indy cd & vinyl

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE—Narrow Stairs

Death Cab For Cutie’s 2nd major-label album (and seventh overall, give or take a few EPs) is yet another superb introduction to their blissful, melodic take on rock and pop. Full of summery, yet melancholy, tunes, Narrow Stairs does stretch their boundaries somewhat, particularly on the joint opening of “Bixby Canyon Bridge” and “I Will Possess Your Heart”. The arrangement of these two songs departs from the band’s usual format. Starting with a simple bass and drums pattern, piano chords, and a wash of “ambient” guitars, the song swells and swells instrumentally for almost 4 ½ minutes before Ben Gibbard’s vocals crash in with a beautiful melody, that is then followed by deadly chorus hook, all topped off with a sublime middle-eight section. From this point on, their usual surfeit of summery, wistful tunes takes hold, with “Pity and Fear” also drawing on a Peter Gabriel style riff. While there are not many other radical departures for the group here, the strength of all the songs, combined with just enough new touches, easily puts Narrow Stairs into a league equaling the best of their previous work. And with the outstanding catalog of this group, that is plenty good enough.

Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet—s/t

The Sparrow Quartet sees Abigail Washburn stretching out mightily from her bluegrass roots. While also performing with traditionalists Uncle Earl, the world’s “only all-female string band,” Washburn’s solo career has always been one of transcending traditional bluegrass boundaries. As proof, her first solo album, Songs of the Traveling Daughter, featured her on banjo and Ben Sollee on cello (!) as they explored the connections between bluegrass and traditional Chinese music (Washburn has studied and traveled extensively throughout China and speaks the language fluently). But her new work with the Sparrow Quartet extends even these ambitions many times over, as she is now seemingly intent on inventing her own musical language, which has grown to include not just the aforementioned genres, but also pop, classical/chamber music, and even avant-jazz. Luckily for us (and for her), she has been able to enlist the talents of renowned banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and violinist extraordinaire Casey Driessen, along with longtime cohort Sollee on cello, to help her on her quest. And the Sparrow Quartet’s self-titled album highlights what an exhilarating quest this is. Opening with what is titled “Overture,” Washburn and her bandmates invite us into their world with a single cello line, followed by the slow plucking of a banjo, then followed by a violin line. As the instruments join together they break into alternately sprightly and elegiac country/bluegrass riffs, with intertwined Chinese melodies and tunings popping up here and there, along with the first vocals on the disc, Washburn’s yodeling. After showing off the range of musical styles Washburn intends to weave together, the album proceeds by offering us an “avant-country/jazz” tune carried by vocal, banjo and cello, and enlivened by a beautiful pop melody sung by Washburn. The next song, “Strange Things” (a motto for the album as a whole?), is the Quartet’s interpretation of a traditional country tune, with a dramatic reading that includes lots of tension-building via Sollee’s cello and Driessen’s violin, all propelled along by Fleck’s constant banjo underpinning. “Taiyang Chulai” presents a traditional Chinese melody refracted through the stylings of the Quartet, which is then followed by a very spare voice and banjo original, “Oh Me, Oh My”. Also on the disc is a Kazahk instrumental, which the group then masterfully blends into “Banjo Pickin’ Girl,” a song Washburn learned from a 1930’s Coon Creek Girls album. The fusion of these two styles is amazing, but even more so is the follow-up, “Kangding Qingge/Old Timey Dance Party”. The title gives away the marriage to be found in combining a VERY funky Bela Fleck banjo riff with a traditional Chinese folk song, an unbelievably potent musical mix. And lest we forget, Washburn’s voice is a thing of beauty throughout, particularly demonstrated on the closing “Journey Home,” a Washburn bluegrass original written in Chinese. Indeed, Washburn truly is a “bluegrass original”. There is nobody out there even remotely approaching the territory she seeks to explore and, like her bandmates Fleck and Driessen, she will probably get some grief for departing radically from the more traditionalist wing of the bluegrass brigade. But as long as she keeps blessing us with the kind of totally unique music presented here, the rest of us can simply marvel at and appreciate the depth and breadth of her talent and ambition. If you have open ears, pick this disc up.

