Head Over Heels [Vinyl]

When I first heard this album I was 19 years old working as an import buyer for Tower records in Portland, Oregon, I am now 39. And after 20 years there still hasn't been a record like it. The year this album came out Michael Jackson's Thriller album was on it's way to becoming the greatest selling album of all time. My main contact at an import distributor company told me of a new album called "Head Over Heels", by a group called Cocteau Twins that was getting rave reviews in Europe. For me personally I was sick to death of the music that was popular at the time and I decided to buy two copies, one for the store and one for me. When I took it home and listened to it I knew I was listening to a kind of music that had never been made before. After doing research, I discovered that this was actually their third recording, after "Garlands", and "Sunburst and Snowblind" and bought copies for me and the store of these records as well, and after this I became their biggest fan. I also found out that it was two 20 year old people, named Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie responsible for all that you hear. Ladies and Gentlemen, this record is a masterpiece. "Head Over Heels" is tied with "Victorialand" as my favorite Cocteau Twins record, but it is my favorite album of all time. From the incredible opening of "When Mama Was Moth", to the orgasmic ending of "Musette and Drums", this album is the best album ever made, in my opinion. Let me review my five favorite songs off of "Head Over Heels". 1)"Musette and Drums". It was after hearing this song for the first time, that I became their greatest fan. It was and still is my favorite song of all time. The last two minutes of this song is the greatest piece of music ever recorded. And understand that everything you are listening to is made by two people. This song is incredible. And after it is over, play it again. 2)"My Love Paramour". The sexiest, and most erotic song they have ever done. Pure genius. 3)"In Our Angelhood". Pure Rock and Roll, Cocteau Twins style. 4)"In The Gold Dust Rush". Angelic and beautiful. There is a part of this song that sounds likes an airplane is about to crash, it is actually the music spinning. Listen to it loud, and you will hear what I mean. Incredible production. 5)"The Tinderbox(of a Heart)". This song makes me feel like I am out looking at the ocean watching the tide roll in. I have this album to thank to having an open mind to listening to music. I learned to have patience and tolerance of all kinds of things because of this record. I rate this album the greatest along with the group that created it. 

Tracklist :

1. When Mama Was Moth    
2. Five Ten Fiftyfold    
3. Sugar Hiccup    
4. In Our Angelhood    
5. Glass Candle Grenades    
6. In the Gold Dust Rush    
7. The Tinderbox (Of a Heart)    
8. Multifoiled    
9. My Love Paramour    
10. Musette and Drums

1234

You may not know it by name, but you've probably already heard Leslie Feist's "1234," in that iPod commercial that runs about a hundred times a day. It's certainly one of the more winsome pop tunes from Feist's second album "Reminder," and the one that seemed to cling to her folky-pop roots. It's a bittersweet little love song, but played with colourful, innocent exuberance.

"One, two, three four/tell me that you love me more/sleepless, long nights/that was what my youth was for," Feist croons over an acoustic guitar. But with "oh, teenage hopes are lying at your door" it blooms into a sprightly pop confection, which manages to be just a wee bit symphonic, and very catchy.

It's an unabashedly sprightly little song flavoured with some bittersweet little reflections on a love that just ain't what it used to be. "Sweetheart, bitter heart/now I can't tell you apart/cozy and cold/put the horse before the cart," Feist sings during one of the quieter moments.

It's not the only song here, though. "1234" is paired with Feist's collaboration with Mocky, "Fightin' Away the Tears." It's a sensual, rainy tune full of beats, electronic ripples and a mellow guitar tune. Mocky and Feist alternate their vocals, and they actually sound pretty astounding together.

These two songs actually fit together very nicely, though one is acoustic indiepop and the other is a sort of downtempo folk. That's because both have a reflective, slightly sad quality, set to a melody that can make you want to dance... at least a little bit.

And they both have a melodic backbone of acoustic guitar, but it's got plenty of instrumentation wrapped around it -- strings, smooth ripples electronica, a twangy banjo, plinking piano, guitar and blaring trumpet. Handclaps take the place of typical percussion in the first song, but there's a hollow, slightly rattly drum in the second.

But the highlight is Feist's pretty vocals -- peppy and fun, or languid and torchy, singing songs with innocent insight ("one, two, three, four, five, six, nine, and ten/money can't buy you back the love that you had then"). There are tiny imperfections in her delivery, but that just shows that there's no studio gloss in there.

The "1234" single is a solid pair of songs -- while their styles are very different, they have the same wistful prettiness. Nice.

It's a Shame About Ray

A professor of mine once suggested that a good short paper was always better than a good long one. The same, I think, can be said of CDs (even though I consider the 76-minute "Blueberry Boat" to be one of the best releases of 2004). The original release of The Lemonheads' CD "It's A Shame About Ray" was under 30 minutes long, and was later padded by the cover of Mrs Robinson. When a short record is done right, it leaves no space for throwaways or wasted moments. Having said that, "It's A Shame About Ray" is, in short, done right.

Released 10 months after "Nevermind," "Ray" is kinder, gentler release of the grunge era ("bubblegrunge" was the term applied to it). Singer/songwriter Evan Dando does a fine job of mixing all of his influences into the record: jangle pop, country rock, power pop, and punk. He sings in an understated and unpretentious manner that succeeds all the same in bringing his clever lyrics into full relief. The jangley acoustic strumming and crisp arpeggios that come to the fore give the CD a very autumnal feel, one that makes the setting seem more like a wealthy, wooded bedroom community than suburbia.

