A.C. Newman - Shut Down the Streets
This is New Pornographer Carl Newman's third solo album (I don't know why he goes by A.C. Newman for his solo efforts either). His first two solo albums, 2004's The Slow Wonder and 2009's Get Guilty are both quite good and almost entirely indistinguishable from The New Pornographers' official albums in a way that Destroyer's or Neko Case's solo stuff isn't: it's not hard at all envisioning songs like "Miracle Drug,' "On the Table," and "Prophets" appearing on New Pornographers' albums. In fact, if any of you like the New Pornographers and haven't yet listened to A.C. Newman, you really owe it to yourself to do so.
When I heard that Neko Case was going to be making guest appearances on Shut Down the Streets, I expected this third album to continue the trend of sounding very similar to the New Pornographers' work, but upon listening to it, I'm somewhat surprised to learn that this isn't the case. In many ways, this album is what you would expect from a solo album by the principal songwriter of a rock band: the mood here is much more subdued, mimicking the AM Gold vibe of the singer-songwriter era of the 70's, and songs are far more likely to meander lazily about. Make no mistake, this is still Carl Newman: the album still has its fair share of pleasing melodies, but if you're looking for something like the New Pornographers' more rocking numbers or soaring choruses, you're not going to find it here.
All in all, I still enjoy the album - I tend to just like the way Newman writes songs - and I really enjoy lead single "Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns," which has the bigness that some of the New Pornographers' best has. This won't top my list of favorite New Pornographers albums (that would be Electric Version or Twin Cinema, depending on the day), and this isn't even my favorite Newman album (the aforementioned The Slow Wonder), but it is a solid addition to the rotation.
Selections
Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns
A.C. Newman – There’s Money In New Wave
Hostages
A.C. Newman – Hostages
I'm Not Talking
Freelance Whales - Diluvia
How do you describe something that is quintessentially indie music? With rock, punk, or metal music, you can describe it by the loudness and ferocity of the guitars and drums or the attitude of the lead singer, and pop music can be judged by how danceable it is or how catchy the chorus may be. But despite listening to my fair share of indie music, I've never come up with an easily articulated definition for the genre. I hear an album like, I don't know, Freelance Whales' second album Diluvia, and it's clear to me that it is very close to what I consider the Platonic ideal of indie music, but I always have an incredibly difficult time articulating exactly what that means. Maybe it's the use of a banjo in a non-folk manner.
Anyway, all that aside, I like this album. Freelance Whales' first album was heavily compared to Death Cab for Cutie, and the lead singer does occasionally sound like Ben Gibbard, but for the most part this album seems to have moved past that particular sonic influence. There seems to be a bigness in the songs that Death Cab only intermittently shoots for, a lot of rising choruses and crescendoing codas.
Selections (no YouTube videos; I'm a little annoyed)
Aeolus
Freelance Whales – Aeolus
Follow Through
Freelance Whales – Follow Through
Locked Out
Freelance Whales – Locked Out
The Wallflowers - Glad All Over
I have a confession to make: back in high school the Wallflowers seemed like a band that would be right up my alley, and while I admit they've definitely had some strong singles, I've always found their work a little more uneven than I would have liked. And by uneven I mean boring: have you ever attempted to listen to Bringing Down the Horse all in one sitting? The thing is sleepy.
Now here comes their first album since 2005. It would seem overly reductive to describe it simply as The Wallflowers ripping off The Clash, but... I mean, just listen to "Reboot the Mission." Is there any other possible way to describe that?
Regardless of how indebted they are to another band, mimicking the Clash (and even having Mick Jones guest on a couple tracks) really does help lift the liveliness of this album. And when the energy level is high, Jakob Dylan can still write a chorus that sounds great coming out of car radios everywhere, provided the public is still interested in guitar-based pop music (they aren't) and actually still listens to the radio (what do you think?). But nevermind my gripes about modernity: this comeback does a nice job of reminding me of the band's strengths (and, I suppose, the Clash's strengths), and the band should be proud of that.
Selections
Reboot the Mission
The Wallflowers – Misfits and Lovers feat. Mick Jones
Have Mercy on Him Now
The Wallflowers – Have Mercy on Him Now
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