Zooted

Jericho

Mon, 2 Jan 2012 20:33:00 -0500

Jericho (6055434)
Few bands called it quits with more fanfare than the Band when they bowed out with the 1976 all-star concert famously preserved in LP and movie form as The Last Waltz. However, while guitarist, songwriter, and de facto leader Robbie Robertson may have been ready to retire the Band, it soon became clear that the other members of the group didn't feel the same way (especially Levon Helm and Rick Danko), and by 1982 a Robertson-less lineup had hit the road. While new recordings were planned, it wasn't until 1993, seven years after Richard Manuel was found dead in a Florida motel room, that a new album appeared from the Band, and while Jericho lacks the mythic resonance of their greatest work, it did unexpectedly prove that the Band could function very well without Robertson. While Jim Weider isn't as sharp a guitarist as Robertson and his input as a songwriter is also missed, Garth Hudson's epic keyboard arrangements, the lovely ache of Rick Danko's vocals, and especially Levon Helm's raw, soulful singing (as well as his drumming and mandolin work) still define this as the music of the Band. The material lacks the thematic reach of the Band's strongest period, but "The Caves of Jericho" (written by Helm with Richard Bell and John Simon) shows they can come up with worthy songs on their own, and covers of Bob Dylan's "Blind Willie McTell" and Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" are superb choices (especially the latter, with Helm's vocals an unlikely but fine fit). And while the post-Robertson touring version of the Band seemed more interested in boogie than substance, there's no denying good-time numbers like "Remedy," "Stuff You Gotta Watch," and the gloriously weird "Move to Japan" make with the good groove. The addition of an unreleased Richard Manuel performance may seemed a bit ghoulish, but his take on "Country Boy" sounds fine and is a bittersweet tribute to his talents. Jericho may pale in comparison to such masterworks as Music from Big Pink a...

Duran Duran

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 20:57:00 -0500

Thank You (378822)
Duran Duran / CD / 1995

Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps No1-8

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 20:55:00 -0500

Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps No1-8 (412976)
Olivier Messiaen / CD

Irreconcilable Differences

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 20:22:00 -0500

Irreconcilable Differences (66058737)
In this human-scale drama/comedy, a pair of Beverly Hills parents, Albert (Ryan O'Neal) and Lucy (Shelley Long) first come together as a couple interested in writing (she) and teaching (he), but Albert's life takes an upscale turn when he starts both writing and then directing in Hollywood. As he becomes successful, Lucy is forced to burrow into her own writing in self-defense, and after her book is well-received, she is compensated a little for Albert's lack of attention and philandering. After Hollywood and its well-known flaws are sketched out in the increasingly strained marriage, the story reaches its primary focus: Albert and Lucy's 9-year-old daughter Casey (Drew Barrymore) talks to a lawyer because she wants to sue her parents for divorce. She gets no hugs or affection, and precious little attention, and she would prefer to go live with the maid. Given the parents' celebrity, the case receives wide press -- and the family begins to reconsider where it is going and why. Although a bit long, especially in the first half which wanders off course a little, the story is engaging enough (especially for Hollywood buffs) to balance any weaknesses. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Voice in the Night

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Voice in the Night (405727)
Charles Lloyd teams with a different band here, replacing Bobo Stenson's piano with John Abercrombie's guitar, bassist Anders Jormin with Dave Holland, and drummer Billy Hart with Billy Higgins. The title references the feeling on the album in that Lloyd was going for more of a jazz sound, something more basic and lyrical as opposed to exotic and unusual. Of the eight tunes here, six are Lloyd originals, one is a cover of the Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach hit "God Give Me Strength," and one is the Billy Strayhorn classic, "A Flower Is a Lonesome Thing," which follows a gorgeous reprise of Lloyd's own "Forest Flower" from the '60s. The Costello/Bacharach tune is the most telling for this band in that they take a standard pop melody and turn it into a modal exploration of harmony and chromatic invention. As Lloyd plays variations on the melody, the band turns one harmonic sequence into a pillar from Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things" and back. The "Forest Flower" suite is awesome. The interplay between Lloyd and Abercrombie is fully realized as they trade flatted sevenths and then Abercrombie moves into augmented ninths and diminished sixths before both Lloyd and he solo against the harmonic body of the tune while retaining its melodic sensibility. It's just breathtaking. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

