Random Album Reviews

Wilco made a beautiful, folk inspired indie rock album with Sky Blue Sky. The lead singer and lyricist, Jeff Tweedy, has a talent to paint beautiful pictures in the form of poetry that become music with no less beautiful music accompaniment. Songs that remind you of what it's like when you realize something may not work out as you had hoped, such as "Impossible Germany" or songs that inspire hope like "Either Way" fill this album.

African Invasion

I had the good fortune to attend not one, but two live music shows by musicians from Africa this week.  On Monday night, Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars played a wonderful show at Solar Culture, then on Tuesday night, Khaira Arby dazzled the crowd at Hotel Congress.  To hear more about these great shows and to find out what African music is available at Pima County Public Library, read on!

Coachella Festival Music

Every year since 1999 a three-day music and arts festival takes place in the Coachella Valley of California in Indio bringing together many genre types of musicians and structural art. By historical terms, this is the annual Woodstock concert, with several stages, tents and theaters outdoors. Tickets sell out fast (this year, they sold out within 3 hours of going on-sale) and it is a crowded amazing place to be. Past performers have included Sir Paul McCartney, Prince, Madonna, Jay-Z, and the Beastie Boys. To call it eclectic is an understatement.

Although Coachella 2012 has passed us for the year, but in honor I thought I would mention some of the bands who performed this year. Sadly I did not make it to the show, but there were many fantastic musicians and I'll try to touch upon many genres here to strike a little of everyone's tastes:

From the United Kingdom, Radiohead was a major headliner and may be one of the most well known of this year's Coachella bands, with their expansive alternative rock sound blending jazz and electronica. Radiohead has been honored by Rolling Stone as one of the best bands of all-time,

Mercer's Mark--The Shins

"Caring is creepy" according to The Shins, but let me tell you why you should care that James Mercer is at it again with his band's latest album, Port of Morrow...even if it is creepy to care. It has been about eight years since The Shins gained national momentum as a result of their presence on the soundtrack of the indie favorite, Garden State. Many of us remember the scene where Zach Braff puts on Natalie Portman's humongous headphones to hear "New Slang," the song that will "change your life." Charming as that was, I sure hope it hasn't been that long since you have checked up on The Shins; especially since the album prior to their latest, Wincing the Night Away, is an absolute delight. The album  propels easily from one song to the next, leading listeners through a kaleidoscopic build that never fails to disappoint. The tracks "Phantom Limb," "Sea Legs" and "Split Needles" are best heard with the volume cranked, that way you can let Mercer's impeccable vocals, lyrical abstractions, and tonal complexity consume you.  Oh, and if you enjoy Isaac Brock and his little band, Modest Mouse, you may just adore hearing the fruits of his collaboration with Mercer on the following tracks, "Florida," "We've Got Everything" and "Missed the Boat" (on the Modest Mouse album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank). 

From The Sky Down (or, a brief history of U2)

"We have to go away and dream it all up again..." said U2's Bono at the band's famous 1989 New Year's Eve shows in Dublin. The band had spent the previous 2 years in the hurricane that was the Joshua Tree album and tour, during which time they became the world's most famous rock and roll band. From The Sky Down documents both this time period and the recording of Achtung Baby. The band members talk about how difficult aspects of this time were and that they became the band "too stupid to enjoy their own success." They also were dealing with changes in their personal lives, most notably The Edge's disintegrating marriage and subsequent divorce, which affected the band members deeply since they had all grown up together.

After taking some time off the band reconvened in 1991 to start recording the follow-up to The Joshua Tree, which became Achtung Baby, considered by many to be U2's best album, although I consider it a toss-up between it and The Joshua Tree. (I'll digress here and explain why...if I'm in an "American" mood, it's The Joshua Tree, and if I'm feeling more "European" it's Achtung Baby.) From The Sky Down documents the recording process, both with archival footage and with recent interviews with both Bono and The Edge. As a long-time fan, most of what's discussed in this DVD isn't news to me, but seeing the archival footage is pretty cool. If you're a casual fan or don't know much about the band at all it may come as news that there was serious internal strife within the band during the recording of Achtung Baby, enough that the band nearly broke up.

Suffer for Fashion: Of Montreal Live

Back in March, I caught Of Montreal at the Rialto Theater, one of my favorite local venues. They played to a very diverse crowd: it was fun to see young ravers be-glowsticked and covered in sequins navigating a less-hip and more-jaded, almost-sold-out space.

Kate Bush: The Sensual World

I first discovered Kate Bush through my mother when I was about seven years old. Having been a child with an extremely overactive imagination, I was immediately allured into this new world of dream pop alternative rock. Imagine if Glenda The Good Witch from The Wizard Of Oz  went on to pursue new wave rock with a passion for ballet and books, then you would have Kate Bush.

Whistle while you work: Andrew Bird in concert

On the slanted standing space of the Rialto Theatre earlier this month, I stood about 30 feet away from the stage, watching Andrew Bird perform. A whistling, singing-songwriting, guitar-and-glockenspiel-playing classically trained violinist out of Chicago, Bird released his 9th album Break it Yourself on March 6th and hit Tucson on his tour on April 20th. All of the people who attended either sat upstairs in the Rialto balcony or stood in the general admission area, and they mostly seemed to fall quiet as he held his violin in his hands like a guitar, strumming and plucking out melodies and rhythms.