The first half of the CD alternates among slow (My Drug Buddy), mid (Confetti), and up tempo (The Turnpike Down) numbers, and then climaxes to perfection with the drum-propelled tracks Bit Part and the magnificent Alison's Starting to Happen. Simply put, these songs are two of the best pieces of evidence to suggest that the three-minute pop song is one minute too long. (The latter contains what is probably the best lyric on the entire record: "She's the puzzle piece behind the couch that made the sky complete.") But it is hardly all downhill from there. The plaintive Hannah and Gabi, the playful Kitchen, the somewhat fiercer Ceiling Fan in My Spoon, and a grin-inducing version of Frank Mills are all terrific as well.

In the end, "Ray" is a pleasantly unassuming record, one that does little to explicitly draw in or put off the listener. It doesn't take any high-stake risks, but it doesn't aim at the lowest common denominator, either. Evan Dando presents his songs with the aplomb of a highly confident street performer: he is perfectly happy to have people stop and listen, but equally happy to keep playing as people pass by obliviously. His voice is warm and inviting, and his lyrics often express uncertainty ("if I make it through today"), sometimes despondency ("hope in my past"), but he does manage to muster a bit of optimism on Rockin' Stroll ("moving forward all the time", "I'm gonna try"). And it would be really unfair to not give Juliana Hatfield a mention, as her candy-coated voice is a lovely touch on songs like Rudderless.

"Infectious" is not quite the right word to describe "It's A Shame About Ray", but it is very listener-friendly and effectively sequenced. Hence, it is easy to listen to repeatedly without seeming predictable or repetitive. Good thing, too, as the listener is very likely to keep coming back for more of "Ray's" bite-size pleasures. It may not be an era-defining record like "Nevermind" or "Ten," but it does provide a nice snapshot into a different aspect of the early 90s scene, one which should be equally interesting to those of you who weren't there as it is to those of us who were.

In a Frozen Sea: A Year with Sigur Ros [Vinyl]

Don't get me wrong, I was salivating quite heavily upon having laid out my 300+ duckets for this one (& living in Australia, it weren't cheap), & being a LONG-term siggies fan, was gonna be happy anyway! Or so I thought...
Yeah, it's good. It's very good. It's nowhere near great, 'though. And the fact that I'm giving a sigur ros recording less than 4 stars? Ouch.
OK, so enough random negging, here's my problems with it:
1. There's no tracklisting.
2. It's badly made.
3. The vinyl's flimsy and of variable quality/density.
4. The whole thing, while being OF the band, didn't feel like a PART of Jonsi, Georg et al.

SO!
1. Yes, the obtuseness of sigur ros' CDs have helped their enigma and allure in the West, but we still get a tracklisting! So there's a 7th "mystery" disc... awesome! What exactly am i listening to, 'though? Apart from that first review on Amazon I still have no idea what's up, track names, whatever. And I've looked online, trust me. I can't find squat.
2. The day I unwrapped it the glue on the back of the spine had already broken away. Flimsy, at best.
3. The 1st record's of a decent weight, the rest of the six feel less than 100gms. Unfortunately I feel like more than a few plays and I'll carve grooves out of them that'll be irrecoverable.
4. Yeah, so A+R put this thing together: are they fans, or a bunch of marketing dudes? It IS good, but still feels a bit like an exercise in squeezing a few more bucks out of the devout.

It's beautiful, don't get me wrong. And I'l never sell it. But honestly, for the sigur ros fan who wants to know more with a smile on their face, get "Heima", the tour DVD. You'll get a better physical product, more heart from the band and the producers, and just more new music at a MUCH better price.
For the collector only.

Portishead [Vinyl]

It is pretty widely said that Portishead's self-titled second album is okay but not as good as Dummy. Let me say that my point of view tends not to be so wide.

If you were a lover of Dummy tracks like "Sour Times" and "Roads", you will be disappointed with this album. But if you dug the styles of tunes like "Wandering Star" and "Pedestal", then you should do yourself a big favor and buy this album if you haven't yet. There's absolutely no way you'll regret it. Because, for me, Portishead's Portishead is one of the greatest albums ever released.

Dummy was filled with creative "songs". You know, song-like structures and things you can listen to out of context of the rest of the album. But what separates this from Dummy is that you won't find "songs". What you'll find is about an hour of beautiful, haunting, mind-altering MUSIC. There's no better fuel for meditation, creativity, conversation or even tripping than "Portishead". This music puts you into another world against your will to have you chewed up and spit out. Listening to this album in its entirity is more of an experience than you'll be able to find in most places. And those who have not had this experience are sad, sad people who stare at the floor when they walk and pass you with an aura of uncoolness.

The eclectic beat (changing from pure trip-hop in Undenied to an indie garage flavor in Half Day Closing) keeps you moving through its swaying motion into its abyss of uniquely layered melodies and sounds (oddly distorted guitars, a heart-rumbling bass, morbid pianos, and effects lifted straight from old noir flicks and 50's sci-fi vibes) with the great icing of Beth Gibbons vocals that you'll swear is a ghost living inside of your head.

Now, that being said, this album is definitely not for everyone. Impatient people and shallow listeners will not be able to properly absorb all of the textures and oddities of this masterpiece. Some who listen at face value may find it to be repetitive (although it isn't in the least bit repetitive, definitely less repetitive than the often compared Tricky). It is imperative to listen to this album with both a relaxed and open mind.

Also, as a little side-note, if you're a fan of the filmmaker David Lynch, you'll probably dig this album a lot. I don't know why. It's just one of those truths.