A new Spoon album is a big event, so I carved out time to give the stream up on NPR this week a listen. The verdict? I'd say it's not what I expected, but with Spoon, it's difficult to know what to expect. It feels like both a logical progression from the last two albums and a retrenchment of sorts to the sound of the two before that. Somehow, it is all of those things, and yet what it most resembles is the new Spoon record. How's that for circular logic?

Here is a track-by-track first impression. Listen for yourself here.

1. Before Destruction - A keyboard that sounds like something lifted from Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan anchors the beginning of this track, with that giving way to rather lo-fi vocals from Britt Daniel as the song builds (or rather, deconstructs). This sounds like a demo that was used as the base of a finished track. Given Daniel's acumen and the fact that the band produced itself for the first time here, that's entirely possible. It's a slightly odd opening track, because it isn't immediately gripping, but as a scene setter, it may very well be the perfect introduction. Some nice backing vocal effects as the song progresses add some beneficial texture. I may be humming this a couple of weeks from now after a few spins, but for now I'll file it in the "grower" category.

2. Is Love Forever - Ah, much more Spoon-like, with Daniel's stabbing guitar chords driving things from the get-go. A slightly out-of-sync doubled vocal track gives this a spacey, out of focus vibe. I keep waiting for the drums to fully kick in and propel the song into a more dynamic chorus, but so far, no go. Again, not much to latch onto here. It'll click eventually, but Daniel's typical sticky melodies are absent here.

3. The Mystery Zone - Even more Spoonesque. If you seek a first single, this could suffice. The beat is more traditional, the melody more conventional and the sound more fleshed out. This could easily appear on any of the band's last three albums, though it does hark back more specifically to Kill the Moonlight. That's the dilemma, however; because this sounds most familiar, it has the most appeal now yet will probably be one of the tracks that wearies most readily. There's a nice long unadorned Jim Eno drumbeat that would make a nice sample for a future rap single. Heads up, Kanye.

4. Who Makes Your Money - This is a strange one with an odd little keyboard line driving it before Daniel starts singing in a restrained, almost pained way: "Japanese John, his slight face fur/Still just as confused, still just as sure.” The chorus finds Daniel singing the title in a phased way that brings to mind the old hit "Crimson and Clover." Then, about half way through, a slight guitar riff pushes the song, both rhythmically and sonically before fading to let the keyboard figure back to the surface. After a couple of albums where Spoon added layers back to its sound after the spartan Kill the Moonlight, this feels like an about-face back toward the stripped-down aesthetic.

5. Written in Reverse - The first song made available as a stream (not counting "Got Nuffin," which anchored an EP last year) has a bit of a Paul McCartney vibe, with the 4/4 drums and a pounding piano as a complementary rhythm instrument. It, too, recalls past Spoon albums, but this time out it's Girls Can Tell, the album that found the band's reach and grasp aligning to produce a clutch of wonderfully off-kilter pop songs. Daniel sings with conviction here while the guitars slash and dive. It has a nice false ending, too.

6. I Saw the Light - The tempo doesn't shift much between these two tracks, with the beginning of "I Saw the Light" almost feeling like an extension of "Written in Reverse." Then, about halfway through. The song morphs into a double-time instrumental propelled by piano and bass. Guitars again slash through as the song builds, but it never feels like a part of the same song.

7. Trouble Comes Running - Lowest of the lo-fi, at least for the first few second, with a creaky strum replaced by full-on rock. Daniel sings what sounds like "I was in a functional way, I had my brown sound jacket, queen of call collect on my arm." While the backing continues to sound lo-fi, as if cut on a four-track, the vocals and guitars sound hi-fi, giving them prominence in the speakers. The song is a kick, with some nice mid-60s Who backing vocals on the chorus and a generally ramshackle stumble of an arrangement.

8. Goodnight Laura - If memory serves, the first true Spoon ballad. Over nothing more than a piano, Daniel sings what amounts to a lullaby. There is nothing crafty or obtuse about the lyric; it's simply telling Laura, whoever she may be, that everything will be all right and that it's OK to go to sleep. A sweet song that shows more range than Daniel has revealed previously.

