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Old 97’s “The Grand Theatre Volume One” (2010) – The Weekend Review

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By Chris Moore:

RATING: 4 / 5 stars

Quality rock and roll bands are hard to come by.

When I invoke the term rock and roll, I reference all of its varied yet complimentary strengths, including but not limited to: electric guitar work (hooks or solos or, preferably, both), drums that make you wish you could play (or, if you can, make you wish you were in a band), country influences (just enough to ground the music in traditional textures, but not enough to be confused for actual country), subversive undertones that hint at the presence of sex and drugs around the corner from here, nods to the great bands and sounds that have come before, and a strong, unique, contemporary sound that belongs primarily to the band in the moment.

The Old 97’s have addressed each of these categories, to varying degrees of success, in The Grand Theatre Volume One, and the result is, unsurprisingly, a very strong rock album.

Many of the recordings that comprise this release are marked by an undeniable urgency, an element very much lost on many modern songwriters, even the good ones.  The truth is that a song like “Let the Whiskey Take the Reins” would lose a significant portion of its subtlety and understated beauty if it weren’t placed after an all-out romp like “The Dance Class.”  “The Beauty Marks” would lose its charm as a closing track if it exceeded the four minute mark.  “Every Night is Friday Night (Without You)” doesn’t deserve to be five minutes long, but it’s one hell of a 2:45 acoustic rocker.

This sense of sequencing is apparent throughout The Grand Theatre Volume One, as well as an understanding of where to go musically and vocally, how to mix it up, and when to hold back.  For instance, “You Were Born to Be in Battle” is quirky by virtue of sounding like a displaced roots rock standard.  Any other song to adopt this sound would detract from the appeal of the aforementioned track.

This concept of balance is not a difficult one, although it is admittedly easier to deconstruct the results than it is to create the recordings.

The Grand Theatre Volume One (Old 97's, 2010)

The Grand Theatre Volume One (Old 97's, 2010)

Perhaps the most impressive balancing act is that of the band’s influences.  The title track is soaked with the spirit and raw vocal tones of an early R.E.M. single.  “The Dance Class” comes across as Zevonian in sound and spirit just as “Champaign, Illinois” does lyrically.  The chorus lyric and guitars in “Love is What You Are” border on Beatles-esque, and “The Beauty Marks” sounds like an alternate track from a recent Cold War Kids record.  And yet, with all of these intersections with other sensibilities and legacies, the Old 97’s emerge with a unique voice and sound.

This is not derivation; this is their music.

Rugged and rocking, yet betraying a fleeting but genuine flair for the sentimental, The Grand Theatre Volume One conjures the aura of A.M., albeit a more refined and dynamic take on the sound.  Whereas Wilco’s debut album was met with a general shrug of the shoulders by most critics, there are too many well-produced, spot-on performances on this album for it to be passed over by the critical community.

One would hope.

Speaking of hope, I do feel a bit tentative about the concept of a Volume Two, culled from the same sessions, being released next year.  It seems to me that this sort of recording process whereby dozens of tracks are laid down en masse is problematic at best.  Reminded of the Barenaked Ladies’ similar process for Are Me and Are Men, I posit the following questions:  Are the best songs being split between both records?  If so, then why not make some difficult decisions on the chopping block and release one album that will be the best possible Old 97’s record?  If not, then will Volume Two emerge as a sort of b-sides and unreleased tracks compilation that is destined to disappoint in the shadow of Volume One?

Regardless of how the next installment plays out, it is at least safe to say that this edition of The Grand Theatre is a standout effort from this prolific band.  Their brand of alt-country is about as far away from the mainstream as possible, couched as it is in the antiquity of traditional country/rock and the since-sidelined sounds of true alternative rock (I qualify this as “true,” considering the so-called “alternative rock” bands now being sold via mainstream media that are, some consciously and some not, merely copies of a copy).

Do yourself a favor and check out some of the real on The Grand Theatre Volume One.

Broken Social Scene’s “Forgiveness Rock Record” (2010) – The Weekend Review

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By Chris Moore:

RATING: 2 / 5 stars

Their concept is an interesting one: record en mass with a crowd of artists whose talents and respective genres run the gamut from classical to avant-garde. When there is cohesion and purpose, the diversity contributes to some fascinating productions.

When Broken Social Scene falls short, though, the distance is vast.

With one exception, Forgiveness Rock Record falls far short of anything approaching complete success past the sixth track.  Which is a shame, because the first six tracks are so fantastic, each finding an order in the chaos of up to fourteen chefs with their hands in the pot.

