By Kara Tucker
Neko Case – “The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You”
The new album, Case’s sixth studio release plays like a greatest hits collection, both in its overall quality and in the way its tracks reflect various moments of her career.
The lead single, “Man” is a stunner, exploring gender politics (or perhaps even identity) over a propulsively hooky track that would have made for a killer contribution from her on any New Pornographers album. Oh, and "I am the man in the fucking moon/ 'Cause you didn't know what a man was/Until I showed you” ranks as one of the better drop-the-mic-and-wipe-dust-off-the-shoulder lines.
“I’m From Nowhere” features Case’s gorgeously timeless voice in a reverb-soaked sound that recalls her earlier days, even if the song itself goes more into soulful classic pop than torch-and-twang.
“Local Girl” goes farther into classic girl group sound (bells, glockenspiel, etc.), tinged with twang.
“Bracing For Sunday”, a swaying mid-tempo number with horns wouldn’t have sounded out-of-place on 2009’s “Middle Cyclone” or, with a more spare arrangement, on her first couple albums.
“Nearly Midnight, Honolulu” goes spare, going a capella with a chorus of Case’s vocals multitracked.
The languid lovely “Calling Cards” would have fit nicely on “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.”
Case trots out a wonderful cover of Nico’s “Afraid.” It shows that more spare instrumentation suits her just as well as more elaborate. It’s as gorgeously beautiful as anything she’s recorded.
Things get a little less straightforward at the end of that album. “Where Did I Leave That Fire” evokes different moods in 3:27, including the line “I wanted so badly not to be me. I saw my shadow looking lost, checking its pockets, looking for some lost receipt.”
Ragtime starts off like it’s going to be a subdued guitar pop track, but manages to be inspiring and cacophonous at the end (as the song picks up even if not in clichéd fashion), as Case repeats the last lyrics of the album -- "I am one and the same / I am useful and strange.”
For its varied styles, the album remains cohesive, tied together by that voice and by Case’s sharp songwriting, where she’s capable of loveliness and cutting sarcasm, accessibility tempered by enough artsy touches to keep things interesting.
Case hasn’t released a bum album in her career. With the always engaging and often excellent “The Worse Things Get…”, she might just have put together one that tops “Fox Confessor” as her best yet.
Travis – “Where You Stand”
It’s the first album in five years for the Scottish band who, at various times in its career, represented a more polite Oasis minus the coke or, more often, a less overtly anthemic Coldplay (the latter’s Chris Martin referred to Travis as “the band that invented my band and lots of others.”)
The second album from Fran Healy, Andy Dunlop, Dougie Payne and Neil Primrose, 1999’s “The Man Who” represented the career peak with some top-notch songcraft. They had some high spots in the intervening years, but sometimes seemed too settled, too comfortable in its niche.
“Where You Stand” shows that Travis still isn’t back to the peak of its early years, at least it’s starting to round back into form.
It has a better combination of energy and hooks than it’s had in a while, even if it doesn’t…quite…reach..the old spark.
“Mother” is a catchy enough beginning, avoiding the bombast of pop acts like fun. and, well, Coldplay.
The album deviates from its immediate predecessors, fittingly, in the little details – the whistling on the intro to “Reminder”, the combination of almost-Portishead intro to “These New Shoes” or the way the latter gets into a slinky (and here’s a word not often associated with Travis) groove.
“On My Wall” is one of the album’s highlights, as punchy as they’ve sounded and years and in service of a good tune to boot. “Warning Sign” gets the head bopping. “A Different Room” shimmers in the way that Travis excels at in its best moments.
The album can’t quite sustain its momentum to the finish as “The Big Screen” sort of lays there looking pretty without sinking in or soaring. The preceding “Boxes” would have made a better choice of album closer, even if it doesn’t kick much up must dust, either.
Even if Travis isn’t a band that screams “Wow Factor” or “rocking out,” it’s not a band without its charms. “Where You Stand” manages to be pleasant without (for the most part) being bland.
It’s not “The Man Who”, but it’s worth checking out. It’s enough to make fans of the band or even people who remember their salad days to say, in response to what Healy sings in the chorus to “Mother” – “Yes. Why DID you wait so long.”
Single: Lady Gaga – “Applause”
The first single of Gaga’s third full length album had its official video release Monday.
As one would expect, it features numerous costume changes, a number of which feature toned down makeup. But don’t worry, she’s also seen wearing clam shells as a bikini and a leather hands bra. There’s the effect with multiple Gagas on the screen veers too close into Beyonce’s most narcissistic territory.
Actually, given the quick cuts and the massive array of outfits and looks, the whole effect screams “Look at me, I’m Lady Gaga” anyway.
Then again, Lady Gaga’s certainly been all about the fame from the beginning (what with the title of the first album and follow-up EP containing the word). So it’s no surprise to hear her repeat that she “lives for the applause.”
Rest assured, the video contains its usual dancing and over-the-top bits, too, none of which make sense other than to say, “Ooh, that looks cool, doesn’t it?!?!” The track works as a catchy enough dance tune even if the lyrics are have all the depth of an 8”-by-12” cake pan. It should be a hit, but Gaga has done better and, more to the point, one wishes she had tried a little harder than having top dollar spent on costumes, makeup and effects for a filmed version of a glossy fashion magazine slideshow. She’s always going to be glossy, but would it kill her to throw in a little more grit, a little twist, a little more depth? At this point, we’ve seen Lady Gaga. Catchy single or not (and it is catchy, make no mistake), it’s going to take her to do more than basically yelling, “Look at me!!!!” for a lot of people to keep looking at some point.
