Issue No. 12 - Modern Acoustic

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Modern Acoustic
The music magazine for really cool people
Autumn
colors
OCTOBER 2006 - Volume 12
It’s that time of year when new albums are bountiful
ALSO
COVERED
IN JOY
Rediscovering the art of album covers
PAGE6
FROM THE
EDITOR
There is something about fall
that just makes us breathe easier.
OK, our allergies, which rage in
the spring and disappear in the
cooler weather, are part of it.
Besides that, everything just seems
to make sense in the fall. The
brown summer lawns seem to get
their green back, the green leaves
turn to brilliant reds and yellows,
and the air is crisp and fresh.
Enough with the poetry – there’s
also football, apple cider doughnuts
and harvest festivals.
What does all this have to do with
music you ask? You don’t think
halftime marching bands and hillbilly bluegrass washboard bands
have a place on the pages of such a
serious publication as Modern
d
e
s
Mis
Acoustic? Guess again. Well, actually, we don’t offer any of that in
this issue, but don’t tempt us.
Fall happens to also be a great
time for new albums. And as you
can see by this issue’s cover, we
are delighted with what we’ve
heard so far.
Among the new stuff is Bob
Dylan’s 1,098,576th album,
“Modern Times,’’ second albums
from Ray Lamontagne and Mindy
Smith, and a wicked new release,
“Shaken by a Low Sound,’’ from
the band Crooked Still. There are
two other albums we’re real excited about: a Tin Pan Alley-era jazz
album by Erin McKeown (available on iTunes now, but not in
stores till early next year) and a
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u
s
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Visit
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2 MODERN ACOUSTIC
PHOTO BY ADAM KASSIRER
relatively new group out of North
Carolina, the Proclivities.
And since we decorated our cover
with album covers, it seemed only
natural that we’d take the time to
re-appreciate album cover art,
which seems to have made a
comeback after years of being
downsized on CD covers.
So with all this joy, grab your
iPod and take a hike in the woods.
A little hillbilly bluegrass washboard music would be the perfect
soundtrack.
Rich Kassirer, editor
Modern
Acoustic
Vols. 1-11
LIVE
SHOT
PHOTOS BY RICH KASSIRER
The Wailin’ Jennys – Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Annabelle Chvostek – perform at Passim in Cambridge, Mass.
MODERN ACOUSTIC 3
SOME MUSICIANS and
bands define themselves
with their first album and
then never seem to be able
to break away from it. For
others, that first album is
just a building block to
what’s next. Ray
Lamontagne could have
gone either way. His debut,
“Trouble,” caught on with
critics who latched on to
Ray’s rough and tumble life
story and his raspy, soulful
voice. Yes, “Trouble” had its moments; but as a whole, it
was just above “another singer-songwriter” album. Which
is what makes his second effort, “Till the Sun Turns
Black,” so great. Lyrically and musically,
this album shows the growth and warmth
of a singer searching his soul. Right from
the opening wash of strings and organ in “Be
Here Now,” the music on this album seems more
lush than the mostly guitar-based “Trouble.”
Ray’s stories remain those of heartache and
hope. On the sparse “Empty,” one of the few
songs that sounds like it could have fit on the first
album, a man wonders if he will always feel estranged.
One of the highlights is the wonderfully upbeat, souldrenched “Three More Days,” which reminds us of early Joe
Cocker – without the wildly swinging body parts. The horns
return in the wicked “You Can Bring Me Flowers.” No one
track is really a standout, one that will be recognized as a hit
or even one as the Ray Lamontagne Defining Song, but as a
full album, “Till the Sun Turns Black” shows a singer-songwriter not willing to rest on his critical acclaim.
LIKE RAY LAMONTAGNE, Mindy Smith received massive critical acclaim for her first
album, “One Moment More.” Her delicate voice, filled with emotional intimacy, had listeners
wrapped around her finger – even when she was singing about her relationship with Jesus. On
her latest album, “Long Island Shores,” she delivers more of the same. And that’s the complaint. It all sounds great, her voice is still amazing as ever, but it doesn’t seem like she’s taking her music anywhere new. Folks were wondering if Mindy would go more country or more
rock ’n’ roll on her next album; but she’s done neither, staying pretty much in the safe middle
ground, which is too bad because she
has the potential to hit it big if she really pushed herself in either direction.
Some of the better cuts on “Long Island
Shores” are “Little Devil,” which has a
nice jazzy feel, and the funky “You
Know I Love You Baby.” Both tracks
take her away from the emotionwrenching ballads that fill the album.
“Long Island Shores” has definitely
grown on us with multiple listens, but
we still have that longing to hear her
reach beyond the personal reflective
genre and rock out. Maybe next time.
