin interacting with the men, slowly gaining their trust, respect and confidence. They work together to play pranks on Col. Breed, (Ryan), who is trying to figure out what Marvin’s top secret mission is all about. The joy of The Dirty Dozen is watching the men go from sarcastic and sadistic one-dimensional killers to strong characters, each with a distinct personality and mannerisms. The way Marvin is then able to combine these personalities into a tight-knit combat unit is fun to watch unfold.

My issue with The Dirty Dozen is that its end result feels a bit pointless. Maybe I’m unaccustomed to “rah-rah” war films such as this, but at the end, the group blows the shit out of some Germans and a number of them die. There’s no emotional denouement; in fact, watching what had essentially been lighthearted fare for two hours to that point made the film’s ending odd and unsatisfying. C+. (The Dirty Dozen won an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects, and was also nominated for Supporting Actor (Cassavetes), Film Editing and Sound).

Feature Presentation

The Corporation (2003)
Directors: Mark Achbar & Jennifer Abbott
Featuring: Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, Milton Friedman, Ray Anderson, countless other talking heads

If you want to watch a film that will provide you with a comprehensive source of ammunition against the biggest corporations in the United States and across the world, The Corporation is for you. This documentary cites countless specific examples of corporations engaging in various illegal and immoral practices; animal cruelty, support of despotic and dictatorial regimes, financial fraud, layoffs. You name it, and The Corporation covers it.

The Corporation doesn’t make too many bones about what it is. Its aim is to show a viewer, who may not be aware of what’s going on in the world, what these companies are doing and essentially how they’re going to destroy humanity if we don’t intervene in some way. It fires shots at big companies (and, by extension, the capitalistic system that enables these companies to grow and thrive) and simply lays out the awful things they do. As such, The Corporation is absolutely a well-done and powerful documentary. The things corporations will do for an extra dollar, and their immorally numb mindset while committing willfully heinous acts, are truly frightening. The Corporation definitely had my blood boiling at points.

I don’t think it’s fair, however, for a film to take one side on an issue like this without offering alternatives or ideas on how we can make things better. The viewer is subjected to 2 ½ hours of disheartening footage of companies doing everything from suppressing negative news stories to creating environmental catastrophes. After such a marathon, the film needs to put forth some sort of theory as to how the people can change things and what we can do to protect ourselves. Small victories of civilians over corporations are mentioned towards the end of the film, but these feel shoehorned in and not nearly strong enough to help combat everything that came before. The Corporation is a bit too bleak for its own good.

The film would also be better if it didn’t delve into potshots and childish antics. One of its scenes begins with muted video clips of a child’s birthday, with the narrator talking about how “Happy Birthday” is a copyrighted piece owned by a corporation that charges $10,000 for films to use it. In another scene, the CEO of Goodyear Tire is talking about how layoffs are the hardest part of his job, and underneath him we see a subtitle that “Goodyear laid off 4,000 workers since 2001” or something like that. It comes off as a bush-league approach that works to undermine the film’s own point. It’s truly too bad they take this route, because the commentary of some of the CEO’s interviewed for the film provided some of the most insightful thoughts and ideas presented here.

The Corporation gets the easy part down; corporations are bad, and here’s why. It does a real good job of presenting this argument. But the hard part, and the interesting part, is: what can we really do about it?

C+

John Lacey

The Simpsons Project #8

The Simpsons Project #8 (Season 1, Episode 8)
The Telltale Head
Original airdate: 2/25/90

“The Telltale Head” is one of the most famous early episodes of The Simpsons, dealing with Bart’s response to peer pressure and his desire to be popular and fit in with the cool kids at Springfield Elementary. His struggles with self-confidence and his yearning to be more accepted at school provide the dual consequence of deepening Bart’s character exponentially and giving us one of the most relatable of all Simpsons episodes.

We open with Homer and Bart carrying the severed head of the statue of town founder Jebediah Springfield while being chased by an angry mob through the streets of Springfield. No group of people forms a better angry mob than the denizens of Springfield, who come complete with pitchforks, torches, and threats of death and dismemberment. They eventually corner the two Simpsons, and Bart pleads with them for a little time to tell the story of how they came to be in their predicament. The show begins its long run of self-aware jokes, with Bart pleading that he only needs “twenty three minutes and five seconds” to tell his story.

