Icky Thump

Today's Music of the Day is Icky Thump, by none other than The White Stripes. Now let's get down to business.

This is a fine album, a return to form after the solid but uncharacteristic semi-goofy Get Behind Me Satan, the Stripes' previous album. Icky Thump is definitely a White Stripes album, though it is a little more polished than other albums, and includes a number of other elements/instruments. This is a logical progression, though; the group started with a very basic sound, Jack singing and abusing his guitar, Meg playing very open canvas-like drums for him to create on/against. GBMS carried that a little further, using piano on a number of songs (and having one very disco number, "Blue Orchid"). So for this album to have a number of horns and such is no real surprise, though I know it was probably something of a letdown for longtime Stripes fans.

However, I like this album. While the more structured production offers a different take on the White Stripes' sound, I don't think it's such a bad thing. I probably like the stripped-down dirty garage blues sound they have on earlier albums better, but this was a nice change of pace. Not all of the songs are so serious, either; "Conquest" and "Rag and Bone" are both fun songs even if you don't like them that well. In short, I think this album is like trying a new food that is good but not probably going to be your favorite; it's a welcome departure, but still a departure. It will be curious to see what direction the Stripes go in after this; I don't really expect another White Blood Cells, and there's always the chance that Jack will goof around with the Racounteurs for a while too. Remember, kids, even off-kilter White Stripes are still a far cry above the Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs of the world. My world, anyway.

In other news:
To hell with this damn snow.

( ) [Sigur Ros]

Today's Album That Is Good But Has A Pain In The Ass Name is ( ) by Sigur Ros. Now I could probably give you some background information on Sigur Ros, but let's just talk about the music.

This album is probably their least accessible and most minimalist, but it's still very interesting. The vocals are sparse and generally incomprehensible to this landlocked overgrown farm boy, but the sparsely populated soundscape (is that even a word?) is glorious for what it is. This music is full of hushed piano, occasional strings, and maybe a drum. Compared to the other Sigur Ros albums, ( ) is not nearly as uplifting; it's the kind of music that would score someone's descent into a coma. Still, I like this album, even if I couldn't ever call it my favorite music. It never seems forced, like so much modern music that has all kinds of ideas about how plastic and constrained love should be. This album is the opposite of emo, something that manages to be genuine and succeeds without having to tell you that it does.

In other news:
Merry Freakin' Christmas.

Back to Black

Today's Music That Jason Probably Shouldn't Worry About But Couldn't Leave Alone is Back to Black, by Amy Winehouse. Before I talk about the music, I have to get this off my chest: 'Amy Winehouse' is a terrible name.

Now: I like this album! It seems strange to hear songs from this album getting play on so many radio stations, even the 'new music revolution we think we're alternative even though that label is pretty much dead and now we basically play wannabe limp bizkit crap and sometimes modest mouse stuff' stations. Amy's music seems to be fairly accessible and pretty good, which is rare though not unprecedented. (Note: I wanted to talk about the state of music as a whole, but it all came back to the same thing, namely how I won't ever take Justin Timberlake seriously.)

Back to Black is sort of a modern-day Motown album, the kind of music that I suspect The Supremes would have made today if modern singing groups didn't focus more on their dancing than their music. It's the dark side of Motown, the side that knows it has serious problems but doesn't really want to get better, something that has been in the darkness so long that it is comfortable there. Amy's voice is absolutely perfect for this music; a delicate and sweet voice would make the music too polished, but her rougher, scarred voice lends the music an authenticity that I don't think you'll ever see on American Idol. If my opinion isn't enough, then check out this link:
http://www.theonion.com/content/infograph/the_troubled_life_of_amy

In short, to paraphrase a line from Dig!: Amy Winehouse, you are bad news. You have more tattoos than an entire NBA team, and I suspect that if you met me, you would probably try to light me on fire and/or get me into drugs within the first hour. I don't expect you to live past 40, and I think you're a despicable person; I don't want you anywhere near me unless you're on stage. I'll still listen to your music though!

Ten Silver Drops

Today's Music That Kind Of Worries Jason is Ten Silver Drops, by The Secret Machines. This album is pretty good, I guess; its greatest fault is that it follows TSM's wonderful debut album, Now Here is Nowhere. TSD has some good songs, nothing too poppy, they're all definitely Secret Machines songs, but it's hard to say that anything really stands out in my mind. The last two songs are ballads, and don't really seem all that great. I do like the length of the songs on this album, and the fact that they aren't too self-aware, but these just seem to be more run-of-the-mill indie arena rock songs. They're maybe a little too polished and pretty. Some of the joy of was that the songs weren't that hard to predict, but the timing was wonderful; that is, the energetic choruses were always there but the build wasn't diagrammed every time. I don't know, exactly. Whereas NHiN seemed to draw on elements of U2, Pink Floyd, and The Who, TSN seems to be an updated Rush album. Not the gloriously nerdy and technically proficient Rush of the 1970s, no, more along the lines of the synth-driven rock anthem Rush of the 1980's. Not bad, but perhaps content.

In other news:
I haven't purchased any music for a while, and I'm getting itchy. There are Okkervil River albums out there just dying to be listened to, dammit!

And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

Today's Music That Jason Can't Believe He Neglected This Long is Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. In addition to having sometimes ridiculously long song titles, Yo La Tengo's other hallmark has been making interesting and generally damn good albums for a long time. And Then... is no exception. I don't know how I didn't discuss a Yo La Tengo album before now.

I wouldn't say this is my favorite Yo La Tengo album; no, that would probably have to be either I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, or I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. This is still a fine album, something I like to listen to in the mornings when I'm too tired and grouchy to deal with anything as abrasive as, say, The Black Keys or Rage Against The Machine. No, this album is maybe a little too gentle if anything, but still interesting, and funny at times (see "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House). The songs are laid back, sometimes dark, but never too much so. This is an album with latent appeal, something for dedicated fans of the band or people who understand the appeal of more minimalism in their music. If you ever hear any tracks from this album on the radio, I'll be quite surprised, more so if it's not "Cherry Chapstick". In short, this album has a lot of things going for it, even if it doesn't feel the need to get in your face to tell you.

In other news:
Winter is here. Boo.
It's also Friday, and not too soon.

Andorra

Today's Music That Is Fairly Great is Andorra, by Caribou. I don't know anything about the group, so let's just talk about the music today.

I don't know who I'd consider to be peers of Caribou based on their music. Maybe a little R.E.M., maybe a little AIR. They seem to be a whimsical, carefree version of the Arcade Fire, maybe? Hard to say. There's a definite old-school feel to this music, like it could have come from the Byrds or one of their contemporaries. It's not quite public television, but a long way from Clear Channel radio. Maybe this is what would happen if The Cure actually cheered up, or maybe if Of Montreal just didn't suck so hard. Or maybe if Architecture in Helsinki had too much cough syrup and settled down a little. I got really out of control here.

Anyhow, the music is sort of dreamy, with lots of falsetto vocals, sleigh bells and strings, some synthesizers and digital effects make their way in. Sometimes it's danceable, sometimes it's creepy, but it is always compelling. I'm really enjoying this album, to the point where I may have to track down some of their other music.

In other news:
It's Monday again. I'm not having a bad day, but some of my coworkers are clearly easier to deal with than others.

Also, I bought The Dandy Warhols' Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia on vinyl this weekend. It's about damn time.