New Music Tuesday: September 12, 2006

Yes, it's that time again and there's lots to talk about. Yo La Tengo has released an epic cd that if nothing else has the best title of any other album to be released this year, I Am Not Afraid of You And I Will Beat Your Ass. John Mayer released his highly-anticipated Continuum LP which features some interesting talent backing him up (Roy Hargrove and Ben Harper anyone?). The Rapture pull off the surprise follow up of the year with Pieces of the People We Know. If all that isn't enough, Lupe Fiasco (finally!), Mos Def, Ben Kweller, Ambulance LTD, Sean Lennon, Ludacris, Beck, Trey Anastasio, DJ Shadow, The Dears, and Jet all have albums coming out within the next few weeks. Talk about a busy fall, and we're just getting started. Before all that though, here's a bit of news...

Black Thought + Danger Mouse= Dangerous Thoughts

The long talked about Black Thought and Danger Mouse project will be called Dangerous Thoughts. I suppose neither party wanted to name themselves after a celebrity for the sake of confusion (if you still haven't gotten it yet, it's Gnarls Barkley not Charles). That being said, they have apperently laid down a few tracks already. Here's hoping this project works out and doesn't go the way of Black Thought's previous attempt at a solo album (which ended up as the Roots' Phrenology LP).

The Roots Already Working on Next Album

As if coming out with the best hip-hop album of the year wasn't enough, The Roots have started work on their next album, which has the rumored title of The Long Count. Interestingly, the album is slated to come out next year (talk about quick work).

Jay-Z Going Back to Rapping

While rumors continue to fly as to whether or not Jay-Z is leaving (on his own or by force) his post as President of Def Jam Records, there is some relatively solid information about his upcoming album. Yes, the man that supposedly was retiring for good has decided to pull a Michael Jordan and will be dropping a single next month entitled "Show Me What You Got," and his new album, rumored to be titled Presidential Gala is said to be released November 21.

Now with that bit over and done with, here are the reviews:

John Mayer Continuum

Although not nearly as daring as I think he intended it to be, especially in comparison to Try!, Continuum is still a very good album.

Musical progression is a funny thing, and sometimes the harder you try to get away from what you're used to, the easier it is to fall into certain traps. It happens to almost any artist, sure, but with a platform like Try! I have to admit I was expecting a hell of a lot more out of Mayer. All that talk of him wanting to play the blues and playing his guitar have resulted in an album that while really good anyway, is hardly a stones throw away from Heavier Things. That's not to say it's bad, John Mayer is still and always has been a very good songwriter, but between the incessant ballads and slicker-than-satin-sheets production, a lot is lost in the translation to the point that it sounds like nothing more than muzak. The first three tracks of this album prove that point marvelously, particularly with the absolutely sickening "Waiting For The World To Change", a song so horribly ripped off that I'm sure Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye simultaneously roll in their respective graves every time the song is played. "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)" and "Belief" are also very generic and despite Mayer's sharp as ever guitar solos, they're void of any real emotions thanks to the production. Mercifully, Mayer flips the switch and puts out on the rest of the tracks. "Gravity" and "Vultures," both from the Trio's Try! album are just as outstanding on this album as they were live. "The Heart of Life" and "Stop This Train" could be two of the most beautiful songs Mayer's ever written, and truly show how far Mayer has come as a songwriter both lyrically and musically. Where Mayer finally shows his chops is on his cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Bold As Love," which is ridiculously good to the point of being scary. What is particularly interesting is how Mayer manages to somehow walk along the line of blues-rock and straight pop, not to mention he rips a great guitar solo. Finally, the closer "I'm Gonna Find Another You" is a really great take on the slower motown-generation of music with just a dash of blues. This album certainly is not Try! and for anyone that might've been hoping Continuum would be the quantum leap everyone was claiming it'd be, I'd say wait for the next album. Otherwise, prepare yourself for some very well-developed songs that only get better as the album progresses. It's just unfortunate that some of the songs lose their luster due to too slick of production which weigh down the overall quality and character of some of the songs-- and particularly hurt at the beginning.

Overall Rating: 85

Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

Nevermind the old cliche, I Am Not Afraid... is as much fun as it's title would have you believe.