4 MODERN ACOUSTIC
FALL
of surprises
LISTENING TO a new Bob Dylan album is difficult
because the comparisons between new and old always
get in the way of just “listening” to the music. Some
critics are falling over themselves in praise of “Modern
Times” as they did with “Love and Theft”; others can’t
get passed the past, and therefore Bob the Poet is just
a shell of his old self. We don’t nostalgically long for
the Old Bob, but wasn’t enamored with “Love and
Theft” either. And so with “Modern Times” we believe
we can be totally honest about our opinion while recognizing that everyone should decide for themselves. With
this album – like “Love and Theft” – Dylan seems to
have been reborn as Bob the Bluesman. He opens with
a ‘50s Chuck Berry-esque “Thunder on the Mountain.”
But don’t think he’s caught up in nostalgia; he even
references modern-day singer Alicia Keys in the
song’s lyrics. While none of the album’s tunes
would be thought of a classic-in-the-making, as a
whole “Modern Times” is solid: Bob’s voice is in great
form, and the musicianship is terrific rocking the line
between country and rockabilly. Lyrically, the songs
mine similar territory as his past two albums (“Time
Out of Mind,” being the first) – promoted as a sort of
trilogy: mortality, love, love lost. Though “Workingman’s
Blues No. 2” almost sounds like a protest song (!) and
“The Levee’s Gonna Break” just might have something
to do with Hurricane Katrina. Who knows, maybe the
next album we will see the return of the Old Bob.
TWO THINGS dawned on us when
we first heard this album: First, if
Erin McKeown had tried to sell the
concept of remaking Tin Pan Alley
jazz tunes to a major studio, “Sing
You Sinners” would never have
been made. Second, if you wondered where Erin got inspiration for
the album “Grand,” it is now clear.
“Sing You Sinners” is frothy, entertaining and just plain fun. If you’ve
heard Erin before you know she is a
whizkid guitar player, but it’s her
exuberance that makes us love her.
Here, she takes ’30s, ’40s and ’50s
jazz standards and – with a hand from a talented backing band of
Todd Sickafoose on bass, Sam Kassirer on piano and keys, and
Allison Miller on drums – shakes them up. The opener “Get Happy” is
probably the best-known song here, but it gets new life with a bouncy
guitar kick, jaunty piano lines and some nicely placed horns. We can’t
help but bop along. Other standout tracks are the fun-loving
“Coucou,” which swings gently to the French lyrics, and
“Melody,” seemingly straight out of some ’40s film soundtrack;
the comedic “Rhode Island Is Famous for You,” a song Erin has played
in concert for some time, is given a jazzier treatment here and some great
big horn parts; and finally there’s the sinister, bass-driven “Just One of Those
Things,” which just kind of snakes into your brain. We could go on, but you’ll just have to
hear the rest for yourself.
THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE you haven’t heard of the
Proclivities; they are a relatively obscure band out of
North Carolina led by Matt Douglas, a talented musician
with early roots as a jazz saxophone player. Here he picks
up a guitar and sets his own lyrics to acoustic and electric
instrument-filled songs of relationships and unique characters on his debut singer-songwriter album “Predispositions.” The album opener, “Second Floor,” sneaks in with
its hushed bass and guitar, but takes an interesting turn
with some funky effects, finger snaps and male vocal backing. That’s what’s fun about this album: You can expect the
unexpected. Most songs are filled out with Dobro,
Wurlitzer, accordian and other great sounds. Douglas’ mom
even plays cello on the first song. “Subway Girl” has an
Iron & Wine-like sound: sweet electric guitar lines play
over a subtle acoustic, and then in the middle the song
kicks it up a notch with the chorus “I can be so
starry eyed, especially now tonight when the
stars are loving you.” Every song seems to have
its own personality and unique sound, which
makes for great listening. “Love-Life Beginner”
shows the band stripped down to its basic
guitar/bass/drums and in full rock-out mode.
IF SOMEONE had told us five
years ago that we would be listening to bluegrass, we would
have laughed. But we are here to
report that one of our favorite
albums of the year is Crooked
Still’s “Shaken By a Low
Sound.” Call it neo-bluegrass if
you like, but the drummer-less
band – which features singer
Aoife O'Donovan, cellist Rushad
Eggleston, banjo player extraordinaire Gregory Liszt and bassist
Corey DiMario – jams with the
best of them. The group’s
energy brings new and exciting life to traditional tunes “Come on in My Kitchen” and
“Railroad Bill.” Aoife’s voice is silky smooth and sultry on the opener “Can’t You
Here Me Callin’,” which ropes you in with the bubbly banjo lines supplied by Liszt,
who recently did a stint with Bruce Springsteen for his “Seeger Sessions” shows.
There are so many great songs on this album we have a hard time picking out
individual highlights, but “Ain’t No Grave” and “Mountain Jumper” are two that
showcase the band’s tight sound. What is amazing is how the cello is played
like a fiddle – a darker sounding fiddle. We have to say it came as a surprise
that after so many listens that we hadn’t noticed the absence of a
drummer. All of this is to say don’t miss this album – even if you
are not a fan of bluegrass music.
