February 25, 2004
CD BUYER'S GUIDE
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: I’m admittedly late to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs art punk party scene. And from what their live shows sounds like, it must be quite a spectacle. Lead singer, Karen O leads them on a caustic, frantic, spasmodic traverse. Fueled by her primal yelp that moves from a sinister Siouxsie Sioux sneer towards a softer Chrissie Hynde purr, the band throws together a rather repetitious collection of 11 songs for their full length debut, Fever To Tell. The disc has some true high points like the fantastic opener, “Rich,” “Y Control” and current single, “Maps.” Unfortunately, the whole thing is a bit haphazard. Some of their guitar rifts and vocal cadences seemed to be lifted directly from their influences, other times they seem like their production was done by amateur hacks. There is a fine line between going for deliberate minimalism and just being sloppy. Best enjoyed in short spurts.
Elbow: I’ve read some hype and favorable comparisons to the sweeping grandiosity of Radiohead and Spiritualized and after buying their 2nd release, A Cast of Thousands, I can only surmise that these blokes from Manchester are the wet mop of Britpop. Elbow might as well be Spandau Ballet meets the Counting Crows. With the exception of, “Fallen Angel,” a chugging, guitar driven bright spot, the rest of the album is a morose collection of boring and limp ballads. Heavy on the emotional wrenching, singer Guy Garvey actually says, “pull my ribs apart/and let the sun shine in.” Absolute dreck. This is quite possibly one of the worst CDs I have ever purchased.
Norah Jones: Not one to break new music, VH-1 makes up its video playlist that reflects album sales and radio airplay. Credit is due to the hit pandering network for introducing Norah Jones long before commercial radio caught on and eons before she ruled the 2003 Grammys. I stopped in my tracks the first time I happened upon the video for “Don’t Know Why”—a wonderful, seductive voice, great song…and just look at her. Right then I decided that Norah Jones is an angel sent straight from heaven.
With its gentle mix of piano-based jazz, subtle blues, acoustic guitar noodling and breathy vocals, her debut CD, Come Away With Me, sold an astonishing 18M copies worldwide. By no means a pop record, it was a little bit country and virtually no rock n roll. Her music sort of defies categorization, it’s soothing, wistful, nocturnal, remarkably peaceful and overwhelmingly pleasant. Comfort food for the ears.
Sticking to the formula of her previous work, although mixing more originals with covers and providing her own lyrics overtop of Duke Ellington’s “Melancholia” for the disc’s final track, “Don’t Miss You at All.” Opening with the Jones-penned, “Sunrise” Feels Like Home is a slightly more sophisticated follow-up, but just as engaging.
Not a spot light seeker, no diva posturing, just an extraordinary, understated talent. I am in love with Norah Jones.
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Gonna go see the Yeahs tomorrow night...I agree that their music feels half-finished at times. But I hear their live set is great.
Posted by:
at February 26, 2004 10:56 AM
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