KATE BUSH – Director’s Cut

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KBKate Bush is a brilliantly talented, unique individual who has provided inspiration to thousands of musicians and singer-songwriters. She’s recorded a handful of the best tracks of the 1980s, with her 1985 album ‘The Hounds of Love’ being not far short of a masterpiece. However, such talents bring with them an artistic temperament. Her first (and so far only) greatest hits package, 1986’s ‘The Whole Story’ features a re-working of her classic ‘Wuthering Heights’, since Kate was unhappy with the already brilliant original. The ’86 version, featuring a significantly lower and more limited vocal range – isn’t a patch on the original, despite what KB herself thinks. She’s also gone on record stating how much she dislikes her earlier work. Presumably, then, this is why we’ve been denied a fully comprehensive DVD of any kind, even though her promo videos and her only filmed live show from Hammersmith ’79 have been treasured by fans for years on old VHS releases. If we take into account the never-officially released stuff like the mimed performance at the Efterling theme park for Dutch TV or the 45 minute 1979 BBC Christmas special featuring Peter Gabriel – both of which have been widely circulated over the years – that’s a world of stuff which has never seen the light on day on DVD…

After the late 80s, she was rarely seen in public and appearances on television were just as scarce. We can guess that this is because she no longer looked like the 20 year old who pranced around in leotards, an argument given some weight by the ridiculously airbrushed promotional photograph accompanying this ‘Director’s Cut’ release. Has most of Kate Bush’s career hinged on how she feels she is perceived by the public? Possibly. What’s definite though, is that her striving for perfection – to obsessively airbrush the bits of the past which make her unhappy – leaps to new heights on ‘Director’s Cut’. It’s not a best of; nor is it a remix project. ‘Director’s Cut’ features a selection of songs originally released on Kate’s 1991 and 1993 albums ‘The Sensual World’ and ‘The Red Shoes’; and for better or worse, they’re re-imagined here in a way which pleases Kate – though they’re unlikely to be favoured over the original cuts by anyone else.

At first, ‘The Song of Solomon’ doesn’t appear to veer too far from the original version. The bass has a bigger role, bringing a slightly dubby quality and Kate’s vocal doesn’t appear as prominent, and then we get to the end where a previous vocal line is substantially altered. Whereby in the original version ‘Whap bam boom’ appears tagged on the end of a line, almost as an after-breath, here, Kate delivers the line at full pelt and then loops it so it becomes impossible to miss.  It’s a mistake; a very bad idea, which spoils anything which has gone before. Unless you’re Richard Penniman, there’s no excuse for ‘whap bam boom’.

‘Lily’ is a little better. Gone are the late 80s synthetic sounding drums, they’ve been sidelined for something more natural. The production sounds a little compressed, Kate’s voice is a little lower, but the performances themselves are commendable. ‘Never Be Mine’, ‘Top of The City’ and ‘And So Is Love’ each get a dusting down which doesn’t improve the original cuts in any obvious way and as before, Kate’s vocals aren’t as powerful; even so, they’re not objectionable, just a little pointless. Thankfully, Kate has opted to keep Eric Clapton’s guitar leads from the latter intact. Since those guitar lines provided one of the original version’s best features, to replace them with something different would have been madness.

‘Deeper Understanding’, meanwhile, has been completely butchered. What would improve the atmospheric, multilayered original with its fretless bass parts? Nothing. …But clearly, Kate’s opinion differed. She’s wrong. Maybe she should have had someone to tell her that once in a while. The keyboards are the same as before, but the bass is buried in the new inferior mix and what’s more, the track features a truckload of auto-tuned elements. Granted, the song is – at least in part – about computers, but that’s no reason to think your audience would want to hear it sang by an emotionless robot. ‘The Red Shoes’, meanwhile retains a fair amount of its original bounce, but not all of its original spark, due to a smoothing out of the 80s edges and Kate’s re-recorded vocal not quite hitting the marks of the ’91 model.

