We're back to normal with Record Review Thursday! Today I'm turning my attention to what can almost be viewed as a historical recording. My Aim Is True was the debut recording for Declan MacManus, the artist to be known as Elvis Costello. It's hard to believe that this was recorded 31 years ago, mainly because the sounds and arrangement seem to have no obvious connection to anything else that was musically going on in 1977.
The first thing that struck me about this album is the general feel. I approached it familiar only with latter-day Elvis Costello. I bet this is typical for people my age. I knew the song "Veronica" and I'd heard the classic "Allison." These impressions did not prepare me at all for what this album is.
Imagine a well-versed bar band. Imagine this band knows rock 'n roll classics inside and out. They've played at the pub down the street for the last six days. They're sharp as a tack and they play off of each other. Brown Sugar? No problem. All Shook Up? We got it. Twist and Shout? Isleys or the Beatles version? That gives you an idea of the saturated Fender-tweed-amp sound that Costello and his backing band give these songs (many of the players were from the band Clover, which would later morph into Huey Lewis and the News).
The songs here shine too. Allison is a well-known favorite. But My Aim Is True is no one-trick pony. Almost every song on the disc could be a single. From the bluesy rave-up of "Blame It On Cain" to the the vocal syncopation of "Miracle Man," the songs are both fresh (even 31 years later) and encyclopedic in their command of the genre's idioms. This is how you play straight-ahead rock 'n roll.
There are other influences here too, though. The single "Watching the Detectives" sports a reggae beat and a slithering guitar riff. "No Dancing" echoes Motown. "Allison" is a ballad that's perfect in its beauty and its suggestiveness. All this was accomplished by a 23-year-old guy and his backing band.
At last count, this album has been reissued a minimum of three times. Rhino has done an admirable job of tacking on bonus and live tracks. These are nice, but they're not even necessary. Costello would go on to make other good albums. What's most striking is how high the bar was set by his first effort.
Record Review Thursday
December 04, 2008
November 20, 2008
The Black Keys - Attack and Release
I got a new purchase on iTunes last week, so I thought I'd throw down a short review. It's by a band from Ohio called The Black Keys. The album is called Attack and Release
which is clever. Not only does it roll off the tongue, but as
an inside musical sort of reference, these are the names of some of the control knobs on
a studio compressor (without diving into dry paragraphs on what
compressors do, let's just say compressors even out audio levels and
make the sound on a recording more "present" and "loud"). This is an
apt reference for this record, because the production used on the album
is great, truly adding to the vibe the songs give off.
The songs are all well-written and, though they are cohesive and feel part of a whole, they don't run together. Singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney really play well off of each other. Though there are other instruments accompanying them on the album, their contributions lock in tight and define the songs better than those of any duo I can remember hearing. The White Stripes come to mind here, but I have to say the Keys do this better than even the Stripes do.
The influences sound to me to be a mixture of classic R&B, 70's rock and the thick beats of modern rock and hip-hop (and I mean that in the best way - I know normally that would be a negative coming from me). The use of banjo over grooving bass on "Psychotic Girl" is a nice touch. I was also particularly impressed with the use of slapback echo (typical of 50's Rockabilly music) on the bass guitar on the album's opener "All You Ever Wanted."
Production touches aside, though, what really makes this collection of songs work so well is the great songwriting. The sense of melody is great and there are hooks aplenty. As far as lyrics go: they're good. They might be great, but I haven't really engaged the Keys on that level yet. The fact that I've been listening to this album for a week and haven't even thought consciously about the words speaks to how much audio candy this record includes. I highly recommend this album. Get it - you'll like it.