Neko Case – “The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You”
The new album, Case’s sixth studio release plays like a greatest hits collection, both in its overall quality and in the way its tracks reflect various moments of her career.
The lead single, “Man” is a stunner, exploring gender politics (or perhaps even identity) over a propulsively hooky track that would have made for a killer contribution from her on any New Pornographers album. Oh, and "I am the man in the fucking moon/ 'Cause you didn't know what a man was/Until I showed you” ranks as one of the better drop-the-mic-and-wipe-dust-off-the-shoulder lines.
“I’m From Nowhere” features Case’s gorgeously timeless voice in a reverb-soaked sound that recalls her earlier days, even if the song itself goes more into soulful classic pop than torch-and-twang.
“Local Girl” goes farther into classic girl group sound (bells, glockenspiel, etc.), tinged with twang.
“Bracing For Sunday”, a swaying mid-tempo number with horns wouldn’t have sounded out-of-place on 2009’s “Middle Cyclone” or, with a more spare arrangement, on her first couple albums.
“Nearly Midnight, Honolulu” goes spare, going a capella with a chorus of Case’s vocals multitracked.
The languid lovely “Calling Cards” would have fit nicely on “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.”
Case trots out a wonderful cover of Nico’s “Afraid.” It shows that more spare instrumentation suits her just as well as more elaborate. It’s as gorgeously beautiful as anything she’s recorded.
Things get a little less straightforward at the end of that album. “Where Did I Leave That Fire” evokes different moods in 3:27, including the line “I wanted so badly not to be me. I saw my shadow looking lost, checking its pockets, looking for some lost receipt.”
Ragtime starts off like it’s going to be a subdued guitar pop track, but manages to be inspiring and cacophonous at the end (as the song picks up even if not in clichéd fashion), as Case repeats the last lyrics of the album -- "I am one and the same / I am useful and strange.”
For its varied styles, the album remains cohesive, tied together by that voice and by Case’s sharp songwriting, where she’s capable of loveliness and cutting sarcasm, accessibility tempered by enough artsy touches to keep things interesting.
Case hasn’t released a bum album in her career. With the always engaging and often excellent “The Worse Things Get…”, she might just have put together one that tops “Fox Confessor” as her best yet.
Travis – “Where You Stand”
It’s the first album in five years for the Scottish band who, at various times in its career, represented a more polite Oasis minus the coke or, more often, a less overtly anthemic Coldplay (the latter’s Chris Martin referred to Travis as “the band that invented my band and lots of others.”)
The second album from Fran Healy, Andy Dunlop, Dougie Payne and Neil Primrose, 1999’s “The Man Who” represented the career peak with some top-notch songcraft. They had some high spots in the intervening years, but sometimes seemed too settled, too comfortable in its niche.
“Where You Stand” shows that Travis still isn’t back to the peak of its early years, at least it’s starting to round back into form.
It has a better combination of energy and hooks than it’s had in a while, even if it doesn’t…quite…reach..the old spark.
“Mother” is a catchy enough beginning, avoiding the bombast of pop acts like fun. and, well, Coldplay.
The album deviates from its immediate predecessors, fittingly, in the little details – the whistling on the intro to “Reminder”, the combination of almost-Portishead intro to “These New Shoes” or the way the latter gets into a slinky (and here’s a word not often associated with Travis) groove.
“On My Wall” is one of the album’s highlights, as punchy as they’ve sounded and years and in service of a good tune to boot. “Warning Sign” gets the head bopping. “A Different Room” shimmers in the way that Travis excels at in its best moments.
The album can’t quite sustain its momentum to the finish as “The Big Screen” sort of lays there looking pretty without sinking in or soaring. The preceding “Boxes” would have made a better choice of album closer, even if it doesn’t kick much up must dust, either.
Even if Travis isn’t a band that screams “Wow Factor” or “rocking out,” it’s not a band without its charms. “Where You Stand” manages to be pleasant without (for the most part) being bland.
It’s not “The Man Who”, but it’s worth checking out. It’s enough to make fans of the band or even people who remember their salad days to say, in response to what Healy sings in the chorus to “Mother” – “Yes. Why DID you wait so long.”
Single: Lady Gaga – “Applause”
The first single of Gaga’s third full length album had its official video release Monday.
As one would expect, it features numerous costume changes, a number of which feature toned down makeup. But don’t worry, she’s also seen wearing clam shells as a bikini and a leather hands bra. There’s the effect with multiple Gagas on the screen veers too close into Beyonce’s most narcissistic territory.
Actually, given the quick cuts and the massive array of outfits and looks, the whole effect screams “Look at me, I’m Lady Gaga” anyway.
Then again, Lady Gaga’s certainly been all about the fame from the beginning (what with the title of the first album and follow-up EP containing the word). So it’s no surprise to hear her repeat that she “lives for the applause.”
Rest assured, the video contains its usual dancing and over-the-top bits, too, none of which make sense other than to say, “Ooh, that looks cool, doesn’t it?!?!” The track works as a catchy enough dance tune even if the lyrics are have all the depth of an 8”-by-12” cake pan. It should be a hit, but Gaga has done better and, more to the point, one wishes she had tried a little harder than having top dollar spent on costumes, makeup and effects for a filmed version of a glossy fashion magazine slideshow. She’s always going to be glossy, but would it kill her to throw in a little more grit, a little twist, a little more depth? At this point, we’ve seen Lady Gaga. Catchy single or not (and it is catchy, make no mistake), it’s going to take her to do more than basically yelling, “Look at me!!!!” for a lot of people to keep looking at some point.
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