Alongside these tweaked cuts, ‘Director’s Cut’ features three tracks which have been totally re-recorded. The steamy ‘Sensual World’ (now re-titled ‘Flower of the Mountain’) reinstates words from James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ which Kate had been refused permission to use back in 1991. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but everything else about it really awful. The drums have been removed, the bass turned up and the production has a nasty, muddy sound. Kate’s vocal in a lower key really doesn’t match the dreamy performance on original cut of ‘The Sensual World’; in fact, it sounds like a warbling noise from an old lady. This is supposedly one of ‘Director’s Cut’s greatest achievements, but frankly, this has the sound of a middling demo take. If you hadn’t already lamented the fact that Kate’s voice isn’t a patch on its ‘Sensual World’ era equivalent you certainly will here. By the time she reaches the last verse, it feels like she’s barely trying to put in any effort at all. She’s absolutely deluded if she thinks this is an improvement.

The brilliantly played piano part of ‘Moments of Pleasure’ gets a slower arrangement here to the point where it’s almost unrecognisable. Again, this has a lot to do with the lower key. Kate’s vocal is okay but certainly not outstanding. The bouncy pop of ‘Rubberband Girl’ appears as an odd shuffling number combining a Rolling Stones inspired rhythmic twang with brushed drumming. A potentially good idea is made unlistenable by compressed production which makes everything sound underwater, while Kate’s vocal is understated and somewhat mumbly. It’s like listening with your fingers in your ears. A brief bass line which sounds like a stretching rubber band provides a great moment but it’s really fleeting.

We all change. Change is natural. We change as people – our personal views change, our tastes in music change. Slowly over time, everything about us changes. Kate Bush needs to accept that too and not indulge in exercises of warped revisionism. The overtly narcissistic ‘Director’s Cut’ only exists to massage Kate’s ego and to give her many sycophantic fans something to get excited about, since they don’t have anything wholly new. The past is the past, you can’t change it; you certainly shouldn’t attempt to rewrite it. The world doesn’t need the musical equivalent of plastic surgery, especially when such surgery brings little to no improvement.

‘Director’s Cut’ isn’t the work of the once brilliant and unique Kate Bush…it’s a totally misguided affair, presenting the ugliest face of vanity. If Kate wants to piss on her legacy that’s fine – after all, they’re her songs to mistreat as she wishes – but she shouldn’t expect everyone to still love her unconditionally afterwards.

May 2011

PETER PARCEK – Pledging My Time EP

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peter parcekIn 2000, Peter Parcek released his debut album ‘Evolution’, a collection of original material which interspersed with covers of tracks penned by Mose Allison and blues legend Freddie King. The album was available only at live shows and via Parcek’s website. A decade later, his follow-up album, ‘Mathematics of Love’ enjoyed proper distribution and earned him critical acclaim, including a nomination from the Blues Foundation for “best new artist debut” at the 2011 Blues Music Awards. A nomination which was well deserved, since the album was brimming with great moments – not least of all on the Parcek written ‘New Year’s Eve’ (a remixed version of a track which made its debut on ‘Evolution’) and an absolutely storming take of the Peter Green penned ‘Showbiz Blues’ (the original of which can be heard on Fleetwood Mac’s 1969 masterpiece ‘Then Play On’).

There may have been a decade between Peter Parcek’s previous two studio works, but he was quick to follow up ‘Mathematics of Love’, and given the buzz it generated in blues circles, was certainly right to do so. His 2011 EP release ‘Pledging My Time’ sees him re-imagine a few numbers penned by the legendary Bob Dylan. The spacious, emotional approach which Parcek brings to his four chosen covers sometimes changes the mood from that of Dylan’s original vision, but each one really benefits from the passion and musical skill on show here.

Opening with the mush covered ‘She Belongs To Me’, there’s a sense of something friendly and familiar. Parcek tackles the song at the same pace as the original and treats the lyric with a great respect, the words suiting his slightly husky delivery. Musically, it has a great organic, live in the studio feel. The dobro is as clear as a bell during a great solo and provides a few great slide-driven moments elsewhere, while the electric elements add a decent amount of depth. Of particular note is Nick Giammarino’s drum work, which has a simplicity which really fits the mood. ‘Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat’ gets a straight-up blues treatment, showcasing Parcek’s electric lead work – the sound of a man who’s at one with his instrument; his playing appears effortless as he straddles a fine-line between soulful and angry leads, as he is backed by fantastic live sounding drums and a B3 organ. The vocal may not retain the slightly sneering qualities of Dylan’s ‘Blonde On Blonde’ cut, but as far as blues influenced vocals are concerned, Parcek’s delivery is fine enough. For this take of ‘Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat’, it’s definitely the music which does the talking.

