sonic slang

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

2008, Reprise
Verdict: C+

The brilliant one-two punch of Definitely, Maybe, and What’s the Story Morning Glory? branded me an Oasis fan for life, but it’s been some time since I expected big things out of the new stuff. Noel Gallagher makes more headlines for his mouth than his music, and the last few releases, though competent exercises in sneering Brit rock, lack both the hooks and the energy that helped the band’s earlier work bring a swagger back to rock and roll. Lately there’s been a palpable and growing buzz for Dig Out Your Soul, indicating that perhaps the drought it over. Should we believe the hype?

The Stills - Oceans Will Rise

2008, Arts and Crafts
Verdict: B

After two huge steps back on Without Feathers, The Stills’ Oceans Will Rise makes admirable progress towards recapturing the band’s early promise. Though not quite worthy of the “return to form” tag (Logic Will Break Your Heart was just too darn good), there are at least three or four songs here that prove those heights haven’t fallen out of reach.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

2008, Vagrant
Verdict: A-

Raising, shit even equaling the bar set on the best album of 2006, Boys and Girls in America, wasn’t gonna happen. I knew this, so I went into Stay Positive doing my best to temper expectations. Stupid. The Hold Steady is really that good.

“Constructive Summer,” “Sequestered in Memphis” – These songs nearly perfect the band's classic rock-meets-barroom punk craft, and “Lord I’m Discouraged” begins like a Springsteen-worthy ballad before tearing through a guitar solo as earnest, ragged and seemingly heartfelt as Craig Finn’s lyrics. Outside of The Boss, nobody in rock today sells the street corner romantic aesthetic like this guy. What could, frankly, easily come off as cheesy and contrived in the hands of even a supremely competent poser (Brandon Flowers?), is chill up your spine beautiful and as real as your high school yearbook.

In the last two years The Hold Steady have gone from a Pitchfork darling that only a handful of music nerds outside of New York City had even heard of, to the second coming of E Street. And although they still probably won’t ever move records like Coldplay, there now exists a rabid and growing fanbase hanging on Craig Finn’s fractured vocals. Count me in. The disc takes a couple of creative diversions here and there that I could live without ("Navy Sheets" and "One For the Cutters"), but they saved the best for last on Stay Positive with the thundering ode to indie film hero John Cassavetes, “Slapped Actress.” Listen to it just once and tell me you’re not with me.

Sam Sparro - Sam Sparro

2008, Island
Verdict: B+

Sam Sparro’s self-titled debut LP is as soulful as it is club-ready, often at the same time – a neat trick.  Think Marvin Gaye meets Prince by way of Jamiroquai beats.

Decidedly old school, yet the freshest thing we’ve heard out of electronica in 2008, Sparro is no stranger to these kind of contradictions.  He is, after all, a gay Christian who looks like a white NYC club kid but sings like Stevie Wonder. 

To be fair, nothing on Sam Sparro hits the heights of buzzed-about first single “Black and Gold,” a brooding, mid-tempo synth pop tune that combines Depeche Mode beats with Rufus Wainwright vocals, but there are a handful of other tracks here that suggest some serious potential:

“Too Many Questions” does the previously-mentioned Jamiroquai better than anything by Jason Kay since the late 90s, and “Clingwrap” recalls the best of Outkast’s recent work.  Other songs move between 80s-inspired funk (“Sally”) and Scissor Sister style ballads (“Waiting for Time”), but taken as a whole and slathered in Sparro’s Gershwin-worthy vocals, it’s a completely original concoction.

Jakob Dylan - Seeing Things

2008, Columbia
Verdict: C+

Will his band's brand of roots rock long out of fashion, the Jakob Dylan solo album was a virtual certainty from a marketing perspective.  His last name is Dylan, so if nothing else, Seeing Things gives him a chance to raise the collective eyebrows of classic rock enthusiasts that might have completely overlooked The Wallflowers catalog.  But his dad he still ain't, and at this point it's probably clear he never will be. (Who will?)  So young Jakob's namesake remains both a blessing and a curse.

Taken as a debut from an unknown, Seeing Things is a perfectly serviceable folk record, filled with gentle tales of love, war and heartache.  But as a Dylan record, one can't help but notice the lyrical shortcomings.  Where a crunching guitar might have saved his ass in 1996, these spare arrangements leave the artist completely exposed. 

Listen Jakob - "Something Good This Way Comes" is as sturdy a folk-pop song as you're likely to hear in 2008, so take our advice:  Let a country superstar cover it, reform The Wallflowers, turn up the amp and leave the poetry to dear old dad. 

Pete Francis - Iron Sea and the Cavalry

2008, Scrapper Records
Verdict: B

Their impressive grassroots draw not withstanding (a 2007 reunion stand at MSG sold out three nights in a row), Dispatch was always a little too far down the jam band food chain to take seriously.  In the shadow of heavyweights like Ben Harper or DMB, the band could fit comfortable alongside college-friendly acts like The Samples or O.A.R and churn out enjoyable yet familiar acoustic rock till the end of time, and we'd still be hard pressed to stand up and take notice.  But  bassist Pete Francis' latest solo LP, Iron Sea and the Cavalry, has us considering a second spin for the now-defunct act.