9. Out Go the Lights - A bit of normalcy after some more challenging (by mainstream standards, of course) tunes. This is the most straight-forward song on the album, though it is still spare and, thanks to its mid-tempo beat, will rely on multiple listens to reveal its charms. Daniel seems to be doing more with backing vocals on this album, and the oohs and ahhs that buttress his main vocal here are a good example of their effective use. This staggers to a close more than ends, with instruments falling away to leave only Eno's drums to carry things to the conclusion.

10. Got Nuffin - This is the oldest track here, and it fits well with the album. Given Spoon's penchant for non-LP releases, I'd have preferred leaving it to its namesake EP to make way for another new song here, but it does give the album a needed boost of energy in the penultimate spot. Along with "The Mystery Zone," this is the most Spoon-like track on the album, a propulsive rocker with a solid hook and well-placed guitar lines. It's also the only track that makes use of Daniel's unique spelling, with past song titles like "Don't You Evah" and "Rhthm & Soul" earning the scorn of English teachers.

11. Nobody Gets Me But You - The burbling bass and drum machine make this sound like an outtake from a 1980s DeBarge record, but Daniel clearly makes the song his own in short order. Could this be a paean to the listener: "No one else gets what I'm doing," he sings. Of course, given the band's rising profile and growing commercial footprint, that's not such an exclusive club. This is a strange closer, but, like much of the album, that obtuse nature makes me want to listen again to figure out all of the angles, and that's not a bad trait for an album to possess.

All told, this isn't the album I expected from Spoon, nor is it necessarily the one I wanted. But Spoon has succeeded and thrived precisely by delivering the unexpected, and Transference will likely be no different. If this feels like a retrenchment of sorts, it's at least a return to a time when Daniel and his band found very fertile ground to explore. While certain tracks could be considered growers, the entire album feels that way when one takes a step back. While "The Mystery Zone" and "Got Nuffin" offer immediate rewards, tracks like "Who Makes Your Money" and "Nobody Gets Me But You" surely will offer the highest yields over the long term. Transference is a good record that, with enough dedicated listening, promises to be a great one.

Labels: first listen, music, Spoon

The fear with Brendan Benson's membership in the Raconteurs was that he would leave his clearly superior solo career behind.

Lucky for us, that hasn't been the case. In fact, it has meant more Benson music than before. Since his sophomore outing -- 2002's Lapalco, which came six years after his debut -- he has issued 2005's Alternative to Love and the two good-but-not-great Raconteurs albums. Now comes, in what for Benson is a blistering pace, his fourth solo album,My Old Familiar Friend. The album is due Aug. 18 on ATO Records, but NPR is streaming it now.

Gil Norton produced, and his skill at allowing acts to blend quieter, more textured moments with slabs of full-on rock suits Benson well.

1. Whole Lot Better - A solid opening track that sounds like classic Benson and is a fine lead single. A mix of keyboards, acoustic guitars and hard-charging electric guitar fuels this hooky opener. Lyrically this offers a mirror of the Gene Clark/Byrds track "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better;" there Clark wanted his love gone, while Benson wants her around... or does he? "I fell in love with you, and out of love with you, and back in love with you all in the same day."

2. Eyes on the Horizon - Todd Rundgren? Nope, just Benson, with a surprisingly straightfoward pop song that doesn't stomp or swerve or skitter. His treated vocals here are strong, and the hook, while pretty basis as far as Benson songs go, is a hummable delight.

3. Garbage Day - Yes, as NPR and everyone else has pointed out, those are Motown strings (or perhaps more accurately, Gamble-Huff strings), giving this a breezy, soulful feel, surely the breeziest tune with the word "garbage" in the title. Benson is strongest when he is rocking, but songs like this and the later "You Make a Fool Out of Me," he proves he can do tender and sensitive as well.

