The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Man, I take a short break from updating the site and, just like that, I’m buried under a pile of new music releases.  Not to mention, of course, the Beatles remasters.  So with no big preamble, let’s get right into it…

Ace Frehley – Anomaly (Brooklyn Born Records)

Peter Criss couldn’t do it, Paul Stanley almost did it, and who the hell knows what Gene Simmons was trying to do.  I’m speaking, of course, about original Kiss members putting out a solo album this decade that even approached their best work from previous decades.  So how does the Spaceman fare on his first release since George Bush Sr. was president?  Pretty decently, by and large.  Sure the album art is…well, it sucks.  It’s just bad.  But who even notices such things anymore?

The music’s the thing, and Ace acquits himself rather nicely over the course of a dozen tracks.  “Foxy & Free” kicks things off, and it’s as intense a slab of hard rock as you’re likely to hear this year.  Frehley intimated in interviews promoting Anomaly that he purposely was trying for the vibe of his outstanding 1978 solo record.  I can hear that in places, but mostly this album is another serving of the tuneful, meat and potatoes hard rock Frehley churned out in the ’80s with Frehley’s Comet.  That’s not a bad thing, mind you, but what surprised me was how Ace managed to stretch his formula out a bit – witness the Middle Eastern (OK, Led Zep Middle Eastern) flavor of “Genghis Khan”, the starkly confessional and heartfelt lyrics on “A Little Below the Angels”, and the laid back philosophizing and relaxed arrangement of “It’s a Great Life.”

Ace is indeed back, and I told you so.

Muse – The Resistance (Warner Bros.)

Depeche Muse anyone?  Now look, I’m all about bands trying out new sounds and taking their music in new directions.  The problem with this album is that for the most part Matthew Bellamy and friends don’t sound like they’re sure what direction they want to go, and as a result it has twice the indulgence of Black Holes and Revelations with half the impact.  Kicking the album off with “Uprising”, an electronica Gary Glitter anthem for the 21st century, was a bold move and I can dig it even with Bellamy’s cockamamie populist conspiracy lyrics weighing it down.

Read on Daddy-O…

Yes that’s right, that Britney Spears.  I scoff at just about every recorded utterance her name’s ever been attached to, but damn if this isn’t one of the most infectious pop songs of the decade.  Of course Britney’s vocals are hardly what sells the song – that accolade goes to the crack production job by the Swedish duo of Bloodshy & Avant.  Whoever the hell they are.

So yeah, here’s the first and last really good song from Britney Spears, 2004’s “Toxic”.

That’s right, Randy Newman.  The guy from that Family Guy episode singing about apples.  Trust me on this one people – put that out of your mind for a few minutes, and forget about how weird Newman looks when he sings.  Just clear your head and enjoy one of the most beautiful ballads ever written – “Marie”.  This is a live performance from 1979, although the song first appeared on Newman’s classic 1974 album, Good Old Boys.

While Band on the Run gets the most acclaim of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles work, the album I keep coming back to is 1982’s Tug of War.  The songs, which were all very good to start with, get that extra push thanks to producer George Martin, who along with Ringo Starr makes a cameo in this video for “Take It Away”.

The “Take It Away” single cracked the Top 10 Stateside, and the album went platinum and earned a Grammy nomination.  If you even think you like Macca, this is an essential release.

What could be more American than watching some Beach Boys on the 4th of July?  Nothing, that’s what.  So here’s two clips from YouTube that will probably get taken down soon enough.  First let’s watch a performance of “Darlin’” from an unspecified date (I’d guess late ’70s).  The lack of Brian Wilson sucks of course, but thanks to brother Carl this is still quite a good performance.

And now for one of the true classics – “Surfin’ USA” from March 14, 1964.  This is part of the “Lost Concert” now available on DVD.  The syncing seems to be a bit off, but otherwise it’s a great clip.

No matter what objectionable things I think he did, no matter what objectionable things I know he did, at this moment I can only look back on Michael Jackson’s half century on this planet and think of the great things he did.  I’ve gone through various stages of love and hate regarding Michael over the years.  But one thing I didn’t consider until today was that I’ve never really known of a musical universe without Michael in it in some fashion.