More folk than frat rock, Francis' 5th solo effort is a warm, polished slice of Americana with high points that include the rollicking "Armies of Angles," the dark and funky "Carousel" and an affecting ballad closer in "Heavenly Boat."

Fans of Dispatch might miss the cheeky humor and reggae influences, but Iron Sea should have no trouble finding Francis some new fans outside of the trust fund hippie set.

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static

2008, Brushfire Records
Verdict: C+

The hook for bloggers covering Jack Johnson's latest LP, Sleep Through the Static, was his incorporation of electric guitar into the mellow mix that's made the surfer-turned-folker an unlikely chart superstar.  Unfortunately, hooks are exactly what's missing this time around. 

The vibe remains the same - Beach bums will still dig it, and the "dude with the guitar" at your summer bonfires is probably already hard at work learning the licks, but where Johnson might have gone too far into pop territory on In Between Dreams, this collection is his "sleepiest" to date.  Trust me dudes, electric guitars aren't raising any pulses here.

Lead single "If I Had Eyes" comes closest to capturing the James Taylor-meets-Jimmy Buffett sound that's been honed in the years since Brushfire Fairytales.  The rest treads closer to his work on the kid-focused Curious George soundtrack.  Relaxed, comfortable as an old pair of flip flops but vanilla as hell, Sleep Through the Static can't help but feel like Johnson on autopilot.  Here's hoping the next LP can recapture the promise seen on 2003's dark, groovy and still totally chill On and On.

Official Site | MySpace Profile | Label Site

Key Tracks:

"If I Had Eyes"
"What You Thought You Need"
"Sleep Through the Static"

Video Clip:

"If I Had Eyes""

Bob Mould - District Line

2008, Anti
Verdict: B

Bob Mould’s latest LP takes cues from his pop-heavy Sugar era (lead single “The Silence Between Us”), and his more recent, electronic introspection (“Shelter Me”) to create a satisfying, if ultimately low-key concoction.  Not the return to rock form the blogosphere was hyping, and don’t let anyone fool you - the Husker Du days are long gone, but if you've been any kind of fan over the last 15 years or so, District Line should do nicely.

“Again and Again” employs acoustic guitars and piano licks for a mid-tempo ballad that fits right in with Mould’s best.  With vocals effectively strained, he’s at his most vulnerable and more than a little bitter.  If Mould still has teenage fans, this is one for the breakup mix tape.

“Who Needs to Dream?” is another pop outing that fans of Mould classics like “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” and “Gee Angel” should love, while “Return to Dust” has a chunky riff that takes you right back to 1994. 

Little on District Line might not make it into the pantheon of Bob Mould classics, but the disc as a whole serves as a quite serviceable montage of the artist’s metamorphosis from furious indie rocker to electronica’s Paul Westerberg.

Official Site | MySpace Profile | Label Site

Key Tracks:

"The Silence Between Us"
"Shelter Me"
"Who Needs to Dream?"

Promo Clip:

"District Line EPK"

The Republic Tigers - EP

2007, Chop Shop Records
Verdict: B+

The Republic Tigers' Chop Shop Records debut EP features four tracks of quiet, modern beauty.  Built around crisp acoustic guitars with subtle electronic touches, songs like "Buildings & Mountains" or "The Drums" at times recall the subtle electro-pop of Frou Frou, at others the airy pop of, well, Air.

"Rollercoaster" is probably the standout track, nailing the "intimate epic" feel cited in the PR plug we got from their pitchmen.  The melody loses its way a tad towards the end, but for about 90 seconds we were completely transfixed. 

Gorgeous background music for the cool kids, chill out rock for potheads, The Republic Tigers need only a break on the next Garden State-like soundtrack to get the bloggerati foaming at the mouth.  Zach Braff, you listening?

Chris Walla - Field Manual

2008, Barsuk
Verdict: B

Chris Walla's debut solo disc, Field Manual, is precisely what one would expect, for better or worse, from the Death Cab for Cutie guitarist and in-demand producer.  It doesn't qualify as much of a departure, but if his band's forthcoming LP is as strong, there should be a lot of happy bloggers out there.

Moody, yearning indie pop with a dash of slick shoegaze, Field Manual instantly qualifies as a solid follow up to Death Cab's Plans.  Though Walla does occasionally try to branch out from that proven formula - those tracks are generally the weakest of the lot.  In the end it's the tried, true and still engaging formula that wins us over.

First the bad: "The Score" sheds his band's trademark melancholy for an up-tempo rocker, but ends up landing smack in the middle of generic radio pop-rock terrain.  Later, "It's Unsustainable" is a slow-burn ballad that never really takes off. But when Walla embraces his Death Cabiness, the results are far better.

"Geometry and Co." is an obvious single, riding a catchy guitar riff, thoughtful if well-worn lyrics and a propulsive drum beat.  If the band takes any of Walla's solo stuff on the road this year, it might make for a good "Sound of Settling" follow-up.

"Everybody Needs a Home," though a tad moodier and softer. mines similar terrain, while "Archer v. Light" is an engaging bass/drum-heavy winner.

"St. Modesto" is probably our favorite track.  Shimmering, heartfelt and catchy as hell, Gibbard might be wishing his band mate saved tracks like these for the day job.

Official Site | MySpace Profile | Label Site

Key Tracks:

"St. Modesto"
"Geometry and Co."
"Archer v. Light"

Video Clip:

"Sing Again"