The lesser-known ‘Beyond Here Lies Nothing’ (featured on Dylan’s 2009 album ‘Together Through Life’) presents a voyage deeper into the blues. Dylan’s version offered a solid blues vibe, but this reworking takes things up a notch. The root of the song is essentially the same; keeping the Peter Green inspired, ‘Black Magic Woman’ style framework. Beyond that, though, the arrangement featured here is superior, dispensing with the ugly accordion and flat brass work of Dylan’s original cut. Parcek’s guitar tone has a pleasing bite which works well against Larry Vann’s B3 organ swirls. The organ lines develop into a solo which has far more presence than the one featured on the original version. While the tight-but-loose blues vibes create a great atmosphere, it’s Parcek’s lead guitar work which steals the show.

Leaving the best for last, ‘It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’ fades in with echoing guitar and a subtle drum track, giving an almost Daniel Lanois-eque spaciousness. Against a laid back drum-line, blanket of B3 and occasional reverbed guitar, Parcek’s vocal pulls the original lyric in a whole new direction; one which has a cool smoothness and an ache that’s lacking from Dylan’s straight (although still brilliant) bar-room blues approach on his original 1985 recording.

When Dylan’s songs are stripped of their unique vocal and left in the hands of lesser artists, they can sometimes feel a little ordinary, despite retaining their highly original lyrical content. Occasionally though, there are artists who’ve managed to remould Dylan’s works into something (almost) as brilliant in their own right. These versions of Dylan songs may not ever take on a life of their own in the same way as The Byrds’ ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ or Jimi Hendrix’s earth shattering reading of ‘All Along The Watchtower’ (still the greatest Dylan cover ever); however, Parcek and his band must be applauded for twisting these four Dylan songs into brilliantly atmospheric, blues edged workouts which captivate the listener. Although a great singer and musician, it’s his gift for arrangements which really provides the true heart of this EP. For listeners with an interest in blues-based music, or anyone interested in Dylan covers – hopefully both – ‘Pledging My Time’ is an essential purchase.

April 2011

THE DEAD EXS – Resurrection

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dxAlthough the garage-blues sub-genre maintained an underground presence throughout the late 80s and 90s thanks to Billy Childish and Jon Spencer’s mighty Blues Explosion, it really only reached a broader public consciousness once everyone’s favourite red and white candy striped duo, The White Stripes, broke into the mainstream.

Keeping with similar musical traditions, The Dead Ex’s debut ‘Resurrection’ pulls together the best elements of The Blues Explosion with a hint of Childish’s ramshackle attitude – and while it brings little that’s new to the musical style in question, it’s not without a few gems.

The Dead Exs’ vocalist and guitarist is David Pattillo, a New York producer of note, having worked with a number of bands including The Hold Steady, Beastie Boys, Jakob Dylan and Alanis Morissette. For his own project, however, the production values are less than shiny; this Dead Exs release was recorded live in the studio with no overdubs. The fuzz-driven vibes are similar to his project The Dirty Glamour (which has a similar feel to early Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Spanish duo Idealipsticks), but in direct comparison, The Dead Exs bring the listener fewer hooks and user-friendly qualities. However, what The Dead Exs lack in hooks, they make up for with power and grit.

The subtle ‘Shut Up and Love Me’ is based around a solid groove with dominant drums. Wylie Wirth’s style has presence, but maintains a very basic style. Patillo’s vocal is strong yet heavily filtered and a one-line chorus, intercut with rather uncharacteristic ‘whoo-hoos’, tops some great, yet fairly weighty slide guitar work. It’s with the boogie-blues of ‘Come Down Easy’ that The Dead Ex’s sound at their most assured, though. Wirth settles into a fabulous shuffle (which becomes heavily reliant on cymbals in places) over which, there’s a guitar groove recalling ‘Boom Boom’ by John Lee Hooker clashing with the youthfulness of the early white rhythm and blues of the 60s – albeit with a hugely increased volume.
It’s a recording which captures the bristling energy and sweat within the studio at the time of recording and in doing so, manages to encapsulate The Dead Exs’ pure musical style.

