Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape

Oh, dearest "Bubble Pop Electric" Gwen, where did I go wrong with you?

I hearted No Doubt. Your first solo album, while a bit too pop-tastic, had some 80s charm to give someone like me a moment or three of giggles.

Now, though, my ska-pop princess, you give us The Sweet Escape. And, I think one listening put me into a diabetic coma. In the bad way.

Gwen's Escape takes the sugar sweet bubble gum pop of her last album, and dunks it into frosting, leaving it to dry on a bed of powdered sugar. She even makes beats that would make a decent hip-hop/rap background become annoying sugar-rap.

The one "saving" grace of the album is the first track, Wind It Up, and only due to it's sampling of the Lonely Goat Herder song from The Sound of Music.

Yeah. She sampled the Sound of Music, and not even the title track.

In the end: While Gwen's first solo outing was charming, if simple bubble-pop, Escape just feels rushed, uninspired, and painfully targeted towards that 'Tween to late Teen crowd. Little style, no substance. Certified Coaster Gold.

On the Web: Let's remember Gwen in a good way, and listen to a mashup of her 'Hollaback Girl' and Beck's 'Tambourine Girl'. Also, if you really want pain, hit up the Hype Machine.

Technorati Tagged: Gwen Stefani | Bubblegum Pop | 2006

Regina Spektor: 11:11

Sometimes I wonder if I've managed to impress upon people how much of an amazing talent Regina Spektor is.

After discovering her latest album, Begin to Hope, I went back to explore her previous works. It turns out that Hope is actually her most pop-ish album.

11:11 takes a much more jazz-like approach, with aspects of poetry, a beatnik sound, and a feeling of improv. One song is heavily reminiscent of Mike Myers' reading scenes in "How I Married an Axe Murderer."

The album doesn't carry the Top40 pop tune(s) that Begin to Hope does, and I think that's for the best. I think 11:11 may be most indicative of her work and talent, even if it feels a little rough.

Rejazz, with it's heavy bass, creates an atmosphere of a smokey jazz club in the 40s; Flyin', a very basic song (just her voice and the sound of someone banging on a single drum), is playful, but sadly short; 2.99c Blues is my favourite track, banged out on a piano with Spektor playing a lot with her vocal range; and I Want to Sing features the only instrument Regina needs: her voice.

In the end: This album is a bit erratic, but beautiful and smokey, with a very high replay value. If you've discovered the joys of Regina Spektor, you best not have missed this album.

On the Web: Hit up the Hype Machine, and check out a bootleg of hers from last year, courtesy of my gigasize account.

Technorati Tagged: Regina Spektor | Jazz | 2001

Apologies to Subscribers

Apparently, if you subscribe to the LJ feed of this found here, you got the most recent 10 or 15 reviews all resent to your friends page.

This seems to be the work of the switch from blogger to blogger beta. Silly LJ, tricks are for kids.

The Dears: Gang of Losers

Coworker/Musical genius extraordinaire, Matt (who can be found at both hardcorbeau and Sound Effects) passed this off to me to give a listen (or 36) to.

Besides being a well-constructed, alt-rock album, Gang of Losers also feels like it borrows from a number of classic rock sources. I've been banging my head against the wall trying to catalogue them all, but the only one I definitely know for certain is the similarities between Sinthtro and the beginning of the Moody Blues tune "Your Wildest Dreams." While some may not see this as a good thing, I think they manage to pay homage to classics while crafting their own tunes. Maybe it's intentional. Maybe it's not.

What to listen for? The whole disc. Barring that, Sinthtro into Ticket to Immortality, Death or Life We Want You, Whites Only Party (which you can check out the video to it here), and I Fell Deep.

As is also the habit of bands these days, the album has a pair of bonus tracks which are home demo of Whites Only Party and an acoustic version of There Goes My Outfit.

In the end: This ain't Dylan's Modern Times, but it doesn't need to be. It's a solid album, front to back, and makes me want to pick up the back catalogue of this Canadian group. And, hey, I don't even *LIKE* hockey.

On the Web: Hype Machine offerings abound.

Technorati tagged: The Dears | Alt-Rock | 2006

Joanna Newsom: Ys

What an absolutely oddball, yet wonderful surprise it has been to stumble upon Joanna Newsom.

The album, as simultaneously discovered in Uncut and from some interwebs blogs, has been a favourite at both work and on the iPod. With it's folk undertones and ethereal, fluttering, almost mystical feel, Ys takes it's time (and then some) to play out each of it's 5 tracks.

That's right. Ys (which, by the way, is pronounced 'Ees') is 5 tracks weighing in just under an hour.

The tracks don't drag, though. Rather, they build upon themselves to create a vivid musical mosaic. With songs constructed mostly by harp, Newsom pulls us through such an amazing journey that even Tommy would be wowed.

In the end: This is different from much of what I listen to, but you can't help but enjoy, appreciate, and get lost in the tales that Newsom composes on Ys.

On the web: Hellooooooooooo Hype Machine. Also, here's a bootleg from a performance of hers last year:
2005-04-14 - Academy 2

Technorati tagged: Joanna Newsom | Folk | 2006