4. Gonowhere - More retro feel, this time from the pitch-shifting synthesizer line that provides the songs first hook -- paging Keith Emerson! A solid, if unremarkable tune that leads off a somewhat soft middle.

5. Feel Like Taking You Home - A slinky vibe that, if slowed down, could be a Raconteurs song. It lacks the overt pop-pop crunch of the previous four tracks, and feels like a departure from Benson's typical sound. It has almost a mutated disco beat with a pulsing keyboard line to drive things. As things escalate, the hooks become more obvious, though it's far from the strongest track.

6. You Make a Fool Out of Me - A piano- and acoustic-guitar driven ballad that sounds like a Paul McCartney outtake. The swelling strings are a nice touch, and the relatively unadorned arrangement allows Benson's voice to shine through. His voice isn't the strongest in rock (hence the frequent double-tracking), but he uses it well here.

7. Poised and Ready - Back to the rock, but the piano stays, pounding rather than tinkling this time out. This is classic power pop with strong hooks... at least in the verse, which trumps the rest of the song. The cheesy keyboards in the understated chorus seem to leave a lot of energy from the verses behind.

8. Don't Want to Talk - A big beat opens things courtesy of a lift from "Rock 'n'' Roll Pt. 2," but that gives way to power chord heaven. Benson sings some nice echo-laden harmonies with himself here, emphasizing the hooks. This thing just keeps building, becoming this big insistent hook that takes over your ears. A standout.

9. Misery - Do do do do do do... Is Benson going all Beach Boys on us? Not really, but it's a nice throwback touch that immediately grabs the listener on this retro rave-up. This thing has hooks upon hooks, and is real evidence of Benson's songwriting and arranging skills. There are a lot of elements, but everything fits together and enhances everything else. This is the kind of song you'll play for a friend to prove just how talented this guy is.

10. Lesson Learned - A nice down-tempo shift after the manic "Misery." Electric piano gives this a late-night vibe, and there are some interesting layered vocals, but there isn't much here to grab onto.

11. Borrow - From the blast of keyboard and guitar that opens this track, it has "album closer" written all over it. It starts mid-tempo and then shifts into overdrive on the chorus: "you don't care what other people say," Benson sings.

Verdict: This is Benson's fourth album, so he knows by now what he wants and delivers. Though he is wildly talented, it seems that Benson is perhaps too mannered or worried about creating concisely arranged songs to ever deliver a scorcher that demands to be heard. It's a great album, much like his previous three, but there is nothing here that will force you to pull it out a year from now once it has faded from memory. If you do, however, you'll be rewarded with several top-notch songs that show Benson is much more than Jack White's sideman in the Raconteurs.

Labels: Brendan Benson, first listen, music

It's hard for lead singers to leave bands behind for solo albums without endless comparisons made to their work at their day job. A few try to subvert that by creating an entirely new persona. Interpol's Paul Banks tries just such a tactic, dubbing himself Julian Plenti for his first solo outing. The name, the jokey backstory the hipster attire and the mustache-eyeglasses combo might divert attention for a few seconds, but once his voice slithers out of the speakers, it's all over.

But listening to his forthcoming album, Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper (due Aug. 4 on Matador Records), it's clear that he doesn't need such subterfuge. Yes, there are many elements beyond his voice that indicate that this is an Interpol-related product, but Banks takes some risks here, proving without question that he was right to strike out on his own with these songs. Fans of Interpol will fall in love, but those who find that band's icy angularity to be off-putting might be surprised by the depth of Banks' songs and the reach of his arrangements.

What follows is my first reaction to a first listen of the album, streaming now on Rhapsody.

1. Only If you Run -A heavier beat and groove than one usually expects from Interpol, with the emphasis on bass and keyboards rather than the angular guitars of Banks' day job. Still, this has that dark, sleek feel of Interpol, as if all frivolity and fun was sucked out of the room before the track was laid down. This is more a detour than a reinvention.

