The Fratellis – Costello Music

I stumbled onto the Fratellis’ single “Chelsea Dagger” back in March or April. I think it was mentioned in a music article on Slate online. I fell for the raucous barroom sing-along feel, and I wound up using it in a mix CD I put together in May. I was curious to see what they would do with a whole album.

Thankfully, Costello Music is more of the same. Unlike most of the music coming out of England, there isn’t a trace of the New Wave Revival here. There aren’t synthesizers, and there are no nods to the pop of the 80s. Instead, the record sounds as though it was designed to be played on a pub jukebox on Friday night. Rocking with energy and pace, rather than power chords and hair spray, the Fratellis seem to care more about enjoying themselves than making art. This is a fun record.

My favorite track is “For a Girl,” simply because I’m a sucker for a good melody, but “Flathead” and “Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night” are also standouts. Really, though, there aren’t any bad songs, and the album sounds pretty terrific straight through.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights and Naturally

I learned of Sharon Jones because she was involved in some bogus “feud” with Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson because they’d “stolen” her band, the Dap Kings. I loved the sound of Mark Ronson’s work on his own album and Winehouse’s, so when I discovered that the Dap Kings were responsible for a lot of that sound, it didn’t take me long to find these albums.

Playing with Sharon Jones, the Kings’ sound is really something special. The production is clean, without being glossy, and you can really hear each instrument. The Kings play wonderfully together, and Jones has a classic soul voice that adds a lot to the mix.

The only drawback is the songwriting. The lyrics and melodies of many of these songs can’t match the energy, feel, and emotion that Sharon and the Kings are putting into them. That is why, I think, there aren’t many songs, and several of them are covers. (Another reason for the shorter track listing is a conscious effort to evoke the look and feel of LPs from the late 60s and early 70s.)

Songwriting aside, there are some very good songs here. On Naturally, the 1-2 punch of “How Do You Let a Good Man Down” and “Natural Born Lover” is pretty stellar. “How Long Do I Have to Wait for You” is another favorite of mine. On 100 Days, 100 Nights, there are fewer funk workouts, and one abominable duet (“Tell Me”) that’s the only track on these two albums I have to skip. But the record also contains a few gems in “Something’s Changed” and the title track. Better still, the record comes with a Daptone Records sampler CD hosted by someone named Binky Griptite. It’s almost an hour long, and it’s great. A little uneven, but great.

I can’t wait to pick up their first record, Dap-Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Soul Power!

Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris

Ugh. Not impressed.

I own Songs for the Deaf, which I really like in spite of the terrible radio station skits. I passed on buying Lullabies to Paralyze because Nick Oliveri left the band and Dave Grohl (my favorite aspect of Deaf) wasn’t involved either. It didn’t help that the record got mixed reviews. I was excited, then, when most of the reviews I read raved about Era Vulgaris. The Queens’ brand of hard rock is out of fashion right now, and there’s hardly anyone doing it well, so this record was coming at the perfect time. (I must admit that playing “No One Knows” repeatedly on Guitar Hero 1 might also have primed me for the release of this album.

But it’s just a bunch of noise. Josh Homme can still play guitar really well, and his band plays some intimidating passages, but there isn’t a song on the album. Compare it to Deaf, which had “Hanging Tree,” “First It Giveth” and others in addition to the awesome singles “No One Knows” and “Go With The Flow.” Each of these was a song I could hum. There’s only one song like that on Era Vulgaris, and it’s “Make It Wit Chu.” Sorry, Queens. Not good enough.

Justice – Cross

I heard about Justice from my friend Kevin, who heard about them from an old Casa Italiana friend of ours, Sarah Gluckstern. I bought the song “Newjack” on iTunes and liked it. Then Justice started getting all sorts of hipster press. They’re a pair of scruffy French guys, who can’t be more than 23 years old. It sounds like a perfect backstory for an indie dance/electronic duo.