Songs like “Forced to Love” border on beautiful, hinting at single-worthiness.  Ten years ago, fifteen perhaps, they may have stood a chance on commercial radio.  Consider the quirky catchiness of “Texico Bitches” or the bouncy indie rock of “Art House Director” — these are the standout tracks where, clearly, something special was tapped into.

Even “All to All,” which threatens to stretch out for too long, is a gorgeous piece that walks the line between indie and dance, owing not a little to Lisa Lobsinger’s lead.  When Leslie Feist later unfolds “Sentimental X’s,” it reads as an attempt to mimic “All to All.”  Perhaps this was purposeful, as a means of pulling the otherwise disparate pieces of the album together.

Even still, it falls short.

The opener “World Sick” hints at a truth later revealed:  Broken Social Scene doesn’t always know when to cut it short or rein it in.  On the seven minute “World Sick,” their patient unraveling of the larger concept translates, and they quickly follow up with the fast-paced three-minute “Chase Scene” as a prompt reminder that not every track on Forgiveness Rock Record will be a test of the listener’s patience.  Even as a large group, they know how to hit a groove and run with it.

This is a key aspect present in the first six tracks that disappears almost irretrievably for the remainder of the album.

Broken Social Scene's "Forgiveness Rock Record" (2010)

Broken Social Scene's "Forgiveness Rock Record" (2010)

After “Art House Director” fades, the bulk of the album kicks off with “Highway Slipper Jam,” beginning with a vocal burst that sounds like something Femi Kuti would contribute to a Brett Dennen single.  Whereas it is a fun accompaniment on the latter, it sits oddly in isolation on this seventh track.  It is not so much that “Highway Slipper Jam” is a bad song.  It is more that it is hardly a song at all.  Essentially, this track expresses what is implied by the tag “Jam”: it is little more than a drum beat and some disconnected vocals and guitars.

“Ungrateful Little Father” opens lyrically strong and catchy even, yet dissolves into a more than three minute indulgence that sounds like a dream sequence set in a casino.

From there, most of the remaining tracks either tease at something more or fall apart as echoes of other sounds on the album.  “Meet Me in the Basement” builds up to a legitimate rock song… without any vocals or anything really interesting or fresh after the midpoint about two minutes in.   As noted above, “Sentimental X’s” reads as an inferior six-minute rewrite of “All to All.”

“Sweetest Kill” is the most significant tease on the record, unfolding an alluring lead vocal and pulsing bass lines that would please, if only it didn’t hold to the established norm for all five minutes of the song.  “Romance to the Grave” will keep your interest, but there is still something lacking here that wasn’t in those first six tracks, by now a distant memory.

Then comes “Water in Hell.”

From the opening guitar run, it is clear that “Water in Hell” is more well put together than anything since “Art House Director.”  It still very much bears the Broken Social Scene watermark, adding reverb and quirky background accompaniment, but it just works.  And it works so well that you could listen for all the unique parts that are woven masterfully together, hinting at a looseness without ever falling apart, or simply kick back and rock out.

The album concludes with “Me and My Hand,” which is underwhelming, but pretty and haunting and, thus, a fitting lead-in for anyone who decides to listen to track one again. (Why you wouldn’t give tracks one through six another play, having made it all the way through, I don’t know.)

In short, I haven’t written Broken Social Scene off after this album, but the gap between their excellent songs and their unrealized and mediocre songs is vast.  Accordingly, Forgiveness Rock Records blazes admirably through the first six before falling apart, only to be temporarily revived by the standout “Water in Hell.”  Records like this perhaps serve best as a reminder of why the Beatles set the standard number of tracks at twelve and others, from Bob Dylan to Weezer, have since scaled that back to ten or even into the single digits.

We all like to get the most for our money, but the greater desire should always be to get consistently excellent music that begs for multiple listens – a desire that Forgiveness Rock Record on the whole, for all its solid tracks, simply can’t satisfy.

The Review Is In: Jim Fusco’s “Those Around Us” is 10/10 Stars!

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That’s right, everyone.  According to music blogger Andrea Guy from the Mossip Music Blog, Jim Fusco’s “Those Around Us” LP from 2012 is, “Music to make your ears happy” and gives it 10/10 stars!

“These three and a half minute songs are reminders of how fun music can be…Jim is a versatile songwriter, but even more than that, he’s a versatile and talented musician.”

That’s pretty high praise for Jim’s latest effort- if you haven’t heard the album, now’s your chance!  Read the review on Jim Fusco’s official website by clicking HERE, then navigate over to HERE to buy the album online (via CD or iTunes download).  You’ll be glad you did- just ask Ms. Guy!

The Hold Steady’s “Heaven is Whenever” – The Weekend Review

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By Chris Moore:

RATING: 4 / 5 stars

The Hold Steady: Keeping riff-driven rock songs relevant since 2004.