The episode then flashes back to a recent Sunday morning. The family is off to church, and Homer has some golden moments here; frantically watching a football game he bet $50 on and then listening to it on headphones while in church. The radio broadcast of the game matches perfectly with the mouth and body movements of Reverend Lovejoy, providing a humorous moment where Homer screams for joy out loud because the team he bet on hit a game winning field goal. The first act of “The Telltale Head” helps to establish that Homer’s constant boobery and the perennially bad example he sets for Bart build the foundation for the boy’s misbehavior.

On the drive home from church, Bart notices that the Aztec Theater is playing Space Mutants IV. Marge forbids him to see it, but Bart sneaks out and goes anyway and encounters local bullies Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney (in their first appearances). They’re the “worst” and coolest kids in school, and they invite Bart to sneak into the movie with them. Bart is conflicted because he doesn’t want to steal, but his desire to fit in causes him to join them anyway.

It’s interesting to watch the initial interactions between Bart and the bullies. Feelings between Jimbo’s gang and Bart have vacillated throughout the course of the series between mutual respect to the bullies treating Bart like any other potential victim in the school. These characters have been around so long and have been so fleshed out over 21 seasons that it’s refreshing to see the origins of their relationships and a time when some of these tertiary characters were unknown and still being developed.

The group ends up being caught and kicked out of the theater, and they take to the town square to watch passing clouds. One looks like the statue of Springfield patriarch Jebediah Springfield, only without his head attached. The bullies start talking about how funny it would be if someone did cut the statue’s head off, to which Bart objects. Jimbo, Dolph and Kearney rag on Bart for defending the town’s history and leave him behind, planting the idea in his head to cut the head of the statue to show how cool he is.

Before he acts on his impulse, Bart decides to ask Homer whether it’s really important to be popular, which was probably a bad decision. Homer, of course, says that being popular is the most important thing in the world, pushing Bart further toward vandalizing the statue.

Bart eventually goes through with the act, and everyone in town mourns. The bullies have even changed their tune, now respecting Jebediah and wishing to pummel the perpetrator. Bart’s guilt over the incident causes him to start hearing the disembodied head speaking to him, telling him to fess up and admit his wrongdoing and replace the head.

Homer is cajoled into helping Bart due to his earlier idiotic advice, and the two head downtown to replace it. We rejoin the beginning of the story at this point, and the crowd, swayed by Bart’s honesty, decides not to kill him, and instead basks in the glory of the repaired statue.

The early episodes of The Simpsons often do not contain the mind-boggling hilarity of what would come later in the series, but the stories are amazingly strong. “The Telltale Head” continues to strongly establish the characters of Homer, Bart, and Marge, while shedding some light on Homer and Marge as a parental unit and the influence they have on their son. It brings in some other players for the first time while giving lines to other secondary characters like Moe, Barney, Mr. Burns, Smithers and Krusty. Another early winner.

B+

“I can understand why they wouldn’t let in those wild jungle apes, but what about those really smart ones, who live among us, who roller-skate and smoke cigars?” – Homer, upon hearing from Bart that his Sunday school teacher said apes aren’t allowed into Heaven.

Pearl Jam - Backspacer

Pearl Jam
Backspacer
2009 Monkeywrench

Pearl Jam is in a bit of an odd situation because they’ve released pretty much nothing but strong albums for their entire career, but yet people are clamoring for a “comeback” from them; essentially asking them to make another Ten. People have yearned for a “return to form” from Pearl Jam since Vitalogy was released in 1994, and though they have been a bit further out of the public eye than they were in their heyday, they never really got “worse”. Granted, their previous record, Pearl Jam (2006), left a bit to be desired, but Pearl Jam is not a band that completely lost it or fell by the wayside.

It’s into this rather bizarre atmosphere that Pearl Jam released Backspacer. Like Pearl Jam before it, many early press clippings either heralded it as a return to the band’s roots or lambasted it as inferior to their classic albums. People, critics and fans alike, don’t seem content to let this band’s albums stand on their own as they had done through Riot Act (2002). Their memory of the band and its music has collapsed on itself. It’s as if the prevailing attitude is, “OK, this is all well and good, but where’s ‘Even Flow’?” This attitude is allowed to fester not because Pearl Jam didn’t go out of their way to do something they’ve already done, but because the songs on both Backspacer and Pearl Jam aren’t all that good and aren’t convincing the audience that their direction is something to be interested in.