2. Fun That We Have - This one starts with a guitar and Banks' vocal. It's perhaps not fair to compare things to Interpol at every turn, but there's little to distinguish this track from something his band might play. Some off-kilter rhythms and keyboards offer a bit more adventurousness than the more regimented Interpol, but thus far, if this had been issued under his band's name, I can't imagine anyone would bat an eye.

3. Skyscraper - Now this is a departure. Strings and acoustic guitar lay down a pretty base through which Banks' vocal tries to cut, like another radio signal bursting forth through static as you drive out of range of another. When it emerges fully formed, it floats atop that swelling bed of music perfectly. Here's proof Banks has more to offer. I hope the rest of the disc offers more of this and less of the Interpol-esque sounds of the opening two tracks.

4. Games For Days - The electric guitars are back, but this is more frenetic and anxious than the usually cool Interpol, giving Banks the chance to add some nuance to his usual disaffected vocals. When the chorus kicks in, things turn a bit pedestrian. It's perfectly catchy, but everything leading up to it seems to promise more than is delivered. Once that goes away, the song gets interesting again. Go figure.

5. Madrid Song - Piano and double-tracked vocals: "Come have at us we are strong," Banks sings over and over before strings come in, followed by some distorted spoken word. This is just two minutes long, but it's a nice, atmospheric track that emphasizes the music of Banks' vocal.

6. No Chance Survival - A sweet vocal from Banks? Yes, one might go so far as to call this tender, even warm, as he croons over strings and light guitar and some minimalist bass. "Only If You Run" has more of a groove, but this is the first time I could imagine using the term "jazzy" within the same sentence as Interpol, and only then with the caveat that this is only the band's singer, not its sound.

7. Unwind - Some big beats and a dominant keyboard line set the tone before the... horns come in? Yes, the stops are being pulled out (literally and figuratively, it would seem), as a trumpet fanfare drives this song toward the first verse. Banks' vocal has an off effect on it in the verses, but that gives way to a full bright chorus where he sings, "I see your face and I let you own me." Keeping the love song vibe, the bridge finds Banks' singing variations of "I'll make time for you" before uttering, "Patience, it's safer for you now." No idea if patience is a woman or a suggestion.

8. Girl on the Sporting News - Another quiet track, starting with light drums, guitar and a bit of bass, followed by strings. This sounds like the Banks of Interpol trying to sing a ballad, and for some reason it doesn't work as well as some of the other downtempo tracks. The guitar figure meshes well with the strings, giving the song its strongest hook. Some nice fingerpicked acoustic guitar undergirds the bridge. Lyrically, the song fits well within Banks' oeuvre, its slinky, slightly stalkerish vibe right in his wheelhouse.

9. On the Esplanade - More pretty acoustic guitars and a quiet Banks vocal. It seems obvious the singer wanted to actually sing for a change, rather than simply exude attitude as he does so well with Interpol. More sampled spoken sounds here, injecting some incongruous moments that keep interest through what is a typical ballad. Strings swell to bring the track to a classy close.

10. Fly As You Might - Ah, more guitars. This is Banks' most successful attempt to use the instrumentation of his band in new ways. A few disjointed pieces move together as the song approaches the chorus, and then suddenly fit. While the quieter tracks here fall well outside his band's usual reach, this one shows a direction Banks might nudge things on future releases.

11. H - Essentially an instrumental, the song begins with piano and strings before adding other elements and it progresses. There's another odd sampled voice (the album's third) that threatens to turn into an actual vocal before fading. Just when the song seems to be building toward something, it ends, bringing the album to an unresolved, but strangely satisfying conclusion.

Speaking of conclusions, the album feels like a Frankenstein's monster of sorts. Half of the album -- "Only If You Run," "Fun That We Have," "Games For Days," "Girl on the Sporting News" and "Fly As You Might" -- would fit fairly snugly on an Interpol album, while the other half feels more like what one expects from someone clearly working hard to distance himself from his band. Actually, "Unwind" seems to straddle those two sounds, but push comes to shove, would land in that latter group. Had those six tracks been issued as an EP, the reaction would be interesting. As it is, there is enough here to keep Interpol fans in the fold while perhaps broadening their horizons.

