Tag: Paul McCartney

Feb292008 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Album review: Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree

Album review: Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree

Music
While the temptation for Goldfrapp to continue riding the wave of commercial success generated by the one-two punch of 2003's Black Cherry and 2005's million-selling Supernature must have been great, in the end they opted for a sonic left turn with Seventh Tree. While this latest effort from the duo of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory is not at all a retreat to the sonic territory carved by their otherworldly, cabaret-styled debut, Felt Mountain, neither is it a continuation of the electro-glam of Black Cherry or Supernature. That much is made clear on the opening track, "Clowns," a tender and understated folk-styled number that opens with nothing but Alison's vocals and some delicate acoustic guitar work. It sets the stage for a record that is more appropriate for a sunny Sunday morn
Read More
Feb182008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments
Monday music stuff – Michael Jackson, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Monday music stuff – Michael Jackson, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Music
This month saw the release of a 25th Anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's seminal album Thriller (even though it originally came out in November '82). I owned the album on vinyl back in the day, and loved it to death before I officially renounced All Things Not Metal around '84/'85. My palette is considerably broader than it used to be, so I gave the album another listen today. Removing any historical context from Thriller (which is difficult), it is still a very good album; I just can't say that it's deserving of its near universal acclaim and ridiculous sales figures (more than 104 million sold!). There are some rather clunky production flourishes added by Quincy Jones (the title track in particular sounds pretty goofy now), and a lot of it does sound rather dated. That said, ...
Read More
Dec202007 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
2007 – The Year in Recorded Musical Performances, Pt. 2

2007 – The Year in Recorded Musical Performances, Pt. 2

Music
OK, so we've reviewed what I believe to be the standout albums from the year that was. The second part of my year-end review reviews some of the best songs of the year. You likely wouldn't have heard any of these songs on radio (at least not terrestrial radio). In fact, I couldn't pick out any of this year's most popular radio songs if my life depended on it. Note - I tried to find official videos for these songs, but in some cases I could only find live versions (some better than others). The Best of the Best (Songs) "Melody Day", Caribou (Andorra) - This track opens the very excellent Andorra like a fresh breeze from the mid-'60s. I would swear this was produced by Phil Spector in his prime, what with its heavy use of reverb, jangly guitars, and a soaring chorus. Sure there's n...
Read More
Dec122007 by Chris Holmes2 Comments
2007 – The Year in Recorded Musical Performances, Pt. 1

2007 – The Year in Recorded Musical Performances, Pt. 1

Music
Compiling Best of/Worst of music lists is always a risky endeavor. Inevitably you'll have a bunch of people who are upset because this band or that song was either left off, placed too highly, or included at all. Luckily for me I don't give a crap what anyone else thinks. That being said, I am including the caveat that I am only one man and simply don't have as much time to listen to and absorb music as I used to, so I readily admit that I probably missed out on a lot of good stuff this year. As far as what to include - I didn't want to include so many albums/songs from 2007 as to render this list useless, but I didn't want to overlook anything either. The Best of the Best (Albums) Field Music, Tones of Town - This is my favorite album of the year in a landslide. I am a sucker...
Read More
Jun52007 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Memory Almost Full – An understated triumph for McCartney

Memory Almost Full – An understated triumph for McCartney

Music
Paul McCartney long ago passed the point in his life and career where he had anything left to prove. Yet at 64, he continues to release new music at a pace that puts acts half his age to shame. And while his post-Beatles work has been derided by many as being so much fluff, his output over the last decade has been consistently satisfying. Macca's winning streak, which began with 1997's Flaming Pie, continues with his most recent release, Memory Almost Full. And while it may not surpass McCartney's best albums (Band on the Run and Tug of War to name a few), Memory Almost Full reveals that Sir Paul's gift for melody is still very much intact. (more…)
Read More
May232007 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Macca is back-a.

Macca is back-a.

Music
Paul McCartney's new video, "Dance Tonight", made its debut on YouTube today. I checked it out, and it's pretty good (it even has an appearance by Natalie Portman). Not stunning, but good. It's the first single from his upcoming album, Memory Almost Full, which comes out in a few weeks. And for those who aren't up on his rather large body of solo work (which is unjustly criticized), that's all been made available for legal download on Rhapsody. The thing that gets me about Macca is that even at age 64, he seems to still have the ability to conjure up great melodies with seemingly little effort. And after a period of not-so-great albums starting in the mid-'80s, he began a revitalization of sorts with 1997's Flaming Pie. That creative rebirth was evident on his last record, the exc...
Read More