"All songs are cliches" proclaims Alpines singer/songwriter Jon Ericson on the band's debut EP Strange Company. The irony here though is that although Alpines' Brit-pop influences are not difficult to detect, the band never resorts to cliches. Ericson takes a more subtle approach with his songwriting rather than trying to hit the listener over the head with quick, catchy hooks. So if the current state of catch-phrase songwriting that seems to be monopolizing the mainstream airwaves is getting on your nerves (like it is mine) then Strange Company is certainly worth a listen. It is the sort of album whose songs are enjoyable on the first listen but become more appealing and compelling with repeated listens. While Ericson is the band's main songwriter, this album certainly has the feel of a full band effort. Much in the same way Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland left their trademark playing on Sting's best songs, the other members of Alpines flavor Ericson's songs with some very strong performances. The band's rhythm section (drummer Dave Zerio and bassist Rich Nowak) provide a solid, tight foundation for the songs with Zerio's drumming often recalling Manu Katche's work with Peter Gabriel. Guitarist Rich DeVito shines as well. Rather than trying to monopolize the sound with in-your-face solos or heavy power chords, DeVito's guitar work provides a good melodic counterpoint to Ericson's melodies. Although this Connecticut band has yet to strike a major label deal, the sound of their independent debut is quite polished. Alpines' strong arrangements, soaring melodies and intelligent lyrics are sure to appeal to fans of Keane, Morrissey, early U2, Coldplay, Crowded House and Tommy Keene. Clearly a band to look out for in 2007.
(To hear four songs from this EP in their entirety, you can check out Alpines' myspace.com site.)
There are many rituals that come with attending a rock show. One of the first of the evening is usually deciding whether or not you want to catch the warm-up act, especially if it's someone you've never heard of. This past October, a friend and I were contemplating this decision when making our plans for the Aimee Mann concert we were going to. We had spare time and not much else to do in town so we opted to check out the opening act whom neither of us had heard of. A scruffy Englishman wearing a hat stepped out on stage and played for forty minutes. He had much of the audience in the palm of his hand and many others annoyed. So far, this seems to be the reaction that David Ford's music has elicited. People who hear him seem to either love him or hate him. Me, I was one of the people who was hanging on his every word. My friend, a psychiatrist, was much less impressed and could only state "someone needs to help that man." Undeterred by what I thought my friend's psychoanalysis of Ford might possibly say about me and my fascination with his performance, I immediately went out the next day and bought his debut CD, I Sincerely Apologize For All the Trouble I've Caused. Although quite different from his live performance, Ford's debut collection did not disappoint either. Whether mulling over a failed personal relationship in "I Don't Care What You Call Me" ("I know I let you down/And Christ you let me know/Every time and time again") or ranting about current affairs in "State of the Union" ("What a model of Christian behavior/Preach on with your message of 'go f%@k thy neighbor'"), Ford sings with a passion that leaves little doubt in your mind that he means every word he's singing. Although Ford's voice has garnered comparisons to David Gray, his unique perspective as a songwriter and deeply personal lyrics place him in the upper echelon along side the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Warren Zevon and Tom Waits. (Even my friend had to admit that "Cheer Up (You Miserable F%@k)" was a truly inspired song title.) Ford also clearly knows how to write a solid melody. Add to that his considerable skill as a multi-instrumentalist (other than some sax parts, Ford played all the instruments on this album,) and clearly Ford is someone to keep an eye on in the coming years.
(If you're still skeptical, you can check out Ford's myspace.com site where you can listen to and/or watch the videos for "State of the Union" and "I Don't Care What You Call Me" in their entirety.)