Given the somewhat tepid third Interpol album, it's refreshing to see Banks offer such a creative, catchy batch of songs. A band that had seemed to exhaust its rather narrow sound may have quite a bit of life left in it if Banks is allowed to keep the mustache and specs and steer things a bit more in this direction.

Labels: first listen

Facebook's iLike is streaming the forthcoming Dead Weather album, Horehound, and what follows are my initial thoughts on hearing the album for the first time. It's due out July 13 on Third Man Records.

1. 60 Feet Tall - This lets the listener know right from the outset that this is not simply a female-led White Stripes. Jack White knows dynamics better than most of his peers, but he rarely does atmospherics quite like this. The song starts slow and quiet, with Alison Mosshart grabbing the song by the horns from the word go. Guitarist Dean Fertita (from Queens of the Stone Age) drops a squall of a solo here that one could easily mistake for something emanating from White's guitar. This is dark, brooding and awfully good.

2. Hang You From the Heavens - A more generic track that, at least in the YouTube version subbed by iLike, gets by largely on one big riff and Mosshart's leering vocals. It's a good riff and a good vocal, but after the inventive opener, this feels a little flat.

3. I Cut Like a Buffalo - The only solo White songwriting credit (the first two were Mosshart/Fertita originals) and his first vocal. This one is built on some nice organ work, from a pulsing low end to a skittering solo line. No idea what it means to cut like a buffalo, but White seems to mean it. His drumming on the first two tracks were fine, as the tempos were rudimentary enough to cover for any deficiencies. Here, with a slinky beat, his bare bones approach leaves me wanting. Someone with some real chops could really drive this song.

4. So Far From Your Weapon - Mosshart's only solo writing credit finds her growling her way through a stripped-down number that explodes into something sounding like a band being shoved down a flight of stairs. Thus far, one-third of the way through the album, it's clear that Mosshart is the band's not-so-secret weapon, and that while she is well-utilized in her day job with the Kills, the slow-boil menace of Dead Weather might be the better fit.

5. Treat Me Like Your Mother - One of three tracks on the album co-written by all four bandmates, this one starts with a wicked guitar line (which could be an organ) that must be fed through a passel of pedals at Fertita's feet. Mosshart stands toe-to-toe with the lick, while White's drums this time drive things just right, his ramshackle beat pushing Fertita's guitar up against the wall. White also contributes some solo vocals that offer a nice counterpoint to Mosshart's feline yowl. A definite standout.

6. Rocking Horse - A Mosshart/White composition that starts with... bass! Yes, Jack Lawrence really is in the band. He is quickly drowned out by Fertitia's spaghetti Western guitars and a duet between Mosshart and White, each singing through a telephone device.

7. New Pony - A strange Bob Dylan cover (drawn from 1978's Street Legal) with a fuzzed-out guitar solo that sounds like White must surely have come out from behind the kit to strap on his six string. If Dylan sang with the ferocity Mosshart brings to the track, Street Legal would have been a real return to form. Blasphemy though it may be to say, consider this a reworking of the level achieved by Jimi Hendrix on "All Along the Watchtower."

8. Bone House - The second full-band composition. A song driven by fuzzed-out bass (or guitar or organ) line with White pounding away on his drums (giving the cymbals particular punishment). Again, White and Mosshart's twinned vocals add some heft and show what is occasionally lacking in their main bands. "Always get the things I want," they sing in a way that conveys that what they want isn't always what they need.

9. 3 Birds - A kind of funky instrumental with some strangulated guitar sounds, a pulsing bass and a few other spacy sounds that keep things interesting for most of its 3:45 runtime. The last full-band composition. Acoustic guitar injects some needed variety about halfway through; still, this could have been trimmed a bit without losing anything. Beware, this feels like something that could be dragged out interminably in concert. I can see it now: Jack White drum solo!