Believe it or not, Yo La Tengo has now been around for 22 years. Even more incredible, is that this album is just as good as their best early works, if not better. The album begins with the absolutely insane 11-minute epic "Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind" which centers around a basic yet effective bass hook, while guitarist Ira Kaplan is essentially given the green light to run wild on the guitar. The result is a surprisingly engaging and atmospheric groundwork on which the band builds on with its following tracks. The radio-friendly "Beanbag Chair" is a very well-executed pop song that makes bopping along hard to resist. Another lighthearted highlight is the incredibly fun "Mr. Tough" with its one-off salsa percussions, horns and falsetto vocals it'll immediately put a smile on your face. "Sometimes I Don't Get You" is another outstanding free-flowing piece, while "Watch Out Ronnie" is a rollicking blast that at some points seems like a lost outtake from an old episode of American Bandstand. On the slower side Yo La Tengo doesn't disappoint either with the hauntingly beautiful "Song For Mahila," the somber "I Feel Like Going Home," and the incredible 9-minute "Daphnia." Appropriately, the album closes with yet another song of epic proportions (so you get one for the beginning, one for the middle, and another for the end) entitled "The Story of Yo La Tengo." The noisy rocker makes for a fitting ending of the album, as like the rest of the album, it may sound messy at first but once it all comes together it's quite a beautiful mess. An outstanding effort, it's too bad that these guys will more than likely be overshadowed most notably by Bob Dylan when it comes down to award time.

Overall Rating: 100

The Rapture Pieces of People We Love

So they weren't a fluke after all.

"Well, maybe I overshot a little, because I was aiming at just enough to keep you from walking out." Yes, apparently Echoes wasn't As Good As It Gets for The Rapture. Pieces of People We Love is not only better than its predecessor, but it's light years away from anything they've done previously. From the opening "Don Gon Do It" it's apparent that these guys have taken their approach much more seriously. Going beyond the simple mash-up of seemingly ungodly sounds and throwing in enough beats to make it danceable, everything on this album feels much more focused, not to mention structured-- which is a good thing. Inherently, The Rapture change from being a very good dance group to a rock group that is easy to dance to-- case in point being the lead single "Get Myself Into It," which is just as good if not better than "House of Jealous Lovers" (possibly for it's addictive hook alone). Other goodies are "The Devil" and the wickedly smart and fun "Whoo! Alright Yeah... Uh Huh," which has a superbly snide ending of "People don't dance no more, they just stand there like this. They cross their arms and stare you down and drink and moan and diss." Surprisingly enough, even though there were two camps of producers working on different tracks (Paul Epworth and Ewan Pearson did eight tracks, while producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse did the remaining two), the songs are very consistent and there's a great sense of cohesion throughout. So mark me as being one of the many people that are eating their own words for thinking that The Rapture wouldn't be able to go anywhere after their previous release and that "House of Jealous Lovers" would be as good as it gets. Not only can these guys make you groove ("Gotta Get Myself Into It," "Whoo! Alright Yeah... Uh Huh") but they can also rock out quite a bit too ("Calling Me" and "The Devil"). This will surely be somewhere in the top 25 by years end.

Overall Rating: 89

Pete Yorn Nightcrawler

A return to form and then some.

Nightcrawler is a very misleading album at first listen. The incredibly dark and haunting opener "Vampyre" is a disengaging opener that doesn't completely make sense until you get through the rest of the album. Truthfully, that can be said for many of the songs-- individually they seem inconsistent and, with it's incredibly large soundstage and slick production, is hardly anything a Pete Yorn could ever identify with. However, previously released "Undercover" is a definite highlight, as is "Policies" and "Maybe I'm Right." Once you get through the album and play it again, you actually get a better idea of the album as a whole. While it certainly isn't a concept album, it's more of an acquired taste. Once the album hits it stride with its incessant rockers this point becomes all the more clear. Unlike his previous effort, Day I Forgot, Pete Yorn doesn't fall into any shortfalls in attempting to recreate the magic he made on Musicforthemorningafter. Instead, he has carved out a new mark for himself and it works. With that it seems that thankfully Pete Yorn really hasn't lost his touch, and it's nice to see that not only is he doing something different but he (at least he seems to be going by this record) is also enjoying himself. A very solid effort indeed.

Overall Rating: 87

Coming up, I'll be previewing the aforementioned upcoming albums!

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