Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview
The Brigadier “Holiday Special” [EP] - Our old friend Matt Williams, aka The Brigadier is back with another EP in his seasonal series. This one celebrates summer and is called “Holiday Special”. Things couldn’t start off better than with the beautiful sunny side up spirit of “When The Sun Comes Out”, which contains just enough crunch in the guitar to give the brilliant harmonies a nice little kick. Not only my favorite off this EP, but one of my favorite Brigadier songs. “Swansong” is a pleasantly melancholy goodbye tune while “A Holiday Romance” is a cute island-flavored song. “Ogmore-by-Sea” is an interesting mix of surf and country guitar. Like holidays, all good things must come to an end, and the Brigadier departs for now with an epic, extravagant ballad entitled “Time To Go Home”. Among his most ambitious tunes, “Time To Go Home” oscillates between breezy orchestration and rocking fuzzy guitar breaks. Definitely a few tracks on here going onto my summer playlist. More info here.

Surprise of the week
New research from Australian scientists will convince you to always have some AC/DC handy if you take out your boat into shark-infested waters. Read why here.

News
New Chickenfoot record in sight? “Chickenfoot’s second album is almost finished, and we’re hoping to mix sometime in June,” says guitarist Joe Satriani. “It is heavier, and better than the first one, and I can’t wait to get it out there!” Read more here.

In related Van Hager news, Sammy Hager and the third Van Halen singer (Gary Cherone, better known as front man for Extreme) will be sharing a stage tonight. Cherone's new band, Hurtsmile, will support Sammy Hagar and the Wabos at Casino Del Sol tonight. Cherone also commented that Extreme is back at work on a new album. The full story is here.

How about some new Pearl Jam? With Eddie Vedder’s solo record out of his system (“Ukulele Songs”), the band is back at work on new material for their tenth album. Read the full report here, and check out this video from Vedder’s solo outing.



Random iPOD song of the week
From her breakthrough record, “I Do Not Want What I Do Not Have”, this definitive breakup song from Sinead O'Connor leaves me with chills every time. This particular performance is also noteworthy as it shows Sinead in rare form – with hair!

Review: R.E.M. “Collapse Into Now”

As I predicted after hearing “Accelerate” (reviewed here), R.E.M. has finally gotten back into the groove that most fans have been longing for since “Adventures In Hi-Fi”. “Accelerate” was a solid release in my book, and a decent ramping back up to form. The band felt like they had the pedal to the metal, but weren’t 100% sure where to go. On “Collapse Into Now”, the band is on cruise control and taking the listener down the roads they know and love.

Easily the band’s most consistently good release in over a decade, “Collapse Into Now” sounds like it belongs in the strata with their best work. It is not quite a masterpiece, but definitely resurrected my affection for the band I knew and loved as a teenager and young adult. Overall, the record is upbeat and rocking, exuding more power and energy than we’d come to expect from today’s R.E.M. The ballads that are present are well done and not so cumbersome. Stipe and company come out with both guns blazing on “Discoverer”, a track that might have been a single from the “Monster” era (Patti Smith lends some vocals on this one as well as “Blue”). On “All The Best” they sure do show the kids just how it’s done. “Uberlin”, “Walk It Back”, and “Oh My Heart” bring back the classic R.E.M. folk ballad side, incorporating mandolin, piano, and/or accordion in ways not heard since “Automatic For The People”. “Mine Smell Like Honey” is generating a lot of buzz – and justifiably so, being one of the most accessible rockers on the record. I also got a kick out of the peppy “Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter”, which features someone named Peaches on backing vocals, and the sublime but almost too short “That Someone Is You”. Also be sure to listen for Eddie Vedder on “It Happened Today”.

Thank you R.E.M. for another terrific record – I can see myself reaching for this one as often as I reach for some of the classics. Just one word of warning – don’t stare at the inside of the digipak too long. Those black and white stripes will make you dizzy!

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10

R.E.M. on MySpace. Official site.

Check out the video for “Oh My Heart”

Review: Pearl Jam "Backspacer"

While I consider their first three records among the best recordings I own, shortly after 1996's "No Code" I no longer got too excited about a new release from Pearl Jam. They too often seemed to go out of their way to avoid good hooks in their music and cluttered their records with baffling filler. I caught wind of the "controversy" surrounding their latest (ninth) release, "Backspacer", with enough critics and fans slamming the band for sounding too melodic (oh the horror!) that I had to check it out for myself.

For me, "Backspacer" is the record I've always wanted Pearl Jam to make. It is unabashed garage rock that by in large retains the trademark Pearl Jam sound (hard to avoid with Vedder's distinct vocals) yet finally dares to contain songs that you will remember and want to sing. It is a quick fix - just 37 minutes or so - but it comes at you like a bunch of fast jabs, with only a few quiet moments. "Backspacer" makes both the classic and punk rock influences of Pearl Jam more evident than ever. Vedder puts in plenty of umph as usual, but comes across as more sincere this time - you can almost feel him having a good time for once! The band also incorporates some piano, acoustic guitars, and other dynamics that make "Backspacer" an added pleasure to hear over and over again.

Refusing to slow down until the atypically gentle acoustic ballad, "Just Breathe", the band rocks out with gusto on cuts like "Gonna See My Friend" and the catchy single, "The Fixer". Other highlights include the groovy "Force of Nature" and supercharged energy of "Supersonic".

"Backspacer" is a thrill. Even if you've grown disenchanted with Pearl Jam, pick this one up and see if you agree that it is their best since "Vitalogy".

iPOD-worthy: ALL TRACKS

Pearl Jam - official site.

Rare CD for sale! PEARL JAM "Attenzione"

I'm selling some rare CDs! Contact me for info and with your best price.

Here we have PEARL JAM "Attenzione" (1994, Italy Import)

Tracks: Even Flow; Once; State of Love & Trust; Alive; Why Go; Porch; Attenzione/Jeremy; Breathe; I've Got A Feeling; Hunger Strike/Leash

Recorded LIVE IN ITALY during "10 European Tour", Feb 1992