RACONTEURS—CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY

The above-mentioned Black Keys are not the only blues-rock duo of note in our musical universe, of course. Jack and Meg White have made the White Stripes almost a household word, what with Jack’s winning way with melodies and guitar licks and the duo’s eye-catching and memorable penchant for dressing only in red, white, and black. Jack apparently wanted to venture beyond the sound of his duo, however, and recruited the rhythm section of the Greenhornes, along with fellow Michigan songwriter Brendan Benson, to form the Raconteurs. Their first album, Broken Boy Soldiers, was a relaxed, yet hard-charging trip, combining strong, “Beatlesy” melodies (Benson’s strong suit on his own excellent solo albums) with dirty, “Rolling Stonesy” grit and spittle.  The whole affair came across as so casual and knocked off that one couldn’t help but develop a fondness for it. But the follow-up record, Consolers Of The Lonely, is a whole different affair. Sounding anything but casual, with tinkling pianos, overwrought guitar solos, mariachi and Broadway-style horns, fiddles, and whatever else can be thrown into the mix filling up every nook and cranny, this album is overstuffed to the point of  bloating. And that’s not to mention the orchestral passages redolent of Queen and keyboard parts that sound straight out of the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer school of bombast. Where Broken… took a minimalist route, Consolers… goes all maximalist. Where Broken… barely broke the thirty-minute mark, Consolers plows along for over an hour. This is not to say there are no redeeming qualities to Consolers…, as the principals involved are, to be sure, outstanding talents. White unveils some of his best slide guitar work yet, and when Benson and White harmonize, as they do on many choruses, all is forgiven. And while the final song, “Carolina Drama,” stretches on a little too long, it is an excellent foray into a sort of story-telling balladeering that feels exactly right for this combo. But overall, Consolers Of The Lonely is a perfect example of when too much is, in fact, too much

BLACK KEYS—ATTACK AND RELEASE

The guitar and drums duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have always gone for a minimalist approach to blues-rock, as befits their being only two people in the band. Crashing drums and searing or pounding electric guitar lines have been their stock-in-trade, and their excellence in pursuing this path has never seemed like much of a limitation when listening to their previous albums. With the addition of Danger Mouse (one –half of Gnarls Barkley) as their producer and co-conspirator on Attack and Release, however, we find out that, yes, sometimes more is better. Not that Danger Mouse has overloaded Attack and Release with symphonies or guitar armies. In fact, crashing drums and spare, yet searing guitars still dominate and drive the proceedings as before. When keys, synths, banjo, percussion, and even clarinet and flute are added to the mix, Danger Mouse’s genius is in largely keeping them as a sort of deep, sonic backdrop to the main event. And it is this added depth to the Black Keys formula that makes this album such a compelling listen. “All You Ever Wanted” starts the album with a soft voice, acoustic guitar, and lightly tapping percussion before storming in with drums, guitar, and heavy organ chords.   But the acoustic guitars and percussion never really go away, filling up the space (along with various keyboards) beneath the Black Keys’ stomp to glorious effect. The same technique is employed throughout the album, often giving each song its own unique feel, whether it be the “haunting” blues of “Strange Times” or the layered, echoing backdrop to “Psychotic Girl”. Despite this, it is obvious that Danger Mouse loves the basic sound of the Black Keys (he contacted them to see if he could work with the duo), with some songs (e.g., the appropriately titled “Remember When”) sounding almost identical to the Black Keys of old. All of this lends a variety to Attack and Release not present on their previous albums. And while these albums have all been outstanding in their own right, Danger Mouse proves his excellence as a producer by propelling this album beyond its forebears, but without losing any of the essence that makes the Black Keys what they are—a primal blues-rock juggernaut.

SOULSAVERS—It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land

The Soulsavers are an English-bred production duo who have previously specialized in downtempo electronica. Their sophomore effort, however, strays far beyond this territory thanks to the addition of former Screaming Trees/sometimes Queens Of The Stone Age/current solo artist Mark Lanegan on vocals (and lyrics). Lanegan’s smoky baritone always lends a dark, foreboding, even funereal presence to his musical undertakings, and this album dives deep into this abyss. With elements of folk, blues, country, and particularly gospel stirred into the drum loops and cinematic sweeps employed by the Soulsavers, It’s Not How Far You Fall… provides us with a rich, yet unsettling foray into Lanegan’s twin themes of penance and sin. “Revival” opens the proceedings with a drum crash and church-like organ, with Lanegan intoning “Say there’s gonna be a revival tonigh/Ohh-oh/I wanna see a revival,” and then lets the music sweep him away into the details of his quest.  “Ghosts Of You And Me” follows with a honking sax wailing in the background while feedbacked guitar loops provide the foreground for Lanegan’s talk of black cat bones and thoughts like “The cemetery is my home”.  Lanegan’s own “Kingdom Of Rain” is a beautiful piano-led ballad underscored by depressed musings such as “This rain beats down like death.” Film-noir-like instrumental passages add to the atmosphere, as do a surprising duo of covers. Tom Waits’ “Through My Sails” actually provides a momentary bit of uplift, as Lanegan and Will Oldham (aka Bonnie Prince Billy) sing a slow but optimistic love song, accompanied by steady bass and superb slide guitar.  The album closes with a tour-de-force version of the Rolling Stones’ “No Expectations,” transforming it from a country-blues to a haunting groover. So when you’re in the mood for something dark, yet musically superb, “It’s Not How Far You Fall…” will fill the bill in fine fashion.