10. No Hassle Night - Another Mosshart/White track, this one lumbers along like a fairly generic White Stripes song, albeit one with a lot of overdubbing. Not doing much for me; luckily it's mercifully short at 2:56.

11. Will There Be Enough Water? - The album ends with its first White/Fertita co-write, and it's the longest track on the disc. One expects a guitar freakout from these two, but things start quietly with some shuffling drums and an acoustic guitar line that sounds like something Keith Richards might cook up while coming off the nod splayed on a couch in a French chateau circa Exile on Main Street. It maintains that loping pace for its entirety, never bursting forth with the expected (and frankly, hoped for) guitar interplay. A bit of barrlehouse piano is as close as we get to a spike in dynamics here. It's a downbeat way to end the album, a real cool down after the heat of the rest of the tracklisting. Given the ho-hum nature of its lead-in, perhaps some judicious reworking of the sequencing could have improved things, but it's not a bad way to go out.

All in all, this was so much better than I expected. I haven't been excited by a White Stripes album since Elephant; this raised the hairs on the back of my neck in similar fashion. The Raconteurs never gelled for me despite the presence of longtime favorite Brendan Benson, so it's nice to see one of White's tangents pay off so handsomely.

One last note: the cover, while arresting, seemed familiar until I finally realized it looks eerily like the illustrated sleeve for the self-titled Fever Ray disc from earlier this year. Fitting, as that's another strange collection of songs fronted by a woman who subverts expectations. Kindred souls, perhaps.

Labels: first listen, music

iLike is streaming Sonic Youth's 15th proper album, The Eternal, and I thought I'd share my thoughts on first listen. It's the band's first for Matador as it returns to the indie world after nearly two improbable decades with a major label. The disc is due June 9.

1. Sacred Trickster - This is Sonic Youth, no question. A nice blast of rocking guitars that, while interestingly tuned, are fairly accessible. Oh, there's Kim. I'd much rather hear Thurston Moore or Lee Ranaldo on vocals, but it seems as if the band feels Kim Gordon is its strength, and has leaned on her more on its past few discs. Still, she drops an interesting commentary into the lyric: "What's it like to be a girl in a band/I don't quite understand. That's so quaint to hear/I feel so faint, my dear."

2. Anti-Orgasm - Could this be the band's best album since Dirty? That's premature, I know, but this one-two punch is impressive. (Never mind, looking back at the hyperbole in the last sentence, that I probably declared Murray Street and Rather Ripped as the best thing since Dirty at one point). Here, Thurston and Kim sing together as the guitars swirl, swoop and dive. Two-and-a-half minutes in, it feels fairly complete, and I wonder where they'll take it. As one might expect, this just keeps building, with the occasional break back to the core riff to ground the listener. Wait, now, at 3:30, the song's form has completely broken down and they restate things with some subtle, quiet guitars and light drums. Very nice.

3. Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso) - Thurston and Kim again. This is a pretty boiler-plate late SY track that has tempered my enthusiasm just a bit. It's not bad, but it shows that it's probably not possible for (or fair to expect) the manic energy that drove the first two tracks to sustain.

4. Antenna - This is a live clip from "Later with Jools Holland" on YouTube for some reason, so who knows how closely it hews to the studio version (it does seem to be about a minute shorter). It's a nice, mellow Thurston tune with Kim on third guitar (remembering, of course, that Pavement's Mark Ibold is now on bass). It feels at various points like it wants to take off, but the band keeps a tight hold on things, opting for coiled tension over release. It works, but it leaves me hoping the next track will fly apart a bit.

5. What We Know - Ah, the Lee Ranaldo track. Some furious guitars and Lee's trademark overdriven vocals. It's no "Mote," but it's still a solid track. "I'd drink a case of you," he sings in one of the most visceral lines about lust I've ever heard. As with "Sacred Trickster" and "Anti-Orgasm," riffs reign supreme here, then give way to some interplay between Moore and Ranaldo on guitar. Steve Shelley drums without using the cymbals for quite a stretch here, giving things a tribal feel while the guitarists solo.