MODERN ACOUSTIC 5
WE’VE GOT IT COVERED
Ever since CDs replaced records, we’ve mourned the loss of the
art of album cover. Once a showcase for a band’s personality, the
CD cover took a hit with the downsizing of the artwork, an
inevitable loss to the gain in an album’s sound quality and durability. But now thanks to Apple, album artwork has been resurrected: iTunes (above) has a great feature that looks like a CD
jukebox, flipping through the album covers as each song plays.
The application automatically downloads the album covers into
your computer (you can manually download them if they don’t
show up, or you can make your own!).
Another way to see your album covers is to access them as your
screensaver (right). You can decide how many tiles you want; the
albums continuously flip, changing at an interval you can also set.
For a fun look at the creation of some of
Remember Santana’s “Abraxas” album or “Fragile”
by Yes? Great album art, right? Well there’s a place
for bad album art as well. And of course there’s a
website (www.zonicweb.net/badalbmcvrs) to keep
track of such atrocities as really bad taste and the
really tasteless: You can even vote for your
favorites. Enjoy!
6 MODERN ACOUSTIC
Something we’ve never seen
before: Two album covers with the
same artwork. Bob Dylan’s new CD
“Modern Times’’ and a late ’90s
album called “Hedgehog//23 Minutes in Brussels’’ by the band Luna.
They share the same 1947 photo,
“Taxi, New York at Night” by Ted
Croner. According to Rolling Stone
magazine, Dylan’s people had no
idea that anyone had ever used the
image before for an album cover.
rock’s most memorable album covers of the
’60s and ’70s, check out the DVD “Under the
Covers.’’ Photographer Henry Diltz and artist
Gary Burden take viewers through their
adventures while
making covers for
such acts as Crosby,
Stills & Nash, the
Eagles and the
Doors. The two provide detailed stories
on their fun, including amazing stills
and movies taken
while creating their covers. Priceless footage
includes Joni Mitchell sewing Graham Nash’s
pants... while he’s still wearing them. For more
on the music and times of that era, pick up
the book “Laurel Canyon,” by Michael Walker.
The new golden age of radio
THE
LISTS
In the past couple of weeks, our iPod has gotten a little less use. That’s because of we’ve come across some new
music shows, some on regular FM radio stations and some on the Internet. The great thing is that these shows allow
you to hear artists you don’t know, as well as those you do. Here are a couple of those radio shows:
Radio IO
(www.radioio.com)
This Internet radio station
allows you to listen to the kind
of music you like, whether it’s
acoustic, ’80s pop, beat, ambient, country or Dead (as in
Grateful). Each genre (there
are about 20 to choose from)
has a DJ that operates it. At
radioioAcoustic, Molly
Jameson runs the show, and
provides a nice mix of artists,
from Solomon Burke and John
Prine to Mindy Smith and
Kaki King. She also provides
five essential artists a week
and gives you a short synopsis
of each one. The other nice
thing is that Molly responds to
emails, so if you have an artist
you’d like her to add, she’s
hears you.
Extreme Folk
(7-9 p.m. EST on Friday
nights; WUMB-FM 91.9 in Boston; streaming live at
www.wumb.org)
This new show at the all-folk public radio station focuses on modern
singer-songwriters and new music. The programs we heard included
music from Iron & Wine, the Waifs, Dr. John and Regina Spektor. We
look forward to hearing more.
Music for the
Independent Mind
(2 a.m. to 7p.m ETA weekdays; WERS-FM 88.9 in
Boston; streaming live at
www.wers.org)
Emerson College is widely
known for its student-run, professional quality radio station
WERS. The station has been
home to an eclectic mix of
music – from its early morning
folk/singer-songwriter show
Coffeehouse, to its midday jazz
show to its afternoon reggae
show Rockers and on into the
night with more out-there fare.
A recent change in programming has mixed things up a bit.
It’s new show, which they call
Music for the Independent
Mind has completely taken over
the day shift. While killing the
jazz program will upset some
(Rockers has moved to an early
evening slot), they have created a show where varied genres are mixed
together believing that “independent thinkers” can decide for themselves whether they like certain music without setting boundaries. And
unlike commercial radio there is no set playlist, so within one hour,
you could hear Neil Young’s ancient “Love Is a Rose,” Cat Power’s
“Fool,” and “Patience” by Mark Sandman, among others.
MA5 – Songs
Songs that helped us survive this issue.
1. “Come as You Are,” “Departure,” the Mammals – Cool version of the Nirvana song, played eerily acoustic.
2. “Galuppi Baldessare,” “Strange Conversation,’’ Kris Delmhorst – You’ll want to learn all the words and sing along.
3. “Come on in My Kitchen,” “Shaken by a Low Sound,” Crooked Still – we’ve heard plenty of other versions, but this one is just
plain fun.
4. “The Flood,” “Boundary County,” Eilen Jewell. It’s unbelievable how Hurricane Katrina affected so many.
5. “Tear My Stillhouse Down,” “Revival,’’ Gillian Welch. In our house, we like to rock out to this.
MODERN ACOUSTIC 7