The album doesn’t quite measure up, though. Much like Kanye West’s new album, the record is frontloaded with all the good songs, and the back half of the album is a real chore. On the other hand, the opening 5 or 6 tracks are fantastic. Justice’s signature sound consists of some vocal samples, a great drum track, and a bassline all hacked to pieces and assembled like a collage. The end result sounds like a robot symphony. Or like the house DJ at a bar in Blade Runner’s dystopic future Los Angeles. It’s reminiscent of Daft Punk, with their commitment to melody and guitars (or at least guitar-sounding synths), but it’s harder and more ominous. If this sounds interesting, you owe it to yourself to check out “Newjack,” “Genesis,” “D.A.N.C.E.” and “Phantom.”

Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

I bought Spoon’s 2005 album Gimme Fiction after hearing the slyly funky “I Turn My Camera On” at a friend’s house. That album was taut, muscular and spare. I was surprised by Spoon’s serious commitment to rhythm. The tempo was always locked-in, and the arrangements used empty space to highlight the steady pulse. The record rocked without being hard or heavy. It took a few spins, but it turned out to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

Spoon’s new release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, follows the same blueprint. This time, they’ve incorporated horns to some songs, with awesome results. The throwback “Got Yr Cherry Bomb” evokes classic 60’s Phil Spector or Motown with horns, tambourine, and an organ. “The Underdog” and “Finer Feelings” also sound—dare I say it—joyful. That’s not to say I don’t like the other songs. There’s not a weak track in the bunch, and I look forward to many repeat listens.

Kanye West – Graduation

Kanye’s Late Registration came out two days after I moved to LA, and it was the first record I bought here. (This was, incidentally, the same day New Orleans flooded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.) So a new release from Kanye is cause for some personal reflection. Kanye seemed to be thinking the same thing, as Graduation is packed with his self-evaluations as a producer, rapper and star. It’s a shame it isn’t a better album.

Maybe my expectations are too high, as the record has several no-doubt-about-it singles and some great moments. The sterling “Good Life” is one of the former, with a can’t-miss sample from Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T.”. Singer T-Pain adds his wonderful talkbox/vocoder shtick, which is a lot of fun to imitate. (Who doesn’t love talking like a robot?) Another standout is “Champion,” which includes a great patios sing-along section.

But the album suffers in comparison to his prior efforts, especially in the (even more) introspective second half. Honestly, Kanye isn’t good enough as a rapper to overcome tepid production. In the past, that hasn’t been a problem, as his songs typically overflow with full-bodied soul samples and original instrumentation. But starting with track 7, “Barry Bonds,” the album gets real dull real quick. The production gets minimal and experimental, and it’s just no fun to listen to. The worst of the bunch is “Drunk and Hot Girls,” which combines a terrible beat with an unfortunate rhyme pattern. Most egregiously, it wastes an appearance from commander cool Mos Def. Come to think about it, I’m not sure I remember hearing him at all. Unforgiveable.

Mark Ronson – Version

I’ve been a fan of Mark Ronson since I heard “Oooh Wee” a few years ago. That was a hall-of-fame hip-pop song that surprisingly few people are familiar with. Based on that song, I cherry-picked his first album, Here Comes the Fuzz, on iTunes. Later, I discovered he’d produced songs for Nikka Costa and Robbie Williams.

Suddenly, this spring, his work was everywhere. He’s responsible for the amazing sound of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and for lots of Lily Allen’s Alright, Still. Also, a pre-release track from this album was floating around. So I was excited to get my hands on this one.

I am not remotely disappointed. The sound Ronson settled on is similar to what we heard on Back to Black, but with a stronger hip-hop feel (even though only one track has any rapping). The result is a sharply rhythmic funk, with lots of horns and guest artists.

A cover of Radiohead’s “Just” is a standout track, as is Amy Winehouse’s contribution, “Valerie.” My personal favorite is the cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”, which features a filthy verse from the late, great ODB. “Old Man Dirt get under your skirt, fuck the pussy ‘til it’s orange like Ernie & Bert.” Nuff said.