6. Calming the Snake - Starts with a snaking bass line, fittingly enough, before giving way to a burst of guitar noise that is itself reined in a bit as Kim starts singing. Her strangulated vocal would calm no beast, snake or otherwise. There's not a lot here that escapes from the piercing tone of her vocal, so if you like Kim, you'll like this. At least it's short.

7. Poison Arrow - Oh, would that it were an ABC cover. Oh well, too much to hope for. Instead we get a minute of standard SY jamming before Thurston comes in with a mannered vocal that reminds me in spirit (though not timbre) or Bob Dylan on Nashville Skyline. "Who shot the poison arrow," Thurston and Kim sing in one of the few vocal hooks on offer thus far. Another good, but not great track.

8. Malibu Gas Station - Luna has a song called "Malibu Love Nest," and as fitting as that title is for that suave combo, "Malibu Gas Station" feels like a Sonic Youth song before you even hear a note. When it kicks in, you'd be forgiven for hearing a Luna vibe, as Moore and Ranaldo weave very restrained, echo-laden guitar lines. Even when the rest of the band joins in, it's pretty restrained for Sonic Youth. Another Kim vocal, but this is breathy Kim, which is much more palatable.

9. Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn - A classic Sonic Youth riff with Thurston on vocals and Kim on supporting "yeah, yeahs." It's a short blast and a nice change of pace after "Malibu Gas Station." Oh, and Bobby Pyn? That's a name that Germs founder Darby Crash went by. Crash killed himself at age 22 in 1980.

10. No Way - Another Thurston rocker that keeps up the pace set by "Thunderclap." There's no transcendent moment here, but things settle into a nice groove and stay there for the song's entirety, which isn't always the case for SY. This would have been a decent album opener, but perhaps is even more effective as a late-album blast, coming as it does before two long songs that close the disc.

11. Walkin Blue - A second Lee song! This starts in pretty laid-back fashion with an almost poppy vibe to it. A nice, untreated Lee vocal. Unlike "Antenna," which was about unreleased tension, this is tension-free, the mellowest song on the album. "Everything we see is clear," he sings. Perhaps the relatively straightforward music is meant to complement that sentiment. The solo does head out a bit, but then things are brought back in for a longish outro.

12. Massage the History - The capstone. If you weren't sure, check out that 9:43 runtime on a disc where most of the songs are 4 minutes or less. Can you say "slow build"? This starts with acoustic guitars and some atmospheric electric washes while Steve Shelley pounds his floor tom. I want Thurston and fear I'm going to get Kim. Ah, there she is. Again, at least it's breathy Kim rather than shrieking Kim. It took nearly two minutes to get to the vocal, though it didn't ever drag. The music doesn't change behind her, however, as the band maintains the stripped-down vibe. This segues nicely out of "Walkin Blue," though I expect things to explode soon. By the 4-minute mark, you can feel the slow build fully under way. By the 6-minute mark, Shelley's cymbals are the only sound, and the band brings the acoustic guitars back to restate the theme. From there, things get even more stripped down, with Kim singing over nothing more than a faint bass line as the song moves into its final minute. Talk about subverting expectations. This ends with a whimper, not a bang.

So, the sentiments expressed as I listened to track two were premature at best; this is a solid, at times quite good Sonic Youth album, but I think Murray Street is still better. That said, it's a very different album, marrying the guitar textures of that album with the shorter, more arranged song structure of Rather Ripped. It's definitely as good a record as any 30-year-old band could hope to make, and one that honors the band's legacy while not allowing itself to be mired in nostalgia.

Labels: first listen, music

You can stream Wilco's forthcoming album, Wilco (The Album) right now at the band's web site. The album is due June 30 from Nonesuch. What follows are my first impressions of the 11 tracks. Spoiler alert: I like it quite a bit. Read on to find out why.