The slow, brooding ‘Gone’ offers the flip-side of the band’s sound and while it loses a sense of fun, in its place is a musical snapshot of a duo that have really hit their stride. While the lead guitar work rarely stretches beyond a bit of rudimentary string bending and a heavy reliance on distortion pedals, there’s something enjoyable about it’s almost primal qualities – in the same way there are thrills to be had by hearing The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion careening out of control, or experiencing J Mascis throwing in out of tune solos in unpredictable places during Dinosaur Jr numbers.

‘The Angel From New Orleans’ is driven by another great shuffle. It maintains listener interest for the duration and this in turn allows Pattillo to lay down a slide guitar line which – aside from a bluesy run in places – settles for being a sheet of unsubtle slide noise. It brings nothing you won’t have already heard from similar sounding garage blues, but even so, if you’re a fan of the genre, it’s got its share of hard-time, beer-soaked thrills. If you want to experience the band at full-pelt, then ‘Trouble In Kind’ more than delivers; throughout a heavily distorted blues workout, Patillio adopts a very thrashy, almost garage-punk approach to the slide guitar whilst Wirth smashes his kit in a relentless fashion. For what it offers, you’d be hard pushed to find better.

‘Whole Lotta Nothin’, however, couldn’t be more aptly named. Over rudimentary slide work, Pattillo wails and sobs like he’s being poked repeatedly with a stick for over two minutes. Naturally, it sounds like it’s building up to something, but by the time Wirth kicks in with a proper drum part, it’s a bit late in the day. This is a great shame, since his heavy drum sound has a great presence once again; and with that comes a change in tone from Pattillo’s guitar work, leaning farther towards a bottom end-fuzz. Bringing these elements in earlier really could have saved this number. Luckily, this is swiftly followed by one of the album’s best moments… ‘Nolita Strut’ is a cocky instrumental with Pattillo’s guitar taking on a heavily treated vibe – all pedals and overdrive, which combined with the swagger, creates an infectious ditty which sounds like a studio jam by The Dead Weather. Even when The Dead Exs briefly move away from the original riff, although Wirth’s drum fills seem a little disjointed from Pattillo’s heavy-handed approach to lead guitar, they manage to keep momentum. In all, although clocking in at a brief two and a half minutes, ‘Nolita Strut’ is superb; ‘Ressurection’ is worth seeking out just to hear this number.

While the limits of their chosen genre may mean there’s not much room for variation and David Pattillo does not always summon the energy bought by early Jon Spencer performances,‘Ressurection’ manages to be a fairly consistent release. There are more than enough garage rock thrills here for listeners who have a soft spot for the Blues Explosion’s pre-‘Extra Width’ grooves and other similar sounds to to get a fairly big kick out of The Dead Exs.

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March 2011

READYMADE BREAKUP – Readymade Breakup

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readymadebreakupWith a solid fusion of alternative rock riffs and power pop harmonies, Readymade Breakup’s sound will undoubtedly bring to mind several bands you’ve heard before. Their first two albums (2007’s ‘Isn’t That What It’s For?’ and 2008’s ‘Alive On The Vine’) have their moments, but the third album by this New Jersey band – now down to a four piece following the departure of keyboardist Matt Jaworski – demonstrates a stronger gift for great songcraft and musicianship.

The album opens with a simple drum pattern and fairly angry rhythm guitar work. This kind of relative simplicity could have appeared lumpy, but bassist Gay Elvis plays a fairly busy bassline to flesh things out. When then the chorus kicks in. It’s not as hooky as you’d expect, but even so, Paul Rosevar’s lead vocal is very strong. By the time the harder alternative edges hit the chorus for the second time (via a bridge full of Beatle-esque harmonies), it’s obvious they may be on to something. A similar mid-pace drives ‘Just’, where the band embrace lots of great 90s sounds, but it’s the more aggressive styles of The Posies (circa ‘Amazing Disgrace’) and Ty Tabor’s short-lived Jughead project from 2002 which are among the most obvious, thanks to the collision of chunky riffs with a wall of power pop harmony vocals.

‘Waiting For You’ is the first of a few real standouts, dominated by a busy drum pattern intercut with huge guitar chords. It’s at this point Readymade Breakup really start to hit their stride; their brand of alt-rock showing hints of the lighter Foo Fighters material. ‘Unzip My Face (I Miss You)’ follows swiftly and its faster pace is very welcome. While a simple chorus brings with it a great hook, musically, it’s Gay Elvis’s rumbling bass and Spicy O’Neil’s crashy drumming style which provide the best moments. While some solid backing harmonies and an occasional piano hint at the noisy end of power pop, it’s another slice of 90s retro, alternative rock = the kind which Readymade Breakup seem to deliver so well.