I had just turned seven when Thriller came out, and I played that album a million times.  Not long after that, maybe around 1984 or 1985, I suddenly decided that anything besides hard rock or heavy metal was garbage.  I trashed my copy of Thriller and never even gave any of his subsequent albums a shot (I had an image to uphold, you know).  But it didn’t stop there, as I became one of the growing numbers of Michael bashers, fueled in large part by the excesses and eccentricities widely reported by the tabloids (some of which were planted by Michael himself, to be fair).  Let’s face it, the man made it awfully easy for people to ridicule him over the last 20 years.

Occasionally a new song snuck past my guard and I briefly reconnected with Michael as an artist – “Leave Me Alone” and “Remember the Time” are two I still look back on with fondness.  But by and large, I continued to put him and his music out of my mind.  But over the last few years I made a conscious effort to judge Michael’s career for the music itself, rather than for the traveling sideshow his life became.  And the thing is, the man made some damn good music, plain and simple.  Whether it was the early years with the Jackson 5 or the one-two punch of Off the Wall and Thriller, Michael could’ve retired many years ago and been assured of his status as a legend.

One of the saddest aspects about Michael’s death to me is that in recent years I think some part of me was hoping for a Comeback (that’s with a capital C) – a great album or concert tour to show that all that talent hadn’t simply wasted away like he obviously had physically.  A part of me wanted him to recapture at least some of his former glory, perhaps more for my sake and the sake of a jaded and cynical public than for his.  It’s some consolation that even in the absence of that Comeback, we’re still left with so much.

So despite all the weirdness, despite all the laughter and jokes at his expense, and despite the sad sight of watching a human being fall apart physically and psychologically over the course of many years, for one day at least I choose to remember Michael Jackson for the legacy of great music and entertainment he leaves behind.

Listening to most of Los Angeles-based pop chanteuse Eleni Mandell’s recorded output brings to mind a smoke-filled club full of broken-hearted hipsters on a lonely Wednesday night (for those clubs where you can still smoke anyway).   But after spending years perfecting the role of lovelorn torch singer, Mandell released Miracle of Five in 2007.  Its comparatively spartan, acoustic guitar-driven sound was a departure for the singer, and the album finally brought her some much-deserved critical attention.

Mandell moves even further from her roots, albeit in a different direction, with her latest effort, Artificial Fire.  Gone is the sultry film noir atmosphere, and in its place is a much more mainstream effort (although there are still plenty of tales of failed romance).  That’s not to say it’s not engaging because it is; but the quirky and hectic approach of songs like “Pauline” or “Snakebite” is nowhere to be found.  Mandell largely opts for a more conventional and assured songwriting style to complement her delicate, nuanced vocals.

Only a handful of the album’s 15 songs – “Right Side” and the excellent “Needle and Thread” to name a few – will seem familiar to longtime fans, but there are certainly other pleasures to be had.  The funky New Wave vibe of the title cut makes for a very strong album opener, and is followed up by the excellent vocal harmonies and angular rhythms of “God Is Love.”

Later highlights include the moody “Front Door” (featuring a ring modulator simulating the sound of a doorbell – a very neat effect) and “Two Faces”.  Even the non-standouts are never less than pleasant, and contain lots of little details that will undoubtedly reward repeat listens.  (The post-punk of “Cracked”, the album’s closer, does fall a bit flat)

On more than a few cuts Mandell shares the spotlight with her backing band, in particular guitarist Jeremy Drake (recommended to Mandell by guitar genius Nels Cline, who himself played on Miracle of Five).  Drake seems to know exactly when his presence is needed, and his slightly offbeat style is a welcome ingredient in Artificial Fire’s musical palette.  The rhythm section of bassist Ryan Feves and drummer Kevin Fitzgerald are no slouches either.

Artificial Fire is the work of a performer who knows exactly what she wants to do, is really good at doing it, and is clearly unafraid of alienating her fanbase.  It’s probably wishful thinking to expect this album to launch her to into maintream consciousness, but it could hardly happen to a more deserving artist.

watch Eleni Mandell – “Artificial Fire”

Track listing:

“Artificial Fire”
“God Is Love”
“Right Side”
“Personal”
“Tiny Waist”
“It Wasn’t the Time (It Was the Color)”
“Bigger Burn”
“Little Foot”
“Don’t Let It Happen”
“In the Doorway”
“Needle and Thread”
“Front Door”
“I Love Planet Earth”
“Two Faces”
“Cracked”