To be fair, I’ve only heard one album — 2010’s Heaven is Whenever — but the Hold Steady certainly make a strong case for deserving that aforementioned title on the merits of this most recent release alone. More to the point, the question foremost on my mind as I ran through my second, third, and on through to my tenth listens to this album (in a four day span) was: how has this band managed to release four albums that I’ve never heard of?

Oh, right… Rock music doesn’t “sell” like it used to. I forgot for a moment there.

Honestly, I was nonplussed for much of my first listen. I had put the album on low while talking in the car; what I did hear sounded like the middle-of-the-road derivative drivel that passes for contemporary popular “rock” music.

I’m not name-dropping here, but you can imagine…

When I finally had the mind to crank the volume up, I very clearly heard a band that is not attempting to be something they aren’t. Sure, there are inflections of the Counting Crows and Tom Petty as well as Weezer and the occasional hats-off nod to hip hop dispersed throughout this record, yet although I feel like I should be able to draw more concrete observations in the vein of “The Hold Steady sound like _______”…

Well, I haven’t gotten that far.

And why would I want to? Reviewers — myself included — have a way of breaking down albums and songs to such a degree that, once dismantled, they simply can’t be put back together and enjoyed.

The Hold Steady's

The Hold Steady's "Heaven is Whenever" (2010)

The defining feature of Heaven is Whenever is the tension between the obvious and the subtle, the directly stated and the implied. Namely, these are not the simple, superficial songs that they may appear to be to the casual listener. And it is truly refreshing to read through the lyrics booklet without losing respect for the music.

Kiran Soderqvist of Sputnik Music nails their tone when he writes that frontman Craig Finn “has a way with words and much of their music hints at something much more calculated than bar-light jamming.”

On this record, the lyrics accomplish much of the hinting.

If you’re listening for a Bob Dylan, or even a Jakob Dylan, then you’re liable to be disappointed. But if you’re drawn to the sorts of lines and phrases that will leave you imagining what they might refer to (“There was that whole weird thing with the horses” or “There were a couple pretty crass propositions…” in “The Weekenders”), if you like your allusions served often and served bluntly (“Don’t it suck about the succubi?” in “A Slight Discomfort”), if you’re fond of your metaphors (“I’m from a place with lots of lakes. But sometimes they get soft in the center. And the center is a dangerous place…” in “Soft in the Center”), and if you fancy wordplay (“Jock Jills go for jumping Jacks” in “Our Whole Lives”), then you won’t be disappointed.

Topically, the album is thought-provoking if you’ll let it be, though it’s vague enough — and paced quickly enough — that you’ll never have to think to enjoy these songs.

Upon further consideration, there is more beneath the surface. To begin with, heaven may be the most oft-used word on this record, employed as a metaphor for a beautiful, peaceful relationship in “We Can Get Together,” the lyrics of which provided the album title. Earlier, heaven is what the situation in “The Smidge” feels like, and “Heaven Tonight” makes leaving a party feel “really right” in “Rock Problems.” Later, heaven is the topic for discussions about “hypotheticals” in the superb lead-off single “Hurricane J.”

Not surprisingly, religious iconology oozes forth throughout, as Finn sings about praying on numerous occasions, saints are mentioned repeatedly (specifically, as well as figuratively, as in “Hurricane J” when Jesse’s parents “…didn’t name her for a saint. They named her for a storm”), the Catholic confessional is alluded to in “Our Whole Lives,” and the 1980 Jim Carroll band record Catholic Boy is referenced. Clearly, Heaven is Whenever turns to this thematic underpinning, both seriously and dismissively, and whether intended or not, the album provides a wealth of provocative hooks for the listener.

This is not to say that the Hold Steady’s latest release is a spiritual record or some sort of religious statement. There are many other similarly provocative statements here, such as the advice in “Soft in the Center” that “You can’t get every girl. You’ll get the ones you love the best. You won’t get every girl. You’ll love the ones you get the best. Kid, you can’t kiss every girl…” Every young man confronts this conflict in his programming, that eternal struggle between man as the primitive hunter/gatherer driven by instinct/attraction, and man as the productive member of a society that values monogamy and stability.

There are lighter connections to be made here, as well. For instance, speaking as a life-long dork and sometimes-nerd, I had a visceral reaction to the refrain in “Our Whole Lives” that finds Finn proclaiming, “We’re good guys, but we can’t be good every night. We’re good guys, but we can’t be good our whole lives.”

If you really listen, Heaven is Whenever has much to offer up both lyrically and musically. If you’d rather not, then you’ll still find this album a fun rock record.

And, as a result, I’m left wondering why I didn’t start listening four albums ago.