Backspacer starts with two conventional but solid hard rock tunes, “Gonna See My Friend” and “Get Some”. Both move along quickly, feature engaging melodies and strong guitar work, and they play to a great strength of the band; fast-paced, 2-3 minute memorable bursts of energy. These are the kinds of songs that become the band’s concert staples. “The Fixer”, the lead single, follows and is absolutely the best song on the album. The song features a commanding, powerful riff combined with impeccable vocals (and inflection) from singer Eddie Vedder. “The Fixer” leaves an impression in a way only a great Pearl Jam song can, with a kickass melody that stands out and truly makes itself known. “Johnny Guitar” continues the good work by giving us one of the band’s signature melodic breakdowns before turning around back into the opening riff. The best Pearl Jam songs are those where Vedder’s vocals and the guitar work intertwine and feed off each other, which happens here and in “The Fixer”. So far, so good.

“Just Breathe” follows, and serves to ruin much of the momentum the album had. It sounds nice enough, but it’s a little too sappy to immediately follow the previous songs, and it just sounds like they’re trying a bit too hard to make another “Last Kiss”. Pearl Jam has written a lot of very good “sentimental” songs (“Off He Goes”, “Thumbing My Way”) but this one rings a bit hollow.

Most previous Pearl Jam releases often had big-sounding, grandiose rock songs which lent those albums weight and strength. “Against the Waves” provides Backspacer with that much needed quality, and is quickly followed by “Unthought Known” which continues the big sound laid forth on the previous track. These two songs re-establish the album’s momentum and add some much needed importance to the proceedings; after all, this is a new Pearl Jam album, for fuck’s sake!

It’s unfortunate that the album starts off so well only to fizzle down the stretch. “Supersonic” is another 2 ½ minute speed-burst that doesn’t do anything too memorable, and “Speed of Sound” is simply puzzling; it sounds like something Marc Cohn might record. Despite the good songs that came before, Backspacer truly is a disjointed record. Things don’t fit together very well, and though the best songs do manage to rise above some of the filler on the album, the contrast of sounds from track to track is often jarring. It almost sounds like they took their best or favorite eleven songs and jumbled them together without rhyme or reason. The album is closed by “Force of Nature” and “The End”; the first a rather bland, uncomplicated rock song and the latter another soft number that serves as an adequate ending for the album.

Backspacer is a mixed bag. I don’t care that they didn’t remake Ten, but there’s no immediacy here. There are some good songs, sure, but there’s nothing here that demands my attention (save “The Fixer”). Backspacer has no real flow or steady tempo, instead moving from one place to another without cause or justification. I used to think there was a sonic largeness to some of the older songs, an importance. But maybe, all the while, I was just younger and hearing things differently.

C+

John Lacey

Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue

Alice in Chains
Black Gives Way To Blue
2009 Virgin/EMI

Replacing a lead singer and maintaining your integrity is not an easy thing. AC/DC did it after the death of Bon Scott, by continuing on with Brian Johnson and releasing the near-perfect Back in Black. Anthrax did it following the firing of Joey Belladonna, by reinventing their thrash sound with a more mature-yet-raw sound on Sound of White Noise with John Bush at the helm. And those are the only two examples that come to mind. Sure, plenty of bands have replaced singers and kept touring as nostalgia acts (Journey, Boston), while other bands tried to reinvent themselves but failed miserably (Motley Crue circa 1993).

It makes sense, really. People grow very attached to the frontman, and there’s a reason they’re called the frontman; more often than not, they are the face of the band. Alice in Chains arguably had two frontmen as their career progressed – Layne Stayley, on vocals and occasional rudimentary rhythm guitar, and Jerry Cantrell, on guitar and vocals. By the release of their third, self-titled album in 1995, Layne’s role as a vocalist had become almost a 50/50 split with Cantrell, quite different than the dynamic present on the group’s debut Facelift. The band still had a signature sound, and Staley’s ongoing drug problems consistently prevented the band from touring. In 1996 they performed the classic MTV Unplugged set that was Layne’s last national TV performance with the band. While the group never officially split up, they did not release an album until 2001’s live compilation, Live. Layne passed away a year later, in April of 2002.

