Music reviews
We spin the disks and type at the same time. Just how
versatile are we?
The Last Martini / Wolfson and Grenadier
Winamop contributor Wayne H.W Wolfson and music
producer Grenadier got together to make the album The Last Martini..
So what is it then?
Rhythmically driven soundscapes which serve as a
backdrop to Wayne's voice. The words are spoken, sometimes almost hidden behind
the music, sometimes shockingly clear.
So what then, is it?
Six tracks built on this model. Differing in mood
but not entirely different. There is always a darkness, an unsettling edge to
each piece.
So then what is it?
Track One is called Nikola...
A strong
rhythm propels the track which has a repeated musical phrase echoed by an
occasional guitar riff. But what of Nikola? Why did he choose her?
Track Two, Paris Text.
Ethereal mood;
ambient sounds; with brooding, heavy bass and Wayne's distorted voice give a
sinister air. The voice is almost submerged at times, only to stand out starkly
when the music pauses and a flash of troubled imagery escapes.
Track Three, Rain Suite.
Rhythm led,
minimalist music, little scenes, all set in the rain.
Track Four, Agent Provocateur.
A dark
tale. Who was this woman and what was her fate? It leaves you with an uneasy
feeling ..
Track Five, Baissez Moi.
Introduced by
heavy bass booms that sound almost like thunder. Another day in the weird life
of our hero. Cinematic imagery, Art-House meets Chicago-Gangster movie.
Track Six, All My Best.
Bass guitar
lays down a solid groove behind this tale of lassitude and debauchery to a
Mahler symphony. A broken relationship fuels the narrative. My standout
track.
That then, is it.
The Winamop verdict..
6/10
It's not for everyone; but if you're in the mood
for some contemplation or you want to be carried away to another, probably
darker, place for a while.....
The Last martini is available from
Waynewolfson.com and it
costs $9.
Streetcore / Joe Strummer & The
Mescaleros
The album Joe Strummer was working on when he
died.
From the familiar-sounding Coma Girl via
the anthemic Arms Aloft (In Aberdeen!) to the folksy-style treatment of
Fats Domino's Silver and Gold, this is a cracker of an
album.
"There's not a bad track on it" is an over-used description but I'll
endorse it for this one.
You may have heard Joe's cover of Bob Marley's
Redemption Song on the wireless and wondered at it. Sung in the Marley patois,
it shouldn't work but it does, Joe was tuned in to the struggle faced by
oppressed people the world over and his guitar and harmonium(?) treatment is
very affecting.
Pointless to itemise all the tracks, there's
power, there's pathos, and they all stand up thanks to the sympathetic
production completed by Martin Slattery and Scott Shields after Joe's
death.
Suffice to say that it's a fitting memorial to a great man of rock...
just a pity we won't be hearing any more Strummer Albums.
The Winamop verdict..
8/10
A belter!
Life For Rent / Dido
The biggest selling album in the UK for weeks on
end... a Number One hit, and to me at least, a disappointment.
If you like
the single White Flag you've got the measure of the album. Dido's voice,
soft and wistful, is appealing at first but after about six tracks the
attention starts to flag. You begin to wish she'd change the mood a little, let
rip perhaps, do something for variety's sake.
Do you remember Tanita Tikaram? The teenager who
made the charts with her first album of songs packed with teenage angst. This
album has the same feel, but the comparison with Tikaram shows Dido in a bad
light.
Her voice isn't as interesting, her songs far less so.
I freely admit that this is a girl's album and I
may be missing something, thousands of purchasers can't be wrong can they? I
just get the feeling it'll be one of those 'played a couple of times and
forgotten' albums. Look out for it a your local car boot sale in a few
months.
The Winamop verdict..
4/10
Drop the Dido and take out the old Tikaram, save a
tenner.
thickfreakness / The Black Keys
Fuzzy guitar, very fuzzy guitar in fact.
That's what we have here.
The Black Keys are a 2 piece band like
The White Stripes, in that they survive on a diet of guitar and drums
alone. Dan Auerbach's guitar therefore has the task of filling the sound-stage
and boy does he do it, albeit with the help of overdubs on some tracks and much
'sustain' all the way.
Although the sparse instrumentation does give rise
to some similarities the style is more back-woods than The White
Stripes, think Canned Heat when they were hot 'n' heavy and you're
there.
The vocals are harsh and bluesey, especially on the slide-guitar
track Hold me in Your Arms, this guy gargles with gravel.
Andrew Collins on BBC 6Music described the album
as "Old man's music played by young men" which is accurate if not
flattering.
It's blues, it's John Fogerty style gumbo rock and I love it
(although I could be described as an old man!) but the songs are new and
credited to the band....
Which is odd as Have Love Will Travel is
the same song The Sonics recorded in the 60s and credited to "R
Berry"!
The Winamop verdict..
7/10
You like the blues played fuzzy? Go get it!
© is reserved by Winamop.com
|