NFL Ultimate 2 Pack: Pittsburgh Steelers

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

NFL Ultimate 2 Pack: Pittsburgh Steelers (4164659)
NFL Ultimate 2 Pack: Pittsburgh Steelers

Moonlight and Skies

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Moonlight and Skies (4165115)
That Don Edwards is the foremost contemporary purveyor of western cowboy songs is a particularly American story. Lest we forget, cowboys were not always born in the west; in fact a good percentage of them came from elsewhere, drawn to the sense of freedom, anonymity, and solitude the cowboy way of life provided. Edwards was born and raised in New Jersey, the son of a vaudeville magician, and fell early under the spell of Hollywood westerns and dime-store cowboy novels, and in true American fashion, headed west to see for himself, working rodeos to earn his keep. Somewhere along the way he became a respected interpreter of traditional cowboy songs, and just to take the journey full circle, he landed a prominent part in Robert Redford's movie The Horse Whisperer. Not bad for a cowboy from New Jersey. Moonlight and Skies follows the general course of his previous albums, offering a mix of traditional cowboy pieces with more modern ones, all done in a simple, sparse style that allows his pleasant, expressive voice to bring fresh nuance to his material. There is a scattering of other musicians on this album (Nancy Blake adds cello and harmony vocals while Norman Blake offers fiddle and mandolin), but the arrangements are largely unadorned, allowing the songs themselves an impressive dignity and grace. Standout tracks include the opener, "My Blue Heaven," which restores the song to its geographical space, an elegant take on the title tune, Jimmie Rodgers' "Moonlight and Skies," a poignant version of Gene Autry's "Can't Shake the Sands of Texas from My Shoes," and Edwards' rendition of Bob McDill's poetic "Coyotes," which was featured at the conclusion of Warner Herzog's 2005 Grizzly Man documentary. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi

The Very Best of the Cars

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Very Best of the Cars (42525465)
Although it has different artwork, this 20-track set of the Cars' biggest hits is exactly the same, right down to the same running order, as Rhino's Complete Greatest Hits package from 2002, which means it has everything the casual fan might want, including the perfect radio singles "Just What I Needed," "My Best Friend's Girl," "You're All I've Got Tonight," and "Shake It Up." More serious fans might want to go deeper, but the Cars were essentially a singles band, and the group's peak material is here. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi

The Beyond (2821767)

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:47:00 -0500

The Beyond (2821767)
Goth metal may once have been a term of opprobrium -- but then again who knows? Whatever the case, it makes perfect sense with time, even if Black Sabbath already laid down the blueprint years ago, and that's one reason why Cult of Luna's second album, The Beyond, is so astoundingly great. One of Earache's many signings from Scandinavia over the moons, the band has the primal doom-laden punch of groups like the Cure and the God Machine going into their sound, tempered with the hoarse, wide-eyed vocals of Klas Rydberg. If some of his lyrics are merely standard tropes for the field, he never lets the band down at any point, and, if anything, holds back from singing most of the time to let the music make whatever point it needs to. Meanwhile, the steady deliberation of the rhythm section does the whole death-march-trudge thing pretty darn well. The secret weapon would appear to be Magnus Lindberg -- credited with sound engineering, he's not instantly apparent anywhere, but there's a strong sense of layering and depth at many points, almost as if the band were recording in a collapsing factory. Engineer Pelle Henricsson, veteran of working with bands from Refused to Meshuggah and the Hives, brings a crisply brutal focus to the proceedings. The occasional twist on the overall sound -- the mournful steel guitar twang that helps start off "Circle" on a very quiet note, which then mutates into an equally sad solo cutting through the full-on band crunch, or the subtle rise-and-fall arrangement that turns "Arrival" into the album's surprisingly beautiful heart -- makes everything all that more noteworthy. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi

Big Star / CD / 1992 , #1 Record/Radio City [Bonus Tracks]

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:17:00 -0500

#1 Record/Radio City [Bonus Tracks]
Big Star / CD / 1992