The three remaining members of Alice in Chains – Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney – performed as Alice in Chains for the first time during a tsunami benefit in 2005, with various guest vocalists. The group’s performance lit a flame under them, and they recruited Cantrell’s solo band/tourmates Comes With the Fall’s vocalist/guitarist William Duvall to begin a slow process of playing shows. These shows eventually led to writing, and eventually recording. Some fans thought that anything released post-Layne would tarnish the group’s legacy, and I have to admit, I was also skeptical of the reunion until I saw the band live on two separate occasions. William Duvall not only proved himself to me as a great performer, but he has a great voice that’s also distinct, and he is a great guitar player to boot.

After two years of working together in the studio, the band has finally released their long-awaited, fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue, and I have to admit, it more than lives up to the Alice in Chains legacy. This album combines the best elements of AiC’s back catalogue – the twisted stomp of “A Looking in View” and “Last of my Kind”, the somber acoustic songs with “When the Sun Rose Again”, “Your Decision” and the title-track, and the moody, melodic “Check My Brain” – but there is a vitality and freshness in the recording that hasn’t been heard by the band since 1993’s Dirt. Alice in Chains was a dark, depressing album, and while Black… has its share of dark moments, there are also underlying messages of hope and resurrection in the lyrics.

How does Duvall hold up on the album? Well, for one thing, the 50/50 vocal dynamic present on Alice in Chains is still evident here, although I don’t know if this was a conscious decision or not. I personally think the band just did this in order to better fit the songs. “Last of my Kind” is the only track where Duvall is singing alone, but he also handles lead sections on “A Looking in View” and the brilliant “Private Hell,” which is reminiscent of the multi-tracked Layne harmonies of “Rotten Apple”. His harmonies are layered throughout the Cantrell-led songs, as well, so his presence is definitely felt, and also brings a new piece to the puzzle. He definitely does not sound like a newcomer or someone in over his head, and this album sounds like a true band, not 3 guys and a hired gun.

The album ends with the beautifully haunting title-track, a bare-bones acoustic number featuring Jerry Cantrell handling the lead vocals, and none other than Elton John playing some great subdued piano work. Cantrell has admitted in interviews that the build-up to recording this track caused him massive migraines and back aches, but once he recorded it, he likened it to finally “puking up a big bunch of grief” over the loss of his great friend and former bandmate, Staley. Let me say, you can really tell when listening to the track, which honestly almost moved me to tears the first time I heard it. The album ends with the line, “Lay down/black gives way to blue/lay down/I remember you,” and it’s as emotionally heavy as the iconic ending to “Would?” which closed out Dirt.

The only song I would probably leave off of this album is the track “Take Her Out,” which is rocking and melodic, but also doesn’t have any real arresting riffs or hooks. Aside from that, this album is pretty much flawless. It’s more than a comeback, and more than a return-to-form (truth is, they never really left their form at all); it’s new life breathed into a band that still has plenty to offer.

A-

Matt Steele

The Dailies 10/4/09: Intrigue and Such!

Trailerz

Doubt (2008) – Dir: John Patrick Shanley. Principals: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis

Shortly after the release of Doubt, friend and one-time blog contributor Mike Keefe said that the film worked so well because it requires something from the audience. I’d agree that this feeling is the key reason why this film is so good. Doubt’s plot revolves around accusations of inappropriate behavior between a priest and a student at a Catholic school in New York. Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the accused Father Flynn, staunchly defends himself against the allegations, but can never quite fully articulate his innocence. Streep, as school principal Sister Aloysius, presents a strong case against him, yet cannot support her position with any hard facts. It’s this battle of wills that drives the film.

Doubt is a very powerful film about conviction and fairness, and, well, doubt, all taking place under the supposed eyes of God, which brings even more weight to the actions of the characters. With its conclusion, the film isn’t trying to have us answer the question of whether Flynn actually committed the offense, rather showing us weakness and humanity in the most unshakable of characters. A-. (Doubt was nominated for five Academy Awards last year, including Actress (Streep), Supporting Actor (Hoffman), Supporting Actress (Adams), Supporting Actress (Davis), and Adapted Screenplay.)