If you look at the customer reviews of this album on some of the online superstores, you will mostly see people divided into two camps. Some call this album blasphemy while others call it brilliant. I have to admit that when I first heard about this project, I had my own doubts. For me though, Love is a success. Throughout their career, several people tried to pin themselves with the tag 'the fifth Beatle.' If anyone deserved that title though, it was the one man who you never heard call himself that: the man who oversaw every one of the band's recording sessions, George Martin. It is George Martin, along with his son, who compiled this unique collection. One quick look at this CD's track listing may make the average person think that this is just another collection of the band's hits (like 2000's Beatles 1) thrown together to cash in on Christmas shopping activity. Unlike Beatles 1 though, Love takes a fresh approach to the best known catalog in the history of rock music. Martin and son have taken the band's music apart, remixed it, mashed it up and reassembled it. Other than a new string arrangement written by Martin for George Harrison's original demo of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", all the music here comes from original Beatles multi-tracks. Although there are a few instances where the result sounds a bit muddy, overall the new mixes are often fascinating. "Drive My Car" starts as it always does but soon you notice that the guitar solo is not the one you're used to, but rather the one from "Taxman" while the original backing track from "Drive My Car" is still playing before seamlessly segueing into "What You're Doing" and then "The Word." It certainly keeps you on your toes. Even more surprising though is listening to the backing track from "Tomorrow Never Knows" while the vocals and strings from "Within You Without You" are layered on top. The new version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is one of the album's highlights. Although some may balk at the idea of putting a new string arrangement on top of a forty year old demo, the fact remains that George Martin was the man who did all of the Beatles' original string arrangements so here the new one does not sound out of place. In addition, there is a deluxe edition of the album which comes with a surround sound disc, giving Beatles fans an opportunity to hear the fab four in a strikingly good 5.1 mix. Some may say that this is the musical equivalent of colorizing old black and white movies. If you're willing to hear something old sound new though, Love is worth the price of admission.
When bands who have been inactive for more than a decade reunite, it is rarely a good idea. When the reunion does not include the band's two original front men because one was not interested and the other is deceased, it is most likely a recipe for disaster. The Cars' guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes were probably aware of this. So how do you replace an enigmatic singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer like Ric Ocasek? You find another equally (if not more) talented enigmatic singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer like Todd Rundgren. Add former Utopia bassist/singer Kasim Sulton and Tubes drummer Prairie Prince into the mix and you just might have something. And indeed, The New Cars have. It's Alive follows the same formula as The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over and Fleetwood Mac's The Dance; an album containing new live versions of the band's best known songs with a handful of new tunes thrown in for good measure. While that may seem like taking the easy road, what it does here is show off the new line-up's greatest strength - they are an amazingly tight, high energy live band. While the original band may have made some of the most engaging albums of their era, they never gained a reputation for being a great live act. Ocasek himself has stated that he has never felt comfortable on stage and his distant stance may have served to have alienated audiences. This is where Rundgren excels. He sings these songs with an enthusiasm that makes one feel he has ownership in them. He is mindful of Ocasek's original performance, but injects enough of his own personality to avoid sounding like a clone. Prince and Sulton play a major part in the band's success as well. The two have been playing together for the last decade backing Rundgren on several tours and have really gelled into an exceptional rhythm section. Sulton also does a wonderful job handling the late Ben Orr's vocals on the band's biggest hit, "Drive." Easton though, may be the real hero of this whole project. He plays with a passion and intensity of a man who has been waiting for more than a decade to take his old band on the road. In short, these guys rock. Their top notch performances have been winning over many skeptical critics around the country. Finally, the album ends with three new studio tracks cowritten by Easton, Hawkes and Rundgren. While some of the new material on the similar albums from Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles may have come off sounding like filler, the new tracks on this collection are some of the highlights. On my first listen to "Not Tonight" I had to check the liner notes to make sure it was not some obscure Ocasek composition that I had not heard before. It contains the same sort of ironic word play and catchy hooks that Cars fans have come to expect. The subtle "Warm" and the rocking "More" are also both worthy additions to the Cars legacy. If you are a purist and think that bands should not go on without pivotal members in the lineup, then here you can at least take solace in the fact that unlike Pink Floyd and The Who, this band has at least had the courtesy to alter their name to let you know that it is not the original article. For the curious among you though, give The New Cars a test drive. You just might drive them home tonight.