There's a lot of good music coming out these days. To each their own, of course, but if I may let me suggest four albums in particular for your listening pleasure.
And please know I use the term "album" very deliberately here. In our top-40 culture the concept of a solid collection of songs assembled together as a single unit is a fast-disappearing art form. The music biz, sadly, is driven by "hits" - and hits don't need albums to carry them, especially when you can download a single song off itunes or Amazon.com. It's easy to strike gold once; it's a lot harder to do it 10-12 times. So more often than not you get CDs with one or two good tracks and lots of filler. The four CDs I'm highlighting here, I would argue, are for the most part solid albums from start to finish. More bang for your buck, you see.
Now that I've explained my theory of the album very verbosely (shocker, I know), here are my big four:
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love: The first thing you notice about this album is that, while it contains 17 tracks, all the songs kind of merge into each other. In other words there's no break between tracks, so the whole album i's essentially one 55-minute song, like the movements of a symphony or a classic Yes tune. Another symphony parallel is the way particular melodies, chord progressions and riffs keep reappearing in different variations, tying the album together.
If you're not familiar with The Decemberists, this album may be a good time to check them out. The songs are well-crafted, the vocals are strong, and the different styles of music used throughout the record are refreshing. Where else in recent rock/pop music, pray tell, will you encounter a harpsichord? The five/six/seven member band is comprised of strong musicians who each bring a lot to the overall project.
About the only real negative with this album is part of what makes it appealing - the "one-song" flow. It's cool, but it would be nice to have a break every now and then. Still, it shouldn't be enough to turn you away. Itunes - Amazon.com
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown: I never considered myself a big Green Day fan until American Idiot came out in 2004. I really believe that fifty years from now we'll still be talking about that album.
The challenge for any band after such an amazing record, of course, is following it up - just ask U2 (The Joshua Tree), The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), or Fleetwood Mac (Rumors). Expectations are incredibly high and so many factors go into making a truly great album that, with a few exceptions, lightning rarely strikes in the same place twice.
So here's how to approach Green Day's latest - just accept the fact that it's not another American Idiot. If you do that you're in good shape, because the truth is that this really is a solid record. Like Idiot it tells a story about the triumphs and pitfalls of living in American culture, which this Rolling Stone review does a good job of recounting (and comparing it in some notable ways to its predecessor). At the risk of undermining the aforementioned album theory and highlighting a few songs, you'll definitely want to hear "Know Your Enemy" (the current single), "21 Guns" and (because it's different) "Peacemaker."
Two caveats: first, keep in mind that this is Green Day, which means they like throwing a few choice words around - little ears beware. Second, Green Day is not much of a fan of organized religion, Christianity in particular. So if you're easily offended by this sort of thing you may want to keep that in mind (and while I'm on the subject, if you're looking for a more thoughtful analysis of the plight of American Christianity, might I suggest this and this. Just thought I'd mention...) Itunes - Amazon.com
Jars Of Clay - The Long Fall Back To Earth: In some ways it feels like so long ago that we first heard these guys, way back in 1995 with the release of their first album and its runaway hit "Flood." Back then they were known - and still are - for being the rare act that successfully "crosses over" from the contemporary Christian market to the mainstream. The reason they've been able to do this, in my opinion, is not due to slick marketing strategies (although they've certainly had those) as much as the fact that they simply put out good music.
One of things that's impressed me about Jars of Clay over the years is how much they've improved - musically, songwriting, the whole package. With each album they seem to take another step ahead as a band. TLFBTE is a perfect example of this. The album is chopped full of good songs that are written, performed and produced well. Particularly notable is the evolution of lead singer Dan Haseltine, whose vocals are richer and whose range has expanded tremendously in recent years (check out "Hero" and you'll see what I mean). The album also has a distinctive 80's feel to it - you listen to "Heaven" and you'll want to dig out your Rubik's Cube and Members Only jacket. Okay, maybe not, but it will take you on a trip down memory lane, I promise you that.
The fact that the first single "Two Hands" is not the best song on the album means we'll be hearing more from this CD in the near future. Itunes - Amazon.com
Coldplay - LeftRightLeftRightLeft: Good albums are rare these days, folks. What's even rarer are free good albums. But that's the case with Coldplay's latest. The deal is this: everyone who attends their upcoming summer tour gets a free copy of this CD. Missed out on snagging a ticket for the show? Don't worry - all you have to do is go to their website and download the album. You can do it right now, in fact (just finish reading my blog first). They ask for an email address, but they allow you to opt out of being added to their mailing list. Wow.
Have these blokes totally lost it? Hardly. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if this becomes more common in the music biz. Successful bands like Coldplay don't really need to siphon more money from their faithful as much as further expand their audience base. What better way to do this than offer a free album? You not only solidify the loyalty of your existing fans, who think you're even cooler than they thought before, but you're bound to get new people to take a chance on you. As a side note, this is exactly what happened when a band I'd never heard of, The Damnwells, offered their latest studio project at no cost. What did I have to lose? I downloaded it and liked it so much that I paid to get an earlier album that's fantastic. They got themselves a new fan because they did some "outside-of-the-box" thinking.
As I said before, what makes Coldplay's latest even more remarkable is that it is not just free but good. Very good. Understandably the nine songs, like the tour, weigh heavily toward stuff off Viva La Vida (and some tunes from the B-side follow-up, Prospekt's March), with a nod or two to earlier times. Making live albums is not that easy - you're working in less-than desirable circumstances (read: not a studio), so you've got to mic everything perfectly (including the oft-neglected instrument of a good life recording, the crowd). Balancing all those factors is tricky. You also have to mix the tracks so things flow together, like the crowd noise from the end of a track to the beginning of the next one. Otherwise it feels like a patchworked collection of tunes instead of a true live concert.
LeftRightLeftRightLeft passes these tests with flying colors, in my opinion. These songs really come alive when played live, and the boys successfully shoot down critics who say they rely too much on studio magic and are not "true musicians." All the songs are great, but "Fix You" really stands out. I dare you to listen to the crowd singing the chorus and not get chills up and down your spine.
Oh, and it's free. Did I already mention that?
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So there you are - music to carry you from spring into summer! Feel free to add your own favorite spring 2009 album in the comments below.
Thanks for the tips about the free albums . . . I love Coldplay and as for The Damnwells . . . well, I trust your judgment, especially on music!
Posted by: Charlotte | June 02, 2009 at 08:45 AM