Burning Light

November 10 2008

Deja (with a different) Vu

In my recent series of “hit-and-run” reviews, I hit on a couple themes that apparently I’m about to hit on again – the old friend (musically speaking) with the big old sound that I’m grateful (if not quite overwhelmed) to have, and the little-known hero (who I've actually spoken to) from back East who enables me to reference Sufjan Stevens (because that’s SUCH a huge subset...) -- in the forms of The Verve and Matthew Loaicano, respectively.

Anyway, I have in my possession a couple new releases that enable me to go back over that ground again. And as with those earlier reviews, while neither’s an all-time-great album (speaking of which, who knew I’d still have Sparks’ Exotic Creatures of the Deep in my rotation months later? And that it’d in fact be the best album since... well, let’s just say I’ve already referenced him once in this review....), they're both well worth your time.

But, and because I’m good at it, I digress. Anyway, let’s begin, with the band you WILL recognize, and probably have had fun parodying in the past....

The Cure – 4:13 Dream. Brilliant? Well, no. Not quite. Catchy? Yeah-HUH. Visceral? You betcha. And thus, well worth yr time for the first time in a decade and a half? Yep-PERS.

Anyway, and ‘cause I do it every so often anyway, props once more to Andre at Tuesday Morning 3 a.m. for inspiring me to take one more chance on The Original Emo/Goth Boy. Once I stumbled across the line, “Wild Mood Swings made me want to die, and not in that good Cure-like way,” I knew we were on the same page with this. (It’s also worth yr time to read Andre’s rant about the Queen/Paul Rodgers album right below it – he’s dead-on there, too.)

And thus, easily the best thing Robert Smith & Co. have done since Wish. And arguably accomplishing this via the same formula that hadn’t been used since then: The big slashingly romantic “Open”-like murkfest that is “Underneath the Stars,” followed by the perfect pop that likewise is “High,” er, “Only One.””

OK, from there it’s not as explicitly Wish-like, but by then you’ve already been sucked in and it’s almost all quite enjoyable. And it continues to grow on me in leap and bounds. “Reasons Why” is a minor-keyed bounce-to-stomp-to-scream-and-back-again (in short, a Cure song) that opens, “I won't try to bring you down about my suicide." “Freakshow” is a more straight-ahead fuzzed-up swing that says its peace and passes quickly. “Sirensong” actually introduces some slide guitar into a sweet piano/acoustic sway that doesn’t sound entirely unlike a slowed-down “Pictures of You.”

And so on. Really. If you’ve actually missed the Cure for lo these past 16 years: They’re back. Really. Honest and for true. And there’s supposedly a second, darker album hot on the heels of this poppier one. And so, I’m actually looking forward to that one now. Therefore, it’s once more time to join with the South Park gang to say:

RobertSmithoftheCure, you ROCK!

**********

And now, for the hometown favorite – I mean, the REAL hometown favorite:

Jai Agnish – Awake When You Dream. When we last visited the pride of West Milford, New Jersey, 2 years ago, he had just emerged from a 6-year hiatus with Mechanical Sunshine. And everything I said there remains true, so it’s worth (re-)reading. This time we only had to wait two years (which these days is pretty much the norm anyway). And Awake When You Dream definitely is the obvious next step in the career of our lo-fi hero.

Specifically, the Fisher Price toys and Casios have altogether disappeared (he’s apparently upgraded to “a 1980's Roland synth”). Thus, the winsomely quirky acoustic songsmith who’s been there all along is entirely front-and-center. And again, if you like the gentler, less orchestrated side of his buddy Sufjan, you oughta like this.

And, oh yeah: It’s FREE. So there’s no excuse to not at least try it.

As for individual songs, “Paradise” is the immediate front-runner. Here and elsewhere, Peg Carlin throws in just the right amount of background vocals. And speaking of Jai-buddies, this one’s Danielson without all the deliberate weirdness that pretty much makes make him impossible to enjoy.

The opener “New Parade” (also w/ some nice Carlin back-ups) has a nice march-like acoustic intro, and the rejoinder “You can say I / you can say I / you can see all of our eyes” haunts beyond the initial delivery, as does, “Everyone’s here, and everyone’s messed up / Everyone, run, run....”

“We Found Love” is almost countryish, especially if you lock into the gentle background synths (?). Again, the lyrics are simple but endearing, “How high does this love go / How high does this love go / Don’t tell me the answer / Leave it a mystery....”

I won’t pretend that I get “Lightning Bugs” – then again, since he wrote it for his 2-year-old nephew Drew I don’t suppose I have to, do I? Even though I now own it, it’s not for me anyway. Nonetheless, it fits in fine with the childlikeness that’s all over this.

And the strongly quiet closer, “An American,” is about as close to social commentary as Jai’s ever gotten, as it speaks of a better world wherever the other person is....

She lives on a farm in New York
Just outside the city lights
She says she’s an American
He works in the city
Puts in 60 hours a week
Playing games with money
He says he’s an American....

Now she bought a new car
She’s heading down the Thruway
The hills and the small towns
Over the bridge and the Hudson
Into the city

It’s sweaty on the trading floor
I lost somebody’s money again
Gotta get out this place
Over the bridge and the Hudson
Out of the city

They dream of smoke
They dream of fire
They dream of vision
Her face is like the sun, the sun
They heard her voice, and the saints making noise
Then the war, it begins, it begins

So check it out. What have you got to lose, anyway? Then, if you like it, throw down for some of his other stuff. Tell him Carl sent you. No. Seriously. He'll actually know what y'r talking about.

Posted by: burninglight at 20:32 | link | comments (4)

Comments:

#1 11 November 2008 - 02:52

I will check out the new Cure disk based on you and your buddy Andre liking the disk. Oh and Andre is dead on correct about the Queen + Paul Rogers disk, it's shameful.

Anonymous

#2 11 November 2008 - 12:25

tell you what....

since you know i am a sucker for free music, i'll check the guy out, regardless of your comparisons..

as for the cure... well of course i'll get around to getting that one.

Anonymous

#3 11 November 2008 - 14:17

that was me, with the snide aside about comparisons, if it wasn't obvious.