Flight of the Conchords: Season 2 (2009) – Principals: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal, Arj Barker

Part of the reason that it’s taken me so long to write a Dailies column since the last edition is that I took in the entire second season of Flight of the Conchords, which I originally missed when it aired earlier this year on HBO. Friends of mine had told me that this season was far inferior to the first, but I was delighted to find that this isn’t the case. Some of the songs may be a bit less inspired, but there’s not a clunker in this group of ten episodes.

I won’t go into too much detail; if you liked the first season, you’ll like the second. The ninth episode of the bunch, “Wingmen”, features one of the funniest moments I’ve seen on the show. Bret attempts to ask the clerk of a local pet store on a date with the help of Jemaine and their pawn shop owning friend Dave (Barker). Bret enters the store with a walkie-talkie, through which Jemaine and Dave communicate with him right in front of the girl. They have him say a variety of stupid things, and when she notices the walkie-talkie, Jemaine tells Bret to explain (over the walkie-talkie, within hearing distance of the girl) that it’s just an “old iPod”. The zaniness of this scene and these episodes in general make for a strong season and foster hope that there will be at least one more season to follow. A-.

Feature Presentation

The Informant! (2009)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Principal Actors: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey

I think a lot of people, including myself, might have been fooled by the ads for The Informant! The film is technically a comedy, because it contains many moments of levity and displays many eccentricities. But at its heart, it really isn’t very funny. Its protagonist, Mark Whitacre (Damon) is a pathological liar who can’t get out of his own way. He, too, has quirks and traits that create chuckles. While wearing a wire to his office, he creates a narration, explaining into his sport coat lapel everything he does and everyone he encounters. He carries himself with a goofy Midwestern charm. His voiceovers during the movie are essentially non-sequiturs, with very little relevance to the action at hand. His tics do lighten up the proceedings along the way, but they also provide us with insight into the character that we only fully comprehend when the film is over and we can look back on everything. The Informant! is an incredibly deliberate film, with each scene adding a new layer on what came before it to paint a picture of a desperate and pathetic man with hardly a sense of who he is or what he’s doing.

Mark Whitacre is a rising star at ADM, a company that processed cereal grains and oilseeds into products used in food, beverages, and other materials worldwide (courtesy Wikipedia). Mark, however, has a problem. There’s a virus in the lysine, a food additive vital to the creation of the company’s products. This virus is setting the company back millions per month, and Mark is charged with fixing the issue. Whitacre gets the idea (unbeknownst to the audience at the time) to concoct an extortion scheme, telling his higher-ups that a Japanese businessman can solve their problems with the virus for ten million dollars. The film soon veers into price-fixing allegations against ADM and everything rapidly spins out of control, with Mark’s continual lying providing for plot points and pushing the storyline to its next stop. Mark is helped in trying to catch his superiors engaging in market price-fixing by two erstwhile FBI agents, strongly played by Scott Bakula and the always hilarious Joel McHale.

The plot isn’t quite as confusing while actually watching the film as I’m making it out to be, which helps our understanding of the film and its characters. We see and follow Mark’s web of lies collapsing on him and his control of the situation loosening. He maintains his “you-betcha” grin and tries to cover himself by lying further, until the film reaches a point of lunacy with everyone (Mark included) trying to unravel everything. There are laughs here, like an exasperated and incredulous Tony Hale (Buster from Arrested Development) acting as Mark’s legal counsel. No one can make heads or tails of this guy and his stories.

There’s a scene towards the conclusion of the film where Bakula’s FBI agent, who has befriended Mark, confronts him on his lying and tells him that the ride is over. This scene shows Whitacre realizing his actions have been foolish and delusional, and recognizing himself for what he is. The film suffers for it, however, because it’s hitting us over the head with what we’ve been able to deduce all along. We’ve been following Mark’s actions and witnessing his inevitable decline; we really didn’t need to be told this, and we’re not even sure Mark himself learns anything, so it doesn’t work on that level either.

The Informant! definitely drags at points, but it’s a very strong character study with some decent laughs that generally makes the audience think and decode everything for themselves. Overall, it’s an interesting and enjoyable experience.

B

John Lacey