1. Wilco (The Song): Debuted on "The Colbert Report," the song seemed like a goofy lark destined for a B-side. Here, leading off the album, it feels like the past several years never happened, as if Wilco (The Album) was following Summerteeth, not Sky Blue Sky. It's a chugging rocker with its tongue stuck firmly in its cheek. "Wilco love you, baby."

2. Deeper Down: The album shifts gears here, with a sweet, quiet tune with some nice pedal steel from Nels Cline and some burbling background noise from Mikael Jorgensen. During the instrumental passages, this sounds like the kind of ornate, precious tune Wes Anderson would use to soundtrack one of his films.

3. One Wing: A competent track that doesn't do a lot for me. It'd be a standout on a latter-day Ryan Adams disc, but there's little in the way of an immediate hook. Tweedy's vocal and lyric are average, and the song is fairly pedestrian instrumentally, at least by Wilco standards.

4. Bull Black Nova: This is more like it. Pounding keyboards that give way to some interesting guitar lines while Tweedy sings with some nervous urgency. This is the first song on the album that feels as if the band is taking full advantage of its strengths and quirks at the same time, and the first that lets Cline air things out a bit. Most interestingly, it seems that Tweedy is talking about the car, not the celestial phenomenon.

5. You and I: A quiet, acoustic song built on a sweet melody from Tweedy in duet with Feist. It's a straightforward love song, the kind of thing Tweedy would typical twist with a thrown punch, a missed communication or some other romantic foible. Instead, he plays it straight here, and the results are gorgeous.

6. You Never Know: A soaring pop tune with piano tinkling, a full-time strummed acoustic guitar and solid hooks. "Every generation thinks it's the last, thinks it's the end of the world." The vocal harmonies here are pristine, giving this a classic pop feel. A real standout.

7. Country Disappeared: Another tempo downshift, with a tune that would be at home on either of Wilco's last two albums. So much so, in fact, that it feels in a way like a pastiche of past moves. That's not a bad thing, but it seems like a placeholder of sorts. Then again, with a placeholder of this quality, the band can be forgiven for taking a bit of a break on this track.

8. Solitaire: Starts with some nice finger-picked guitar augmented by spacey keyboards... and double-tracked vocals! That's a strange element from Tweedy. Real stripped down, pretty. Fitting, given the title. Some nice images lyrically, too: "I was cold as gasoline." Cline's pedal steel returns here to give the song a spooky yet warm vibe. The arrangement and production on this is fantastic.

9. I'll Fight: Maintains the quiet, acoustic feel of "Solitaire" at the outset, but launches rather quickly into a full-band arrangement. "I"ll go for you... I'll fight... I'll die for you, I will," Tweedy sings. Another laid-back song musically speaking. Shares much of its melody with Sky Blue Sky closer "On and On and On." Wouldn't put it past Tweedy to consider this a sequel of sorts. There, Tweedy pledged that he and his love would "stay together yet." Here, he goes a step further.

10. Sonny Feeling: When I first saw a tracklist for the album, I read this as "Sonny Liston," likely coaxed by the preceding "I'll Fight" and "lasting" part of the following "Everlasting Everything" to make the mistake. I was wrong, of course, and the song certainly suggests nothing of the sort. It's a, well, sunny track that reprises a bit of the stomp of the opener. Cline gets another chance to show off here to nice effect. This is the only real upbeat song on the latter half of the album.

11. Everlasting Everything: This feels like an album closer. It's a slow-building big statement with a big chorus. "Everything alive must die, every building built to the sky will fall." Swelling strings nicely undergird Tweedy's sentiment. Rather than continue to build to a crashing crescendo, the band pulls back, letting Cline noodle around a bit while the other instruments fade out. It's a great way to end a solid album.

Overall, the disc stands well with the rest of the band's catalog. While it is the sound of a band standing in place a bit, the strength of its songs more than makes up for that. This is what Wilco sounds like -- remarkably, Tweedy has had the same band for two albums straight! -- and that's a good thing.

Labels: first listen, music