After an acoustic opening, ‘Good Things’ is another upbeat number – and one which features all of Readymade Breakup’s best elements in just over three minutes. A solid electric riff compliments the acoustic rhythm, and although the full-on riffs all but dominate afterwards, the acoustic work can still be heard rounding out the sound of the quieter moments. As before, Gay Elvis’s bass playing is superbly busy throughout and O’Neil’s drumming features a couple of quirky moments. With a fantastic mix of riffs and harmonies (and a rather raucous guitar solo from Jim Fitzgerald), this is the sound of Readymade Breakup at their best. The more discerning listeners among you may hear something reminiscent of oft overlooked 90s alternative band Mother May I during the noisier sections. The album is worth checking out for this track alone.

The closing number finds Readymade Breakup leaving one of their best for last. ‘Erased’ is a mid-paced workout, full of lush harmony vocals, punctuated by occasional ringing guitar. There’s not so much of a chorus here as on some of the previous numbers, but those harmonies and a slightly more adventurous arrangement make up for that – particularly on a funky bridge section featuring Rosevar laying down some funky electric piano. The band eventually delivers some louder, more typical rock riffs before the fadeout.

After a slow start, ‘Readymade Breakup’ proves to be a very strong release indeed, tougher in places than some of Readymade Breakup’s previous outings. The fusion of alternative rock and power pop might not always be of interest to the more pop-oriented listeners among you…but for those who like alternative rock with a focus on strong song-writing and big harmonies, this is an album which could be a cult classic.

May 2011

ELIZA CARTHY – Angels & Cigarettes

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carthyBeing the daughter of English folk legends Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson (and the niece of Lal and Mike Waterson), you could say that music was very much in Eliza Carthy’s blood. It would also seem natural for her career to explore avenues of traditional (and traditional sounding) English folk music. She gained great praise for her double release ‘Red:Rice’ in 1998 – the first part fusing her folk songwriting with modern drum loops and the second being stripped back, venturing down a more traditional folk route.

Her fourth album (and US debut) ‘Angels & Cigarettes’ presents Carthy at her most commercial; the songs are more in the adult singer-songwriter pop mould than usual, although her folk influences are occasionally present.

The opening number ‘Whispers of Summer’ is largely representative of this album’s shift away from folk music. Eliza’s voice is still very much in the heavily accented folk vein and her gently played fiddle may put in an appearance, but this is tempered by an unobtrusive drum loop and backing vocals whose ‘oohs’ aren’t particulary folky. A far cry from the likes of ‘The Snow It Melts The Soonest’ or the jigs and reels present on ‘Rice’, it feels like one of the album’s folkiest numbers, but it’s barely folk. It’s one of the only times Eliza gets anywhere near her trademark fiddle style and then that’s only a flourish rather than its main feature.

‘Perfect’ is lightweight pop which manages to remain charming due to Eliza’s lilting folky vocal; ‘Fuse’ makes excellent use of strings and Eliza’s voice carries much sadness. ‘Breathe’ is fantastic with its use of piano and Massive Attack style drum loop. The real star here is Barnaby Stradling whose bass playing is superb and adds much needed warmth. ‘Train Song’ is dark and brooding, where the vocals are used to create beautiful harmonies over the strings, in turn used sparingly to create atmosphere. Similarly, the bass-led ‘Whole’ works well due to being very musically understated. The end result is brilliant, but (as with a lot of ‘Angels & Cigarettes’) it’s not necessarily what some Eliza Carthy fans are looking for; it could just as easily have been a Beth Orton number. A cover of Paul Weller’s ‘Wildwood’ suits Carthy’s vocal style very well and is further proof that ‘Angels & Cigarettes’ seemed largely pre-occupied with the idea of being a cross-over album, introducing Carthy to an adult pop audience and hopefully breaking the US in the process.

If you’re not much of a fan of English folk in its purest forms but don’t mind a little creeping in, ‘Angels & Cigarettes’ offers your best entry point into Carthy’s work – and especially so, if you have a passing fancy for Kirsty MacColl or Beth Orton, for example. Eliza’s rendition of ‘Wildwood’ is worth your time alone.

February 2010