Music Ho Continued

More CDs!

The New Pornographers - "Electric Version" / "Twin Cinema"





This is an awesome band. I'm a little late in discovering this band for myself, though. What got me interested was buying, and loving, the solo release from Carl "A.C." Newman - "The Slow Wonder". Just pure, hooky, intellegent pop. No pretentions. No attempts to be a superstar band. This is a band that knows how to write songs and enjoys playing them. Highly recommended.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!



This very indie album was given a very glowing review by Pitchfork. Apparently, that was enough to sell out the original pressing of this CD making it very hard to find. Finally, the band was able to press more discs and I got my hands on one. Pitchfork's review is dead on. The band is very unique (something, in my opinion, hard to pull off these days) and has it own distinct sound and character. The songs are good. I still need to listen to it some more to truly wrap my opinion around it.

Eric Clapton - "Back Home"



This is definitely a Clapton album that's pissing critics off left-and-right and actually exposes how dumb and one-track-minded most critics are. This is Clapton's follow up album to "Me and Mr. Johnson", an excellent blues tribute to Robert Johnson, in which Clapton indulged in what he does best (and why he was "God" for a while) -- blues. And lots of 'em. However, Clapton's heart lies in two directions -- yes, he loves good, pure blues, but he's also got a soft spot for basic, uncluttered, pop songs. This is his pop song album. Critics, of course, expecting to pigeonhole Clapton into the "If it's not a blues album, it sucks" box, are foaming at the mouths because he didn't deliver what they wanted. Whatever. Get a real job. Anyway, let's judge the album on its own merit. Yes, it's lightweight. It's more sugar than protein. But the songs are good, enjoyable and easy on the aural palette.

Herbie Hancock - "Possibilites"



I've always liked "duets" albums. It's fun to see two musicians, especially disparate ones, work with each other. If done right, the musicans will bring out hidden talents out of each other to create something greater that its parts. Herbie's new CD comes close to achieving this. It's a good, more pop than jazz, CD. Not that adventurous, but it doesn't need to be and really doesn't seem to set out to be. If you like simple jazz with a twist of pop, you'll enjoy this album.

Leftovers... discs I got but haven't formed an opinion on...

Power Ballads - Gold - This is for the wife who LOVES all those power ballads that domainated 1980s radio.

Fruit Bats - "Spelled in Bones"

Nirvana - "With the Lights Out" - the boxset with tons of unreleased tracks. It always takes more time to digest a boxset than a single CD...